Fairey Huntsman 28

[Chris FellowsParticipant @chrisfellows72943]

I've returned to the drawings for the Huntsman 28 I started awhile ago (before the River Cruiser got my attention) and have now done enough to begin building the hull.

I need to order some more 6mm ply for the keel though as stocks are low! I have plenty of 3mm for the frames etc.

I've decided to get all three hulls (including the River Cruiser & Swordsman) to the skinning stage so that I can learn that process and tackle them all at the same time.

I've already got the prop shaft that was intended for the Swordsman before I decided to go up to 5mm and the Overlander brushless motor has arrived.

Chris

[Chris FellowsParticipant @chrisfellows72943]

Scratch Build

[Chris FellowsParticipant @chrisfellows72943]

Frames and keel cut out ready for sanding to lines.

Must admit I kept looking at the keel etc. and thinking it looks very shallow and long. But I've checked against my drawings and that the frames and keel were printed at the same enlargement and also against the Veron drawings that I have and it all checks out.

Since this photo sanding has been done, cut-outs for stringers done and doublers hollowed out for prop shaft so all ready to start assembly.

[Paul TParticipant @pault84577]

Chris

Your workspace is very neat and puts mine to shame.

Paul

[ashley needhamParticipant @ashleyneedham69188]

Yes. Please "dirty up" the next picture so we don't all feel so bad

Ashley

ps  Nice selection of Permagrit tools. Essential, wish I had discovered them years ago.
 

Edited By ashley needham on 10/06/2018 08:26:58

[Chris FellowsParticipant @chrisfellows72943]

I'm generally a tidy person anyway but I have to keep it pretty tidy as I haven't got much space. I do use the Workmate in the bedroom as well though my wife isn't very happy when she stands on a small offcut even after I've vacuumed up!

Yes, I wish I'd discovered them years ago as well as would have been very useful for DIY. Those, along with razor saws and other model making tools really do make the work so much more enjoyable, quicker and accurate. I've got a set of the files as well (I think based on your recommendation Ashley) and they are great and get a lot of use.

Chris

[Chris FellowsParticipant @chrisfellows72943]

Construction has now started with the doublers to the prop shaft area fitted and a couple of the frames. Progress is slow because I'm only using A/Resin and only have so many squares and clamps, though I did make a trip to Homebase yesterday to get a few more clamps.

And for you guys a photo of part of the work room that isn't as tidy!

[Brian White 3Participant @brianwhite3]

Hi Chris, I've just received the plans for the Huntsman 28 (curtesy of e-bay). I'll look forward to watching your progress. I'll not be starting mine until I've finished my MTB 71 (Model Boats plan last month). It's probably a bold step up going onto the Huntsman 28, but nothing ventured, nothing gained as the say. Are you going to use electric drive? If so, what sort of power do you consider would give this vessel the push needed to impress? My work space is also limited, so first I'll need to invest in a folding table to supplement my workbench in the garage. Happy modelling, best regards, Brian

[Ray Wood 3Participant @raywood3]

Hi Brian,

Glad to hear your building MTB 71, it really goes well, here is the prototype with it's big brother

Regards Ray

[Brian White 3Participant @brianwhite3]

Thanks Ray, Big brother looks great. I hope my little brother looks as good as yours when finished. Regards Brian

[Chris FellowsParticipant @chrisfellows72943]

Hi Brian

Good to hear that you are going to build a Huntsman 28. Going by the various forums it seems that very few, if any, have been built in recent years, the Huntsman 31 and Swordsman 33 being more popular choices.

I also got the drawings off Ebay and am redrawing as the templates were very poorly drawn and would make it very difficult to build. Also I wanted to make some modifications to the construction and reduce the size to a scale of 1:12.

I'm going to use a brushless electric motor in mine. I'm assuming your plans are for a 42" model – are you going to build to that size?

I have been making some progress lately when not distracted by doing things outside! Slowly, slowly, but I've added the chine formers today and so will start adding the stringers tomorrow. Won't be long now before it's at the same stage as the other hulls and ready for skinning.

One mistake I did notice when fitting the chine formers is that the breast hook is a tad short at the pointy bit! So I shall remedy this by adding some timber to each side and sanding to shape.

Chris

[Brian White 3Participant @brianwhite3]

Hi Chris, I'm pretty new to modelling and am finding my feet on Ray Woods 15'' MTB 71. I admire your skills at redrawing the templates to a different scale, this something I couldn't even contemplate. Yes, I'll be building the Huntsman 28 to plan at 42", but I'll need to make space in the garage (the car takes precedence over half the space! Having done my apprenticeship in Chatham Dockyard (as an electrical fitter) some 50 years ago, I can now appreciate the skills of the shipwrights. I'll be following all the posts on you build, which I'm sure will be invaluable. Hope you wont mind if I PM you if I get into difficulty once I start. I was looking to use a Graupner 900 motor and was considering water cooling. any advice on RC and ECS/Battery would be appreciated. The same goes for the MTB71, I'm fitting a Graupner Speed 280 got the prop shaft in and rudder. Best regards Brian

[Chris FellowsParticipant @chrisfellows72943]

Hi Brian

I'm new to modelling as well and this is one of the first boats that I'm building. Redrawing the plans wasn't too difficult for me, once I'd got a grasp of how models were built, as I've got years of experience on the drawing board and using drawing programs from my employment in the building industry. And my DiY skills and experience are coming in useful in the build along with some of my tools – had to buy some model specific ones as well though!

Happy to help if I can with what I've picked up over the last year or so but there are guys on here with many years of experience from whom I've been gleaning knowledge and continue to do so who are a far better source than me and as regards the MTB Ray is the obvious one to go to.

None of the boats I'm building are as big as your proposed Huntsman, the Swordsman is the biggest at 33".

Regards, Chris

[Brian White 3Participant @brianwhite3]

Hi Chris,

How's the Huntsman coming on? I'm in the final stages of completing the MTB71, so have started ordering up materials for my 1:8 Fairey Huntsman 28. I've looked at pictures of the real thing and am contemplating laying the deck with Obechi planking (10mm x 3mm) with mahogany fillers (1mm x 3mm). The design lends itself to edge bending the planking! Could be very challenging. I'm also thinking of twin motors/screws, but I'll need to see how feasible this is when I have the keel and framing in place.

Having copied and cut out the templates I'm realising just how big this boat is going to be.

It would be nice to see some pictures of your endeavours and hear of any issues you may have overcome.

Best regards, Brian

[Chris FellowsParticipant @chrisfellows72943]

Hi Brian

Yes, 1:8 is rather on the big side. I have a Huntsman 31 at that scale, bought ready built off Ebay and found it to be cumbersome to move around and hence why I'm building all my Faireys at 1:12 which is big enough to detail if desired but much more manageable.

Despite the fantastic summer I have made some progress on the Huntsman 28 and I've sanded the keel and stringers in readiness for skinning. Haven't done anything for a couple of weeks though as I've ordered a new shed which I've had to prepare for by taking the old one down and extending the slab base.

I'll post some pictures up of the Huntsman.

Cheers, Chris

[Chris FellowsParticipant @chrisfellows72943]

Picture showing stringers in place and sanding to those and the keel carried out. Also one of the pointy bit which was fine in the end and didn't need any additional timbers gluing to it.

Picture of all three hulls; Huntsman 28, Swordsman 33 and River Cruiser! All almost ready for skinning now. But I'm seriously thinking about starting another! A Huntsman 31 to one of DM's designs.

That's in addition to the Fisherman for which drawings are progressing well. Oh and there's also the Spearfish kit I picked up!

Chris

[Dave MilbournParticipant @davemilbourn48782]

Blimey! He's got more Faireys in his workshop than I have! I'm buying shares in Halfords for when he gets to the painting stage.

Go for it, Chris!

Dave M

[Brian White 3Participant @brianwhite3]

Hi Chris,

A pretty impressive selection in the build stage with plans for more! Do you ever come out of the workroom. I can only imagine the shed is an annex to move into when there's no more room in there. Thanks for sharing the pictures, they look well finished and just begging for a skin.

Did you redrawn templates work out OK? I took note of your drawing skill set and downloaded a free version of Draftsight, as I was having difficulty in the cockpit for my MTB71. Their website had a good tutorial, so I've added another skill, albeit I'm still a bit clunky, but managed to put together a design which worked out OK. Scaling to print was a bit of a pain and was more trial and error than fix settings. Any Suggestions?

What are the two holes in the Huntsman's foredeck? These are not on my plans.Are they something you have added or an update to the original Fairey design?

I am about to build a trial steamer for my Huntsman's decking as part of a feasibility study. 40mm plastic wastepipe with screw on end caps. Ordered a cheap electric kettle (steam generator) and connection for a spare washer hose. I'll let you know if I'm successful!

Best regards, Brian

[Chris FellowsParticipant @chrisfellows72943]

Posted by Dave Milbourn on 29/08/2018 18:18:22:

Blimey! He's got more Faireys in his workshop than I have! I'm buying shares in Halfords for when he gets to the painting stage.

Go for it, Chris!

Dave M

Thanks Dave. I have to thank you for your inspiration and help.

Chris

[Chris FellowsParticipant @chrisfellows72943]

Brian – those are the results of quite a few months work. I haven't been able to spend as much time as I'd like building and I'm still working part-time for a few more months.

I'm getting quicker with each build which is why I fancy starting another!

Yes, those holes were a modification to clamp the stringers whilst gluing. I only used the top and side views from the kit drawing and drew up the bulkheads/frames from them as the templates were so badly drawn.

For printing I did the same as you. Printed out and measured and altered as necessary to get the right size.

Chris

[Brian White 3Participant @brianwhite3]

Hi Chris,

Mark 1 steamer was a failure. In need of a wider hose, so awaiting some heat resistant in 40mm and mods to SG, then try again.

Started to cut out the keel and noticed a discrepancy in the scale of the plans and the templates bought from e-bay. Could this be what you experienced and steered you to redraw and rescale the templates to the plans? A closer look and I found the plans (on two sheets didn't quite align, so I imagine the plans were not accurately copied 1:1, so I've elected to cut straight from templates, albeit they look to be just drawn around the cut parts from the originators build.

I've bought a new bench surface to build the Huntsman on, as it's obvious from just the keel it's going to be a big beast.

Happy building, regards, Brian

[Chris FellowsParticipant @chrisfellows72943]

Discrepancy is being polite Brian. The templates were absolute crap and as you say drawn (and I use that term loosely!) I assume around the kit templates.

As well as wavy lines they are not symmetrical so would be a nightmare to build from.

The plan and side view, being the kit drawings, were fine and using the deck/gunwhale and chine stringers as reference it's fairly straightforward to produce the frames/bulkheads.

Being a relative newbie like myself it might be a good idea to put the Huntsman on hold for a little while until some better drawings can be sourced. As well as the aforementioned faults with the templates the slots for the stringers are not at the same angles and sizes and would be a challenge for even a more experienced builder.

I can convert my drawings to pdf and email them to you but bear in mind that I've only drawn the hull so far (though the kit drawings can be used for the superstructure) and I haven't finished my "prototype" yet so the drawings are not proven! With pdf's you can have them printed at whatever scale you want and can build smaller if you want.

When I get home I'll see what else I've got.

Chris

Edited By Chris Fellows on 05/09/2018 14:12:12

Edited By Chris Fellows on 05/09/2018 14:13:53

Edited By Chris Fellows on 05/09/2018 14:16:29

[Brian White 3Participant @brianwhite3]

Hi Chris, Here are a few pictures of my H28 during stage 4 of its build.

I decided on sticking with the plan and templates from e-bay, although I've had to do considerable adjustments to correct them.

I firmed up on the twin motor arrangement and purchased two 850 torpedo motors and water cooling coils. I have had to reposition the motors by shortening the prop shafts as the motors encroached on the cockpit well. This should improve the overall COG as these motors are quite heavy, but at the cost of replacement prop shafts. I'm awaiting delivery of the flexible couplings before firming up on the final length of the replacement shafts.

Have you any progress to report on you H28?

Best regards, Brian

[Chris FellowsParticipant @chrisfellows72943]

Hi Brian – you've done well using those Ebay drawings. Now that you've got the hull sorted it will be plain sailing.

Surprised that you've gone for Torpedo 850s given their size and weight. I'd forgotten how big and heavy they were until I looked at the one in my big, 46", Huntsman 31.

I haven't made any progress at all due to other commitments, apart from some drawing on another project, Fairey of course!

Won't be doing much until about mid-October but hoping to get back into it big time!

Chris

[Brian White 3Participant @brianwhite3]

Hi Chris, A few photos of my progress on the H28. As the motors were too high to fit the seat/cover, I had to reconfigure the motor mount and shorten the prop shafts. This need to be done before I could start sheeting the hull. This went smoother than I thought it would be, although the prow was a bit tricky. Today I completed the decking and gave it an initial sanding.  While waiting for glue to set, I made a dummy door and console (held in place with blue tack for the pictures. I'm quite pleased with the way its turning out. With a few coats of varnish (when the weather gets warmer) it should look fine.   Best regards, Brian

Hi Chris, Added a few photos of my H28 build following on from the last ones. I've completed sheeting the hull and laying the decking, and just need to sand it downHh

 

Edited By Brian White 3 on 30/10/2018 22:47:11

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