Boat Mill Model
Construction
The river is on a flat MDF base covered with a thin layer of uneven brown builders plaster which is then painted with emulsion in various brown/green colours to simulate underwater of a shallow fast flowing river. The clear fibreglass resin was poured in thin coats over several days to avoid the risk of cracking and is probably less than 5mm thick in some areas except in depressions in the plaster where it might be 10mm or more, the dimples to the left of the boat unexpectedly occurred with the last resin pouring and luckily add to the realistic appearance of moving water. To make the river look really deep on a flat base the centre is painted very dark and lighter towards the bank, this gives the impression of a deeper channel for boats etc. The effect of moving water turbulence in front of the boats and strings of bubbles are done by sprinkling sugar into the fibreglass resin which completely envelopes it and sets hard.
Left: Showing my arm pointing at the mirror and the single sided bridge
Above: shows the the mirror reflection, there is a second mirror hidden from view so the river appears to go off into the far distance when viewed at the museum.
On the right: a photo during construction showing the waterwheel, The model is made in the H0/00 scale popular with model railroads and the wheel scales up to 5.5.Mtrs diameter X 6 Mtrs wide !
Below: The start of the model, polystyrene then covered in brown builders plaster. The mirror is already fitted in the corner. and a second (hidden) one on the far left
Although some of the German boat mills were huge superbly made craft with three floors complete with family accommodation they were more often than not quite crudely made with a single floor. Parts constantly in water didn't last very long and the wheel itself would be expected to have it's main parts replaced within five years. The planked hulls were often fixed together with iron clamps - like big staples - & the joints stuffed with moss which when wet swelled up & prevented leaks. A coating of tar also helped although rainwater frequently found it's way inside the hull which unfortunately resulted in the boat rotting from the inside.
Boats in any given area were almost always of the same type, the tradition for a certain size & construction going back many generations with little variation. On the continent there are some original boat mills preserved in outdoor museums & there are also one or two modern reconstructions open for visitors.
