Laying the Center Planks The planks that ran the center of the deck had to be perfectly straight, or the deck planking would angle off, and would get worse the further I got from the center line. To make sure this would not happen, I used a ruler and took my time to glue the center planks on. Click Once To Enlarge

The Plank Pattern In 2005 while sitting in a Gasthaus in Berlin, while eating thickly spread Schmalz on fresh dark bread, my friend Peter Lienau drew the planking pattern of the Kaiserliche-Marine on a napkin. I tucked the napkin into my passport and guarded it carefully all the way back to Canada, and then drew the pattern to the right. Essentially, the pattern is repeated every fifth plank. Click Once To Enlarge

Here we go! And so it began. My German friends warned me this would take a long time; they were right. Starting on one side of the center planks, I planked the entire length, then worked my way down, being careful to follow the pattern drawn in pencil on the deck. The planks were glued to the deck using a thin cyanoacrylate (super glue). I had to use care to position each plank perfectly, as once a plank was glued in place, it was NOT coming off. Click Once To Enlarge

Each plank was test-fitted, cut or filed if necessary, then glued on. I planked, and planked, and planked..........and then planked some more...........the weeks passed........

Back to the Pommern Index Page

Deck Intro / Cutting the Planks / Planking / Lower Decks / Sanding / Water Gutters / Chain Runs/ Final Product