Paddle Steamer Model Kits and the Waverley

Why paddle steamers make rewarding models

Paddle steamers combine elegant Victorian and Edwardian lines with visible, working machinery. A model with turning paddle wheels is fascinating to watch on the water, and the boxy paddle boxes, tall funnels and long open decks give plenty of scope for detail.

They also come with some challenges. Paddle wheels are more complex to build than a propeller, the wide paddle boxes affect stability and handling, and few mainstream wooden kits cover British excursion steamers. That’s why many builders work from plans or specialist hulls.

How paddle steamers work

A paddle steamer is driven by large wheels on each side (a side-wheeler) or a single wheel at the stern (a stern-wheeler). As the wheel turns, flat boards called floats push against the water.

• Fixed floats are set rigidly on the wheel’s spokes. They’re simple, but they enter and leave the water at an angle, wasting some energy.
• Feathering floats are pivoted and linked to an off-centre ring, so each float stays closer to vertical while it’s in the water. That’s more efficient. Waverley’s paddle wheels each have eight feathering floats.

On many side-wheelers, including Waverley, both wheels are driven from a single crankshaft. That means they can’t be turned independently, so the ship steers with a conventional rudder.

Types of paddle steamer kit

American riverboat kits

The most widely available wooden paddle steamer kits are American river boats: tall, multi-decked Mississippi-style stern-wheelers and side-wheelers. Spanish and Italian makers have offered several, including Artesania Latina’s “King of the Mississippi” stern-wheeler. These are usually built as static display models, but some can be adapted for radio control.

They’re a good first paddle steamer because they’re well documented in kit form. The flat-bottomed hull is straightforward, and the decks and railings are repetitive but satisfying to build.

British and European paddle steamer kits and hulls

British excursion paddle steamers such as Waverley, Kingswear Castle and the many lost Clyde, Thames and Bristol Channel steamers are less often available as complete wooden kits. Builders usually take one of these routes:

• Fibreglass hull plus fittings, from specialist British working-boat suppliers, with a wooden superstructure built from plans (see model boat moulds for fibreglass hulls if you’d rather make your own)
• Plans-only builds using plans published through model boat magazines and plan services (our guide to finding and using model ship plans explains where to look)
• Scratch building from photographs, general arrangement drawings and preservation society material

German makers have also offered working models of Swiss and German lake paddle steamers, which share many features with British excursion ships.

For an overview of who makes what, see our guide to wooden model boat kit brands.

Modelling the Waverley

PS Waverley is the world’s last seagoing passenger-carrying paddle steamer. That makes her the obvious choice for a British paddle steamer model, and she’s still sailing, so you can photograph her yourself.

Key facts for modellers

Waverley was built to replace an earlier Waverley lost at Dunkirk in 1940. After her commercial career ended, she was sold for a nominal £1 to the Paddle Steamer Preservation Society in 1974 and has operated in preservation ever since. A major heritage rebuild, completed in 2003, returned her closer to her original 1940s appearance, and she was re-boilered in 2020. Her livery and details have changed over the years, so decide which period you’re modelling.

Plans, hulls and references

• Look for published plans through model boat plan services and magazine archives, and check whether any current supplier offers a Waverley hull. Availability varies over time. If you find plans at the wrong size, see how to scale model boat plans up or down.
• Gather your own photos. Waverley tours the UK coast in summer. Our article on where the Waverley paddle steamer is based explains where to find her.
• Use the paddle boxes as your guide. Their decorative vents and the ship’s name lettering are Waverley’s signature features, so it’s worth getting them right.

Building working paddle wheels

Fixed vs feathering floats

For a first working paddler, fixed floats are much simpler and work acceptably at model scale. Feathering floats look correct for Waverley and many other steamers and improve efficiency, but they need:

• An accurately made eccentric (off-centre) ring and linkage for each wheel
• Free-moving pivots that won’t seize when wet
• Careful alignment so the floats don’t foul the paddle box

Brass and nylon parts and stainless pins hold up better in water than wooden pivots.

One motor or two?

• One motor driving both wheels is closer to the real Waverley. You’ll steer with the rudder, which works but gives a wide turning circle.
• Two motors, one per wheel, let you turn very tightly by running the wheels at different speeds or in opposite directions. Many working-model builders choose this for better handling on the pond, even though the prototype can’t do it. Transmitter mixing makes it easy to set up; see our radio control setup guide.

Either way, keep the motors, batteries and gearboxes low in the hull. The paddle boxes and upper decks add weight high up, and a paddle steamer can roll noticeably in wind. See how to ballast an RC model boat down to its waterline. For real steam rather than electric drive, see building a model steam boat.

Are paddle steamers still used?

Yes, though only a few remain in passenger service. Waverley sails on the Clyde and around the UK coast, Kingswear Castle runs on the River Dart in Devon, and paddle steamers still operate on several lakes and rivers in Europe and the United States. Most are now run by preservation groups or as heritage tourist attractions rather than everyday ferries.

If you enjoy paddle steamers, the Clyde puffers that once worked the same waters make an interesting contrast; see our guide to Clyde puffer and beam trawler models.