Jerry looks good.
Rick

Nice looking set up.
Keep the posts coming.
Regards Bill.

Coming along nicely.
Keep up the good work.

Martin555.

Jerry.
Starting to take shape.
Looking forward to more progress.
Regards Bill.

Jerry taking your time planking is the way to go.
Rick

Even from a partly planked model, you can see why the real Veronica was such a fast barge. Good fine entry and a lovely run on her.

Cheers, Nerys

Do you have any shooting galleries in your area where they use shot guns firing at clay pigeons? If so, they will have used shot which you will be able to buy by the lbs.

I have bought small lead pellets, on Ebay, by so many Kg, which I put into small plastic bags containing 100gms and use them as ballast, easily squashed into the hull and easy to balance the hull because they will fit in almost anywhere. Builders merchants also sell rolls of sheet lead for flashing on roofs. I have bought it about 9" wide and a few yards long, can't remember now, about £25. You can cut that to size to fit in the bottom of a barge or other craft. I've used both for ballast, but if your lead bulb is heavy enough you are unlikely to need any extra ballast, unless it is for fore and aft trim.

Cheers, Nerys

Try Fishing weights on E bay, sold in ingots

Geoff

I don't think the dragonforce bulb and keel would be heavy enough for a 42" Veronica. The DF65 is only about 26" long and has a much smaller sail area.

Nerys

Try the Dragon Force DF65 keel and bulb.

https://www.tmrcboatyard.com/product/jos880502-df65-keel-w-bolts/

https://www.tmrcboatyard.com/product/jos880504-df65-ballast-550g/

Jerry, I am told that P J Sails make a lead bulb. It is intended for a Marblehead and weighs 3.6 Kg so could be suitable for your Veronica.

Cheers, Nerys












.

I should have said, Jerry, that the keels from Mastman are the least trouble. They just bolt on through the barge's bottom, with two bolts. The bulb and fin, I built a box inside the barge, cutting a slot in the barge's bottom, had about three inches of the fin inside the box and a couple of bolts going through box and fin to hold it in. On a recent Dutch barge, I built a weighted fin keel. It was really a narrow box, about three inches by 3/4 filled with lead shot. a solid piece of wood at the top and bottom. Through the top one, I put two bolts then drilled two holes in the barge's bottom to take the bolts in the keel. Hope you can understand what I mean.

Cheers, Nerys

@Nerys

That’s great help. Thank you very much.

She's looking great Jerry. Think you are making a really nice job of her. As far as a keel for her is concerned, Mastman make two different fibreglass keels that you fill with lead shot specifically for 42" Thames Barges. One is a straightforward shortish fin with a bulb and the other is described as a duck's foot. I used the duck's foot on my 42" barge. Alternately for a 30" barge I bought a fin and keel for a RTR yacht and that was alright despite being a little light, but I added a bit of internal ballast. Joysway, for instance do various ballast keels for their RTR yachts and are available as spares. A lot of people cast their own lead bulbs of course, That's probably quite easy once you've done it!

Cheers, Nerys

Looking very nice so far Jerry.

JB

Jerry, How's Veronica coming along,haven't heard for a while and are wondering if you have overcome the bulb keel problem.. I had a moulding of one from the new Mastman a few weeks ago, £25. Have partly filled it with resin and lead pellets, but ran out of resin so it is not finished yet. The bolt for attaching to the hull is in, so as soon as we can do the rest of the resin, we'll be ready to try on. Is Veronica finished otherwise? a couple of pictureswould be good.

Cheers, Nerys

Hi Jerry,
The original Mastman sold out to Kevin Tinklin a little while ago, and his email is ktinklin1592@yahoo.com

Nerys

Hi. Thanks for the guidance. I’ll try that again.

I haven’t been to Laytham yet. It’s very close to me, but this is a first attempt at a model……….

Hi Jerry just Google Mastman Veronica.
By chance do you sail at YMB Laytham

Jerry, Would be nice if we could meet up and compare barges, but we do live a long way from each other. Nevertheless I think you are making a grand job of her particularly as she's your first boat. Thames Barges are my 'thing', models and the real thing. I skippered them under both sail, and power in the days when they carried cargo, so if I can help you in any way, please ask. I'm only too pleased to help.
I shall continue to keep a weather eye on your posts.

All the best, Nerys

No plans to race, just want to enjoy sailing her. But would love to meet up 😀

Thank you very much. I can’t / won’t take all the credit for this. I am building the model with my neighbour. It’s his first model too, but he is a keen amateur worker of wood 😀

Hi Jerry,
I read in you log comment that this is your first model.

Well looking at the photos you are doing a fantastic job.
I will be keeping my eye in this build.
Keep it up.

Martin555.

Do we have thoughts of racing potential then? The real Veronica looked magnificent in her big racing rig as was Everard's other racing machine Sara. I could never reconcile myself to the big Bermudan mizzens but I suppose they needed something to balance the big headsails both sported. Their main rival was the London and Rochester Trading Co's Sirdar who carried a more conventional racing rig, but had such refinements as rocking leeboards and thereby hangs a tale. The MD of LRTC owned a class racing dinghy, a National 18 and about that time they introduced a rocking centre board that was supposed to skew the boat up to windward. The idea was that the rocking leeboards would have the same effect on Sirdar and she would sail closer to the wind when close-hauled than her rivals. As it happens, I purchased a 'nearly finished' model of Sirdar, built for racing, recently. Perhaps we can get together and re-enact some of the mighty battles from the last days of commercial barge racing.

Cheers, Nerys

We’re going for the ‘big rig’ - as much canvas as I can get on her 😀😀

I like what I see, she's coming on well, Bulwarks look fine. Are you building her as the working coasting barge version or the full racing rig complete with Bermudan mizzen or something in between? Glad you managed to find the new Mastman eventually. He is the only place where you will get a lot of barge fittings, like the leeboard and main brail winches, and dozens of other things.

Cheers, Nerys

Well done. The sailing barge is probably one of the more challenging builds considering the volume of sail carried, the shallowness of the hull and long narrow hull without the keel design of a sailboat. Yes, most use a removable ballast but knowing it’s depth and weight is critical to a fine sailing barge. Neyrs knew this challenge and did it well.

Some ‘tweeking’ to be done but the signs are good………

Well done Jerry. A lovely job, and a beautiful looking craft. I hope she sails as well as she looks.😉

Sailing is the most beautifull thing in life👍👍👍👍

Superb, well done