_SalD_

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.

Now that the hull is nearly complete, I decided to begin work on the upper cabin. I started by installing the exterior deck planking using the kit-supplied material. Next, I added the cap railing and applied a stain. Once everything had dried, I finished the rail and deck off with three coats of wipe-on polyurethane. Next I decided that since this ship will be operational, it needed a captain at the helm. I found one I liked from Motion RC — the Bancroft 1/50 Scale Civilian Mariner figure. After placing him at the wheel, it quickly became clear that a little lighting was in order. I picked up a Chip Light Kit from Evans Designs and installed the mini LEDs — and now, we have light! That said, I really need to plan a little better next time. I had already installed the cabin roof, so I ended up having to fit both the captain and the lights through the cabin windows — not exactly ideal, but it worked!

Jimbo, I appreciate the kind words and you taking the time to check out my build

Thanks, Alan. Like I mentioned, I was a little disappointed at first with how dark the deck turned out—but it’s definitely growing on me. I think using lighter colors for all the attachments will help balance it out. Thanks, Popeye—I really appreciate you checking in and the kind words!

Cap Rail and Main Deck Planking With the hull painting completed, it was time to move on to the main deck. The first step was installing the cap rail above the bulwarks. Before gluing the rails in place, I sanded the edges to round them off. Then I stained them, and once dry, applied three coats of wipe-on polyurethane. For the deck planking, I used leftover material from a previous build. Since the deck features three hatches and a winch along the centerline, I decided to install the first six planks—three on each side of the centerline—as single, full-length pieces running from the cabin to the bow structure. The remainder of the deck was planked using a three-butt shift layout. To make the job easier, I treated myself to a razor cutter. Honestly, I should have bought one ten years ago—it made a huge difference when cutting all those planks. Deck Completed. I also installed the bow trim pieces at this time. I was slightly disappointed by how dark the stained deck turned out. I had tested a strip beforehand, which looked considerably lighter. Still, I do like how the darker tone complements the blue of the hull, so I can live with it. After the stain dried, I applied three coats of wipe-on poly to the finished deck. Battery Access Hatch The next step was a bit nerve-racking. I needed a way to install and remove the battery, so I decided to cut an access hatch into the deck. Using an X-Acto knife, I carefully cut through the deck in the area where the two deck hatches will go. I also used an X-Acto saw to cut through the bulkhead frames. Battery Installed. Hatch in Place. Thanks for looking in and for the likes.

Thanks for the advice, Rob — and no need to apologize. I can use all the help I can get when it comes to electronics! As for changing out the antenna, that's definitely way above my pay grade. So, you think I can keep the antenna inside the cabin? I was under the impression I needed to run it up through the cabin roof and keep it vertical, kind of like a car radio antenna (not that cars really have those anymore). Good advice, I will definitely do that before putting it in the water.

I finished painting the hull, applying the blue paint above the waterline. Once the paint had dried, I proceeded to install all the electronics along with the propeller. The only thing I'm still unsure about is what to do with the antenna and how to support it. Thanks for looking in and for the likes.

Thanks, Rob! To be honest, I have to give all the credit to my wife—she asked ChatGPT what color would best match the Nordkap fishing vessel, and this is what it came up with. Just remember, always be nice to AI so when it takes over the world it will be nice to you.😄

Thanks, Alan — I really appreciate the kind words and you taking the time to check out my build.

Painting the Hull and Sprucing Up the Pilot House I started painting the hull after carefully taping off the waterline. The paint I’m using might be a bit unconventional for a model, but my wife had a coupon for free paint samples—so I figured, why not give it a try? For the area above the waterline, I’m using Benjamin Moore’s Palace Blue, and for below the waterline, Barret Brick. I’m still not confident enough with my airbrush, so I’ve been applying the paint by hand with a brush. Three coats later… I went off on a bit of a tangent with the pilot house and decided to spruce up the interior a bit. I’m planning to use different planking for the main deck than what came with the kit, so after painting the interior walls, I repurposed that kit-supplied planking for the pilot house flooring. Then I thought—if you’re sailing the North Sea, you definitely need a navigation chart. I printed out a reduced copy of a chart and made a small frame to mount it in. The pilot house is now finished, complete with the ship’s wheel and compass. My only concern is that once I put the roof on, it might be too dark inside to see all the details. Thanks again for all the likes.

Rudder and prime coat I permanently installed the rudder so I could begin painting the hull. To ensure the rudder straps stayed securely in place, I added some “rivets” through the straps before epoxying them to the rudder post. The hull, superstructure, and stand were all primed. I chose to use white primer since the final color scheme includes a lot of white.

Bow Deck and Pilot House Superstructure Construction of the bow deck began by gluing together the partition pieces that form a faux interior at the bow. The roof support frames for the bow deck were also glued in place at this stage. Next, the deck and side pieces were attached. The frames and deck sides required a fair amount of sanding to ensure a proper fit. I’d also like to thank robdurant for mentioning in his build log that the holes on the deck are not symmetrical to the centerline—catching this early made it much easier to correct before installing the deck. Finished deck; after some wood filler and sanding. The pilot house assembly went together fairly smoothly, with no major issues once I figured out the placement of all the parts. Lower superstructure Upper pilot house So far so good.

Thanks Rob appreciate the kind words. I apologize for the length of this post but my actual progress is a bit ahead of my updates so I thought I'd try to catch up. I also want to say that this kit is not for the faint of heart. Honestly, it feels like someone tossed a bunch of parts into a box, slapped a picture of a boat on it, and the instructions basically say, “Here, build this.” That said, it took me a while to figure out which parts needed to come together first. So let’s start with the easy stuff. Deck-Top Fish Bin This one was pretty straightforward. No major issues there. Ship’s Stand The stand came next. The instructions provided a few basic dimensions, but not quite enough to properly place all the support members. I ended up building the base first, then positioning it directly over the hull to figure out the correct length for the uprights. Anchorways Now here’s where things got tricky. Don’t mix up the side pieces—they might look the same, but they’re not. One side is slightly larger than the other. I didn’t catch this until after assembling one of them, which caused a bit of backtracking and I’m still not 100% sure I have these right. After cutting them into the hull a little wood filler was used to fill the gaps. Interior Bulwarks I wasn’t happy with the look of the interior bulwarks above the deck because of the exposed planking lines and glue marks. It just didn’t resemble a steel-sided ship and I wasn't sure if just painting the sides would cover everything. To fix this, I cut and installed 1/16” thick birch sheets between the bulkheads to cover the planking. Scrubbers and hull stiffening After that, I moved on to cutting in the scrubbers and attaching what I assume is some kind of hull stiffing on the outside of the hull. Thanks for reading this far and for all the likes.