I am actually going to paint the brass ribs, the originals are iron/steel, so paint then rust. A little AQ trivia now. The African Queen was originally built on the banks of the Ribble, near Lytham UK by the Lytham Shipbuilding and Engineering Company.
Previously known as Richard Smith and Co the Lytham Shipbuilding and Engineering Co was set up in February 1894. It was based on the Ribble estuary to the East of Lytham at Lytham Creek.
During the 1800s the yard made shallow-draft river craft which were sent in pieces and rebuilt at their destination. In addition, the yard made a variety of sternwheel, quarterwheel and tunnel propulsion river boats, barges and tugs. She was named SL Livingstone and was shipped to The East African Railway Company company on the Victoria Nile and Lake Albert. Lake Albert is located on the border of the Belgian Congo and Uganda. She was built in a narrow way to navigate this river and was used to carry mercenaries, missionaries, cargo and hunting parties on their voyages.
In 1951 John Houston commissioned her in the starring role in a film he was making called The African Queen.
More information here
http://africanqueenflkeys.com/history.html She has now been restored and earns her living running canal trips around the Florida Keys.
