**FREE 20 PAGE PREVIEW** Model Boats Magazine July 2024

1:24scale

forBilling Boats’ newly updated1:60scale outriggertrawler

HERE COMES

and aGreek fishing boatperfectforwarm weathersailingsessions

EDITORIAL

Editor: LindseyA mrani

Designer: Fran Lovely

Illustrator: GrahameChamb ers

Publisher: SteveO’Hara

By post: ModelBoats,Mortons MediaGroup, MediaCentre, Morton Way, Horncastle,Lincs LN96JR

Tel: 01507529529Fax:01507 3710 66

Email: editor @modelboat s.co.uk

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karen@ talk-media.uk 017324 48144

By post: Mo delBoats Ad vertising, Mortons Me diaGroup Limite d, Me diaC entre, Morton Way, Horncastle,Lincs,L NP 6JR

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10 Compass360

This mont h’shob by-related news ro und -up

12 WINapre -product ion kitf or Carli

Don’tmissyourchancetonet this unique prizecourtesyofBilling Boats

14 At hene

He re come ssumme r… andC olin

Bi shop’s gorg eo us Greek fis hing boat build, pe rfec tfor thew arm weat he rs ailing se ssions

22 TheGener al -Purpose hull

Let’sg et this part ys tarted!T he fir st in anew se ries of ar ticles from As hley Ne ed hamk ic ks of fw it hs ome to pt une s…

30 HMS Warrior Part2

DavidBraycontinues hi shands -on buildrev iewoft hi s1:100 sc aleBilling Boat s’

38 FREE PL AN &build guide

RayWood ex plains howtob uild Shandau,anelegant ge ntle man’s motory ac ht,wor king from this mont h’sf re ep ull- ou tplan

46 Save moneywith asubscript ion

Chec ko ut ourlates td eals andg et yo ur favo ur itemag azinefor le ss

48 Flot sam&Jet sam: Sleeping Beauty

John Parker tell st he tale of ahus hhu sh WorldWar II ve ss el so surrealit really co uldhavecom es tr aighto ut of af airy tale!

52 ST Henley TLC, Part2

Tony Bird forg es on wi th hi sres toration of av intage St uart Turner steam launch hull (pleas eals os ee thenews stor yrelatingto Part 1int hi smonth ’s Compas s3 60 se ction)

22

58 Memory Lane: Days of Fury

Vint ag eg ur uDaveW ig gins takes alit tlelookbac katt he mo del dies el engine smar kete dbyBri ti sh manu fact urer E.D. Ltd

61 Boiler Room

RichardSim ps on cond uc ts some pres suri se dliq uidb ur ne rp er formance ex pe riments

66 Your Letters

Over to yo u…

68 Your Models

More of yo ur br illiantwor ks howc as ed

74 Next mont h…

Ju st thre eoft he reas on syou won’t want to mi ss theAug us t2 024i ssue of Mo delBoats

Alt houg hour frontcover proc laim s, “Herecomes summer”, it ’s ac tually grey,d rizzly ands tilla little cold ou tsid easI write. Ho pefully, though –unles syou live in Sout hern hemisphere –byt he time you’re readingthiswewillbeenteringf ar more comfor ta bleand clementsailing weat her. And, if youg et your skates on (pro ba blyapoorc hoiceofidiom) thereare some really inspir ationaland seasonally aptbuild stoconsiderint his month ’s is sue, forexample:

* Shandau –ag orgeousGentleman’s MotorYac ht (for whic haf reepull- out plan is includ ed)

* Athene –ac harmingGreek Chaniotiki Gaita

*T he Bu shyBelle –a greatf un disco boat (and Id ef yyou nottosing, or at leas thum,along when yousee Ashley Need ham’ssubhead s!)all of which wouldbeper fect to getout on your locallake/pond during themonth ’s you finally don’thavetow ra puplikeaNor th Seafisher maninahooley!

Having said that,iffishingboats are your thing, youcer tainly won’tw antto miss thec hancetowin af ac tory preprod uc tion sample of Carli,t he 1:60 sc aleout rigg er tr awlerk it that Billing Boat shas been work ingonimproving andu pdatingahead of it snow imminent re -release,inour July prized raw(see page s12-13).

On thesubject of catc he s, bu tona farmoreserious note,Imus ta pologise forlet ting thesugge stionofsomevery inad visa blepracticeslippas tmew hile editingPar t1 of John Bird ’s ST Henley TLCartic le in last month’sissue.As editor thebuc kalw ay shas to stop with me,soIsay this with no disres pect to John what soever,but if anyofyou are nowcontemplating asimilar re stor ation project on an oldhull, plea se be sure to read thever yimpor tant H&Sw ar ning flagg ed up in ourC om pass 36 0news section(seepag e10).

Finally, before wr ap ping up,I’m sure youwillall want to join me in wishing ourbrilliant de signer Fr an Lovely,w ho will be leavingusoncet hisissue has been pu ttopre ss,all thebes t. Thanks, Fr an,not only forall your hard work andmar vellouslayou ts bu tfor beingan absolu te joytowor kwit h. Youwillbe missed!

Next month, as well as allt he ot her splendid contentwehavelined up,t here will be anot herexc lusive prized raw, this time for Ymer,Billing Boat s’ terrificlit tle tugboatk it.Aswit hall competitions, ‘you have to be in it to winit’,and it couldbeyourent ry that gets pulled,so don’tmis st he August is sue, on sale (for thoseofyou whod on’t su bscribe) from Friday,July19.

Enjoyyourread! Lindsey

Compass360

URGENT HEALTH &SAFELY ALERT– PLEASE READ!

Averyserioushealth &safetyissuehas beenkindlybrought to ourattentionby readerRobinEvans followinglast month’s publicationofPart1 of TonyBird’sST HenleyTLCfeature.

Consequently,thisisanurgent warning abouttheextremedangerofanykindof exposuretoasbestoswhile modelling.The inhalationoringestionofasbestosdustor fibrescan resultin Mesothelioma(better knownasAsbestosis),anincurable, terminalcancer.Asbestos,therefore, shouldneverbesawn,filed,sandedor drilled,etc.Indeed,oncediscovered asbestosshouldonlyeverbedealtwith byspecialistcontractors,whowillremove anddisposeofit safely.

Furtherinformationaboutand advice regardingthedangersofasbestoscanbesourced via MesotheliomaUKatwww.mesothelioma.co.uk.

OUTAND ABOUT

RokerParkMBC Open Day

TheRokerParkModel BoatClubwill, togetherwiththeFriendsofRokerPark (WhitburnRoad,Sunderland,SR69PF),be holding asummeropendayonSunday, June 30,between10amand3pm.

Amongstnumerousother modelboatsto besailedwillbe alarge-scaleSD14model thatmembersoftheRokerModelBoatClub spentthelastwinter restoringonbehalf oftheSunderlandMaritimeMuseum.The huge15ftmodel,madeupof three-bolted togethersections, wasoriginallybuiltbya MrNormanHill of Weston-Super-Mare,but, afterhavingbeentransportedallaroundthe countryforvariousdisplaysovermanyyears, wasdonatedtothe museuminneedofa complete rebuild.

RokerMBCSecretaryAlanWilkinson explains: “Earlyonin WorldWar,following heavylosesamongstthecargoshipsbringing suppliestotheUK,a replacementdesign bySunderlandshipbuilderMrE. Thompson wastakenup,withalmost3,000ofwhat werebecameknownas‘LibertyShips’swiftly builtanddeliveredtotheAlliedmerchant fleets.Post-war,havingservedtheirpurpose, these10,000-tondeadweight trampingships

Newkit forthe BellePoule

Anew1:90scaleOcCre kitoffersmodellersthe chancetorecreatethe 60-gunFirstRankfrigate ofthe FrenchNavyfrigate the Belle Poule,probably best remembered asthe vessel thatposthumously repatriatedNapoleonin December1840, the ship beingpaintingblack for the historicvoyagefrom theislandofStHelena to France.

OcCre’s kit features

were,by the early1960s,approachingthe end of theirviableworking lives.So, once again,itwasSunderland to rescue,with the shipbuilding company Austin &Pickersgill (nowpartofBritish Shipbuilding) comingup with asolution:the 14,000 tonsSD14.Over 200 oftheseLiberty Shipreplacement vessels were builtbetween1968 and 1988.

“Due tothelocalhistory behindthis model,wewere,therefore, very proud when InOctober2023 the Sunderland Maritime Museum askedifwecould helpwiththe refurbishment of thedonatedmodel.

“Now, thismodel isn’texactlya ‘backof your car’ sizemodel, andwedon’thaveour ownclubhouse; we simplysharethebowling pavilionlocated next tothepurpose-built boatinglakeinRokerPark. Fortunately, however,betweenSeptember and April the bowlersgointohibernation,allowingus fulluse ofthepavilion,so weknewthatthe refurbof the SD14 wouldhavetobe finished bytheend of winter.But,withlimitedsailing duringthewintermonths,wehadtime onourhands,andasanadded bonus the projectallowed us togetnewmembers involvedandappreciativeofjust whatcan be achievedbyworkingtogether.

more than 6,600parts and comes complete with sails, astandand acastplaque featuring themodel’sname, comprehensive and fully illustrated instructions, scaleblueprintsanda life-timewarranty.Priced atjustover £400, orders canbeplacedonthe manufacturer’sown websiteathttps://occre. com/ or viaone of itsUK distributors(see ads).

Underrestoration:the SD14thatwill be sailed attheJune 30 RokerParkMBCOpenDay.

“Webegan with removingall of the superstructure, afterwhichthehull was sanded and repairedbeforebeing repainted, whilethemast houses,hatch covers,and accommodationblock wererenovatedby differentclub memberswithintheirown homes.ByFebruarywewereready to start the re-assemblyof allthe componentsand undertake the necessaryelectricalwork,and muchtoour relief,byearlyMarchwehad returnedtheSD14 to former glory.

“Themodel is nowdisplayed atthe Sunderland MaritimeMuseum,but those coming alongtoouropenday will, forone day only, beabletoseeher actually being sailed onthelakeatRoker Park.”

Wings/Wheels/ Water at OldWarden

Thelong-established aero-modellingmeets organisedbytheShuttleworth Trustand held atOld Wardenaerodromehave recently beenexpandedtoincorporateotherpopular modellingdisciplines,includingmodelboats.

ThenextModelAir: Wings/Wheels/Water eventisscheduledforJuly27-28,2024,when bothstaticmodelboatdisplaysandsailing exhibitionsonalakewithintheOld Warden complexwillbeputonbyvarious regional modelboatsclubs. TheModelHovercraft Associationwillalsobeinattendance,plus therewillbesomeinterestingtradestands forvisitorstobrowse.

Aspeciallydedicatedareahasbeen set aside forthe modelboatelementoftheshow alongsidethelake. Agrassparkingareahas alsobeenarranged for thoseparticipating (thisfielddoesnotgivedirectvehicular accesstothelakesidebutisadjacenttothe showarea).Thelakeislarge enoughformost modelboatsbutthereare only acouple placeswithfirmlevelgroundfromwhich tolaunchand recovermodels. TheLuton ModelBoatClub,however,willbeoperating arescueboatto recover anymodelsthatget intodifficulties.

Allenquiries(whetherfrommembersof thepublic,clubswishingtoparticipateor businesseslookingtobookstands)willbe welcomedbymark.cooper@shuttleworth.org

MPBACentenary celebrations

2024 marksthe centenaryofthe Model PowerBoat Association.As finding abody of waterthatwouldprovideall ofthe differentconditions requiredfor eachofthe sixsectionsthatmake up theMPBA at one largeevent,it’sthereforebeenagreedthat eachsectionwill holdits ownCentenary Regatta. Theseevents willbe held around thecountryatthe venuesnormallyusedby the individual sections.

Datesplanned areasfollows,butplease confirmwiththe relevant section secretary. Furtherdetailscanbe found towardsthe end oftheMPBA 2024 Yearbook.

■ Multi: Saturday,June8 atElmbridge

■ Circuit:Sunday,June 9atElmbridge

■ Fast Electric:July6 &7atBridlington

■ StraightRunning:July 28,Victoria Park, London

TheScottishTraditional Boat Festival

With2024 marking its31st anniversary, the annualScottishTraditionalBoat Festival, setaround the charming 17thcentury harbour inPortsoy, Aberdeenshire,isthisyearscheduled for theweekendof June23-24,having recentlyextended itssponsorshipdeal with the Glenglassaugh Distilleryfor anothertwoyears.

Thefestivalisa glorious celebration ofthenorth east’snautical past,where you cansee the finesttraditional sailingcraft, hear agreat line-up of live music,andenjoyadramortwo of Glenglassaugh’ssuperbcoastal single maltspairedwithsomedelicious Scottishfoodanddrink.

Formoreinformationvisit www.stbfportsoy.org

Kirklees MBCSummerOpenDay

TheKirkleesModel BoatClubwill beholdingits annualSummerOpen DayatWiltonPark,BradfordRoad,BatleyWF178JHfrom 9.30amto 3.30pmonJuly14,2024.Visitorswillbewelcometo sail their ownmodel boatsalongsidethosebelongingtomembersontheclub’slake(please note,steampoweredmodels willneedanup-to-date certificateandno I.C.orhigh-performance fastelectricboatscanbeaccommodated),plus therewillbestaticmodelboatand militaryvehicledisplays, tradestands tobrowse, amassiveraffle(insupportoftheRNLI), refreshments served andfreeonsitecarparking.For more information.contactthe club’s eventsplanneron01132675790.

■ TetheredHydroplanes:August24 &25at KingsburyWater Park,

■ RadioScale:September 8atBournville

TheMPBA hopes thatasmanymembers aspossible willattendthese events,either toparticipate,watch/support othersorjust generallyenjoythe celebrations.

Anyone interestedinjoining theMPBA canfinddetails onthe Association’swebsite at https://mpba.org.uk/membership/

PRIZEDRAWRESULT

AreyoumakingProgress?

In theMay2024 issue ofModel Boatswe wereabletooffer youtheunique opportunityof netting apreproduction factorysample forBilling Boats’newly updated 1:60scale kit fortheNorthSeafishing trawler Progress.Thedrawhas now takenplaceandwe’redelighted to announce thatcatch ofthedaygoes to MrPeter Guy,Orton Waterville, Peterborough.

DavidUrquhart,ChairmanoftheScottish TraditionalBoatFestival (left),andStewartBuchanan,GlobalBrandAmbassadorforthe GlenglassaughDistillery(right),share aweedramatPortsoy’s historicharbour.

Following on fromthe Progress PrizeDrawintheMay issue, this month we’reoffering youtheopportunitytowin apre-production sampleofanother ofthe 1970s’1:60scale kitsthatBillingBoatshas beenimprovingandupdatingaheadof releasingtothe trade –thistime around forthe outriggertrawler Carli

Created forthe testbuildstageoftheproductionprocess,this particularkitmayfeatureslightdifferencestotheonesbrought tomarket, soyouwill,therefore,bewinningsomething money literally can’tbuy!

The easy-build kit,which comes withBilling Boats’newlyput together photomanual,will beperfectforthose justgetting startedinthe hobby.Itwillalso, however,offer plentyofenjoyment forthe more experienced amongstyou,asonceyou’vecompletedthe basicbuildyoucanthen investyourtimeand skillsinfurther detailing the superstructureand/or installing allthenecessary equipmentforR/C operation.

HOWTOENTER

To beincludedin thedraw, allyou need to do is complete the entryform below,cut it out (those of youwho don’twanttodeface your magazine caninsteadphotocopy and complete the form)and mailitback to us at:

BB Ca rli Ki tPrize Dr aw Mo de lBoa ts, Mo rton sM ed ia Gr ou p, Me di aC en tr e, Mo rton Way, Ho rn ca st le, Li nc sLN9 6JR

Pleasenote,theclosing datefor entrysubmissionswill be Friday,July19,2024. Goodluck,everyone!

TERMS&CONDITIONS

N.B.For thisparticularprizedrawwecan onlyacceptentries fromthose residing in mainlandUK, the EuropeanUnionandNorth America.The competitioncloseson July19,2024. Thereare no cashalternatives available.Termsandconditions apply. ToviewtheprivacypolicyofMMG Ltd(publisher of Model Boats)please visit www.mortons.co.uk/privacy

Name:

Address:

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ATHENE

ColinBishop sharesdetailofa Greekfishing boatbuild that’s perfectforwarmweathersailingsessions

Theframesand deckderivedfromscalingupthe kitdrawings.Noteproptubealreadyinplace.

TheJune2021issueofModelBoats featuredmy reviewoftheattractive NavarinoModels1:24scaletraditional Greek ChaniotikiGaita fishingboatkit.Its smallsizeandmethodofconstructionputit firmlyinthestaticmodelcategory,butthe instructionsdidincludefull sizedrawingsof themajorhullcomponents, whichmademe thinkaboutthepossibilityofbuilding alarger workingversioninthe future.

Formanyyears,mywifeand Ihavevisited Greeceon aregularbasis,and Ihavetaken theopportunitytophotographthecolourful andattractivecaiquetypefishingboatstobe foundalloverthe region.Allthe smallports inGreecehavetheirlocalfleetsoffishing boatsand,whilesomeofthemare now moderndesignswithGRPhulls,themajority arestillbuiltfromwoodinthetraditionalway. Thebuildingtechniqueis standardovera widerangeofboat sizes,butthenindividual ownersaddtheirowntakeonfittingoutand paintingtheirboats.As aresult,thereare hardlyanytwoboats thatappear thesame. JustGoogle‘GreekFishingBoats’andthe incrediblevarietybecomesveryclear.

Apartfromsize,thereare twomain

characteristicsgoverningtheappearanceof theboats.Firstly,thereisthe layout.Thehull hastoaccommodate afishhold,theengine, andoften asmallwheelhouse/shelter/cuddy. Thelattermightbeperchedabovethedeck orpartiallyset into thehullandcomesin all shapesandsizes.Thefishholdcan be forwardor aft.Plentyofdeckspaceisleft forhandlingthefishinggearandnets.Asfar as themodelmakeris concerned,it’sapick &mixsituation;youcanjustlookat allthe onlineimagesand choosewhatappeals to youmost –whichisexactlywhat Idid.

Installingandtestingtherudderservoandchainlinkage.

Thedeckingcompletedandsidesectionsadded.Dummyframesareinsertedbetweentheactual ones.

Thesternsectionadded,showingruddermounting.

The bowandmaindecksadded.

“Sadly,theselovely vesselsarean endangeredspecies”

Secondly,thereare thecolourschemes. Everyownerhashisownideas,andthe paintworkisusuallyuniqueandinvariably attractive.So,again,themodelmakerhas free rein,althoughblueandwhitearealways themostpopularcolours.

Generally,fishingboatstend to exhibita gooddealofweathering,but themajorityof theGreekboatsaremaintainedinpristine conditionbytheirproudownersandarea delighttothe eye.

Sadly, theselovelyvesselsare an endangeredspecies. TheMediterranean hasbeenheavilyoverfishedbythebig commercialoperatorswho(aselsewhere) hooverupmarinelifewiththeirlargevessels. TheEuropeanUnionin1996introduced regulationstopreventoverfishing,which resultedinthousandsofGreekfishermen handingintheirfishinglicencesand destroyingtheirboatsin return forsubsidies. Oneknockoneffectwasthattheboatyards buildingtheboatsalsowentoutofbusiness andonly afew remain. Today, itisdifficult,if notimpossible,tomake aliving fromCaique fishingandmostoftheboatsthatremainare usedon aparttimebasis,withtheowners (withanaverageageofover50)havinga secondjobonshore. Catches areusedto supplylocalmarketsand restaurantsrather thanbeingmarketedfurtherafield.

Boatsarehoweverbeing repurposedto supportthetouristtrade,offeringfishing tripsandbeingusedaswaterbuses and ferriesalongtheholiday resortbeaches.

Thehullplankingcompleted,with gummedpaperstripusedtosmooth overminorcracks,etc.

Right:Furtherprogress,withthe offsetmotorandbeltdriveinstalled. The Bruderfiguregivesanindication ofscale.

Below:Thegunwalesandrubbing strakeswerefixedinplaceby pinningandclampingandthen runningthinSuperphaticgluealong thejoin.

Thecabinandhatchsuperstructurewerebuiltaround adeckcoamingintheconventionalway.

“Tedrawings withthe Navarino kit includedallthehullsections, hullprofile,anddeckplan showingwherethesections interactedwiththedeck– in fact everythingthatwasneededto construct ascratch-built version”

Modelconsiderations and initialconstruction

Attheoutset Iwantedtofollow theoriginal constructioninmodelformandusedseveral typesofwood,includinglime/basswood, birchply,balsaand spruce,togetherwith hardwoodstrip.

Thedrawingswith theNavarinokit includedallthehullsections,hullprofile, anddeckplanshowingwhere thesections interactedwiththedeck –infacteverything thatwasneededtoconstruct ascratchbuiltversion.Plus,ofcourse,Ihad already builtthekitsowasfamiliarwiththebasic assembly.Itonly remainedtodecidethe scaleformyworkingversion.Aftersome thought Idecidedon1:16scale,soscanned intheNavarinodrawingsandenlarged themaccordinglyforprintingout.There weresomeveryminorissuesinthescanning process,buteventuallyanacceptablehull lengthof21inches(54cm) wasachieved. This represented afull-sizeboatapproaching 30feet,or 9metres. Irearranged thekeel andsternframetoaccommodateashaft andpropellerasfittedonmodernboats(the Navarinokitdepicts amoretraditionalsailing version)andmodifiedthehull framesto allowthemtobecutouttoprovideinternal hullspaceinthecentralsectionof theboat. Missingintermediateframesatdecklevel weresimulatedbywoodeninserts, asonthe originalNavarinomodel.Theylookquite effective.

Thecompletedcabinandhatchsuperstructureintheworkshop.

Somemodificationatthebow was needed toachieve afairrun ofplanking tothestem,which mayhavebeendue to scanning distortions,buttheend resultwas OK. The framingbodgeswerecoveredup by theplanking anyway;woodconstruction is veryforgivinginthat respect. At thestern the ChaniotikiGaita hullfeatured asmall transom,whereas mostvessels ofthistype are doubleended,but thatisa relatively minordifference.

Imadeanerrorwiththebasswoodhull planking in cutting thewidthsto 5mm; theseproveddifficult to bendatthehull ends,necessitating alot of stealer planks and some filler. Thiswasn’ttoo muchofa problem,but Icouldhavesavedmyselfsome effort with narrower mainplanks.Thehull on theseboats is essentiallysmooth,withonly asuggestionofthe carvelplankingbeing apparent totheonlooker.Ihaveleft some indicationsofplanking onthe hull of the finished modelasthiswouldbeapparent on thefull-size version.

Steering method

At an earlystage it wasnecessaryto determinethemeans of steering the boat. In fullsize practice the fishermanwouldusea long tiller toturnthe rudder.For those boats withwheelhouses,I havenotbeen ableto seehowtheboatmighthavebeensteered, but theyallseem to featuretillers. Asfaras themodelis concernedhowever,Ineededa servobelowdeckstooperatethe rudder.The poseablecrewman figureIhadwastoostiff tomove withthetiller,socontrol had to be disguised. Themostunobtrusivemethodwas to use achain linkagethrough thetransom. Theminiservoisconcealedbeneaththe after hatchwayonthe rear deck. The basic mechanism canbeseen inthe photo.

Deck planking

Most boats of thistypetend to havepainted decks,but thereare somewheretheplanking is exposed. In either case, whenthe boat isin use thedecktends tobecovered to protect it fromthe effectsof fishingwithtarpaulin,

Turkishfishingboatlines,asmentionedinthetext.

Thesteeringcontrolcomponents,whichform asecure ‘closedloop’Adjustmentscanbemadebyrunningthe securingpinsthroughtheappropriatechainlinks.

Theaftersectionofhull,showingdeckplankingfrom sprucesheet.Blackcaulkingwouldhavebeenincorrect onthisboat.

orevenoldcarpet! Idecidedtoplankmy deckandleaveitonview,asitadds tothe appearanceofthemodel. Planks were cut fromthinsprucesheet fromSLECusingmy Minicraftcircularsaw,butasanalternative thesecouldsimplybecut with aknife.The actualwidthoftheplankingneededa bitof research.Iknewit wasfairlywideandcould varybuttheonlinephotosgavefewclues.In theend Ifoundtheanswerinoneofmyown photostakeninthe Chania, CreteMaritime Museumbackin2010,whichindicateda widthofabout3.5inches.Whenapplied tothemodelthislookedjustaboutright, althoughtheprecisewidthisn’tcritical.These boatsdon’tseem to featureprominentdeck caulking,sothereare noblack linesbetween theplanks.

Superstructure

Whereasthehullconstructionofthese boatsisfairlystandardised, theabovedeck arrangementsvarywidely.Theengineisof coursehiddenbelowdeckand thefishholdis notprominent.Allexcept thesmallestvessels havesomeformofshelterfor thefisherman: somefeature fullheightdeckhouses,others havelowerstructuresletintothehull,and somejusthavesmallcuddyshelters with onlythetopprotrudingabovedeck.After somethought Idecided togofor apartially recesseddeckhouse as thisgave amore balancedprofileto theboat.Crewaccess wouldbevia areardoorplus aslidinghatch onthe roof,muchasisthepractice witha moderncruisingyacht.

Thedeckhouseitself wouldcarry modern navigationalaidssuchas radarandVHF aerial,aswellasthe standard navigation lights.Allinall,it wouldbeanattractive combinationoftraditionalhullwithup-todatefeatures.What’snot to like?

Propulsion andR /C

Ihadn’tbuiltamodel likethisbefore, so had togivesomethought topropulsion.Being quite small,theboatwouldn’tneed agreat dealofpower,despite itsblufflines. Based onpreviousexperienceI estimated thata 25mm3-bladepropellerwouldbeenough buterringonthe side of cautionallowed spacefor a30mmprop if needed.Looking through my collectionofmotors itseemed thatanold 6v Monopermwould beup to the job,especiallyifgeareddown. Today’s equivalent wouldbe alow drain280or360 type.

Iused my favouritemethodofbeltdrive togear downthemotorand allowittobe tuckedpartially under oneofthe sidedecks.

The lowpowerconsumption ofthe Monoperm meansthata high-capacity batteryisnot required,and so Ifitted asix cell AAsize2500 mAhNiMH packof low self-dischargecellsfromVapextechUkLtd at averyreasonable cost.

As asinglescrewboat,theR/Csetup is straightforward,withjustarudderservo and aMtroniksViper 15speed controller,which alsosuppliespower totheRXvia aBEC.

My wiring looks abitmore complicated butincludesanon-deckswitchandLED powerindicator,plus afuseandcharging lead.

Thecompletedrudder.Noteswivellingbrassrodwhich stopsitliftingoffitsmountings.Itisalsopossibleto removethepropellerwithoutunshippingtherudder.

A‘busy’interior,buttherearesomeoptionalextras.The RXismountedverticallytokeeptheaerialabovethe waterline.Thebrassscrewedrodisfortheretainingnut keepingthecabinandhatchsecurelyattached.

Abitofhelp with the deck planking!

A selectionoffittingsanddetail,homemadeandcommercial.Andyes,somelobstersareblue!

“A

modernversionofoneofthese traditionalboatscancarr ya surprisingnumberof fittings, and it’s onlywhenyoulookatphotos that yourealisejusthowmany”

Fittings

Amodernversionofoneof thesetraditional boatscancarry asurprisingnumber of fittings,andit’sonlywhenyoulookatphotos thatyou realisejusthowmany. Allexcept thesmallest carrywinches todeploythe netsandthearrangementscan bequite complex. Isettledfor asinglewinchfitted tothestarboardbow,which is acommon configuration.

Mylittleowner seems tobequite successful,judgingbythe modernradarand well-equippedcabin.

Almostalltheseboatsfeature acircular hatchontheforedeckgivingaccessto stowageunderneath,andImustconfess Idon’tknowexactly what isstoredthere. Frequentlythere’sanotherhatch at thestern, butinthiscase,as Ineededtohousethe steeringservo,it’saraised rectangularcover.

Theonlyotherhullfittingistherudder, whichhangsfromthe sternpost.

Extradetail

Anchoringusuallyinvolves agrapneltypeand ropelinesuitable forsandyshallowseabeds. Thisissecuredtotheboatvia akingpost upforward. Twolongsweepsarefrequently carriedstowedalongtheguardrails in caseof enginefailure.

Decks aretypicallyquitecluttered,soI’ve included avarietyofcommercialandscratchbuiltitemstogivethemodelsomeextralife.

AthenewithherearlierkitsisterPhaestos, showingthedegreeofscalingup.TheBronze OwlfromDelphiisassociatedwithAthene andrepresentswisdomandknowledge.

Theforwardsectionshowingdetailincloseup.

I’vealsoadded some nets,sewnby my wifeLiz from yellowtullefabric,withbeads asfloats, plus some of ‘today’scatch’, the latterfromMacsMouldings. Thesesmall boatstypicallynet avariety of smallsea life, althoughperhapsnotthe variety shown on myboatallatone time. Octopi arealso welcomedatthelocaltavernas,but Ican’t bringmyself to eat theseintelligent little creatures.

“Teseboatsarehighlyindividual whenitcomestosizeand howthey arefittedoutandfinished,butthe sky-blue paintworkapplied to my modelisprettytypical”

Theaftsectionincloseup.Thetillerhastomove independentlyofthehelmsman,anecessarycompromise.

The completed model with alldetail added.