hello all.

[Liam]

Hello.
I have been registered on the forum for a while but have been busy over the last few years going through a 'Civil war' phase and this is the first 'Paddler' I have attempted for a long time and I need a little assistance plse.

I am attempting to build Robert Fultons DEMOLOGOS from 1814. I have completed the hulls up to deck level but I am struggling with an element of the deck planking. Can anyone assist with the question as to whether this vessel would have had the planks joggled into the margin strake, or,whether the strake would simply have been laid over the planks as a form of cover board,or even if it would have had a margin strake at all as it lacked bulwarks?

Any assistance would be greatly appreciated.

             cheers.......liam.......

[EMBC]

Hello Liam

I think you`re floggin` a dead horse here!...... I would guess the fancy planking was a more modern idea?

Bob

[Walter Snowdon]

Hi Liam. Joggled planking is a very old idea and I think that in wooden hulls it actualy helped eith the hull strength and certainly as it sealed the exposed plank ends it helped to stop the decks rotting. If you are up to it I would joggle them or at least add a margin plank as this looks good as well. Regards, Walter.

[mjt60a]

just curious, do you mean the way the planks are 'cut into' the margin plank (like in this picture of waverleys deck) or that the 'ends' are staggered on adjacent planks...(like I tried to do on the second picture!)

[Liam]

Its the first example in the first photo.
I know that ships of the day had their deck planking joggled or nibbled into the margin plank. However as far as I can find out other warships of a similar size built around the end of the 18th and start of the 19th centuries all had bulwarks. The Demologos was a floating battery powered by a centrally mounted paddle wheel and had no bulwarks. The deck was flush and I dont know whether the lack of bulwarks would have changed the normal way of laying the deck. I have been on other forums asking the same question with mixed results.
 However the general concensus is that there would still have been a margin plank and that the deck planking would have been joggled/nibbled when necessary.

[R.G.Y.]

Yes joggle away, the reason, planks sould never be cut to a feather edge as they will have to be if not joggled into a margin plank. R.G.Y.