Blue Ensign

Cheers Dirk, I'll have a look 👍 Thanks for the reference Alan, I'll look it up. I had clocked the validity of the horizontal wheel on the Zulu's, and looks just right on the Zulu model as depicted. The Fifie is a different matter, but at least we have photo's of a more credible arrangement. B.E.

It would be great if I could make it that way Yves, but don't hold your breath.😃 The engineering parts to effect a working rudder would be very small indeed, tough enough with a static rudder. B.E.

That's a shame Jamie, but I've found there is not much you can't deconstruct on a wooden boat if you have the will. Metal parts stuck with ca can be removed using Acetone, and pva glue by water and isopropanol. I can understand your reluctance to perhaps get into something you're not comfortable with, so maybe it's a case of putting it down to experience and resolve to do better next time. Regards, B.E.

Thank you, James, Derek, and Ernie, looks like Hull Red it is. 🙂 and Derek and Ernie, - I don't think you will be disappointed with this sweet little project, nice lines, beautifully made sails, and a model that can sit on a mantle shelf with ease, casing not necessary. Post 16 What to do about steering? I have struggled to accept the steering arrangement as presented in the kit, which may be a simplification as Chris notes in the manual that the kit has been developed with the beginner in mind, and some aspects have been simplified. To my jaundiced old eyes the whole set-up looks more 18th century than the dawn of the 20th century, and distance from the stern to the wheel is also quite puzzling requiring whatever control cables there were to run through the cabin to reach the wheel. My best guess is that it would represent some sort of drum drive system worked off cables, but the wheel seems a long way from the stern. None of the many photo’s and plans I have scoured on vessels of this type have the wheel arrangement as seen on the kit version. What is indicated is a worm screw system used on these large later period Fifie’s and Zulu’s, probably from the last years of the 19th century, and certainly from the early years of the 20th century. The kit deck layout generally seems to have been taken from the still existing and restored Reaper 1902 and I have decided to modify my version of the kit to better reflect a large early 20th century Fifie. The arrangement from the plans of the True Vine 1905 drawn by Edgar March show the wheel set just inboard of the stern set in a housing with a worm employed to operate the steering. True Vine Here’s a model of the ‘True Vine’ held in the NMM. A worm screw drive is in place. I have to thank Lane Duncan, secretary of the Scottish Fishing Museum model boat club for these clear photo’s of the steering set up on Reaper. It is from these photo’s that I hope to make the modifications to the kit. The wheel position is clearly evident from the Fifie on the left of this photo dated 1904. It looks to me like they are being towed out of harbour by a steam paddle tug. This painting also shows the arrangement with a worm screw. The tricky part now is how to represent what the photo’s show. B.E 23/06/20

She's looking impressive Jamie, not an easy model for a first build. I don't know if you can backtrack at this stage but there is a significant error with the lower shrouds. They should pass down through the lower tops not over the outside edge, If you can modify this I would. The upper shrouds look correctly positioned. B.E.

Post 15 Back to Hull painting The lower hull has been repainted using Vallejo Hull Red a much darker almost chocolate shade. 5622(2) The hull is masked off to do the White Boot topping. 5615(2) Needed a bit of fiddling to get the lines matching and looking good to my eye whilst fervently hoping there would be no bleed. 5624(2) I am using Vallejo White for the topping. I applied several coats before removing the tape. 5628(2) Micro bits of bleed can be cleaned up without the need to re-do the whole. 5640(2) With the Topping completed I can now apply wipe-on-poly to the natural Pearwood. 5639(2) It brings out the natural beauty of the Pearwood. 5636(2) Got a slight niggle in my mind whether I like the Hull Red finish as much as the Flat red previously used, but I’ll let that percolate for a while. I now need to get back the subject of the steering layout before I can progress further. B.E. 22/06/20

Looks good to my eye Glenn, Cheerful looks so impressive with those nice woods. I certainly wouldn't use sanding sealer on quality woods like Box and similar. B.E.

Post 14 Back on the deck As I have completed the deck it seems appropriate to fit the timberheads at this time. It is a tedious job fitting all these position specific tiny sections along the bulwark but Chris has done an excellent job with the etched pearwood, which saves a lot of extra fiddling which would otherwise be the case. 5601(2) Care must be taken when handling these pieces, they have an inbuilt drive to ping off into the ether never to be seen again. 5608 I am now into that part of a build I like best, fiddling with the fittings. The fish hatch is the largest fitting on the deck and one that is easy to modify slightly to provide more interest. The kit provides an all-in-one representation of the boards that form the cover. 5602(2) I prefer to have sections open to view, with a glimpse of the nets, (detail to follow) in the fish hold. The boards were modified to allow this. The board lifting rings are represented in the kit by less than convincing eyebolts. I will replace these with ring bolts, tedious as it is. The Fore Mast Housing This fitting allows the Foremast to be lowered by means of a Tabernacle. This is hidden below decks so it’s not something I need to be concerned about representing, but the model can still be displayed with the mast in the lowered position if desired. 5607(2) The make- up of this part is a firm fit and I didn’t need to glue the side pieces in place. The broad thwart is also glued into place. 5598(2) I did test fit the Fore mast timber (6mm) walnut square stuff which was a tad oversize for the space, but rather than trim the mast I sanded the inside the side pieces to get a snug fit. 5600(2) 5605(2) This is about as far as I can go with the deck fittings at present. I have some concerns about the steering arrangements and representation and position of the wheel on this sail only vessel. There may have to be some deconstruction/ modification in this area. I have to say I am thoroughly enjoying this build, a departure from my usual 18th century naval subjects. Researching this vessel type is a new interest and I have been in touch with the Curator of the Scottish Fisheries Museum who has provided very useful additional information. Cheers, B.E. 20/06/20

Spot on Derek, 👍 B.E.

Thank you James, it's damned embarrassing when you forget how to do things🙄 and thanks Steven and Tim for your advice. B.E.

I've done something weird whilst trying to update my signature and add a link to my Alert build. I've ended up with a large photo, which I don't know how to get rid off. There doesn't seem to be a delete button. Advice please B.E.

Hi Bob, Becc are a manufacturer in the UK of model accessories, notably flags. Their products can be found in many online ship modelling supply sites. B.E.

Coming along very nicely Tim, pretty little thing isn't she. 🙂 B.E.

Post 13 A Brief diversion from the main event. Included in the kit is a beautifully etched name plate for the Lady Eleanor. What isn’t included in the kit is the Registration Number, something every fishing vessel would have. So, I decided Lady Eleanor should have one too. As Fraserburgh was a centre of the North East herring fishing trade I used the letter code FR. For the number I decided on 620 being the month and year of the model build. It wasn’t by accident that I decided on fitting the first rubbing strake 6mm below the top strakes. This is the space required for the Registration plate. To make the plate I used a 6mm wide Boxwood strip, and for the characters BECC 5mm vinyl. 5563(2) The lettering is gold which I don’t want, these registration plates seemed to have white lettering on a black board. The answer is to paint the board white, apply the letters, paint over with a waterproof black marker, and hope the result is as desired once the letters are peeled off. 5568(2) Well not quite, there was a little bleed beneath the vinyl which required touching in, but I quite like the result. 5576(2) 5578(2) For a simpler approach Becc do supply 5mm white letter/number sets which could simply be fitted on a black board. Just a small enhancement but now back to the build. B.E. 17/06/20

Your Speedy is looking beautiful Derek. On the subject of side tackles I don't think the difference between four and six pounders is that great in terms of fitting difficulty, and in my opinion is feasible at 1:64 scale. 2mm blocks are the size to use along with 0.1mm line. Hooks are the big issue as provided brass etched versions are out of scale and take up too much room. A simplified approach is to use thin wire or modified small eyebolts to make hooks which don't detract from the look at the scale involved. Making up 28 tackles is a bit of a pain, but the job can be done at intervals and setting up a little jig helps a lot. B.E.

No time like the present, I have re-aligned the water-line at midships. 5557 5541 5540 5559 I think I will leave it alone now until I get the paint for the Boot topping. B.E. 16/06/20

Cheers James, I was thinking that, the bow and stern points are as per plan, I'll have another play with it. 👍 B.E.

Post 12 That Waterline business I admit I hate doing waterlines, but I thought with this fairly simple hull form it would be ok. It wasn’t. Neither was it clear where in the cradle the hull was supposed to fit. The hull was a good but not a perfect fit and there was a choice of positions which suited, one as good as another. Was there any hull drag involved? The plan seems to show the top line at the bow below the top point at the stern, which would suggest drag. I first tried the (common) method of marking the bow and stern points by measuring down from the stem and stern posts, and then used the Amati waterline marker along the hull. James made it look easy, but for me this didn’t seem to produce a good result. The bow and stern point were fine but the line seemed to go far too high up in centre area of the hull at mid-ships. Conversely if I start at the centre the bow and stern points are too low. My next approach was to use the bow and stern points and measure down from mid-ships on the plan and mark this on the hull. Tamiya tape was then run smoothly between the three points. This resulted in a lower centre line which looked better to my eye. 5510 Nothing for it but to run the test and apply a base coat of paint, and see how it met the eye. 5515 I prefer to hand paint wooden models, gives a more natural look to my eye, but each to their own. 5516 5519 I have used Vallejo Flat Red for this first coat, it looks brighter under the flash than it really is. I do have some Hull Red on order, which is of a darker tone 5521 5528 5529 5532 5535 This is as far as I will go for present, I’m not quite sure whether the mid-ships line needs to come up a tad, so there may well be some fiddling yet to do. B.E. 16/06/20

Thanks, Rusty, Derek, and Bob. @ Derek - thanks for the heads up, I'll look it out. @ Bob - I had a senior moment there, I meant to say Acetone to clean ca, I have amended my post to avoid confusion. For the non waterproof pva I generally use water. Cheers, B.E.

Post 11 Progressing the hull At this point I add the bulwark rubbing strakes comprising half-round Walnut strip. Nice quality strip that does the job perfectly. I think this will make a nice contrast to the Pearwood planking. I found using pva adequate for the purpose rather than ca. Below are two other rubbing strips also of Walnut. The kit manual suggests that the first of these is positioned around 3mm below the upper strake, and the second 4mm below that. The name plate fits between these two strakes. I have looked at many photo’s of Fifie’s and similar boats and there doesn’t necessarily seem to be a set positioning, or even number of rubbing strakes along the sides. Reaper Looking at the Reaper these two lower rubbing strakes are below the name and Registration number. Swan. The same applied to the Swan. 5474(2) I have opted to place the first strip 6mm below the upper strake, and the second 4 mm below that. 5478(2) I used Tamiya tape to set the position. I found it tricky fixing these very narrow strips as ca is really the only option, and the risk of marking the surrounding areas with glue is high. I applied Acetone using a fine paint brush to clean up as I went along. 5481(2) 5483(2) 5488(2) Starting to look like a fishing boat now I think. 🙂 B.E. 15/06/20

Nice work Bob, 👍 I’m glad I didn’t have to cut into that loose grained king plank, but you’ve made a fine job of it to produce a striking deck. Regards, B.E.

Thank you Bob, I’ve never built a model where planks have been joggled into a central king plank, but different rules may apply to yachts. I usually start either side of the central line, and only start joggling where without it the plank ends would come to a point or less than half the full width of the plank. I select the scale plank widths between six and eight inches, 3mm width planks suit my eye at 1:64 scale. I don’t tend to pre-determine where joggles are likely to end, my main consideration in planking is getting the butt shift pattern looking acceptable, and fairly matching each side. For the caulking I use a chisel point waterproof marker run along one edge only of the plank. I’m off to have a look at your Pen Duick now, and the intriguing planking arrangement. 😉 B.E.

Post 10 Deck planking I will use 0.7mm thick Boxwood strip; 4.5mm wide for the margin planks, and 3.4mm for the planking, which are a good match for the etched scale planks. The first task is to fit the margin planks. Thanks to the fairly gentle curves this is done with edge bending a single strip. I start the deck planking along each side of the centre line. The overall scale length for planks within the area between the fish hatch boundary are within feasible full-length planks without the need for butt joints. This doesn’t mean there couldn’t be if the opportunity to use a shorter length presented itself for the purposes of economy of use. 5447 There is a need for joggling into the margin plank from the outset. 5450(2) Once I am outside of the fish hatch area I’ll work out a butt joint pattern. 5452(2) Completion takes a couple of days, the butt shifts are far less in number than on the etched version. It is a slightly less formal arrangement than on naval ships but the principles relating to adjacent butts and shifts has been followed. combo A side by side comparison. The laid deck requires scraping, but overall I prefer the look, and it didn’t take much effort to do it. Having the thin strip is necessary but the whole thing was done using Swann-morten micro chisels, and a No11 scalpel blade. I have dispensed with the mitred patterns surrounding the hatches etc as they are something I don’t recognise and can’t see the purpose of. 5463 The etched deck was useful as a template for cutting cleanly around all the hatch openings etc; 5471 I will now return to cleaning the hull in preparation for painting. B.E. 14/06/20

Hi Richard, I used a good quality pva for the first planking, and pins and clamps to hold it in place. I found that only a short time was required between the laying of strakes, but I then left it overnight before removing the pins. A different method is required for the second planking, and I found drawing pins in-between the bulkheads worked well for me. Hi Bob, I use a needle point to run the pva along the gap and then sprinkle the dust over it, blow the excess away, and run my finger along the line. The main thing to ensure is that any of the pva/dust combo is not left on the plank surface. The gaps I am using this method on are really only hairline, so the need to re-define the plank edges doesn't really arise. The method you suggest where the plank line was lost, is what I would do also, but I might consider re-doing the plank if that was the case. Thanks Guys, B.E.

Remember the planking is clinker laid. They are not treenails, but representations of copper bolts and roves that secured the planking. You can see treenails which are the much smaller heads in-between the bolts. B.E.