Kalakala - Art Deco Ferry

This new forum is understandably a little sparse so I thought I might be forgven for jumping the gun here. My post is a little premature as a build log for the art deco ferry Kalakala because I won't be starting it until December. However I can share its history with you now. I suppose you should also know that as I write she's probably already in her final days afloat . Go to http://www.kalakala.org/index.html for her full history - it's a great site and interesting. Here's a shout out for another good site - visit Steven J Pickens http://www.evergreenfleet.com/ Look elsewhere in the newspapers for her current state though http://maritimematters.com/2011/03/streamlined-art-deco-ferry-kalakala-listing-in-tacoma/. This article reports a 25 degree list to port after a pump failure. Other articles call for demolition before her sinking causes a toxic release into the environment.

In a nutshell then, The Kalakala (built on the burnt out hull of the 1926 Peralta) was a quintessential Art Deco icon that was visually stunning in her day. She was the first streamlined ferry. The first non riveted vessel due to using the revolutionary electro-welding process. She also had the first ever commercial radar system fitted. In 1935 she had the largest engine installed on a ferry 3000hp (the largest ever Busch-Sulzer direct-drive diesel) which included (at the time) the world’s longest crankshaft. She had installed a new sprinkler system unseen on any vessel. There were other firsts I can't recall them all but also in her day The Kalakala became the second-most photographed object in the world - second only to the famed Eiffel Tower in Paris.

She was sold eventually and spent 1968 to 98 in Alaska as a fish, crab processing plant - even at one point becoming a building, surrounded by infill. The Kalakala is currently moored in Tacoma, Washington but is declining rapidly - I have heard talk of demolition though not from the Kalakala.org site. The photos below are The Peralta, The burnt out hull, Kalakala Black Ball era, Kalakala in state owned livery, Kalakala today.

As I said my build can't start till late December so meanwhile in preparation riddle me three.

1. Do you know of a Peralta or Buena Yerba (her sister ship) plan - I need that for the hull, though her beam was reduced from 68' to 55'1''.
2. Do you know of a Kalakala plan - I have line drawings but no plan.
3. I am told that that I might consider adding displacement to the hull as a Washington State Ferry model was too heavy for it's original scale hull, so had to be refaired to run properly - now I understand the reasoning but not the method I need to use - suggestions appreciated.

Regards Norseman

Pictures - didn't attach. I'll try again in the morning.

Ok, so now I've read the forum rules I think I can upload those images now - let's try again.







Regards Norseman

its a shame they let these get in such a condition obviously a design ahead of its time hope it will get put to as good use and to scraped

Hi

Here's a little snapshot - October 17th 1951 - just a day in the life of. I like this photo and I match it with a visitors one in 2001 who snapped roughly the same area.

Regards Norseman

Good luck with the build ...

Hi folks



Summer has been very busy for me but I have gathered various items that have given me dimensions (and some conflicting ones too) so my problem now is how to turn them all into a proper plan. I can't decide whether to make a first attempt on paper (I'm favouring this at the moment) or whether to get one of those super duper cad programs and try that (never used one at all). If I want to start in January then I really need to get this done because the weeks are just flying over. Ha ha when I was a kid the seven weeks summer holiday seemed to last forever now I reckon forever would be about eighteen months tops.



Regards Norseman

I am really looking forward to this build. A great subject..

me too....what are you going to use to build her.....GRP perhaps.

Hi



Well - demented as this may sound I am thinking of doing most of the superstucture in 0.5mm Aluminium and just possibly the bridge house in copper (because amazingly the original bridge housing was all copper). Nothing is decided yet and I might talk myself out of it yet.



Regards Norseman

even more interesting norseman, what size will she be.

neil

Hi

I just posted a complicated reply and the site said 'server too busy' but the post disappeared - count to ten slowly. At least 1:100 so 33'' but maybe up to 50'' - I will post a fuller answer again tomorrow. Maybe I'll count to fifty slowly instead.



Regards Norseman

It reminds me of one of those aluminium American mobile homes and has about as many curves.

will make a very interesting model but I bet you wil have fun with all the rounded superstructure.



Geoff

ha ha - Yes curves have always been my downfall - but this is a family forum so let's leave that alone.





I sort of think these particular curves may actually be much more manageable in metal than in plastic. Breaking news boys - I have just recieved an email from Seattle and I have been promised some files/plans on disk for both the Peralta and Kalakala in just a week or so; God Bless America. This internet let's you just keep knocking on doors of people who you probably couldn't reach if you lived 5 only minutes away.



Is anyone able to identify this type of lifeboat? There are two on the Kalakala.







or this one on a sister ferry might be the same type?







I will need to find this out - but it isn't urgent.



Regards Norseman

Yes Pugwash it does remind me of an Airstream Clipper but, the Kalakala is around 1935 and it wasn't until 1936 that Byam introduced the Airstream Clipper, and that was essentially a rebadged 1935 Bowlus (see pic). Of more than 400 travel trailer builders operating in 1936, Airstream was the sole survivor of the great depression. Back to design inspiration; I am informed by enthusiasts that the inspiration for the Kalakala design came from a car - the Chrysler Airflow (see pics). However I don't agree - if you look at the Kalakala and then at Count Ricotti's Alfa from 1913 you really have to wonder 'Whose the Daddy?' Jeremy Kyle would definitely be reaching for his DNA testing kit.















Regards Norseman

Hi Folks



well things are moving along nicely. I recieved some elctronic files for the Peralta hull this evening (no Kalakala superstructure yet) and I've posted a small section of two files to give you an idea of the hull shape - wow some sponson there. There are other nice little details for the Peralta such as the bench profiles - I might even adopt them for the Kalakala if I don't get that detail from anywhere.











Regards Norseman

Hi Folks
Just a little progress report. I went to the printers yesterday about litho plate and he was very generous; he wouldn't even take anything for the plate.
4 @ 1030 x 790mm
4 @ 1400 x 1040mm
The above are quite thick, and those below are thin
4 @ 510 x 400mm
1 @ 650 x 555mm
The larger sheets are mostly unexposed but from a machine he very rarely uses these days. Those thicker sheets seem to me to be suitable for structure too. So now I guess I'm committed to an aluminium superstructure and I have enough plate to make a few mistakes. I also decided to buy some card and try creating templates for the curves before cutting the plates.

Regards Norseman

Thinking aloud..........

You might want to try making a solid wooden plug for the superstructure and using that as a 'mould' to 'dress' the plate over to get the shape.

A bit like a coachbuilder dressing an old mudguard from a '20's car over a wooden dolly and sandbag?

A bit of research into the properties of the plate you are using might throw up the need to 'anneal' the material with heat before dressing it - makes it more maleable?

Just thoughts.............

Carl

Bermabright (not sure of the spelling) is the aluminium that early Landrovers are made of, after heating so that soap will melt on it, you can work it quite well.



Alan

Hi Folks



Yes so far it seems that Litho plate can be annealed quite easily with the soap method but it might need to be done several times as I work at it. At only 0.5mm I don't think I can fully work those compound curves over a form; I think I will need a form and some cuts / infill pieces - though not too many I hope.

Other news - I contacted a Canadian modeller (well his wife I think - he doesn't use a computer) he was commisioned around 2004 (I think)to make a model of the Kalakala for a museum. He has offered to send me (by mail) some photographs and some advice from his experience of the build. I am really looking forward to that arriving.

Ok - my upcoming problem is to make some useful plans from the info available - this is something I can't say I feel at all confident about - but as I am a persistent (minding my language here) person I will get there in the end. I wish I knew how to use autocad - maybe I will take a course on day.

There are some real difficulties with dimensions. The Peralta's partial plans are original known dimensions, but these dimensions were altered after the fire and for the proposed Kalakala build. The Kalakala superstructure was not even built from a plan (I read) but instead the builders used the designers model - so those original plans cannot exist. Kalakala.org have some electronic plans for a refit but they encompass some changes, and dimensions aren't too clear to me. Finally a proffesional US modeller told me I need to add displacement to the Peralta hull if I want the boat to be more than just display. Any thoughts (especially on plans) would be much appreciated

Regards Norseman

Hi Norseman,

How quickly are you planning to build / finish this project? What I am trying to say is - if you can 'hold fire' until after the New Year, i should be able to produce a 'working' set of plans for you based on those available on the Kalakala website. - including profile cross-sections.

I have downloaded what is available, there appear to be scale bars on the drawings that I can refer to, so I can produce scale drawings in AutoCAD. What scale are you looking to build to? 1:96 or so?

I am planning to spend Christmas and New Year at the Outlaws in the South of France, so will have a bit of time to spend drawing.

Let me know what you think..............

Carl

Hi Carl

That's a really generous offer and yes please. Waiting is no problem at all as I have never intended to start the build before Christmas anyway. I'll pm you about the other relevant plan type info I have. Re size, I have been dithering between a 1:100ish model at 33" or a 1:64 at 52". I suppose a model around 33" is a far more manageable size for both construction and usage (Ha ha, and carriage in my little Punto). I found this model image that has some plans attached. Kodiak and Washington State Historical Societies are named as the image sources.



Regards Norseman.

Hi Norseman

It would be my pleasure, actually. The scale is immaterial to me at this stage as I draw 1:1 (full size). It will become relevant when we print the drawings off though.

Look forward to hearing from you soon about the further info - whatever you have will be useful, including any photos....

Will PM you my details....

Cheers, Carl

I'm volunteering to help save the Kalakala.
I go down most weekends. If you want me to put up a tape measure anywhere give me a sketch.

The Kalakala is not dead.

It does not leak, the leak that made it list was a bad rivet. It has not needed a drop pumped out in at least 3 months. It appears to me that the people quoted in the newspaper article are either misquoted or don't know what they are talking about. Read the quotes and apply your common sense and see if you agree.

I want to make a diecast model of the Kalakala. There is enough work to be done for 10 lifetimes with this ship. I would like to ask you many questions and hopefully answer many you have.

I'm just a volunteer and have no official standing with the Kalakala.

Tim

Hi Tim

not sure you should post up your email address so prominently on an open forum - Spam etc

Great to hear from someone with their finger on the pulse and especially from a volunteer - where is she now and has anyone found the money to save her? You are really welcome here and there will be people who can point you to some good informative posts for your model making.

My initial request would be for photos in and around the bridge, and (God -this is like a letter to Santa ) the various diameters of the portholes/windows . I will email you too but posting stuff here keeps the forums going and members interested. Just out of curiosity - why/how did you get involved with the Kalakala?

Regards Dave.......... thanks again for getting in touch.

Taught to me in Tech school many moons ago late '60's smear aluminium with soap apply heat when soap turns brown quickly quench in water to anneal.
Inversely heating and letting cool naturally will harden aluminium.
Opposite to other metals.

Hi Damien

I was just going to say you are up late - but now I have realised where you are. No it's me up late, it's 5am and I've not gone to bed yet.

I knew about soap and heat but hadn't realised the difference between quenching and not quenching - thanks for the info.

Dave

I will get photos and camera. measure window diameters.

To see the Kalakala google map" Tacoma Kalakala". I have to give a review of it that is counter to the one given.

As far as money to restore the ship we don't have that'

As far as maintaining the ship in its present (delapedated) condition that is being done. Right now it is being sealed up for winter. I want to paint it and get the exterior looking good. (again I'm not in charge)

There is always the wishful thinking that someone will want to invest in it with 30-50 million but I don't put much stock in that. With much much less money it can be made to look good and cosmetic restoration for it to become a musuem or mixed static tourist attraction. This is just my opinion and mine only.

I am trying to get computer models of the ship. A guy who works for the same company I do generated some. I will status that on this blog.

Again there are 10,000 projects involving this ship I would love to quit my job and spend full time on.

I guess this question is a groaner but if you were to make 2 Kalakala models how much would you sell the second one? The second model would be used to promote and help save the ship.

Art Deco Streamline is the best!!!!

I try to add more info in future posts

Tim

You're welcome Dave

Hey Tim

Re model - see new post 'How Would You Do It - Procreation'

Dave

Hi Tim

I know you said the leak was just a bad rivet but there are some big problems just above the waterline too





Is anything being done to close them up?

Regards Dave

I wonder if this now sad old boat was Art Deco inspired.







Peter

I was down in the bottom of the ship and did not see any daylight. I will try to give a better answer when I know more. Is there a structural hull and side nonstructural out board. I just don't know. That is one thing about the Kalalaka upper areas is that there is a main center structrure. Much of the external is just thin sheet. I'm sure the sheet does transfer some shear but it is thin steel sheet. The structural stuff is like .25 thick and would take a long time to rust thru. That is one of the reasons the ship looks so shabby. The thin sheet rusts thru quickly. 10,001 thing to do.

I will be making an as built plan for the wheel house, Captains Quarters, Quarter Masters Quarters, Crew Quaters and bathroom. I measured it all and need to make a nice clean copy.

Window sizes Promenade deck are 41 inch window diameter and 43 inch outer frame diameter.

Wheel house thru crew quarters are 23 inch window diameter 25 outer frame diameter.

I will now try to upload pictures

Hi Peter

Yes sadly The Royal Iris is the Mersey's Kalakala - isn't it just rotting away on the Thames?

Hi Tim - that was really quick. I work on the rail network so any efficiency frightens me (just joking my bits efficient anyway). I'll gladly take all the info and opinions you can give, but don't make it a chore you feel you have to do. I'd love to be able to go on board as you do though

Re a second model - I've opened another thread on that idea because I'm not sure what can be done and how best to achieve it.

Hey, I trawl around the web and bother people about looking for clues - here's a little gem that you might like to see / not have seen. I tracked down a legible image of the missing builders plate. Lake Washinton Shipyards.





Cheers, Dave

Hi Folks

well I'm continuing to talk to people whilst researching the Kalakala. Not everything that comes back is a ships detail like the manning of the lifeboats, but nevertheless they are little gems of its history and legend and should also be preserved.

Emory has told me of Bill Bailey, (he's now 72). He worked for Washington State Ferries for about 33 years and his father worked for the pilots Union that brought the big ships into Elloitt Bay. Bill and another crew member lost an 80 foot hose when they tried to wash the deck near the Ladies Powder room. Bill tried to pass the hose from the top deck down through an open port to the rear. He felt like his friend had gotten hold of the hose below and so let it go. All 80 feet of new hose fell into the foam. He had to report to the Captain in the cafteria that they just lost his new hose.

Another little detail is that when the Kalakala was up at Port Angles they would move the cars around with tranmission jacks to line them up in semi circle in the front bow and some of the the cars would unload out of the side door.

I'm looking forward to seeing Tim's endeavors aboard the Kalakala.

Regards Dave

I gave up trying to post pictures at this point point. You can see and download a ton of picts from the kodak site I just made:

http://kalakala.kodakgallery.com

On other things: The holes "close to the water line" are in the side hull area. If water leaks into there it cannot leak into the primary hull. It is shown pretty well in the hull cross section shown above. Having said that, the big problem with the Kalakala is one of image so I will try to get patches over those areas. I don't suppose duct tape will work but since only kayakers will see it and they love duct tape?:-) Feel free to put any of the photos from the kodak site on here.

I am trying to get an NC wood mill. stack pieces of thin wood type thing to make some cute little models. If you have any problems reading the Power Point photos I can send you the power point.

Tim

Hi Folks

Tim has been busy and I am really grateful for his photos and measurements of the Bridge area.

There is currently a thread http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1541760

that is suggesting more problems have arisen for The Kalakala project - maybe Tim can tell us more soon.

Next weekend I am going to practice, and see just what's involved in forming plate into compound curves

Regards Dave

When working aluminium sheet a Soft Dolly "metal workers forming bag" usually made of leather but modellers can get away with a cloth backed vinyl bag filled with sand a google search for metal forming bag came up with this http://andyidsinga.wordpress.com/2010/12/04/metal-work-my-first-hammer-forming-project/

Before starting the ally needs to be annealed, smear with edge of a bar of soap and heat until soap turns dark brown then quickly quench in cold water.
A ball ended wooden mallet of about 2" is used to beat the metal to shape "I see in the link he uses metal hammers for a creditable job, although much harder to work with.

Annealing needs to be done frequently as the pounding hardens the aluminium.

Hope this helps.
Damien.

Thanks a lot for that Damien

So far then annealing and soft dollying are neccessary skills to learn. This is all a great challenge - but if it comes off it will all be worth it. Carlmt took a load off my shoulders by offering to do the Cad/plans stuff over x'mass, so I am going to try and be ready for New Year.

Regards Dave

Hi Dave - yes, I am still here.................and looking forward to doing those drawings......

Will email you on the morrow to discuss about files and details, in the meantime I will download all the pictures I can find on here and elsewhere!!!

Cheers, Carl

Hi Guys

Re litho at about / +0.5mm - I am having a rethink on that. Someone who's opinion I respect has pointed out it will be quite heavy topside and will simply want to go turtle on me at every opportunity - breeze/wave etc. Also that the compound curves really will be very difficult for me to achieve as a novice. So although stubborn I am seriously pondering on the Litho, there are other ways to get the effect on the water. My current thinking is this - go for another method of build for my RC Kalakala and also try to make a static waterline Litho Kalakala. This satisfies commom sense and the absolute need to float, and my natural stubborness gets the chance of an outlet too. There is another definite advantage I like - The Kalakala has some wonderful spaces like the Horseshoe Bar/Cafe and those below, that could all be modelled and added to the waterline model

Dave

Hi Guys

Not much to post until January when the plans come through but

http://www.komonews.com/news/local/Owner-Kalakala-ferry-sold-for-1-saved-from-scrap-yard-135857043.html

it has some text and a news videoclip re Kalakala being sold for $1.00 to an anonomous buyer

who promises to restore her and that's at $50M ............ so I'll believe it when I see it.

Dave

Hi Guys

I am posting to say that this project is not abandoned - but is hold due to problems with the plans.

I am starting an X-Bow meanwhile, I have even drilled Kort holes in the hull. Kalakala will return as I have invested just too much time to let it go undone.

Dave

I like xbows matey.....think they are amazing looking boats....especially when big........make it big matey, make it big.

neil.

It's approximately 1.2M Neil - and in the tiniest of sheds too - don't forget I am Walrus shaped too.

@Norseman, Nov 24 2011 1:32am posted pictures include (the last picture) the very first commercially licensed ship's radar, a Raytheon, I believe, FCC license 001.

I volunteered with the Kalakala Foundation under Peter Bevis when they were bringing it back from Alaska. I built and "ran" the "Media room" at the Pier 66 Odyssey Maritime museum - they gave us a space, and we created a sort of "nerve center" for media cameras: Long charts of the inland passage with yarn tracing its route; a computer to turn on and look busy with; and, my proudest piece, three 4' x 8' foam core displays of history, Alaska, and return. So I did a bunch of research.

And I'm with Tim on everything he says, knowing he doesn't speak for anyone but himself - It is tantalizing to hope for a wealthy rescuer of her, but more realistic to hope merely to keep her alive. She is such a rich piece of maritime history:

Other interesting tidbits you may or may not know: First ship-wide telephone system; first ship-wide fire control sprinkler system; first of type elecrto-servo steering; built using the newish technology of arc-electro welding (or the superstructure was; the hull, alas, is riveted); Its propeller was 8'6" turning 230 rpm cruise; it had "by far the largest marine diesel" of 1935 at 3000 HP. Cruised at 18 knots. The running light/radar mast was retractable (hinging back)

Below the car deck aft is a tap room for the men, with adjacent showers for the commuters from the Bremerton Navy Base. Below the car deck forward were ship's stores. Above car deck on main passenger level was aft a ladie's lounge, midship the main passenger cabin, and observation forward. On the deck above that, there was a roofed but exposed observation aft, a dining salon midship, and another observation forward.

Welcome aboard Gordon and thanks for the fascinating information. Can you please ad your location to your profile, so we can all see where you are from?

Thanks, Footski - as you now note from my profile, I'm in Seattle. I found this website because, as noted, I have an interest in the Kalakala (the Flying Bird - alternately know as the Silver Slug - the slug being the NW's regional avatar - and the Galloping Ghost due to a certain issue with vibration at speed and her ghostly appearance sliding out of our Puget Soundfogbanks!) and was thinking of building a model of her.

Seattle has a new lakefront park on its city lake, Lake Union. The south end is being heavily redeveloped by Paul Allen's Vulcan real estate organization - Amazon, biotech, the usual cutting edge suspects. Part of this heavily transformed park is a large model boat pond, about maybe 75 feet in diameter. I was there recently and thought to built a scale Kalakala to help citizens understand this bit of history by running her there. I volunteer for the Viginia V Foundation, one of two remaining passenger-carrying wooden steamships in the nation, and she is docked a hundred yards from the model boat pond. Maybe I will build a model of VV instead of the Kalakala because surely it is easier!

I have done a lot of scale work in my past, most recently a couple of detailed ski scenes focusing on Sno-Cat type vehicles and skiers - One is titled "God drives a Sno-Cat; ski or die" and other is an old fashioned sno tractor with a sort of caravan camper with clerestory windows and rear porch, made of scale walnut.

Norseman is looking for plans and might have found some, but they can't be original - the superstructure was built without them:

From HistoryLink, Seattle's online history repository: "The ship demonstrated the latest aerodynamic principles. From a distance, the Kalakala looked like a great silver seaplane. Its sleek futuristic shape was sheathed with steel plates, welded rather than riveted together, and then coated with gleaming aluminum paint. Electric welding was a new technique in shipbuilding, allowing flexibility in design. The Kalakala was a bold departure from traditional marine architecture. From the start, a number of participants claimed design credit for the Kalakala, and the puzzle remains unsolved today. Some accounts credit engineers from the Boeing Company or craftsmen from Lake Washington Shipyards. Others credit Alex Peabody or his mother, Mrs. Charles Peabody. The grandest tale is that Norman Bel Geddes designed the Kalakala. Certainly his streamlined designs inspired the Kalakala team, but the great avant-garde industrial designer had no direct hand in the ferry. Louis Proctor, one of The Boeing Company’s two model makers, carved the builder’s wooden model while temporarily laid off by the airplane manufacturer. Shipbuilders used Proctor's model in lieu of drawings to construct Kalakala's stylish new superstructure."

There is a Bel Geddes design concept on paper, for a private yacht never built, that has some striking similarities to Kalakala. I have a copy of this image, but only by permission from the Bel Geddes estate and so I cannot post it.