Will Everard by Micklen32 - Billing Boats - 1:67

[Micklen32]

Bought totally out of the blue at our local model shop the Admiral and I both fell in love with this model for some unfathomable reason

Here is the Historic ship register entry http://www.nationalhistoricships.org.uk/register/234/Will

Here is more personal information on the barge

 

(ex Will Everard). 
Official No. 148677. 
150 tons, built of steel originally as "Will Everard" in 1925 for F.T. Everard & Co. Ltd., by Fellowes of Great Yarmouth. 
She was one of four built between 1925 and 1926 and all named after parters in the family firm- Alf Everard, Ethel Everard, Will Everard and Fred Everard. They cost about £500 each, and were built to the same dimensions - 97.6 x 23.1 x 9.6 feet, but two of them were registered as carrying more cargo and were therefore charged more for towing dues.

They were claimed to carry the greatest set of sails of the sailing barges as they measured 112 feet from truck to keel and had sprits 65 feet in length. This allowed them to set 5,600 square feet of canvas, not including balloon canvas. They carried a crew of three - skipper, mate and third hand. They were built when Everards secured the contract to supply gas coal to the Margate Gas works, and the Will did a lot of this work, fetching coal to Margate from Keadby on the Humber.  In trade they had a grey hull with a pink bottom, black rails and gold sheer line. 
The Will Everard traded by sail alone until 1950 and was by then the last one of the four to have an engine fitted (Ethel Everard having been lost earlier at Dunkirk). 
From 1932 until a little while after she had her engine fitted, her Master was Captain Jim Uglow MBE - the only barge captain known to receive this decoration for gallantry, devotion to duty and meritorious service on board the Will Everard during the war. 
He tells his story in the book "Sailorman - A Barge Master's Story" - about half of which includes his time as master of the Will Everard. 

 

Hugh O'Donell, started as third hand on her in 1946, and became master of her in the 50's for Everards.

The Will Everard was finally sold out of trade in 1966 for £750 to Vernon S. Harvey under the condition that she did not retain the same name. She was renamed Will. She was used as a store for this time, until bought by John R. Hobbins who rerigged her and used her as a private yacht, until he sold her to Overseas Containers Ltd (part of the P&O group) in 1976. She has changed ownership within the P&O group, in her role as hospitality/P.R./corporate entertainment ship. 

The photograph above shows her in 1988, anchored off Heybridge Basin on the River Blackwater, with a green hull when owned by OCL. More recently she has been sporting a blue hull under P&O colours. Master was Sue Harrison who eventually bought her in partnership with Malcom Fisher.

2004 - now owned by Topsail Events and Charters and available for charter 

There is now a link between Will and the Falmouth Lifeboat of the RNLI. 
John Hobbins and his wife set up the Will Charitable Trust which gave money to fund the purchase of a new Severn Class lifeboat which is stationed at Falmouth, Cornwall. In commemoration of this, the life boat has been named "The Will" after the barge they once owned. 

 

 

I am going to build it concurrently to the Endeavour and hope to finish it well before to get some practice in the ways and wherefores of sails   

 

Well here we go   

I wish myself good luck   

Edited September 19, 2013 by Micklen32

[usedtosail]

That's an interesting ship and history. I will enjoy following along with your build.

[Micklen32]

Thanks a lot Tom

You get the front seat

Let's hope Sjors hurries up with the popcorn and beer

 

Ok let's make a start and open the box

 

 

I have never built a Billing before so it will be interesting

 

 

The lasercut sheets look pretty good

They even provide a thick board to fix the keel to for fitting the frames

 

 

Billing are a bit different as a lot of their small stuff is plastic and not wood or metal

Very interesting

 

 

The instructions are very basic and although they say this is a beginners kit I would not want to be doing it without quite a bit of experience or some much more precise instructions

 

Well that's the box opened

I am now told to count everything so that the next job :mellow:

CU in a bit

Edited September 23, 2013 by Micklen32

[UdoK]

Hi Mick,

congratulations for your new Kit, she makes a nice model.

As viewing the Pictures of the parts it seems that the hull gets made up of two halves. If so, I think it makes it much easier to errect the bulkheads nice and square.

Enjoy the build of this beautiful model, I will follow!

Edited September 19, 2013 by Edward Pellew

[Micklen32]

Hi Mick,

congratulations for your new Kit, she makes a nice model.

As viewing the Pictures of the parts it seems that the hull gets made up of two halves. If so, I think it makes it much easier to errect the bulkheads nice and square.

Enjoy the build of this beautiful model, I will follow!

Spot on Edward

The hull is built in two halves, planked and decked, then fitted together

 

Anyway I have made a bit of a start 

I checked the parts and was a little perplexed at the difference in quality

Mostly the parts were very high quality, even most of the plastic ones

As can be seen from these very good turned brass parts

 

 

However, the deadeyes and blocks         

 

 

Ok some were better than that, but that's not the point

I don't think any of them should have been like that

And doing them in placcy anyway  :mellow:  :mellow:  :mellow:

They will be replaced 

 

So, I secured the keel to the nice bit of MDF they supplied

 

 

I then got busy with the PVA and the square

Had my dinner

Then got busy again   

 

 

Although this is supposed to be a beginners model, according to Billing, a lot of information has to be taken from plans and drawings, not the instructions, which just say things like "Mount the decks"  "Assemble the masts individually and mount on the deck"   

So be warned if you want a nice simple "Put it together" kit to start your modelling life, this might not be the one

Anyway that's it

Time to put my feet up

What luxury now   

A choice of what to do   

Edited September 19, 2013 by Micklen32

[Richard50]

Hi Mick, I saw a completed kit build in a hotel I was staying in at Falmouth earlier this year, and was tempted then to put it on my wish list. thanks to you, I'm hoping this will be the next model to build once I've completed the current build of Amerigo Vespucci; at the current rate I'll finish that in about a year.

 

I'll look forward to following your log.

[trippwj]

Good morning, Mick.  Still room here to follow along? This is a very interesting (and under represented) type of vessel - I brought some beverages...

 

Edited September 20, 2013 by trippwj

[aliluke]

Hi Mick

That is surely a sweet looking model. Good fortunes with it.

 

But I worry that you are into the thick end of Endeavour and it is easy to turn away from the harder stuff coming up when a new hull tempts. I hope you keep up with the Endeavour and finish it, masts, rigging and all. I'm a one model at a time maker but I know some others here have several on the go at once. I hope you can manage that! I look forward to your progress on either or both.

 

The Will Everard does look a nice ship though - very tempting...

 

Cheers

Alistair

Edited September 20, 2013 by aliluke

[Micklen32]

Thank you very much Richard and Wayne

Whoops, and Alistair who slipped in while I was writing this   

Work is progressing quite well

As I have said, the instructions aren't being a great deal of help   

I would have though that as a supposed beginners kit the instructions would have been good

The planking is quite tricky as you have to follow the gunwales, or whatever you call that bit on a 'modern' ship   

I am making use of a profusion of pins

Also as it has to represent a metal hull it needs to be as good if not better that if it was a wooden finish

It's going to be a very interesting build I think as it is so different from anything I have done

I think I must have been drawn to it because I always thought that Thames barges were a very interesting ship to see them travelling by sail up the river

Also you can see from the information provided on it that it was well used during the war and once peppered with Focke Wulf cannon shells   

Yup. a very interesting build and thank you all for your interest in it  

And don't worry Alistair, the ships will be built concurrently     

Edited September 20, 2013 by Micklen32

[usedtosail]

You are off to a good start Mike. I am a one model at a time builder, but I do admire those that can work on multiples at a time. I think my problem would be keeping all the parts separated.

[Sjors]

Hi Mick,

 

Sorry for the delay…...

Another one to follow !

I shall place the popcorn machine and Wayne has already take care of the beverage.

Billing Boats have always plastic in his kits.

I'm glad that you are gonna change that !

The start is good so, I take my seat and will see what's next.

 

 

 

[Micklen32]

Thanks Tom

I am one who likes having various things to so I don't get stuck on something

I know it's still ship building, but the ship is so different it will be like doing something different

 

Ah hi there Sjors

Great to have you on board   

 

Now you know me

Hard at work always 

Working mebbe a shade too fast   

So here's how I am going

 

 

Here the one piece lower part of the hull is fitted and the first plank is pinned into place

 

 

Here is a view to show the line of the planks

Quite a curve to bend to similar to the Endeavour

 

 

In fact that curve made the use of the white glue impossible for me so I made use of thick CA and here she is planked out and with a quick sand

A lot more sanding to do obviously

 

 

Another view showing the inner hull before it get covered up

 

 

And finally the almost finished hull

The fit of the deck was not perfect and I had to open some of the slots up slightly and as the middle part of the deck is left bare I may use some veneer strips to make it look perfect 

It does seem wierd that it was out as I treble checked all the frames for vertical   

When I do the other half I will make use of the deck to get them fitted to it

 

I may sand the hull down a bit tomorrow, but I will also do some work on the Endeavour   

Edited September 20, 2013 by Micklen32

[Sjors]

Hi Mick,

 

You find the highest gear???????

Nicely done !

 

[Micklen32]

Going to concentrate on the Endeavour for a bit and get the fiddly stick on bits done

I will come back to this when I need a bit of a rest   

[mtaylor]

NIce work on an interesting vessel, Mick.  We haven't seen too many of the non-gun type ships.   I'll pull up a seat next to Sjors and popcorn machine when you get back to her.

[Micklen32]

Thank you Mark and Sjors and welcome Mark

I had to give the Admiral her baking tray back that I was using to soak the strips so I had to finish the planking 

I then found it very difficult to get a perfect fit with the two halves 

 

 

But with the assistance of my small sash clamps I got it as close as I could

 

 

Bit of sanding to do then a bit of filling followed by some gentle sanding to get the metal look finish

I may do that tomorrow

I may do more on the Endeavour

Nice to have a choice 

[Sjors]

Hi Mick,

 

Watch out on the bow.

There is a bump over there.

With a little sanding it comes perfect.

Great planking job !

 

[Micklen32]

I have put a coat of filler on and very lightly sanded it

Then I gave it a thin coat of white paint to highlight any imperfections

 

 

It's very difficult to show the imperfections without proper lighting and a better camera

I knocked down the brightness quite a bit in PS and that helped

I am using a new fine filler I have found  Brummer

 

 

If you can get hold of this I can very much recommend it 

It is like a thick hand cream, absolutely smooth and spreads beautifully

 

I will let that dry out and give it another coat of filler in bright light to try and get it as smooth as possible

I will then spray a couple of coats of paint on when my 0.5mm nozzles arrive as the 0.3mm I have fitted to my airbrush did not give a satisfactory coat when used before 

It's more for detailing than putting on a thick coat

Edited September 25, 2013 by Micklen32

[Micklen32]

Ok I have done as I said

I put another coat of filler on after I had sanded it as smooth as I felt I could

Then a little tip for you, particularly with this filler, I soaked a piece of a soft kitchen roll I use, wrung it out but left it fairly wet, and gently wiped over the filler once it had started setting

This really gave me a great finish   

 

 

I am now going to leave it until I get my nozzles for the airbrush

If I need something to do I could fill around the deck and frames to make the inside solid and smooth   

We shall see

I have it going well now and I am pleased   

[egkb]

Nice wee boat.. Everards were a huge company, I forget the amount of ships they had but it was substantial (at any one time, I mean) Great to see a build log of a different type of sail/work boat every now and again, keep up the good work (and the tips) you got me wondering whether that damp cloth approach would work for different fillers

 

Eamonn

[Micklen32]

Nice wee boat.. Everards were a huge company, I forget the amount of ships they had but it was substantial (at any one time, I mean) Great to see a build log of a different type of sail/work boat every now and again, keep up the good work (and the tips) you got me wondering whether that damp cloth approach would work for different fillers :)Eamonn

Thanks Eamonn

 

As you probably read, the Admiral and I just fell in love with it

 

As to the filler I would imagine it would work with any water based filler

It would just be a question of getting the right time

After it had stopped moving but before it solidified

This Brummer makes it quite easy as it tends to dry fairly regularly and then smooths beautifully

What makes it stand out from other fillers I have used is its creaminess

Edited September 25, 2013 by Micklen32

[egkb]

All that talk of Smoothness and Creaminess kinda makes me want a pint of Guinness

E

[Sjors]

Nice Mick,

 

Are you gonna paint the hull?

And if, what colour?

 

[Micklen32]

Nice Mick,

 

Are you gonna paint the hull?

And if, what colour?

 

Good question Sjors

It went through a few colours in its life

But when it was working for Everards and also how it is now is grey above the waterline and they say pink below

Any idea what they mean by pink??????

I am presuming something like red oxide

So that is the livery I will probably give it

 

 

This is how she is now

[egkb]

Hi Mick,  Though I have never seen the boat I suspect you may not be so far off the mark with your thoughts on below the water hull colour (red oxide aka Red Lead) though some 'modern' anti-fouling treatments are pink so I expect your answer is there somewhere, if you were going for an old authentic look I would imagine Red Lead to be the colour of choice, as 'branded' anti-fouling was very expensive back in the day   I found this site a few moments ago which may help (not sure if it is a 'live link' (I shall click on it myself as soon as I post this and see) but if not just copy and paste into Google it will hopefully get you to the site!

pink antifouling colour | Scale Models Forum

 

Eamonn

 

Edit.. Have only just posted this reply, and the link is 'live' so just click on it..

Edited September 26, 2013 by egkb

[Micklen32]

Prompted by you I went and did what research I could find

It was, as you say, a very expensive treatment but it does say in somewhere that the finish was pink

Apparently Humbrol did a colour in one of their special ranges, MC10 but I don't think it's available now   

I will keep trying but if not I guess a red oxide would be a fair finish

Let is see what transpires   

I am back on the Endeavour until I get the larger nozzles, then I will give it a couple of coats of white before getting the top coats on

Hopefully that should then look realistic 

[egkb]

Could always add a little white to that red for a nice 'manly' pink hull ahem ahem

 

E

[jthemanjack]

Hello Mick,

 

   I am glad to see someone tackling the Will Everard ,she was the first Model ship that I did ,so I have a soft spot for Her.....I may even revisit the build one day and make a better job of her .If i remember rightly i used a car filler repair paste called Isopon as a filler,actually it worked really well ,it was easy to sand and gave a very smooth finish.

 

   Cheers 

     Jack

[Micklen32]

Hello Mick,

 

   I am glad to see someone tackling the Will Everard ,she was the first Model ship that I did ,so I have a soft spot for Her.....I may even revisit the build one day and make a better job of her .If i remember rightly i used a car filler repair paste called Isopon as a filler,actually it worked really well ,it was easy to sand and gave a very smooth finish.

 

   Cheers 

     Jack

Hi Jack

I remember using Isopon to repair things back a bit

I must say I do tend to use a dedicated wood filler as a little while ago I had a problem with a general purpose filler separating from the wood

I am not saying the Isopon would but I am now very wary

I intend getting back to the Everard very soon when I have finished my guitar

That should be quite soon as I am writing this in between laying on clear coats that will finish the woodwork

I want to do the Everard first to get a bit of rigging practice prior to rigging the Endeavour

[sawdust]

 Hello Mick , thanks for sharing your progress on the Will Everard.. I love these remarkably efficient and beautiful  sailing craft. Have you  read " Modelling Thames Sailing Barges" by Ewart Freeston. It contains much usefull information on sailing barges You might be able to gain access to a copy through inter librarloan or even purchase a used copy through abebooks.com.

 Have fun,

  Kip