Hi Stephen, and good to see you back on here and making progress, hopefully, you are fully recovered and firing on all cylinders as per the P5? On the deck planking front why make it more difficult than it needs to be, go for a more simple solution and cut a long vee section that buts together on the centerline to give a herringbone look? Remembering the fact of course that it was herring they were going for when fishing. Plus you have the front mast base, a ventilator, and a bollard all on that same centerline, so some of the join will be covered. Considering your build so far and all of the problems encountered on that journey, you will sort this to your satisfaction and not be led astray. Remembering the song"He did it his way". Regards, Gary.

Exceptionally good build, very realistic and convincing with lots of fine detail, which sets it apart from the majority of others. A really great-looking tug and I love the last photo with the lights on, and very complex-looking electronics. I think personally that such a fine build deserves a steam engine as the motive power source, and I really appreciate the fact they are expensive, but there again isn't everything these days. A model boat as good as this one deserves a power source as per the real thing. Besides that fact a beautiful build, and well done you. Regards, Gary.

Hi Mike, and well done that looks incredibly realistic on the water, and a joy to watch it go through its paces, great stuff, and a job well done and the exhaust smoke and water is a nice touch and adds a little extra realism. Regards, Gary.

I very much appreciate the fact it is not funny, but I do admire the person who likes to be different and gets away from the normal problems associated with super glue.

Hi Stephen, and really sorry to hear that, and being laid up for a week sounds pretty damn serious. Keep the Oracle by the bedside and do a bit of future planning for when you are back on your feet. Get well soon regards, Gary.

Hi Stephen, and very authentic-looking, just like the real thing in miniature. How is the deck planking coming along? Regards, Gary.

Part Two, there is three tappings, gas in from gas canister, gas out to burner, and boiler steam pressure in from boiler. Hopefully, you have a spare steam tapping on the top of your boiler, if not cut the pipe to the steam engine and fit a tee piece, or fit a small manifold to the existing tapping. If you are running at scale speed with two burners working you are going to blow the pressure valve, which is the last thing you want, and this is where your pressure valve comes in and turns the gas down to a pilot flame. Something to think about anyway. Regards, Gary. (PS. Congratulations on the Stuart Turner three-cylinder compound engine, now that is what I call a project and a very enjoyable one at that.)

Hi Murlough, I have finally found the information for you, as I had problems trying to remember the name, which is MICROCOSM and you will find them on eBay, there is a load of very well made fittings which you won't find anywhere else, do not be put off by the fact they are Chinese. I have used the gas regulators in three of my working steamboats and they definitely help to conserve both gas and water, and there are two types manual and automatic. I would recommend the manual valve as you can mount this upright and the control knob is at the top, the automatic valve needs to be laid down and the adjustment is in the middle and not easy to get at access-wise. P5 is the auto press. reg. and costs £78.00. P5B is the manual press. reg. and costs £63.00, looking on the bright side the postage is free.

Hi Murlough, well that was a bit of a surprise and a shock to the system to learn that your engine is ONE INCH bore times two, and a 5" diameter boiler into the bargain. I am now aware that that is not a small bath but it is a large boat, and I am guessing between four to five feet of it? I think you have a reasonable set up there and a very powerful boat into the bargain. It might make a degree of sense to think about fitting an automatic gas regulator that will monitor boiler pressure and switch to a pilot flame say at 40 PSI or whatever setting you chose. This will save on water and improve your running time. I can't see any problem with regard to piping the drain cocks into the separator, you could use silicone tubing with a tee piece between the two cylinders. Looking forward to seeing some more photos of that very interesting engine. Regards, Gary.

Hi Merlough, and having just consulted your first photos, yes the boiler does look on the small side considering the size of the engine, what size is the engine bore and what are the dimensions of the boiler? I normally run a 1/2" bore twin on a 3 1/2" x 6" boiler and that will run for twenty to twenty-five minutes none stop. You definitely need a gas cut-off valve to be on the safe side in case you do run out of water. A boiler feed pump and a bypass valve is the answer to this problem. Or you could go electronic and fit a water level switch wired up to a battery-powered pump motor. I promise that whatever else happens you will not get bored after ten minutes. Regards, Gary.

Hi Stephen, try and cut down on the salads until the deck is completed. Gary.

Very neat indeed, bordering on absolute perfection especially the deck planking around the edges.

Hi Stephen, wow, the deck planking is looking really great and well worth the time and effort that went into it, as the end result is both realistic and convincing and as near as you're ever going to get to the real thing. At least the amidships planking will be easier due to shorter more manageable lengths. Question how many marinade dispensers have you used to date? Or is it soluble enough to clean out after use? I particularly like photo number six looking down the length of the hull which looks absolutely stunning. Keep up the good work as it will all be plain sailing after your deck trauma is complete. Regards, Gary.

Thank you for that and very much appreciated, a few more of the same would not go amiss. That is a really nice-looking engine, pleasantly complex, and very interesting. A great bit of engineering there, and a very nice shiny rotary disc valve. I was under the illusion that the ST Launch engine was a two-cylinder compound engine, maybe I was wrong. Regards, Gary.

Forgive me for this Greg, but I have got to ask, are the two plates amidship the result of a passing torpedo accident? Sorry, a strange sense of humour which comes with age. Regards, a great-looking model you have there. Gary.

Hi Murlough, and very refreshing to find a model that actually contains a gas-fired boiler and a slide valve twin steam engine. That is either a very small (domestic test tank,) or a very large model boat, you have there. With regard to colours, a satin black above the water line and red oxide or (primer) below, seems to be the most popular choice. I would be very, very, interested in seeing more photos of the steam plant and set up, and maybe a few words of wisdom on the whys and wherefores with regard to your steam plant and what it contains? Regards, Gary.

Hi Stephen, and good to hear you have found a suitable applicator that works and you are making progress. I shall await the next episode with bated breath, and for the record, the reward comes at the end when the planking is complete, and you move on to pastures new as in the superstructure and wheelhouse. You are making a really great job of building your LT 100,(The last of the Wooden Drifters,) I very much admire your skill and determination to keep it as true as possible to the Oracle, as written by Ted Frost. Regards.

Don't forget the steam engine, to give it that degree of realism. After all, it is and was a steam-powered tug boat.

Hi Stephen, and great to see some progress on the planking front, although I do appreciate it is still in the experimental stage. I was thinking that (which I know can be dangerous at my age,) if you could apply the filler via a large plastic syringe, with masking tape almost to the edge of the planks, and run a bead of filler then level it to a degree with a small plastic scraper, and remove the tape when still wet. This hopefully will make a reasonable job of it that won't require much finishing for perfect realistic caulking, in theory anyway. I was thinking of the silicon and mastic in the cartridges, and maybe use a nozzle from a cartridge on your syringe. So there you go just an idea I had after reading your blog, and keep up the present progress as it is coming along nicely. Regards,Gary.

Hi Stephen, it is good to see you back in harness and making progress once again, one does need a little time off every now and again to get your head clear and sorted. The stanchions and capping rail look incredibly realistic as does the wooden hull, TF would be proud of you a disciple of the Oracle. Your current progress will help to sort out your counter stern and hopefully provide a template to work to. Page 107 shows the wash port gratings in detail, and just the thing for a man that enjoys a challenge like yourself. Mind overall the hull is looking really great and more realistic, intricate, and complex as your build progresses, keep up the good work. Regards, Gary.

The deciding factor between a nice boat and a great boat, will always come back to the fine detail and going that extra mile. You have achieved and created the necessary vision and atmosphere required, to convince your audience that you have built a scale model of the real thing and not a toy. A minor comment the guy who is about to paint the box when he gets his act together, put a sheet of sandpaper in his right hand as that lid needs a bit of rubbing down. Regards, Gary.

Hi Rick, and your comment is very much appreciated. I have not done much on here of late as too many problems to sort. Mind, I have to make allowances when a steam problem rears its head, and even more so if it happens to be a Mountfleet Danny Boy North Sea Drifter. Regards, Gary.

Hi Pewit, (and a proper name would be handy.) If you check out my photo number 1 you can see that the deck has been cut through the centers of the two coal filling covers and right up to the small hatch, this gives very good access to everything. Plus there is a hatch cover at the rear end for access to the steering servo, and a hatch in the front to get at the radio gear and batteries. I would suggest that you fit a gas cut-off valve as a safety and common sense feature. Plus you need good air circulation so don't glaze any portholes or windows leave them open, and fit working ventilators and fit open handles to the wooden hatch covers, this will work just fine and you won't need any ventilation fans. I would not worry at this stage about boiler certification and would concentrate your efforts on building the boat. If you need advice or have problems then get in touch and I will help you out if I can. I will be interested to see your progress in this venture so keep me posted or maybe a build log might be a good idea. As you can see from my photos good access to everything is definitely possible, and you should not need to use any ballast as there is none in mine, due to the weight of the steam plant and boiler water. Regards, Gary.

Hi Peewit, I think you have been extremely fortunate as this is a really great model, and it also has a steam plant a Cheddar no less. Worth a mention is this is an older kit before the Mountfleet fire, and this is definitely Mountfleet at its best. I will to happy to help you in your endeavor to put it all together. I would suggest a very good starting point would be to buy the book, From Tree to Sea by Ted Frost, the building of the very last wooden drifter, the Formidable LT100. I appreciate yours is a steel-hulled Drifter but very simular, and an awful lot of information in that book. I will find a couple of photos for you of my Danny Boy with steam plant. Regards, Gary.

Check out eBay, as there is a three-cylinder slide valve T3DR, 12mm bore and stroke for only $719 or £529, I appreciate this is not a triple expansion, but it is a triple at a bargain price which has to be a mistake. I am sure this is the right price for the two-cylinder T2DR, and somebody has made a mistake with the prices. Get in there quick it is the bargain of the year. Good hunting. Gary.

Hi Mick, as I remember and I am sure it's on the fly-wheel, and is a small dowel thing and they literally connect together. I have seen four of them connected together, and it looked very neat and of course quite powerful. Out of curiosity, I googled Tony Green and could not get any information on the USE engine, no mention of it at all, which I thought was rather strange. Regards, Gary.

That looks really great, you should be proud of yourself and your first attempt. In the future, you could always consider adding a second USE engine, which should make it self-starting
, and as I am sure you are aware the locking pin assures that you can't get it wrong, regarding the angle of the crank-pins on the two engines. Regards,Gary.

Yes, I'll bet that was time-consuming, a nice neat job standing like two rows soldiers. Keep up the good work it's progressing nicely.

Thanks Stephen, My prize arrived today delivered by (Wells Fargo,) thank you and a very pleasant surprise.

Easy to remember as it is the same as yours MIKE. Regards.