Agree totally with the photocopying and sticking on card, however, one has to be careful - sometimes the printer distort the drawings to fit onto the paper - this is especially evident when using plans from magazines. I believe Martin the Scots Martin as I call him :-) he had a lot of trouble copying frames, due to distortion. So, anyone photocopying - word of caution check there is no distortion.

John

Hi there

As has been suggested, there are several other methods for transferring from plans to the building materials. It depends on your own self and your own preference. The more practice the better your skills become with less mistakes. Pick a method or try several until you find one which suits you.

I prefer the tracing method - to me this does have several advantages - especially when producing a complicated hull shape. You can lay your tracings on top of each other to ensure your tracings all run true. The other advantage is, when you place the tracing on the materials that you are going to use, you can move them around so you gain the best use from your materials with the least wastage.

Couple of images from a few builds that I have done. If you would like to read through a few complete builds for the beginner - there are a series of builds in the masterclass section of Mayhem. Starting with a very easy Swordsman build and ending with the build of RAF Whaleback - diagonally planked.

hi there, nice looking model. Yes I built this one as well. It is a pleasure to sail on the lake - if you have a look in My Harbour you will see there are a few photographs of the one I built.

hi there, I don't know what went wrong with my posting - but - anyhow, I built this model a few year ago of the original version of Virgin Atlantic Challenger - the one that sank. I had a similar motor setup to what you have in your model and it would never plane properly. I believe the problem to be where the prop tubes exit the hull; behind the last step; there is a build up of vacuum created by the props. This stalls the boat. It makes the boat underperform. In some future time, I intend to remove the prop shafts from my model and move them further back and also to make the prop tube angle slightly steeper to give the props more clearance from the back end.

new boat

hi Martin, if you removed those thick lumps of plywood from underneath the motor mounts - shaved a bit off the bottom of the motor mounts - so they fit snuggly into the bottom of the hull - using this method would this not allow you to fit the motors directly in line with the shafts and dispensing with the belt drive.

John

Couple of pics of home made motor mounts that would be suitable for your model. Also, your motors may be a little too large for that model. I myself would go for MFA Low Drain 550s.

Hi,

Hows about mounting the motors upside down? That should give you ample clearance between your hull and the motors - and - you will be able to mount them closer to your prop-shafts. I have done this myself on the Seaforth Clansman and it works just as good as normal mounted motors . But as they say one has to suit oneself :-)

John🤓

Hi this may help you out

john

hi there

You may already know about this site, but, this is the Dock Museum Website - this is where HMS Ajax was built and, although, the photographs are a bit small they may still help you out. Be warned, you can spend many an hour on this website - just looking at images :-) .

http://collections.dockmuseum.org.uk/mwebcgi/mweb?request=record;id=15399;type=1

hi there,
I know this may be a bit late in the day, however, I have really enjoyed reading through this build. I have a question, Stephen, have you read the book ' From Tree to Sea by Ted Frost' its the building of a steam drifter.

It is an extremely interesting read on how old fashioned boat building was done and there are loads of sketches & etc.

Don't give up Mr Scotsman - 🤗 - the Castle Class hull was started 2 years ago - and I have just started to finish off the hull now - because I commenced the build of an Island Class vessel, HMS Lindisfarne, which I am more than half way through now.

Never in the field of human conflict have I ever done more than one hull at a time - but here I am now with 2 on the go - contemplating a third one 😁 so don't shelve it - but sit back for a while and the golden rule will always be nothing is ever perfect, so, don't try and make it perfect. Your frames may be slightly out and you compensate for the errors when you come to plank and fill with car body filler to correct the errors. Nobody will ever know once you have slapped some paint on it.

john

hi Fred

Have you given much thought of how you are going to construct the hull? I know the original was bread and butter balsa. Then, I believe, they came up with the vac-formed hull.

When I built mine I used the templates for the shape of the hull that is given in the plan to construct frames. I planked the hull.

Lovely little model they are to sail. I have sailed mine in many a steering competition. The only thing I had to do was make the rudder larger - as - it didnt respond to helm in reverse and it just decided which way it was going to go by itself.😁

John

hi there Phil

In theory, it would really be better if you could go back to the bare wood. That gives the Z-Epoxy a good surface to adhere to without any interference from shall we say flaky or loose paint. Also, the Z-Epoxy would penetrate the first layer of plywood skin and toughen it right up and it would possibly amend any soft areas in the plywood. If you leave paint on, you are relying on the paint having a good bond with the plywood and then relying on the Epoxy not having a reaction to the paint as well.

So best is to try and remove as much of the paint as possible.

I have a feeling this will be a sort of old lead based paint. So, you could use some chemical paint stripper but be very careful - obviously painting a small test area of the hull at first and - this will enable you to see if this works. If this does work, obviously strip the hull back and then rinse the hull off with warm, clean water. Dry the hull, rub it down with a light sand paper and then apply the Z-Epoxy.

There are plenty videos on You Tube showing you how to use Z-Epoxy if you are unsure. But, you can always ask here on the Forum and we can all chip in with our ideas to help you along.

I do enjoy a bit of detective work - I believe that this hull was constructed from the Vic Smeed plans. What gave it away was that there was a number written on one of the frames which corresponds with a number on the plan for that correct frame. Also, there are 2 support blocks at the stern for the rudder posts which are also drawn in on this plan.

I thought that this was a Veron kit - but - now after further investigation it strongly suggests that it was from the free plan which I used in conjunction with other material to build my model.

See attached - so therefore if we look back at the leak problem I am now wondering if there is a crack along the keel which is hidden by the paint. My method would be to sand the paint all the way back (removing all the paint off the bottom of the hull) and once the hull is nice and clean and wiped down with acetone & give it a coating of Zap Z-poxy finishing resin. No matting is required.

John

Hi there Phil,

Thank you for the comments on the boat. The hull bottom paint was Humbrol Brick Red number 70 with a coating of satin varnish over the top of it.

The white was Humbrol 130.

The fittings I made them basically myself - however, I know Battlecraft do a lot 1/24 scale fittings. A lot of them can be adapted for this model.

It isn't too bad to drill into the hull - the way I normally do it - is to cover the hull with a scrap of masking tape, mark off the positions of the holes on the masking tape and then with a small pin drill, drill through first and then gradually open the holes up with slightly bigger drills and a small round file to finish off.

If you draw on the position of the portholes first on the masking tape that gives you the advantage of keeping them in line. Old golden rule MEASURE TWICE BEFORE YOU CUT OR DRILL 😊 and I still get it wrong :-)

Here is a link to various size portholes.

https://www.cornwallmodelboats.co.uk/cgi-bin/ss000001.pl?page=search&SS=brass+po

hi there

I know everyone is saying and suggesting leaving the electrics as they are. I would agree, however, it is 'old' technology. There is a Bobs board speed controller which is ancient technology and whilst it is still good for very small amperages and I have one or two models myself with them in - but - you are running 12 volts. I think, personally, you are going to be verging on the limits of the board for amperage. Also, the weight of 8 batteries is going to be some weight, I mean if you are going to replace them with the old Eveready batteries or similar it is going to cost you a small fortune. The rechargable ones are only 1.2 volts per cell - not the old 1.5's. So, you are going to have a drop in voltage which will therefore result in loss of speed.

So to go with your original idea of changing the electrics to a modern day version may pay dividends. As well, as has already been suggested it sounds as though your prop tube has dried out - as previous posts have said this needs to be addressed with suitable lubricant.

Okay, for your white hull I believe your original RTTL hulls were painted gloss white for the overseas versions - but - after time salt air and etc., would flatten the gloss off to make it look like a semi-gloss or matt. I painted mine with Humbrol matt white. Here is a photograph of the one that I built.

Fairey Delta 2, 👍 the blue job, not a star fighter widow maker

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fairey_Delta_2

hi there, if you have a look at the 1/35 scale crew members for the MTB made by Italia - on the box it gives an indication of the colours to be used for the men. This may be of some help for you.

https://www.cyber-hobby.com/products/1-35-vosper-mtb-74-with-crew

Hi there

just been looking through an 'old' Plans Handbook - it's that old its falling apart :-) and I came across plans for a run about MM480 and this is the bumph that goes with it :

'an 18 inch sporty speedboat based on a Chris-Craft design' a 6 inch beam idea for towing a small scale water skier. It's just large enough for a miniature radio control.

Ply construction and it has two stars = easy construction' .

John

hi there Scots Martin

Ok then, I think your problem is - that you are getting your lines mixed up here.

Here is a suggestion for ya, if you are starting again, with your frames. Begin first of all by drawing a line roughly 3/4 inch above frame 10 at the bow. This is going to represent your building board.

Now, take all the measurements from your waterline (and no other line). So, if you are measuring say the depth of the keel on say frame 7; measure down on the side profile from the waterline down to the base of the keel. See where that corresponds on your line plan. That is where that frame should end.

Draw in from deck level up to your building board line; your supports. To check that, measure from your waterline on your frame plans up to the line drawn that represents your building board.

Do this with every frame.

I would strongly recommend that you trace each frame and check that tracing against your body plan and also your side profile plan. Also, draw one frame per sheet - so therefore, you can lay the tracing paper sheets on top of one another to see that the frames are corresponding with one another.

Try not to overthink the job - just go for it :-)

Hope this helps - and good luck.

John

Hi there

I think the possibility of one of the main reasons that pilots were trained in US Airplanes in America was that we were introducing escort carriers into the convoy system, these were a lot shorter i.e. basically they were a merchant ship which had no superstructure, just a landing platform deck. A lot of American planes could land and take off from a short deck - such as the Corsair - if we look at the British Aircraft Carrier such as HMS Ark Royal - she carried, not only, The Fairey Swordfish and the Blackburn Skuas - this was in 1939 - 1940 which did require a longer deck for takeoff and landing.

Just one possibility of why the pilots were trained in America to handle the American planes.

John

hi there, just wondering if it is an 'old' Kingston Mouldings hull that the model may be based on?

I am unsure whether Robert Whitmarsh (Kingston Mouldings) are still active - but I may be wrong???

Also, have a look at this: plan of the Navena

https://www.sarikhobbies.com/product/magm2022-navena-plan/

https://www.loyalhannadockyard.com/KMMOTORTRAWL.htm

hi there Martin

I have been through the 1986 Plans Handbook and through several drawings from the Model Shipwright magazines and I have gut feeling that this particular model is a 'made up' one. The reason being, if you have a look at the bridge, you will notice that the sides of the bridge are flat/square. This in a modern day trawler would be correct, but, this particular trawler looks to be from the 'Cod war era' round about the 60s/70s. Last of the large trawlers and the shape of the bridge just doesn't ring true. I may be a mile off the mark; but just a thought. The nearest one to that particular fishing vessel that you mention would be either 'Portia' or 'Gleaner'/ there is a 3rd possibility though and that is the ' oh when I find it I will tell ya ' :-)

John

Building boards generally, I feel, should be used on certain constructions of models. If we look at Companies such as Billings, the building techniques are generally well thought out and they rely on, shall we say, on the materials being used i.e. no warps or distortion in the plywood - to keep things true.

If you look at this particular build, you will see that it is the actual deck and the keel of the model which is creating a stable building platform. The thing is, when you actually come to plank this model, you are relying on some way of holding it while you are planking it to prevent it slipping/moving all over the place.

Billings, I believe, actually manufacture a jig for holding models, at a cost of course.

The reason I particularly endorse using a building board is, it not only holds the model securely and gives you a good working area - as previously said it prevents any distortion.

When I built HMS Warspite - years ago - it was at 1:96 scale, giving a length of something like 80 inches and I built this naively and without a building board / any forms of keeping it true. It twisted! I thought I would be able to pull the twists out when I added the anti torpedo blisters either side of the hull. Needless to say, it didn't work, the hull became a glorified plant pot - from then on I always use a building board - even when I built HMS Exeter at 1:96 scale and especially when I built the modern version of HMS York also at 1:96 scale.

The other good reason for using a building board, is sometimes we build hulls, where the framework is rather flimsy, until we get the hull planking skin on. When I built the Seaforth, she has a large moonpool in the hull - this actually cuts through the keel of the model, so we need to support this area whilst building.

Therefore, the building board use really depends on the type of model and also the construction method.

I have added a couple of photographs showing the moonpool - you will see one is of the hull upside down and where I am opening up the hole for the moonpool, after planking.

The other photograph shows the hatch open on top of the superstructure and this is the other open end of the moonpool so, literally, the moonpool goes right the way through the hull and even through the superstructure.

Guess what, I like using a building board 😊

John

hi there

When you consider what some folk achieve when they can install all the electronics etc., in an Airfix model of the Air Sea Rescue Launch and MTB at 1:72 scale, I shouldn't think there would be much of a problem. I would think the height of the superstructure wouldn't create any unstability so therefore I dont think there would be any need to add a keel on or anything like that.

Look forward to seeing the build.

John

Hi my mate

First of all, don't try and over think the job that you are doing. If it were me building this hull; now we have the frames set up on the board and you have the last frame in at the bow; you need to make yourself a flat sanding block. Something along the lines of 2 inches wide 1 inch thick and say, 10 inches long - rounded at one end. Now, you need some double sided tape - I normally use the tape carpet fitters use as its pretty strong stuff. Get yourself some coarse sand paper and stick it onto the block.

Now, with the block, what you need to do is fair in and even all the frames up. This is where you will find if there are frames that are a bit big, little too small or whatever. Work from the centre frame out to the bow, sanding at 45 degrees to the keel. Same at the stern - work from the middle to the stern. Do not put too much pressure on at the moment as the frames will not support it properly and will begin to vibrate - just gently do it.

If one or two frames are say 1/16 of an inch out - if its proud sand them - to size - if shallow (small) pack them.

Next thing to do is add pieces along the centre of the keel either side - normally I would use 5 x 5 mm obechi or birch - glued either side. The reason for this is it gives you extra landing to glue on to when you start planking.

So, we have completed that

Now....fit the deck stringers. Now... this is just my way of doing it. Your hull is basically a 3 tier hull, you have a raised aft deck a lower cargo deck and a raised bow.

Now, the lower cargo deck basically runs from frames 6,7 and just passed 8 and actually just passed frame 5. So, you need to add a stringer both sides of the hull at this level. This stringer I would run the full length of the hull - so - from frame 0 all the way to frame 10.

Then do the raised rear deck - that stringer I would run from frame 1 to just passed frame 5 - the bow deck I would run the stringer from just before frame 2 to frame 10. Once these have been glued in place then go back and sand & true up all your frames. This is so that actually the frames now will taper to the bow and stern - you should have no sharp edges for the planks to lie on. You will also find that the bow at the keel will be sanded to a point and also frame 10 will be well sanded in and be half the size it is at the moment.

It is certainly up to yourself though how you start planking your hull.

Normally when I begin planking the hull I will start 3 or 4 planks from the centre of the keel towards the deck. Whilst they are drying I turn the hull round and plank 3 or 4 planks on the opposite side. This is so that, as the glue and planks dry out we don't get any twisting or distortion. Then I would plank from the deck 3 or 4 planks up over towards the keel either side. I will then alternate from then on.

Best of luck.

John

Hi ya Martin

The plan is from Marine Modelling International Plan - by Jim Pottinger the plan lettering/number is MAR3406.

I made a mistake I was looking along the numbers along the buttock lines on the plan. They are also numbered 1, 2, 3 & so on. What I should have said block in from the stern, frame 0 to 1/2 frame. But, plywood cheek pieces I would put in to replace the deck stringer at the stern - I would go from the stern way passed frame 1 by about an inch heading towards the bow.

I got the plans a good while ago as I was also considering building this model.

John

Martin555 this is what happens when you are too busy talking and not watching your model 😊 collision with bank - I was busy gossiping to me mate Riggers and the model was away off in the distance, trying to dig itself into a concrete bank at full speed.

John

hi there,

the idea of the cheek pieces placed in the bow and the stern is to help take out the extreme strain of the deck stringer as it turns into the bow post and stern post. On some models, if you try and achieve this bend without soaking or steaming and a lot of faff on, the stringer tends to snap. Looking at the plan, to plank right up to the bow, it wouldn't be a problem. Looking at how you have cut & made the keel at the bow, I wouldn't be too bothered about damage to the bow if you run it into the side of the lake 😀 On the stern, you have a lot of bends and radius' so I would advise blocking in with balsa wood from about frame 2. Once you have completed planking and finishing & you have the hull off the building board, you can then carve out an area to give you more access/space at the stern. I did this on the paddle tug; just a thought.

John