Fairey Huntress 23 Long Cabin Version

[Chris FellowsParticipant @chrisfellows72943]

Thanks Ray

Yes, I like the proportions of this Huntress. The longer cabin and shorter cockpit, but more space as no central engine housing, makes it look well balanced. Pity that the full-size boat got no further than the drawing board.

Chris

[Chris FellowsParticipant @chrisfellows72943]

Nothing for the last couple of days as I had a bit more to do in the kitchen and then had to put my big boxes of screws etc. and tools back into the garage.

Today though I fitted the stern-drive and motor, put the 3S battery in what I'd hoped would be the right position i.e. not in the cabin area and laid a servo for the steering in the cabin. Obviously a bit more weight will be added with the windows, paint and other finishing touches but this is pretty much it as far as most of the weight goes and its distribution.

With these items and the superstructure fitted there's quite a bit of weight in this little Huntress now! Followers of my builds will know that I don't build light. I like a bit of weight in my builds though as I think they will sit better on the water and not be affected as much as a lighter model by wind, ripples and choppy water. And of course with brushless motors power isn't a problem nowadays!

Bath partly filled, I had some trepidation as I placed the boat in, given the position of the stern-drive and motor, but I needn't have worried as it sat perfectly on the water. Right on the chine and with a slight bow up attitude. Brilliant! Note that I still haven't screwed the prop right on as it is quite tight which is why it's sticking out more than it should.

Knowing where the battery needs to sit is important, as if it had encroached into the cabin I would have to make allowance for supporting the snakes where they pass through the bulkhead into the cabin and the positioning of the servo and pivot. Now knowing this I can proceed with the installation.

Chris

 

Edited By Chris Fellows on 23/03/2021 17:42:15

[Ray Wood 3Participant @raywood3]

Hi Chris,

History is made well done, looks like it needs plenty of ballast .

Regards Ray

[Chris FellowsParticipant @chrisfellows72943]

Hi Ray

Ballast in a Fairey, never!!

It's difficult to see the water in the photos and the freeboard looks greater than it is which gives the impression it's sitting a bit high.

Looking at the full-sized craft though it is sitting pretty much spot on so I'm happy with that.

Chris

[Will Mason 1Participant @willmason1]

She looks great on the water Chris. I think it's quite deceptive how high she sits without a waterline on.

Once it has some colour on it, it will look different yet again.

Keep up the great work.

Will

[Chris FellowsParticipant @chrisfellows72943]

Thanks Will.

Not helped by not having the chine rails on. I'm in the process of fitting those to the Swordsman and Huntsman 31 which will be followed by those to the Huntress. I shall then fit the strakes to all three.

Chris

[Will Mason 1Participant @willmason1]

All of those little things will make such a big difference to the look of the Huntress and both of the other two.

Will

[Chris FellowsParticipant @chrisfellows72943]

Since the last post I've fitted the chine rails, though that was quite some time ago now. Should have fitted them before the bath test!

Whilst waiting for the glue to dry on the Huntsman 31 strakes I've made a start on those for the Huntress. Straight sections marked out on the hull in pencil and then the first one glued in place at the bow. Due to the amount of curvature definitely needed steaming and plenty of tape!

Chris

[Chris FellowsParticipant @chrisfellows72943]

I don't know why my last post double posted? It's done that before.

Anyway, all the remaining strakes were glued and taped into place. Left overnight to fully dry and then the ends at the transom were trimmed back with the razor saw and sanded flush. As with the Huntsman 31 I've used the 3mm 60 degree triangular styrene section which I feel is just right. Whilst the hull is substantially shorter I've fitted 4 strakes per side so still quite a lot of work. Happy that's done!

Chris

Edited By Chris Fellows on 23/05/2021 17:28:03

[Derek BradleyParticipant @derekbradley32270]

Hi Chris,

How are your builds of the various Faireys coming along? I am intrigued by your builds and your very careful attention to detail. Some time ago I had the 1:12 scale Huntress plans enlarged to 1:8 scale and built one of that size before SLEC brought out the kit (see under 'Fairey Huntress Winter Special elsewhere on this forum). I have since, regtrettably, sold it on and am thinking of building another, but this time using the 1:8 SLEC kit. Being, obviously, something of an expert on the Fairey boats since the sad demise of Dave Milbourn I wondered if you (or anyone else) could tell me if anyone has so far built the kit and any posssible links to it or any comments on it.

Many thanks.

Derek.

[Chris FellowsParticipant @chrisfellows72943]

Good to hear from you Derek and for your kind words. Funnily enough myself and Dave joked about me taking up his Fairey mantle in one of our last email exchanges. Maybe as far as knowledge of Faireys is concerned, but that is about it, no-one will come near Dave's skill in designing and building Faireys and other models and his knowledge and experience of electrical/electronics etc.

I remember your 1:8 build and your selling of it because of the difficulty in fitting the spray rails. Apart from Dave building one the only other build I know of is on Mahem but unfortunately it wasn't completed. Useful things coming out of the thread though are that the kit is very good and the instructions very clear (not surprising being by Dave) and if followed should be straightforward. Also Dave mentioned about using a 5mm prop shaft and not 4mm.

I don't think the motor specified is available now but I could help with that if required. Whilst I haven't built a Fairey or any kit really from the experience of my builds I should be able to help if needed, but given how far you got with your scratch built Huntress I doubt you will need it! Please ask away though and keep us updated.

As far as my (slow) builds are concerned, they mainly stopped during the summer months but I've just started on the Swordsman again and will progress it and the other builds to the painting stage – I said that last year! And I've done the drawings to start another one!

I can't do a link to the Huntress thread on Mahem using my tablet but it's in the Pleasure Boats etc. section, Page 2, 1/8 SLEC Fairey Huntress, about half way down.

Regards, Chris

Edited By Chris Fellows on 04/01/2022 21:15:05

[Derek BradleyParticipant @derekbradley32270]

Hi Chris,

Many thanks for your reply. Nice to hear from you. With my google searches I had found the build on Mayhem and have PM'd the builder 'Daleb' so maybe I will hear from as to what happened with his 1:8 scale Huntress as he seemed quite enthusiastic about it to start with.

The only other query that I would have at the moment, having seen that you used triangular section styrene for the strakes, is what glue did you use? Like yourself I am allergic to cyano and hate using the stuff. Also, where did you get the sections from? I used to have a website for a company that supplied all of these various sections, etc. but it has gone 'walkabout'

I am now well into my eighties so will have to think rather long and hard about the Huntress kit but I am very tempted.

Many thanks for any help.

Regards,

Derek.

PS. Have been keeping an eye on your entries on the 'other' model boats website.

[Chris FellowsParticipant @chrisfellows72943]

Hi Derek

Will be interested to see how Daleb got on as well. There was a number of Fairey build threads on Mahem but most if not all stopped – I suppose for the same reasons as mine in many cases i.e. summer?

As regards the strakes I turned to styrene as despite many searches I just couldn't find a supplier of triangular timber section in the lengths required and didn't have the means or fancy cutting them myself. Styrene has the advantage of being very accurate along it's length. But again it's difficult to find in long lengths but eventually found that Deans Marine can supply in 1 metre lengths, postage is expensive though!

Using it though was subject to finding a suitable glue. I made a test piece by covering some ply with thin cloth and coats of Eze-Kote as per my hulls. Glued one piece with slow setting cyano (even though I don't like it!) and another with canopy glue which I figured would be Ok as recommended for gluing styrene windows to painted timber superstructures. Didn't fancy epoxy as it doesn't run well enough and is messy for that use. Left overnight and the cyano one pulled off without too much effort so was a fail. The canopy glue (Deluxe Materials) stuck hard and so that was it. In fact it's become one of my favourite glues now as grabs well, little odour, excess can be wiped off with a damp finger or tissue and it dries clear. I've glued planks etc. down with it.

Fixing the strakes is pretty straightforward. I didn't steam them on the first hull as the styrene bends easily but that was a mistake and I had a job holding them in place and tight to the hull. Subsequent hulls I did, steamed over a kettle like timber and much easier. Start at the bow and glue in sections and tape as you go along as per my posts. Very pleased with how they went on and look.

Be good if you do decide to build a Huntress.

Chris

[Derek BradleyParticipant @derekbradley32270]

Hi Chris,

Many thanks for your reply and all the useful info. I have found this site which does triangular balsa and styrene in 36" lengths – https://modelshop.co.uk/Shop/Strip-Shape/Triangular-Rod/ – I suppose the balsa would be alright if it was hardened by soaking cyano into it after it was fitted. I must admit that these would work out rather expensive – can you remember how much Deans' cost?

I have had a reply from Daleb on Mayhem and he says that he has completed the hull, even so far as fitting the motor, etc., and fibreglassing, but at that point things seem to have come to a stop. He gives top marks for quality of the kit and instruction which, in any case, I have found with other SLEC kits.

I will let you know if I decide to go ahead with the kit.

Best wishes,

Derek.

[Chris FellowsParticipant @chrisfellows72943]

Hi Derek

Had a look at that site but unfortunately they don't do the sizes required in either styrene or balsa. SLEC do a greater range of balsa but too big, certainly for my 1:12 builds.

I looked up my Deans order and the postage was worse than I thought at £17.40 which was as much as the pack of 10 No. x 4mm pieces! To be fair Deans did tell me the postage and packing was expensive due to the length. I did take the sting out of it to some extent by adding the brass rod for the bow rails.

I would have thought that the kit would include the strakes though? Although in timber they would be the same to fit as styrene as long as you steam them to the required bend first.

Chris

[Derek BradleyParticipant @derekbradley32270]

Many thanks Chris,

I don't live too far from Deans so it would cost me no more in fuel to collect them if I go ahead. I presume, from what you say, that I would need 6mm pieces for an 1:8 model if SLEC do not include triangular strips in the kit.

Also SLEC is just a pleasant ride out for me, only 30 miles.

Derek.

[Ray Wood 3Participant @raywood3]

Hi Chaps,

Sorry to be late to this spray rails party I've built both the Precedent/Avionics H 31's at 46" & 34" they both used to be suppled with 1/8" X 1/4" obeche stock for the spray rails. All that is needed to make the triangular section is what I'd call a shooting block with a fence and a David razor plane, the thing to remember is they provide a flat surface to lift the boat up onto the plane, so the section is not constant along the hull length. The Boss DM told us he just used to  use square section so it's a personnel choice at the end of the day

Regards Ray

Edited By Ray Wood 2 on 05/01/2022 22:05:48

[Chris FellowsParticipant @chrisfellows72943]

Derek – that's handy, I'd rather spend the money on petrol rather than postage and have a run out. I've used 3mm 60 degree section on my Huntress so that would equate to about 5mm. So 5 or 6mm whichever looks right, I don't like the strakes looking too big. The 90 degree is closer to what Fairey use at the stern but it changes section as you approach the bow which is difficult to do at model size! I think that the 90 degree section looks a bit odd at the bow and so hence using 60 degree – all personal choice of course. You could ask Daleb if it's included in the kit, it should be.

Ray – if the styrene hadn't been available I would had a go at making my own. Dave did make triangular strakes for his 1:12 Huntress prototypes but complained he kept taking his fingertips off with the razor plane! As you say he did recommend using square section which is what I did on the Huntsman 28. I rounded it off and tapered it towards the bow and it doesn't look too bad. Be even better once painted.

Frustratingly things are still getting in the way of making much progress on the builds, just off to Costco now!

Chris

[Derek BradleyParticipant @derekbradley32270]

Thanks Chris.

This is part of the reply that I had from Daleb giving details of the units supplied with the kit –

'The 8 spray rails come in 1/8 basswood strip supplied in the kit and once fitted are sanded to a half round section. Very similar to the full size Huntress that I was lucky to own some years ago'.

I may be wrong but I was always under the impression that the spray rails on any fast boat, not just Faireys, were of a triangular section and not half round. I'm sure someone will support or correct me.

Derek.

[Ray Wood 3Participant @raywood3]

Hi Derek,

Not sure where he gleaned that information but it's wrong

The strips that run along the chine maybe described that way ?

Regards Ray

[Derek BradleyParticipant @derekbradley32270]

Thanks Ray. That definitely goes along with my thinking but Dale (on Mayhem) states, as mentioned, that this was in SLECs instructions and he remembers it from a full size Huntress he used to own but I still have doubts about what he says.

Derek.

[Colin BishopModerator @colinbishop34627]

The Huntress in Portsmouth Dockyard appears to have triangular section spray rails judging by this image:

**LINK**

Other photos online also seem to show triangular sections.

The SLEC 1:12 scale Faireys designed by Dave use square section which he stated should be rounded off to D section once applied. I imagine this was a manufacturing compromise, the kits were only ever intended to be near scale. Dave did tell me that it made no difference to the model performance, it was the chine rails that really needed the sharp edge.

Colin

[Chris FellowsParticipant @chrisfellows72943]

Yeah, definitely triangular section on the full-sized boats.

The rounded off square section is probably right for the kit then because as I said before that was one solution that Dave recommended to me and I used on the Huntsman 28.

1/8th section for the 1:8 Huntress does sound far too small to me though and if I was building one I'd use a bigger triangular section.

With my chine rails I have a sharp bottom edge to dig in on turns and a round top edge.

Quite right about the strakes/spray rails. On a model you don't need them at all really and they are there just for show. On full-sized boats where the power to weight ratio is far less than with models they are needed as they trap air as the speed increases, reduce friction and help with getting on the plane. Once on the plane they are not needed which is why many boats, Faireys included where twin props, don't have them running all the way to the stern – as per Ray's Huntsman 31 build. I copied the full-size layout on my Huntsman 28 even though I'm only running one prop. On other builds I've taken them all the way just for the look.

Edited By Chris Fellows on 06/01/2022 18:21:04

[Colin BishopModerator @colinbishop34627]

Yes, Chris, you are correct it is all about the look! When I was building the two 1:12 scale kits I looked at a lot of images of full size Faireys and the sprayrail pattern seemed to vary quite a lot. Possibly this was due to the original rails needing replacement over the years.

I guess you can do what you like really!

Colin

[Ray Wood 3Participant @raywood3]

Hello All,

Well looks like DM sent me these drawings some time ago pre-construction, now found on my portable drive, I also have his 2 sheet plans for his model version as pdf's If anybody wants them. PM your email address to me.

Gone but not ever forgotten

Regards Ray

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