New model sidewheeler

[Mike Woodyard]

After a bit of planning to build a model of the rafter Clyde i have decide not to. Many of you have given me references for the Clyde which i very much appriciate but there is still very little information about it. That being said here is a photo of my next model. It is a 1/24 scale model sidewheeler of my own design but will closely resemble the upper Mississippi rafting steamers such as the Clyde. I have never built a boat from my own ideas so this should be fun but since i have built so many this should also be easy. The only limit to it is my imagination and according to my wife thats a scary place. It will have all the usual animations. Electric drive, smoke, whistle, lights, and sound. I am open to any ideas from all you professional steamboaters as the model progresses. Stay tuned.

[R. Dale Flick]

'New' model looks good to me*
Morning, Mike,
Great photo above and it's looking good to me. I'm learning/seeing more each day on internet web sites great boat/ship models being done or finished. I know I don't have the talent, patience, steady hands to even think about tackling a project like this. Our own John Fryant of S&D of Pioneer Rivermen has done many fine models. He's often said, "Models should be left out in the yard in rain for a few days so they take on that real patina and look of a working steamboat." Keep us posted. Thanks for sharing.

R. Dale Flick
Old Coal Haven Landing, Ohio River, Cininnati

[Mike Woodyard]

I am trying to find out if the early iron hulled steamboats had an iron deck or a wooden deck. If anyone has any information about this please let me know.

[Frank X. Prudent]

Fred Way's BETSY ANN had an iron hull, and her main deck was wood.

[Jim Reising]

After studying the Howard pictures, I know of no packet which had a steel or iron hull to have a steel of iron main deck. I think it must have had something to do with handling freight and live stock. Even the IDLEWILD,,now BofL, which has a steel maindeck came out with the deck covered in a 2" layer of an asphalt/cement mix, the famed KATE ADAMS had a steel hull, wood deck; so did the CAPE GIRARDEAU. Not so towboats, that's why I think it must have something to do with handling freight.

[Bob Reynolds]

Very interesting, indeed. Maybe due to livestock and/or humans slipping on steel?

[Jim Blum]

On rare occasions when the GCG hull comes out for a good breath of air she shows some wood plank over a steel deck. I know some who have posted in the past have made an expedition to the hull and as I remember even mentioned the remaining wood. I have spent a good part of the morning searching for pictures I took a couple years back around about a -5 on the St Louis gage to refresh my memory----so far haven't located them.

[Mike Woodyard]

Here are some pics of the wheels boxes planked and some windows cut out and framed. Thanks to everyone who posted i know now that iron hulled boats had wood decks. I ran out of wood strips to plank the main deck and i just found a place online to order more. I bought an old King of the Mississippi model kit at an estate sale yrs ago and it had a lot of parts missing but a lot of wood strips for planking and thats what i have been using.

[Mike Woodyard]

Here is the model with all of the major construction done. The next phase of the exterior is paint and a ton of details. The interior is getting an electric motor, smoke generator, lights, and sound. The pilothouse roof ornamentation will be painted blue but i believe it was Fred Way that said blue on a steamboat is bad luck.

[Ron Anderson]

Well isn't that sexy now.

[Mike Woodyard]

Hi folks. Its been a really long time since I have posted. I have been busy with life and now have some time to work on my models. He is a pic of my newest project now under paint and getting some electronics in it.

[Franz Neumeier]

Looks very good, thanks for sharing. Can you reveal the name of the boat already, or will you wait with this for the christening? ;-)

[Mike Woodyard]

[Mike Woodyard]

I have a couple names I'm kicking around. Probably going to christen it with a tiny bottle of Tabasco and reveal the name.