1960’s Veron Trident Trawler – all wood kit

[Mike GottParticipant @mikegott20826]

[Mike GottParticipant @mikegott20826]

I’m finally getting on with a c.1967 Veron Trident trawler kit which my Mother-in-Law bought c.1967 when she was training to be a teacher. Having to do a project, she, as a Grimsby trawler skipper’s daughter, chose fishing and thought the kit would form a good centrepiece to this. When she looked inside the box and just saw a pile of balsa and plywood she thought better of it and it spent the next 23 years on top of her wardrobe!

 

Passed to me in 1990, I similarly did little until 1997 when, recuperating from a motorcycle crash, I got as far as building up the (balsa) hull before grinding to a halt due to a lack of funds to purchase the motor and RC gear that I had to build into it at that stage.

 

Finally – this Christmas I was bought the bits I needed and I’m back on with it. I’ve not built a model boat before, and I am finding that model shops are at times struggling to relate to the 60’s type kit that I’m on with. I have hands-on knowledge of the real ones, mind you, having worked on them as a young engineer in the 70’s. If I get stuck with their little brother, I’ll be back!

 

Mike

 

 

[Phil Winks 1Participant @philwinks1]

Hi Mike any chance of some photo’s of this project. I recently aquired a restoration project which is also a 1960’s (I believe) veron trawler and I’d be interested to see how these kits went together as the original instructions alas did not come with the rather battered hull.

 

Phil

[Mike GottParticipant @mikegott20826]

Apologies for the late reply – the trawler has now sailed successfully though some work remains to be done. Phil – I’ve sent you a PM, I’ll attempt to upload a photo but I remain to be convinced that I can manage to do this! If it is the same as yours, I’ll copy the plans and instructions for you if needed.

 

Mike

 

Added – attempt to upload photo has obviously failed. if anyone can advise?
 

Edited By Mike Gott on 13/07/2010 12:30:30

[Phil Winks 1Participant @philwinks1]

Hi Mike got your PM many thanks I also have some progress mostly rebuilding the damage to the bridge and from a black and white photo add I found from the 60’s I’ve come up with a mast arrangement that makes sense compared to photo’s of other models of this vessel type.

 

On the subject of uploading photo’s to this forum if it is off a jpeg format ie: the file name ends .jpg then the simpliest way is to create an album in your “my photo’s” (remeber to check the “make album public” box)and upload them to there from your pc then clicking on the add image icon in the top of the “post a reply” box 2nd from right, allows you to access your albums and paste them to your post.

 

Regards Phil

 

Edit:

Mike I’ve just had another look at the picture upload on your post and it appears you tried to upload a slideshow which this forum won’t allow

 

the pictur link actually reads

 

file:///C:/Documents%20and%20Settings/Mike%20and%20Lou/My%20Documents/My%20Pictures/New%20Folder%20(2)/slideshow%20051.jpg

try uploading 1 at a time

Edited By Phil Winks 1 on 13/07/2010 14:56:23

[Phil Winks 1Participant @philwinks1]

Actually Mike it occurs to me re-reading my response and looking at the address of your photo that in fact your attempting to upload directly to your forum post from your pc.  cant be done mate it must go either into one of your albums in your “my photos” within your profile on the site or to some other web based photo hosting service such as photobucket.

 

hope  this all helps Phil

[Mike GottParticipant @mikegott20826]

I think…..I did it…….

 

Many thanks for the advice, I’m better with a spanner than software. The shot above was taken a couple of weeks ago on the pond at Sidney Park, Cleethorpes on it’s first trip “home” – near where it sat on top of a wardrobe unmade from 1967 to the early 90’s! Some details are my own – the trawl winch, gallows and detail fitting follow my own memories (as a fitter who worked on the real thing) rather than the kit which would have had me glueing a few bits of dowel together as the winch. I couldn’t do that! The plasticard one fitted has drums made for old 120 roll film reels cut down. The trawler is of course ficticious but carries Associated Trawlers colours, the company who my wife’s late grandfater sailed for many years – the model is named for him. I will add some detailed pictures shortly.

 

Mike

[Phil Winks 1Participant @philwinks1]

Thanks for that Mike the trawl gallows detail  was something I’d been puzzling over but got a much better idea now.

 

I’d planned on a smaller trawl winch and an even smaller winch on fo’castle for both the landing derrick and anchor handling.

 

From discussions with others who crewed these boats in the past yours strikes me as a little high in the water! whats your view on this? One guy suggested that the real thing had as little as 4 foot freeboard at the midships rails to quote him (in a broad devon accent) “they was always dirty boats cos of the low rails”

 

Phil

[Mike GottParticipant @mikegott20826]

They varied a lot as to who built them, really. Some of the big German and Polish built trawlers that sailed out of Grimsby more or less up to the end had quite high sided hulls, very distinctive from Cleethorpes prom as they sailed up the Humber.  I have to admit that I tend to think of mine as more repesentative of a medium sized Uk built example from the mid to late 50’s – so I might yet add half a brick ballast! For the bits where my memory let me down, I found a 1980’s book “Grimsby Trawlers – The Final Years of the Side Trawler” by Paul King and Steve Pulfrey (ISBN 1872167314) invaluable. I don’t know what that would be like to track down now.  I was also very lucky to be let loose on  surviving Ross Tiger – I have uploaded a few more shots of the model, I will add a photo of the gallows (“gallus”) on Tiger in case that is of help. If there are any other details that you need, let me know – I may have a photo.

 

Mike

[Phil Winks 1Participant @philwinks1]

Thanks for that Mike and indeed if I have any further questions I will indeed get back to you. currently I’m waiting on some 3/32″ ply to arrive to repair the main deck. Difficult stuff to source as the metric equivelant 1.5mm is not quite the same (slightly thicker) and would’ve meant replacing the whole deck.

 

 

Regards Phil

[Phil Winks 1Participant @philwinks1]

I’ve made the1st gallows today please tell me what you think! does it look about right

 

The shelterdeck and bridge are justloose fitted at present

 

Phil

[Mike GottParticipant @mikegott20826]

That looks great. I took the photo below on Ross Tiger of the same starboard rear gallows looking out from the porthole behind…….note the sunken wooden boat opposite.

 

 Mike

Edited By Mike Gott on 24/07/2010 07:57:53

[Mike GottParticipant @mikegott20826]

Just thinking – yours looks like it’s been made very true to the original instructions. Have you got a full set of railings as I didn’t use the ones supplied with the kit, so they are here unused – I’ll pass them on if it would help. Similarly, because I didn’t go for the two lifeboat setup I didn’t make the Veron davits – I’ve also got those, still to cut out from the wood. The plastic fittings like ventilators and engine room vents are, incidentally, still available from the original manufacturer.

 

 

[Phil Winks 1Participant @philwinks1]

Hi Mike ignore my post on my thread about PM’s I got davits and gallows mixed up. I’d love the life boat davits if you can PM me your email. (click on my name and send PM) and i’ll get in touch re getting them here etc. Looking at what I can see of the instructions you have I have to agree she appears to be very close to original  design. more by good luck on my part than any thing else as I only had an original advert to work from.

 

Cheers Phil

[Mike GottParticipant @mikegott20826]

PM sent. The boat kit is a real time-warp, really, it includes a Humbrol advert and a typed advice slip about oil based paints and dopes. The real star was a tube of balsa cement which presumably had been bought at the time(?) which hasn’t dried up…

 

Mike

 

 

[Mike GottParticipant @mikegott20826]

Just thought I’d add a couple of shots, one showing the trawler on the slipway where it was built (i.e. the kitchen table) and some deck detail. Obvious things still to add are some rigging and the anchor chain – I think I’ll probably build or obtain a better detailed winch for the anchor.

 

 

[Phil Winks 1Participant @philwinks1]

That Looks tremendous Mike.

 

Many thanks for the Davits they arrived safely this morning.

 

Now a quick question for you a friend of mine on another forum is looking for info on a boat from hull that you may have some knowledge of.

 

quote from his post

“I am now busy with setting up a new project to build a trawler from Hull the Hildina H 222, I have already reservation on a hull of 43″ long and now searching for the yard drawings so any help is welcome to me”

 

If you have any knowledge of this boat please PM me and I’ll put you in touch

 

Many thanks and keep up the good work

Phil

[Mike GottParticipant @mikegott20826]

No real knowledge of her I’m afraid, Hull and Grimsby were always quite separate entities. I would have thought that there was a fair chance that Hildina would have been a product of either Cook, Welton and Gemmel of Beverley or Cochranes of Selby, but then again….

 

I’ll have a dig around, though.

 

Mike

[Phil Winks 1Participant @philwinks1]

No  worries Mike don’t go to too much trouble I just thought youmight have an some ideas.

 

Phil

[Mike GottParticipant @mikegott20826]

At the risk of creping my own thread(!) I found a photo of the Hildina H222, I’ve added it below simply because it is so much like the Veron kit.  What do you think? Apparently is was Cook, Welton and Gemmel, a replacement for an earlier trawler and was lost in about 1953 when only a couple of years old.

 

 Mike

[Phil Winks 1Participant @philwinks1]

Suprisingly similar mike. have you by any chance researched the number on the Veron kit?

 

Phil

[Mike GottParticipant @mikegott20826]

Hadn’t, but a quick Google on H417 seems to point towards Dandara (though one website has her as H41). She was an old 1909 built vessel of 213ft, nothing like the kit. She later fished from Grimsby but by the time of my “Ian Allan ABC of British Trawlers” (and you thought that they just catered for trainspotters) – it was fishing out of Aberdeen under A671. It went for scrap in 1959. However, the trawler on the cover of the book does look like……….

 

(Confessions of a Trawler Spotter, below)

 

Model trivia – my own Veron trawler, named after my wife’s skipper grandfather Jack Evans, carries the number GY258 as his family home was 258 Grimsby Road, Cleethorpes.

 

 

Mike

[Phil Winks 1Participant @philwinks1]

I kinda suspected that a lttle modellers licence had been used in the kit graphics

 

Guess that about proves it mate

 

Phil

[Mike GottParticipant @mikegott20826]

Inspired by Phil’s installation on his Veron Trawler restoration, I’ve just replaced the universal joint type coupling between the motor and propshaft with a MMB rubber coupling – what an improvenment in terms of quietness and vibration! I now have a stealth trawler. Nobody up here in the NW seems to be aware of them.

 

Mike

[Phil Winks 1Participant @philwinks1]

They are good peices of kit are they not Mike? the reason they’re not well known in the NW is prob Marks location and the fact that most of his advertising seems to be in the form of appearance at shows and I’m fairly certain he stays within a hundred miles or less at home. That said I know he’s always busy so maybe he’s got his market sorted about right. If you have a specialist need for a motor mount or other peice of drive train kit I’d always give him a call as he has a very imaginative engineering mind and loves solving problems. Witness the motor mount on my SS Viking (on another thread on here) solved a gearing down in a tight space issue perfectly.

 

Phil

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