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When the winds before the rain, soon you may make sail again, but when the rain's before the wind, tops'l sheets and halyards mind
Members Harbour
An RTR addition
A while ago, several of our members at Vale of Glamorgan MBC were showing an interest in the Dragonforce65 and a number of us were interested enough to purchase one. Enough in fact that we are starting regular racing for them shortly.
Cheers, Nerys
Dutch Schouw Yacht
This is 'De Groene Draek' a Dutch Schouw yacht. She is scratchbuilt from drawings in a book called 'Ronde en Platboden Jachten' which I bought in Barcelona forty odd years ago. She is 30" long with 9" beam. She is shown here on the 'quayside' as travel restrictions in Wales preclude me from launching her for the moment.
Swim Head Stumpy Thames Barge
This is my latest model, a swim head stumpy, prolific in the creeks and rivers of the Thames and Medway until about the 1930's She is scratch built, 30 " long. In keeping with other barges I have built, I have named her 'Harty' as in Isle of, or Ferry, part of the Isle of Sheppey which is separated from the Kentish Shore by the River Swale. First Minister Drakeford says I must not sail her at the moment, but let's hope that day will come before too long.
Crash Tender
I bought a part finished 36" crash tender from one of our members who was going to live in foreign parts. Trying to be a bit more individualistic, I have not finished her in the conventional colours but I'm pleased with the result. Unfortunately, under existing isolating conditions, I have been unable to launch her, however she is sitting on the harbour side waiting for a lifting of restrictions.
Cheers, Nerys.
Thames Sailing Barge 'Stangate'
'Stangate' is a 1/24 model sailing barge based on a 'Portlight' hull from Dave Watts Mastman. She is seen here sailing for the first time at Cold Knap Lake, Barry. The wind was rather flukey so a good test was not really possible, but she answered the helm positively and I have every reason to think she will sail well.
Motor Barge 'Nellie'
In the 1940s and 50s, many traditional Thames Sailing barges were converted into motor barges. This is a model, based on photos and my memory of the 'Nellie'. The sailing barge 'Nellie' was built by Cremers at Hollowshore, Faversham in 1901,. She traded under sail carrying about 90 tons of cargo around the Thames, Medway and Swale until about 1952 and then had the gear taken out, a Chrysler Crown petrol/paraffin motor installed and carried on trading for some years owned by R.Lapthorne & Co of Hoo on the River Medway.. She was eventually sold out of trade and is now privately owned. She has been rerigged with a reduced sailing barge rig without a topsail. My model is based on a 30" barge hull from Dave Watts Mastman.
Alice C
I built Alice C from a Model Slipways Dutch Coaster kit a few months ago but only this week got round to ballasting her and fitting the radio. Launched her this morning in not very favourable conditions, westerly, far too gusty and all over the place around our launching apron. She did well under the circumstances and I look forward to trying her on a better day.
Upnor, Thames Sailing Barge
I have had a lifetime love affair with Thames Sailing Barges and this is my first model of one. She is based on a 30" hull from 'Mastman' (Dave Watts}. Launched for the first time today at Cold Knap lake, Barry, South Wales she did everything asked of her.
(Working Vessel) Gwyneth
I have never added to my fleet by buying in before, but looking at the Bring and Buy stall at the Blackpool show recently I couldn't resist this little boat. I like fishing boats anyway, but this boat was beautifully built, clinker on frame, planked decks, good standard of woodwork, altogether, a worthy addition to my fleet. I sailed her for the first time today and was well pleased with her performance. (5/10)
(Pleasure Craft) Sea Commander
Built from an Aerokits kit. Very pleased with performance, comes up onto the plane quite easily (Motor: Caldercraft 750) (ESC: Chinese generic) (9/10)
(Other) Sharpie
Scratch built model of a typical East Coast of America sharpie. Used as a general work/ fishing boat. Fitted with topsails a few weeks after original launching. Appears to have greatly improved performance, but there was rather too much wind for a fair assessment and my partner had no desire to go wading in the lake. (5/10)
(Yacht) Carina
My second effort, an Aeronaut Bella. (8/10)
(Other) Gwylan
This was my first attempt at building a model boat, decided that model boat building would be a suitable hobby for a lady of 85, no longer fit enough to sail real boats. (8/10)
Thank you, Martin and Rick for saying nice things about me, but when you read my comments on the LST kit please bear in mind that as far as plastic kits are concerned, I am a novice. I've only built one before and in that I ended up substituting wood where the plastic work became difficult. The kit is to my mind very poor quality in many ways , I don't think trying to interpret his instructions and find missing pieces is a reflection on me but as I am not versed in building with plastics, I don't think I am doing as good a job as if I was. I'm a builder of traditional wooden boats, Thames Barges etc, that's where I am happiest.
Pete, no, my jab is being done in the hospital where I am a patient but they told me that it is patients only and they said that Alice's will come through the GP.. They gave me a lot of paperwork about it this evening to peruse beforehand.
That looks a very nice model Ron, I'm sure you could adapt her for RC. I took the easy way out and built a schouw yacht so that I didn't have the problem of an open cockpit. I like the sprit rig too combine that with the leeboards and she's good practice for when you build a Thames Barge.
Jacko, you must be nearly finished, though I don't see a windlass on the foredeck. What's happening about a keel? I do like that black sail, I always wanted a black sail when I was racing my Briitish Moth (11ft racing dinghy) but could never get anyone to make me one.
Eventually, I guessed at what was wanted for the flying bridge and cut bits from waste. Whether it is anything like what was intended, I can only guess because the plans are not exactly clear. Anyway all the basic parts of the after superstructure are now in place and I've been imagining my father going down from the bridge to his day cabin for a break and a cuppa.
Colin, I think it disgusting that a town the size of Aberystwyth , which is more or less the regional centre for quite a large rural area would have the capability to dish out vaccinations, Surely the GPs, the hospital or even the pharmacies could take it on between them. GIG, the Welsh NHS does leave a lot to be desired in many ways, but something as fundamental as that, I ask you. Surely, it's only like doing a second dose of the flu vaccine with a few extras.
I've been searching for the component pieces of the bridge off and on for getting on two hours with no success. I can find the base for it that stands on top of the captain's day cabin, but nothing else that can bear any resemblance to the pictures. I can feel a lump of wood coming towards me which will go into use if nothing else offers it's services. The lower part of the bridge assembly is in progress of construction but is a nightmare of badly fitting bits of plastic that do not want to stick together. Frustration rules the day! I wish I'd listened when that little voice inside me kept saying, 'if God had meant us to have plastic boats .............'
Thanks for the info jb. Best news about Americas Cup in years. You are obviously hearing about it on the news there, whereas it's not talked about much here. So please, keep us informed.
Hi Rick, I wouldn't advise anyone on whether or not to buy a Dean's kit, I'll just say, I wouldn't and from what I'vevread on here, a lot of people agree.
Ron, ref. Sailing Barges by Frank Carr, I've seen it on Abe Books at all sorts of prices from Β£10 to Β£25 and on Amazon at Β£103. You takes yer choice.
Not a happy day, we could make a film of it and call it 'The search for the missing cabin sides'. As I find in nigh on impossible to read the numbers of the plastic bits, I spent ages looking for the various bits making up the sides of the main deckhouse. Unfortunately they were not all together,, even to being on different plastic sheets. There should have been a plastic coaming around the deck aperture for this, but that completely eluded me and in the end I made it out of wood, which was doubtless far easier and more satisfactory than what it should have been. I find the CD is slightly more use than the paper instructions, but it still doesn't tell you where to find the bits. The paper instructions are very indistinct. Anyway, we now have a composite main deckhouse, deckless for the moment.
The Norfolk keel was never as prolific as the wherry principally because a wherry would complete a voyage , say, Yarmouth to Norwich, in far less time, the difference in rig accounted for that, the wherry's fore and aft rig being much more efficient then the single squaresail of the keel. The keels, carried more cargo, anything up to about 90tons compared with the wherry being considerably less. They were a very full hull, rounded bow and stern, centre mounted mast with one squaresail. If I remember correctly there is a section on them in Frank Carr's book, 'Sailing Barges', but I cannot find my copy for the moment.
The Norfolk Keel was very similar in shape and rig to the Humber Keel, but I think, without researching it was a bit smaller. I'll see if I can get more data.
Yes, the forum is a calming influence and somewhere where we can have a moan and know we will receive sympathy. As far as getting bits and pieces, I have found that my normal suppliers are often out of stock these days. I assume they are still playing 'catch-up' with their Chinese manufacturing companies, so I find myself buying from a lot of different firms these days. Surprisingly, or is it, but I'm finding there are a lot of bits and pieces I want for my models that I can get on Ebay and very often , post free, making them cheaper than the normal model firms. The postman or a courier seem to call most days!.
My friend lives in Herne Bay, we email each other two or three times a week. She and her husband normally go out a bit, they have a campervan and get away in that, but that's not worrying them as much, she paints, he is a woodturner and they both play music , but, what's worrying them most is that they've both lost interest in doing those sort of things, she says she is doing even less housework than normal. She has recently learnt that cancer she thought had been disposed of has come back and has already had one lump removed, but is to start several consecutive days of hospital visits including five days of radiotherapy, so at least they are going to get a bit of travelling. The hospital is forty miles away in Barming, the wrong side of Maidstone. Changing the subject, no I didn't know about a Wickes discount, trouble is, we do not have a modern iphone or anything.
I heard from an old friend of mine who lives in Kent, which is probably locked down as hard as anywhere. She tells me that she and her husband a normally pretty active couple have become so lethargic that they just can't be bothered to do anything. She blames the lockdown and the fact that being told she has to stay at home, she wants to go out, but can't. I feel exactly the same. We don't go out that much, but I'd love to just be able to go out for the day, go somewhere nice, have a meal and come home refreshed, but no, all I see is the hospital and the builder's merchant. Just think, a trip to Wickes is the highlight of the week! Pathetic isn't it. It isn't as if there is any official light at the end of the tunnel , even if it is a guess, but just to be given some hope would be nice. Yes, I'm working on a couple of boats, but apart from not always feel well enough to do anything, even that isn't doing it for me. This forum is the only social life I have now, so, thank goodness it exists and is so helpful. Hopefully, I'll get the jab soon, then perhaps I won't feel quite so vulnerable.
A little more progress, yesterday was a dead loss as I felt rotten after the previous night's dialysis. However, today, apart from going out to pick up timber for the galley of the sausage wagon, I have made and fitted a battery box and am currently screwing down the deck. I say currently as I'm having a rest from it by having a few minutes on the computer. I'm hoping I can hold on long enough tonight to have the hull ready to have a rubbing strake (wood) put around the hull at deck level to hide up the edges of the deck on my next session.
I agree with Colin that a pair of bilge keels could considerably help with your rolling problem. I note that you have already tried ballasting, but have you put in enough. It is surprising how much you need sometimes
In my enfeebled state, I am very lucky to have a workbench at one end of the lounge, so everything is at room temperature. It's a bit cramped as I'm working on two boats at the moment, but by scattering stuff around the floor which is surrounded by finished models, I can manage. I keep all the tools I generally need in an adjacent chest of drawers and anything else, Alice will produce from the shed. I'd like a better more modern scroll saw but think I'd have difficulty fitting it in, so I make do with my fifty year old magnetal saw.Trouble is my health situation doesn't let me do as much as I would like and I get far too many days when I'm just not up to it. Alice does not complain because her hobby of restoring old radios takes up just as much space.
Yes, I saw that programme, very interesting but it was about Landing CRAFT Tanks, not LSTs. However it is good to know that at least we will have an LCT in preservation, if nothing else. They were certainly making a nice job of the restoration considering she was sunk for years. LCTs were open deck and about 180ft long and if I remember correctly carried only 9 tanks, whereas the LST was 328 feet long and carried 30 tanks with all their equipment and accomodation for their army crews. Vehicles were carried on a lower deck with a bow ramp and opening doors as well as the upper, open deck with lift access to the lower deck. They were also designed to carry an LCT on deck, as my father did on his first trip from New York to Gibraltar, they had to build a wooden platform over the bridge in order to see over the LCT's deckhouse.
Interesting photos of a nice looking little boat, I like that high peaked gaff rig and the answer to an open cockpit with clear plastic is a good one. Has anyone answered the original title of this post. Has anyone built the Billings Dragon and done an RC conversion.? I wouldn't mind building one if I ever recover from the trauma of building a Deans kit, but squashing the RC gear in to quite a slender hull might be difficult, which is why I'd like to know if anyone has already done it. I've always liked the Dragon class, there was a large fleet of them racing at the Medway Yacht Club when I sailed there in the 50's.
Neil S , my feelings exactly. I trust I will get my jab in due course,but we must have thoughts for those in countries not so well of as us. They are just as entitled to treatment as us.
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