Todays Boating

[ashley needhamParticipant @ashleyneedham69188]

Very good point Mattias, yes, I will remember to use that line of thought in my writings!!

The pictures give a false impression when studied next to the boat on the bench, as the full hull depth is seen, this alters the perceived mast height. I am sure I have it about right now.

Did they use carbon fibre in Victorian days???

Ashley

[Boiler BriParticipant @boilerbri]

What a nice day today. Warm as well so after my chores were finished I headed off out into the garden to do a spot of building on my Panache.

No water in sight but if I can press on with the build I might just get it on the water before winter, hopefully.

Brian

[ashley needhamParticipant @ashleyneedham69188]

Great morning boating. TOOOO many people there to mention (other than a Mr Bishop) and we were treated to a bunch of pirates singing sea shanties to us from their ship. Hopefully they will learn some more for next week. We were keen to have "in the navy" and a bit of drum`n`bass.

Had a plethora of craft out, Valiant, Project Z, Project H, LCT 235 and the SansP for demonstrative purposes

BUT Mr B had a new creation there which I thrashed about somewhat while pictures were taken….gosh it goes very well (apart from hitting an underwater log at high speed and ripping out the shaft…..ONLY JOKING…loosening the shaft from the coupling (at only a medium speed) and was easily rectified with a bit of nifty Allen-key work.. We provided a few objective comments about the boat, and raved about the driver. Mr B`s other boats went well, Brenda looked good in the water splashing about, and the Queen also looked terrific!

Unusually we had no less that two tugs AND barges in the water, Noel had the barge bits glued together and we discussed the ballast issue…ie, he will need a lot of it. My favourite suggestion was a bit of ballast in the sides, build up the centre and have a free flood bit, then line with plastic and used concrete or cement to make a removable bit to provide the rest of the weight.

Ashley

[Colin BishopModerator @colinbishop34627]

Very many thanks to Ashley for driving my SLEC Fairey Huntsman kit while I attempted to take photos! Hopefully the review will appear in Model Boats before too long.

I also took the opportunity to maiden voyage my Revell QM2 kit which performed quite well but perhaps lacked a bit of oomph which I will see whether can be improved. It did proceed in an impressive stately way though. As it should considering what I spent on the innards!

Very much enjoyed seeing the other models on the water which is what it is all about.

Colin

Enjoy the photos.

[Richard BarnettParticipant @richardbarnett67129]

What a nice day for messing about on the water! A bit of everything and the west London barge off is well under way with my barge Betsy and Trevor’s wasp colour semi sinking barge, didn’t know he was building one,good idea by the way, wish I’d thought of it. Noel’s part built barge is big enough to put one of his boys in!

Ashley again bought the complete contents of his workshop which as ever was various and interesting.

The Galleon always sails well in light winds and the cheapo sound system seems to be holding up, will run for two hours nonstop before it throws in the towel, which is workable but it would be nice to have it run a bit longer.

Thanks to Colin for the nice pictures.

Ricky ye pirate (eye patch and squeaky knees!)

[Graham Ashby 1Participant @grahamashby1]

Nice work Colin, the Huntsman looks fab (great reflection too) and the QM2 is a treat. Lovely. Looking forward to seeing the Huntsman in the mag.

Graham

[Tim CooperParticipant @timcooper90034]

Colin

Love the Huntsman. Mine is a nice shade of yellow filler primer. Must get a bit further with it.

Tim

[Colin BishopModerator @colinbishop34627]

You mean like this Tim?

[Tim CooperParticipant @timcooper90034]

Colin

Almost mine has the spray and chine rails on and needs another coat of filler primer. Then must decide on the colour scheme.

Tim

[ashley needhamParticipant @ashleyneedham69188]

Weather couldn't have been better for Colin's photographic session. I ordered it especially.

The lack of wind (mostly) also suited the QM2 and SansP. The queen being delicate and the SansP having an 18mm freeboard!!! (and that is over scale).

Ashley

[ashley needhamParticipant @ashleyneedham69188]

Have been to the copy shop to enlarge a line drawing in order to pursue my next project. No secret this time.

It will be HMS London, a 74 gun line-of-battle ship circa 1840. This was converted with steam propulsion in 1858 ish, and saw action in the Crimea, being hit and set on fire several times in 1854.

Always wanted a `classic` liner, but have always been put off by all that planking. The steam propulsion will enable me to sail it without sails of course.There is a but, however, and that's what I am not telling you about. We will see how far I get before abandoning it as unworkable or completing for the desired effect. Should be striking on the water as the stripes along the gun ports were white on black rather than yellow ochre.

Ashley

[harry smith 1Participant @harrysmith1]

Hi Ashley

You have not lived until you have planked a boat !!!!

I have done the diagonal planking, so I am having a crack at strip planking.

Using Ikea wooden bind as per what some of the forum guys use.

A zip thru the bandsaw and a good scrap down with a Stanley knife blade.

I did not sand them down as they will get that once on the boat.

Harry

[Chris FellowsParticipant @chrisfellows72943]

Yes, I'm going to have a bash at it soon (diagonal planking) and I'm only a newbie.

Chris

[ashley needhamParticipant @ashleyneedham69188]

Hi Harry. Long time no speak!

We will see about the planking….I have a cunning plan.

Ashley

[Richard BarnettParticipant @richardbarnett67129]

Planking is easy, as long as it involves a fibreglass coating, P38 car body filler with false planking to look good on top.

Then lashings of wood dye and varnish to seal and finish, jobs a good un!

Ricky ye pirate.

[harry smith 1Participant @harrysmith1]

Hi Ashley

Yes, I have been a bit quiet of later, due to losing my uncle and also lost one of our club members to cancer.

But , cheers and beers this weekend as one of the granddaughter's wedding.

As for planking I have formed up a rough curve of the boat and started steaming the planks over an old plastic kettle.

Leaving the lid up, I am getting the kettle to boil it head off.

Using glove to hold six planks at a time.

Quickly put them of the form board and clamp with plastic clamps .

Harry

[ashley needhamParticipant @ashleyneedham69188]

Harry. I bent so0me ply for project Z and used an open saucepan with boiling water (and used gloves) then held the ply over a paint tin. Was effective. I do have a wallpaper steamer which I could use, depending on the amount of stuff that needs to be shaped.

I have made a test mockup of the London using black card and (other than the mockup`s ends are not fine enough) it looks OK . The addition of garden twine as rigging almost transformed it from being a black log into a ship. I may post a couple of snaps of the card model, but I warn you it is crude, and only intended to see if the overall look is what I want to build (as opposed to a more traditional liner from 100 years before, or even something later, warrior-esq).

Unfortunately I shall NOT be boating tomorrow as I have to rehearse with a band I am playing with on Wednesday lunchtime at St Margaret's church (next to Westminster Abbey).

Ashley

NB just added snaps. Please note these are not intended for comment on constructional qualities, simply to gauge the look. It is also not long enough by 6 inches (the mount board being shorter that the proper length and I didn't want to join bits up)

Edited By ashley needham on 08/09/2018 09:17:17

[Trevor HollowayParticipant @trevorholloway99134]

Ashley,

It looks almost finished to me !

Look forward to seeing it on the pond soon.

Project "Stupid" coming along and will be getting wet in a couple of Sundays time as am away again.

[ashley needhamParticipant @ashleyneedham69188]

Trevor…cant wait!!!

I may just varnish the card model and call it done…. a bit more string perhaps…a proper 10 foot jobl!.

Ashley

[Richard BarnettParticipant @richardbarnett67129]

Ashley, one word, Fiberglass!

Waterproofs the crap out of everything!

Looking forward to project stupid which will either shoot off in an uncontrolled manner or suck itself to bottom of the pond. Can’t wait!

Ricky ye pirate

[NoelParticipant @noel26080]

Went to Bushy yesterday. Took landing craft (which is freshly camouflaged), tug and the old destroyer which is now operational again since the rudder has been re-attached. This didn't work so well as I found out at pond side I had left its controller switched on for the previous 3 days and hence the battery was very flat. Re-bound to another TX but reversers and channels all over the place so it was very difficult to sail. There you are – always check and test before you leave home!

Young boy and father had a go with landing craft and tug. Very enthused – encouraged them to go to Addlestone model centre and browse the boat stuff there.

The destroyer evoked some memories for a gentlemen with his now brushlessed white speedboat – he recalled being onboard a Tribal class (or something similar) in the late 1940s during a maneuvering exercise!

Noel.

[Andy CParticipant @andyc56856]

Young boy and father had a go with landing craft and tug. Very enthused – encouraged them to go to Addlestone model centre and browse the boat stuff there

soon to be the only model shop for a long way around. Mick Charles model is is closing down due to retirement Not much for boaters but always had a stock of wood and glue etc. Not as cheap as the internet either but at least you could actually talk to him about various servos and motors etc before buying.

Andy

[ashley needhamParticipant @ashleyneedham69188]

Mick Charles`s last day was Saturday, so gone now. Yes, we will be internet shopping for model bits soon. There's nothing like actually seeing stuff in the flesh but hey ho.

Received parcel from CMB, yes, internet shopping but not stuff obtainable at Addlestone (went to Addlestone today to get ply for London) and have replaced the cheap 2mm propshafts with pukka 4mm ones on BIG lander. Should go EVEN BETTER now, and reverse, or at least stop on demand.

London progressing. Find myself putting motor and mast mounts in already due to access issues later on. Only three frames up covering the centre section. Probably no more required aft, but one or possibly two forward. Difficult with this technique to visualise what's going on in 3-D, however I think that my left over card may come in handy for templates and so on. I plan to have the ship partially rigged ie some sails but not too many, so I don't have to put an ugly keel on the boat. It will have a short keel permanently attached and this will have lead on it to keep the ballast as low and central as poss. I may nip to the sewing shop in Hampton Court tomorrow to browse suitable material for sails…I have something specific in mind.

Have some anchors for Project V, and the two big ones look a bit big despite being sized as per plan. The actual stowage of the anchor is also unclear, with one fluke appearing to be resting on deck having been poked through an opening in the side?? Cowl vents also in package, something almost impossible to make at this smaller size. All of them too long but not a problem to cut down.

I have made all the deck clutter out of bits of painted MDF and dowel to get a feel for things and despite it looking like there's a lot going on, virtually all the bits are on the centreline (stairways, cowl vents, hatches, skylights, funnel and galley funnel) and after 30 mins small bandsaw work had the deck fully populated. I must say there's less on deck than I thought, however the guns and some ships boats and flush coal hatches will soon busy it up.

Likely I will be rigging the London before Project V and this should be very useful as an exercise, and will give me some insight into this daunting task although the London is more `for effect` that V.

Ashley

Ashley

[Richard BarnettParticipant @richardbarnett67129]

Shame Mick Charles has gone, I only went there a couple of times and he was good for wood and radio gear, always had a good stock.

There’s a nice little model shop in Windsor called Manuta models (I think?) Went there two weeks ago just for a nose round and was pleasantly surprised, little bit of everything, lots of boat kits on the shelf.(check their website)

As for sail cloth, always worth a look through the wife’s blouse collection as women’s stuff is always made of more delicate material.

One of my old yachts sported sails made from my wife’s old work blouse!

Recycle Ashley!

Ricky ye pirate

[Richard BarnettParticipant @richardbarnett67129]

Back again! Forgot to mention have bought some waders so Ricky Rescue and pond clearance inc is in business!

Ricky ye pirate

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