Fairey Faun

[Chris FellowsParticipant @chrisfellows72943]

I should really be building the Fairey Fisherman 27 motor sailer next but as has often happened I've been side-tracked by another Fairey!

To be fair, it is a smaller and simpler build and I thought it would be a good introduction to plank on frame before I tackled the Fisherman. But of course I do have form for multiple builds! So who knows!

The Faun is a little 16' 6" lake and river cruiser and utilized the hull from their Falcon sailing dinghy and was designed to be powered by an outboard motor. It does look plain and uninteresting as you can see but I'm aware of a nice inboard version with plenty of varnished hardwood which looks better (similar to the photo shown) so that's what I'm going to build. I was going to build the outboard version (to do something different after the stern-drive Huntress) but it's difficult finding a decent outboard at a scale of 1:12. I have bought a couple that may be suitable so maybe later.

I produced the drawings about 2 years ago from the side and top views taken from a brochure. But looking at them again before printing them out I've decided to make planking the deck and the build easier by following DM's example for his Huntress etc. by removing the sheer and camber from the deck, which in a small model isn't that noticeable anyway.

So I'm now in the process of modifying the drawings in readiness for making a start.

I'm keen to start building again (even though I've got the others to finish) anyway, but also because I spend a night and a day at my mothers every week and as winter draws in I find myself at a loose end and daytime television is numbing the remaining brain cells I have left!

To do this I'm buying another scroll saw and probably a band saw to leave over there. My sister has also asked me to build a dolls house narrow boat and has already got the plans.

Chris

[Chris FellowsParticipant @chrisfellows72943]

[Colin BishopModerator @colinbishop34627]

No lifejackets!

Colin

[Ray Wood 3Participant @raywood3]

Hi Chris,

That is a pretty little boat, going to be a challenge at 1/12th very small indeed ? how about 1 1/2" to the foot giving 24" long approx would give you a better chance ??

Only an idea

Regards Ray

[ashley needhamParticipant @ashleyneedham69188]

Chris. Cheat on the outboard. Make a dummy outboard and use it as a rudder, then have a motor shaft etc inside. Virtually indistinguishable from a #real outboard….?

Ashley.

ps perhaps not like this one…..

[Chris FellowsParticipant @chrisfellows72943]

Ray – yes it is small but got to be 1:12 to go with the other Faireys. I think it will be the smallest Fairey I'm going to build!

Ashley – that's an idea but as I'm building to scale, well as close as I can, I prefer to stick to the original propulsion.

Chris

[Chris FellowsParticipant @chrisfellows72943]

Altering the drawings is more work that I thought, though I'm making some modifications as well. Progressing quite well though.

Here's the outboards I picked up which are about the right size. Might go down that route at some stage? They aren't the best quality though and would have to be modified to steer. Also fitting the steering mechanism isn't the easiest thing to do in a small model.

Chris

[Chris FellowsParticipant @chrisfellows72943]

Been progressing the drawings on and off along with painting the other hulls. Made quite a few changes as I went along but I think I'm now ready to print off and then work out what I need in the way of timber.

As I mentioned on one of Ray's builds I'm going to plank with balsa, though I can use sheet adjacent to the keel, with balsa block(s) at the bow.

Looking forward to trying a new to me building method.

The motor is my usual Overlander brushless and it's titchy, so cute! Prop will be a brass 20mm three blade. Rudder will also be brass and is deeper than full-size, scalewise.

This is really about the build as it's not going to be the most exciting boat on the lake!

Chris

Edited By Chris Fellows on 21/11/2022 19:33:44

[Ray Wood 3Participant @raywood3]

Hi Chris,

This is a great little boat you have drafted and would make a great plan feature for the magazine My Eventide sailing cruiser is in the January issue, I just proofed the drawings.

Your problem maybe the ballast required at the stern to counteract the motor and radio at the front ??

Watching with interest.

Regards Ray

[Chris FellowsParticipant @chrisfellows72943]

Thanks Ray. Yes, I saw in the latest mag. that Eventide was going to be in the next one.

Good point about the ballast. The blue thing is the battery, which will help but will have to see how things work out with the bath test!

Chris

[Chris FellowsParticipant @chrisfellows72943]

Finished off the drawing side of things with a coloured side view to show what I'm aiming for.

Chris

[Chris FellowsParticipant @chrisfellows72943]

Printed off the drawings for the hull this morning. But that was it as went to the pub for lunch!

Chris

[Ray Wood 3Participant @raywood3]

Hi Chris,

What are you like !! just as you were building momentum with the Fisherman !!  remember the smaller the boat the harder the planking will be ! but it keeps material costs down 🙂 I’m doing dry December until Christmas it’s going ok so far !! Started a little balsa Aerokits Sea Rover 15″ long for a break from Lysander !!

Regards Ray

[Chris FellowsParticipant @chrisfellows72943]

Yeah I know Ray! But as said on the Fisherman thread there’s going to be waiting times, like there is now. And I don’t fancy going back to painting just yet! Don’t worry I shall keep on with the Fisherman as the main project but with this being an easier build will no doubt draw ahead at times.

It is small isn’t it, but not as small as your Sea Rover, and there’s going to be some challenges but that’s one of the main reasons for me wanting to build it. Smallest boat I’ll probably build and the one with the most frames by far! With using 3mm balsa now rather than say thinner bass I could I guess leave out every other frame but I will stick with them.

Is the Sea Rover a kit or from plans?

Chris

[Chris FellowsParticipant @chrisfellows72943]

Cut out all of the frames and gave them a sanding. Just got the keel to cut out and drill for the prop shaft and I’ll be ready to start assembly.

I know some don’t like it but I like building hulls! Well, when they’re my own design and seeing how they tun out, probably not so much so if they were kits.

Chris

[Colin BishopModerator @colinbishop34627]

That’s really neat cutting out Chris. I like building hulls too but usually of a different type. many modellers do like to skip that bit though and buy commercial ones but whatever floats your boat(!). It’s all model boating.

Colin

[Ray Wood 3Participant @raywood3]

Hi All,

Yes the hull is the interesting part of the build for me especially if I’ve drafted it out 🙂

One of my fellow club members who I can’t mention, Peter Morris ! persuaded me to buy his GRP hull for Moonbeam by David Metcalf it’s big If anyone fancies it ? £40 buyer collects from Maidstone or Bluewater 🙂

Or it may become a planter in the garden 🙂

Regards Ray

[Chris FellowsParticipant @chrisfellows72943]

I have had thoughts on building a Fairey Spearfish using the GRP hull from the Precedent H31 but with a timber superstructure as used on the first full-size boats before they became all GRP as the contrast between a white GRP hull and a varnished timber deck etc. looks great.

But I think I’m all Faireyed out now and I’ve got my water-jet project I’m keen to build so probably not.

Chris

[Chris FellowsParticipant @chrisfellows72943]

Doing a bit now and again between other things, like getting the Xmas decorations out of the loft.

Cut the keel out, which needs finishing off and drilling/fitting doublers for the prop shaft and fitting stringers etc. The Faun is being built in the same way as the Huntress i.e. upside down off the deck and so time was spent on the fiddley job of gluing small strips of bass to the underside for locating the frames and providing additional gluing area.

The eagle eyed will notice that I’ve modified the deck a bit. As well as adding strips along part of the length to the inside edge, as the deck was too narrow taking the thickness of the cabin sides into account, I’ve also added a piece to the front to make things easier. This is the problem if you leave a project for too long sometimes as you lose your thread and despite studying the drawings I missed that the side decks were too narrow. I’m also making other modifications as I go along but I do that anyway as part of my build process. I did think about cutting out a new deck, but having sanded it thought I’d go the mod route – the top is going to be covered anyway.

As per the Huntress I then cut out a small baseboard and glued spacers to the bottom for clamping the deck down. Photo shows the Huntress – the work top looked new there!

Chris

 

 

 

 

[Ray Wood 3Participant @raywood3]

Hi Chris,

A very good idea to use a stout base board to hold the deck flat, a few years back I built a review model for Graham Ashby at J. Perkins a 16″ Riviera launch it was a little horror the sheeting on the hull wanted the deck to look like a whale back MTB  🙂

That’s why I generally build inverted on extended frames, as most boats don’t actually have flat decks !!

Regards Ray

[Chris FellowsParticipant @chrisfellows72943]

Yeah, it’s only the Huntress, River Cruiser and now the Faun that I’m building with flat decks and as regards the Huntress and River Cruiser I followed Dave’s method on that. The bow etc. on the Huntsman 28 is the same as the Huntress/RC and I put some camber on that so I could have introduced some. Bow on the Faun is pretty small though so hardly worth the effort.

Chris

[Chris FellowsParticipant @chrisfellows72943]

Been away for a couple of days so work had to stop. Did a bit before I went though cutting and filing the notches in the keel and frames where they both fitted together. Also cut out the doublers and bolted them to the keel in readiness for drilling for the prop shaft.

Today I started drilling (using the new Dremel toy) but had trouble getting even my smallest power drill in and so a change of plan and decided to cut it out with the scroll saw instead – hence why the doublers were bolted incase removal was needed. Then I drilled through from the bottom for the prop shaft. Once this was done I glued the doublers in place using the bolts as a guide and for clamping.

I then did a trial fit of the keel and frames onto the deck and finished off by gluing a couple of frames into place.

Chris

[Chris FellowsParticipant @chrisfellows72943]

Most of the frames glued in position to the deck now and is really taking shape. Will cut out and fix the base for the motor mount before gluing the keel in.

Might cut down the prop shaft and glue that in as well beforehand though it’s the one I bought for the Fisherman so I’m going to have to order another one whatever.

Back onto the Fisherman but progress will then stop to after the New Year as I need to order the balsa for planking.

Chris

 

[Ray Wood 3Participant @raywood3]

Hi Chris,

Tim and I agree you designs will be brilliant plan features for the magazine , but you would have to finish one 🙂

Regards Ray

[Chris FellowsParticipant @chrisfellows72943]

That’s where the problem lies!  😀

Chris

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