16
6. Outer Hull Planking
Belt Layout
: Planking widths are fairly
equal from the main rail to about 1/4"
below the gunport sills. From there on
down, planks taper fore and aft.
Consequently, the hull below this point
is divided into
Belts A
through
D
.
On Sheet 2, use a tick strip to mark the
belt seams along each bulkhead.
Transfer these points in pencil to the
model. Now temporarily tack four,
1/16" x 3/32" basswood battens along
the port and starboard belt lines.
Battens assure an accurate run of planks
by correcting any errors in drafting, tick
strip marking, or transferring.
Once the eight battens are in place,
check their flow. Look at the model
from the side and from the bow and
stern. Do the battens have a pleasing,
smooth curve? Are they symmetrical? If
necessary, adjust the lower battens refer-
ring to the planking profile on Sheet 2.
When everything is fair, make sure the
belt seams are clearly visible. Remark
those that aren't. Now, either remove
the battens or leave them in place until
they interfere with installing a plank.
Tapering Plank Edges
: As planking pro-
ceeds, the edges of a particular plank
may require tapering to butt flush against
its neighbor. Properly machined planks
have square edges. Butting them together
on a hull may produce small gaps. Most
are sealed with glue or wood filler, or
caulked on a real ship. Plank edges are
often deliberately sloped to ensure they
butt against each other, while providing a
sufficient gap for caulking. To create a
perfectly smooth hull without gaps, trim
each plank edge as it is fit. The decision
to taper or rely on filler is yours.
Planking the Counter and Transom:
Cover
the counter and transom with 1/32"
planks. Normally, counter/transom
planks and hull planks intersect in a
miter. However, other options are avail-
able (Figure 2-4).
Gunport and Sweep Port Butt Strips
:
A
1/32" square, vertical strip covers the
hull planking's end grain at the gun-
ports and sweep ports. These are red on
the real ship (Sheet 3) and provide a ref-
erence line for painting the model.
However, those who paint only the
inside of the gunports red may wish to
leave the covering strips yellow like the
rest of the hull planking.
Upper Hull Planking:
The first plank
beneath the rail is 3/64" thick. The rest
are 1/32" thick except the two 3/64"
thick strakes below the gunport sill.
Widths are fairly uniform from bow to
stern. Gunports break up most strakes,
so planking butts are not an issue. For
the longer strakes above and below the
ports, use the following procedure:
Laying the Planks in
Belt A
: Planks
below the upper hull planking are
1/16" thick. Belts are done separately,
so planking can start with any one.
However, it's logical to begin at the top
and work down.
Belt A
has eight,
1/16" thick strakes. The maximum
plank width, at
Bulkhead H
, is roughly
3/32" on the model (6" on the real
ship). Planks taper forward and aft to
about 1/16". Use 1/8" or 3/32" wide
strips for the midship area and 3/32"
strips aft.
Lift the plank widths from the hull
planking layout with a tick strip. If any
batten locations were changed, divide
the space on each bulkhead into eight
equal plank widths. To do this, set the
slide on your proportional dividers to
the number of planks in
Belt A
. Span
the width of
Belt A
with the long legs.
The distance between the points on the
short legs is the width of each plank in
the belt. Mark these lines on the bulk-
heads in pencil.
Belt A
is now marked.
The next step is to cut planks to fit
between the marks.
Belt A
doesn't
require spiling, so make straight
tapered planks. Start at
Bulkhead H
.
Use a plank to cover:
First, lay a piece of planking stock over
the bulkheads. In pencil, mark their
overall length on the plank, then the
position of each bulkhead. Next, using a
set of dividers or tick strip, lift the plank
widths from the marks on the bulkheads
and transfer to the stock. Draw a line
through the points and cut the plank.
Trace this tapered plank to obtain anoth-
er for the other side of the hull. Repeat
for the remaining planks in this strake.
Fig 2-4 Transom / Side Plank Intersection
Fig 2-5 First Two Strakes in Belt "A"
Side
Transom
Miter
Option 1
Option 2
Bulkheads
View Foreshortened
1)
Bulkhead H
to
Bulkhead L
2)
Bulkhead L
to
Bulkhead P
3)
Bulkhead P
to
the stern
4)
Bulkhead H
to
Bulkhead D
5)
Bulkhead D
to
the stem