My congratulations on your promotion Vice Admiral Nerys 👏.
I'm looking forward to your blog on LST 388.
Rob.

Thanks Doug.
That's a possibility 👍
Rob.

Thanks for protecting my reputation and the moral guidance Fleet 😉.

Hi Mike.
More good progress 😁👍
That was a good decision to make two hatches, much better access to the servo and rudder.
I regret not doing the same because I found working through a single hatch a bit like keyhole surgery ☹️.
Rob.

Hi Martin.
Yes I will be doing a build blog on the commission boat, which actually happens to be a cabin cruiser !!
For my grandson I imagined a small sailboat perhaps ?
It needs to be simple but robust.
Rob.

Hi Sy.

"Will we be given a choice to pick from or will any suggestion do LOL!"

All is explained in my thread: https://model-boats.com/forum/83101#83111

Cheers.
Rob.

https://model-boats.com/forum/83101#83111

🔗

My congratulations to all those recently promoted..👍😀
Rob.

No problem Pete.
Glad to be able to share it 😊.
Rob.

Thank you Nerys.
Very gracious of you 😌
Kind Regards.
Rob.

Hi Pete.
Thanks for the compliments 😊. I do take a lot of trouble writing an interesting and informative blog and illustrate it with supporting 'photos. A lot of the recent ones were taken on my Samsung 'phone but it doesn't do 'macro' shots very well ☹️

The film was applied to the outer face of the Lexan windows so that there's no internal refraction within the plastic which might create a double image reflection.

Here's a link to the eBay seler: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/CAR-WINDOW-TINT-AUTO-TINTING-FILM...
When ordering click on A5 sample and select the 'film shade' required.

Not bad for 99p each including combined postge 👍😁

I ordered the 5% shade for the roof windows and a 35% for the front and side windows.

I hope that's helpful.
Rob.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/CAR-WINDOW-TINT-AUTO-TINTING-FILM-LIMO-BLACK-DARK-MEDIUM-LIGHT-ULTRA-LIGHT/112243867746?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649

🔗

Now I'm nearing the end of my Pilot Boat build I've been considering what to try next 🤔
There is a commission build to start sometime soon but I'd like to try something fresh that I can build in parallel with this new boat.

I have watched with great admiration the excellent build of Graham93's boat for 'Bionic Bill' and more recently the amazing work that's being done by Stevedownunder, the common denominator being the 'plank-on-frame' method of construction.

This is something that I've never tried before as I have until now been a kit builder.

So I'm asking for recommendations for a reasonably simple introduction to POF building.
It could be a simple sailing boat or a small-ish service craft with an interesting hull shape.

The intention is to build it for my grandson who is of an age now to appreciate 'Papa's boats' and is showing an interest in having his own so it needs to simple but robust.
Thanks in anticipation.
Robbob.

Hi Simon.
I know that you are a big fan of RLNI boats so it's clear that you're torn between the two.
The Model Slipway 'Tenby' sounds like it has more scope for the sort of makeover and extra detailing that you are so good at.
I'm in a slightly similar situation trying to find something to build as a next project that I've not tried before so I'll be asking for suggestions for that.
Rob.

Hi Mike.
"Patience is a virtue "......
I have a few virtues but I am noted more for perseverance than patience 😆
Having started something I will usually finish it unless it 'aint gonna work (see 'Chrome Paint' saga) ☹️
Cheers.
Rob.👍😊

Hi Martin.
"A Home Plating How-To" would be interesting but from what I know about the chrome plating process involves lots of tanks of some nasty chemicals 😮.
Not the sort of 'cottage industry' you can undertake safely.
Rob.

Hi Colin.
Thanks for the response 👍👍, if you can find the details of the plater you mention it may be worth following up.
Rob.

Hi Peter.
Thanks for the kind words 😀👍
Out of interest what SLEC model have you chosen?
Rob.

Hi Missouri.

"Another neat bit of fabrication"

Another bit of very time consuming fabrication actually 😮
I think my next project will have to be a bit less detailed for a change.
Rob.

Hi Sy.
I remember your comment in your build blog about the window frames and that was "so many hours of your life you'll never get back" which is what prompted me to consider an alternative method.
It's still laborious ☹️but proved an efficient use of materials 😁.
Rob.

Hi Martin.
Although I've never looked into the cost of 'proper' chroming I have seen comments on this site and others that a commercial plating company is just likely to quote a 'go away' price (I've tamed that down a lot 😮) because they're not interested in small piece work.
If the modelling community could find a metal plating outfit that was sympathetic to us hobbyists and our aims, he might just be able pick up enough work to provide a service at a reasonable cost.
Has anyone had any experience of this?
Rob.

Thanks Martin.
As you can see the front frames are done too but strangely the side window frames are proving much easier to do, I suppose having proved a methodology the task becomes easier 😊
Rob.

Hi Graham.
Plenty of things to try then...I'm sure you'll find the best solution.👍

I would wish that my 'ducks feet' suggestion works best and it's more in keeping too 😁🤣
Rob.

Update..
Now the pulpit has had it's coats of silver and lacquer and now looks nice and shiny.
The difference between this and chrome finish is minimal😎
I'm glad I put plan B in operation 😊
Rob.

While the paint is drying on the pulpit handrail and safety rail it’s a good opportunity to continue making up the glazing and frames for the roof windows.
I started making these a while ago and as the cabin now nears completion they will need to be fitted soon.

The roof windows on the real harbour pilot boats are heavily tinted so that the crew, and the helmsman in particular, are able to look skywards when alongside a vessel that the pilots are about to board without being blinded by strong sunlight. I’m sure that this is not the case during a night time boarding but perhaps that’s where the two small searchlights come into play?

I did search around for some dark tinted Perspex or similar for these windows and although it is available in Perspex in thicknesses of over 6mm it’s not generally available it seems.
Tinting spays for car windows and lighting clusters would be an alternative but better than that is the tinting film that can be applied to car windows.
This stuff is readily available in a range of translucency from just 5% light transmission to about 85% translucency.
Normally it is bought by the linear metre but I found an eBay seller that could sell ‘sample sizes’ and very little cost and as I’m only covering a tiny area this was a very economical way to do it.

I started by making a template of all three roof window apertures and transferred these to my chosen window plastic which is 1.5mm clear Lexan. Each window was initially roughly cut from the sheet with a craft knife and then shaped very carefully by cutting and filing. I kept the protective film on both sides of the Lexan while doing this to preserve the faces of the plastic.
All three windows were made to be a friction fit in the apertures and will be eventually glued in place with canopy glue. All of the edges were bevelled very slightly so that the window film, when applied, would not be lifted by a ragged edge.

The tinting film I bought for these roof windows is described as ‘Limo’ grade with a 5% light transmission so they will in effect look black from the outside 😎.
A piece of this was roughly cut to size for the centre square window and the protective film peeled away from the outside face of the plastic. Following the supplied instructions for applying the film, which I won’t go into detail here, I was able to get the film on without any ripples or bubbles.

I repeated this for the two smaller roof windows and set them aside for the film to fully bond and cure before trimming away the surplus with a very sharp knife.
I decided to make the window frames for these roof windows from strips of 1mm Plasticard sheet rather than cut them out of a sheet in one piece which is quite wasteful and one slip of the knife could easily ruin the piece.

Another template was made of the window apertures and these were re-drawn with a 1.5mm internal and external overlap to give an overall 3mm wide frame and I cut some 1mm Plasticard into 3mm wide strips and tacked these down on the drawing paper to form the basic frames. The internal corner gussets were cut and glued in place on the paper too. Styrene cement was used to bond all of the frame pieces together and when fully set the three window frames were released from their paper backing.
It was then a case of laboriously cutting, trimming and filing the internal and external corners to make the final frame shapes 😮
The corner joints needed very little filling to conceal any blemishes and the frames were gently flatted on some mild abrasive paper.

A light coat of primer followed by two coats of silver spray paint and finished with clear gloss lacquer saw the frames nicely finished and ready for fitting.

These, like the roof window panels will be fixed in place with canopy glue.

The cabin front and side windows will be made in a similar way but with a much milder tint which I’ll describe in a separate blog update.

Hi Graham.
I think you've answered your own question with the keel solution.
I no hydrodynamicist 🤓 but I think the flow of water about a keel is to some extent responsible for the lateral stability as you called it just as a propellers wash about a rudder enable steering.
Try experimenting with a temporary keel of some sort, perhaps something in plastic 'gaffer taped' to the underside to see if that improves matters.
Perhaps adding some trailing 'ducks feet' as rudders would be worth trying too?
Rob

Thank you Stephen.
Praise indeed from metalworking expert such as yourself🤗.
Rob.

Nice looking boiler Rick 👍😁
The shiny copper and brass will dull down a lot once it's fired up though ☹️
Do you plan to clad the boiler and chimney in wood strips with some nice brass or copper banding?
A lot of my clubmates who run steam engines in their boats do that and it really makes for a smart finish.
The pipework will probably need some lagging too !
Keep up the great work.
Rob.

Hi Pete.
After you mentioned it I found his eBay sales site, it's good to know that he's doing his bit for us model makers. And I'm not surprised to see that he has 100% feedback too.👍😁
Rob.

Hi Stephen.
Thanks for the clarification.
A 'locked and loaded' indicator would be quite cool though.😎
Rob.

Hi Pete.
Re: ModellingTimbers.
I did get a lot of very nice fittings from them for my FireBoat including the gratings, blocks & pulleys and a range of rigging cord like the one used here.
Sadly Keith Jewell retired and closed the business due to ill heath a couple of years ago.
He was very helpful in assisting me to chose bits of the right scale and a delight to talk to.
A real 'Diamond Geezer' 😀👍.
Rob.

That's good news Colin 👍👍and it's the sort of customer service that I've enjoyed from Steve Tranter at MBB for some time.
Rob.