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Blue Ensign

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  1. Blue Ensign
    Looks pretty clean to me Steve, and certainly better than mine was at that stage. Plank thinness seems to have afflicted several builders me included, but unless there is light behind it I found it not to be too problematical once the hull had been varnished, and in my case painted below the waterline. B. E.
  2. Blue Ensign
    With the keel proper added the assembly can be secured in the simple building board, and the process of adding the bulkheads can begin. 1092 I always start by fixing the centre bulkhead and then work fore and aft to ensure they are all lined up and set square to the keel. 1094 I use two Engineers Squares to check each Bulkhead is vertical and square to the keel, and mini levels for the horizontal line across the top. 1119 With the bulkheads in place I stick two bracing strips across the tops to help brace the bulkheads against the fairing process. The block on the top is to secure the boat inverted in a vice. 1114 Nothing fancy about the building board, just sufficient to hold the keel and stem in place. 1114 Fairing has just started in this shot, I don't bother to remove the char at this stage, it will clear soon enough and helps to show the fairing line. B.E.
  3. Blue Ensign
    Cheers Guys, Work begins cutting out the replacement stem and keel in Boxwood. The kit parts provide the templates. 1076 The false keel is prepped with the bearding lines cut in and the 'false' rabbet carried up to the stem. One of the problems I found with the Pinnace kit was the softness of the Basswood stem, making it susceptible to dinks and scarring. 1077 The false keel is fairly fragile and I managed to break off the top part whilst trial fitting the stem. At least the Boxwood stem will be more robust than the Basswood version. This is the time to also renew my sanding sticks and prepare a simple building board to secure the keel. B.E.
  4. Blue Ensign
    Love the photo's of your build Michael, although not intended, that last photo could so easily be a depiction of 'battle' damage, dislodged woodwork, and a jumble of rigging, looks very realistic. B.E.
  5. Blue Ensign
    18th Century English Longboat by Blue Ensign - MS 1:48 Scale. The second of the Model shipways kits which I am moving straight onto whilst I'm in the mood, and hoping to improve on my Pinnace build. As with the Pinnace I have 'previous' with this kit having already scratched a 1:64 scale version for my Pegasus build, from Chuck's plans. 1083 057 It was quite small with an hull length just shy of 4" so one might think a larger kit should prove easier. Not necessarily, I found I had more trouble with the 1:24 scale kit Pinnace than the scratched 1:64 version. I will use the kit provided false keel and bulkheads, but this time around I will replace the stem and keel with Boxwood. My aim is to otherwise not use any of the provided kit wood. The hull will be planked with Boxwood strip, slightly thinner than the provided Basswood, but this should be less problematic on the smaller Longboat than it proved to be on the much larger Pinnace. I now need to get the preparatory work done before I start assembly. B.E.
  6. Blue Ensign
    Love that Binnacle cabinet Bob, a fine piece of joinery. B.E.
  7. Blue Ensign
    Thank you Bob, Grant, Michael, Martin, Steve, and Christian. So this build is completed after a leisurely five month exercise. The final item to make the base board and hull supports. 1034 For the base I have used a plain piece of Boxwood sheet of 3mm thickness with slightly chamfered edges. 1036 You may recognise what I enlisted into service for the supports. 1037 For a change I made a greater effort for the final photo shoot. and here are the results. 0444 0448 0465 0475 0496 0497 1029 1038 1040 1044 1045 1046 1048 1049 1050 1053 1054 1056. Thoughts on the Pinnace kit. My thanks go to Chuck for designing this fine kit and giving us modellers the opportunity to build a nicely scaled model of an iconic 18th c boat. This is a fine little model but a sod to plank, although I did use rather thin Boxwood strip which allowed a very small margin for sanding corrections . The supplied basswood is not really suitable for a model of this single planked type being too soft and feathery to get clean edges. I did replace much of the wood with my stock Boxwood and were I to do it again I would use Boxwood overall albeit of a somewhat thicker strip for the exterior planking, allowing me a little more leeway for my planking deficiencies. I wasn't too happy with my work at the outset but as the build progressed and I got into the detail I eased up on myself somewhat, a model is more than the sum of its parts, and although I don't rate it as one of my best efforts, I do rather like the look of it outside of the prying eye of the macro lens. This has been a nice little five month summer project, not entirely relaxing, but with a satisfying result, and it has wetted my appetite for Chuck's forthcoming Barge kit. Regards, B.E.
  8. Blue Ensign
    Splashguards I toyed with the idea of making replacements out of Boxwood, but on reflection I think the kit provided items are just fine, particularly as they are painted. I did some preparatory painting before gluing the two elements together, the panel faces, and inner moulding edges. The guards were then sanded down to around 0.9mm in thickness. Before fitting, the seat back needed some very careful paring back using a scalpel and light sanding. I also needed to shape down the backrest top to fall just below the splashguard top edges. This all needs to be done with soft hands and by fine degrees, any slips at this point could prove problematic in restoration. The guards require the water /heat treatment to impart some curve to follow the line of the rail. This is another exercise that requires some care. It was good to have a spare unit in the kit as I did break one. I was a little concerned that the water would weaken the pva, but immersion was only for a few seconds before pegging around a jar top to apply the heat. On my Pinnace at least, two curves were required, a short one where the guard passed around the seat back, and a more gentle curve forward. 0968 Forming the aft curve. 0970 and the forward curve. Getting the curve right is necessary for the guard to sit on the rail without tension, otherwise gluing it will be a difficult task. 0974 Once I was happy with the fit I painted the exterior face of the guard. 0975 To get a good grip it was necessary to scrape a paint free line along the top of the rail. This was carefully done with a scalpel point. 0981 The actual fitting of the guards was problem free with quick grab using full strength pva. The inside faces of the guards were painted once in place. 0982 0983 0984 So the Pinnace is effectively finished, some fettlin' to do, and a base to make which I don't think will take too long. B.E.
  9. Blue Ensign
    I was checking this out when Dave beat me to it, the Caldercraft guns barrels and carriages would be a great improvement on the Amati offering. When searching for replacement items I tend to look at the scale actual size and match that to what's available regardless of scale. A small gun at 1:64 may well serve as a larger one at 1:72. I would talk directly to Jotika, ask them what the actual size of the guns at 12 and 24 Ib are. Cheers, B.E.
  10. Blue Ensign
    Nice progress Mike, that ebony finish is going to look great . I too would take the higher copper line, and as for getting the Verdigris finish I understand urine is the way to go, who was it on MSW who made a great job using this method, having a senior moment, his name has slipped my mind. Personally I quite like the old copper penny look. B.E.
  11. Blue Ensign
    Nice shots Doug, you must be feeling well satisfied with her. B.E.
  12. Blue Ensign
    Thanks Martin, both Mrs W and William are quite forgiving of my raiding of their respective possessions to serve in the shipyard. Both Amati and Mantua do a range of period figures for 1:64 scale at around 25mm high. Artesania do a range of 27mm figures one of which I used to represent the ill fated Captain; Cmdr John Hamilton Gore on my Pegasus. In the UK I use either Cornwall Model Boats, or the Model Dockyard, (both in Cornwall) but my 1:24 scale Pinnace figure I purchased from Dean's Marine. Regards, B.E.
  13. Blue Ensign
    I wish Thomas, no he was a modified bought figure (see my reply to Nils above.) Regards, B.E.
  14. Blue Ensign
    I don't recognise that as a feature of English gun carriages particularly in the era of your build. Amati are notorious for providing otherwise good kits with generic out of scale fittings, are the gun carriages made of metal? I seem to recall that they supplied their Fly kit with such items, and gun barrels even fitted with dolphins. at one point. The Amati guns provided with my Pegasus kit looked superficially ok, but they were seriously over scale, and not of a correct profile, particularly around the muzzle, and with the bore of a siege gun. By the late 1790's most inboard works were painted yellow; although Red Ochre was still the official colour many Captains requested Yellow, and were in the habit of having their gun carriages re-painted. Not until 1807 did the Navy Board formalise the procedure by notifying Dockyards to accede to Captains requests for a yellow scheme. Vanguard was first commissioned in 1790 and had some re-fits before she fought at The Nile in 1798, by which time she may well have had the yellow scheme, she was the Flagship of Nelson at the battle. Even so I think there is sufficient leeway to give her the Red scheme if you prefer that. B.E.
  15. Blue Ensign
    A small diversion to play with the boat equipment. The Grapnel The grapnel as provided by the kit seems to have been rigged without the benefit of a ring, the line secured directly thro' the eye in the shank where the ring should be. A grapnel as illustrated by Steel shows a ring fitted thro' the eye. Steel gives a grapnel rope circ for ships boats as 3" - 3½" which equates to around 1mm diameter line at scale. 0946 This alone would not be possible without a ring, particularly as the classic hitch for small anchors is a Fisherman's Bend where the line passes twice thro' the ring. He also gives 35 fathoms as the length of the grapnel rope. which scales to 2667mm. This is 8.75ft at scale, where would all that fit in the boat! 0967(2) I satisfied myself with a rope length of around 30' - 300mm which I figured would be long enough for what is essentially a harbour boat. Boat Hook This is shown on the plan but the makings are not included with the kit. 0950 Not too difficult an item to reproduce, I use a soft white metal strip (the arm from one of Mrs W's hair clips, cut and shaped with files, and inserted into a length of thin Walnut dowel. 0948 0964 0956 The Thole pins and chocks are also shown on these shots. Nothing much to say about the tholes except they are fiddly little things to make, parts very small, fingers too big. I changed the style slightly from the plans, and left them unpainted as a contrast to the predominantly red scheme. 0961 Just the Splashguards left to do now. B.E.
  16. Blue Ensign
    Thank you Sailor and Nils. @ Nils - George is a Dean's Marine 1.24 scale figure, but he underwent some serious surgery. originally he was a Vietnam War period American soldier in Jungle gear. His arms were broken in two places, his uniform and jungle hat cut away and he was given some clothes from the slop chest. I was pleased that at a given 1:24 scale he fitted the boat spot on. B.E.
  17. Blue Ensign
    A beautiful model Chuck, and a fine unique kit, I too will be looking forward to ordering one. B.E.
  18. Blue Ensign
    Thanks Jason, when you start to look the subject of oars you find there is a huge amount of info out there, including many forums on every aspect from making to using, designing and purpose. From what I've read I think you are right that the thicker part of the oar whether it be round or square is primarily to provide balance and improve handling. One reference I looked at said that the square part begins just inside of the pivot point, so perhaps the Pinnace set up is not that far out. B.E.
  19. Blue Ensign
    This has been a fabulous project to follow Nils, many congratulations on completion on yet another wonderful model. Love your growing museum collection B.E.
  20. Blue Ensign
    Thank you Steve, Mark and Martin. @ Mark and Martin - With a single banked arrangement the rower should be close to the opposite side to the tholes, to gain maximum leverage. Here's a modern version of single banked rowing and you can see the rowers are close to the sides. These modern oars don't seem to have the old style looms but rather a slightly thickened and protected area where the oar passes thro' the oarlocks, although in this case not all the oars are set the same. Not sure Martin that the extension outboard of the oar should change with the forward/backward movement of the rower, but I base this purely on my very limited experience of having an occasional scull up the river. Cheers Guys, B.E.
  21. Blue Ensign
    Back from the fair county of Devonshire, William had a fine time on the Dart. 0720 Here performing his lookout duties as we cross from Dittisham to Greenway. Back to the build and in relation to small boats I like to have a scale figure to check the relevant proportions of any model I build, and here is George one of the oarsmen. 0922 Here you can see that with George in position the oar loom doesn't quite reach where the thole pins will fit. Is this correct, should the loom fit between the thole pin centres? the plans would suggest that this width would allow the thicker section of the oar to pass thro'. In this contemporary model the looms appear to just catch the thole pins. I was interested in the oar proportions and the relationship to the tholes. There's a lot more to this oar and thole business than you might first think. The Length of the oars has a direct relationship to the width of the boat, and whether it is single or double banked; the tholes to the distance from the aft edge of the thwart. On our model the centre of the chocks scales to 13" from the relevant thwart edge which puts it about mid centre between thwarts. Looking at boat plans this seems to generally be the case. Our boat is scaled to a width of 5'11" The oars on our boat are 186mm length overall with a Loom length of 37mm. This gives a length of 14.6' and a loom length of 2.9'. 0929 This is the link to the online reference tables by Steel. https://www.thebigrow.com/?p=659 I must admit I couldn't make any sensible correlation between the Steel figures and our model. Looking at his tables relating to Barge,Wherry,or Skiff the oar lengths seemed much longer for an equivalent breadth to our Pinnace. This of course is all academic as the oars as modelled look proportional to my eye, and resting along the thwarts there is no direct reference to the thole positions. Need to fix the Thole pins and chocks now. B.E.
  22. Blue Ensign
    Those look beautiful Martin, I would be reluctant to paint such fine work, whereas my own utilitarian version certainly required blackening. As far as height is concerned, if your Captain is Captain Silver of the Amati Line, then he stands 27mm high including his Bicorn hat, so just about his head would appear over the rail, Having said that he is quite a slight figure at around 5' 6", but then so was Nelson. I used an Artesania figure to Captain my Pegasus, not much taller but a more substantial figure wearing a long frock coat and Tri-corn Hat more uniform appropriate for the period I thought. Cheers, B.E.
  23. Blue Ensign
    Looking good Snow, and you seem to be enjoying your first build, which is the prime objective of getting into this fascinating activity. If your ships boat is 70mm in length it scales to a small boat of around 14 feet, so as finger in the wind job I would say oars of between 7' to 8' in length which scales to 40mm. You could try the formula based on width between the oarlocks/tholes; Firstly measure the width of your boat in mm between the oarlocks and scale up to full size eg: scale width 20mm; multiply by 60 then divide by 25.4 = full size in inches. (47.24") The formula is then: Divide by 2, then add 2 inches. take this number, multiply by 25, divide by 7, and that's your approximate answer in inches. multiply this by 25.4 and divide by 60 to give the scale length in mm. for your model. Hope this helps rather than confuses B.E.
  24. Blue Ensign
    What type of boat, scale, and period is it? B.E.
  25. Blue Ensign
    Very much a working boat Martin, the last remaining coal-fired paddle steamer in operation in the UK today. She was built in 1924 at Dartmouth but her engines date back to 1904. Perhaps of interest to yourself she was loaned to the US Navy during WW11 as a harbour tender. She was restored at Chatham over 15 years and offered River trips on the Medway. In 2013 she returned to the Dart where she continues to provide river trips. Might have a trip on her later this week. B.E.

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