Guardsman build (but not as you know Jim)

[Fred Ellis 1Participant @fredellis1]

Hi John

I see what you are saying about the door & the small box, so I thing I may just have the door just open to give the impression of a working door.

I have now removed the deck and deck beams, and started to clean the sides for new beams to be fitted. what more do you want on a sunny afternoon

Fred

[ashley needhamParticipant @ashleyneedham69188]

Surely if the door was fitted at the front on the real thing then it must have been able to be opened? It wasn’t a sliding door was it !

Ashley

[Fred Ellis 1Participant @fredellis1]

Hi Ashley

The door was at the front of the wheel house and it was not a sliding door, we have come to the conclusion that Vic used some modeling license when he drafted the drawings.

Fred

[Colin BishopModerator @colinbishop34627]

Nobody seems to have mentioned Tony Hadley's build thread or have I missed it?

**LINK**

Colin

Edited By Colin Bishop on 18/06/2022 12:01:36

[Fred Ellis 1Participant @fredellis1]

Hi Colin

Thank you for the link, I did think that some one had posted it on page one, but looking back I found that it had not, so it must have been in a P/M that was sent to me, it is a good read.

Fred

[Fred Ellis 1Participant @fredellis1]

Hi One & All

For the last few day's I have been working out the layout for the deck beams, I must have drawn out the fixing points three or four times before I was happy, I kept checking the beams were true and level with the top of the hull, but when I laid the deck onto the beams it still looked like a banana, high at the ends and low in the middle.

So next week it is off to Sussex Models to get a stock of balsa wood and start making a new hull from wood.

I will post any updates as and when I have made progress on the new Guardsman.

Fred

Edited By Fred Ellis 1 on 26/06/2022 14:31:56

[John W EParticipant @johnwe]

Hi there Fred – hold your horses and steady the ship – before you go off to purchase balsa wood.

Double check your plans – I have just put a straight edge on the side profile of the plans which I have of the Guardsman. The straight edge runs from the bow deck level to the stern deck level. In the middle between frames 3 and 4 there is a hollow in the deck of approximately 1/2 inch plus – so the deck would look like a bit of a banana shape. My advice to you would be the same – put a straight edge down the centre line of your model and check (roughly about the middle of the model) there should be a drop in the deck of about 1/2 inch and this is quite common on a lot of vessels. 

Also, you will find across from side to side of the vessel, the deck is not flat, but, it is raised in the middle as well.  The correct terminology forward sheer (pointy end at the front)  after sheer (blunt end at the back)   and in the middle where the deck has a hump in it is called the camber.  This is just for the die hards who like to keep things right .

John

Edited By John W E on 26/06/2022 19:03:49

[Fred Ellis 1Participant @fredellis1]

Hi John

You have hit the nail on the head with what you say.

It is just that with this dip in the deck and you make all the deck housings from the plan, when you fit them it gives the impression that she had broken her back.

Having slept on it over night ( yes it was uncomfortable) I was going to put the laser onto the gunwale to see if it was level, then work from there. now that you have said the there is a dip in the deck level on the plan it looks as if I am going to have to remove the beams that I have fixed to the hull, take new fixing points from off the plan and transfer them onto the hull so that I can fix new beams to keep the deck level.

Fred

[Charles OatesParticipant @charlesoates31738]

Returning to the subject of the wheelhouse, I think that when Vic drew the plans, he simplified the shape. This is just a personal opinion, but when I built my Guardsman, I had a long look at the picture of the Enterprise, enlarging the wheelhouse, and decided It wasn't rectangular, as on the plan. To me it seems to be a hexagon, with 2 angled panels between the sides and the front, one of which is the door. Looking at the roofline seems to confirm this, and it would make more sense and be more practical.

Of course, I might be completely wrong, and have misunderstood the picture, but it's how I built mine.

Charles.

[Fred Ellis 1Participant @fredellis1]

Hi Charles

As they used to say on Rowan & Martin's laugh – in " Very Interesting" I will be having a look at the photo again,

I have been thinking that the wheelhouse could do with being a bit bigger, and as I have to make a new one I now think that is the way I will go, I also like you your idea the the wheelhouse shape could be a hexagon shape.

Fred

P/S I have just had a look at the photo and I think you could be right, I say this as you can see the full front of the door.

 

Edited By Fred Ellis 1 on 27/06/2022 16:13:31

[John W EParticipant @johnwe]

Hi there

With regard to Vic Smeed simplifying things – I think it is the hull structures that he simplified – rather than the superstructures. I have built several models from Vic Smeed plans and I have researched a few others. As far as I can tell it is only the hull that he simplifies. I feel that the bridge of the Guardsman will be square rather than hexagonal and pretty accurate in size as well.

why aye man, John

[Fred Ellis 1Participant @fredellis1]

Hi John

I agree with you on the hull.

I have put a straight edge onto the plan and marked out a new deck level, so as soon as I can remove the beams from the hull I will start setting out the new deck level on the hull.

Fred

[Fred Ellis 1Participant @fredellis1]

Just under two years ago I started this build, then eight months ago I stopped due to having problems with the lay of the deck, she has been giving me the evil eye every since.

Three days ago I took the bull by the horns and refixed the deck so that it now has a more level deck, after twenty- four hours , I refixed the grating that is over the rudder post, and started to fix the bulwark stanchions, I also tried out the deck housings for looks.

Edited By Fred Ellis 1 on 06/02/2023 10:41:40

[Fred Ellis 1Participant @fredellis1]

Hi One & All

So yesterday (18/05/2023) the Guardsman took to the water for the first time.

You can see that I had some issues with this build, no fought of the designer, all my own fought as I did not read the plans right in the first place. all the I now need to do are the small fittings. I have fitted a smouk unit that came out of a 1/16 tank, it dies not look to bad.

[Colin BishopModerator @colinbishop34627]

Vic's hull modifications on earlier plans were usually to improve the carrying capacity of the model at a time when motors, batteries and radio equipment were a lot heavier and bulkier than they are today.

Colin

[David Marks 2Participant @davidmarks2]

Someone donated a selection of model boat plans to me with one being for the Vic Smeed designed tug “Guardsman”. I am not sure how many Sheets were within the plan but I only have the one containing the side elevation, plus some details of the cabins etc. I can only assume there should be at least one more sheet providing the plan view of the deck, the keel and the bulkheads. Does anyone have the missing sheet or sheets they could provide to me, possibly in PDF format? Many thanks in advance – David Marks

[Fred Ellis 1Participant @fredellis1]

Hi David Marks

The plan that I used only has one sheet and that has the deck and side elevation, I got my plans hull from Sarick Hobbies, the cost for the two was £47.00 + P/P have a look on there site.

Fred

[Fred Ellis 1]

On Fred Ellis 1 Said:

Hi David Marks

The plan that I used only has one sheet and that has the deck and side elevation, I got my plans hull from Sarick Hobbies, the cost for the two was £47.00 + P/P have a look on there site.

Fred

Fred – Thank you for the response. After posting my message earlier this week, I noted a copy of the Jan 82 issue of MB complete with the plan which I managed to purchase for £8 including P&P. Just waiting for it to be delivered. I will most probably scratch build at 1/24 scale giving a model about 30 inches in length.

Regards – David

[David Marks 2Participant @davidmarks2]

Fred – Update on my last post. Received my Jan 82 copy of MB compete with original plan purchased from eBay. All fine the plan is however double sided with the bulkheads etc which are missing from the one that I was given. I can only assume that back in 82 there was a glitch in the printing process for the plan.

Regards – David

[Tony HadleyParticipant @tonyhadley]

David – you are planning a model around 30″ long. A 1/24 scale hull, under the name “Searcher” was once available at 31″ long from Scale Hobbies in Skelmersdale. After a bit of an internet search, I managed to find it sold by R.M. Marine, again of Skelmersdale. R.M. Marine are an ebay seller and I am guessing that the hull is made to order and by way of messaging the seller.

Thought this may be of help, I am only guessing, a wooden scratch built might be your preferred option.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/144338616787

[Fred Ellis 1Participant @fredellis1]

Hi David just to say that I have used this company, and found there hull’s to be very good.

[David Marks 2Participant @davidmarks2]

Fred/Tony – Yes, my preference would be to scratch build the hull. I have used the bread and butter style for the bow of a canal narrowboat tug which worked our very well so will do the same for an upsized guardsman. However, thanks for the information.

Regards – David

[Tony HadleyParticipant @tonyhadley]

David – I wish you every success with your build of the model.

Mine was built at the original 22.5”. The only difficulty I came across was the rudder linkage, just hadn’t cut enough balsa away from the ‘bread and butter’ end before gluing the deck on. It took three attempts to correct. John W E used a very neatly disguised over deck rudder linkage.

Attached is a link to mine on Ian’s website. Colin Bishop posted a link  to my build on this site earlier in this thread, but since the website change, this is now broken.

https://iansmodelboats.weebly.com/tony-hadleys-guardsman.html

[David Marks 2Participant @davidmarks2]

Tony

Many thanks for the information. My next job (model boat wise) will be to complete a twin hull workboat which is heavily based on a Models by Design semi-kit once reviewed in MB by Dave Brumstead. As I scratch build, I purchased a James Pottinger plan for Searcher a twin hulled cab, lobster boat and used it as a basis for my version of Dave’s model but in 1/16th scale.

Following on from by Plover plan and build feature in the current MB, I am designing another model by upsizing a 1/72 plastic construction kit to 1/16th scale, aided by a digital caliper, calculator, the kit instructions and a wealth of images on the internet.

Regards – David Marks

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