Germania Nova 1911 by KeithAug - FINISHED - Scale 1:36 - replica of schooner Germania 1908

[Keith Black]

Keith, only you could make a rubber dingy look handsome. 

[BANYAN]

Very nice work Keith, quite convincing as Druxey says.

 

cheers

 

Pat

[TBlack]

Ever try rowing one of those things? No fun,

[KeithAug]

10 hours ago, TBlack said:

Ever try rowing one of those things? No fun,

Yes many times - usually on route to pub when the motivation was high and then back from the pub when senses were dulled. But i was much younger then!

[wefalck]

Reminds me of our trips to the Carribean, e.g. the BVI and USVI. Took the dinghy to on-shore bars and restaurants and after some drinks (the bartenders took a 1 pint plastic beaker and went up and down the shelves until it was 3/4 full - the rest was topped up with orange juice - a concoction called 'Force 12') we had to find our anchored boat in the dark. They all look the same, the hired boats. Eventually, we tied some towels to the rail, to look a bit more distinct ...

[KeithAug]

2 hours ago, wefalck said:

Eventually, we tied some towels to the rail, to look a bit more distinct ...

Eberhard - A good plan but not fool proof. We once had so find the yacht after a thick mist descended but drink made us brave and we were lucky. 

I too remember all those beach bars and lethal cocktails, even more lethal the day after I recall. 

[wefalck]

Going around at night in a dinghy, one can also have strange encounters: we were motoring back out to the boat in a moon-lit night in the usual condition of constrained perception, when suddenly there was a big splash. We first thought that we hit something, but when we switched on the torch, we saw a baby barracuda flapping on the floor of the dinghy. It had jumped out of the water and landed in the dinghy.

 

[KeithAug]

On 6/16/2022 at 10:20 AM, wefalck said:

Reminds me of our trips to the Carribean, e.g. the BVI and USVI.

 

I never did get to do the USVI. The BVI's were very nice but we found the sailing a bit limited with all the islands being quite close together. Our preferred sailing grounds in the Caribbean were from Martinique down to Grenada where the wind was invariably easterly force 4 to 5, occasionally 6 (on the beam). The crew and I did this for many years until retirement took its toll on some of the crews finances and it was then back to oilskins and heavy clothing for our final years around the Scottish Isles. Very pretty but usually miserably cold, wet and at times very windy. All now in the past i'm afraid as most of the crew are lacking in fitness and confidence. We do however meet up occasionally for a trip on the Norfolk Broads.

[wefalck]

Done that too, but I think we made it only down to Mustique, if I remember correctly.

[KeithAug]

1 hour ago, wefalck said:

only down to Mustique

Ah! Basils Bar. Our last Caribbean trip. We spent the afternoon in the bar watching the Germany V Argentina cup final - 13 July 2014. Seems like a long time ago now.

[ccoyle]

32 minutes ago, KeithAug said:

watching the Germany V Argentina cup final - 13 July 2014. Seems like a long time ago now.

 

But still fresh in the hearts of fans of Die Mannschaft.

[KeithAug]

Thank you all for your comments.

 

The dinghy sits on a metal frame constructed from .032" and .040" brass sheet.

 

I started with a drawing before cutting off the required widths of brass strip from sheet. The strips in the next photo sit above the sketch. The front and rear frames are of differing shapes to accept the changes of shape in the dinghy hull. The frames are circa 1.3" x 0.8'. The legs are .040" thick and the cross pieces 0.31" thick. The diagonal braces are made from .040" wire.

The pieces were cut accurately to length and the "V" was bent to the correct angle. .040" holes were drilled to accept the bracing rods.

I made a jig to ensure the soldering of the upright to the base strips was at 90 deg. The jig was just slots in a piece of 1/4" ply with intersections drilled out to give access for soldering.

The "V" strip was then soldered in place with the base held against a piece of steel to act as a heat sink.

Finally the bracing rods were soldered in place and the supports were then cleaned and polished.

Finally the frames were glued and pinned to the deck.

The garden is still dominating my time so progress is somewhat limited I am afraid.

[BANYAN]

Take your time Keith. I am enjoying viewing this little marvel - the longer time allows for a prolonged visual feast.

 

cheers

 

Pat

[Keith Black]

 Keith, I was looking at your latest photos and I saw color in the 7th and 8th photos and it took me a second to remember, it's the flags in their cubby. So many treasured post and pleasant memories. 

[KeithAug]

Thank you Pat and Keith.

 

 A bit of time was spent on the dinghy over the weekend.

 

I started with a few coats of thin enamel paint with sanding between coats.

 

Then I did a bit of masking and applied black paint to rowlocks and oar clips and shades of grey to the bumpers, deck and solid bottom.

Anti- slip strips were required for the deck - made from sail repair tape blackened with permanent marker.

Grab handles were needed on the sides and I made a drilling jig out of a piece of aluminium tube to get the attachment holes correctly spaced.

Fabric reinforcing was cut from sail tape. 

This was also coloured and applied.

The handles themselves were made from flattened .031" wire. These were attached and painted black.

A further bit of anti-slip matting was attached to the locker and the oars were glued permanently in place. 3 black inflation valves were also added.

[wefalck]

Looks convicingly rubbery ...

[ccoyle]

2 hours ago, wefalck said:

Looks convicingly rubbery ...

 

Indeed -- but perhaps just a little out of place alongside all that shiny teak and brass! 😉

[KeithAug]

2 hours ago, ccoyle said:

but perhaps just a little out of place alongside all that shiny teak and brass!

Chris - I have to agree. I had to work hard to convince myself to include it. Thank you Eberhard.

[druxey]

Brilliant as usual! It's too bad that the ribbed underside will not be seen. Lovely work.

[dvm27]

5 hours ago, ccoyle said:

 

Indeed -- but perhaps just a little out of place alongside all that shiny teak and brass! 😉

Perhaps you could mount it in a towed position behind the ship?

[BANYAN]

That looks so convincingly realistic Keith; it looks like the real deal.

 

cheers

 

Pat

[Jim Lad]

Just catching up, Keith. That's a very convincing looking inflatable.

 

John

[mbp521]

Keith,

 

My apologies for being way late to the party on this. I just spent the last couple of days going through all 63 pages of this magnificent build. Man have I been missing out! What a beautiful model you have going on here. 

 

You are definitely a master of your craft and I feel so insignificant now. I know I am jumping late, but I'm definitely on for the remainder of the journey. 

 

-Brian

[French Mr Bean]

Fantatic work,it makes me want to get on board!

[Mirabell61]

fantastic work Keith,

a real treat for the eyes...

 

Nils

[KeithAug]

17 hours ago, mbp521 said:

My apologies for being way late to the party on this

No apologies needed Brian - I'm glad you made it before the end.

 

Eberhard, Chris, Druey, Greg, Pat, John, Bean and Nils - thank you all for visiting and leaving comments. Thanks to everyone for the likes and visits.

[KeithAug]

If you recall I hadn't finished the aft "swimming step on the launch". I made the bits a few weeks ago so it was a quick assembly job.

 

The real thing.

I took a few liberties with the deck wood (as well as the engine and wheel - as mentioned previously).

I still need to do the lashings and a mooring lines.

 

 

[BANYAN]

What a gem of a model Keith, all that finely detailed brass work really adds to its presentation.

 

cheers

 

Pat

[mtaylor]

Pretty darn convincing model when looking at the photo of the big boat and comparing.  

[Keith Black]

One would swear that the launch doesn't have a bottom, it looks like you're looking right through the launch to Germania's deck. What a neat effect. 

Edited June 30, 2022 by Keith Black