A Tug of two halfs

[Eddie LancasterParticipant @eddielancaster]

Fresh out of the paint shop, well the garden, the 2nd. coat of primer and more filling and rubbing down to do.

Eddie.

Edited By Eddie Lancaster on 23/04/2019 14:05:49

[Roger ClarkParticipant @rogerclark]

Looking good, like the colour , I'm getting on with the planking today between family and friends interruptions, over half way on the deck now so downhill from now on .

I will get the ESC and sound module plus speaker, oh and probably a servo if I can't find mine.

Regards

Roger

[Eddie LancasterParticipant @eddielancaster]

I had thought about leaving the topside that colour but have decided to keep to my original colour scheme.

More filler.

The first coat of the final below the water line colour,it will be left matt with a protective coat of matt lacquer.

Even more filler,but it's not quite as bad as it looks.

After rubbing down again not much of the filler is left. The next coat of paint will show if anymore filling is needed.

Eddie.

[Roger ClarkParticipant @rogerclark]

I must admit Eddie Those colours are growing on me , my problem is I have bought yellow primer, red undercoat, satin black and lacquer top coat and feel I'm in danger of being a copy cat!!! but yours is coming on fine.

Had a welcome donation of over 20Kgs of lead this evening, very welcome indeed.

The plan tomorrow is to complete the planking and maybe to get a coat of primer onto the hull and see how much filler I will need. . lets see if the weather will be favourable.

Regards

Roger

[Eddie LancasterParticipant @eddielancaster]

Hi. Roger, don't worry about your colour scheme mine will be red, green and black, based on SS Master.

I put mine on the pond today to find out how much ballast would be needed to get it down to the design water line,but disaster, it started to fill with water, after a hasty removal from the pond and a quick look around i spotted a smallish hole above the prop shaft were it leaves the hull, when I joined the two halves together I used 24 hour epoxy to give plenty of time to get all the clamps on, and I think the epoxy must have slumped around the shaft leaving a passage for the water to get through, anyway a bit of 5 min epoxy worked into the hole and allowed to seep down seemed to do the trick.

Luckily the neighbours can't see my washing line!

It needed 5900 grams to get it down to the line, but motor and battery weigh 1500g the engine house and wheelhouse weigh 1000g leaving 3400g of lead.

Regards.

Eddie.

[Ray Wood 3Participant @raywood3]

Hi Eddie,

That doesn't sound a lot of lead ! But I suppose they sit quite high in the water as drawn.

Regards Ray

[Roger ClarkParticipant @rogerclark]

Hi Eddie, glad to hear your boat didn't sink without a trace and you found the leak. It'll be interesting how close my tug comes to your ballasting, I'm still of a mind to make mine sit lower in the water though,but we will see.

SWIMBO had other ideas for my time today, plus it's been a wet one over here in Herefordshire but not enough to float anything significant though. I did manage to get another batch of planks cut and caulked ready for tomorrow so hopefully I'll complete the decking of the hull.

The outline of your hull looks great  even if it is hanging off a washing line 

Regards

Roger

Edited By Roger Clark on 24/04/2019 22:13:48

[Roger ClarkParticipant @rogerclark]

Well, another milestone (knotstone?) has been reached today

The decking is complete!!

A second one just to show how ropey it is

I do intend to weather the decking as befits a working vessel but I did have an element of bleed from the paper used for the caulking but that's how we learn. I'll do a coat of sanding sealer which will stiffen up the wood and paper fibres and give it a quick rub down and the some weather stain (it silvers up the wood) and then another coat or two of sanding sealer then some satin varnish rubbed down with very fine paper to take the shine off.

Anyway sit and relax and let the backpain go away.

Regards

Roger

[Ray Wood 3Participant @raywood3]

Hi Roger,

Beware the multiple coats of sanding sealer, I fell into this trap on my Spanish fishing boat and it cracks badly ! I would stain your planks before sealing them they look really white at the moment, Burmese Teak Coloron works for me 😀

Regards Ray

[Roger ClarkParticipant @rogerclark]

Hi Ray, thanks for the warning, saves me a bit of work then , but teak?, Burmese Teak!!!! What do you think my little tugger cap'n earns? He can only just afford to have his barnacles cleaned off and a coat of paint every 5 or so years!

Truth be told I don't know what timber they would have used?

Regards

Roger

[Roger ClarkParticipant @rogerclark]

Hi All, another entry in the build, put a coat of primer on the hull, not too displeased with the fiinish, some areas need attention but not as much as I feared.Thought I'd bash on with the superstructure for a change.

Got it clamped up while gluing

The view from the stern

and a full broadside, I decided to stray from the plan on the topside, it's surprising how accessible the inside is with the sides on, just might make all this permanent or semi-permanent and just have the top deck removable, we'll decide later on, any comments on this guys, oh and gals.

I found that American white oak was often used for the main deck on tugs of this era so I think that is what I shall go for, also I think I will use two 6 volt 3.2 Ah or 6 Ah batteries depending on what will fit without disturbing the C O G too much. I'll make up boxes containing lead to the relevant sizes when I'm ready for ballasting and do some roll recovery tests.

Hey I'm sounding like a pro here , It's only from reading and taking onboard advice from you all.

Regards

Roger

[Eddie LancasterParticipant @eddielancaster]

Hi.Roger, all looking good, I have used natural oak water based outdoor varnish on my decks,one coat just takes it down a shade,i will try a second coat on a piece under the grating at the stern later, then if it is too dark I will leave the rest as it is.

Have been busy with masking tape, newspaper, spray cans and brushes, nearly finished painting the hull now, only the inside of the gunwales to finish with the brush.

I have been to Lincoln today to the Mobile Marine open day I now have the prop.4 blade 60mm dia. and the portholes,and I have made the cutter to fit them into the sides of the engine house. The lead shot for ballast should be here next week, as soon as that is in I can start the final fitting out.

Regards.

Eddie.

[Roger ClarkParticipant @rogerclark]

Hi Eddie, thanks, I only realised today that I started this build just over a month ago,seems like I've been doing it forever!

I've done a mock-up to try and get perspective of the final build, been using Invincible as part of the style:

And this is my mock-up, Cowl vents to be added :

So any thoughts, comments, advice anyone? (Other than my grandson could draw better )

Regards

Roger

[Eddie LancasterParticipant @eddielancaster]

Hi.Roger, with a build like this, not based on any existing boat, anything goes, so whatever takes your fancy.

Eddie.

[Roger ClarkParticipant @rogerclark]

Hi Eddie, OK that's it I'll glue it up and run as is

[Roger ClarkParticipant @rogerclark]

A bit more progress made, filled and rubbed down the hull and another coat of filler primer and some more work on the superduper-structure:

Funnel is just spot glued to get correct rake:

Gone with a different version rooflight:

As the speaker underneath will be a waterproof one I might leave the little porthole vents with no glazing.

Really enjoying this part of the build

Think I've settled on the colour scheme, red lower hull, black upper hull and primer colour for topsides, I do have a precedent

That's it for now folks, going to concentrate on the wheelhouse next.

See you soon

Roger

Edited By Roger Clark on 30/04/2019 19:49:54

[Eddie LancasterParticipant @eddielancaster]

Hi. Roger, I like the look of your top works. I have left the windows on the engine house open, it will allow the sound out.

I am finishing painting the hull and adding a few details, it all takes time waiting for the paint to dry and glue to set, but I am building the top works alongside the main build, I am on wheelhouse Mk.2 at the moment.

Regards.

Eddie.

[Roger ClarkParticipant @rogerclark]

Hi Eddie, thanks, it is frustrating when you're on a roll and you have to wait for stuff to take its time, even when you're working on two different parts of the build.

Why mk.ll?

Regards

Roger

[Eddie LancasterParticipant @eddielancaster]

Hi.Roger, yes the garden is getting more attention at the moment between all the little paint jobs.

I wanted to stain and varnish the wheel house but the stain on the balsa was very patchy and blotchy,the second one is going to be painted and made of ply.

Eddie.

[Eddie LancasterParticipant @eddielancaster]

Hi.again Roger, just finished the name plates for my tug,Master is a nod in the direction of the SS Master that I have taken the colour scheme from and Elliott is my grandson.

Have you thought of a name for yours yet?

Eddie.

[Roger ClarkParticipant @rogerclark]

Hi Eddie, They look great, how did you make them?

Yes I have got a name for mine, it will be Lady Barbara, a nod to my wife, after all she 'tugs' my heart strings, pulls my wallet out and pushes me out shopping so what better?

Regards

Roger

[Eddie LancasterParticipant @eddielancaster]

Hi. Roger, you creep, the boards are pieces of 1/32" ply painted, the letters are BECC 1/4" vinyl from the Model Dockyard.

Regards.

Eddie.

[Ray Wood 3Participant @raywood3]

Hi Roger,

Yes I must agree with Eddie's comment, you can't get away with a tug boat named after your wife !! Save her name for a Riva launch? you will earn more Brownie points that way, and she will be pleased for it to be on the sideboard?

Regards Ray

[Roger ClarkParticipant @rogerclark]

Aaaw guys, what am I going to do now? I can't name it after MY grandson…. Master Charlie…. that sounds like a right Charlie I could name it 'Maggie May', Maggie is my sons partners name and May just goes with it. Or I could name it after my other son….'Desperate Dan', I'm making no further comment on that one or after his wife 'Miss Ellie', now she's one that I don't really get on with, nor the rest of the family.

A Riva launch Ray??? My list is getting longer by the day . I think my next builds will be a barge for the tug, then I'd like to tackle a sailer, either a Thames barge or Bristol type cutter then things get a bit hazy, would like an MTB type or frigate/corvette, who knows.

Regards

Roger

[Eddie LancasterParticipant @eddielancaster]

Hi. Roger, it looks like you are the same as everyone else on this forum, you will need to live to at least 150 to complete all your projects.

I have a friend who is naming his steam engines after his grandchildren, the problem is they are being produced faster than he can build engines.

Regards.

Eddie.

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