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    Blog
    Mast assembly
    The supplied mast is of white metal and although OK it has a number of minus points for me. 1- The mast does not lend its self to being hinged. 2- It really needs navigation light on top and the supplied casting is not suitable for this. 3- wiring needs to be hidden, not easy with the casting 4- it’s quite heavy Having said all that it’s ok if you don’t want my wish list. So on with the manufacture of a replica, I chose brass as the preferred material because it’s easy to silver and soft solder. The main legs are made from 6mm round tube, which I squeezed in my machine vice to an oval shape to look like the castings, each of the ends were then squeezed again at 90 degrees to allow then to join to the cross mid-section. I made some brass inserts for the hinged end from 2mm brass sheet, which are bent by 25 degrees to allow the hinge mechanism to sit at 90 degrees to the
    cabin roof
    , these are drilled and tapped 8BA. These pieces actually block the end of the oval tube and need to have a 2mm slot milled in them to allow the wires to exit the tube; these are soft soldered in place later. Two feet were made from two pieces of 2mm brass plate the base plate being slotted to accept the upright and finally silver soldered together. (A point here for silver soldering is to use as little solder as possible and allow it to flow with the heat around the joint this means that no filing is needed. I find it’s also good practice to quench the part when nearly cool to break the glass like residue of the flux then just steel wool is required to clean the parts). The feet upstands were then drilled 8BA clearance and the base fixing holes drilled the same size. The cross mid-section is made from 1mm brass sheet and is bent through 360 degrees whilst placing a 6mm round bar in the centre to create a hole for the top mast. A small wooden former was used as the piece was pressed together in the machine vice, this was then silver soldered to give stability and then filed to shape. This piece has to accommodate the wires passing through, so again a 2mm slot is milled from each leg location to the centre to create passage up to the top mast. The top mast is just stock tubing which then has a turned top with four 5mm holes machined at 90 degrees to accommodate the LED. This is a 5mm Flat top wide angle LED this will direct the light out of the four holes. Finally the cross piece, again stock tube with small ball finials at each end soft soldered in place and tapped 10 BA for the pulley blocks. All pieces now made, it’s time to assemble the parts using a combination of soft soldering and epoxy resin. The wire that I used was silicon sheaved, and when I soldered the legs to the mid-section and lower hinge piece I made sure there was enough wire to pull through to check if the process had damaged the wire, but it hadn’t. So having soldered the LED, the top was epoxied to the upper tube and the tube epoxied to the mid-section. Finally the mid-section was filled using Milliput but first putting some Vaseline on the wires to avoid them being stuck should I ever have to rewire the unit. Next the cross beam was added and epoxied in place. The bottom of the legs looked plain compared with the cast version so I have made some thin gauge brass covers with mock bolts as per the original. The whole assembly was cleaned up ready for a first coat of etch primer, and white primer, followed later with a final coat of appliance white
    5 years ago by mturpin013
    Response
    Building the Cabin. Part 2
    I'm assuming the antique pine stain was applied to the sides of the cabin not the roof ?
    5 years ago by mturpin013
    Blog
    Building the Cabin. Part 2
    Before the front window panels can be added to the cabin structure they need to be shaped to follow the curvature of the front deck as much as possible and then glued together with a reinforcing strip on the back of the joint. Unfortunately I made an error 😑 when shaping and jointing the parts and had to make some new panels from some thin ply that I had to hand using the old panels as a template, hence the roughly cut window apertures in the β€˜photos. This was unfortunate but I feel better for the confession πŸ™. The new window panel was then glued and pinned to the front of the cabin assembly and left to dry while in the meantime I used my hot air gun to heat and bend the roof panel to the correct curvature. The roof panel was then pinned and glued in place on the cabin framework and when dry was trimmed with a small plane and the front window panel trimmed down to the roof profile. I added some additional framing and bracing pieces at the base of the front window panels and a β€˜shelf’ which will form part of the dashboard inside the cabin. I also added some extra framing and an end panel at the rear of the roof and a thin square bead was fitted around the base of the cabin sides and front to improve the appearance where the cabin meets the deck. Before adding further detail to the cabin I used some Z-Poxy finishing resin on the roof panel to strengthen it and provide a better surface for the paint finish which comprised of one coat of white primer, two coats of gloss β€˜Appliance White’ and two coats of gloss lacquer, all with a thorough rub down between. When all the paint had dried and hardened I gave the exterior of the cabin a first coat of β€˜Antique Pine’ stain. Next I will add some detail to the deck.
    5 years ago by robbob
    Response
    Building the Cabin. Part 1
    Hi rob I have just completed a similar job on a Freeman 22 cabin cruiser, a three sided structure with a couple of additional cross pieces made from bamboo at the deck level and finally glassing the whole structure it finished as a very rigid cabin, however I appreciate you have more window apertures in yours which leaves little area for increasing strength between roof and the sides. having said all that I'm sure you will have produced a superb cabin to match the rest of the boat. all the best Michael
    5 years ago by mturpin013
    Blog
    Building the Cabin. Part 1
    The superstructure of the launch is very simple, and from a practical point it was designed to give the crew a large field of view across the river and fast access in and out to deal with emergency situations. Consequently the construction is quite basic and would be quite straightforward if permanently fixed to the boat but this cabin needs to be removable to give access to the battery location and motor. Because of this the cabin needs to be a strong and rigid structure of its own and yet fit invisibly to the rest of the model, it’s also only a three sided structure because of the open access at the rear and that alone will be a point of weakness to the structure. I started by glueing the internal bracing strips to the insides of the deck sides as described in the instruction sheet and some strips that form the base for the sides that sit on the deck, these also needs to be sanded to an angle to sit flush on the deck and also create a vertical face that some further strips are fixed to which meet the inside walls of the deck well. Although all the parts for the cabin are accurately laser cut I chose to do a dry β€˜test fit’ using pins and elastic bands to hold the side panels and roof braces together. This 'dry fit' was neccessary because I had previously decided to fit false obeche panels over the balsa sides and floor of the well to get a better surface to finish in the way I intend, balsa does not have any pleasing grain and does not look good even when stained, so I pinned all these panels in place to account for their addition to the internal dimensions of the well deck. When I was happy that the geometry of the side panels and front window panels was correct I glued all the roof braces in place and added some reinforcing fillets to make it more rigid, temporary braces were glued across the front and rear of the assembly to keep the whole thing rigid and square during further assembly. The pins and rubber bands were used to pull in the side panels while the aliphatic glue set. All of this was done with the cabin on the boat so that the correct β€˜dry’ fit converted to a permanent fit. Part 2 will continue with the addition of the front window panels and roof.
    5 years ago by robbob
    Blog
    Roof magnets
    I had from the beginning I had intended to hold all the hatches down with Neodymium magnets however as you work on, these things seem to get forgotten, so now it’s time to do some of the not so exiting tasks. I had bought some 10 x 5x 1.5 magnets so I need to machine the slots into the roof cabin quadrants. These needed to be mirrored by a quadrant that can be epoxied into the corners of each cabin area. Using the trusty Lidl disc sander I produced 12 quadrants and then after making a simple jig to hold them in place I machined the corresponding slot in each one taking note of left and right hand variants. The next job is to glue all the magnets into the roof spaces and then when they are set glue the magnets into the quadrants making sure the orientation is correct. To make sure the magnets are set into the cabin sides at the correct depth I made a temporary balsa wood frame around each cabin to rest the quadrants on while they set. Another small job complete
    5 years ago by mturpin013
    Forum
    1950s sea commander refurb.
    This old sea commander was built by my dad in the mid 50's. With the help of the wife, we have started to repair and rebuild, the wife stripped it down. Doug (RNmunich) is rebuilding my taycol supermarine ready to fit into it. So far we have relaminated some of the hull boards and cabin sides. Sealed some of the sprung joints with 2 pack epoxy. Once that's had 48 hours hardening time I will rub down and coat the hull in glass cloth and Eze-Kote. I have 1 problem, the main
    cabin roof
    is missing and I don't have any plans to remake, so if anyone can help me please let me know. Thanks for reading, watch for updates in the coming weeks. Cheers Colin.
    5 years ago by Colin H
    Forum
    1950s sea commander refurb.
    Thanks for all your comments and input. What i really need now is a copy of the templates sheet so that i can cut some new parts to replace some of the missing ones . I have ordered a new rudder, and new plexi glass for the windows. Already in hand is an Mtronics Viper marine 25 amp ESC. 12 volt 7ah battery, Futaba 27 or 40 Mhz RX. Futaba servo. Just awaiting the motor from Doug (RN in Munich). We are going to repaint the Hull in White, Cabin sides in Dark Blue,
    cabin roof
    s in White. The decks will be left as my dad made them, just cleaned and a fresh coat of varnish. the inside of the hull is well sealed already with bitumen (original) which is still allright. Next stage start rubbing down the hull ready for the glass cloth and Ezekote resin. at least i can do this indoors in the warm, workshop too d*** cold. Thats all for today shipmates, more to come, Cheers Colin.
    5 years ago by Colin H
    Forum
    1950s sea commander refurb.
    Collin, What a great project... I have recently been taking small images and blowing them up by selecting smaller areas, say the
    cabin roof
    only, then printing that on A4. Usually these files have high enough resolution to make some very readable files. if you have a computer, they usually come with some basic drawing tools like "Paint" or use paint.net.... Take the image and open with Paint, then just use the rectangular select tool to pick what you want to enlarge. Then just crop it and you have a nice separate image to save. Be sure you save under a different name so as not to loose the original file. I may be giving you information that you already know, don't mean to insult.. See my photo of some I did last night, pasted about six together to see the 1M boat sections. These are rough as they come from an image only 16cm wide, but good enough for me to build from given some drafting. Good luck with the build, I will be watching. Joe
    5 years ago by Joe727
    Response
    Broads River Cruiser Yachts
    I have only just come across these build photos and must say I really do admire both yachts the one shown sailing with the dinghy behind it particularly. I am not surprised that you were overwhelmed with request to buy the kits, to me they are simply lovely. I have a friend who purchased a real one some years ago and had it shipped to Leics and it was on the River Soar, lovely thing with a
    cabin roof
    that could be raised for headroom and canvas cabin sides. I am sure there would be lots of interest if you resumed production. Best regards Chris G
    5 years ago by ChrisG
    Blog
    Elizabeth Cabin/superstructure
    The cabin has now been finished off with a well deck, the well deck is made of balsa mostly, and the floor is oly, the well deck floor is lined as planks ( urghh ), firstly scored with a blunt Stanley type knife blade the the plank lines infilled with pencil, the floorboard nail marks are just scored with a sharp pin with a little cyno rubbed in the hole to colour the pin prick, decided to make this as an all in one removal unit, it still has to be glazed and fittings plus furniture, as in windscreen , door's consul etc: .. The deck and all other woodwork has been varnished and the
    cabin roof
    painted white, awaiting suitable weather to paint the hull, as this is done outdoors.. Muddy....
    5 years ago by muddy
    Media
    more money than sense
    last pictures l posted l painted the wave princess l changed my mind and decided to go for some planking on the decks and
    cabin roof
    s l have also done a little bit of tarting up using some brass welding rod and brass tube l am quite pleased with the out come so far. these piccys are about a month old now so she has had a god rub down and given six coats of clear varnish. l will post more piccys when l have installed the windows and frames.
    5 years ago by jimdogge
    Response
    cabin roof
    hatches
    Hi Boatshed, I have used cascamite on some of the older boat restorations, but they are mainly for display boats, but it's rather expensive for most modelling jobs, so now tend to stick to using epoxy and the best one in my humble opinion is from the poundland shop, it dries quite quickly and crystal clear, I've even replaced port holes glazing with it. (it features Tommy Walsh on the package.) Comes in a syringe, so really easy to use. Cheers Colin.
    5 years ago by Colin H
    Response
    cabin roof
    hatches
    Many thanks for your reply on my question. I wasn't sure what it was. I am still wondering does any one still use Cascamite. I have built several boats in years gone by with it. I am building an Aeronaut Classic at the moment and the glue that was recommended was Deluxe materials Speed Bond. in the instructions it doesn't state what glue to use, there is a small tube of glue with the kit but the instructions say about using dope to seal the wood it may melt the glue. Apart from that I'm far from happy with the way it is made. I would have been better off spending an extra Β£20 and getting a Sea hornet. I have had to go and buy another piece of sixteenth thick marine ply as the bottom skins do not fit the skeleton. I have used the Depron build sheet as well. I have never built a model on one of these in the past. I built a Sea Hornet in the early 70's and it's still in my shed and needs restoring, But she's still well solid. I'm not so sure that this Aeronaut Classic will stand the use and time that the Sea Hornet has. Has anyone else on here built one of these and found the same problem with it?
    5 years ago by BOATSHED
    Response
    cabin roof
    hatches
    Adhesives are a combination of Epoxy for the structural joints and aliphatic for non structural joints unless the type of material is an issue eg white metal fittings adhered to wood would be epoxy and canopy glue for transparent components.
    5 years ago by mturpin013
    Response
    cabin roof
    hatches
    can I ask please, What glue are you using on her ?
    5 years ago by BOATSHED
    Forum
    LED Tug Mast Navigation Lights
    Hello, Doug! I’m happy to report that my eyes are finally healed & I’m ready to get cracking on my tug’s LED lighting improvement project. Needless to say it’s so fantastic to be able to see again. The infection was so bad that I had to move around the house for weeks with at least one hand on the wall or I was in danger of falling or walking into the china cabinet. I lost what’s called β€œstereo vision” & had no depth perception. it was a nightmare to say the least, especially considering that the source of the infection remains unknown. But I just had a checkup at the ophthalmologistβ€˜s office & I was given the happy news that all traces of the infection are completely gone. Hallelujah!πŸ™πŸΌπŸ‘πŸ‘ BTW, did you complete your tug’s mast LED lighting project? I recall that you had finished up the mast itself & had its LEDs working. Were you able to reinstall the mast in the pilot house roof & get everything back together without any problems? At one point you had mentioned possibly making a plug & socket arrangement for the mast so that it could be removed for safer transport to the lake. Were you able to follow through with that plan or was it just is easy to simply re-install the mast? finished for your dog? if so, how did it come out? I hope all is well with you & that your many projects are all turning out successfully.
    6 years ago by PittsfieldPete
    Response
    cabin roof
    hatches
    I look forward to seeing some jigs and fixtures and of course the finished article
    6 years ago by mturpin013
    Response
    cabin roof
    hatches
    Apropos 'Inspiration' Michael'! Great stuff πŸ‘ Hinges like that are just what I want to make on my Sea Scout. I plan to make mine from 0.3mm brass and working!😲 Will also use my mini milling machine as s precision drill press as you didπŸ‘ Cheers, Doug 😎
    6 years ago by RNinMunich
    Blog
    cabin roof
    hatches
    Rear cabin hatches I have decided to make these two roof hatches detachable (not working) purely to ease the painting and rubbing down process. The hatches on the rear cabin are supplied in pieces to be glued together, so to make them detachable I drilled a hole through the base of each and glued an 8BA screw in place, these can then be secured after final painting to the roof. The hatch also has a dummy-hinged lid and small white metal hinges are supplied, however they do need some attention, such as drilling all the holes and trimming the edges. Here we go again, time for a jig! Repartition can be achieved with the simplest of jigs; all I used was coffee stirrers pinned to a block of wood and one as a locking device. The jig was then placed under the milling machine and the first hole centred, drilled and then the next hinge is placed in the jig and drilled and so on, move to the next hole until all holes are drilled. Before fitting the hinges there needs to be a separation line for the lid and hinge plate so a scored line about halfway through the ply. The hinges are fitted with epoxy and brass pins through all the fixing holes. Mid cabin hatch This is a single hatch, again a square of ply is supplied, but this is improved by adding sides, which can locate on runners, again the runners are not supplied. This hatch is also attached with a single screw epoxied into the top and a nut, after final painting. Forward cabin hatch Again, a single hatch and dealt with in the same way as the mid hatch.
    6 years ago by mturpin013
    Response
    Calculating scale speed
    Thanks Doug I hope that your not getting too stressed by my motor restoration, I'm looking at buying another supermarine, boxed unused, box looks awful but motor is still all shiny. if I can get the price down to my level it will be for the vintage history display. What esc would you recommend for the one you are restoring. Not getting much done at present as I am trying to sort out building work on new wetroom before I go for my operation. So I will be back on the models after my knee surgery is done. Checked the launch this morning using my satnav strapped to the
    cabin roof
    . After a 300 meter run at full speed it read 7.01mph. So that really was pleasing to see. Got to go sparky just arrived. Cheers Colin.
    6 years ago by Colin H
    Blog
    Life Rings
    The white metal fittings supplied with the kit are somewhat lacking in detail and some are overweight to say the least. I decided to produce some life rings to my specification I had tried to find suitable replacements on the web without success. So how to produce the ring part. I first tried with plywood but the finish achievable was not acceptable (can be seen in the pictures) so I then decided to use Bamboo (Ikea phone stand) for those who have followed from the start the same material as the grating on the foam tanks. First I cut some rough circles out of 10mm bamboo sheet and drilled a 10mm hole so it can be mounted on a 10mm screw mandrel. This allows the piece to machined on one side and then reversed and machined on the other side. The tool I used was ground with a 22 mm radius to produce the shape on one side of the ring and then when reversed and machined again the tool actually β€œparts off” the ring on the inner diameter leaving the ring free on the now remaining peg, the finish on the bamboo was good enough without any further sanding. The next step was to put a slot in the OD at 90degree intervals to hold the β€œrope” in position while the rope is bound in four places. The easiest way was to make a jig to hold the ring and to keep the rope in place while it’s glued into ring, it can then be removed and bound in four places each turn being super glued to keep it in place. Next job is to give a coat of sanding sealer that stiffens the rope and seals the wood. The rings are theoretically held to the
    cabin roof
    with clamp type brackets so again to ensure consistency I machined a piece with a suitable profile. I then cut radial slices to create individual brackets. The rings will actually be fastened to the
    cabin roof
    with 2 x 8BA bolts this is to enable them to be removed for painting of both the ring and the roof. At a later painting stage, I will be giving them two coats of grey primer and three coats of white, then hand painting the rope loops with red paint. The finished rings are much lighter and hopefully look more realistic.
    6 years ago by mturpin013
    Forum
    How to Create water tight seal?
    Any suggestions for creating a water tight seal? I am using clear hockey tape around the
    cabin roof
    which seems to keep water out, but over the open cockpit is where I am placing a cover which is suppose to keep water out of this area. I also poured polyurethane on the floorboards of the cockpit to provide a good seal and caulked the seams too.
    6 years ago by Ronald
    Blog
    Cabin
    Continuing with the cabin, trying to keep it light in weight. The sides and inner former's made up, started on the front windscreen's. Forgot the procedure about cutting the windows and then fitting the veneer, fitted the veneer and had to cut out the windows veneer and 3mm ply all glued up. Once the apertures were marked out, purposely drilled though from the veneer side just trying to avoid any splitting of the veneer, it worked. Fitted the front screens and reinforced the framework with 5 min epoxy, a quick sand down and all was well. Next item was the roof, as i wanted a light as possible upper works decided on .8mm ply, it looked and felt a little fragile, but once the Titebond glue was applyed all held down with elastic bands, also using 3 strips of 3/8" x 1/8" Obechie longitudinally down the top of the
    cabin roof
    to help stop ant edge "Barrelling" at formers. Regards Muddy.
    6 years ago by muddy
    Forum
    46Firefloat Mk2 paint
    Knowing v little about radio waves and antenna construction, I'm happy to accept your line. My assessment was purely on trying to identify the teardrop's purpose and matching its shape to similar units in RAF use. it was usual for ships then - merchant and military - to have a DF system and it just seems logical for a vessel with search and rescue responsibilities to have one! Positioning of nav lights was subject to complex rules in the 1950s and still is! One thing, that I don't think has changed, is that the for'd steaming light must be mounted a significant height above the red/greenside lights. The
    cabin roof
    would not be enough! Interesting that we both have similar lengths of experience associated with similar naval vessels. Maybe we crossed paths sometime gone!!
    6 years ago by astromorg
    Forum
    46Firefloat Mk2 paint
    Hi Astromorg, Hmm! Your assessment throws up some interesting questions! 1 if the 'teardrop' is a DF antenna what frequency band was it intended to detect? it's way too small to contain the multiple antenna elements necessary to detect, and determine the angle of incidence, of any frequency in common use at that time. I've also never seen a microwave waveguide that shape. if DF I would expect a rotating loop antenna in that era. 2 it's my conviction that the tear drop on the Vickers Wellington is a streamlined VHF antenna. Or just possibly a radar detector much later in the 'grand ruckus'. 3 Why would a Fireboat need a DF set anyway? 4 Some photos clearly show a forward facing lens (white disc) in the teardrop. 5 Such boats when tied up to a mooring buoy instead of the dock would require a 360Β° visible light. Hence mast-top is the favourite mounting place. 6 Visible angle is primarily a question of the lamp and lens construction and not necessarily the mounting position. 7 A stern light providing the 'fill in all round' is a contradiction of the purpose of running lights which are so constructed and mounted as to help the observer to determine which way the vessel is moving. Forward and aft lights visible 180Β°? red and green 90Β°. Which combination you can see helps indicate which way the vessel is moving; towards or away from you. Conversely the single anchor light should be visible from any angle. it can be yellow to distinguish it from a running light. Current regulations also recommend the use of deck lights while at anchor. 8 I agree re position halfway up the mast for the forward running light, BUT, as the masts on these vessels were often folded down the permanently fixed forward running light on the
    cabin roof
    would make sense. But then, that's only my opinion! And what do I know?😲 I only worked in communication engineering for 45 years, the last 32 of 'em in integrated Naval Communication Systems, on all types of vessels from Fast Patrol Boats through FACs, OPVs, corvettes, frigates, conventional subs and up to Escort Aircraft Carrier. Cheers, Doug 😎
    6 years ago by RNinMunich
    Forum
    46Firefloat Mk2 paint
    The mast top light is most likely the Anchor Light and the one on the
    cabin roof
    a running light.😎 I figured Robbob would have the gen Gen πŸ‘
    6 years ago by RNinMunich
    Forum
    46Firefloat Mk2 paint
    Looking closer you can see a small forward facing light built into the mast support at the front of the
    cabin roof
    . it has a small vee shape on the top to hold the mast when folded down.
    6 years ago by Colin H
    Blog
    Cabin/Superstructure
    Upperworks, this launch has a long cabin and a well deck ( Gin Parlour ).. Sides were traced out and cut from 1.5mm ply, internal formers are 3mm ply, spacers and struts Obechie, the cabin front is formed with Balsa which will be covered in 1.5mm ply, all the external faces have been veneered in Mahogany, except the roof which will be probable a piece of ply. The old favourite 1 inch ring saw came into play again for the cutting out of the windows. Applied the veneer after cutting out the windows, have found this easier and it tends not to split and crack the veneer, so one has to recut the window openings but its a very quick and easy job if you use a 1/2 inch drum sander in something like a Dremel hobby type drill. I,m afraid we have the oposite of Rain stopped play , its Sun stopped play at the moment.. You may notice the "Old Batteries" and cans, used as weights to hold down / compress the veneer, also the Jig saw, bolted to a piece of ply and then clamped into the B&D Workmate, I aint got room for a bandsaw which i would love, so this lash up has done me proud for a few years. Regards Muddy....
    6 years ago by muddy
    Forum
    46Firefloat Mk2 paint
    Is there a white navigation light on the centre on the fore
    cabin roof
    .
    6 years ago by Elsrickle
    Response
    The Saga of the
    cabin roof
    or - Arrrgh!
    Did you mean me John? Or Mike? I had considered planking but my mahogany planks are very very thin about 0.5mm x 5mm wide, and I would still have had the problem of 'warping on' a plywood base skin. So I persevered with the mahogany veneer and I'm happy now with the result of making it in two pieces. matching the edges for the centre line joint took the most time πŸ€” More power to your plank cutters GentsπŸ‘
    6 years ago by RNinMunich
    Response
    The Saga of the
    cabin roof
    or - Arrrgh!
    Could you plank it or would matching the joints be hard to do?πŸ€”. I suppose they could be veed to disguise them?πŸ€”πŸ‘
    6 years ago by onetenor
    Response
    Emerald - ''Round the Word'' ocean racing yacht.
    Main Sheet Modification: Yachts of this nature, would be fitted with a Traveller, which would be used to help shape the Main Sail. Also, the route of the main sheet, has a lot of twists and turns to get out of the cabin and up to the Boom. Plus, it has to pass through the tube and bend at its edge. The starting point of the control would be from the cockpit, especially if it is a Single Handed yacht. The ideal place for the traveller, would be on the roof of the cabin. To keep physical disruption to a minimum, I decided to use the original boom running gear pulleys. The termination of the MainSheet would now be at the traveller on the cabin. 1. The cleat was removed from the cockpit, and the eye bolt was replaced by an S hook, screwed to the cockpit deck( see picture 1). 2. A hole was drilled in the cockpit, adjacent to the cabin hatch, and in a direct line with the main Sheet control system. This will allow the main Sheet to pass directly from the cleat. Through the pulley assembly (withought going round the pulley), and straight aft to the cockpit. 3. A brass tube was glued into the hole, flush with the cockpit surface and extending inside, towards the mainsheet control system (see pictures 1 and 2). 4. The Traveller was formed from a length of brass rod, (approx 300mm long), formed to the same curve as the
    cabin roof
    . Slide the pulley onto the rod so that it runs freely. Make a 90 degree bend at each end, the length of the traveller apart. These 2 legs will pass down into the
    cabin roof
    , leaving about 10 mm for the pulley to run from end to end. Plus about 10mm at each end of the rod, which will be bent up against the inside of the roof and glued. (see picture 3 & 4). 5. Mark the
    cabin roof
    where the traveller is to be mounted. I chose to mount the traveller directly under the boom pulley. I have made a revised sketch which is taken from the original plans for guidance. See picture 5. Note: make sure the pulley is mounted on the rod between the two bends. 6. Drill the holes in the cabin, pass the ends of the rod through the holes. I put a 10mm piece of wood under the traveller rod, next to the hole. This allows you to hold it securely, while you bend the rod out, on the inside of the cabin. Apply plent of glue or resin to secure it. Do the same at the other end of the rod, and leave to set. With the cockpit removed, and the mainsheet control system in place, take the free end of the main sheet and pass it through the new hole in the cockpit. The cockpit can be secured by the 4 locking pulleys. Now pass the mainsheet through the S hook and up to the boom. Adjust the S hook to suitable angle. When the yacht is rigged, the mainsheet is passed up to the end of the boom pulley, along the boom, over the pulley and down to the traveller pulley. With the tx/ex active, pull the mainsheet right in, and the trim set right out (this allows for final tightening).Secure the mainsheet to the eye of the pulley, ( I use a figure of 8 knot ). Now adjust the trim on the joystick to pull the main Sail tight. Finally, run the servo right out, and back in a few times, to make sure it works properly. Move the boat round so the wind cones from a different angle, and watch the traveller as the sail is pulled in and out. Now you are ready to sail. May your wake be long and straight. Ray 😎
    6 years ago by East-RN
    Forum
    46Firefloat Mk2 paint
    Unless described as flat, paint was more often a brighter satin than matt and rarely actual gloss. White will always have been an off white as the components of paints were such that it was not possible to get a really bright white. I know that for a fact as my grandad always made his own and until PEP in the mid 60s (Plastic Emulsion Paint) there was no such thing as brilliant or appliance white. Unfortunately getting an decent off white is not easy these days since Plastikote went acrylic and their previously excellent paints started eating themselves on recoating. I now use enamels exclusively. They are densely pigmented, flexible and modern enamels dry pretty quickly. I am using a black enamel primer on my Crash Tender, which I will then spray with black "gloss" from the same range, which, once thinned with white spirit, will dry a little less than glossy. I still don't have a matt brick red for the undersides, but it can be made matt-ish with a careful rub down with 1000 grit wet and dry used wet and soapy, but be careful not to sand through, so very lightly does it, even 1000 grit can cut well when new. Decks were said to be Cerrux Light Deck Grey, anti-slip, which means a textured surface. That would be darker looking due to the surface texture's way with the light. The cabin sides were described as "smooth", i.e. same as the decks but not anti-slip. The roofs? Well, on Vosper's drawing "white" is crossed through and "Grey" written in. But, some pics do look white, the best pics look darker by a whisker than the sides and the roofs are clearly textured as they show evidence, as do the decks, of filth which will sit in the texture. You choose. NOBODY has yet given us chapter and verse. The fact is, an already very handsome boat looks so very pretty with white roofs. But they too should be off white if you can get it! Good luck. Fittings, btw can be had from SLEC in Watton in white metal. Basically the old Yeoman fittings, masters now owned by IP Engineering who bought them to cast when they owned Vintage Model Boat Company. Now they've sold that to SLEC, but I don't think SLEC have white metal casting facilities, so probably cast by Ivor still. I have just had a set for my birthday and they're excellent. They do need careful cleaning up as in mould lines need to be filed/scraped/sanded to a decent finish and then given good primered surface. No hook though, but it does include nav and riding lights. This site also has masts for sale in plastic, but I made my own in brass as I will the hook and davit. I have also just had a set of crew figures cast from my patterns and they will be available soon...a driver(Helm), a boss with binoculars and a lazy slob laying around in the after cockpit. Needs a roll-up to finish his look. No idea of price yet as don't know how much rubber to mould or resin to cast for a set. Yes, 1/16th scale. All this to finish a model I had 55 years ago! But I reckon it deserves it. Martin
    6 years ago by Westquay
    Forum
    Robbe Smaragd
    On the original kit, there were no portholes or windows. it was all done by transfers. Grey pieces of paper, slid onto the cabin sides. I cut the holes to the shape of the transfers. Then I planked the sides around the window frames, from deck to roof. Then I used some old cd cases, to cut and shape the window glass. it worked quit well. πŸ‘
    6 years ago by East-RN
    Response
    20th Scale ELCO 80ft PT boat part 1
    Agree 'Steamgerd' πŸ˜‰ I also find the aerosol paper glue very good. It doesn't soak and stretch the paper. Used it for the new
    cabin roof
    for my Sea Scout. The glue sticks can sometimes be a bit 'lumpy' if they are not absolutely brand new! πŸ€” Above all, apply to the wood and not to the paper.πŸ‘ Cheers, Doug 😎
    6 years ago by RNinMunich
    Forum
    LED Tug Mast Navigation Lights
    Hi Pete, Hope the eyeballs are better πŸ‘ Think I've now got the ultimate configuration 😊 (or the possible, tentative, subject to committee approval and board resolution, potential penultimate configuration 😲) See attached pdf. All new stuff is in red. Thinking is as follows, according to the mast diagram you sent me- L3; NAV & Towing in parallel 2 ccts; one for the port & stbd in the
    cabin roof
    , one for the white rear NAV & Towing, yellow, on the mast pointing aft. L4; 2 white deck working lights plus new LED for the cabin light - white or yellow/amber. Your choice. I might be inclined to go for yellow as bridge lighting tends to be not too bright so it doesn't impair the night vision of the watch. Could be why it was a bulb in the first place - softer light ? R2; Anchor light at mast top only. Makes no sense to combine with running (NAV) lights etc. R3; The three new white running lights on the mast pointing forward. L2 and R4 remain as they are for searchlight and horn. Now working on the corresponding wiring sketch. More tomorrow. Cheers, Doug 😎
    6 years ago by RNinMunich
    Blog
    Main cabin Deck!
    OK, couldn't wait painted the main cabin deck! I'm using Humbrol #RC417 Coach roof off white! Couldn't find the right light grey in matt finish! So, decided on the coach roof off white. Which looks like a shade of light grey! Have put three coats! Will put another coat for good measure! Have to let it dry over night! To then paint the main cabin boarder......
    6 years ago by figtree7nts
    Blog
    Windows Completed!
    Three days painting windows. Thought I'd never finish! The handrails turn out a little crooked, don't know how! It's a good thing I don't drink! Now onto the Captain's
    cabin roof
    and the fiddley deck roof! Soon, I'll be able to paint the main cabin deck! Maybe tomorrow, will be a good day to paint the main cabin deck!
    6 years ago by figtree7nts
    Blog
    Over Spray!
    OK, just realized there is some over spray on the Captain's cabin windows! On the inside that is. Too late to do anything about it! Chalk it up to experience I guess!😲😀 Good thing the pilot house windows. Where protected by the pilot house roof!
    6 years ago by figtree7nts
    Blog
    cabin roof
    s
    Theoretically this should be a very straight forward process and a change from rubbing down the hull so let’s look at the instructions – what instructions! First of all fit some thin card to the sides of the cabin walls to allow for a clearance fit (cornflakes packet) then some minor trimming of the spars to give an exact ,(not tight) fit across the side supports, I decided to pin each of the parts together as well as epoxy in the joints. I always find the best approach is to use a jig to drill pilot holes for the pins ensuring that the pins do not split the wood and the construction is accurate. The frame is then glued up and placed back in the boat and left to dry next job is to fit the corner strengthening pieces, the easiest way I found was to put a card support for the corners to rest on whilst they set still in the cabin structure. Looking forward I had decided to retain the cabin lids with Neodymium magnets so I machined a slot in the corner pieces underside to house the magnets, to be fitted at a later date. Next job is to fit the roof skins which again will be pinned using the 0.7mm brass pins. The roof skins are now epoxied in place so I need to mark out the position of the secondary panels. Looking at the pieces and the instructions the spacer frames seem to be the same size but I was sure I’d read somewhere that these overhung by 2-3mm, reading Robs blog conformed this to be the case. So some trimming required before fitting and marking out the appropriate position then being glued into position. The mid cabin was assembled in exactly the same way
    6 years ago by mturpin013
    Forum
    Crash Tender davit info...
    I have done some more digging and I hope this confirms the colour scheme for the boat. please see the reply I received from:- Donald Smith RAF MARINE CRAFT HiSTORIAN Hello, Colour scheme for the above boat is as follows. Black topsides, red oxide anti-fouled bottom separated by a 2in white waterline. All decks dark grey anti-slip deck paint, cabin sides light grey,
    cabin roof
    s white anti-slip deck paint. Mast-white, monitors red, crash ladder and davit silver/aluminium. An RAF roundel is centred 5ft 4in back from stem and 2ft 1.5in above mean waterline. The centre red disc 4in Dia., middle white circle 8in Dia., and the outer blue circle 12in Dia. The bottom of the white bow numbers should be 2ft 7in above mean waterline. They are 9in high by 6in wide with a 1.5in stroke width and a 2in separation between each number. The forward end of numbers 3 or 4 on the starboard side is 12in back from the outside of the roundel (Port side similar). The main FIRE letters are 2ft 6in high by 2ft wide with a stroke width of 6in and a separation of 6in between letters. The base of the letters is 7.5in above mean waterline. Transom numbers are 10in high by 8in wide and a stroke width of 1.5in and a separation on 2in. Base of numbers to be 1ft 5in above mean waterline. Draft marks are 3in high with a 0.5in stroke. I hope this meets with your requirements. Yours faithfully Donald Smith RAF MARINE CRAFT HiSTORIAN.
    6 years ago by mturpin013
    Forum
    Crash Tender davit info...
    mturpin, if you would like to try contacting those organisations/people it would be wonderful. I would do it, but I'm in and out a lot lately and can't seem to settle to anything more than half an hour. So if you would take on that task there would be a lot of grateful people. I've even read recently that one such person claims the decks were bare and the cabin sides were a bluish shade! I painted my removable roofs today and I can see why people choose white! it would look a bit too grey, but that's going to be a purely aesthetic consideration. I have found a method of producing non-slip, using Chines five spice powder! Hate the stuff, but it goes onto some Lidl's coloured lacquer, available for 2 cans for a fiver(!!!) which is proving to be lovely resin rich enamel paint. I'm off back tommorrow to get some white, just in case. I have white cellulose, but can't use that over the enamel. The Baufix paint dries very quickly for an enamel with a lovely finish. I have some excellent matt varnish if needed. Please let us know how your enquiries go. Cheers, Martin
    6 years ago by Westquay
    Blog
    54 year old Crash Tender
    I would like first to say that this is NOT a restoration. It has always been mine and followed me around all those years, been used extensively on Oyster beds on the Essex coast and Valentine's Park in Ilford, Essex...even the great Victoria Park, of which my Granddad was a founder member. It has eaten its way through lantern batteries out of number which my Dad, who was in the business could magic from thin air. There was always a nook in the boot of the Triumph Town and Country saloon and then the Austin Westminster for another new lantern battery, which the Taycol would destroy in about 20 intermittent minutes of left, centre, right, centre from the REP single channel gear. How I wish I still had that, but it was stolen. The REP, that is, the Taycol remains, restored and cleaned and like new again waiting to go back in the boat. I finally decided I should finish it. My wife bought me a set of white metal fittings by Yeoman out of IP Engineering, so I have no excuse. Not that I need one. It has suffered a bit over that half a century, losing odd panels, but they are easily remade and replaced. First, I had to clean out the insides of the detritus and loft life of decades. Vacuuming, scraping with a pointy thing and brushing with a stiff brush, followed by more vacuuming using a clever attachment that my dear wife thought might be useful and it was, being at least a dozen stiff, but small diameter tubes poking out of the end of a nozzle. It both pokes and nudges the old dirt and dust and sucks it away. After that the old thin mahogany deck planks, my friend thought to add in the late 60s were removed and saved where salvageable as I quite like them for trim on other boats. The deck was rather brutalised with a coarse rasp and any loose nails punched back in flush or slightly below. Then some way too old, but still good, epoxy (WEST) was used to slar all over the decks and most of the insides, even some of the cabin sides. That will be finished before dark today. I can hardly believe the epoxy still works, but it does, perfectly and so is pressed into use. In this warm weather it set very quickly. I did my usual trick of squeegeeing it on into the grain with an old credit card or Gummi, which is a sample block of silicon. Styrene will also do. I use some spare 2mm stuff I was given (that guy at IP Engineering again). The roofs had already been corrected the other evening and heavily cellulose sanding sealed. The forward cabin removeable roof was unwarped by having a tight fitting diagonal piece of pear pressed in under the top skin and glued. The new hatch on that roof was made and the shape of the roof and hatch runners changed slightly, as per drawings from this site. Here are pics. of the work today. The above resinning, the remade cabin panels a new wheelhouse bulkhead and the tow hook base panel, finally a new aft cockpit rear coaming which it never had but should have. Cheers, Martin
    6 years ago by Westquay
    Response
    Seaplane Tender 360
    Hi Bryan, If you want to do the SOE version she was most likely painted all matt black! The colour of skulduggery πŸ˜‰ What ever you do, despite your good intentions to retain the 'old patina', judging by the photos you are in for a complete strip back and redo. Just as I have discovered with the PTB I bought. Thought it would just be a 'cosmetic job', flatten back and respray with Pacific green camouflage. Ho ho ho! Pics show what she currently looks like after cleaning off layers of enamel, and discovering that the prop shafts and rudders were misaligned and the chine strakes glued to the paint. 😑 Never mind an engine room fire when I tried to test the 'as bought' motor installation. 😭 Since those photos I have fitted new a new chine strake and started reinforcing the thin hull with glass fibre tissue. Next issue; set prop tubes properly and make an alu bracket to mount both the motors. Then set the rudder stocks correctly. Last thing I want is to dampen your enthusiasm, but that hull looks like it needs oodles of TLC. πŸ€” Be aware of what's ahead of you and plan accordinglyπŸ‘ Deck looks pretty neat, if unusual for a WW2 in service boat! As far as I can tell from the photos it's not just the
    cabin roof
    which is warped 😲 cabin and window frames will also need some attention by the looks of it. Before you run that motor I would strip it, clean all parts and check brushes and commutator for wear. See my Sea Scout blog 'Taycol Target motor' for a 'How to'. Should run well with a 3S LiPo, 11.1V. These boats weren't the fastest, 28 - 30 knots I believe. Which is why ST360 was reduced to more mundane duties after try outs by SOE. Don't forget some spark suppression!! Good luck, whatever you decide to do have fun doing it, Cheers Doug 😎
    6 years ago by RNinMunich
    Forum
    Crash Tender davit info...
    Martin. The 'Deck Anti-Slip Finish' bit is on page 4 near the top. Re: Colours. As there seem to be no colour photographs or film of the boats the question of colours for the decks, cabins and roofs is open to speculation but you are quite correct to point out that the plans do not specify white for anything other than the hull markings. The
    cabin roof
    s I believe would indeed have a textured coating as the crew were required to stand on them to operate the monitors etc. but I decided not to replicate the texture as is would just look like a bad paint job! I did carefully consider the colour options when painting my boat and decided to texture the deck and paint it in the colour specified β€˜BS631 RAF Light Grey’ but to leave the
    cabin roof
    s untextured and painted white as that seems to be the consensus, and to my eye it does look 'right'. It is also a great shame, as you say, that one of the most popular RAF boats were so few in numbers and not well documented or photographed during their service life. I have a suspicion that a book of drawings and specifications does exist somewhere as I have seen a few pages that appear to have 'Ministry of Supply' indexes and page references. The 'Plans & Docs' section of this site has some useful information and some 'photos and drawings but they are of very poor quality and resolution. Wouldn't it be nice if whoever has that resource were to make it generally available, I believe it's out there somewhere. We can only hope. Robbob.
    6 years ago by robbob
    Forum
    Crash Tender davit info...
    Robbob, thanks very much for that. I can work with that. I looked through your blog, but couldn't find the bit about how you did the textured surface on the decks, but I seemed to keep missing it. I don't suppose you could point me to the right page number? I was thinking of doing the same thing myself. I don't know if you saw my thread on colours, but I was wondering if the roofs were white at all. The best pictures we have of the boats show the cabin sides to be a slightly lighter colour than the roofs and decks. Could it in fact be the case that the roofs were also textured and therefore not white at all. The drawing I have that describes colours doesn't mention white, except for the FIRE writing. it otherwise mentions greys only. What do you reckon? Cheers, Martin
    6 years ago by Westquay
    Forum
    Warped wood
    Central heating. Death to nice wood. I have had central heating for the first time in my life these last 2 years and my china cabinet, which my Grandad made in the late 1920s has a crack you can pass a match through in the bow top. Grandad would be furious! But I've cut a diagonal in pear and forced it in under the smaller roof and that's sorted that one and the larger roof is already repaired in three corners with the fourth tomorrow. Already getting the slight droop out of the bigger one and glued with epoxy. I was delighted to find the square connector of the Taycol coupling still there along with the original Mersey Marine bow fender. Also the speed controller of my Proxxon drill, which went home very soon after I got the drill, so I ripped it out and wired straight through, so it's been flat out ever since! I wouldn't be without it though! I shall be pressing my epoxy into use to coat the ply both sides, using an old credit card to press it into the grain. Then this 54 year old baby will be good for another 54. Cheers, Martin
    6 years ago by Westquay
    Forum
    Warped wood
    Evenin' All, I had the same problem with the
    cabin roof
    of Dad's 1962/3 built Sea Scout. First I thought I could just remove the ply tops and flatten them, hot water and then under a car battery overnight. But the ply was cracked and curled just at the overhang so even after gluing, soaking and straightening it was still cracked and useless. So finally I soaked the frame alone in hot water and left it under the battery for a day and a night, with suitable wedges to get the right shape . In the meantime I made new roof skins from 1.5mm mahogany. Worked out quite nice in the end. Took a while though to get it right, especially along the centre line seam. Then I set 5mm round neodymium magnets in the corners, with counter parts set on wooden brackets inside the cabin walls to hold it on at speed on the wet stuff. Before assembling and varnishing with Lord Nelson spray gloss varnish I sealed all parts with two coats of Lord Nelson spray wood seal. Survived it's sea trials quite well. https://youtu.be/zPgYicA0yGw Penultimate pic shows the before πŸ€”, last pic shows the after πŸ˜‰(while fitting new tinted windows) Cheers, Doug 😎
    6 years ago by RNinMunich
    Forum
    what have I got?
    Bryan, yep, that is a Bassett-Lowke. I was going to say, but wifey has had me out doing stuff on and off all day. I can't moan as she's bought me a new RC set for my birthday next month. I think your Bassett-Lowke motor will be fine and the new mags from Oz sound great. My Basset-Lowke goes well with its own mags so far and is going in my Darby One Design stepped racer (a la Oulton Broad). I would keep it all as is, just do some repairs. That
    cabin roof
    looks like it could be repaired or replaced without spoiling things. Cellulose sanding sealer is your best friend on plywood models as it puts that slight amber tinge to the wood, existing or new. Doug's yer man to advise on batteries and lecktricks generally. Looking forward to seeing this progress. Cheers, Martin
    6 years ago by Westquay


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