Welcome to the forum Andrew!
The biggest pointers to get planking done easier is as follows:
Sand the edges of the frames so that when you run a length of your planking timber (Lime or Bass wood are recommended) there are no triangular gaps between the plank and the edge of the frame. This provides a better surface to glue the planks to making the joints stronger.
Measure the length of the largest frame from top point of hull (not always the highest or lowest point on your frames as they may have integral supports to hold them to the building board) to the outer edge of the keel(or centre of the hull if building a modern hull without exposed keel timber) and divide this length by the width of your chosen timber planks and this will give you the number of planks you require. Doing the same at each frame will also tell you how wide the plank needs to be at that point so you can shape them to fit.
If the planks are too short to cover the entire length of hull in one go, always start the new plank on a frame so you have a stronger joint.
Try and avoid stealers which are long triangular bits of plank added to fill awkward gaps at or near the end of a planking run, though if the timber is good and you start at a frame, it should be alright especially once you have glassed the hull.
Choose or specify good straight runs of planking timber as knots or shakes (Odd brown corky areas or rot) will be a weakness especially if you are twisting the plank in more than one plane. A reputable company like SLEC should provide a much more reliable quality of timber throughout.
If using Balsa, and some modellers use it to good effect, specify at least a medium grade of timber as soft balsa is weaker and not necessarily easier to use. Medium grade is no more difficult to cut and shape than Lime or Bass.
Lastly, enjoy yourself and prepare well to save wasting materials and keep your tools sharp! If in doubt replace that knife blade or hone that chisel.
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Topic: MV Bute (A Caledonian MacBrayne car ferry) (Read 1475 times)