Response

Re: Next on the building board.

I am Ron in Canada...is the man who built this fine ship with exquisite rigging also a Ron?

35 minutes ago by Ron

Forum

Receiver Ariel

Help required. Having finished my scratch built Cervia Thames steam tug, I fitted it with an old planet 6 channel radio set I had from a previous refurbished boat, it only needed 2 channel so didn't think it was cost effective to buy new, when I had the planet gear laying around doing nothing. All worked well until it suddenly lost control and started going in circles round the middle of the pond, luckily I had the Yorkshireman with me so sent him out to push the Cervia to the pond side and successful recovery. On investigation I noticed that the small Ariel on the receiver had come loose and fell into the hull bottom. Shortly after I searched the web and discovered that I might as well have tried to find a live unicorn than a planet receiver, so here is my dilemma Yesterday, being at a loose end thought I would solder the small Ariel back in place, only to find I had put it somewhere safe, but, can't remember where. The help I require is 1, is there anyone out there with this type of planet receiver R6M who can measure the length of the Ariel for me and let me know the length 2, can someone with electronic wizardry advise me what type of wire would be suitable to solder a new one back in situ. 3, having asked all this is this at all possible. Or am I just being a tight Yorkshireman who should raid the wifes purse and buy a new radio setup??

35 minutes ago by Rogal118

Forum

Scrambling Net, 1/24 scale.

In Canada, our fruit and vegetable are in the store, sells, mangos in green netting. Also, potato bags have mesh vent screen, and tangerines come in boxes with mesh. Might that work?

38 minutes ago by Ron

Forum

Scrambling Net, 1/24 scale.

Construction of the Deans Air Sea Rescue Launch proceeds, despite the poor plans and drawings. However, the net supplied with the kit (picture 3), would be great for fishing, but it's not really fit for purpose, and will not be used. The net in picture 4 is much more realistic, but so far I have been unable to source any. Worst case is that I weave my own, but I don't really want to do that. Can anyone help please? Thank you Steve

4 hours ago by cormorant

Forum

Scrambling Net, 1/24 scale.

Can you still get string vests? In the 60's I lived near a teacher's training college in Worcester. One sunny day I happened to spot a young student wearing a string vest as a dress. Those were the days!

2 hours ago by cormorant

Forum

Scrambling Net, 1/24 scale.

Hi Bill Thank you. I calculate the squares to be about 10mm. The plan shows the piece to be 190mm long x 80mm to the waterline. One piece for each side of course. Cheers Steve

2 hours ago by cormorant

Forum

Americas' Cup, a bit of good news

Hi can I correct my last text, I intended to say best of the 4 rounds not 4 points takes on NZ. Day3 is looking good for us but bad for USA. American Magic is almost American Tragic! USA has zero points going into the last race of this round and were against the Italians in Luna Rossa. Then they came good increasing their lead on each progressive leg of the match. Then rounding the last gate and a little way on they were caught in a sudden squall while travelling at nearly 50 mph and within a few seconds they capsized. There was just no-where to go, it looked like he tried to head into wind but it was over so quickly he did not stand much of a chance. All the crew were safe and a while later the yacht was righted and towed in. However it was very low in the water and I wonder how the on board computers have faired and also the controls for the foils? The next round starts this Friday, so they have some time to resolve the many issues. Scores are UK 4 points. Italy 2 points and USA nil points including two DNF's. The UK has suddenly arisen thanks to Mercedes helping with the water dynamics of their foils, angles and drag. We had gone from nil points in the races pre-Christmas to looking really good. The race with the Italians was the most telling, as Luna Rossa had the speed and often was travelling faster than Ineos UK but Sir Ben got his tactics right and it made all the difference. No time to feel smug though as each week all three teams will have learnt something new about their boat and handling and only too keen to exploit it. In the old monohull races which were way off shore there was much tacking and putting your opponent at a disadvantage. But in 2021 we have speed and boat handling to the fore. If you drop off your foils you can give away 300 metres to your opponent. The data shown on screen is frequent and complex and to be honest you need the cgi to see what is happening. The fastest boat speed I have noted was American Magic at 45 knots which is almost 52 mph! Again on the I wonder side all these teams are gaining race time and developing handling techniques. Does this leave the defending team NZ, who only race the winner rather less experienced? regards Roy

2 hours ago by roycv

Forum

Americas' Cup, a bit of good news

Hi guys, a bit of good news from NZ (if you don't already know). The first of the challengers series was run today and both Team USA and Prada were thoroughly spanked buy Team UK😂. Team UK has made an amazing improvement to the boat which is now going like the clappers and was almost perfectly sailed today by Ben Ainsley and his crew (only one touch-down rounding a mark in 2 races). Came right out of left field for most people who had been worried about their lack of performance in the Christmas Cup races. Amazing effort and congrats to the team. Long way to go yet, but now looking very competitive. Seemed to have some good downwind speed on the other 2 boats. They also executed some amazing tight mark roundings at speed which were very impressive, and had obviously been practiced.👍👍 The whole boat had been gone over thoroughly over Xmas with no days off, and it showed today. Should give the UK yachting fans a bit of a boost. Be great to see them in the final rather than the usual mob. JB

2 days ago by jbkiwi

Forum

Scrambling Net, 1/24 scale.

This is probably the best picture I've seen of the net...

2 hours ago by Dickymint

Forum

Norstar model fireboat.

Thank you Paul, that would be fine, do you have a large scanner, or if you can trust me, I have an A3 scanner copier. You could send it as a dxf, dwg, or pdf file via email. Whichever you decide I will still pay you for it . Cheers Colin.

12 days ago by Colin H

Response

Re: Next on the building board.

Lovely bit of rigging Ron, not to mention the boat itself, 👍👍- obviously lots of patience required. Amazing when you compare it to todays' rigging, - certainly had to know your ropes in those days! JB

2 hours ago by jbkiwi

Response

Re: HARTLEY FLARELINE, SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT

Hi Ron, thanks for the kind comment. Re truck,- my lips are sealed😉 JB

2 hours ago by jbkiwi

Forum

Norstar model fireboat.

Coming along well Colin, having the plans must be a big help. JB

2 hours ago by jbkiwi

Response

Re: HARTLEY FLARELINE, SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT

Super Build! Do you have a model truck to add?

2 hours ago by Ron

Forum

Norstar model fireboat.

After surviving a poor start to the year things are looking up. Thanks to Paul, (HAKITS) who kindly sent me a copy of the NORSTAR Crash tender drawings. Having spent the last week partially dismantling to correct some mistakes made by the original builder and me, I have now got some progress to show for my efforts. Finished the skins and main deck, and started on the cabins and rear welldeck, some of the parts don't fit very well due to poor mainframe assembly , but adjusting parts as I go. Next stage will be to coat the hull with Ezekote and glass cloth, although I'm tempted to try carbon tissue from deluxe materials. (any thoughts would be helpfull) So all in all I'm happy with how its going so far. Cheers Colin.

2 hours ago by Colin H

Forum

Scrambling Net, 1/24 scale.

Try a string vest.

2 hours ago by NDFR

Blog

HARTLEY FLARELINE, SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT

Got sick of waiting for the sampan to arrive with couplings etc for the boat (1.6 months now 😠,) so thought I would finish stage 2 of the project. I decided that being a trailer boat, it would look silly on a stand, so a trailer it was. Started this a while back now, and have been working on it along with stages 1 and 3. Takes forever, having to wait a month + for every single part to arrive for a project (and hoping they are suitable for purpose when they arrive), but finally getting somewhere. The frame is made from 12x12mm aly angle, all screwed together with 3mm screws and nuts. The hull supports are from 8x8mm square brass tube, soldered to brass plates and bolted to the frame. The wooden support rails are drilled for a tight fit over the sq tube, set at the correct height then cyano'd in place. The tops of the rails are covered with stick on sponge rubber strips. The centre rollers are large plastic beads, turned to shape in the mill chuck using files, then painted and attached with 3mm screws. Winch post is also soldered square brass tube with plates soldered on. The 'wobble roller' sets at the back are made from the same beads, just drilled to fit 3mm screws. The winch was made from 12mm aly channel and actually works, but more for looks than anything. The front dolly wheel is castering and can be locked up with a sleeve under the handle for 'towing'. The wheel itself is a small aircraft tail-wheel which was perfect for the job. Tail lights are plastic from a broken auto tail light, with painted balsa blocks behind, faced with ally foil for a reflector. The vertical trailer guide posts are 4mm brass tube, soldered to plates and bolted to the frame. These are covered with rubber auto fuel tubing, which was fitted by pushing the tubing on while blowing compressed air in the top to expand it. Detergent and water helped it slide on easier. The guards were made over a wooden mould, using f/glass cloth and polyester resin. 'Mags' are 65mm car wheels which were black, till I repainted them with chrome paint. Boat and trailer combo weighs just over 7lbs (trailer is just over 1 lb) As the boat has a very small keel, (none for the last 1/3rd,)and the hull doesn't actually touch the rollers, but sits just above them on the supports. Only the wobble rollers touch for support at the stern. Stage 3 almost done as well, but still waiting for a few more bits before 'putting it out there'😁.

3 hours ago by jbkiwi

Blog

HARTLEY FLARELINE, NEW PROJECT

Thought I'd have a lash at a model of the Hartley 19ft 5in 15 deg V cabin boat I completed about 30 yrs ago. Hartley boats are NZ designed, and there have been around 100,000 examples built, ranging from canoes to large ocean yachts. Hartleys have been built since their plans were first produced in 1938, and wherever you go in NZ or Aust you are bound to find one example. The most common runabouts in the 50s- 80s, were Hartleys, Pelins, Augustins and there are still thousands around today,(I had the Hartley and still have a 70s Pelin Nomad 12ft dinghy) I have been thinking of building this boat for a while and have decided to power it with a jet unit to see how it goes. My particular boat was designed for a Hamilton single stage jet, to be powered by a Zephyr 6 or 149 Holden motor or similar (around 100hp) but I fitted a MK3 Zodiac 6 with a stern drive which pushed it at 30mph at 5000rpm. I scanned a drawing from the old Hartley plan brochure and modified it to resemble the model I had, with the longer dodger with longer side windows. I then enlarged it and scaled it for 30" on A4 (I was thinking of 40"but it would have been huge) Today I took the drawing to the big local stationers and had it blown up to full size (as well as the 1/2 bulkhead/frames I had scaled). I took some measurements originally from the A4 drawing at points along the hull for the frames, (height, width etc) and estimated some of the positions I remembered from my boat. The boat has quite a flare in the bow (a feature of most larger Hartleys) so I will have to do a lot of fiddling to get it all to look right. Tonight I cut out some trial frames,and will set these out on the keel upside down, then try out the positions with a piece of 3x3 balsa stock to get the 'flow' right. Takes a while doing it without any plan but usually works out ok, (eg my HSL , ST and Maiami) Not in any rush so this will take a while. Have ordered the jet unit (26mm El Cheapo) from Ali Express and will probably try a brushed 540 30T or similar first to see how it goes. Would have loved an AMPS stern drive, (still have a brochure somewhere I sent to UK for, about 1970) , but they are long gone (mostly collectors items now) This will be the usual balsa/ply/glass hull with Mahogany trim etc, so should be an interesting exercise, especially with the jet, (will have to come up with a reversing bucket as the El Cheapos don't have one.)

6 months ago by jbkiwi

Forum

LST 368

I use Testors plastic model cement on my styrene kits. The Orange tube not the Blue.

3 hours ago by Ron

Forum

LST 368

As the original subject, Dean's LST 388 has now dropped well down the pecking order, I am renaming it LST368 as that is what I am building, not the subject of a book written by a Yankee Radio Op about his time in LST 388, not that their histories were that dissimilar. I decided last night that I was up to doing a little more on this build, and with help from Alice in doing the fiddly bits, we installed the motors, propshafts and rudders. We followed instructions for the motors installing them on the supplied plastic cradle things and held in with cable ties. Not too keen on this idea as it means one can never adjust the position of the motors. Would much rather screw ready mounted motors down to a piece of glued down wood. They can always be altered then with a minimum of trouble. Not keen on the rudders either, they are a bit flimsy, but the worst things are the tiller arms that are supposed to be mounted on them. They are tiny, supposed to be screwed on, but I don't know if screws small enough exist. I'm not happy about the length of the tiller arms either, I think they are far too short to give enough turning power to the rudders. That's the next nightmare, (sorry I meant job). I'll post photos when there's a bit more achieved, not worth it at the moment. Not sure when I'll do anything else, staff shortages have cut my dialysis down to twice a week and I'm not sure how I'm going to feel with longer periods between treatment. Cheers, Nerys

2 months ago by Nerys

Forum

Scrambling Net, 1/24 scale.

Hi Steve. Looks good. I think I may have some that may suit,but will have to check. How much do you need and what is the rough individual square size. Regards Bill.

3 hours ago by Scratchbuilder

Forum

Americas' Cup, a bit of good news

More good news on the Americas' Cup. Team UK, now 4 from 4👍👍👍👍😊 JB

4 hours ago by jbkiwi

Forum

LST 368

Hi Nerys. The glue i use is humbrol liquid poly. It is a thin liquid that is really good as you can apply it to one side then quickly join the two parts together. Or you can put the two parts together and use capillary action to glue them. I have used it for many years without any problems. Here is a link. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/HUMBROL-MODEL-GLUE-LIQUID-POLY-28ml-BOTTLE-WITH-BRUSH-NEW/224218669314?epid=2254374856&hash=item3434796102:g:NwgAAOSwk9xenY8t Martin555.

7 hours ago by Martin555

Forum

LST 368

Good morning Nerys , I use liquid poly glue or PLASTIC WELD. By E.M.A. Hope that is helpful, cheers Colin.

6 hours ago by Colin H

Forum

LST 368

Help please. I am using Revell Contacta adhesive to stick the plastic bits together, but it's not working all that well. Am I using the right stuff? Cheers, Nerys

9 hours ago by Nerys

Forum

LST 368

Thank you, Martin and Rick for saying nice things about me, but when you read my comments on the LST kit please bear in mind that as far as plastic kits are concerned, I am a novice. I've only built one before and in that I ended up substituting wood where the plastic work became difficult. The kit is to my mind very poor quality in many ways , I don't think trying to interpret his instructions and find missing pieces is a reflection on me but as I am not versed in building with plastics, I don't think I am doing as good a job as if I was. I'm a builder of traditional wooden boats, Thames Barges etc, that's where I am happiest. Cheers, Nerys

15 hours ago by Nerys

Response

Re: Next on the building board.

Is this the Bounty?

16 hours ago by Ron

Forum

Mental Health & Wellbeing Volunteers

Pleased to hear that you will be getting the jab, and hoping that Alice is not to far behind you.😊 Cheers, Pete

16 hours ago by Rookysailor

Forum

Mental Health & Wellbeing Volunteers

Hi Guys, In these uncertain times of lockdowns and restricted movements for such a long period of time it is very easy to get fed up and to feel low or even slip into depression . So i would like to try and make life a little more bearable. If you are feeling low or depressed or even just want a chat please PM me and we can see what we can arrange. I know time zones could be an issue. Maybe other members would be interested in becoming Well-being ambassadors too and would like to help. Something as simple as talking to someone else will make you feel a little better and not so isolated. All communications and conversations are and will be CONFIDENTIAL . Martin555.

3 months ago by Martin555

Response

Re: Next on the building board.

A lovely model, your rigging skills are supreme. Nerys

16 hours ago by Nerys

Forum

Mental Health & Wellbeing Volunteers

Pete, no, my jab is being done in the hospital where I am a patient but they told me that it is patients only and they said that Alice's will come through the GP.. They gave me a lot of paperwork about it this evening to peruse beforehand. Cheers, Nerys

16 hours ago by Nerys

Forum

Mental Health & Wellbeing Volunteers

Glad to hear that you will be getting the Covid jab in a couple of weeks Nerys, but what about Alice? has she been given a date yet? I have just received an SMS telling me I have an appointment on the 22nd of this month at our ICC (integrated care center) about a 10 min bus ride, on a route only 2 mins walk away, can't really complain about the locality, but no news of a jab for my wife.😊 Cheers, Pete

16 hours ago by Rookysailor

Response

Re: HMS Peregrine

A very rare talent Sir.👍 Cheers Pete

16 hours ago by Rookysailor

Response

Re: Weathering the Deck

Lovely result Graham, This is something I have been playing around with for my Drifters deck, I like your result.👍 Cheers, Stephen.

17 hours ago by stevedownunder

Response

Re: Next on the building board.

Yet another superb model, I'm envious of your rigging skills. Cheers Colin.

17 hours ago by Colin H

Response

Re: HMS Peregrine

wow beautiful the fletch

18 hours ago by fletch

Response

Re: HMS Peregrine

Superb modelling sir, love the dry dock. Cheers Colin.

18 hours ago by Colin H

Directory

Next on the building board.

I started Fly two years ago. My hobby was (and is) a godsend during lockdown. There was nothing above deck level until the first lockdown. My daily routine was basically looking at the plans to find what bit to do "today". One day last December, I couldn't find a daily task. I made another coffee and checked the drawings again. When I still couldn't find a bit to do, I realised that it was finished! Just a tad over two years.

20 hours ago by Nonsuch

Directory

HMS Peregrine

I hadn't built a boat for some years, having been distracted by aerobatic fixed wing aircraft and helicopters. Static sailing ship models keep you busy for years for comparatively small outlay, so ideal retirement projects. HMS Peregrine was my re-intro model.

20 hours ago by Nonsuch

Forum

Adhesive for wood to fiberglass hull

A good dose of engine cleaner ( Detergent type) cleans that wax off. Rinse Very Well and allow to dry naturally. To take the gloss off I use fine wire wool before washing.

20 hours ago by Ianh

Forum

Adhesive for wood to fiberglass hull

I will soon be installing the deck beam shelf around the inside of my Pilot Cutter fiberglass hull and I am considering using one of the various brands of construction adhesive. This product seems to stick with great strength to a wide range of materials and has the advantages of being a one part adhesive with a slow setting time witch of course aids in positioning of the material being joined. Can anyone see a downside to this idea? All advise appreciated. Regards, Paul

3 days ago by paults

Blog

Jobs and more work

Lots more jobs completed but nothing much to photograph fitted a handrail around the bridge deck front and sanded filled and did it again, made some paper templates for the cabin layout just waiting for a delivery of 3 mm lite ply from SLEC for the bridge cabin and engine casing. After priming there were faults found such as rubbing strakes that were damaged or had the profile of a wave, that were corrected by refitting but using mahogany strip for strength. Thinking now about speed controls the motors draw about 7 amps off load don't know if to use two 15 amp or one larger amp controller. I already have a 15amp as with the props I already had a 35mm so bought a second hope this isn't the downfall of the project.

21 hours ago by Cargoman

Blog

Lumba Lumba Restoration

Got the idea for this boat after seeing a friends one in America, I found out later that not only is it a discontinued kit but getting hold of a second hand one aint easy. So after seeing one on E Bay I bid and won, the boat has been part started and then left for what seems many years as there is damage to parts and some bits missing. The hull has been really well built as can be seen on the photos but someone else must have had a try at it as there was balsa stuck over the windows with portholes stuck in. As for the running gear I have decided on twin screw so the single shaft has been removed and 2 new shafts ordered.

2 months ago by Cargoman

Blog

Weathering the Deck

The lime planks I used for the deck are mostly a pale creamy yellow colour, but some of them have a grey tint. Looking at photos of the deck on real boats, they mostly look a weathered grey colour. I wasn't too happy with the patchy colour of my deck so decided to try weathering it. A bit of internet research turned up a solution which can be used to weather timber. A piece of fine wire wool is immersed in white vinegar for a while, and the resulting liquid, when applied to the deck, should turn the planks grey. The longer the solution is made up before use, the more pronounced the effect. As I wasn't sure on the appropriate timings, I made up a test piece of decking to try it out. The solution was applied in patches to the test piece at timed intervals of 30, 45, 90 and 180 minutes. As you can see from the photo, it isn't too critical how long you leave it, so long as you don't leave it too long 😊. The test piece also had a strip of mahogany along one edge and as you can see, the effect of the solution on the colour of that was more dramatic. I had to make up a fresh solution and decided to leave it for an hour before using it. The mahogany edging on the deck was sealed with sanding sealer as I did not want to darken it. Once this was dry, the weathering solution was wiped on to the deck with a cloth. The two photos of the deck show 'before' and 'after'. The effect is subtle, it has toned down the creamy yellow, making the deck colour look more even without turning the whole thing to a solid grey colour.

21 hours ago by Graham93

Blog

Gaff Rigged Pilot Cutter

And so the story begins....... A few days ago on the 'Jolie Brise' forum topic I stated "I have a plan". Well I meant this literally! While searching the Web for inspiration for my next model, I found a plan for a Pilot Cutter. I was searching for schooner plans, and came across this plan and was hooked. The plan was ordered on line (on my birthday) and was delivered electronically within a few hours (nice birthday present 👍). It comprises a large A0 sheet, six A2 sheets plus seven A4 pages of build instructions. All for $15 US. I had the plans printed using an on-line print shop (during lockdown). The printing cost was more than the plan cost 🙄 I could have printed at home by 'tiling' the large sheets onto multiple A4 pages and then glueing them together but didn't want the distortions that would inevitably occur using that approach. The plans are very detailed with most parts being drawn full size. The build instructions are comprehensive. Time will tell how good they are in reality, but initial indications are promising. The Cutter has a full suite of sails, mainsail, main topsail, stay sail, jib and jib topsail. There are two winch servos, one to control the mainsail and one for the foresails. The plans do not have a lot of scale detail. Gary the designer states in the build instructions " This boat practically begs for more scale like detail" I intend to take him up on that challenge. I'll let Garry Webb the designer tell you more about it in his video. Graham93

1 month ago by Graham93

Forum

Adhesive for wood to fiberglass hull

Regardless of your glue choice, make sure you remove all trace of the wax flow coat from attachment points. The epoxy resins used to make the hull are oxygen inhibited, to keep them receptive to subsequent layers. To remove tackiness from the last layer, an oxygen blocking wax coat is added. If this isn't removed, all adhesives will ultimately fail. A good sanding to remove the high gloss is all that's needed.

22 hours ago by Nonsuch

Forum

Adhesive for wood to fiberglass hull

Hi, The Gorilla brown glue is a polyurethane glue and is totally waterproof. (Immersible). Foams at the joint and get it on your hands it has to wear off. Suggest surgical gloves when using.

22 hours ago by Ianh

Forum

Adhesive for wood to fiberglass hull

The Gorilla glue that I have been using are as follows, Gorella wood glue, Gorella clear glue and Gorella brown glue. I hope this information is of use to you. Scamp.

1 day ago by Scamp

Forum

New Year

Love the Piscataqua ! - nice job !.👍⛵

1 day ago by philcaretaker

Forum

LST 368

Sounds as if Martin has a good idea Nerys.You being an excellent builder has helped you to fix and make items for this boat,Better plans and instructions would not of made that necessary. From the posts you have given I believe a novice builder would have been lost as how to proceed with the build and may just give up. I believe Deans needs to be made aware of this build. Rick

1 day ago by Newby7