My Clyde Puffer

[Len Morris 2Participant @lenmorris2]

Hi Jim,

Both of my plans show a slightly angled funnel, not a lot, maybe 3 or 4 degrees.  No idea why.  Could be fashion at the time or something a bit more practical.  I suspect 100 tons in the hold would alter the angle a bit.

My Guru for tin plate models ‘Norman A. Ough’ wrote an interesting article about funnels in the May 1958 edition of Model Maker.

Len

[James Hill 5Participant @jameshill5]

Hi Len,

You’re right. 100 tons would certainly alter the angle. A lot of pictures show the boats low at the stern. Obviously with all the mechanics being there they would be, but some look a lot lower than others. Depends what they where carrying I suppose and where it was in the hold. Be good to try and get the lower stern look.

Jim.

[Fred Ellis 1Participant @fredellis1]

Jim

I have just had a look at the plans of my other Puffer and the have a slight lean to the funnel.

Fred

[James Hill 5Participant @jameshill5]

A little progress. Finally got the electrics installed and working.

Just need to get some cable clips to tidy up the wire runs then varnish the inside of the hull and start building properly again.

Jim.

[Richard SimpsonParticipant @richardsimpson88330]

Jim, If you ever get a leak, always possible from either rudder stock, stern tube or even the hull, or maybe even down from the deck, it will collect in the bottom of the hull.  Obviously you have bulkheads but there can still be a possibility, maybe even after a collision when getting it back to the bank quickly might be necessary.

If your receiver, speed controller and wiring is all sat in the bottom there is a possibility it might get water in it and you will possibly have a short.  It is always best to mount the electronics higher up to A) keep it dry and B) Give you better access to it should you ever need it.  A lot of modellers mount the electronic components on a deck just underneath the hatch.  An On/Off switch would be useful and now is the time to decide on which side of the using a fuse argument you are on.  Many advocate not fitting a fuse, I always do.  The choice is yours!

[James Hill 5Participant @jameshill5]

Point taken Richard regarding electrics positoning and I will look again. As for the fuse, I’ve still to put one in as I prefer protection rather than none. If Mtroniks suggest it, then that’s good enough for me.

Jim.

[James Hill 5Participant @jameshill5]

Trying to reposition the receiver so I can run the anttena up the funnel instead of having it inside the hull. Although the speed controller is not on the floor I’ll move that as well. All wiring to be tidyed up. An on/off switch comes ready wired to the speed controller.

Jim.

[James Hill 5Participant @jameshill5]

As I’d reached a point where , at the moment , most of what was needed on the outside of the hull was in place I decided to give it a coat of red oxide primer, as I had a can sitting doing nothing.

One thing that has come to light is a few light patches where the paint hasn’t taken quite as well as the rest of the hull. My feeling is that this is probably due to some adhesive being on the surface of the card which has restricted the paint. I think a light rubbing down of the affected places, then another spay over those areas mght cure it. Failing that, once the primer has had time to finish it’s curing time, I can then paint  the hull black with thinned enamel and see what it looks like. I’m quite pleased with the rivetting effect that still shows up with the colour on it, although, so do all the not so good bits as well!!!

One saving grace is Puffer hulls were quite rough anyway, so that’s a help.

Jim.

[Colin BishopModerator @colinbishop34627]

Excellent James, the plating and riveting look just great. You’ve got the effect just right.

Colin

[Fred Ellis 1Participant @fredellis1]

Hi James

Your Puffer is looking great,

As Richard has said try and keep your elelc as high as you can, one other thing that I learned was to keep all the dirty elec to one side and all the clean to the other side, by dirty I mean any the comes from the battery – ESC to the motor, clean is any that go to the R/X, I still do it out of habit, I do not know if you do need to do this with 2.4 but you used to do it for 27 & 40 MHz,

Keep up the good work

Fred

[James Hill 5Participant @jameshill5]

Thanks  Colin and Fred,

While the primer is hardening off, I can start looking at the next part of the build. I want t fit gluing strips between the bulkheads for for the time when the deck goes on to start with.

Jim.

[Ray Wood 3Participant @raywood3]

Hello Jim,

She is turning out very well 🙂 and it’s good to get the engine room sorted out early, you must be approaching the bath test to see how many tons of ballast she will take to get to a realistic waterline.

I’m back on producing the plan and article for Shandau for the magazine 🙂 and finishing the Gypsy Moth, It’s full steam ahead here and I havn’t been able to say that for 15 months.

Regards Ray

[Richard SimpsonParticipant @richardsimpson88330]

That hull is looking superb, the rivet detail is spot on.  Now you need to paint it like it’s been put on with a yard brush.  Because it probably was!

[James Hill 5Participant @jameshill5]

Thanks Ray and Richard,

The waterline check will be interesting as you say Ray. My TID tug carries 20lb of weight, but I’m pretty certain the Puffer will have to carry more.

Richard I remember you saying that you used a flat brush on your boat and I have a few in the paint box so when the time comes, which won’t be yet, I’ll find a suitable one.

Good to see you back on the forum Ray.

Jim.

[James Hill 5Participant @jameshill5]

Just been looking at Puffer pictures on the Scottish Maritime Museum site with ref to the red oxide change from red to black on the waterline.  There are a great number of different positions, but the most common one seems to be that the oxide goes up to the top rubbing strip. So that seems to me to be an easier route than weighing the boat down to a particular level. It’s a matter of getting a good look when it gets in the water. Obviously you don’t want it bobbing around like a cork.

Jim.

[Stephen GarradParticipant @stephengarrad28964]

Looking at many different Puffer photos in different books there seems to be all sorts of water levels and trim after loading, some right jaunty angles in some cases. You could add ballast to achieve almost any look you like, just so long as she is stable & not going to turn turtle on you.

Stephen

Ps I’ve just watched The Maggie on You Tube. There’s a good bit showing the front of the wheelhouse & the steering chains arrangement.

[James Hill 5Participant @jameshill5]

Hi Stephen,

I’ll have a look on You Tube for that. I agree, adding weight is in this case is a matter of what looks sensible. You’re right, some of the boats in pictures are at some weird angles. Some of the boats on the canals were loaded almost to the top of the bulwarks.

Jim.

[James Hill 5]

On James Hill 5 Said:

Hi Stephen,

I’ll have a look on You Tube for that. I agree, adding weight is in this case is a matter of what looks sensible. You’re right, some of the boats in pictures are at some weird angles. Some of the boats on the canals were loaded almost to the top of the bulwarks.

Jim.

Interestingly Jim, I’m just reading a book about a chap’s life at sea on British steam coasters in the 1930’s and 1940’s and he has just described life on a particular coaster that sat so low her main deck was almost always awash.  To the point that the crew, who lived forward, would walk across the top of the hatch and then climb up the front of the accommodation to get to the bridge.  The passageways either side of the accommodation were fitted with stable type doors into the accommodation which had the lower half battened closed and sealed with tallow to prevent water ingress into the ship.  The engineers would carry the furnace ash up to the doors and simply throw it on the deck where it would be immediately washed overboard through the scuppers!

[Stephen Garrad]

On Stephen Garrad Said:

 

Stephen

Ps I’ve just watched The Maggie on You Tube. There’s a good bit showing the front of the wheelhouse & the steering chains arrangement.

I’ve just had another look, the wheelhouse bit is at about 38 minutes through.

[James Hill 5Participant @jameshill5]

A couple of pictures taken from the Scottish Maritime Museum collection of Puffer pictures and Dan McDonalds Clyde Puffer book after I mentioned the waterline colour change. I don’t think you’d have been able to load anymore!!!

Jim.

[Richard SimpsonParticipant @richardsimpson88330]

Lloyds who?

[Len Morris 2Participant @lenmorris2]

Hi Jim,

With a Puffer, I think you can choose your own waterline and it will look right.  All the preserved boats are well out of the water but they are carrying nowt.  The cross-sections in all the plans I have show the hatch coamings to be slightly above the top of the bulwalks.  Like your pictures show, working Puffers on canals in calm waters were well loaded, possibly above the freeing ports.  On canals or at sea I don’t think the captains were bothered about a wet deck as long as the hatch coamings were clear.

For a model boat I think you might want it out of the water a bit so you can see something!  Having said that, all my decking will be sealed so I can approach the top of mi coamings just for a bit of fun. 🙂

Len

 

[James Hill 5Participant @jameshill5]

First thin coat of paint gone on.

I’ve followed the most common paint scheme I’ve seen so far, but I may increase the the Black area yet. Not quite sure.

The planking for the apropriate decking is cut out, but I want to build the engine house first to get the planks in the right place.

Slow progress, but at least progress.

Jim.

[Fred Ellis 1Participant @fredellis1]

Looking good Jim, I for one like the small black topping, as you see so many with a 50/50 split,

Looking for ward to seeing her on the water.

Fred

[Len Morris 2Participant @lenmorris2]

Nice job Jim.  The rivets and repair patches show up really well so that’s one of your earlier concerns well out of the way.

Len

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