Should stand out in a crowd. Looks great.

Pretty well, I had some things from Mastman a while back but there might be a couple of bits and pieces I haven't thought of. I am improvising some of the fittings which are unavailable if I'm not able to fabricate accurately.

Very pleased to hear that Ken, it seems ages since you first ordered your Veronica pack. I have reached the rigging stage on mine, setting up the deadeyes on the main shrouds at the moment. Looking forward to seeing them both on the lake.

Many thanks for your advice. I think you have confirmed what I had worked out from looking at pictures of model barges and other craft, however the very comprehensive dimensions you have given on facebook are very welcome and will help me a lot.

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Hull is a 30" generic Mastman hull. Will be RC. I have all but finished the hull, now making spars. Photos I have seen all look like rigging rope, available from various sources, Mastman etc. but I was wondering if it would be better if I used a wire. if so, what do I use. Cornwall model boats don't seem to list a wire. Bear in mind, difference in thickness for mainmast rigging to topmast. Any ideas?

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I am building a model Thames sailing barge and have reached the stage of spars and rigging. I am wondering what to use to make the main shrouds and forestay. Pictures that I have seen look as if it is a model rope product rather than a wire. Can anyone tell me what they have used please.

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I doubt if you will be able to research the FishFone I'm talking about, it was a name given by Radio Amateurs to the Trawler Band some years ago.

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The wire aerial running between the masts is what radio hams call an inverted L, it is tuned against the hull of the boat and the seawater and unlike a half wave dipole it only needs to be a quarter wave long, or less with a loading coil and an aerial tuning unit, often built into the transmitter. Common on many fishing boats in the days of the Trawler band, which is the frequency band a bit above medium wave. Trawler Band was also nicknamed FishFone.If you mean the loop aerial on the wheelhouse, that is a Radio Direction Finder Aerial which became very popular just after WW11. This information comes to you courtesy of my Radio Ham partner.

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Thank you John, you've solved the problem for me, Club 500 it is.

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A little while ago I saw, possibly at a show, one of those high speed, go fast things. If memory serves, it was about 60cms long and was available in several different colourways and that fact, I think, is the most memorable thing about it and possibly the only way I'll identify it. I think it was a bare hull and deckhouse moulding. It's not for me! I want one for a present for someone who saw it with me and liked it. She can't remember the name either.

I know that's precious little to go on, but if anyone has any ideas, I'd be most grateful.

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I was thinking of external ballast, but if the bulb and fin has been used successfully then by all means use it. I would think that it would have to be as streamlined as possible in order to make the least impedance, but as I have said, I know more about full sized craft than I do models.

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Do you really need the bulb and fin? They are normally fitted to a shallow draft hull. A displacement hull like yours normally has ballast incorporated into the keel. if you think there is insufficient ballast at the moment, I'm sure you could find a way of attaching some extra, moulded onto the keel.

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I know more about full size sailing vessels than I do models but Steve-D is quite correct in saying you need momentum in order to come about. The usual practice with a vessel with a long straight keel would be to let her pay off a little to get a bit more weigh on her, then sail her round slowly rather than putting the helm hard down. if she still got into irons, backing the foresails would help to bring her round. it wasn't unknown for a hard headed ship to let her pay right off, gybe her round, then come back on the wind on the other tack. I hope you won't have to resort to that.

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The Lidl disc size is 125mm whereas the Toolstation ones are 150mm. No doubt they can be cut down.

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I bought one tonight. I find that when running there is a strong 'electrical' smell. My partner says that it is the brushes arcing. is this normal? Apart from that it looks a useful tool

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In my experience this is true of any kit and from what I hear, flat pack furniture.

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I have an aged bedraggled copy of Edgar March's book, I acquired it about sixty years ago and whilst I think the text is one of the best on the subject and what illustrations there are, are very good, I am of the opinion that the illustrations in the Cooper/Chancellor book are more extensive. The barge plans in March are very good and I imagine can be blown up but I am referring to the depth of useful illustrations of construction and gear in Cooper/Chancellor that I consider so useful.

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Well done Ken.
I foresee the day when we have Thames Barge racing at Cold Knap.

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Unfortunately, you can't get the old one back, but, there is a way to load the basic HTML version of G mail and make this the default every time you log on. Whatever they do in the future the HTML version should always stay fairly basic and straight forward because it is there for low bandwidth/data rate connections.

Log out of G Mail, log back in, quickly, when it is loading, click on 'load basic HTML version' in bottom right hand corner. You will then find that a version, very similar to the old will load.
That's what my partner has done for me and so far it's working.

Best of luck, I know how you feel.

We share Cold Knap lake in Barry with a multitude of swans and 'share' can be taken literally as they frequently leave their 'calling cards' in the area where we launch.

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I am afraid this does not answer your enquiry but is I think of general interest for anyone interested in Cobles.

I was walking around Bridlington harbour yesterday and came across a mini museum devoted to cobles. it was only three small rooms but they were full of coble memorabilia. Several model cobles as well as other local fishing vessels and a local grab dredger. Numerous photos and other ephemera as well as various bits and pieces all to do with cobles. it's run by volunteers from the Bridlington Sailing Coble Preservation Society. Entry is free, but donations are welcome. They also run an event called the Bridlington Sailing Coble Festival which is in July this year.

There were a number of working cobles in the harbour as well as two beautifully preserved sailing cobles.

As somebody interested in all traditional sailing/working craft, I found this little museum well worth visiting and thoroughly recommend a visit if you are in the area.

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When I worked on the Thames, late 50's early 60's, I would have said the police boats were painted with black topsides, but it could easily have been a very dark blue.

Nerys

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Hi Doug,

Very sorry, no photos, I was a teenager sailing dinghies in the Medway in the late forties when I saw Manxman and I don't think I even had a camera in those days. My father was on the staff of T.S. Arethusa ex "Peking" at Lower Upnor and we lived in a flat over the ship's swimming pool, right alongside the river. I had a wonderful view of Chatham Reach from my bedroom window. There were so many ships laid up in the Medway and adjoining creeks at that time., taking the wind from us as we raced our dinghies from the Medway Yacht Club. There were long trots of the wooden hulled inshore sweepers, numerous destroyera and all sorts of support craft, there was even an old coaling hulk in Sheerness Harbour, but I'm afraid the passage of time means I don't remember names. Manxman stuck in my mind though, being a little different. Those were the days when we had a navy!

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Having read through this topic (and many others), I am always amazed by the wealth of information that Doug, RN in Munich, comes up with. Seems to me, that, any subject particularly if it is to do with Royal Navy ships, Doug can tell us. I applaud you!
Incidentally, I remember seeing several of the old American four funnel destroyers laid up in Stangate Creek, River Medway in about 1947-48. About the same time, Manxman was moored to a buoy in the Medway, Sheerness Harbour.

Nerys

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There are many excellent books on Thames Sailing Barges, but for the modeller, I think 'Handbook of Sailing Barges' by F.S.Cooper and John Chancellor is one of the best. Fred Cooper was a well known Barge Skipper, John Chancellor, a former Merchant Navy Officer, lived with his family on the sailing barge Viper for many years. An accomplished artist, he illustrated this book with excellent line drawings of every aspect of the rig, deck fittings and construction details.

There are usually copies for sale on Amazon and Abe Books.

Nerys

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What sort of keel and to what do you want to attach it?

Nerys

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That's very kind of you Doug.
Happy New Year.
Nerys

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Hi Doug,
That's exactly the sort of information I wanted, many thanks. As you know, my sister and I have a personal interest in Peking, having spent many years with her, as Arethusa, being a background to our home and our father his entire teaching career on board her.
Merry Christmas,
Nerys

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Thanks for that Ian. I know the story of Peking very well having had family connections with her for about fifty years, I was hoping that someone will have seen her in Hamburg and could give me a proper update on what is actually happening to her.

Nerys

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Yes, I knew that, I wondered if anyone had any more precise information than that. Has the restoration actually started and what is being done? I know the state of the hull was none too good before she left America, what's being done about that.

Nerys

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