Well my first attempt at planking a model ship deck begins. Used 1/4 x 1/16 inch basswood strips and wood glue. Decided it would be much easier to plank the entire deck and then glue the deck rail and structure over the actual planking later.

(Our doggie visitor Spirit loved sleeping under the shipyard.)

Did the access panels first, since it was going to be tough getting a close fit. Not real happy with aft panel since the angle left some gaps. Hopefully it won't look too bad after darkening the wood with some stain later. Since the deck of the Beagle will be very crowded with boats and structure, it probably won't be noticeable anyway.

The fore panel came out much better since it was straight. Both panels fit very tight, so much so that I'm afraid to put both on at the same time until I attach something to them for opening the panels from above.

Used my X-acto knife to smooth down the edges.

Week 12