Todays Boating

[Colin BishopModerator @colinbishop34627]

Ooh! Are those my pics?

Colin

[ashley needhamParticipant @ashleyneedham69188]

Wally is Jim across the road`s snap,, but the other, well…..

Ashley

Edited By ashley needham on 12/09/2020 18:45:12

[Ray Wood 3Participant @raywood3]

Hi Ashley,

I hope you have done the online test & registered with the CAA , that Walrus is flying 😀

Regards Ray (yes I have & paid the £9.00)

[Richard BarnettParticipant @richardbarnett67129]

Yes spot on! I’m all for a bit of colour but sometimes monochrome hits the mark!

[ashley needhamParticipant @ashleyneedham69188]

Ray. The picture portrays a brief moment when the craft leaves the water in a short hop, in the manner of a speedboat, which is what it is really despite the look!

Be lucky if it gets 3 inches above water.

 

Ashley

Edited By ashley needham on 13/09/2020 08:16:29

[Ray Wood 3Participant @raywood3]

Hi Ashley,

Yes only pulling your leg 😀 the third dimension and gravity is what makes Aeromodelling so popular !!

Doing recon for new subjects to model at Ilfracombe harbour this weekend 👍

Regards Ray

[ashley needhamParticipant @ashleyneedham69188]

Ray. I know you know it wont fly, but there are lots of big ears out there! Will send some snaps.

The eventual article will spell it out good and proper that although it looks like a plane, it is a boat.

Good boating today, Pontoon boat going really well, London looking good and the small New Jersey also performing adequately, as did he rest of the crew`s boats.

Tuesday next, god and Boris willing.

Ashley

[ashley needhamParticipant @ashleyneedham69188]

Tomorrow. Carrier, Sunderland, Bluebird ..need nice sunny close up snaps with a colourful water surface…..and…..the Cobb!! (Possibly something else as well….)

Have spent an afternoon on the Cobb attempting to tuck everything in place and it all looks good. How will it go?anyones guess… I really do not know if it will sink or fly.

Ashley

[Trevor HollowayParticipant @trevorholloway99134]

Hopefully it will whizz across the pond in a sportsman like way.

Tug plus a.n. other (hope we will not need Richards waders).

[Richard BarnettParticipant @richardbarnett67129]

Salvage waders on stand by! 😬

[ashley needhamParticipant @ashleyneedham69188]

Weed alert. Clumps present on pond Tuesday precluded a Bluebird run and testing Cobb.

Popped to pond thurs PM for 10 mins to test Disco boat, a bit windy still a bit weedy. I will endeavor to get along Sat pm to see whats what.

Ashley

[ashley needhamParticipant @ashleyneedham69188]

Didn’t manage to get there yesterday. I think we can assume conditions might be about the same? Not disastrous but favouring air propulsion or something.

so….Ecranoplan, Hobbies Hydro and Valiant (pump propulsion) today. Lander of course as a side dish.

I will make some power measurements in order to support Colin’s motor/prop survey, not only mine of course.

Ashley

[ashley needhamParticipant @ashleyneedham69188]

Good morning. Weed had cleared from the main body of the pond to collect one end of the jetty, which shortened the effective length of it but the pond was actually clear, so no probs.

Everything went as per, no issues. Ecranoplan found it a bit choppy however and only did a short run. By comparison, the Hobbies Hydro was good, when I thought it might struggle. Such is life.

Ashley.

[ashley needhamParticipant @ashleyneedham69188]

Spent the day at Chatham ‘istoric dockyard with ColinB.

Fantastic place, fabulous architecture. Walked around the Gannet and Cavalier in the glorious sunshine, had some mediocre fish and chips and then poked our noses into various sheds and looked at model ships and so on, as you do. 5 hours on site, not enough time to see everything but tickets are valid for a year so I foresee a re-visit next year.

To boot, there were no issues on the M25/M2.

Boating tomorrow Bushy. Looks like good weather so Bluebird and Cobb..

Ashley

[Ray Wood 3Participant @raywood3]

Hi Ashley,

You would have missed the Dockyard model shop as Rob only opens Weds -Sunday and is the only boat shop in the South East these days !! 3000 models in storage at Chatham which is a shame !

Let me know when your going again 😀 it was Cavalier which got me back into boat building 👍⚓

Regards Ray

[Colin BishopModerator @colinbishop34627]

The Model Shop is closed for holidays this week anyway! We chose today to get the sunshine.

The model depository is apparently closed altogether at the moment with staff on furlough. The Dockyard staff have no access to it as it is not part of the dockyard attraction. You just get a look at some sample models which are so badly lit you can hardly make out the detail.

I did cover the opening ceremony of No 1 Smithery for the magazine back in the day and Paul Freshney and I mingled with the great and the good!

Sample photos from today below.

Colin

 

Edited By Colin Bishop on 21/09/2020 21:26:45

[Richard BarnettParticipant @richardbarnett67129]

Great pictures Colin! HMS Gannet is right in the middle of that transition period to steam power that is so interesting.

i feel a winter project coming on! 😱

Ricky ye pirate 🏴‍☠️

[geconParticipant @gecon]

Unusual construction of the bows on the Gannet. Has that unusual shape a design purpose?

And of course, the dickey-bird on the head sure puts my sad seagulls to shame!

George

[ashley needhamParticipant @ashleyneedham69188]

George. What you can’t see is the big 5 inch MLR gun fitted under the deck at the bow.

The odd bow shape is due to the cutaways for gunports allowing end-on fire.

Ashley

[geconParticipant @gecon]

Ah-ha! That's what I call a 'design purpose'. I knew at least that it could not possibly be a old Needham landing-craft with a point on the front.

Thanks for the enlightenment Ashley

George

[Colin BishopModerator @colinbishop34627]

George,

Here is a photo of what Ashley is describing, you can see one of the gunports across the barrel.

Colin

[ashley needhamParticipant @ashleyneedham69188]

Thats a whopper! 7 inch MLR, 95CWT (whatever that is, a few million ounces likely)

The poop deck 5 inch guns fitted later on were probably more effective. More accurate, much quicker firing and having a range increase to 5000 yds from 3000.

I think Nordenfelt machine guns also, likely one inch or some large calibre. Very useful in ships of the period, as they fought at such close ranges something like a heavy calibre machine gun would be very effective.

Ashley

[geconParticipant @gecon]

That's looks heavy! Does it slide sideways to fire out of the port? Does not look like it can swing. It can hardly be fired from where it is now. Well it can, but only once -and the 'bird on the bow' would certainly have tears in it's eyes.

Don't think I'll start that project just yet, but a wonderfull subject for someone who needs 'a long build'.

Regards,

George

[ashley needhamParticipant @ashleyneedham69188]

G. It is a pivot gun. Pintles by the ports locate at the front of the carriage and allow it to pivot around the port, the carriage has rollers that run on “racers”, curved brass runners let into the floor.

Always stowed centrally to preserve stability.

Ashley

[geconParticipant @gecon]

Thanks Ashley, how little I know. Spent too many years gazing out of the cockpit at the waves on the Noth Sea – and hoping not to end up IN it. If you want to learn…join the forum!

Regards, George

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