Todays Boating

[Colin BishopModerator @colinbishop34627]

My crew NEVER abandon ship. They can't!

You could lash 'em to the ratlines too Ashley. Does wonders for the attrition rate.

Colin

[Richard BarnettParticipant @richardbarnett67129]

Changing tack slightly, Ashley, I’m heading pondside on Thursday morn if your still a bit one eyed willy and not driving give me a call and I’ll pick you up on the way through.

Ricky ye pirate

[ashley needhamParticipant @ashleyneedham69188]

Thanks for the offer Richard. I will let you know in a timely fashion.

Am about to start sticking the first of the crew onto London in a little while. They really look the part "en masse" , although nothing much to look at close up. Painting them with any sort of finesse would take forever and is not warranted. Busty figurehead in place and looking, well, busty. A PROPER figurehead, but nothing too racy for the park….

Ashley

[ashley needhamParticipant @ashleyneedham69188]

Have stuck 23 figures on. This sounds like a lot of figures, but they don't go very far spread over a few cannon and so on. Good job two more sets are on their way. As usual with these things, they could have been just a touch bigger…but the Airfix 20mm chaps were just too big. It does make the ship look very large though. Nothing like some men on to give a sense of scale.

I see the Norwegian frigate has slipped underwater. This is one reason why the new T45 destroyers and T26`s are so big. The ability to absorb damage, and the reason the new OPV are not provided with anything other than a pop-shooter. Anything bigger in the way of guns and they become a fully fledged warship in the eyes of politicians, and they are much too small to take any sort of punishment.

Ashley.

[NoelParticipant @noel26080]

Looking forward to seeing this London as last time I saw it, it was just a keel and a propshaft.

Have finally got my jet boat finished and it now has a proper upper body and cockpit.

All made from balsa and ply (apart from the hull which is plastic of course). The jet pipe is one of those tennis ball storage tubes.
Nice thing is, on the scales this new superstructure is only 20g heavier than the old cardboard tube and bits of scrap wood that made up the jet pipe before.

All internal electronics are mounted up beside the jet pipe so no longer vulnerable to water sloshing about the hull, but that should be much reduced now it has a "lid".

Noel.

 

Edited By Noel on 13/11/2018 16:35:28

[ashley needhamParticipant @ashleyneedham69188]

Noel. Superior job, mate. Nice. It looks like a jumbo jet engine compared to the driver, some size boat eh??

London looks a bit different now…

Ashley

Edited By ashley needham on 13/11/2018 16:37:02

[NoelParticipant @noel26080]

Driver was released from a poundland formula 1 car that gave up wheels for a boat trailer.

I wouldn't have minded tad bigger driver but he was what was there. All it means is its a big boat with an RB211 instead of a smaller one with an Avon!

[ashley needhamParticipant @ashleyneedham69188]

Easy job to fit another driver, bound to come across something sooner or later. Ashley

[Richard BarnettParticipant @richardbarnett67129]

Looks great Noel, with that colour you could call it Satan’s leaf blower!

Been beavering away on the Gull, all the hull planking is done and varnished in. Just starting the poop deck floor and a quick measure up for the mast and bowsprit. Waiting on some nice thick hemp string for the ratlines and still have to find a spot for the sail winch.

Pics in album

Hope to make the pond this Sunday.

Ricky ye pirate (woodstain and dead eyes)

[ashley needhamParticipant @ashleyneedham69188]

First things first: Noel. If you are serious regarding the Severn I will bring it down Sunday. Plse let me know before 0845 tomorrow

Secondly I have been purchasing items for the project D. I have found an absolutely fabby dozo unit for inside the main body, it does all and more like wot I want and will work fantastically with the unit purchased earlier (which needs some computer time). The correct size of motor and gearing and drive chain has been decided upon and now all I need is to do a drawing to decide how it will all fit together.

Have been looking at me nautical boat terminology and it appears that the ropes going up the side of the mast are shrouds and the bits going across them for sailors to climb up are ratlines….so…does this mean "shroud" is the proper term for this bunch or ropes? or "ratlines"?? or should it be "shrouds and ratlines"?? There's a question.

Ashley

[Colin BishopModerator @colinbishop34627]

And to complicate things further, if the sailors fell off the mast onto the deck they sewed them into shrouds with the last stich through their noses to ensure they were actually dead and with a cannonball for company before heaving them overboard with the appropriate ceremonies.

This of course was nothing to do with the Bitts….

Colin (being macabre again)

[ashley needhamParticipant @ashleyneedham69188]

Superglue seems to be working fine for my deck men. However, the 22 or so on deck look a bit lost in the (apparent) vastness of the deck and I am waiting on a couple more divisions to arrive. I will probably have 65 or so on deck in total.

Perhaps I should have a burial at sea party on the side??

Ashley

[Colin BishopModerator @colinbishop34627]

Plus a keel hauling and a couple strung up the yardarm for mutiny?

Colin

[ashley needhamParticipant @ashleyneedham69188]

Todays boating (to get back to topic) was good, bright and sunny at the pond if a trifle fresh.

Usual suspects there. Ferry going well and suggestion from the floor was to make a Christmas boat.

This will be accomplished by using a plain deck and the alternative rear superstructure for the ferry (made last year) and customising said ferry with xmas lights and a Santa, sleigh, reindeer and so on. Stuff to be decided against what I see at the cheap/pound shops.

Will be ready for next Sunday as I want to get my moneys worth out of it before Christmas!

Ashley

[Richard BarnettParticipant @richardbarnett67129]

Sounds like Ashley’s going off on a tangent again, still it’s all good brain food!

Noel, just a thought you might want to think about narrowing the outlet on Satan’s leaf blower but not too much or it will create back pressure. It might eek out a bit more speed. Sounds great by the way, like a gas turbine spinning up!

Ricky ye pirate.

[Trevor HollowayParticipant @trevorholloway99134]

Someone keeps leading Ashley astray, I am sure they will get their just deserts.

Apparently there may even be some camels and wise men on the ferry too.

[Richard BarnettParticipant @richardbarnett67129]

Trevor, all I have to say, pot kettle black!

[Trevor HollowayParticipant @trevorholloway99134]

There is an idea, have not seen one of them afloat at the pond yet !

[NoelParticipant @noel26080]

Posted by Richard Barnett on 18/11/2018 18:19:16:

Noel, just a thought you might want to think about narrowing the outlet on Satan’s leaf blower but not too much

Good point, it is worth experimenting, I suppose the smaller exit diameter makes a faster airflow and hence theoretically better top speed, but that's only if you have overcome the friction of the water surface to the extent that the forward speed has become equal to the EDF exhaust airspeed. Like you say back pressure may simply increase current draw above what the battery can provide and so overdoing it will not produce any benefit.

Limiting factor right now is the battery anyway so need to sort that out first.

[Richard BarnettParticipant @richardbarnett67129]

Noel, how about an afterburner? Now that would be cool!

Yes as you stated experimenting is needed.

Ricky ye pirate

[Richard BarnettParticipant @richardbarnett67129]

Had a busy day on the Gull today, cut and fitted the poop deck floor after popping to Addlestone models and buying a sail winch and fitting it into the deck floor.

The dead gull figurehead is on, it originally had legs but they just made it look like a comedy rubber chicken!

The stern sides were looking a bit slab sided so two extra windows have been put in and a decorative wooden strip added just to break up the look.

Pics in album

Hope to be pondside Sunday, weather and wife willing!

Ricky ye pirate (Dacron string and wooden planking)

[ashley needhamParticipant @ashleyneedham69188]

Looks good Richard. See what you mean about the bowsprit. Hopefully de-mountable?? Extra stern windows look as if they are meant to be there.

Had a parties worth of figures delivered, of the 100 figures about 70 are useable without too much repetition. I may paint them up a bit (inside) as its v cold in the shed.

Ashley

[Richard BarnettParticipant @richardbarnett67129]

Yes it’s thermal socks and thick woolly weather. Went to the pond this morning, managed to clear a puddle in the ice to sail in. Sent in the tug as an ice breaker first! Need to keep an eye on the temperature for the weekend as the ice today was a good 2mm thick and the seagulls in some places were standing on it.

Ricky ye pirate (blue fingers and runny nose)

[peter ward 9Participant @peterward9]

tried to attend at the pond but arrived a little late and was thwarted by vast number of runners

and all the parking spaces were full. not helped by christmas tree sales taking up a lot of space as well

never mind must get there earlier in future !

[ashley needhamParticipant @ashleyneedham69188]

. Peter. Yes thought a couple may have turned back. Even at 9.30 it was quite full. I think it was the annual Santa run?

A bit nippy standing about but no ice. Christmas ferry looked good, day was overcast and the lights wrapped around the rear shone nicely. All Santa's and wise men avoided being eaten and all but one of the baubles stayed on the side where they looked good as fenders.. Possibly next week I will have a different Christmassy payload.

Quite a gaggle of boats in attendance.

Ashley

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