working on my river. 2 questions before i go too much farther. First, should i go with the divided island in the middle, or maybe extend the far shore out further. not sure what will look best. 2nd is on river bottom. Before painting what do you use to seal the wood so epoxy does not soak into wood. Is dry wall spackle sufficient or do i need something else. This is my first layout, so trying to avoid as many do overs as possible. lol
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Iâd suggest spackling to smooth the wood river bottom and a good coat of paint to seal it. Thatâll be fine for an application of epoxy for âwater.â Just be sure to seal where the river intersects with the layoutâs edge. I used clear packing tape as the dam on my fascia on a prior layout and, surprisingly, it worked really well!
As for the island, it would add interest, but I donât think you have the room. Avoid the temptation to just have vertical cliffs at the waterâs edge. While that can certainly occur in nature, it will look more natural to taper the landscape down to the river, as erosion would typically do.
Hope this help,
DFF
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BE VERY SURE TO SEAL FOR LEAKS. The epoxy for water is like a chemical Houdini; the least little crevice will give you a âriverâ of a sort you decidedly wonât enjoy.
My advice would be to line the bed of the river with something like cloth impregnated with spar varnish, paint the bottom detail, and then overcoat with the same varnish. Spar varnish is made to be elastic (for use on wooden spars in ship rigging that stretch and bend under load while having to remain waterproof) so any little dips or cracks should stay sealed while the pour(s) set up.
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Unfortunately, excessive amounts of vertical surfaces are something that all modellers, especially those struggling to get the most out of their allotted layout space, have to deal with.
Dave makes a very valid point but then Iâd suggest that a rivers course and banks do depend on the local geology.
Railway bridge at Arthurs Pass. by Bear, on Flickr
I think your scene has merit especially as you are sloping the river bank as seen in right of your second photo.
My one cents worth, Cheers, the Bear. 
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I would trim the island lower, as if in geologic history the river washed over it as the meander was developing. Nowadays the far meander would be the deeper main stream, and the inner cut might be a rocky shallow in the dry season.
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John Allen, who happened to be a professional photographer was asked what he though about a detailed locomotive. Instead of providing comments, he provide a photo he took of photo of the loco on his detailed layout at what would be eye level for an HO scale person on the layout.
the person ended up added numerous detailed parts to the loco and won 1st prize at a contest.
@Teddy149 you be the judge, compare your terrain what you see at 1:1 scale as @_JaBear suggested
Incidentally, given that meander and island, Iâd use extensive riprap along the entire length of steep bank immediately adjacent to track. One good flood and your MOW people will be sorry they built track there!