Robert Fulton's "Clermont"

[rockpaperscissor]

Fulton's North River steamboat, commonly called the Clermont, was the world's first commercially viable steamboat. The ship was 150 feet long, and 13 feet wide, drawing only 2 foot of water. Its maiden voyage from New York City to Albany took place on August 17, 1807. After some initial and embarrassing dockside mechanical difficulty that was quickly remedied, "Fulton's Folly" steamed away from the boatyard with jeers and taunts from the assembled crowd. The ship docked overnight at the Clermont Manor estate of its primary investor, Robert Livingston, where the crew and passengers were fed and entertained. Continuing on to Albany the next morning, the voyage was completed in 32 hrs of actual travel time. The return trip's performance was a little better, completing the journey in 30 hours, not including the one hour stop at Clermont Manor. Regular weekly passenger service began on Sept. 4, 1807, leaving NYC on Saturdays, and returning from Albany on Wednesdays with stops at West Point, Newburg, Poughkeepsie, Esopus and Hudson. Typical voyages took about 36 hrs, with an avg speed of 6 MPH.

I've lived most of my life within a few hundred yards of the Hudson river, so I have a natural interest in its history. This kit by Schreiber-Bogen was one of the first paper models that I attempted to build - decades ago. After a few hours of frustration, its maiden voyage was into a nearby wastepaper basket.

I had better luck this time, and the build was thoroughly enjoyable. I found it impossible to form the kit's paper masts, however, so I substituted shaped Q-tip shafts. Other than the masts it was built "out of the box", following the cover art and line drawings to the letter. There is one part that I know is wrongly placed: there is a slingshot shaped piece that provides support for part of the mizzen mast. Per the instructions and cover art it was placed directly on top of the stern passenger compartment sliding hatch. That can't be right. Perhaps someone more knowledgeable than me can provide insight.

After I took the first photo, I decided it needed a little pop, so I printed out a 15 star American flag and added it to the mainmast.

[Texman]

A most excellent floaty thingy! Nice work.

[Michael Mash]

Nice looking work.

[rifleman]

nice build well done