Instructions to Build a Model Steamboat

The defining characteristic of the river steamboats was the paddle-wheel that propelled them.

The graceful form of the Mississippi paddle-wheeler is imprinted on the American psyche. Like great white layer-cakes, their stern- or side-wheels frothing the water, they made their way up and down the great river network at the heart of the North-American landmass. Their historical impact and connection with the Old West makes them popular subjects for models. These range in complexity and authenticity from elaborate replicas of actual riverboats to simple floating toys of the sort described below.

Things You'll Need

• 2 pine boards, 10 inches by 3 inches by 1 inch
• 2 pine boards, 6 inches by 2 1/2 inches by 1 inch
• 2 balsa sheets, 7 inches by 3 inches by 1/8 inch
• 2 balsa sheets, 2 inches by 2 1/2 inches by 1/8 inch
• Jigsaw
• Wood glue
• Squeeze clamps
• Sandpaper
• 1/4-inch drill bit
• 1/8-inch drill bit
• Electric drill
• 1/8-inch diameter dowel (about 8 feet)
• 1/2-inch diameter dowel (8 inches)
• 4-by-2-by-1-inch pine block
• 1-inch pine cube
• Heavy-duty rubber bands (2)
• Paint (white, black, and red)
• Polyurethane weatherproofing sealant

Instructions

1. Cut one end of each of the 10-inch pine boards into the shape of a steamboat's bow with the jigsaw. The line of the bow should start from the center and then slope back in a gentle curve to meet the sides of the board 1 1/2 inches back from the front. Cut a notch into the other end of the boards 2 1/2 inches wide by 3 inches deep.

2. Glue the two 10-inch boards together, one on top of the other, to form a single hull 2-inches thick. Clamp the assembly together and set it aside to dry. Once the glue is dry, sand the hull smooth and drill a 1/4-inch hole horizontally through the "arms" at the back of the hull 3/4 inches in from the rear and 1/2 inch down from the top (deck). Drill a 1-inch deep, 1/8-inch diameter hole down through the arms to intercept each horizontal hole.

3. Paint the hull black and set it aside to dry.

4. Glue one of the 7-inch sheets of balsa to the top of one of the 6-inch pine boards so that the overhang is equal on the front and back as well as the sides. Repeat this process for the other balsa sheet and board, then glue the two together to produce a "layer-cake" effect. Glue the 4-by-2-by-1-inch pine block on top of this, centering it with its long-axis parallel to the long axis of the rest of the assembly, and then glue the 1-inch pine cube to the top of the 4-inch board 1 inch back from its forward edge. Use several clamps to hold this superstructure assembly together as it dries. This is the part of the paddle-wheel steamer that goes on top of the hull and is where most of the living space would be.

5. Paint the superstructure white with white or red trim as you desire, and paint windows at even intervals around the decks. Paint windows on the pilot-house and set the superstructure aside to dry.

6. Drill 14 1/8-inch holes down through both balsa overhangs 1/8-inch in from the edge at even intervals around the superstructure. There should be 3 each across the front and back of the superstructure and 5 down each side (including the ones at the corners which are shared between two sides).

7. Glue the superstructure to the top of the hull so that the back of the base of the superstructure is 1/4-inch forward from the "notch" in the back of the hull. Cut two 4-inch segments of 1/2-inch dowel and glue these end-down to the top of the second layer of the superstructure in front of the corners of the 4-inch piece. Paint these smoke-stacks black.

8. Cut 2-inch segments of 1/8-inch dowel and glue them into the holes in the overhang with their bottoms against the hull. Paint them white.

9. Cut 1/8-inch wide notches 2 and 1/8-inches into the middle of the 2-inch sides of the remaining balsa pieces. Glue them together, slot into slot, so that they form a paddle-wheel with 4 paddles. Paint this assembly red.

10. Cut two 1-inch segments of 1/8-inch dowel. Put the paddle wheel through the rubber-bands so that when pulled taut they support it. Put the ends of the rubber bands through the holes in the arms at the back of the hull and push the dowel segments down through the 1/8-inch vertical holes (and thus through the rubber bands) to hold them in place. Turning the wheel should now wind the rubber bands so that it runs on its own when let go.

11. Paint the model with polyurethane to keep it from being damaged by the water.

References

• Steamboats.Org: Steamboat Model Building

Resources

• Steamboat Reference Pictures