Henry Ramey Upcher 1894 by Edwardkenway - 1:25 - Sheringham lifeboat

[Edwardkenway]

This build is what I bought the AL Providence whaleboat for, I was going to kit bash it into the Henry Ramey Upcher.  But after getting all the dimensions for the lifeboat, it turned out easier to scratch build it, using Providence as a basic shape template. 

I've picked this subject because as a child, my grandparents spent  summers on the Norfolk coast at Sheringham and when my brothers and I visited, would take us to see it, this was before it even became part of the museum. As a parent myself, the Admiral and I have also taken my children there to see it, although they weren't as enthusiastic as I was!

I still go and have a look at her whenever I'm in Sheringham. 

A little  bit of background info:

The text below is courtesy of

National Historic Ships UK 

 

HISTORY 

 

HENRY RAMEY UPCHER is a lifeboat of clinker built oak construction. She was built in 1894 by Lewis Emery at Sheringham and was powered by oars and sail. The vessel takes its name from the Upcher family of Sheringham Hall who provided the privately-run boat to replace the town's first rescue vessel, the AUGUSTA.  She was known locally as the Fisherman's Lifeboat and operated as an independent lifeboat with a crew of local fisherman, there being other RNLI lifeboats in service at Sheringham at the time. Launching was a community effort requiring considerable manpower.

The vessel was propelled by 16 oars, occasionally requiring two men to each oar.  She could also carry a main lug sail and a mizzen sail. During her service she was launched 61 times and saved 202 lives. Her most famous rescue was of the crew of the brig ISPOLEN in 1897 during the most ferocious storm for decades when her coxswain, Tom Barnes Cooper, was over 70 years old.

After her withdrawal from service in 1935 she was launched for the Sheringham regattas and other festive occasions. She is now on display in an indoor museum in Sheringham.

Key dates

• 1894 Vessel was built by Lewis Emery at Sheringham
• 1897 Rescue of the brig ISPOLEN during a storm
• 1935

  Withdrawn from service as lifeboat

•  

  DIMENSIONS

  Breadth: Beam

  11.25 feet (3.43 m)

  Depth

  4.33 feet (1.32 m)

  Length: Overall

  34.75 feet (10.60 m)

   

   

  At 1:25 scale the model is just over 400mm long, 130mm wide and 52mm depth 

The skeleton has been cut from 6mm liteply, they are only dry fitted at the moment. 

The reason for starting from scratch, quite a lot bigger, both the same scale!

I know this is a bit nichè but is a fond memory of my childhood by the sea. 

Thanks for looking in.

Cheers.

[VTHokiEE]

Very cool project; where you able to track down plans? Very interested in your research behind the project as well as your work.

[mtaylor]

Niche is good to see and do.  Looks to be an interesting project.

[Jim Lad]

A very worthwhile project.  i have a heap of respect for the men and women of the lifeboat service.

 

John

[Edwardkenway]

Tim, I don't  think there are any plans, as she was built by the local boat builder on the local fishing boat type. I'm attempting to build her from the dimensions and whatever  photos and pictures I can find

Although I've visited  her several times, for some reason I've never taken any photos, that will be remedied next time I go to Sheringham. 

Thanks Tim, Mark and John for looking in. 

Cheers 

(Photo from RNLI)

Edited January 30, 2022 by Edwardkenway

[Jack12477]

Pulling up a chair. Love these pulling boats, reminds me of the boats used by the United States Life Saving Service (USLSS). 

Edited January 31, 2022 by Jack12477

[AJohnson]

I’ll be watching this one, I love the Norfolk coast and alway make a point of visiting the lifeboat stations, ‘Lucy Lavers’ at Wells of course and the museums, a favourite being Rescue wooden boats at Stiffkey. 

[KeithAug]

Great project. I must have seen her while visiting the museum, but don’t recollect. I look forward to seeing her develop.

[Edwardkenway]

To try and dig up some more information on HRU, I sent an email to the secretary of the Heritage Centre, who replied with some unexpected Historic Ships UK surveys from 2010 and 2016Lifeboat Henry Ramey Upchur PDF (1) (2).pdf

 

On 2/2/2022 at 10:28 PM, AJohnson said:

I’ll be watching this one, I love the Norfolk coast and alway make a point of visiting the lifeboat stations, ‘Lucy Lavers’ at Wells of course and the museums, a favourite being Rescue wooden boats at Stiffkey. 

I must admit to ignorance of the Stiffkey Rescue Wooden Boats, as I've only ever passed through Stiffkey enroute to Holkham and beyond😔.  I've since checked out the website!

 

On 2/3/2022 at 8:16 PM, KeithAug said:

Great project. I must have seen her while visiting the museum, but don’t recollect. I look forward to seeing her develop.

I only discovered her about 10ish years ago, when I realised what I thought was just a boatshed, was in fact the Fisherman's Heritage Centre. 

Glad to have you aboard.

The build is progressing as the framework is now glued. I am working at making the flotation compartments that are under the bulwark benches.

I'll post some photos when I have the framework for these fixed.

 

Thanks for your interest and the likes.

Cheers

[Edwardkenway]

With our rain this weekend, I've got time on HRU.

the framework for the flotation compartments is constructed, the bulwark benches will fit on the top of the frame and the inner parts will be planked.

the bracing timbers across the top will be removed when the glue is cured. 

With the glue dry, I have begun to plank over the bilge.

Thanks for commenting, the likes or just glancing in.

Cheers 

[Roger Pellett]

Were these boats diagonally planked?

[Edwardkenway]

Roger, do you mean on the hull or inside?

Although from the photos I have of the boat, the planking looks to be standard clinker and all the internal planking is painted so I'm not sure wether it's diagonal or not.

[Roger Pellett]

Edward,

 

You answered my question.  She is clinker (lapstrake), not diagonal planked.

 

Roger

[Edwardkenway]

Good afternoon,  the clinker planking on HRU is coming on, though,  again I'm using wood glue not CA, so only getting one strake per side each session, 6 on altogether. 

Thanks for your interest, comments and likes.

Cheers

[Edwardkenway]

Progress halted due to a silly accident. Namely the model slipping from my hands and bouncing quite viciously onto the bench then the stool before hitting the floor, with planks pinging off. 

Planking will resume, when I order some more wood for making strips.

Until then, thanks😊 

Cheers 

[Jim Lad]

Sorry to hear of the mishap, mate!

 

John

[FriedClams]

On 3/13/2022 at 9:09 AM, Edwardkenway said:

the model slipping from my hands and bouncing quite viciously onto the bench then the stool before hitting the floor, with planks pinging off.

 

Ouch !   I dropped a model I spent much time on once, but it miraculously landed on its keel with little damage, but I still cussed at myself for a week. 

 

Will be watching for the repair and new progress.

 

Gary

[KeithAug]

On 3/13/2022 at 1:09 PM, Edwardkenway said:

Progress halted due to a silly accident.

Ouch!!!!!

[Edwardkenway]

Thanks for all your comments, in the long run of things, it worked out for the better, as the wood I'm now using to plank is so much better than the stuff I removed after the accident. 

I've had to also strengthen the bulkhead parts, it all looks a bit messy but as none of it will be seen when finished, I'm not overly bothered by it.

Several hours work and I'm nearly back to where I was before the boat threw itself to the floor 😇.

Thanks for looking in and the likes.

Cheers 

 

PS hopefully I will be able to pop in and see the actual boat when I'm in Norfolk in June. I'll definitely get some photos. 

[mtaylor]

Beautiful recovery, Edward.  No one would ever know she did  a floor bounce.

[Edwardkenway]

Hi, planking the HRU is still ongoing. The port side is almost done, starboard 3/4 done. I've fitted one bulwark bench so I can make up the side to the cap rail.

 

There is an flotation aid to fix to the hull, roughly at the area where the wales would be on a ship.

It may be a while before the next update as I'm back working on Winchelsea  as well.

Many thanks for the likes, all encouragement is greatly appreciated. 

Cheers 

[Jack12477]

Looking good !

[wefalck]

Somehow I missed this project so far, although I am quite interested in these rowing rescue boats.

 

It is interesting that whe was clinker built in wood. The German, Dutch, and Danish society rescue boats of the time were mostly constructed after Francis' patent from corrugated steel plating that was hammered to or hydraulically shaped over wooden formers. They were unsinkable and self-draining boats and much lighter than a wooden boat. They had to be much lighter, as they had to be transported on special horse-drawn carriage over the wide tidal beaches and mud-flats of the North Sea coast.

[KeithAug]

The clinker planking is nicely done. I always think it is quite difficult to pull this off successfully. Good work.

[Edwardkenway]

On 5/19/2022 at 2:33 PM, wefalck said:

It is interesting that whe was clinker built in wood. The German, Dutch, and Danish society rescue boats of the time were mostly constructed after Francis' patent from corrugated steel plating that was hammered to or hydraulically shaped over wooden formers. They were unsinkable and self-draining boats and much lighter than a wooden boat.

This boat was built by the man who built a lot of the fishing boats in Sheringham, and was commissioned to build this lifeboat by the Upcher Family. 

He based it on the very successful fishing boats used, as it was a private lifeboat, not crewed by RNLI,  who had their own craft a little way south, but by the fishermen themselves, so they would have known how to handle this type of boat.

Thanks for your interest, any input, comments  and lifeboat info is happily welcomed.

Cheers 

Edited May 30, 2022 by Edwardkenway

[AJohnson]

Hi Edward, just to let you know I'm off with the family to Sheringham for a short holiday in a week.  I shall pay a visit to the West slipway for a look! 😁

 

How's this build going, or you still hooked on card models? 🤣

[Edwardkenway]

To be honest, I put it to one side whilst I concentrated on Winchelseas stern and Q galleries and then I was tempted to the card side by persons unnamed 🤔😂😇

Then I thought I need to get the F4U-1A moved on. 

 

I'm sure you'll have a fine time in Sheringham. Enjoy! Are you going to take a trip on the NNR steam trains?

[AJohnson]

5 hours ago, Edwardkenway said:

To be honest, I put it to one side whilst I concentrated on Winchelseas stern and Q galleries and then I was tempted to the card side by persons unnamed 🤔😂😇

Then I thought I need to get the F4U-1A moved on. 

 

I'm sure you'll have a fine time in Sheringham. Enjoy! Are you going to take a trip on the NNR steam trains?

A trip on the Steam Trains a definite, I work in the Railway industry for my sins and volunteer on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway for renovation works at Levisham station 🚂.
We love north Norfolk, plenty of old bomber bases to visit, “Rescue wooden boats” near Stiffkey, “Lucy Lavers” at Wells, Cromer, not to mention Nelson’s birth place, just love it. 😁

The “Card side” is strong in you, I am afraid Darth @ccoyle has you in his grasp now! 🤣

Edited October 21, 2022 by AJohnson

[ccoyle]

"Darth Coyle" strikes again.

 

 

Or maybe that should say, "Come to the card side"? 🤔

[Malcolm Peddar]

You can see the original at the Fisherman's Lifeboat Museum https://sheringhamsociety.com/fishermens-lifeboat-museum/. Opening Times : https://sheringhamsociety.com/opening-times/  

The boat was built by eye rather than by plan. 

 

Malcolm Peddar Steward Sheringham FLM