Tea clipper Ariel

[Gareth JonesParticipant @garethjones79649]

My wife's latest restoration project has just made it from our son's bedroom into the workshop. Its a model of the tea clipper Ariel, which was given to her by a Goole MBC member about 6 months ago.

The model is of bread and butter construction which is splitting along the joints between the slices and will need a lot of TLC to rebuild it to her usual standards. The intention is to retain the hull and possibly the masts. However the rigging and sails will be replaced, possibly with some simple control of their position, and a small motor and rudder servo fitted to allow it to be sailed in light winds. The hull has provision for an external false keel to be added. The deck fittings and superstructure will also be rebuilt to a more representative standard.

The model is about 40 inches long, excluding the bowsprit, which, as best I can tell make it about 1:60 scale. I have found some drawings on the web (in Polish I think), but I wondered if there were any other drawings or plans available. Maybe someone remembers them in one of the UK magazines from years gone by. I would guess the model is around 30 years old, perhaps more. Any information or reference sources would be appreciated.

Gareth

[Gareth JonesParticipant @garethjones79649]

[Colin BishopModerator @colinbishop34627]

Gareth,

Almost certainly this model has been built from the 1963 Model Boats plan which is still available: **LINK**

Colin

[Gareth JonesParticipant @garethjones79649]

Thanks for that Colin, I must have missed that one as I looked in the My Hobby Store list. I probably typed Ariel incorrectly as I occasionally type Aerial by mistake .

However I am a bit concerned that the plans may not be suitable. The notes say 'An interesting exercise in sail for the experienced man' – what about the reasonably experienced woman? Are you allowed to make such sexist comments in adverts these days?

Gareth

[ashley needhamParticipant @ashleyneedham69188]

Gareth , I would Sue…oh hang on.. you cant SUE..surely anymore? perhaps you could…er…er

I rather like the simplistic "vintage" feel of this boat and would leave fittings as they are, myself, personally speaking.

Ashley

[Colin BishopModerator @colinbishop34627]

Gareth,

It's just a copy of the original 1963 blurb. Not many female model boaters in those long ago days – come to think of it there aren't all that many now….

Colin

[Gareth JonesParticipant @garethjones79649]

Ashley,

Following Colin's sterling work in uncovering the original plan we have taken the bold step of ordering it. Unfortunately its not one of those which are 50% off at the momement. Elizabeth is not planning on a detailed scale model, just a convincing sailable one. Whether it will have a vintage feel remains to be seen. She has stripped the hull of all the fittings and the deck has been removed to reveal all the areas that need regluing – there are lots of them.

Colin

Although I started this thread under real ships, maybe it would be better under scratch build. Perhaps you should move it to a more apprpriate section.

Gareth

OK, Done.

Colin

 

Edited By Colin Bishop, Website Editor on 04/08/2013 09:00:11

[Bob WilsonParticipant @bobwilson59101]

Gareth,

There is a full set of Ariel plans in the book The Tea Clippers by David R MacGregor.

You could no doubt find a copy on http://www.bookfinder.com or even borrow one from the local library.

Bob

Edited By Bob Wilson on 07/08/2013 19:14:12

[Tony HadleyParticipant @tonyhadley]

Free Ship Plans offer a set of plans. On their site – Model Ship Plans – Tall Ships, or Tall Ships on the right hand side index.

**LINK**

Tony.

[Gareth JonesParticipant @garethjones79649]

Bob, Tony and Colin, thanks for the information.

I will look out for a copy of David MacGregor's book. We were on holiday in Galloway last week. If only I had known I could probably have found one in the book shops in Wigtown. I have a single sheet side view of Ariel drawn by David MacGregor which shows the sails and rigging but no deck details.

I have already downloaded a copy of the plans you refer to Tony. They seem to be freely available on the web in various guises. They show some significant differences compared to the model as it was originally built. Its intriguing that the plans are complete with what looks like Polish text. It will no doubt be one of those situations where there is no definitive answer on whats right and wrong. I just have to work out how to print off the file at 1:60 scale. I have tried two free programmes so far, one keps saying not enough information and the other does not give me an option of a particular scale, just how many A4 sheets to cover. Maybe the second option will prove to be good enough.

We have now received the My Hobbystore plan and it is definitely the one which the original model was built to (well done Colin). I think Elizabeth will use it as the primary source of reference but the model will no doubt be rebuilt with more finesse than the original and eventually take to the water under some degree of radio control.

Gareth

[Gareth JonesParticipant @garethjones79649]

Elizabeth has now completed the major repairs to the bread and butter construction hull. Its all glued back together with araldite and been well clamped up to make sure its watertight and solid again. She has applied a few coats of Ezecoat resin over an external reinforcing membrane made from one of her old black stockings (calm down chaps, don't want anyone getting too excited at the thought.) Its all been rubbed down and sprayed with grey primer

This prompted the need to think about the radio control gear to be added before a new deck is fitted. Since the radio gear is usually considered my job I had a look at the plans to see where and how big the hatches are so that access will be available. We are planning to make all three masts rotate in the hull to control the sails. It might not work but it's the thought at the moment and I have just ordered some suitable bearings for the masts.

I had looked at the plans some time ago and was a bit puzzled as the model scale did not seem to match the drawings properly but after a bit more study I now know the answer, and its pretty bizarre I think. The model is 1:60 scale and the hull length is about 44 inches. One of the drawing sheets shows an overall side view with sails and rigging and matches the model quite well. However 746B sheet 2, which I would think should be the master for the build shows the hull lines and cross sections with major dimensions in inches. This confirms the hull is about 44 inches overall length but when you measure the print itself the whole drawing is about 15% bigger than it should be. I dont know whether this is a mistake, and at some point the master drawing has been scaled up inadvertantly or its just the way its been drawn. Either way it would make it a much harder job to build the hull from scratch as you can't just trace the cross section templates off the drawing.

Since we already have the hull its not too much of a problem, we just have to remember to scale any dimensions taken from the drawing by 0.85 to get the right size. However if you decide to build a model of Ariel from these plans watch out for this oddity.

[Amy jane SeptemberParticipant @amyjaneseptember49770]

…it's amazing what you can fix with an old black stocking, why do you lads' deprive your selves?

Looking forward to seeing this girl in the water, the boat that is!

I like the mast rotating idea, makes good sense to me.

Amy jane

[Gareth JonesParticipant @garethjones79649]

Amy – your wish is granted

Ariel had its first test in the pond today to check the ballast requirements and performance of the top secret keel design. All went very well, despite the scepticism of a few club members at yesterdays Goole Hobbies Exhibition.

We have one question about the plans which is puzzling us at the moment. The section of the drawing showing the masts and spars has a reference to headboards as shown below. However we can't find anywhere on the rest of the drawing which this might refer to or whereabouts on the model its supposed to be. Its a bit academic as Elizabeth is tending to scale most of the details from the pictures in the David R Macgregor Tea Clipper book which is proving to be a really useful source of information. Thanks to Bob Wilson for recommending it.

Mike Kerridge – I replied to your email a while ago, do you still want the detailed photos?

Gareth Jones

[Bob Abell 2Participant @bobabell2]

Hello Elizabeth and Gareth

Don`t tell me you`ve got your own pond?………..Or should I say Inland sea, by the look of the beach?

So the top secret keel works!…..Well done

But don`t show it please……..Keep it a secret!

Bob

[Amy jane SeptemberParticipant @amyjaneseptember49770]

Herllo Gareth.

Looking good!

I assume by headboards they mean the shaped horizontal boards below the bow sprit . These should show on the profile drawing as two horizontal shelves at the top of the cut water. (if I'm assuming correctly!)

Ignore the sceptics, if it works, it works!

Amy jane

[Gareth JonesParticipant @garethjones79649]

Amy,

Thanks for the advice on where the heaboards may be. Several other sources have pointed to the same area but we can't see anything on the other sheets that looks remotely like the section drawing. I guess we will just make it up as best we can, based on the rest of the drawing and some photographs that we have taken off Cutty Sark.

A major milestone was passed last week, the deck has now been stuck down and so access to the inside is severely limited from now on. Elizabeth is getting on with planking the deck with 3 mm lime planks, 1.5 mm thick.

Regards

Gareth and Elizabeth

[Gareth JonesParticipant @garethjones79649]

Ariel is now virtually complete and has had her sea trials at Goole this week. Just a few minor bits for Elizabeth to finish before she goes on display at the CADMA show in Doncaster next month. I should really start writing the article for a forthcoming issue of Model Boats magazine plus a report for the Turning Pole. Here are a couple of photos as a taster of what is to come.

Gareth

PS

At the last count there were about 2400 knots in the rigging and sails.

Edited By Gareth Jones on 05/05/2016 21:43:00

[Bob WilsonParticipant @bobwilson59101]

That looks really great! Would love to see something like this sailing. I would build one myself if we were nearer to some water!

Bob

[Colin BishopModerator @colinbishop34627]

One of the few working clipper ship model designs. I have always liked the look of it.

Colin

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