There was nothing on the plan Richard, except a very naive indication of what the bracket could have looked like.

I remember my first ever trip on an Isle of Man steamer to the island and on the aft port side was a line "dangling " into the sea, and revolving into a "clock" fixed into a bracket on the rail wooden top, clicking away.

I aked naively [as I was only about 7 at the time] if it was telling the time, and my grand dad explained to me in basic terms what it was, what was making it spin and how it worked, but as for any evidence other than that one bracket on the plan, I cannot see why a lifeboat would need a log line…………..its not as though the crew would need to know what speed she was going to a rescue!.

And tbh I think that might be a figment of someones imagination anyway……….but who is around to know anymore.

I cannot see any evidence of such a bracket on the one picture of the Princess Mary that I have that shows anything either.

The raised combing has now been cut and fitted to the 2nd boat the Princess Mary, and will be bolstered as with the William and Kate Johnston in the corners with some 10 x 10 mm obeche' sprue to reinforce the corner joints of the combings.

The deck was also trimmed to the bulwark grp mouldings and the deck was sanded smooth and level before the combing fitted on the Princess Mary.

Hopefully if I get up early enough tomorrow I will be able to fill the gaps between the deck and the grp mouldings of both hulls and get them sanded smooth.

THEN, I will be able to concentrate on sanding the hulls nice and smooth ready for applying the paint.

Spent about 3 hours this morning sanding the bulwark trim line to the deck, above the belting on the Will and Kate, and then progressed on to the 4 bilge keels, and finally giving the hull its first sanding with 80 grit to remove all of the dimples left by the pva release agent [ the blue stuff on the cabins] after moulding.

The PVA isn't as good as it used to be, anymore, as it dries in streaks and blotches, leaving impressions in the gelcoat, and have decided that if I were to make anymore moulds, I would just add an extra couple of coats of none silicon based wax instead of release agent……saves time rubbing down.

ANYWAY! the first hull is ready for sanding next wih 280 grit carburundum paper, used dry, and then a final sanding of a fine abrasive wet and dry paper, USED DRY.

But as my right arm, hand and shoulder are now aching like hell, I will leave Princess Mary for its bilges and hull to be sanded till later today, or even tomorrow, as the bilge keels have been worked on already a few weeks ago, cutting down time.

But now, at least I am on top of it all, instead of procrastinating and not going in to my workshop.

I ALSO have started cutting some timber [obeshe'] ready for adding the above waterline belting extra to the main hull belting, and which I forgot to add to the plug before moulding it all in the first place…………whatta mistaka to makeaa!!!

my next step in order to be able to paint the model including parts of the deck was to seel the deck as a whole. Low tac masking tape WILL NOT adhere to open grained timber, even close grained birch faced ply.

The two decks were then seeled with 3 coats of cellulose sanding seeler, starting 50/50 seeler/thinners, then 75/25 seeler/thinners and finally the last coat of 100/0 seeler /thinners.

i left an hour between coats as it dries quickly due to the evaporation process.

I will, tomorrow rub it all down to remove any unevenness with varying grades of wire wool, as I have done with this process more times than i can remember from my first year in secondary school woodwork in 1962!

Once that has been done, the deck, when ready for the rest of the boat to be painted, can be masked up with the tape sticking as though laid on metal surfices.

Done both sides of the RNLB William and Kate Johnston with the first layer of belting that follows the sheer line, and…..

OH how it shows the gloriouis shape of the lifeboats beautiful typical hull lines.

It is almost identical in shape to the 41' Watson class cabin lifeboat, such as Ann Letitia Russell, just 20 '/" in longer.

I don't normally do stands for my models, but asked my friend if he wanted one for his boat as they are rather big, heavy and cumbersome, and the answer was yes please……..

So I decided to make one for each model out of 10mm ply.

This evening I glued the feet on to two boards, and then cut out the actual uprights from card templates that I cut out and offered up to the hull in the possition I wanted them to fit at, and then glued pine cross pieces to the uprights that would give a greater surface area to glue the uprights to the bases.

I cut the curved ends of the uprights on a very rarely used scroll saw, but there when needed………I promise that next time I use it and photograph it, I'll dust it first, lol.

The stands for the two boats are ready for use and have been tried and tested by the weight of the boats themselves, so class that as a triumph lol.

And so this evening I put on to the first layer of lower belting that I added to both boats a second slightly smaller thinner section [by width] of obeche' to raise the profile of the belting, but also to give it some shape once all four belts have been sanded and rounded off.

The port side only of the William and Kate Johnston was done tonight, but the three remaining sides of both boats will be completed tomorrow, before I tackle the rudder stock and fitings to hold the rudders in place…….the rudders themselves weigh in at around 700 grams, and so need quite a healthy fixing stock.

i actually ment 100 grams……….hit the wrong button lol.

actually weighed them this morning, and the wooden master that i made to make the rubber mould to cast resin ones weighed in at 86 grams

and the resin one i cast for the second boat weighed in at almost exactly twice the weight at 174 grams!

I have left going in to the workshop untik later today as my hands, which I suffer arthritis in all fingures is really sore after all the sanding I did yesterday, and so have spent this afternoon cutting the brass brackets for the pintols for the rudder attachments, 4 for each boat, and of same length but for the top ones where the rudder thins out which are10mm shorter.

after I have silver soldered a 10mm length of brass tube into the centre of the brass brackets, which will take the L shaped piece of brass rod that is the pin that the rudder attaches too, the brass strip will fold around the tube and eventually fix to the rudder.

The L shaped rod will then glue into the stern post with the leg of the rod facing upwards so that the rudder hangs on to the pintols and through the keel skeg is screwed in place so that it cannot be dislodged and lost in the depths of the lake.

Well!!!!……..thats the reasoning behind it all.