Today at different stages, I converted the resin castings for the hatches into finished hatches.

First job was to attatch a picture framing steel pin through the centre hole in the hatch securing wheel to make the hatch "watertight", using cyano, and after clipping about 5mm off the length of the pin I glued the wheel into the raised dimple on the hatch cover!

Then I had to cut the "springs" that hold the hatches shut to length to fit between the hatch arms, Some were twin springs, whilst others were single sprinmgs running on a central pin, and once cut to length with the retaining spring shaft cut to length were threaded on the the hatch arms, by way of previously drilled holes and superglued in place.

The "springs" themselves were made from anealed brass wire wound around the brass wire I was going to use as the centre part to the spring on the hatches.

Once these had been glued in place, again with cyano, I drilled 2mm holes in the two rased nodules and glued in place the two "locking" clamps to hold the hatches closed watertight ………….just as on the films of old WW2 submarine warfare that I tend to watch with monotonous repitition, lol

These 8 hatches are for the William and Kate, of New Brighton, and have only square or rectangulat hatches, whilst on the Princess Mary of Padstow there are some circular hatches as well………..saves the monotony I suppose, hahaaa!!!

All 16 hatches will be sprayed up tomorrow in Ford Pearl Grey

" I use the steel and gunmetal most."

Those and brass/copper are my ones too, as a lot of the latter two on a lifeboat, lol

One has to modify certain items fabricated now and then to make sure that they look as they should, and yet allow for items used for a special function to actually fit and work without the item to look wrong.

One occasion was this afternoon when the servo I had for the steering would not fit as it was tpoop high for the top of the steering box to fit on to!

And so, rather than raise the hight of the profile of the pannelled box I cut out a rectangle the size of the servo body in to the "floor" of the box, and then added two more layers to the base of the box to give it a look of a moulded wooden flange, once painted.

However I will say to my two compatriots…….when you come to fit out the steering………….use a 3'4 or mini servo.

However, my modification to mine has worked and the servo now fits.

The header water tank for the boat…………

no plan view showing its position so which way should it go……..

Ether across beam of the boat, as here?

or longitudinally down the length of the boat,

I thinkl I feel the latter!

Well, blow me down with a beer bottle!!!

After fitting the consol, I offered the cabin up to the access hole, and the first one wouldn't fit, and so tried the second cabin to the other boat and that wouldn't fit either!.

I worked out that it was the pieces of corner strengthening of the consol on each cabin was hitting the stern corner of the timber making up the rim to the deck opening.

So! what to do…….. I couldnt remove the cockpit strengtheners for the consols and so it meant that a section of the aft end of the combing for hull access had to be cut away, which with the aid of a drill and 3mm bit, plus a sharp 6mm bladed chisel, I cut out two sections sections at the aft corners, and the 1st cabin now fits perfectly with no sloppiness or movement at all.

Just have to do the same now with the second boat as soon as the IOM TT Races preview is over.

Just looking forward to watching the first race on my birthday on Saturday, as I missed it all last year……part of my summer viewing, and far more interesting and watchable than the F1 has become in recent years and no longer watch………mind you for many years, I was a biker………..just too old and fat these years, lol.

Lovely bike by the way……….

I would have one of the Indian produced new Gold Stars if my kids would let me, but they refuse to see their dad in Belstafs as i'm too old lol.

no problems Chris, always nice to chat about other worldly things or else a build log would just become tedious and self gratifying.

All my little bollards, [bollards I said, lol] have been stained, laquered, painted grey on the feet, and then the brass paint added to the top "cappings" and corner segments for allowing the rope lines to swing and not to chaffe when moored.

Enough of feeling sorry for myself, as it only gets you more depressed, and so on with the building and painting of the parts for a mass sticking on to the decks of both boats this week,

Tonight, after my daughter went back to York to clean and clear her flat after 4 years of UNI, with a year out in business, she has been rewarded with a 1st class honours degree and a £66k debt whilst two of her lecturers spent half their last year on days off for strikes,……….but am I proud of her!

And that was my motivation for thinking tonight that I should get off my a r s e, and get on with my models.

So I have readied the mooring bitts, 1 search light for the William and Kate Johnston and the Gooseneck vents for both lifeboats.

Tomorrow, I will paint them.

Apart from marking the actual compass face on the top of the binacle all 3 of the compass binacles are ready.