Invicta – Thames Work Boat 1.1/2″ – 1 ft Freelance

[Ray Wood 3Participant @raywood3]

Hi All,

Well it’s been a while since I built a boat so here goes with another one, I have always been drawn the the steel launches used on the Thames by the lightermen to get out to the tugs and barges, usually surrounded with old tyres and looking pretty battered, I found this drawing from my old drafts and finished it off date February 1993 🙂

Should be quite a straight forward build and suit an Action Man at the helm, this after my Gypsy Moth  Biplane which has taken ages !!

Regards

Ray

 

[Richard SimpsonParticipant @richardsimpson88330]

Looking forward to it Ray.  Thanks for sharing.

[Chris FellowsParticipant @chrisfellows72943]

You can’t start another one yet Ray, what about Delight? Talking of which did you see that TV programme a couple of weeks ago about the sailing boat race on The Broads? I think it was part of Countryfile?

Must try this model boat building lark!

Chris

[Ray Wood 3Participant @raywood3]

Hello Chris,

Yes I remember Delight, probably a winter dark nights project, this one is a rush job and should be a good free plan of a type that has been overlooked as far as I can tell for the magazine 🙂

Yes ! have you gone off onto motorbikes and cars ?? when’s the summer ?

Regards Ray

[Colin BishopModerator @colinbishop34627]

when’s the summer ?

I think you have just missed it…

[Chris FellowsParticipant @chrisfellows72943]

Hi Ray – no, been working on my son’s flat for weeks and still a lot of work to do. Scale 1:1 work! Not had much time for anything else.

Colin – I think you’re right!

Chris

[Ray Wood 3Participant @raywood3]

Hi All,

I normally bulk buy Birch plywood from SLEC but being in a rush as usual went to my local RC shop and bought some

2 Sheets of 1/8″ X 12″ X 48

1 Sheet of 1/4″ X 12 X 48

OMG £65.00

I may start using cardboard and glass cloth the hull 🙂

Anyone have a plywood tree I can plant in the garden !!

Regards  Ray

 

[Richard SimpsonParticipant @richardsimpson88330]

Wow!, three sheets one foot by four foot, that sounds expensive!  Just checked Hobbies and it was around £59.00 so it’s just about the going rate.

Still it’s cheaper than going down the pub every night!

[Colin BishopModerator @colinbishop34627]

SLEC are probably cheaper (and better) but you have to add the shipping cost.

I use the 0.4mm ply for facing my liner deckhouses and other jobs and that is REALLY expensive but lovely stuff to work with and a 12×36 inch sheet lasts me a long time.

Colin

[Ray Wood 3Participant @raywood3]

Hi All,

Well there must be at least 10 judging by the posts 🙂

Well I have made a start, the cost of ply being on par with gold , I may make the bulkheads with extension legs to the building board, my big stock up will be from SLEC at the Southern Model show 31st August – 1st September, a good and probably the last of the shows with lots of clubs and a pool , Headcorn Aerodrome 🙂

Regards Ray

[David Marks 2Participant @davidmarks2]

For my current build, most of the frames/bulkheads are made from off-cuts of 5mm ply which I purchased from Wickes for a DIY project and found it very good quality. Wickes for some reason identify it as 5.5mm but probably the correct size is 3/16″, and before building a model with it, I road tested a scrap piece my immersing it in water for about a week without any delamination. Like Ray I normally buy my ply from SLEC and always find it very good quality. Lastly, the current build will be submitted to Lindsey as a plan and build write-up.

[Tim Rowe 1Participant @timrowe1]

Hi Ray

11 now!  Nice subject but what about the Spring 25. Did Colin put you off??

Looks very like a hard chine workboat we built at the Appledore Shipbuilders Training Centre in Bideford.

50 x 50 angle bar frames, 4mm plating on the topsides and 5mm on the hull bottom.  I don’t know if it ever got finished as it was a project for the first years and for the second and subsequent years we were transferred to the main yard.  It was about 11 metres if I remember correctly.

Did some foundry work this weekend. Cast cast for TSB Kimberley, Wild Duck, Eventide and a Billing Dragon.  Nearly running out of lead now.

Tim

[Ray Wood 3Participant @raywood3]

Hello Tim,

You had better get back up on the church roof for some more ??  Not sure that they use lead flashings in Mallorca 🙂

Yes the Spring 25 is in the system somewhere !! I’m starting to think designing yachts to use the Dragon Force 65 or Dragon Flyte 95 keels is the way to go for future design projects as they are easier for folk to get hold of and they are ready made just bolt the weight on and its sorted, I’m having some success with racing the DF65 managed a 2nd & 3rd place finishes yesterday we are getting 10 – 12 boats on the water these days at the Chantry club at Bluewater, and it’s great fun, lots of banter and not to many rules 🙂

Regards   Ray

[Colin BishopModerator @colinbishop34627]

Ray, using readymade keels is an excellent idea as I think the prospect of having to fabricate them does put some people off. Presumably this might impose some limitations on the size/rig of your design though.

Colin

[Colin BishopModerator @colinbishop34627]

Just noticed Mrs B watching a re run of Howard’s Way on Drama channel. I recognised the Spring 25 first!

Colin

[Ray Wood 3Participant @raywood3]

Hello Colin,

Mrs B has exceptionally good taste 🙂

Yes I’m afraid to say I have the DVD box sets of Howard’s Way & Allo Allo & Mash 🙂

The Chantry club has it’s Open Days this weekend and the forecast is not bad, I’m there on Saturday with my fleet, on Sunday I’m Rescue Boat Helm on a 40hp Zodiac at Pevensey Bay Sailing Club’s dinghy racing variety is indeed the spice of life .

Regards Ray

[geconParticipant @gecon]

Hi Ray, a bit late response, but I had a look back at your Cullamix build. Very nice tug and lots of nice home-turned brass detail. I liked to see that not ALL brass detail must be painted. I was not planning to paint any Smit Ned’ brass but I think I will have to do the ‘railings’.

I expect you’ll use your steel launch out to move the crew out to the Cullamix?

Finished next week then?😀👍

 

 

 

George

[Ray Wood 3Participant @raywood3]

Hello George,

Maybe the week after 🙂  It’s good to see you posting again ! the Smit Ned is looking good .

Strange you should mention the Cullamix , I had her back on the water a few weeks ago, first time in a couple of years the Chantry club is fairly evenly spread between Tug Men and Yacht Sailors. Many of our members used to work on the River Thames and the stories come out thick and fast, It sounds like they were ruled by the tides most of the time.

Cullamix at around 35lbs seems to stay on the shelf !! and I cant bring myself to sell 🙁

The 80″ span DH 60 Gypsy Moth is nearly there, just forked out £160 for the silver Orotex covering !!

Best Regards  Ray

[Richard SimpsonParticipant @richardsimpson88330]

That’s where you need grand kids to carry things around for you.  Sadly I don’t have any of them so I have one or two models destined for the shelf as well!

[Ray Wood 3Participant @raywood3]

Hi Richard,

I can assure you Grandchildren are of no practical use, I have plenty !! If you prise the iphone out of their grasp they will go into Zombie mode and don’t react to conversation, unless they want you to do a bank transfer £££ to them !! It not all beer and skittles 🙂

Regards  Ray

[geconParticipant @gecon]

I have a stack of grandkids. Aged 23-34! They’re allways at work!

Also an even bigger stack of great grandkids. The oldest weighs in at 1.5x Ray’s Cullamix.

I have bought a 4-wheeled garden trolly! Q.E.D 😁  Wife helps sometimes, but she does not carry things heavier than the transmitter😬… unless she’s sitting on the garden trolly, then I have to carry the Colin Archer. Only 11kgs. You can’t win, can you?

Oops, I promissed only to waffle once a week, on sundays. Sorry.

George

[Richard SimpsonParticipant @richardsimpson88330]

Don’t worry George, it’s nice to hear your waffle again!

So here’s me thinking you guys all have it easy with your troop of little helpers making life easy for you at the pond side.  I guess that’s another illusion shattered.

[geconParticipant @gecon]

A 4-wheeled garden trolley is the cheapest help you can get. It doesn’t need chips, Pepsi, sandwiches, burgers etc. Just needs an occasional shove. A bit boring company though. You’ll just have to learn to waffle to yourself!

 

Gone until Sunday…Promise,

 

George

[Ray Wood 3Participant @raywood3]

Hi All,

Well the launch has progressed slightly further only 1 more bulkhead to cut out, first dry run with the keel in place this is the point you realise how many mistakes I have made with the drawing, some slight additions to add 🙂

Sorry about the photos, I must sort out my lighting or try and understand the camera !!

Good days sailing yesterday with the DF65 & Victoria, no wins but seem to be good at finishing 3rd 🙁

Regards Ray

[Len Morris 2Participant @lenmorris2]

Here’s my solution for getting mi boats to the pond side.  Dug it out of the attic.  Loads of room, smooth suspension and weatherproof.  Collapses to fit in the car boot and kind people even open gates for you!

 

Well, they are my babies!

Len. 🙂

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