_SalD_

lets try. @palmerit, well that was easy. @palmerit thank you

Please forgive me if this is covered somewhere in this forum. I’ve looked through a number of posts but couldn’t find anything that answers this. I’m sure this is obvious to those who are more text-savvy, but could someone tell me how to create those blue shaded name tags? (See picture below.) Thank you.

Maybe I’ll just keep her on the shelf and watch the propeller go around 😄😉. Kidding, of course. Damn the torpedoes—full speed ahead.

Hi Craig, Thank you for your input. I believe I performed that calibration when I first installed all the electronics. The propeller RPM does vary with throttle position, so I think it’s working correctly. In the tub, since I’m not yet used to the controls, I pushed the throttle a little too far forward and didn’t have much room to work with. I think once I get it into a larger body of water, I’ll be able to get used to them more easily.

Ship is looking great Knocklouder. I like the name decals and was wondering how you made them.

Thanks, Alan. I forgot to mention in my post that I didn’t use the white rigging thread provided with the kit. Instead, I substituted some rigging I had left over from a previous model—black for the standing rigging and tan for the running rigging. Thanks for the kind words, Ian. There is an edge plank (coaming) around the perimeter of the opening where the cabin is located. It’s not very high (about 1/8"). I could probably add an extension to make it a little higher if you think it should be. You made me think however about the battery hatch I cut into the main deck. I'll need to come up with something to waterproof it. LOL—of course I had to try it out in the tub, and to my surprise the boat is a little faster than I anticipated. Good thing the tub has rounded edges, no damage to boat or tub. I did get it to move forward and reverse, and still no leaks.

Stepping the Mast: The mast and boom were pre-assembled with all their attachments and painted before being installed on the ship. My standard method for stepping the mast involves using a 45-degree right triangle. I use the triangle to help ensure the mast is plumb athwartships. First, I scribe a line in the plastic triangle, bisecting the 90-degree angle and making it perpendicular to the hypotenuse. Then, I measure the overall distance athwartships from the outboard edges of each cap rail, where the triangle will be placed. Dividing this distance in half, I mark the same measurement on either side of the scribed line along the hypotenuse of the triangle. Next, I position the triangle upright against the mast, ensuring that the two marks line up with the edges of the cap rail. With the apex of the bisected 90-degree angle centered on the ship, it will be perfectly perpendicular to the deck. The position of the mast fore and aft sometimes needs to be braced into position, this mast I did not have to do that. I use white glue for this step, as it allows me time to adjust the mast into its final position. The main advantage of this method is that it doesn't require the ship to be perfectly leveled. As long as the ship has a reasonable degree of symmetry, and the triangle is correctly positioned across the cap rails, the apex of the triangle will always be centered on the ship and 90 degrees to the deck. While I’m not certain whether these types of masts would traditionally have a mast coat, I did apply one to provide additional support for the mast. Mast and Boom Installation: With the mast and boom in place, I moved on to rigging the block and tackles. This part was fairly straightforward, though I did make one mistake: I should have waited to glue the fish storage bin in place until after completing the rigging. First, the wire bracing for both the mast and the forward deck crane were then installed. Next, the rigging for the boom Then the mast rigging Additionally, I added the wire bracing for the aft deck crane. Since this bracing runs from the crane to the superstructure (which must be removed in order to install the battery and turn the motor on), I didn’t glue this bracing in place. This will allow me to remove it easily when needed. Getting close to the end now, just a few more odds and ends to complete. Then I think another water test is called for. Thanks for looking and for the likes.

I was a little slow posting this update because I’m just getting over my first case of COVID. It took five years to finally catch it, and when I did, it did a pretty good job on me—but I’m all better now. I started at the bow, installing the handrail and windlass. To accurately locate the handrail posts, I made a photocopy of the bow section from the plans and taped it in place as a guide. I used a compass point to mark all the locations. I also marked the bollard locations on the deck. Next, I installed the ladder, deck hatches, and the larger windlass on the main deck. The two higher hatches are mounted on the removable deck portion to access the battery. After that, I jumped over to the hull pin striping. I had some 1/16” white pinstripe tape left over from another project, and it worked out very nicely. Then it was back to the superstructure. I installed the rear antenna support and the cable handrail, finished painting the stack and the anchors, and added pins to the anchors to help secure them to the hull. Thanks for looking in and for the likes.

Going to grab some popcorn, sit back and follow along. Good luck on the build Bob.

Thanks Alan, I appreciate the nice comments and thanks for looking at my build.

Continuing with the miscellaneous deck items: Assembled and painted the windlasses Smokestack Deck hatches Two deck cranes Next, I began populating the superstructure with the assembled components: Superstructure upper deck Superstructure lower deck For the ladder rungs located on the sides, I drew up a template so I could accurately locate the holes for each rung. I also installed the handrails and lighting fixtures. Just a note: I had to order more 1 mm diameter brass rods for the handrailings because the kit didn’t include enough. Ordered it from Amazon.

Thanks to a new member of MSW, buntzi, I was informed through an email that the items pictured below are trawl doors. Their function is to keep the mouth of the net open as it is dragged along the bottom. Thank you, buntzi.

buntzi, thanks for the info. I don't check this post to often that's why it took me a while to get back to you.

I decided to change things up a bit and start working on the miscellaneous deck items. Once I figured out which pieces to use, assembly was pretty straightforward. Deck Crane That came together nicely. Antenna (I think?) I’m assuming this is some kind of antenna. I added a small post to the bottom of the brass top to attach it more securely to the wooden dowel. Radar Tower That went together smoothly as well. Painting Details I also painted the door and window frames. Then I came to this piece. I put it together, but for the life of me I can’t figure out what it is or what it’s supposed to be used for. I’ve checked other builds and searched various trawler websites, but I haven’t been able to identify it. Anyone have any ideas? Thanks again for the likes.

Float Test With all the electronics installed, I thought it would be a good time to give the ship another float test. As you can see, there’s a slight list to the port side, and the bow sits a bit high. To correct this, I plan to use lead shot salvaged from an old diving weight belt as adjustable ballast. After draining the tub, I realized that the list may have been influenced by the battery placement, as it’s relatively heavy and it might have been positioned off-center. I’ll verify this next time by temporarily relocating the battery to confirm whether it’s the primary cause of the imbalance. Oh, and still no leaks.