Muirneag 1903 by Blue Ensign – FINISHED - Vanguard Models - 1:64 scale - A Scottish Zulu Fishing Boat Based on the Vanguard Models Zulu Kit

[Mirabell61]

Congrats B.E

thats a beautiful built fishing vessel, a lovely boat that seems to realy have a soul. You`ve caught the scene well...

 

Nils

[Blue Ensign]

Thank you Nils, good to hear from you, I hope you and yours are keeping well.

 

Post 47

 

The rigging Part Two

 

The Fore and Mizen sheets both have interesting features and a take a little bit of fiddling to set up.

 

I start with the Mizen sheets which are slightly less fussy.

The provided kit plan also includes this feature albeit in a more simplified form.

 

Mizen sheets - (2) 6” double blocks (⅛” Syren)

The sheet is of chain hooked to the clew and is shackled to the first block, the second block is hooked to an eyebolt in the starboard side wale at the stern.

The tackle is of 0.20mm ø line and runs inboard thro’ an iron snatch block secured to the bulwark stringer with a chain necklace. The fall then runs to the capstan.

9369(2)

Rigging block and chain combination.

The chain is quite fine being 48 links to the inch.

9372

 With the tackle in place the snatch block with its securing chain can be fitted.

9373(2)

Forming the chain necklace.

 

4376(2)

 The fall for the purpose of the model is expended around the Capstan.

9385(2)

The completed set up.

9386(2)

9387(2)

Moving on to the Fore Sheets.

 

B.E.

14/12/20

 

[Rustyj]

As usual that's some very nice work B.E.

[BobG]

Your model just keeps getting better and better, BE!

[Rik Thistle]

Muirneag is looking very sweet.

 

Just thinking aloud.....So the steam capstan is used to pull the sail tight at the front rather than lift the weight of the sail straight up the mast. I guess it's easier and more accessible for the crew to lift the sail straight up, but a greater strain on the human body to attempt to try to generate enough force to get the sail nice and tight at the front....hence the use of the capstan? 

 

Is there a 'slipping clutch' arrangement on the capstan to stop it generating too much force, or did the crew rely on experience to 'know' when the ropes were tight enough and then turn off the power to the capstan?

 

Amazing how they quickly used 'new' technologies to make life on board more efficient. And then they later used capstans for hauling in the nets, AFAIK.

 

Slowly getting in to March's Sailing Drifters...it's a very good story apart from being a deep insight into the history and workings of these boats.

 

Regards,

 

Richard

 

[Blue Ensign]

Thank you Rusty, Bob, and Richard.

 

@ Richard - I'm not too sure about the intricate workings of the capstan but I think there would be a pawl system on it. Sailing Drifters is a good read, so many snippets about life in a fishing community around the turn of the century, even down to the cost of a pint of ale! I have now bought the sister volume on Sailing Trawlers.

 

Post 48

The rigging Part Three

The Fore sheets also have an interesting configuration.

Fore Sheets 1⅞” manilla - 0.20mm ø line used.

The tackle consists of a 3mm Double block combined with a (lower) single block. (A deadblock according to the Underhill Plans).

9391

The top block is hooked to the clew, the lower block is attached by a chain necklace to the portside stringer with the running line passing thro’ a bullseye chained to the lower block, and the fall secured around a belay pin, and tied off at a cleat.

 

9396

9406

9393

 Fore sheet from the starboard side.

In the Fore ground is the ‘Tuckle chain securing the Mizen tack.

 

9404(2)

Burton Pendents

These were of 2” circ wire but I am using 0.3mm ø line.

I start with the Mizen as this falls inside the other rigging.

The Mizen pendent with a luff tackle (6” blocks) is secured in the deck adjacent to the mast partners (skegs) and the fall belayed to a cleat in the partners.

 

9400

The tackle comprises a 3mm double block and 3mm single hooked block. For the falls I have used 0.20mm ø line.

 

9403

Mizen Burton Pendent secured but not finally belayed.

9402(2)

 

Fore-mast Burton Pendent.

 

This has a different arrangement to the Mizen set up.

The pendent is of wire (.30mm line in my case)

 

Edgar March describes it as a runner and luff purchase, and there is mention of a sister hook, something new to me.

Sister block

 

I’ve heard of Sister Sledge, and Dr Hook, but that’s a different story.

9420

A 3mm single block is seized in the end of the pendent, a line runs thro’ this which also has a 3mm block attached to its upper end, and the running end is hooked to an iron bolt thro’ the stringer.

9421

A runner passes thro’ this block, one end is hooked to the bolt adjacent to the pendent line.

This is where the sister hooks come into play but I can’t quite see how the two lines attach.

At the scale involved I have used two separate hooks to secure these lines.

 

9417

The running end is secured to the stringer a short distance aft.

9423

 

Moving on to rigging the jib, the final element.

 

 

B.E.

17/12/2020

 

 

 

[Gahm]

With Muirneag you clearly continue your tradition of building models of the finest craftsmanship! It looks fantastic!

 

Thomas

[Rik Thistle]

B.E.,

I'm not too sure about the intricate workings of the capstan but I think there would be a pawl system on it. Sailing Drifters is a good read, so many snippets about life in a fishing community around the turn of the century, even down to the cost of a pint of ale! I have now bought the sister volume on Sailing Trawlers.

 

Thanks for the reply.

 

Sailing Drifters is an amazing read. The author certainly put his heart in to it.

 

Reading it though is not that easy, as you hinted a little while back, since March just jumps straight in with all the technical jargon of the time - and being a noobie there are numerous paragraphs where it may as well have been written in a foreign language. However, there is a Glossary at the back that I am flicking back and forth to.

 

I'll be sad when Muirneag leaves the shipyard...maybe she'll come back in a few months for a refit?

 

Regards,

 

Richard

 

 

[Jim Lad]

Impressive work on the rigging.

 

John

[Blue Ensign]

Cheers Guys for you ongoing support, much appreciated.

 

Post 49

The Rigging Part Four

 

Rigging the jib

 

This is the last piece of rigging fitted to the model.

 

9427(2)

Before I start, I need to make two hooked tackle blocks and a Cranse iron.

9434(2)

The kit provided Cranse Iron suffers from the limitations of Photo etch, being flat in profile with the ring that takes the tack hook being in the wrong plane.

 

Three connections (cringles) secure and work the Jib sail. At the peak, for the Halyard, at the clue, for the sheets, and at the stay for the Tack.

 

The kit jib is fitted with a simple cringle at the peak for the Halyard attachment, whereas the Underhill plans show a jack yard attachment at the head of the sail. Again there is mention of the use of a Sister Hook to secure the halyard to the jack yard strop.

 

Too risky to start messing about with the sail, the possibility of fraying bolt ropes overrides the merit of adding this small detail.

 

9459

The halyard runs thro’ the upper half sheave at the Fore masthead.

 

I have used 0.30mm line for the Halyard, and 0.20mm line for the tackle falls

9461(2)

At its end there is a tackle (6”(3mm) blocks). The upper block is hooked to an eye in the Halyard, and the lower block is hooked to a bolt thro’ the stringer.

The halyard tackle is secured between the Fore yard halyard and the Burton pendent tackles.

9448

The tack is hooked to the Cranse iron to which both the outhaul and inhaul lines are also attached.

 

9449(2)

The outhaul runs thro’ the sheave in the Bowsprit end, thro’ the sheave set low down on the Starboard side stem, up thro’ the fairlead at the bow to belay inboard at a cleat.

The inhaul runs directly inboard to belay at the large cleat fixed to the skegs on the Port side.

 

The sheets (0.30mm line) are doubled thro’ the clew cringle and belay port and starboard at the kevels.

 

9443

Jib sheet to the Port side kevel.

9442

Jib sheet to the Starboard side kevel.

9454

I love the lines of these fast sleek boats.

9440(2)

9446(2)

All the rigging is now in place but will still need tweaking and the line ends properly belayed, that is the next task.

 

 

B.E.

18/12/20

 

 

[BobG]

Fantastic in every way, BE. This is one of the best build logs I have ever read!

 

On 12/17/2020 at 4:32 AM, Blue Ensign said:

Sailing Drifters is a good read, so many snippets about life in a fishing community around the turn of the century, even down to the cost of a pint of ale!

I hope you poured yourself a pint and found a yourself a nice, comfortable chair to sit in while you were reading!

[Blue Ensign]

Very kind of you to say so Bob, but I think you flatter me, there are so many excellent logs on here that I use as reference points, and grateful for it.🙂

I've not actually sat and read the book from cover to cover, but I have made extensive reference to mainly  the Scottish fishing section, having read it over and over.

When I've finished Muirneag I will take time out and sit and read it as a relaxation, with glass of Merlot in hand.🍷

 

Have a good Christmas and stay safe.

 

B.E.

[Jim Lad]

What a beautiful job you're doing on that rigging.

 

John

[Martin W]

Hi there BE -- I definitely have to agree with you about the lovely lines of these boats, and your attention to detail large and small brings out those lines at their loveliest.

 

Merlot, I find, is appropriate to any season.

 

Cheers!

 

Martin

[Blue Ensign]

Thank you John and Martin.

Post 50

 

Snaggings And Dressings

 

As the build nears completion the eye finds lots of little areas needing attention such as marks on the paintwork, small items I forgot to complete, and general cleaning.

 

Firstly, having got all the rigging lines in place the next task is to arrange the falls.

9508

I have deliberately not been too tidy in laying out the lines; having looked at many old photo’s of working boats of the era, Navy style is not to the forefront of Fishermen concerns, but  most of those photo’s  are taken in port during the unloading of the catch when a degree of working detritus may be expected.

9506

The skill in the handling of those enormous lugs by only three or four men is beyond question.

9511

I very much doubt that the line falls were left in such a state that increased the risk of fouling or tripping, there were hazards enough in working these boats in an unforgiving North Sea.

 

Dressing the model.

 

Time for some basket weaving – a matter of Crans.

 

Crans are the official measure of a quantity of Herring

Their size was regulated and standardized by government decree as a legal measure.

 

The 1832 Act set the cran at 30 inches high, the diameter at its widest 21.9 inches and at the base 18.9 inches – at scale this represents:

 

H = 12mm, diameter at top 9mm, diameter at base 7.5mm

 

I made a set of three crans for my Fifie build and I hope to repeat the exercise here with a little improvement.

9471(2)

Basket bases

In practice the bases would have been woven in the traditional form.

 

9477

0.5mm brass wire form the rods, 0.1mm line the weave.

 

9480

The long uprights will form the handles.

9502

 

Four is about as much as my patience will stand.

The piece on the right is a gauge for measuring the top circumference.

9513

The completed set.

 

When it comes to the Silver Darlings this is how they translate to a 1:64 scale.

In this image about three times the size of the actual.

 

Am I going to carefully cut out a crans worth ? are you insane!

 

 

 

This is my last post before Christmas, but I will continue working on the remaining fittings.

 

Stay safe folks in these strange times.

 

B.E.

23/12/2020

[Gahm]

Wonderful detail, B.E.! Merry Christmas!

 

Thomas

[Rik Thistle]

I hope you find many, many more items to add to keep the build going for another year or two 🙂

 

Great work,

 

Richard

[BobG]

Have a safe and Happy Holidays, BE. Maybe you could spare a few hours to cut out all those fish you need... 🙄

[Blue Ensign]

Cheers Guys, nearly there now.

 

Post 51

 

Crewing the Boat

 

I like to include a figure or two on a model purely for scale reference purposes. In the case of a Zulu the entire crew can be represented as it comprised no more than six including a boy.

 

 

I prefer to display them as silhouette figures by either painting or chemically blackening depending on the medium.

 

This also neatly avoids testing my very limited figure painting skills.

 

9494(2)

For the crew I am using Modellu figures in S scale (1:64) and they are an excellent fit to the model and very finely detailed.

9501(2)

Modellu don’t do specific Fishing boat crew figures, but their industrial, farming, and gardening figures provide reasonably suitable candidates.

 

Deck accessories

 

Edgar March gives useful details of these additions.

 

 

Six oars 26’ long with a blade of 12’ x 5”

 

They are more like sweeps than oars and were used to row the boat out of the harbour and very hard work it must have been. Sockets to take the thole pins were fitted between the stringer and rail.

 

At scale these work out at:

o/a length 124mm with a blade 57mm x 2mm.

 

The oars at this scale are quite delicate. The shafts are made from 1.5mm Boxwood square stock and the blades from 2.4mm x 0.7mm Boxwood strip.

 

9520(2)

When I made a prototype to these dimensions, I was struck by the seemingly long length of the blade which looked out of proportion to the overall length, but as best as I can gauge from photo’s, Gordon Williams reproduced them to the same proportions.

 

9543(2)

There was quite an attrition rate in making the oars, ten started to produce six.

 

 

 

Two Push sticks or wands 36’ x 2¾” ø

 

These were used like punt poles for manoeuvring and fending off.

 

9541(2)

At scale: 171mm x 1mm ø

 

One Boathook 14’ x 2” ø

9544(2)

At scale;

67mm x 0.80mm

 

 

Spar for squaring jib when running 36’ x 6” ø

 

9525(2)

I’m not quite sure how this was used, but it does present another large impediment on the deck.

At scale: 171mm x 2.5mm

 

 

This is a lot of stuff to be lying on the deck; how was it positioned to not interfere with handling the boat or when fishing; how was it secured to stop it sliding about or going overboard in rough weather?

 

 

It was all certainly there as many old b/w photo’s, including the one below testify, The crew must have been pretty nimble of foot to handle the boat in a lively sea whilst negotiating all this deck hamper.

 

9527

Zulu British Ensign leaving port.

 

One of the crew members can be seen using the Wand at the stern and one of the oars is also in use. The large amount of clutter on the deck is clearly evident.

 

 

Still these items do add to the interest on the model and give some idea of the conditions in which these boats were worked.

 

 

The next post will see the model finished with the completion photo’s.

 

 

 

 

B.E.

27/12/20

Edited December 27, 2020 by Blue Ensign

[Rik Thistle]

That's a good picture. The Zulus really are quite large.

 

And it's good to see your crew are all wearing bunnets....a working man never went out without his bunnet - keeping the head warm was quite important.

 

Well, it looks like Muirneag is soon to leave the shipyard...we'll miss her.  But she'll be the best kitted out Zulu setting sail...and the crew will be proud to be on board.

 

Great stuff.

 

Richard

 

PS: Maybe Chris has a Galway Hooker fishing boat on his to-do list? .... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galway_hooker     😉

 

Edited December 28, 2020 by Rik Thistle

[Blue Ensign]

Post 52

 

Muirneag completed

 

Building this model has been a four-month journey of interest and pleasure and in a way I am sad to see it end.

 

Firstly the detail shots.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The final set of photos which together with the detail shots I hope may be of benefit to those following on with this kit.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fifie and Zulu

Zulu and Fifie

 

My thanks to Chris Watton for providing the makings for my conversion, but even with an out of box build there is a fine model to be had, and it is a good choice for those starting out in our hobby.

 

With three Vanguard models built in continuous succession I am now taking a short break before I take on another project.

 

I have a bathroom remodelling starting early in the New Year.

 

So, thank you to those who have supported my build, in the meantime I will be compiling my usual photo book of the Fifie and Zulu builds.

 

 

Stay safe and wishing you all a better 2021

 

B.E.

28/12/2020

 

 

 

 

[iosto]

Very beautiful work

 

[Rik Thistle]

Stay safe and wishing you all a better 2021 - same to your and your family.

 

Zulu and Fifie together pic - that's a keeper.

 

I do like the silhouette figures. They give scale and an impression of crew size and activity but don't draw the eye away from the boats and their details.

 

I look forward to whatever arrives next in your shipyard.

 

Thanks again for the Muirneag build story.

 

Regards,

 

Richard

 

 

 

 

 

 

[VTHokiEE]

Congratulations, it was a great build to follow and she looks wonderful! 

[gjdale]

Congratulations on yet another fine build B.E. Your meticulous attention to detail really raises the bar for the rest of us. 

Edited December 28, 2020 by gjdale

[JpR62]

Magnificent result !

A big thank you for this superb build log which contains a source of tips, tricks and will surely inspire many model makers.
Best wishes for 2021 !

[gsdpic]

Wonderful build.  Actually, wonderful pair of builds.  The two fishing boats together really make a statement.   Thank you for taking the time to document your work and inspire us all.   Wishing you and yours a better 2021 as well!

[Martin W]

That's a great way to finish off the year, two builds completed and a glass of merlot!   The clarity of your photos always brings out your meticulous work and provides a reference source for all future modellers.  Really, there could be a whole MSG calendar of your work (I'd buy it).

 

But, oh, I don't envy you taking on a bathroom remodel.  I hope English plumbers, tilers, plasterers, et al work at a steadier pace than their peers over on this side -- how many times have I heard "two months tops" turn into six long months of dust and no-shows!

 

Best of luck, and, yes, let's all hope for a better '21.

 

Cheers,

 

Martin

[glbarlow]

Excellent work and result as always. Such great detail so carefully researched, the deck clutter really make it work. I’m sure your justifiably proud of the completed set. 
 

Happy New Year, I’ll look forward to following your next project. 

[bruce d]

Fantastic. Loved it.