Response

Re: Bit more progress

Nice job Siri, just finished a resto on a vintage sea queen myself. She even came with the original motor and glass valve controller (now replaced with modern gear)

2 hours ago by Lordgord

Blog

Starting work on Covering Boards and Stanchions.

Starting work on Covering Boards and Stanchions. Spacing of Stanchions is one of the considerations up next, in Ted Frosts book From Tree to Sea he states and I quote, that Stanchion spacing is around 3 feet according to timber or frame spacing, except abreast of the foremast and aft for about one-quarter of the ships length they would be about half that spacing. All good so far, then I go and check the plans to find that the forward part is to scale as described yet the aft part has Stanchion spacing of around 2 scale feet. I am not sure which one to follow unfortunately I don’t have drawings for a fully framed hull so I cannot know if frame spacing altered aft of the wheelhouse, part of me says to stick to the drawings while in some ways I prefer to go with Teds description, if anyone has some constructive comments feel free to comment. My plan at the moment is to cut all the covering boards, (I will have to make a decision about stanchion spacing soon all being well I won’t get bogged down on this spacing issue). After the covering boards are cut and temporally fitted a yet to be built jig will (all being well) help with drilling a pin hole for attaching the stanchions, yes the stanchions are to be pinned in place. While yet another jig will drill a pin hole into the stanchions. No doubt all this careful cutting and fitting will take time. Time to start cutting some wood. I have made a start on the covering boards anyway. Thanks for having a look. Cheers, Stephen.

4 hours ago by stevedownunder

Blog

Scratch built, Working Steam powered Drifter trawler LT100, to 1:24th scale.

LT100 My Way. With this build log there is a lot of ground to catch up on I have been building this model for more than 20 years. I do not profess to be an expert builder, nor that this is an exceptional model, especially considering that this is only my second scratch built model. However my intention is to build the best model I can (this is true most of the time). My first reasonable scratch build being a simple hard chine cabin cruiser. Most of the models I have built have been plastic kits. My intention with this project was to build a working model without many compromises, that is to say when out of the water you would not be able to tell it is a working model. I welcome constructive comment. I hope people enjoy the journey with me. Looking around for a scratch build project, something that wouldn’t take too long (ha-ha) or be too complex or too large, I found that I really liked the look of steam drifter trawlers. A wooden prototype being preferred as I could build a model hull out of wood then build a steam plant to power it; therefore the model would have some similarity to the original even if internally it wasn’t a replica. So the decision was made to build myself one, I started searching for suitable plans, this was in a time before the internet when things weren’t just a click away, therefore I relied on the couple of plans catalogues that I had in my possession. Plans were found in the MAP Plans catalogue, then this project got off to something of a false start in 1990 with the purchase of a set of plans drawn by R. A. Neville to a scale of 1/24, from the Plan Shop in New South Wales Australia these are for a typical Wooden Steam Drifter. I am not sure when these plans were first printed, however I have inherited a copy of Model Engineer published in September 1959 which is the first of 4 articles titled, How to build a Wooden Steam Drifter, written by R. A. Neville (I didn’t find this article until many years after starting work on this project!) I wasn’t quite happy with these plans, being more interested in building something that represented an actual vessel. So I sat on them for quite a while umming and arr-ing, thinking they are not quite what I wanted. Then to my amazement and elation, on the cover of Model Boats in April 1993 was a beautifully made model, that had been entered into Class C9 kit class at the 1993 Model Engineer Exhibition, of LT100 built by Robin Butler, winning a Silver medal, and guess what next month there were to be plans for this trawler, wow just what I wanted! Life got in the way of hobby as it usually does and it wasn’t until a few years later in 1996 that I purchased the plans drawn of Formidable LT 100 by James Pottinger to a scale of 1/33, along with the book From Tree to Sea by Ted Frost, this is a wonderful book about the construction of LT 100 drawing from Ted Frosts memories as an apprentice ship wright. The plans arrived, then I had them enlarged to what I thought was 1:24 scale, as mentioned earlier I intended to power the model by steam, I went off and measured the opening for the wheel house and I found I could comfortably fit the 3 ½in diameter boiler I was thinking of building through the opening. Having no experience with steam at all, I imagined that steam plants would require quite a bit of servicing, with this in mind I thought it was important to be able to remove the entire steam plant easily for routine maintenance. Next step was to get some plans for an engine. Probably in 1996, my dad and I went to Kilsyth (an outer suburb of Melbourne, Australia), where Live Steam Supplies of Victoria were, they specialised in miniature steam in all its aspects. Whilst there I purchased plans for a ½ in bore ½ in stroke, twin cylinder double acting oscillating steam engine designed by Basil Harley, published by Model Maker plans service. Probably first printed in July 1983, I have the August 1983 Model Boats with part two in a series of articles to build the engine and boiler along with a 42in long steam launch, once again I didn’t find this article until much later after purchasing the plans even though this was a magazine I had bought! I had already decided to make the centre flue boiler designed by Peter Arnot. Peter ran an excellent series of articles in Model Boats for a Vee 4 steam engine, boiler and associated equipment throughout the year of 1993, I intended to purchase some 3 ½in copper pipe as illustrated in the plan. Unfortunately Live Steam Supplies of Victoria didn’t have any 3 ½in copper pipe, turns out this isn’t a size commonly used in Australia, what to do, luckily I had bought along the trawler plans and after a few quick measurements were taken, a rash on the spot decision was made, (this would latter cause problems). I purchased two pieces of 4in diameter copper pipe that were cut to length, along with flat sheet copper for the end plates, smaller diameter tubing, a few packs of solder on nuts and tails along with other various items including a Cheddar ceramic gas burner. The steam engine and boiler were started along with the work boat, work proceeding roughly in parallel. Most people start with the hull, however I decided to start making the work boat first, my thinking being if I can make a small clinker built boat to the standard I wanted then the rest should be achievable, also I wouldn’t be in such a rush to finish what is really “just a fitting” for the project, therefore possibly doing a better job. After reading the clinker-built boat section of “PLANK-ON-FRAME MODELS and SCALE MASTING & RIGGING Volume 2” by Harold A Underhill a start could be made. I wanted to use Huon pine, for most of this little boat, this is a very slow growing timber unique to Tasmania in Australia, which was used to build real ships and boats from, due to its ability to not rot even when submerged, it also has a straight, fine grain and generally pale in colour. I made a start by spending a day at dad’s using his table saw to cut up some blocks of Huon pine into strips to make up a “kit” of material. This material I had bought back from Tasmania on my honeymoon, packed into our suitcases to my wife’s bewilderment. Then making a building board and formers from MDF (not the best material to use as the dust is very bad for you, I was unaware of this at the time). The keel was fabricated from several pieces of an unknown hard wood all pinned together with homemade bamboo pins, a Huon pine transom being pinned to the stern post also keel doublers attached for planks to rest on. I would like to say that I could not have made the work boat without Harold Underhill’s book, there was a lot of reading then rereading combined with head scratching going on during the build. The main difficulty was to generate the shape of planks. At one point I nearly scrapped the whole thing as I couldn’t seem to get the planking just right, however after some consideration I pressed on with the attitude it doesn’t really matter if this one is not perfect I will learn lesions in building it and I can always build another if it isn’t up to scratch. Once templates were made the plank would be cut and steamed then clamped into position, left there for a few days then glued on with Cyanoacrylate and pinned to the previous plank, making sure not to pin it to the building frame. After planking the hull was removed from its jig then ribs, benches, floor boards, rubbing strake and knees were added, some artistic licence was taken, I didn’t follow the plans completely choosing to not add grab lines like you would see on a life boat and a device that I was unable to determine its purpose mounted on the transom. Next oars were made, these are not shown on the plans, I didn’t want to make paddle’s, so I looked through books that I have trying to determine proportions and came up with something that looks like an oar to me, I made these from Huon pine in two parts. Next came the crutches and sockets, Brass tube was used for the sockets being fitted into holes drilled. Next the crutches, these were fabricated from brass wire and fine chain silver soldered together, when I am silver soldering small parts I use a technique my dad taught me. That is to cut off the required amount of solder and once you have heated the flux a little to boil most of the moisture away, then place the solder using tweezers where it is required, the solder will stay in place because most of the moisture has gone from the flux, gently apply heat and you should have a very neat job. While on the subject of soldering a low-cost alternative to fire bricks is to use what is called Hebel in Australia this is a lightweight product used in buildings and landscaping it is an aerated concrete sold in blocks. Once the flux was cleaned up, they were painted black using Humbrol enamel. Using a Teak coloured wood stain, I masked then stained the top strake down to the rubbing strake. The inside and top strake now received a couple of coats of satin varnish. The rest of it received a few coats of Humbrol satin white airbrushed on. In the end after it was finished, I hadn’t quite achieved what I set out to do however, I was quite happy with my little work boat even with its short comings. Cheers, Stephen.

10 months ago by stevedownunder

Response

Re: Durch Auxiliary

Hello Nerys, try Howes as below, they have a series of winches, in vaying turns at £9.99 Geoff https://howesmodels.co.uk/product/2-turn-standard-size-drum-winch/

4 hours ago by mistyoptic

Forum

BUXTON MODEL BOAT CLUB

"NAIAD" is a Windermere Yacht designed by Herbert Crossley. This model yacht is a first "scratch" built RC yacht belonging to "full size" sailor Chris Gay. Naiad is seen here undergoing her maiden voyage at the Pavilion Gardens Buxton in the company of Grahams - "ELLEN" the Bristol Cutter . Phil https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eKvi8ZhTB14

18 hours ago by philcaretaker

Media

"NAIAD" Windermere Yacht

"NAIAD" is a Windermere Yacht designed by Herbert Crossley. This model yacht is a first "scratch" built RC yacht belonging to "full size" sailor Chris Gay. Naiad is seen here undergoing her maiden voyage at the Pavilion Gardens Buxton in the company of Grahams - "ELLEN" the Bristol Cutter. More photos here :- https://model-boats.com/places/60518#99293 Phil.

18 hours ago by philcaretaker

Response

Re: Ready for Hull shaping

Hi Stuart. Any up dates on the boat build?

7 hours ago by SimpleSailor

Response

Re: Scratch built, Working Steam powered Drifter trawler LT100, to 1:24th scale.

Thanks Mike, Yes I would agree working in timber is very satisfying and I am glad that this build has once again reached a point where I need to work in wood. Cheers, Stephen.

9 hours ago by stevedownunder

Response

Re: Durch Auxiliary

Hi Geoff, That's a fair bit to be going inside, but I think you will need something on the keel to counteract it's natural wish to float. That's a good price for a sail servo, would you like to tell me where, please. Cheers, Nerys

13 hours ago by Nerys

Forum

Almost home made Router Table.

Thanks for the interesting insight into professional woodworking equipment, and the CKD explanation what we would call "flat pack" bit like jandels and thongs 😁 I do recall the name Criterion. The Incra is American the original and still available is in imperial as would be expected, mine is metric, everything is included along with the templates, the woodpecker base I don't think is available any more. I got mine from Timbecon in Melbourne, looks like Ubuy or Carbatec carry Incra in your neck of the woods. Cheers, Stephen. Cheers, Stephen.

15 hours ago by stevedownunder

Forum

Almost home made Router Table.

Hi Everyone, I don't know if I am posting this in the right spot or even if there is much interest in something like this, I had trouble finding a category. Something that I have desired for a very long time is an Incra LS Positioner, after seeing one in person at a Working with Wood Exhibition and thinking I would like one of those, then on seeing the price thinking maybe some day, that is not to say they are extremely expensive but out of my budget range at that time. I could see that this product has a really great amount of versatility for my needs, a lot of this due to the positioning using a thread and fine adjustment of the fence, brilliant idea in my opinion. Well that day came late last year!!! My Incra LS Positioner arrived late 2020. If I had gone and bought a Router Table with Router lift and stand it would have cost a lot more than I am prepared to spend this could have been around $1000 to $2000 without trying given that a nice Router lift costs from $450 to $800 AU dollars that is far too expensive for me. My tight arse itus would have kicked in!! The good thing about one of these lifts is the ability to adjust the Router bit height from the table top. Fortunately I had a ready made Router Table top that was generously given to me from a deceased estate this was a big bonus even though it had a bit of a warp in it it was in pretty good shape. At some point in 2020 my Admiral had a clean out of furniture in the house and among the items that were shoved into the garage (with some consternation from me, pointing out that the garage is not the Tardus and has a limit on space) Was a 2 draw office trolley, this took up quite a bit of real estate in the workshop and sat there until after looking a a couple of You Tube videos on how other people have made there own Router Tables an idea came along to use it as a base for the forthcoming Router Table project. After looking around online for a Router lift kit some of these are very nicely made with an equally nice price. I ended up buying a $70 Router lift kit off Ebay and modified it to suit my old Hitachi ½” Router, I was really struggling to work out how the “kit” would work with my Router so some new parts were made up and minor modifications made to the mounting plate. I looked at what other people have done and came up with my own interpretation of a removable insert, I ended up making 7 inserts the reason being that I want to be able to use even very small router bits and this means a good range of hole sizes through the center another reason is that once set up it is not that hard to produce more blank inserts than to go back and have to make a couple more later, which would irritate me greatly. I added a base with wheels. A simple box made out of melamine covered chip board and screwed onto the 2 draw unit. A piece of plastic water pipe is used for helping remove dust. I purchased an Emergency stop switch off Ebay and fitted it along with a light switch to cut power to the Estop switch because it “hums” when power is applied to it. The underside and sides of the Router Table top were painted to seal the material, then some heavy steel angle screwed to the underside, hopefully this will stabilize the top and prevent any further movement. I wanted to get the most out of my Incra jig so I came up with a way of fitting it to my 8” table saw. I used some rectangular hollow section steel to make an attachment that would be screwed onto the Incra jig then onto the Router Table using 2 coach head bolts and can be clamped onto the saw fence guide rails on my dads old 8” saw that I heavily modified a few years ago. After the top had been screwed down securely, I used a jack plane to flatten the top this took a while though fortunately the warp wasn’t too bad when I was happy with the flatness I applied a liquid wax to seal the top. I am very happy with my new bit of gear it works as hoped on trimming down stock and I am able to reliably adjust then remove .1 mm or .004” without any worry's. Thanks for looking having a look. Cheers, Stephen.

3 days ago by stevedownunder

Response

Re: Durch Auxiliary

Thank you Nerys for your compliments. Yes I will be adding ballast to the keel, but am not certain as to how much. The plan shows a waterline so think I will ballast it temporarily inside and then transfer the weight to the foot of the fin. There will be a certain amount of weight within the hull, mainly the battery, a 6v Nimh which will be placed at the very bottom of the hull. There is a full size sail winch as well, a bit of an overkill for a boat of this size, but cheap at 9.99 and runs just the right amount of sheeting out. Best wishes, Geoff.

16 hours ago by mistyoptic

Response

Re: "NAIAD" Windermere Yacht

'Naiad' is an interesting concept of a very traditional design. I like her lines and it's good to see a good old gaff rigged boat being built today. Likewise 'Emma', lovely old Bristol Pilot cutter, sailing well. You have some good boats at Buxton. Nerys

17 hours ago by Nerys

Place

BUXTON MODEL BOAT CLUB

Buxton model boat club

2 years ago by philcaretaker

Forum

Mental Health & Wellbeing Volunteers

That's the way Garth, a bit of contact, a polite enquiry and the battle's won. Happy sailing. Cheers, Nerys

18 hours ago by Nerys

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.

10 months ago by Martin555

Forum

LST 368

Hi Griss, I take it you agree with what has been said. Nerys

18 hours ago by Nerys

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

8 months ago by Nerys

Forum

Dumas Victory tug

If you want to build something like the Dumas Victory, how about building a fishing vessel with a good flaring head, then putting a traditional tug like superstructure on her. Nerys

18 hours ago by Nerys

Forum

Dumas Victory tug

A project I'm looking at is the Dumas Lord Nelson Victory tug. The purchase price is rather high so I am looking for a plan if not of the Dumas boat something close to the look of the tug. Rick

5 days ago by Newby7

Response

Re: Durch Auxiliary

Hi Geoff, What a delightful little boat you have built, I think she is absolutely lovely. Your mock up photo is great and shows her in all the glory she will have when finished. I love the mahogany planking, it will look wonderful when varnished. Seeing the picture of her hull, I think she is a lovely shape, but I hope you are going to put some ballast on her keel Nice to know that you have found pictures of all the myriad of Dutch craft and the wonderful decoration on them. Some of them have the most beautiful carving on them in places like the head of the rudder and all round the cabin doors. You are making good progress and I really look forward to seeing the end result and pictures of her sailing. All the best, Nerys

18 hours ago by Nerys

Response

Re: Scratch built, Working Steam powered Drifter trawler LT100, to 1:24th scale.

Not been around lately but have been catching up, a great blog and I like the use of timber, I always use old timber when available, Its sometimes difficult to imagine a table becoming a boat but with a little hard work and imagination its possible

19 hours ago by mturpin013

Forum

Mental Health & Wellbeing Volunteers

Huzzah!! Hot dog!! Yeehah! I’m glad for y’all, stoked that the powers that be are helping you out.

20 hours ago by Cashrc

Forum

Dumas Victory tug

how about a grand banks trawler which I have the plans for

22 hours ago by captaindoug1

Forum

Almost home made Router Table.

Hi Stephen, looks pretty nice and compact and would be nice and accurate to use. Nice to be able to adjust things that finely. The SCM (ITALY) table saw was similar to this, https://www.scmgroup.com/en_US/scmwood/products/joinery-machines.c884/sliding-table-saws.896/nova-si-400.586 but an earlier model. Beam adjusts for angles/length/stops etc, saw tilts, has a scribing saw before the main blade. Very nice saw. Neighbour who does kitchens has a similar saw (different make) so if I need anything cut, I can ask him. CKD (completely knocked down -kitset) Company I worked for (Criterion Furniture) was the biggest in NZ. Used to originally make TV cabinets and a range of speakers (Wharfdale, JVC etc,) then changed to kitset furniture,- entertainment systems, TV cabinets, desks etc. They had a sales branch in OZ and Japan as well. They originally made all of the old component cabinets (record player on top) for Technics, (Panasonic) but lost the contract to South America. We made a few million of their cabinets. The 2 brothers bought only the best machinery from Gabiani, Morbidelli, SCM, Stefani, Wadkin etc, -great machines to use. SCM owns or has merged with all of the Italian ones now. Where is your Incra made,? might see if there are any here to look at. Does it come with all the templates, or do you just buy them as required? Good tools make woodworking so much easier and neater. JB

1 day ago by jbkiwi

Forum

Almost home made Router Table.

Hi JB, The micro adjustment works off a thumb wheel with detent's each detent/notch being .05mm. The brilliant thing in my opinion is the main adjustment is done with a thread this gives you quick accurate and repeatable positioning, the thread on my one is 1mm pitch. The main use for the Incra is for doing all sorts of joints from dovetail to almost what ever you like, they supply templates that are inserted into a channel in the Aluminum extrusion, at the moment I only have a metric rule inserted. Here are a few more photos to show what I am talking about. I am guessing that SCM is a brand of table saw, though I don't know what CKD means. Sounds like an interesting piece of equipment. Cheers, Stephen.

1 day ago by stevedownunder

Blog

VINTAGE RUNABOUT

I spent a bit of time the last couple of days, setting up the electrical bits. I've made a board for the motor compartment which handles the 6v (adjustable) air pump start and the 3v (adjustable) smoke start. The smoke and air are set to start sequentially,- ie you switch the smoke system on, (modified E Cig), it heats for about 5 seconds, then the timer switches on the air pump which gives a puff of smoke out the exhausts (still to make and fit) on 'start-up'. The power for the smoke and air system comes from a 2s 1800mAh LiPo, which glips in under the front seat. This is then followed by the 12v water pump starting. Everything can be adjusted (the small V-regs) for voltage and timing, to suit the different motor voltages and smoke element. The start switching is done with a micro switch attached to a micro servo (was going to use a remote sw, but the last 3 I bought were duds, and they are getting too dear now,- used to be $6,-now 12-$15) The module in the rear compartment is a power distribution board to make it a bit easier to plug things in due to the increasing volume of 'spaghetti'. The batteries plug into the board and are linked to the ESC plugs. There is a double JST PTO on one side of the board (from 1 batt,- for the sound module and aux/light power) and a PTO from the other batt for the water pump/Vreg, (spreads the minimal drain between the batteries). 12v Pump has a micro switch, micro servo, V-reg combination for speed adjustment. A bit ugly, but reliable and cheap, (and adjustable) and using up some of the bits in the collection. All seems to work how it should, so I will seal everything up to prevent shorts (I use hot melt glue on most of my plugs and connections,- if anything melts, you know something's overloading) It's also easy to remove if necessary with a knife and pliers. Never had a problem yet,- boats or planes.

1 day ago by jbkiwi

Blog

VINTAGE RUNABOUT -NEW WINTER PROJECT?

Threw a dart at a bunch of free plans and came up with this one (old MM plan) No matter what I chose, I would always see something else and wish I'd built that instead, but this has possibilities for a few improvements to the hull and a bit of room for extra 'stuff'. I had it printed originally to A-O size, but it came out a tad large, so I scaled it back to 33" x 10" which should make a good sized model. If I'd gone with the original print size (48") it would have required a weed-eater motor, my own forest, and a trailer😁. At 33" it will suit 3ft balsa sheets. Went up to the print place and got it done yesterday, came home and did the bulkhead tracings, then transferred those to some 4mm light ply and cut them roughly to size. Later today I might give them a haircut to the final shape with my small bandsaw. Next job will be to find some spruce for the framing, which could be a challenge, as the main (almost only) model shop in Auckland, is a bit light on for most modelling wood at present. I'll build it my usual way, - upside down with a central square hardwood spine screwed to the board, with the tops of the bulkheads notched to fit over it and all blocked in place. Once planked and glassed, the spine can be cut out in the required areas. This model could take a while, as I have a dozen other jobs which need doing.

2 months ago by jbkiwi

Forum

Mental Health & Wellbeing Volunteers

Hurray! 👍😎

1 day ago by Ron

Forum

Mental Health & Wellbeing Volunteers

I jumped the gun to fast our club representative spoke to the Leander club an we are pleasantly surprised with their response so quickly please see e-mail

1 day ago by GARTH

Response

Re: Durch Auxiliary

Beautiful work, it is looking very interesting looking forward to seeing the next blog

2 days ago by Seanympth

Forum

Almost home made Router Table.

Thought it might be a few bob Stephen, but as you say, worth it for the adjustments I'm assuming it has Vernier scales on the slides. We used SCM table saws where I worked in a big CKD furniture co here, and they had all the fences etc for angles, bevels etc, and were great for accurate cutting. We worked to +.3mm -0 for everything which was nice to be able to do. They had a huge Italian Morbidelli (same family as the guy who races motorbikes) machining line about 100ft long, with micrometer scales, and you could get the board dimensioning saws to 0, pretty amazing. JB

2 days ago by jbkiwi

Blog

Durch Auxiliary

Hello Again, A little while since I let you catch up with progress on the Dutch Auxiliary Yacht, and I have been involved in adding the mahogany planking to the sides and a solid mahogany transom. The latter task was a bit tricky but was able to use clamps and rubber bands to help the glue bond. The planking was 5mm x 0.8 mm over the existing .8mm ply side. This went quite well and was only the second bit of planking I had done, so was reasonably pleased with the result. At this point I must say how much encouragement and how many constructive ideas I have received from Nerys. Her encouragement has been in the form of making my Dutch yacht have a Dutch look to it and has advised that I make leeboards for the boat which I have done, (not operational) and through experience she has advised that I deepen the rudder so that is more effective, so a second deeper rudder has been made. All this has made me search for images of Dutch boats on the Net and I am amazed at how many different designs and variations there are to look at and follow. Leeboard shapes and design are legion, so I have opted for what seems to be a suitable design for my boat. I am hopeful that with this wide variety available I will be able to evade criticism of things, ‘not being right’. The leeboards will have brightly painted head and foot, which seems to be the thing. Work has gone on well beyond what I am showing here and so my next blog will follow relatively soon, I hope. The final picture shows paper mock-up of the sails with other bits just taped in place and it is beginning to look like the picture on the packet! (Had there been one). Some of the delay has been as a result of the Woodbridge Model Boat Club reconvening and so have been sailing instead of building, which has been good. Thanks for your continued interest. Geoff

2 days ago by mistyoptic

Blog

DUTCH AUXILIARY

DUTCH AUXILLIARY. This build blog been brought about by chance and is project which fulfils a leaning toward nostalgia in a few ways. My last build had come to an end and had proved successful on the water, and I thought that building had ceased, as we humans would be released into the wild again, perhaps building would take a back seat during the summer months. But on reviewing some of the folders in my workshop I came upon a couple of plans that I had bought two or three decades ago intending to build them one day. One was a MAP plan of Tornado, a small high speed launch and the second, which is to be the subject of this build blog, ‘Dutch Auxiliary’. I remember gazing at both these models in the MAP Plans handbook of the day in the 1950's. The nostalgia kicked in and I decided I must build it. Designed for Model Maker in the spring of 1952 the construction shows all of the ideas of previous eras. When I was about 11 or 12 my elder brother, some ten years senior, bought me a book for Christmas, around the time this plan would have been published, Model Boat Building, sixth edition 1948, by F J Camm. As an impressionable youngster I gathered that, whoever he was, F J Camm must be the fount of all wisdom as he edited all the ‘Pratical’ magazines of the day , be it Wireless, Television, Motorist, Householder and so on. The design of Dutch Auxiliary follows many of the ideas shown in this book and the idea that the model should be sturdy is reflected in the use of 3/16 ply formers set at 2 inches apart in a 16 inch hull which seems a bit hefty. The junction of the stem to the keel using cross halving joint and screws seems to show how jointing then did not have the advantage of our modern adhesives. In fact I did wonder if the designer had recently retired from building Henry 8ths Fleet of warships and did I ought to go out and buy and adze! The final bit of nostalgia came from the fact that on my first holiday from work in 1979 I enjoyed a week on the Norfolk Broads with a teenage mate in Whippet 11, a small two berth yacht fitted with a British Seagull outboard and this design bears a similarity to that boat. (1930's Whippet - Broads Cruiser Renovation By Chris - Boat Renovation People (boat-renovation.com) The plan has not a great deal of detail, the bulkhead lines are shown in half section with a side view of the keel and plan view of the deck and lines, with step by step drawings of the assembly. It was to be skinned with 1/16 ply on the hull, deck and cabin top. A plain dowel for the mast and just an outline for the sailplan and simple rigging to hold up the mast, set in a brass ferrule attached to the keel. The auxiliary can be either a small diesel engine, electric or clockwork. In this relatively simple design I can see the chance to make a small model yacht which has a degree of class, if built using dark natural hardwoods, with a tapered wooden mast, hardwood booms and bowsprit. The hull can be skinned with a thinner grade of ply, say .8mm, and then planked with a similar thickness of mahogany. The cabin again would be dark hardwood as would be the seats in the well. The deck could be planked with a light wood. The power unit, with not a clockwork clock in the house and having sold my small diesels 50 years ago, would have to be an electric motor. The pics show a bit of an overview of the Plan and building will commence with next blog. Geoff

2 months ago by mistyoptic

Forum

LST 368

👍

2 days ago by Griss

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Re: Veronica

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

2 days ago by Nerys

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Re: Veronica

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/

2 days ago by Ron

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Almost home made Router Table.

Hi JB, Thanks for the complement, I think so as well. 😁 Yeah the Incra was certainly more than I would spend on a bottle of Scotch, coming in at a little shy of $700 AU, worth it I think considering the amount of versatility it offers. Cheers, Stephen.

2 days ago by stevedownunder

Response

Re: 39' Windboats Fairwind. The Helm

Clever idea Ed, looks very nice, JB

2 days ago by jbkiwi

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Almost home made Router Table.

Hi Stephen, nifty bit of kit! like the way you did the router height adjuster using the original gauge mount. What did the Incra Jig set you back,?- not the price of a tray of Fosters, I'll bet😁 JB

2 days ago by jbkiwi

Response

Re: Veronica

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 .

2 days ago by Nerys

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Mental Health & Wellbeing Volunteers

Did you try contacting them? leander.exec@gmail.com.

2 days ago by Ron

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Mental Health & Wellbeing Volunteers

Y’all have any other place to run? Maybe a public park?

2 days ago by Cashrc

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Mental Health & Wellbeing Volunteers

Just a little note from Hamilton Ontario went to the Hamilton bay to try out a model and some members where standing around ask if it was do to area now has some green algae and there was some BUT some Leander club representatives have now posted PRIVATE DOCK No Trespassing After using the dock for some time due to the pandemic I guess we have upset someone so no more sailing in Hamilton Bay . It seem that some Hamiltonians just don't like model boats and this is why the Hobby is on the decline I guess .I think we will try to get permission but I highly doubt they will change this restriction on that property . Was fun while it lasted .

3 days ago by GARTH

Response

Re: Scratch built, Working Steam powered Drifter trawler LT100, to 1:24th scale.

Hi John, Never to late I would say, that is quite an a lot to read through, I am glad you liked it. I have Ted Frosts From Tree to Sea, it is indispensable. Cheers, Stephen.

3 days ago by stevedownunder

Response

Re: 39' Windboats Fairwind. The Helm

Well done Ed Wheel looks good Rick

3 days ago by Newby7

Blog

39' Windboats Fairwind. The Helm

Maid Rosalind, 1940 Thames cruiser. Would a purchased steering wheel or a 3D one printed out from a computer be more realistic? Most likely yes, but for me that's not really the point! The challenge is to make it from scratch. There are no finished bought fittings on this boat, besides of course the propulsion and electronics. I cut down an RC server wheel for a hub, fitting brass octagonal tubing over the ’spokes’. These ran through a wood rim. Rather than shape this on a lathe, I fixed it to a Dremel and held it against a sanding block to get a perfect symmetrical shape. I filled in the tiny Allen key hole in the mounting screw with epoxy and painted the whole thing brown. Added whipping to the king spoke and brass pins in the spoke ends. It does turn!

3 days ago by EdH

Blog

39' Windboats of Wroxham 'Fairwind', built 1930s and 40s

Started another model boat project, but the grandkids will be disappointed as it doesn’t plane! It’s a 39” model of the 39’ Fairwind, built in the late 1930s, early 1940s by Windboats of Wroxham, on the Norfolk Broards, where speed is limited to 3-6 mph. Fellow modeler, Ron Wem knows a lot about these boats and got me interested. His advice and photographs have been really helpful, but there is also a surprising amount of information online. Have enjoyed researching it. My connection with the boat? I chartered one (Maid Rosalind) for a week on the Thames with school mates, when I graduated from High School aged 18 in 1966. How I persuaded them to rent it to us (3 guys, 4 girls) I will never know, but we had a blast! I had to travel up to London to visit the main base the day before (and last day of school) to prove I could handle a boat this size. Rosalind was probably 25 years old when we chartered her and she definitely wasn't modern but I remember lovely old fashioned paneling etc. She was perfect for us. We did a one way charter from Wallingford (just below Oxford) all the way to the outskirts of London. Would love to hear from anyone with an interest in these boats. I always try to use a different construction method and this time, because the chine had the same profile as the waterline for most of the boat’s length, I used the chine lines to make a ‘floor’ exactly at the waterline. Everything will be built up from that.

6 months ago by EdH

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Dumas Victory tug

Wonderful thank-you John Will look him up. Rick

3 days ago by Newby7

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Dumas Victory tug

Jay Benford designed tugs like this. Although his plans would be 100 times the cost of a kit, you could find enough information on the Internet to design your own. Do a search for Jay Benford designs or Benford Design Group. It sure looks like one of his. Just a thought Here's a pic of one. There were many. https://www.ebay.com/itm/American-Tug-Yacht-38-Designed-By-Jay-R-Benford-Cape-Bay-Shipbuilders-/203199995207

3 days ago by Johnk