Vic Smeed’s Silver Mist

[Chris FellowsParticipant @chrisfellows72943]

Coming along nicely Colin. I’ve got to Eze-Kote and cloth the outside of my Fisherman but I’ve returned to my earlier builds for now and getting some paint on them.

[Colin BishopModerator @colinbishop34627]

Before tackling the final stages of the hull I decided I needed to sort out the rudder arrangements. Vic’s design didn’t look right for a twin screw boat and after a bit of online digging I decided that a more horizontal shape was needed but what size? After a couple of card mockups I settled for what I thought was the largest I could get away with and still maintaining a scale appearance. If it does need further enlargement then it can be extended by sandwiching the brass blade between a couple of sheets of 0.5mm ply. However, as the blade will catch the propwash on either side I don’t think it will be necessary.

The components can be seen in the photo below. I found an old tiller in the bits box that I had made decades ago which is perfect for the job. It was then just a case of finding tubes of the right diameter for the rudder shaft and tube plus another smaller tube to fit inside the rudder stock to strengthen it. The blade is not just soldered to the stock, there are a couple of small brass pins set into holes in the stock which engage with slots in the blade so the assembly is pretty robust. The stock is longer than strictly necessary in case I need to mount a lever above the  tiller to trigger microswitches should I want to cut out one of the motors on a turn but looking at the setup, I doubt if it will be required.

The lower support will be fixed to the keel with 8BA studding let into the deadwood and bolted on. It will be easily removable if the rudder needs repair or servicing.

I said in an earlier post that I am intending to add some extra detail to my model but then I came across the boat advertised below which is of the same vintage as Silver Vanity/Mist but slightly shorter. More detail than anyone could ever want and exquisite weathering to make Richard swoon! I don’t think I will be going as far as that though!

Colin

[Colin BishopModerator @colinbishop34627]

One more photo!

[Richard SimpsonModerator @richardsimpson88330]

Now there’s a boat with character!

[Chris FellowsParticipant @chrisfellows72943]

And needing a big pit of money I’d wager!

[Colin BishopModerator @colinbishop34627]

Now there’s a boat with character!

Or a character with a boat…. Apparently the original teak deck was sealed with a plastic coating…

Colin

[Colin BishopModerator @colinbishop34627]

Still plugging away with trying to get a perfect hull finish. Shape now seems OK but some imperfections need to be flattened after applying glass cloth and Eze Kote.

I want the paint scheme to be typical of the building date of around 1935 and assumed that the topsides would be white as specified by Vic Smeed. However a bit of research indicates that back in the day pure white paint was not readily available and not popular anyway as it showed up scuffs too easily. Apparently an off white finish was usually preferred. At the moment I quite favour the idea of Ivory which isn’t as bright as pure white and gives a softer effect.

Underwater and boot topping was commonly two shades of red or two shades of blue. At the moment I am inclining towards the red options as that would go better with Ivory topsides.

Any comments welcome but I will do my own thing after considering the options!

Silver Mist was initially suggested as a beginner’s model where you follow the instructions and nothing wrong with that but it also offers the opportunity to use the plan as a basis for a more sophisticated model and some research relating to the construction of the original boat(s) and how they have been preserved and modified over the years since. It all makes for a more interesting project than simply building to the plan and you gain an understanding of how the designers conceived and constructed the original craft including the often ingenious internal layout.

Colin

[Ray Wood 3Participant @raywood3]

Hi Colin,

The off white colour normally happens on it’s own over a few years on my boats anyway, that’s oil based Humbrol 🙂

Cream looks good and stays cream , I guess most anti fouling is red oxide that’s why I have shares in Halfords primer which now seems to be £12.00 a can !!

Keep going 🙂  Pictures please ,

Regards Ray

[Colin BishopModerator @colinbishop34627]

Hi Ray,

Yes, Halfords paints are expensive.  Fortunately I managed to recover some from Paul Freshney’s workshop when I was helping the family to clear it out and have some grey and red primer.

Will post photos when I have something better than an upturned monochrome hull!

Colin

[Richard SimpsonModerator @richardsimpson88330]

I agree that white can be a challenge and can also easily look a little stark and unrealistic on a model.  Cream can sometimes possibly look a little too dull and unflattering, especially on such a type of craft as this.

I like a bit of an in-between colour, such as an ivory, to give a bit of a compromise.  Craftmaster do a beautiful coach enamel in the colour but you do have to brush paint it so there is no convenient short cut with it.

This is Craftmaster ivory and Craftmaster Crimson Lake:

[Colin BishopModerator @colinbishop34627]

Yes, I think Ivory is the way to go. However I don’t want a high gloss finish at my scale , just a semi matt sheen so I may see if I can find a suitable car colour that I can overspray with matt lacquer. I will probably cheat with the lower hull and just use Halfords red primer and one of the Trimine tapes as it is an easy way of getting a neat result. The matt spray goes on OK over the lot.

Colin

[Colin BishopModerator @colinbishop34627]

I now have the prop tubes tacked in place which enables me to investigate the motor options. I had intended to fit a couple of direct drive 385 motors but on reflection I think I might be better off with 280 size 1.5-6v motors using 2:1 pulley drive as the props are only 20mm diameter. It is only a small boat and doesn’t need much power. I also have the motors, pulleys and belts in my bits boxes.

A 6v NiMH pack as fitted to my Greek Fishing Boat should do the job. Just need to order a Quikrun ESC and a Radiolink RX.

Colin

[Colin BishopModerator @colinbishop34627]

Things have moved on a bit! The 280 motors I had turned out to be 1.5-3volts and I suspect would not work too well with a modern ESC. I therefore bought two 3-6v 280 motors from Component Shop for £5.70.

I also found some ‘Maker Beams’ left over from my Bilsdale paddler project which enabled me to make athwartships sliders to allow the driving bands to be adjusted for tension.

The motors are mounted on a plywood plate screwed into a platform in the hull and can be removed if things don’t work out.

The blue left hand cradle in the photo is a bit oversize and has been replaced with a smaller one.

Out of the water the motors when connected draw less than a third of an amp each.

Colin

 

[Colin BishopModerator @colinbishop34627]

Tried it in the bath with a NiMH AA 4 pack charged to 5v. Now looking for a model water skier. It should cruise happily on 3v I reckon.

Colin

[Colin BishopModerator @colinbishop34627]

Now adjusted the motors and lubricated the shafts/tubes and they run quietly on around 3v. Today I have cut out the main deck and started to consider where the apertures will be. Broadly I intend to follow Ray’s example except that the forward lift off section will extend out to the sides of the model rather than being inset as on Ray’s boat. I need this to give access to the motor adjusting and removal screws.

Aft of the wheelhouse Ray has a flush deck hatch to access the hull where the batteries are located. On one of my pics of a full size vessel, the area immediately aft of the wheelhouse is actually raised above main deck level by about 9 inches or so which offers the opportunity of replicating this over a raised coaming which will prevent any water on deck getting below.

The cabin and upperworks appear to be mahogany on the original vessels but model mahogany sheet has a rather open grain which might not look quite right on a small scale model so I think stained bass wood will be a better option.

I intend to plank the upper deck which would have been teak which weathers to a silvery colour so I will need to think about staining basswood to represent this. Maybe coating the wood with a light grey diluted paint will do the job. I will have to experiment with it.

Colin

[Richard SimpsonModerator @richardsimpson88330]

Very neat installation Colin.  Everything still has nice easy access.  For this type of hull with the set up you have I don’t think the motors will draw a great deal more than the no load current.

[Colin BishopModerator @colinbishop34627]

Richard,

You are right, power consumption on such a small model will be negligible. A 7.2v a 2600 AA pack should be more than adequate.

Essentially it is a bit of a working miniature which you could carry under your arm. As I have said, just a fun project as progress on my 1:150 ss Miltiades has slowed down due to the fiddly work which is difficult with just one working eye. I still want to complete that model but progress is slow and demands time and attention. Switching to something a bit easier for a while keeps me motivated.

Colin

[Colin BishopModerator @colinbishop34627]

Still beavering away behind the scenes!

Hull is now ready for deck to be fitted before final sanding and this has prompted me to think carefully about internal access. Things were simpler back in 1958 when many boats were free running and the plan shows the model as such with a Taycol Target or Asteroid motor. Vic does mention in his instructions thas his prototype was being fitted with a rudimentary radio control system developed by Triang for their range of plastic liners and a cargo ships as an alternative to a clockwork motor. The controls appear to be push buttons for ahead/astern and port/starboard.

https://www.vectis.co.uk/727-lot-747758-triang-radio-controlled-cargo-ship-navy

I have therefore now pre installed the main fit out items: motors battery and rudder control. Motors and battery sit comfortably amidships with the rudder servo immediately aft of the battery. This means a longish linkage to the tiller head using a 2mm threaded control rod with a partial brass sleeve to give extra stiffening. The linkage can be adjusted at both the servo end and over the rudder stock. I need to temporarily fit the receiver and check the degree of rudder throw before fitting the deck as changing it afterwards could be a bit of a fiddly job with the deck in place.

This layout showed where the main deck apertures need to be to maintain access after it is fitted. The one at the stern will be an above deck companionway with the middle section a flush hatch (as on Ray’s model) which should only need  opening very occasionally. The forward hatch will have the forecabin and wheelhouse over it and I am looking at altering Vic’s design to include the side decks lifting off with the wheelhouse so I can access the twin motors more easily.

Re my earlier post I am still pondering whether to use basswood or ply or the wood effect superstructure. Ply would be neater and I do have a piece with very minimal grain which will hopefully fade away with several coats of wood stain. I’m still experimenting on samples.

Colin

 

 

[Colin BishopModerator @colinbishop34627]

Some more useful work today. I connected up the RC and power outside of the hull and tested the rudder mechanism and motor speed response all of which worked as expected. Then dismantled and removed the rudder and stuck the deck onto the hull after checking everything was level as expected.

I have been doing some more online research on James Silver motor yachts. There were many different designs in different lengths and the boats that were built have been extensively modified over the years, often with extended wheelhouse structures. There are also many differences on fitted equipment such as anchoring arrangements, deck finishes etc. So it is very much a ‘pick & mix’ situation. One boat even has an aft ‘steadying sail’!

It all offers a lot of opportunity to use my imagination when fitting out the basic structure of Vic’s plan. Appropriate when the boat Vic saw and based his plan on, Silver Vanity’, was an experimental prototype with features that were carried over into many subsequent James Silver builds.

It all makes for lots more interest than just following the published model plan.

Colin

 

[Ray Wood 3Participant @raywood3]

Hi Colin,

Good work on the old favourite, I bet hundreds have been built over the years 🙂

When I’m back in boating mode Parana is high on the list with a diesel engine.

You need to start saving your pocket money for the Stanchions I use the Caldercraft ones from Cornwall Model Boats

The big mistake I made on this one was using soft BT copper wire, which I’m forever straightening !!, now I use brass.

There really is no substitute for real mahogany, if you get glue on the ply the stain doesn’t work 🙁

Regards  Ray

[Colin BishopModerator @colinbishop34627]

Hi Ray,

Yes, I appreciate that stain doesn’t work over glue although I would stain the ply first. On the 21 inch Mist there isn’t actually much mahogany and I do have most of a 3 inch wide mahogany sheet of 1.5mm which has fairly close grain which I may be able to subdue further. There should be more than enough for my boat. I’m OK for hardwood strip for window frames etc.

Model Boat Bits do 25mm brass stanchions at £8 for 10 and portholes for £8 for 10. They are Caldercraft I think.

Colin

[Colin BishopModerator @colinbishop34627]

What was intended as a simple project is becoming anything but! I couldn’t get a clean cut on the mahogany sheet and it tended to split so reverted to stained thin birch ply which looks OK. The grain in the wood was also too prominent at this scale. The scale itself is a bit of a conundrum. From Vic’s plan it appears to be around 1:36 which represents a full size boat of about 63 feet.

However, tonight I have discovered a spitting image of Silver Mist which is listed as being as 48 feet long. Have a look at it.

McLean Gentlemans Motor Yacht

A more detailed inspection of the photos indicated that it might be a subtly scaled down full size version, the railings and  lowered headroom in the forward saloon are a bit of a giveaway. This particular boat also has a secondary outside steering position. Lots of interesting details on the photos to work from though.

My model has now got to the hull painting stage with the topsides currently in white primer. Before applying the intended ivory topcoat I took the precaution of downloading an elevation drawing or a roughly similar boat from the internet and colouring it in to show white and ivory topsides which confirmed my preference for ivory backed up by Mrs B!

It is clear that there were many variations of the basic design, presumably to suit the preferences and budgets of the builders. Each boat appears to have been a bespoke one off, unlike today’s boats which come out of a standard GRP mould.

Back to my model, l have now got the brass portholes and stanchions and ordered some 1mm and 2mm double sided tape to attach the wood trim around the gunwhales. I also have some light grey artist paper on which to print the deck planking to simulate bleached teak. It really is grey and not brown wood colour as shown on many models.

Colin

 

 

 

[Richard SimpsonModerator @richardsimpson88330]

Colin, sometimes it can be easier to cut veneer, especially a relatively open grain, with sharp scissors.  I agree though, sometimes it just wants to fall apart!

[Colin BishopModerator @colinbishop34627]

Some more progress, the hull is now pretty much complete.

Painting

I used high build primer to get rid of most of the remaining minor perfections (but you always miss some) and then applier Halford’s spray grey primer. The finish looked pretty much OK at this point although it was possible to just detect some of the planking lines next to the keel. As these won’t be noticeable I decided to quit while I was ahead.

Marking out the waterline was a bit of a problem due to the curvy shape which made it difficult to use the normal method of running a pencil in a holder around the hull as described in Richard’s recent article. After a bit of thought I realised that the topsides were relatively flat and it would be easier to measure down from the deck at 2 inch intervals using the plan as a reference. This took care of the sheer of the hull. After that it was just a matter of joining up the dots. I used Tamiya 6mm masking tape to do this as it could be adjusted to give a clean sweep along the hull, essential under the canoe stern. I then masked off the topsides and applied Halfords red primer to the underwater body. This was then masked off and white primer applied to the topsides followed by two coats of Hycote Ford Ivory spray.

For the boot topping I took the easy option and used Trimline tape.

Portholes

Most of these full size James Silver motor yachts had smallish inset portholes but some, with presumably well heeled owners, sported elegant larger brass ones so I thought, why not, on my version and invested in 20 Radio Active glazed brass portholes. My first thought was that the brass might eventually tarnish. I had previously fitted brass portholes on my modified Dean’s Medea steam yacht kit and sailed it in the Canoe Lake at Portsmouth which I hadn’t realised was salt water. A week later I took the model out of its box and all the portholes had gone green with corrosion and I had to paint them with brass paint instead. Forewarned is forearmed so this time round I ordered some metal lacquer to protect them. However, tests on the lacquer showed that it would react with the porthole glazing and render them non transparent. Next step was to use a hole punch to cut out discs of Tamiya tape to protect the the porthole glazing while I applied the lacquer. So far so good, I now have protected glazed portholes. However the hull still needed spray coats of matt lacquer for its final finish so I couldn’t actually fit the portholes until this had been done as the spray could affect the porthole glazing.

The holes in the hull had to be drilled very carefully with increasing drill diameters and finally a very effective 8mm diamond brazed grinding tool bought off Amazon. Piercing large holes through an already painted hull was a bit nerve wracking so, all in all, quite a palaver and not cheap. Maybe I should have stuck with Vic Smeed’s original suggestion of eyelets! Out of 14 portholes, 13 holes were OK but one had a small 2mm gap to one side on the hull which needed to be filled and touched up.

Most of these boats seem to  feature a strip of mahogany around the very top of the hull, about 3mm wide on my model. I did have some 3mmx1mm mahogany strip which was flexible enough to go around the stern but gluing it on would be tricky. The answer was to buy some 2mm double sided tape and apply that to the hull and press the sealed stripwood down onto it and this seems to have worked very well. After leaving it overnight I did hedge my bets a bit and used a small artists brush to run Superphatic glue along the top of the joint where it would seep in and reinforce it. It has now been on several days and seems fine.

Before fitting the portholes I gave the whole hull two coats of Halfords matt lacquer which actually gives a slight sheen.

In the photos you can see the cabin sides which are stained thin plywood.

Colin

 

[Chris FellowsParticipant @chrisfellows72943]

Nice bit of detailing there Colin, it’s going to look a treat once finished. I do like a bit of brass and mahogany.

As regards the Trimline tape do you have to put a clear coat over it?

Chris

 

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