Todays Boating

[ashley needhamParticipant @ashleyneedham69188]

That's a wonderfully smooth hull Richard. Are you false planking it on the outside again?

I can see that during the summer we may well have a good collection of sailing boats, not our usual fare I must say, but will be interesting.

I have my new hat and it does not fit. It is a bit big but that is ok as I can pad it out. Better too big than too small (which you cant do anything about).

Up early as couldn't sleep, and have strung up the 5th set of ratlines (for one side of the mizzen mast). Magnets to hold down main hatch all set nicely in the right position. Need to tackle the stern gallery now, the only big task left to do. Have insufficient fine ally mesh, and local car shop has run out. May walk into Walton later.

Paddle wheels…What is the best way to make them?, just thinking out loud. A paddler has long been on `the list` but making paddles always seemed to me to be tricky. Wondering if a CAD drawing was made, I could get them laser cut (a couple of firms provide this service) from ply or woteva?? Not that I am CAD proficient, but I would have thought an easy task for someone who can. Two or three frames for a side wheeler, a few more for a stern wheeler..thread them on a bit of tube and stick paddles on..job done?

Ashley

[Richard BarnettParticipant @richardbarnett67129]

Yes Ashley, same as the Galleon half plank to the waterline. It’s all smoke and mirrors as you well know!

Many years ago I made a paddle tug with home made paddle wheels, basically steamed some thin wood around a plastic drum and stepped the ends so it could be glued together then left it to all dry out. You then have four wooden rings which then can be assembled to your own width and paddle requirements.

There are some plastic kit sets on the market and etched brass. Have to be careful with the brass ones, depending how big they are they can put a lot of side weight on a boat which on a solid drive will make it roll about like a drunken sailor! On my tug I put a Tamiya car differential in between to even it out when turning, it worked a treat.

Shame your hats too big, you’ll have to grow your hair or have a curly perm! 😂

Ricky ye pirate

[ashley needhamParticipant @ashleyneedham69188]

We will have a chat regarding paddle wheels!

Tomorrow boating by 0935 bus unless I get an e-mail. Will not affect the quantity of boats bought along, well, a lander…ferry even.

DONT FORGET CLOCKS GO BACK TONIGHT !!

My little cannon are being `super detailed` with some brown rigging twine, as they just do not look right without any sort of string attached. Nothing too fancy, but they do look much better. I have stuck things various on the deck now and it still looks bare? Perhaps some rope tie-y on things (trees, horses are they??) <will look the right term up> at the foot of the masts might be attempted.

Ashley

[ashley needhamParticipant @ashleyneedham69188]

Tipping down with rain here so no boating today methinks.

Finished sticking string to cannons. Might consider a bow chaser or two at the bow and one at the rear on racers. I have some 40mm cannon as well as the 30mm ones, and if the carriage was modified slightly they might make good bow weapons?

Bitts. That's what the post by the mast are called. Fiddly to do at this small size however garden mesh may yet come into play. I looks very good on the deck edge on the raised quarterdeck, 8mm mesh just the right size and I have a roll big enough to do an entire fleet!

Ashley

[Richard BarnettParticipant @richardbarnett67129]

Got a bad case of man flu so boating wasn’t an option today, might venture out during the week weather willing.

Ashley, E mail me your phone No and we’ll have a chat about paddle wheels.

Ricky ye pirate.

[ashley needhamParticipant @ashleyneedham69188]

Pirate flu, or is it scurvy?? Horrible.

Small 30mm cannon look much better on ship. The 40mm cannon also will look ok as a bow chaser. I have cut the rear trucks off and chopped two of the barrel end rings off to shorten it, Painted barrel black and it will do very nicely as a swivel gun..One at each end.

Tying ratlines on, or at least, using superglue. Tried hard but not able to maintain even tension using knots, just to small and fiddly. Tension of the overall ratline sets are effected by the top fastenings, which are adjustable.

Ashley

[ashley needhamParticipant @ashleyneedham69188]

Finished fixing ratlines, and the boat is sitting on the living room carpet in the sun with all the masts and so on in place and looks magnificent.

The single rope on the tiny cannon affects their look out of all proportion to the fact (only one rope, not thick enough, not in the right place).

Still loads to do yet.

Ashley

[Richard BarnettParticipant @richardbarnett67129]

Been a busy bunny today, bought yet more plywood for the deck and built a work stand for the Gull. E bay has come up trumps again with a second hand Captain Jack Sparrow at just under 4inches. So now I have a scale to work against.

The hull hull turned out quite beamy so my next big concern is how much flipping lead is going to go in the drop keel to get close to the waterline? Will have to get the paddling pool out again and do a ballast test!

Pictures in album.

Ricky ye pirate (scurvy and cough mixture)

[ashley needhamParticipant @ashleyneedham69188]

I have kindly been offered a lift by the neighbour across the road for todays boating. I have the Valiant and ferry ready to go. See you all later, looks like it will be a very nice morning. The neighbour has an expensive DSLR camera and will doubtless take some nice snaps (if he takes his pirate filter off first).

Spent most of yesterday making and painting the storage/carry box for the London. The base of which has already been made, and is 4mm ply with a couple of long expanded polystyrene strips along the length, and I have been using it as a boat stand whilst fiddling with it. I have only had to add sides, and will do a top later this afternoon.

It is almost ready now, working on the detail items and waiting delivery of figures from China. I need a servo slower and then that's about that .

Ashley

Edited By ashley needham on 04/11/2018 08:42:04

[Richard BarnettParticipant @richardbarnett67129]

Didn’t make it today, went to Brighton to watch the old crocks come in from the London to Brighton veteran car club run.

Anyway, the Gull is coming along. The keels on and it’s all been sealed up below the waterline, am in the process of sorting the rudder out then it’s superstructure and planking time.(my favourite part)

Pics in album

Ricky ye pirate (Balsa wood and sticky fingers)

[ashley needhamParticipant @ashleyneedham69188]

Good morning yesterday, myself peter Trevor and Noel (and two small adults) plus….John was it? older chap (as we are all young) with a PT boat.

All boats more or less working ok. Peters boat conked out for no apparent reason and yet again Mr ? had coupling trouble.

Mostly finished London box, and decided to decorate it appropriately. It may be a bit over the top but it was easy to do requiring nothing more than a few strips of masking tape and a few squares of superior man-made board.

However have missed a trick. There are two battens of expanded poly in the box for the boat to rest on, but for rigging purposes at the pondside I will need a stand, and this could have been in the form of a removeable insert, oi I could use it outside the box. I think I might just cut the expanded out and make such an insert or it means carrying a stand around and storing it separately?

Ashley

[ashley needhamParticipant @ashleyneedham69188]

This is the box. Yes I know its sad, but I have too much time on my hands!

Finally re-fitted propshaft and connected the other bits up incl new servo slower (Thanks Trevor) and after this cup of coffee might try it all out.

Ballast also finally bolted in place with 5mm nuts `n`bolts…as it happens they are virtually the right length and do not need trimming (and so ruining the plating).

Decided against pulling out the expanded poly as its well stuck in. Will simply take two 2×2 lengths of the stuff to steady it when assembling.

Ashley

[Richard BarnettParticipant @richardbarnett67129]

Yes, too much time on your hands. Having said that it does look the part!

[ashley needhamParticipant @ashleyneedham69188]

Spent the morning converting a railway woman into a figurehead and she looks the part. She is anatomically correct for a figurehead (If you know what I mean) and even has the right hat on!.

Means I have a space on the ferry where the lady used to be, but that's not the end of the world.

Spent the rest of the morning painting the mast box. Made a separate box to hold the rigged and sailed masts so they don't get tangled up.

No boating for me this Sunday as it is Remembrance day and I will be attending the Molesey parade.
Ashley

[Richard BarnettParticipant @richardbarnett67129]

Hi all,

The Gull now has some superstructure fore and aft and a brass tube mounted under the forecastle deck to accommodate the huge bowsprit that will be removerble for transport. (Pics in album)

Going to start the hull re planking soon just so I can get a feel for how it will look.

Won’t be sailing Sunday as it’s my birthday Sunday lunch and it’s going to rain!

Ricky ye pirate (superglue and balsa)

[ashley needhamParticipant @ashleyneedham69188]

Happy birthday Richard for Sunday.

The crew for the London reported for duty in the post yesterday, builders in a 1/87 scale, and what a useful set!

Although they are all supposed to be wearing plastic hats, thgis is not well defined (as they are a bit small) and a quick blue/white paint job will see them good.

Pose wise it is amazing, and there are , well, virtually all the poses are useful. Brush and shovel men (brushes and shovels trimmed) make great handspike fellas, several standing waving men can be signalling or in command of guns, several carry buckets and there are even a couple of chaps climbing a (supplied) ladder, and they fit the ratlines perfectly.

There were 25 in the pack, and I am going to buy another two packs. That should populate the deck in the proper manner. Hopefully of course they will superglue ok to the deck or I will be in a spot of bother!

Ashley

[Paul TParticipant @pault84577]

Ashley

Good news that you don't need the press gang anymore but won't the elf and safety have something to say about super gluing these little people to the deck.?

Paul

[ashley needhamParticipant @ashleyneedham69188]

Nah, no elfnsafety then.

Figurehead also now in place and looks good.

Dismantled my Ashleyboat 1 rubber band boat today and have used the shaft to replace the cheap 2mm job in the ferry. Unfortunately this has not been as smooth as the other ones as the tube is a bit wider. I used slimline tubes for the others and these are almost the same diameter as the cheap ones.

It means the motor needs moving back and adjusting for height, and I have used a bit of that silicone tube, cut to be about 1 1/2 times longer than a single u/j.

Found a pair of 70mm brass davits a few days ago and ordered them, and remembered they were to replace the plastic ones on the Hasty. These break with regular monotony and the brass ones hopefully will not. They are supplied with sockets to allow them to swivel and this seems like a good idea. I will attach the ships boats via some rigging twine and allow the davits to pivot thus giving me some movement and hopefully this will help when taking it in and out the box (as this is when they get broken!.

Have ordered an unfeasible large amount of "crew" for project D, along with some seating.

Also ordered more gun crew but these will not arrive until after Christmas but that is ok, I have 25 of the chaps to be getting on with.

Ashley

[ashley needhamParticipant @ashleyneedham69188]

Did Y`all see the Norwegian frigate deliberately grounded to stop it sinking on the 8th Nov? Collided with a tanker and took on water too fast to stop it going under. . Reports say the tanker had `minor` damage, but pictures show a massive dent in the side of the frigate.

Ashley
 

Edited By ashley needham on 11/11/2018 09:58:47

[Colin BishopModerator @colinbishop34627]

Ashley, probab;y best not to rely just on superglue to stick their little soles to the deck. With figures I always use a pin vice to drill through through the bottom of their shoes and up therough their legs. Then superglue in a bit of stiff wire or rod which is then glued into a corresponding hole in the deck.

Re the Norwegian warship, they seem to think it may be an almost total loss and it wasn't insured. Apparently the cost of replacement would equate to the total budget for the Norwgian navy for a year!

I didn't know warships were insured but it seems this is often the case. I've not heard of the RN doing so but wonder what the premium would be for HMS Queen Elizabeth…

Colin

[ashley needhamParticipant @ashleyneedham69188]

Colin. The little men are too small to drill, they are about 18mm tall and you can imagine how small their tootsies are!! superglue will have to do. They are very light, and the loss of a few now and then will not be disastrous.??

It amazes me how collisions happen in this day and age. Last year two American warships collided with tankers/cargo ships. Sort of I can understand the Norwegian issue….narrow rocky water, 0330 in the morning….but even so?

Ashley

[Richard BarnettParticipant @richardbarnett67129]

Don’t forget most modern warships are made out of Bacofoil for speed and rely on their electronics to keep them out of trouble.

A lot to be said for a nice bit of steel plate hot riveted together, proper job!

Ricky ye pirate

[Colin BishopModerator @colinbishop34627]

I didn't realise they were quite that small Ashley. Still, you could nail 'em to the mast along with the Colours…

And attach them to the bulwarks with stakes through their little hearts.

Colin

[Richard BarnettParticipant @richardbarnett67129]

Blimey Colin I thought Halloween was over!

Ricky ye pirate

[ashley needhamParticipant @ashleyneedham69188]

My ghast is flabbered!! I knew that Colin had a dark side..

I measured an Airfix 1/72 man and he is 20mm, excluding stand. My builders come in at 18mm, and although this is not a LOT smaller, they are less…substantial.. than the Airfix ones.

I have made a card project D and it looks…ok, ish. Bit difficult to visualise in this form but the size and general "feel" is about right. It may make a surprise visit to the pond next week to gather comment, both pos and neg, likely neg but what the heck.

Ashley

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