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8 Compass360
This month’shob by -related news roun d- up
12 ExclusivePrize Dr aw
Do n’tmis syou rc ha ncetoWIN Ma ntua Mode ls’1:25sca le ki t fo rthe su pe rsle ek moto r yacht Galaxy,cou rtesyofCornwall Mod el Boat s
14 TegenMor
PeterBinns tellsofhow he transformedanunwantedGRP hull into a1:10scale workingmodel of an iconic St Ives fishing boat
22 RoyalSovereign
As hl ey Ne ed ha mintrodu ce su sto anothe rtop id ea fo rhis Ge ne ra l Pu rposehull
28 Square Deal
Intr oduc tory Of fer
Al ways fa nc ie dt ry in gyou rh an da t bu il di ng an ds ai li ng as qu are- ri gg er? NevWad ep rovi de sau se fu la nd en co ur ag in gb egi nn er ’s gu id e
38 FREE PL AN for Venture
JimPot tinger presents aScottish trawlerchallenge forthe more experiencedscratch -buildersamongst you…
48 Save moneywit ha subscription!
Ch ec kout th elates tp rint an dd ig ital deal sa nd ge tyou rfavou ri te magazine fo rl es s, de live re dd irec tlytoyou r door an d/or devise
50 Mr Gardam’s boat
Bria nEaton te ll safascina ting ta le of re storatio n, re search an d re me mb ra nce…
56 Flotsam&Jetsam: Skipjack
Jo hn Pa rker de lves in to th ehis to ry of this US nu cl ea rsub ma rine clas sa nd th emod elling op tion sava ilable to us
60 Boiler Room
RichardSim pson provid es au se ful
64 Memory Lane:HiHo Silver Lining
Dave Wigg in stakes aloo kbac ka thow anot so flyings ta rt wi th mode laircraf t sawhim ta ke plunge in to th eworld of mode lboa ts,a tatim ew he nrad ioco ntrolwas stilla ll ra th er ba sic…
66 Your Models
Read er s’ wo nd er fulworks howc ased
69 Your Letter s
Op en fo ru mfor allmat te rs mode lboa t re la te d
74 Next mont h…
Ju st th re eofthe reason syou wo n’t wa nt to miss th eA pril 2025 is su eof Mod el Boat s
Ifany of youhavehunga ‘Donot disturb’ sign on your workshop/sheddoor, you maywanttothink of replacingitwith a‘Gone fishing!’ oneafter this month’s issue, as thepages that follow includenot just onebut twoexcitingpotential fishing boat builds.These arethe rugged -looking Shetland -based trawler Venture (a free plan designed by JimPot tinger,which is stapledintothe centrespread)and Peter Binns’ charming little St Ives’TreeveBoats’ 25 -footer TegenMor ;the former being aimedsquarelyatthe more experienced modeller andthe latter beingsomewhat, shallwesay,lessformidable. And, if fishing boatsare your thing, then youmay be interested to learnthatnex tmonth’s issue will serveupthe recipe fora1:48s tatic displaymodel of ahis torics team drif ter ac tually named Formidable – although she wasoften more af fectionately referred to as Fidget by theEas tAnglian herring fishermen andlocalsinher day.
Gettingbacktothe maginhand, though,there arealsoa couple of fascinatingfeaturesonhis toricRoyal Navy vessels: see RoyalSovereign – Ashley Needham’slates tcrowningglory for theGPhull, andBrian Eaton’sarticle on theres toration of,and research into,an oldBasset- Lowkebeaut y, entitled Mr Gardam’s boat (ifyou’rewondering why not‘Mr Eaton’sboat’,all will be revealed). Plus,we’ve gotareallyinformative beginner’s guidetosquareriggers cour tesy of NevWade, whileJohnParker delves into thes tory of theUSSkipjack classnuclear subs andthe optionsopento anyofyou wishingtotakethe plunge,so to speak.
Andfinally, as well as allyourfavourite regularpages (check outthe noteworthy forthcomingeventsonour Compass360 news pages, andanabsolutelycracking selectionofcorrespondence in theYour Models/YourLet ters section),anexclusive prizedraw, cour tesy of thekindfolkat Cornwall ModelBoats,offersyou the chance to winMantuaModels’ quickto build, lasercut,1:25scale kitfor Galaxy Imaginebeing able to tell your family you’ve wonaluxur yyacht!OK, maybenot such asmart idea,scratch that,but this superprize is,atleast,bound to make the luck yrecipient ’s day.
We’vealready gotlotsmorehot stuf f linedupfor theApril edition(on sale from Friday,March 21), includingafabulous, fully func tional (think maxedout watersquir ting fun!)London fireboat, so,ifyou don’twant miss out, perhapsask your localnewsagent to reserveacopyfor younow In themeantime, enjoyyourread, Li nd sey
roun d- up an dreviewofsup plie rs who of fe ra ll things mode ls team re la te d
KITCHAT KI HAT
Compass360
If you have anews story for these pages,please contact the Editor,Lindsey Amrani, via e-mail ateditor@modelboats.co.uk
Airfx2025announcements
Three iconic 1:72 scale kitsare to be re-released by Airfix this year within the brand’snostalgic Vintage Classics range, all of which areaimed at Skill Level 3(intermediate) modellers: ● RAF Rescue Launch(Ref. A05281V)
OUTAND ABOUT ND OUT
Scheduled for release this summer RRP (Recommended Retail Price) £24.99
● Vosper MTB (Ref. A05280V)
Scheduled for autumn 2025 RRP £24.99.
GrandModeller’sBring &Buy Sale
● German E-Boat (Ref. A10280V)
Scheduled for autumn 2025 RRP £49.99
Pre-orders arenow being taken. For moredetails, visit www.https:// uk.airfix.com
From 9.30am to 1pm on April 5,2025, the Mutual ModelBoat Society will be holding abring &buy sale at the Crimble Croft Community Centrein Aspinal Street, Heywood, Manchester OL10 4HL. Admission will be ch arge d at £1.50 and th ew hole site is wheelcha ir friendly,w ith fu ll facilities and se n sibly priced sn acks and drinks available throughou tt he mornin g.
Sellers’ tables(at acost of £10) arestill currently available to reserve.For further details, contact either Kevan Winward on 07803 975089 or Colin Travis on 07905 028295. Alternatively, visit the website www. mutualmodelboatsociety. co.uk
Thanks to agrantfromthe Jessel Baronetcy Fund,arranged through the Kent Community Foundation, astairlift hasnow been fitted to
the Medway Queen.Previously, visitors with mobilityissues had been restricted to the promenade deck, accessible via ramp from Gillingham Pier.This new stairlift, however,will also offer access to the ship’smain deck, wherethe principal saloons and engine room aresituated.
The Medway Queen is open to the public at Gillingham Pier (ME7 1RX) on Saturdays from 11am to 4pm (last admissions 3pm). Thecost ofan annual ticket (permitting unlimited repeat visits/guided tours over a 12-monthperiod) is priced at £10 for adults. Accompanied children under 16 areadmitted free of charge. For further details, www.medwayqueen co.uk
Yeovil Model Show
From 10am to 4pm on April 6, 2025, visitors to this year’sshow,held at theWestfield Academy,Stiby Road, Yeovil BA21 3EP,will be able toenjoy abroad-spectrum display of static and radio-controlled models (including marine). Therewill also be live modelling/painting demonstrations and trade stands aplenty.
Admission will be charged at £6 foradults and £3 foraccompanied children under the age of 15 (the under 5s will be admitted freeof charge), while a£15 family ticket will admit two adults and two children
The venue offers free on-site parking, easy access for the disabled, and outlets from which hot and cold snacks and refreshmentscan be purchased throughoutthe day.
For moredetails, email yeovilmodelshow@gmail.comor phone/text Ken on 07759 137000.
Prideinthe Seas
Pride in the Seas, anew exhibition which invites visitors to learn all about the Scottish fishing industry and the crucial role it plays in Scotland’scoastal communities, has nowopened at the Scottish Maritime Museum on Castle Street, Dumbarton,and will run through until Saturday,April 12, 2025,
Th is ex hi bition ,resul ting from a collab ora tion between th eS cottish Fisherme n’sF ede ra tion (SFF ) and re nown ed ph otogra pher Ia n George son, focu ses on th el ife and w ork of twelve re markable ind ivid uals wh oh av ed ed icated their lives to fishing ou rs ea s, follow ing gene rations of th e ir fa milies b efo re th em.
Admission is included in the cost of a day ticket to the museum itself (£5 for adults, £4 for concessions –uptothree children will be admitted FREE of charge
with each adult/concession ticket), which is open six days aweek, from Monday to Saturday,between 10am and 4pm. For moreinformation, visit www. scottishmaritimemuseum.org.
TheGreat CornishModel Show
Scheduled for the weekendof April 12/13 at the Pool Academy, Church Road, Pool TR15 3PZ, the Great Cornish ModelShow will offer visitors alarge
multi-discipline display of models, modelling techniquedemonstrations and trade stands to browse.
Doors will open from 10am to 5pm on the Saturday andfrom10am to 4pm on the Sunday,with admission charged at £8 for adults and £5 for those under the age of 16 (children under the age of 5will be admitted free of charge). Alternatively,family tickets, admitting two adults and two children, will be offered at £15.
The organisers have also advised that therewill be free onsite parking, easy access to the venue and hot and cold food and refreshments available to purchase through the day
For further details, visitthe Helston &Falmouth Model Railway Club’s website at https://www.hfmrc.uk
PRIZEDRAWANNOUNCEMENT IZEDRAWA T
BOATS
BOOK WINNER
In the January 2025issue of Model Boats, we wereable to offer you thechance to win acopy of Janvan derVeken’s beautifully illustrated, hardback format, book Boats–Steamers, Icebreakers and Ghost Ships in an exclusive prize draw courtesy of Prestel PublishingLtd (www.prestel.com). We arenow delightedto announce thelucky winner as Mr. I.G. Jones of Formby,Liverpool. Congratulations, Mr Jones, on this fabulous addition to your bookshelf.
WIN! AMANTUA ANTUA MODELS’ GA
This month, thanks to the generosity of the kind folks at Cornwall Model Boats, we’reable to offer you the chance to win Mantua Models’fabulous 1:25 scale wooden kit from which to buildGalaxy,asleek and stylish luxury motor yacht.
Based on sheet hull construction, with the plywood parts laser cut for accuracy,the kit also provides the necessary metalfittings, i.e., the propellors and shafts,aset of
plans from which to work, and full, easy to follow,instructions.
With the novice in mind, construction methods ha ve been kept super simple, but, of course, there’sa lso plenty of scope for the moree xperienced modeller to super detail to his/ her own specifi cat io ns
What’smore, the kitcan be built either as avery attractive static displaymodel or one to show offon the water,asit’sbeen designed to
accommodate twin motors (Motor Set 604 is available to purchase separately from Cornwall Model Boats at www.cornwallmodelboats. co.uk) and 2-channel radio-control, using either a2sLiPo or 7.2v NiMH battery (again, available to purchase separately).
Alongside the kit, Cornwall Model Boatswill also be throwing in aglue set for this build (although please note paints will not be included).
For further information on the wide rangeofbrands and productsstocked by Cornwall Model Boats, pleasevisit www.cornwallmodelboats.co.uk www.cornwallmodelboa
TERMS&CONDITIONS
N.B. For this prize draw we can only accept entries from those residing in the UK. The closing date for receipt of entry forms will be Friday,March 28, 2025. No cash alternatives to the prize areavailable. Terms and conditions apply.Toview the privacy policyofMMG Ltd (publisher of ModelBoats) please visit www.mortons co.uk/
HOWTOENTER
Galaxy Prize Draw Model Boats
Mortons Media Group, Media Centre, Morton Way, Hor ncastle, Lincs LN9 6JR
To be included in thedraw,all you need to do is completethe entry form included on this page,cut it out (photocopiesofthe form will be accepted from thoseofyou not wishingtodeface yourmagazine) and mail it back to us at:
Pleasenote, the closing date for entry submissions will be Friday,March 28, 2025.
Good luck, everyone!
Name:
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SS88 TegenMor
Peter Binns describes how anunwanted GRP hull was transformed into a1:10 scale workingmodel of this iconic St Ives fishing boat
Igenerally don’tbuild boatsfrom ready-made hulls,preferringplank onframe or plateconstruction, but whenone of our retiring model boatclub members from Redruth insisted Iaccept one he’d had for years as agift for helping him rehome his extensive model collection, Imade an exception. Although abit scuffed and full of mouse droppings, the heavy and well-made 31-inch GRP fishing boat hull was already fitted with propshaft and propeller, and mahogany gunwales. The donor assured me it was based on one of a range of fishing vessels built locally by Robb Lello, founder of TreeveBoats in Connor Downs, Cornwall.
Idid nothing to the hull forsome months, still concentratingonfinishing my steam-powered 1:18 scale Princess Victoria (see the February2024 issue
The starting point –the
of Model Boats). However,one day I was going near to Connor Downsso decided to drop in to Treeve Boats with the hull to verify its pedigree.Mr Lello confirmed it was ‘oneoftheirs’; he even thought they mighthave made it themselves.The questionof
whether it wasbased on a16-, 20- or 25-foot boat wasdebated. Because it measured 78 centimetres and a 25ft boat equals 780 centimetres, we concludedthatitwas a1:10 scale hull for a25ft vessel. Ihad also hoped he might be able to point me to the
Treeve GRP hull.
owners of some of his 25ft boats in Cornwall so that Icould base my model on aparticular local vessel, but, in the end, Idid my own research Aquick search on Google for 25ft Treeve fishing boats yielded several
local examples, but one in particular, which was advertised for saleon Find AFishing Boat,appealed to me immediately Tegen Mor (Cornish for Jewel of the Sea), registration SS88, was awellknown inshorefishing boat owned and operatedbyStIves fisherman Nathan de Rosarieux.Her jaunty lines and characterful colouring shouted, “Model me!”. With the aid of the 30 or so photos of the boat in the FAFB advertisement and information from Nathan Iwas thereforeable to draw up some proper plans and get started on the build.
Star ting work on thehull
The first job was to clean the hull, inside and out, and mark out the sizes and positions of the side strakes and timber on the stern. Icut these from mahogany and African walnut strip and sheet, steam-bent as required, and fixed them in position with epoxy adhesive. Th es econd was to e stabl ish the correct le ve lf or th ed eck. Thi s
SS88 Tegen Mor,previously afamiliar sight in St Ives Harbour
Nathan de Rosarieux, former owner and skipper of Tegen Mor
was pretty clearly indicated o nm y re ference pictures, but Ia lso need ed to ensuret hat all the hard w are, motor,e lectronics, steering servo and battery, etc co uld b e accomm odated ben eath it. Luckily, with ab it of ingenuity,e verything could be positioned belo wd eck in the hull void.
Fittingout thecomponents belowdeck
The bulkiest of these was the 540 motor and its mounting bracket, whichhad to be suspended upside
down mounted on two epoxy-glued timber bearers to achieve alignment with the propshaft. With this in place, Iwas then able to lay outand install all the otherelements: firstly,a tray, centrally forwardofmidships, to retain the 9.6vNiMh8-cell battery; then abracket to hold the steering servo (moreofthatlater); atray to retain the Hobbywings’ 60A speed controller; and over to theport side, awater pump to simulate the ejection ofengine cooling at thestern in sync with motor revs. Ialso had to find
room to position thePlanet receiver in awaterproof container,and similarly, averybasic dieselengine sound generator.Later,Iattached ajunction box for thelighting.
Steering controlsolution
Tegen Mor hasatraditional transommounted timber rudder,which I replicated by laminating two sheets of ply,making apair of pintles and gudgeons out of brass stripand rod, and piercingthe transom to accept thetillerarm.
The tiller is controlled via Bowden cables connected to the wheelhouse and consequently thereisno accommodation onboardatthe stern of the modeltomountand hide a servo and linkage.Therefore, as in the actual boat, Idecided on also using acable to control thesmall tiller,which allowed me to replicate the actual boat’sdesign inboardat the stern, while using the flexibility of the light gauge pram/buggy brake cable to connect to theservo below the deck at midships.After some trial-and-error adjustment,this arrangement workedperfectly.
“After some trial-and-error adjustment, thisarrangement worked perfectly”
Creating theforecastleand gunwales
Using 2mm birch ply Icut out the forecastle deckingtoshape, having first made acardboardtemplate to ensureasmooth and accurate joint with the gunwalesand the aperture for the wheelhouse superstructure. At alater stage Ithen used the same thickness ply to createthe generously wide gunwales alongeach side of the boat aft of the wheelhouse.
Fittingthe deck
With everything below deck installed, wired up andtested,I couldshape, fit and fix the deck in position. First, Iglued timber bearers the full length of the inside of the hullatthe correct height on both sides. Based on careful measurement and alot of dead reckoning Ithen madea cardboard template forthe deck, which Icould easily adjust when test-fitting. Once Iwas satisfiedwith thefit, Iworked outthe size and position of the apertureneeded to provide access for maintaining the hardwareand electronics for operating the model.
The transom-hung traditional rudder arrangement.
Inner cable attached to the tiller arm in enclosed cabinet.
Flexible brake cable enables connection to servo mounted midships.
Using the finalised template, I cut the deck to shape in 3mm birch plywood and glued it to the timber bearers, remembering to chamfer the edges first to ensuregood adhesion to the inside of theGRP hullwith epoxy adhesive.
Although all Treeve boats are based on GRP hulls, aparticular featureoftheir construction is that they also have asolid timber frame to give added strength and seaworthiness. The ribs of this frame arevisible between the deck andthe gunwales, and Isimulated them by applying lengthsofspruce strip at given intervals.
“Although all Treeveboatsare based on GRP hulls, aparticular featureoftheir constructionis that theyalso havea solid timber frame to giveadded strength and seaworthiness”
The forecastle deck in place.
Fitting the wide gunwales.
The main deck in place, with aperture to permit access to all parts.
Timber frame uprights between deck and gunwales.
Tegan Mor’sbold dark burgundy and bright blue paint job.
Adding some colour
Anot her distinctive featurew hich drew me to Te gen Mor w as her bold paint job, consisting o fa dark burgundy and cont rasting bright blue hull and ap ale turquoise wheelhouse. After careful matching If ound auto-spray cans o fa lmost exactly the right colours and shades, although my wheelhouse came out ab it stronger than so me o ft he phot ographs suggest.
So,ontothe
wheelhouse
Likewise, Ifound Tegan Mor’s jaunty wheelhouse, withits angled 3-panelled front section, very appealing, but replicating it accurately at scale proved atricky task. Using mainly 2mmbirch ply, eachofthe angled front panels had to be measured carefully from my plans and the edges chamfered to achieve aneat joint between them –something of atrial-and-error process. Eventually,Imanaged to get
it right, with front and sides glued firmly in place to fit the apertureI made in the forecastle deck.
“I found Tegan Mor’sjaunty wheelhouse, withits angled 3-panelled front section, very appealing, butreplicating it accurately at scale proved a tricky task”
Wa nting to achieve ne at an d accurate glazing of the win do ws, an da sm yref erence photos indicated th at th ei nside of the wheelhouse was pa nele di n mahog any or simila r, It he nc ut sa id pan el sf ro mt hin ma ho gany shee t and glu ed them to the oute r‘ skin ’. The win dow ape rtures we re made slig ht ly larger th an those in the ou ts ide panels to crea te areb ate in which to glue th ec as ta cr ylic she et
glazin gf ro mt he inside to gi ve the ex te rior an ea ta ppearance.
At this pointIpaused to create the interior of the wheelhouse, making and fitting radar and fish-finder screens, switch panel,ship’swheel, skipper’sswivel seat and engine controls while Ihad good access.
Iwas then able to make and fit the rear wall of the wheelhouse,including two glazed windows, aworking partglazed sliding mahogany door,and fire-extinguisher.All partswereprepainted, as maskingoff and spraying them in position would have tried my patience too much, though some touchingupatthe joints of panels was necessary
Last to go on wasthe slightlycurved wheelhouse roof. This was fabricated using 2mm lite ply bent over abirch ply frame, pre-painted, and fixed in position in away that would permit futureremoval if necessary.Inthe process Ialso wired in the navigation lights and thethree rear-facing
Angled front and side wheelhouse sections before attachment.
Glueing in the internal mahogany paneling before glazing.
Peter’sattempt to recreate the inside of the wheelhouse.
The real thing.
halogen floodlights mounted on the wheelhouse roof, terminating in a single pair of cablesrunning inside some conduit down to below deck for connection to theboat’slighting junction box.
To completethe wheelhouse roof, I made and fitted thetwo timber grabrails, fixedtwo lifebelts and the life raft canister and cradle. Tegen Mor’s wheelhouse also sports ashort, raked mast carrying morenavigation lights and emergency maroon tube. ThisI fabricated using aluminum tube.
Detail,detail, detail…
Like most insh orefi shi ng boats, Te ge nM or has ag antry at the stern from which one of its two hy drau lically powe re dn et haulers is suspended, an di ta lso supports th em izze nm ast ,a sw el la sm ore forward-facin gh al oge nfl oodl igh ts. From ph otogra ph si ta ppeared that this wa sc onstru cted from re ctan gu lar se ction gal van ize ds teel It herefo re fa bric ate dt he basi c
Basic wheelhouse completed.
Thefinished wheelhouse with mast and life raft canister in place.
metalw ork using bra ss re cta ngula r sectio n, th is being ea sie rt ow ork, which Ic ut, be nt and soldered into shape beforep ainting ma tt silver Being hollow,Iw as ab le to mount the floodlights and pass th ew ires do w ni nside on el eg of th eg antry and be low deck for connection to the ligh ting junction box. Th eg an try was th en mou nte do nt he gun wale s just forwardo ft he tra nsom, us ing aluminum brackets and sma ll nuts and bo lts.
The mizzen mast, made with alum inum tube, was then mounte d on top of the ga ntry us in ga threade di ns ert and long ma chine screw to se cu re it firmly from ben ea th th ro ugh al oca tin gh ole throu g ht he top rail of the as se mbly. Bo oms we re then ad de d, an dt he mizze ns ail, cut from lightweight sail canvas an ds titched, wa sa ttac hed
an dr igged using hemp co rd and scale pulle ys.
Meanwhile,the suspended Danishmade net hauler was concocted from scrap materials lying around the workshop: plasticard, aluminum tube, stainless steel rod, and ascrap of roller blind material.Thiswas then attachedtothe underside of the gantry with thesame screw and threaded insert usedfor the mast.
This just left the other deck-mounted Spencer-Carter net hauler to fabricate and fix in position. Again, my scrap box provided most of what was needed, except for the tyred wheel, for which Ibought amodel aircraft wheel. What proved particularly helpful was being able to pop into the manufacturer’s factory in Falmouth to see one of these close up and personal, this providing abetter understanding of which part does what. MrCarter could
The suspended net hauler -fabricated from bits and pieces in Peter’sscrap box.
Theaft gantry with mizzen mast, sail and net hauler in place.
Another scrap box production, the deck-mounted Spencer-Carter net hauler.Fishy business!
Mac’sMouldings’ ‘Eric’, ready for some rejuvenating!
