Fairey Fisherman 27 Motor Sailer

[Chris FellowsParticipant @chrisfellows72943]

I er, did I think!

Good job I’m bigger than it!

[Ray Wood 3Participant @raywood3]

Chris,

Just a thought, what sort of glue are you going to use for the second layer ?? now it has a filler base layer.

Regards Ray

[Colin BishopModerator @colinbishop34627]

Do you need another layer or could you just cover with glass cloth and resin after using blocks at the bow?

Colin

[Chris FellowsParticipant @chrisfellows72943]

Ray – sticking with aliphatic resin. Haven’t had to use any filler so it will be timber to timber which is good.

Colin – I was hoping before I started that I might be able to get away with one layer but after sanding, the thin ply is now even thinner in places, mainly where turning towards the bow and stern where the venetian blind effect was worst. So I’ve got to stick with two layers really and it will be nice doing it withe bass.

Chris

[Colin BishopModerator @colinbishop34627]

Yes, Bass is nice to plank with, I see what you mean.

Colin

[Ray Wood 3Participant @raywood3]

Hi Chris,

Sorry for that comment 🙁  It just looked like the hull is covered in filler then sanded 🙂

I agree with Colins comment regarding the glass clothing ! but I guess your enjoying the pain 🙂

Regards Ray

[Chris FellowsParticipant @chrisfellows72943]

Hi Ray, I can see why you thought that. My wife thought I’d painted it with something.

Yes enjoying the pain! It’s likely this will be my only plank on frame build, well double planked anyway, so I’m happy to spend the time on it and I’m very pleased with how the bass planking to the Faun is coming out.

Have had thoughts on building a Fairey Atalanta which is a yacht with curved superstructure as well as hull! But I’m keen to start on my water-jet project and must finish my other Fairey builds. Maybe once that is all done I’ll look at the Atalanta.

Chris

[Ray Wood 3Participant @raywood3]

Hi Chris,

Atalanta would be a proper challenge !! curves everywhere 🙂

Still a futuristic design 🙂

Regards Ray

[Chris FellowsParticipant @chrisfellows72943]

Second layer is progressing – certainly quicker than the first! Using different widths of planks to deal with the curves.

Chris

 

[Chris FellowsParticipant @chrisfellows72943]

Couple more planks to fit and that’s the planking completed. Not planned but one of the advantages of longitudinal planking is that if any is visible under the paint it would look like a planked hull whereas diagonal planking would look a bit odd.

Not correct for a Fairey though as the hull is made up of a number of laminations.

Then to tackle the bow and stern in balsa.

[Ray Wood 3Participant @raywood3]

Hi Chris,

A good job done with you usual high standard of workmanship 🙂

Laminating Balsa sheet for the bow and stern is expensive these days but pretty easy to do.

Regards Ray

[Richard SimpsonModerator @richardsimpson88330]

Absolutely superb job. I bet it’s incredibly strong as well.

I remember as a kid you could buy bundles of balsa offcuts for pennies.  They were perfect for carving and practising model making techniques and skills.

You don’t seem to be able to buy many things cheap nowadays!

[Chris FellowsParticipant @chrisfellows72943]

Hi Ray – thanks. I’ve used up most of the balsa sheet I’d bought for possible hull planking when I did the bow of Faun but with what’s left and the block balsa I have from previous builds I’ve hopefully got enough, otherwise I’m going to have to buy some more.

Thanks Richard, yes it’s very strong! Just bought some more rolls of finishing abrasives and that was over 30 quid! All soon adds up but I don’t skimp! I’ve got a box file full of receipts to remind me!

Not worried about the weight of the model as the hull will be very buoyant. As said it’s quite tubby being based on a ship’s lifeboat hull. Even with space being taken up by the keel and mast I should have plenty of room for the installation and battery.

Chris

[Chris FellowsParticipant @chrisfellows72943]

Whilst waiting for some bits and pieces for the Faun I’ve taken the Fisherman off the building board. Even though it’s quite a big hull it’s surprisingly light. Weight will soon increase as the build progresses though.

Just making a breast hook – usually I incorporate this at the start of a build but the frame extenders etc. were in the way and building upside-down – which will support the balsa blocks. Once the bow is done I’ll start on the stern.

Chris

[Richard SimpsonModerator @richardsimpson88330]

It’ll need some weight to get that buoyancy under control!  Beautiful looking hull.

[Chris FellowsParticipant @chrisfellows72943]

Thanks Richard. The drop keel will help, but as you say it will probably need more!

Chris

[Chris FellowsParticipant @chrisfellows72943]

The shape of the breast hook was determined by making a cardboard template, cut out of 3mm ply and then glued in place. The bow was then laminated with 3mm balsa sheets, originally bought for possible planking. Ran out half-way through so had to place an order for more from SLEC and got some 19mm as well to do the stern and stocked up on ply and mahogany to make the postage viable. Once the glue had dried I sanded it to shape. Some minor filling required and that’s done.

Cut out and fitted the stern piece, again after making a cardboard template and have started the balsa blocking. The internal part will be cut out before gluing in place to allow access for the rudder installation and the rear seating.

The hull is beamy because of its ship’s lifeboat roots but I’m liking the look of it – it’s not built for speed!

Chris

 

[Chris FellowsParticipant @chrisfellows72943]

Finished laminating balsa blocks for stern, cut out internally and then glued in place followed by a rough cutting and sanding. Tomorrow I’ll sand to shape.

Chris

[Colin BishopModerator @colinbishop34627]

Looking good Chris,

Having just returned from Greece I am temped to make another plank on frame fishing boat to a different configuration to my last one.

Colin

[Chris FellowsParticipant @chrisfellows72943]

Thanks Colin – you know you want to! Hope you had a good holiday, my sister went yesterday. It’s been a couple of years since we’ve been so have been talking about going again.

Woke up this morning thinking about how I’m going to do the rudder linkage! I’ve got some ideas so don’t think it will be too difficult.

[Chris FellowsParticipant @chrisfellows72943]

Blocks at stern now sanded to shape, glad that’s done as I was a bit apprehensive! Again, bit of minor filling required. Will tackle the whole hull now and get it ready for lightweight cloth and Eze-Kote.

You can clearly see now that the hull was originally designed as a ship’s lifeboat.

Never say never, but having built two plank on frame hulls that will probably be it. Pity really, as I’ve learned so much including things that I’d do differently.

Chris

[Richard SimpsonModerator @richardsimpson88330]

Beautiful job.  Being of a lifeboat design it should certainly be stable and buoyant.

One challenge I know of from experience is that, because they are so buoyant, they tend to sit very high in the water and consequently catch the wind very easily.  This can make them very tricky to manoeuvre, especially when there is a bit of a breeze.

 

[Chris FellowsParticipant @chrisfellows72943]

Yes, even with the full-sized boat the waterline is pretty low down, so as you say giving plenty for wind to act upon. I shall only sail it in light breezes and have the motor to fall back on. At least I’m using a drop keel, unlike the real one, which will offer some additional lateral resistance.

As with a tug I might have to add some ballast.

[Richard SimpsonModerator @richardsimpson88330]

I’ve spent many a happy hour leaning over the ship’s side watching the boats returning from the lifeboat drill as many inexperienced hotel and entertainment department crew tried in vain to steer them underneath the falls again as a fresh gust would push them into all sorts of disasters.

[Chris FellowsParticipant @chrisfellows72943]

Back on the Fisherman now. When I took the hull off the building board I sanded the excess planking along the deck stringers – but was a bit enthusiastic along one side with my Proxxon narrow belt sander and with the bass stringers being quite soft took too much off in places and there was some unevenness – I mentioned earlier about using power tools on model boats!

So first job was to remedy this by gluing two small section, square bass strips alongside each other. I then sanded them down by hand!

I then started on the stringers for the coamings but noticed I’d got one of my dimensions wrong for their positions – this was on one of the angled frames so unsurprising I guess. I also needed to extend the deck stringers back to the first of the angled frames to provide support for the deck around the coamings – each rectified with a couple of small pieces of ply.

I’ve decided to coat the inside of the hull with West System Epoxy Resin, so have ordered some today. Need to do it whilst I still have good access, so will do it as soon as it arrives.

Frames were drawn up with a view to having the cabin removable but because of the problem of the mast position and my experience with Faun, the cabin sides are now going to be fixed with one or both roofs being removable. To facilitate this the frames are going to have to be modified insitu and additional stringers installed.

I’m now back on the “drawing board” drawing up the cabin sides so that I can see what needs to be done with the frames.

So, as with Faun, this is another design that will evolve as I go along, a lot I think! I definitely won’t be doing this build as a plan!

Chris

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