Mike Kelly owns the Miss Jenna, a Russel Brothers Ville Class tugboat built for use by the RCN for duty on the East and West coasts of Canada. It has an approximate LOA of 40', beam 10' and interestingly virtually no keel. The drawings found, show a visible keel beginning about in the middle. A 4 1/2" width and about 1 3/4" depth, which becomes increasingly more moving aft.

http://www.russelbrothers.ca/xlisterville.html

Bill Froelich, Houston, Texas, built a fine 40" 1"=1' scale model seen here.

Bill and I have been in contact and have shared various ideas.

Building 3/4” = 1’
L.O.A. 30”

Just starting to see how the design is starting to shape up. The keel is sturdy quarter-saw oak. The ribs are lightly tacked in place with a drop of CA, easily removed. A couple ribs are to be altered and the Stuffing box secured before the ribs are glued up.

My wife, Catharine and I, were invited by the owner of the Loganville to come down to Port Dover, Ontario, on the north shores of Lake Erie. We drove 500km round trip today to experience walking the decks above and below. We enjoyed photographing the vessel by ourselves. The owner, Pete Spencer, of Tiller Marine, left us pretty much on our own to photograph, measure and explore the vessel.

Pete has a No Visitors sign posted on the property. Best you contact him first before you coming knocking on his shop door. 🤓😉

The keel is Oak, strong & straight. The frames are cut and installed; also the stuffing box, and rudder. Making progress, length 30” width 10”, 3/4”=1’

The skipper from Port Dover, said that a tugboat’s propeller is called a wheel. If you drive the tug with a four blades it is called four wheel. Thus two, three, five also a two wheel, three wheel or five wheel. Learned something new.

I am pleased with this project it is coming along better than the Miss Katherine did last fall. Bigger scale helps too as does heavier frames.

Hope to utilize the unseasonably warm weather to get the seams filled with spot putty/glaze tomorrow. Final section was glued in this evening as the rubber bands and clamps show.

Initial sanding done; filler applied and sanded; glazing spot putty applied and sanded; fibreglassing complete; Fine detailing with glazing auto putty yet to be done since the primer was done.

We in Ontario have enjoyed warm weather and that has sped things along.

Made a pattern from cereal boxes to cut-out the deck. This will be done in two sections. Bow to aft line of the engine room will be one section; the other will be added after I make and mount the tow bollard.