Vic Smeed’s Silver Mist

[Richard SimpsonModerator @richardsimpson88330]

Lovely Colin, you’re a brave man attacking the hull with that grinder!  The ports worked well though.  Really sorry to hear about the Medea, she is a lovely model and ending up with corroded ports must have been disheartening.  I don’t think I would have the courage to put any model on salt water but, if I did, it would get a thorough washing down afterwards.

[Colin BishopModerator @colinbishop34627]

Chris, Trimline is supposed to be waterproof but if using it for boot topping I prefer to seal it with clear coat wich blends it in with the adjacent paintwork. It is also semi gloss which is not always what you want.

Richard, I tested the pointy thing on the same wood used for the planking. You don’t want a counter sink bit or a full diameter drill as both would tear up the edges. The tool I used is basically a diamond tipped rotary file. Nevertheless it had a tendency to soften the not fully cured paint but I was able to trim this back with a scalpel. It did take a lot of care and I had earned my whisky by the time I finished!

Colin

 

[Chris FellowsParticipant @chrisfellows72943]

Thanks Colin. Another question, what thin double-sided tape do you use, is it 3M and if so which one? Do you cut it to size?

Chris

[Colin BishopModerator @colinbishop34627]

Chris,

I bought this:

https://www.ebay.ie/itm/261851679074

It seems to be generic from several sources.

Hobbycraft also have some options:

https://www.hobbycraft.co.uk/search/?q=double+sided+tape&lang=en_GB

In a sense it is not double sided tape but a layer of adhesive sandwiched between two thin tapes which has zero thickness. (unlike the double sided foam variety)

You apply it to one surface and then remove the thin tape on top with a scalpel or craft knife to expose the adhesive and then stick what you want to on top and press down. It is quite effective.

I like to seal the joints with varnish or lacquer to prevent water entry but it is probably unnecessary.

Colin

 

[Chris FellowsParticipant @chrisfellows72943]

Thanks Colin.

[Colin BishopModerator @colinbishop34627]

Still making progress, albeit a bit slow due to other distractions.

The grey paper I intended to use to represent weathered teak decking turned out to be too dark so I have settled on very light beige instead.

Whilst it doesn’t look like much progress, things are happening begind the scenes. Above the main deck I am making some changes fron the original plan to reflect alternatives since the plan was published. In particular I am following Ray’s example in making a hatch on the aft deck which will provide occasional access to the battery and servo below for maintenance. Vic’s plan provided for a detachable wheelhouse but I am intending to extend this to the side decks as well to open up the motor and coupling area. The detachable section will not extend quite to the sides so that the railings will be attached to the main structurewhich will simplify things. It is all a bit fiddly with the need to accommodate deck camber but I am getting there.

Portholes have been temprarily removed while other work is going on. There is quite abit of trim work with hardwood strip. I have opted for the arched window design in the topsides as opposed to the ‘Fairey’ type windons on the plan.

All my detail departures from the plan are taken from images of full size vessels although I have indulged in a bit of mix and match!

Colin

[ashley needhamParticipant @ashleyneedham69188]

Gosh Colin, that’s a little of work going on there for a relatively simple boat!

I used to go to the Graphics centre in Covent Garden for coloured paper. They had every conceivable hue. Its just possible a pale grey might have looked a bit…even..in tone for  weathered wood deck?

Ashley

[Colin BishopModerator @colinbishop34627]

The detachable section over the cabin is a bit tricky as there is camber and sheer. Not much of either but noticeable and of course plywood doesn’t like to bend in two directions at once. Then when I glue the decking on the EzeKote seems to contract as it dries which causes the sides to curl up so cambered ribs have to be fitted underneath. Hopefully I cam eventually wrestle it all into place as I construct the wheelhouse but there is the option of fitting 4 unobtrusive bolts disguised as something else to get it to behave.

As far as deck colour is concerned, here are a couple of shots of full size ‘Silver’ boats. Notice that the first one has no butts in the planking. The whole boat is like that, it must have cost a fortune!

Colin

 

[Richard SimpsonModerator @richardsimpson88330]

Absolutely beautiful boat.

[Chris FellowsParticipant @chrisfellows72943]

For all my roofs, including the removable ones, I use 2 and 3mm thick bass planks as recommended by DM – this deals with bends in two directions no problem.

With my Faun I started off gluing the planks together laying on the cabin perimeter using tape to stop them sticking to the cabin – tried Cling Film initially but got into a mess with that so threw it in the bin! I then glued the centre support in position to continue the planking and then as I approached the edges where the planks were receiving less support I added the front and back supports. Fiddly but turned out well and no warping.

This was using the odourless Cyanos you recommended which worked a treat. Previously I used aliphatic which did cause warping as it shrank when drying.

[Colin BishopModerator @colinbishop34627]

Yes Chris, that is the best way to do the roof in many instances. In my case it is a large raised deck area with the wheelhouse inset. Vic just made the wheelhouse itself removable but I need wider access to the twin motors and planking at 1:36 scale means that the planks are around 2mm wide which I don’t much fancy! Ray’s main model was a good deal larger and he elected to draw the planking on.

Colin

[ashley needhamParticipant @ashleyneedham69188]

Great pictures of the real thing.

I fancy sitting under the rear awning there on a hot day sipping a g&t….. ( currently looking at a frosty garden outside the kitchen window)

Ashley

[Richard SimpsonModerator @richardsimpson88330]

I’d love to be steering it slowly along a picturesque river on a bright morning, the small diesel chugging away somewhere below as the gentle wash slowly glides past.  Maybe a cup of strong tea (Yorkshireman!) and the smell of bacon coming up from the galley.

Yup, we’re frosted in as well.  Just been to let the dogs out for a wee, it was a race to get back inside!

[Colin BishopModerator @colinbishop34627]

I assume you are referring to Chris’ boat Richard. The James Silver motor yachts tended to be fitted with whacking great twin Gardner diesels!

Further to my earlier post, I have decided to fit brass retaining bolts to secure the ‘bridge deck’ to the model. If necessary it can easily be removed at the pondside to access the pulley driving bands between motors and shafts. This entailed soldering 8BA nuts into a section of brass strip which is glued to the underside of the side deck supports. Fitting these was a bit tricky, made several time worse by my lack of binocular vision but I think I have got there in the end. I had to grease the section of strip around the bolt and apply dabs of epoxy to  the ends to secure the bolt mountings. The easy option would have been to use small dome headed brass woodscrews which would have been OK initially but loosened with use being screwed into soft boxwood.

Generally the midsection of the model is coming together well now with some attention to detail on the hardwood trim. More photos soon.

Colin

 

[Richard SimpsonModerator @richardsimpson88330]

Ah well, you know me Colin, the bigger the diesel the happier I am!

[Colin BishopModerator @colinbishop34627]

All fairly quiet on the Silver Mist front but things are coming together. Although not obvious from Vic Smeed’s plan, this particular type of boat has the wheelhouse floor inset into the main deck to provide standing headroom. This complicates construction a bit so I am rather ‘off piste’ with regards to Vic’s plan. (better than the other way round!). The wheelhouse construction is complete but I want to fit it out minimally with a helmsman and a limited amount of internal detail as the windows are quite large. I have also ordered some crew figures and am awaiting delivery.

There is also quite a bit of fiddly detail work on the ‘joinery’ to to give the wheelhouse a bit of ‘texture’ in its appearance.

I will post more photos when it is reasonably presentable.

Colin

 

[Ray Wood 3Participant @raywood3]

Hi Colin

I’m glad your pressing on with Silver Mist, I realised there wasn’t enough headroom for the Skipper from the raised deck level, It’s one of those designs you can keep building, I must have built four at various scales so far over the years.

Happy New Year for later this evening 🙂

Ray

[Colin BishopModerator @colinbishop34627]

Great photo Ray.

Progress has slowed up a bit this last week, I do have a heater in the workshop but it takes a while to warm up.

Now managed to finish off a few bits and pieces to the extent  I could take more photos. As you can see, the whole of the forecabin roof together with the wheelhouse detatches, leaving just the deck edges which will accommodate the stanchions. I need the wider access to be able to adjust the driving band tension on the motors. The wheelhouse roof is just perched on at the moment as the helmsman hasn’t yet arrived. The wheelhouse glazing and portholes have not been yet been fitted in case I need to do any more spraying.

I’m still pondering how to treat the aft deck. I have incorporated a large access hatch as with your model that only needs to come off occasionally but it needs to be disguised a bit. One of the full sized ‘Silver’ boats actually has a low raised platform to level off the deck camber, presumably to make it easier to use a table and chairs and I might consider that. Then there is the positioning of the tender. I have ordered a resin one from Marks Model Bits together with some other suitable fittings which should arrive later in the week.

Colin

 

[Roger FugeParticipant @rogerfuge]

Hi Colin that looks great , a great build

[Chris FellowsParticipant @chrisfellows72943]

Coming along nicely Colin.

Chris

[Tim RoweParticipant @timrowe83142]

Really nice wheelhouse details Colin.  Does this model hold hold the record for the most built plan I wonder.  I still have my very dog-eared copy of Vic’s Model Boats book which was an inspiration for me when I first started making models.  I still refer to it now from time to time.

Tim R

[Colin BishopModerator @colinbishop34627]

Thanks chaps.

Yes, this has always been a popular plan, I recall it as a boy. Vic designed it as a beginner’s project although I suspect some of today’s beginners might disagree!

The plan is really all about the external appearance of the model and none the worst for that. But delving into details of the surviving James Silver boats fron online photos brings out more information about the various designs which display a lot of variations. Some when the boat was built, many others representing modifications over the years.

In general terms I am seeking to represent my model as a typical interpretation of the 1955-1965 period. This influences what fittings might have been used such as the type of anchor, Kent clear view screen etc. Vic’s plan includes a dinghy on the aft deck which is lowered and recovered by substantial davits. None of today’s ‘Silver’ boats feature this as it takes up too much space and an inflatable that can be stored below decks is a much better solution to getting ashore from a mooring. Davits are difficult to make with their bent tapering arms but I have identified some online which might be OK at a price!

The research has thrown up some interesting observations. I found what I thought was almost a dead ringer full size boat for Silver Mist in its size and layout but then realised from the height of  the step up from the main deck to the bridge deck that it would have been difficult to have maintained standing headroom in the wheelhouse unless the headroom in the forward accommodation had been significantly reduced. The devil is in the detail!

Vic’s plan shows the door to the back of the wheelhouse to be amidships. This is sometimes the case with the bigger versions of the ‘Silver’ boats but the smaller ones, and certainly Silver Mist, would have had the door on the starboard side. Why?  Because the stairs down to the forward accommodation from the inside of the wheelhouse were also on the starboard side and the stairs aft from the wheelhouse down to the engine room were centrally placed. This facilitated the internal layout of the wheelhouse and its seating as the helm was on the port side. The first photo below shows a larger ‘Silver’ boat with the helm amidships but you can see the steps coming down from the aft deck and those accessing the engine spaces amidships. The second photo shows the  access down to the forward accommodation. Both photos show that the owner has LOTS of money! This boat is a good deal bigger than Silver Mist but the layout is similar.

Vic’s plan is also a bit inconsistent in respect of scale. It was originally catalogued as 7/16=1 foot scale or around 1:27. However, looking at the various dimensions on the plan and researching the James Silver boats suggests that the original vessel would have been around 60 feet long so the model is about  1:35 scale. This works out well with a human figure to this scale when set against the guardrail and door heights on the plan so that is what I have gone with. So it is not really a true scale model but then it was never intended to be. The dinghy shown on the  plan is a bit too big but Marks Model Bits sell a slightly smaller resin one which is currently in the post to me.

It is all a bit of a moving feast really, but my ultimatel objective is to produce a convincing near scale model of a ‘typical’ James Silver bespoke motor yacht of the period. I am thinking of naming it Silver Shadow as it is derived from multiple sources!

The model build is satisfying but has been enriched by the online research which makes the project that more interesting.

Colin

 

 

 

 

[Richard SimpsonModerator @richardsimpson88330]

Looking very tidy Colin.  Those internal shots of the real boat are stunning.  What a beautifully kitted out cockpit.

[Colin BishopModerator @colinbishop34627]

The items I ordered from Marks Model Bits arrived today. I was particularly impressed with the 3D printed dinghy.

https://marksmodelbits.com/shop/ols/products/clinker-built-transom-end-boat-kit

I know Richard in particular is a whiz at building something like this But I am not and neither, I suspect, are others.

MMB offer it various different sizes and it is a quick way to get something like a workboat for your Puffer etc.

I bought the 100mm version for my Silver Mist. It only cost £4. It is the same length as the tender shown on Vic’s plan but 10mm or so less in the beam which is more realistic. Vic shows a basic plan shape which is very tubby.

I also bought some lifebelts, cowl vents and and a couple of anchors which were pretty good.

Colin

[Colin BishopModerator @colinbishop34627]

Another conundrum!

Vic’s plan shows a dinghy stored on deck behind the wheelhouse and a pair of davits on the starboard side. It is not clear which way up the dinghy is stored but Ray’s model has it upside down to keep the rain out!

There is no way the davits can reach the dinghy where it is stored so a possible assumption is that it is manhandled into an upright position to starboard to allow the davit falls to be connected. All a bit unwieldy really.

Some of the ‘Silver’ boats have modified angled davits with sufficient reach to pick up an upright  dinghy ftom amidships and lower it over the side. However others have a tall mast behind the wheelhouse which is fitted with a boom to raise the dinghy and swing it over the side. At the moment I’m quite tempted by that idea although it does mean that the finished model is moving away frtom Vic’s original design – but that is where the research takes you.

Colin

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