Bristol Pilot Cutter by michael mott - 1/8 scale - POF

[Sailor1234567890]

What is the structure under the binnacle representing? I know it's supporting the compass but how is the cockpit's forward face built under the binnacle? Is the binnacle a half circle attached to the forward face of the cockpit? Is it structurally built into the cockpit? I think this has something to do with how you finish off the binnacle. When opening the little doors you talk about in the binnacle, do you open into the main cabin? Just into a semi circular binnacle? Just asking. Your work looks awesome. 

[michael mott]

Hmmm Sailor your questions are good ones for me to contemplate, initially I was thinking that it might be a simple small cabinet for a few tools , pliers wrench sort of things, The idea of it opening into a larger space had not occurred to me.

 

Michael

[Bedford]

I agree with the new compass placement, it just looks right!

[Jim Lad]

Like the compass placement, mate!

 

John

[mtaylor]

Sweet work on placing the compass.  It looks perfect there.

[captainbob]

Good place for the compass, right in the middle where it can be seen from either side.

 

Bob

[Sailor1234567890]

I agree it looks great there. It does scream out something odd to me about how the structural strength of the cockpit is built up in there..... The builder of the boat would most easily have built the cockpit as usual and added the semicircular binnacle. This would allow for the strength required for a cockpit filled with water to remain in one piece without collapsing. The two doors you mention would access the magnets under the compass to correct the compass when swinging the ship. Looks beautiful to me. Keep at it. I love this boat.

[SJSoane]

 

Hi Michael,

 

I am not getting much time away from work to check on the website lately, but I did stop in to see your progress. Looking great!

 

Mark

[popeye the sailor]

I like it Michael.......it look more functional there    nicely done!

[Twister]

Michael,

 

Absolutely beautiful work yet again; the compass / binacle combination really does look superb. Very many thanks for post 899 (pictures etc for your initial rudder control ideas) it made perfect sense. Moreover, having now seen your photos from MSW1 I realise quite how much of this stunning build I've missed - I wasn't aware of MSW's existence until 2013 so it means all the more seeing your earlier pics - I wish there were a way to see more of them (I assure you that's not an unsubtle hint - your time & effort is infinitely better spent continuing this build!).

 

I wholeheartedly congratulate and fully appreciate your efforts in putting this build log together. Obviously there are many contributors to this forum who have tremendous knowledge regarding construction & detailing techniques, some of which I too have experience of but only in 1:1 format from working in traditional boatyards during the long UK non-sailing seasons which has done nothing but reinforce my amazement of the workmanship contained within MSW2.  The scales that the majority work at here leave me utterly dumbfounded - at 1:1 it's relatively easy to hide a mistake (I've always believed that's what separates the amateur from the professional) but at the scales worked on here it really does have to be right; there's generally not enough material left to try reworking a particular component!

 

As I mentioned in my last post and I really believe it's worth saying again, your Bristol Channel Pilot Cutter build log is truly a masterclass and for that I take my hat off to you. The skillset that you've acquired over the years leaves me in awe and the relative speed with which you're able to produce beautiful fittings in what appears to be any material is nothing short of inspiring - I'm even more determined to get my scale J class on the water this summer!

 

My thanks & regards,

 

Row

[Owen Ball]

YACHT ACTIVE:-  BRISTOL CHANNEL PILOT CUTTER

 

 that my father,  Jack Ball one of 5 lived on with their parents.

 She was built in 1883 by W.G.Luke & Co. on the Hamble and for the first 20 or so years she was owned by a Southampton pilot.

In 1910 she was bought by a Cardiff pilot-James Duggan.

She was sold to the Cardiff pilot company in 1913 for £325 and remained with the company-by 1915 being used as a lodging house for the pilots.

 In 1919 she was sold to Samuel Starling Ball of 68 Kimberley Road Cardiff.

Who was my grandfather.  

 

He sold her in 1923 to a Mr Fenwick of Bourne in Lincolnshire.

 

She then had various owners in the 1920s and 1930s

including a Col. Bramhall of Earls Court London and a Viscount Fitzharris

of Basingstoke. After the Second World War she passed through various owners the last known being Henry R. Amis of Ealing London in 1956.

 

Her dimensions were (in feet) 54 length, 13.2 beam, draught 8. I believe

Her first engine was installed in 1923 so when she was in our family’s

Ownership she probably had no engine-just as when she was a working pilot cutter.

 

I have a silver trophy for ‘sailing round the Island’- I think this was a

race in the Bristol Channel and refers –possibly- to sailing around Lundy?

 

Hope that this is of some interest.

 

Owen Ball

 

The inscription on the trophy:-

 

CARDIFF YACHT CLUB REGATTA

SEPT 10th 1921

FIRST PRIZE PRESENTED BY THE CLUB

WON BY

YACHT ACTIVE

OWNER MR SAM BALL

[Senior ole salt]

Mike, I cannot see any kind of scuppers to drain the cockpit. Does any photo show them ?

 

S.os

[michael mott]

Thank you all for the interesting feed back, and for all the likes.

 

Sailor said

 

The two doors you mention would access the magnets under the compass to correct the compass when swinging the ship.

Sailor I will proceed with the doors for the access to the magnets

 

Row said

 

I wasn't aware of MSW's existence until 2013 so it means all the more seeing your earlier pics - I wish there were a way to see more of them (I assure you that's not an unsubtle hint - your time & effort is infinitely better spent continuing this build!).

I have wondered a few times about slowly editing the first post to look at including a little more of the original build log information. I am not sure if it is possible to add pages at the front of the log though.

 

Perhaps Mark can advise.

 

S.os said

 

Mike, I cannot see any kind of scuppers to drain the cockpit. Does any photo show them ?

It is because the floor of the cockpit is not yet resolved, the original configuration did have a solid bottom. I have considered but not net figured out the cockpit drainage. The latticed floor boards that were in the old cockpit need to be reshaped to fit the new cockpit as well.

 

My original plan was to have the cockpit removable so as to access the RC gear for the rudder, I am now leaning toward setting the cockpit in more permanently and running some drains out through the hull this will mean I have to ensure that the floor is above the waterline of course. Now that I am not going to put a radio into her I really have no need to have the cockpit removable quickly.

 

The obvious challenges of building on the fly and lacking in some forethought about these things, and the continuing changes of mind regarding the design of various elements.

 

This entire build has become a lot more complicated in many more ways than I had originally imagined

I will definitely have better knowledge about these things on the next build though.

 

Michael

 

 

[mtaylor]

Michael,

 

You can't add posts to the beginning of the log.  All you can do is edit them and add photos.

[michael mott]

Thanks Mark, perhaps I will do a bit of careful editing at the first few pages over the next while and see about adding in some of the earlier pictures.

 

I did not get much time in the shop today, I had to go get water and also dealt with some more computer configuring.

 

Here are a few pictures of the progress on the doors for the companionway, They are still quite rough regarding the shape, but I am happy with the overall design I still need to shorten the panel and make the curved top rail the bottom rails are tennoned into the stiles.

 

 

 

I thought I would see how things look in Black and white.

 

 

 

I was doing some searching for images of Genesta and some of the early black and white photographs that were taken while some of the big yachts were racing are really stunning. they are sharp and well posed a true testament to the photographers and cameras of the time.

 

Michael

 

[newbuilder101]

Lovely work again Michael! Love the placement of the compass, and the doors will be wonderful when finished. Love the B&W shots too!

[captainbob]

What?  Beveled panels on the hatch doors?  Even Walter looks amazed.  Beautiful job.

 

Bob

[michael mott]

Sherry Thanks,

Bob the guy building this boat said he didn't know what a nail was so he could only work the way he was taught  ;>))

 

Michael

[captainbob]

 

Bob the guy building this boat said he didn't know what a nail was so he could only work the way he was taught  ;>))

 

Michael

 

Very good.  Very good.  I needed that.    

 

Bob

Edited April 4, 2014 by Cap'n'Bob

[michael mott]

Had a great day today, family time I got some nice gifts some small metal toolmakers clamps from lee valley plus a mitre box for the razor saw, the first commercially made one I have ever owned,  and some boat building time.

 

Gluing up the doors using some wedges and bicycle inner tube bands

 

 

Making a test hinge first some 1/64 thick brass strip was annealed and folded over some .015 steel rod the the excess was cut off with the jewelers saw

 

 

next the half was slotted, again with the saw

 

 

the second half was made in the same manner

 

 

next the sides were filed up square and even

 

 

checking the size on the side of the door

 

 

next the relief needs to be filed into the doors and the sides of the companionway before the doors are mounted.

 

 

Oh yes and now I need to make a set of four hinges that are the same size.

 

Michael

[Jim Lad]

Delightful work, Michael!

 

John

[captainbob]

“Oh yes and now I need to make a set of four hinges that are the same size.”

 

Yes, yes, one is fun, four is work, but it's a beautiful hinge. 

 

Bob 

[druxey]

I suppose the screws for the hinges will be scale slot-headed ones as well? Those are lovely looking hinge knuckles, Michael.

[michael mott]

I suppose the screws for the hinges will be scale slot-headed ones as well?

 

Another gauntlet....

Hmmmmmm..

 

Thanks for the complimentary comments and likes everyone.

[popeye the sailor]

great looking doors Michael.........and hinges too    

[Senior ole salt]

Michael, What is the diameter of the tiller handle ?

 

S.os

[michael mott]

Denis thanks.

 

S.os the diameter is 2 scale inches at the moment but is still need a little refining I will bring it down to about 1 5/8th or 13/64 actual.

 

Worked on the set of 4 hinges today, The blade in the jewelers saw was purposely set at about half length to keep it flatter.

 

 

The hinge on the left is the original test hinge

 

 

 

Drilling and countersinking the fixing holes, the holes are .033 or a number 66 drill and i had to make the countersink from a bit of drill rod

At first I used some hard maple as a backing support but I needed a harder surface so used a piece of 1/2 inch square Duraluminium bar

 

 

The hinge pin is 1/32 or 1/4 inch scale

 

 

Michael

Edited April 8, 2014 by michael mott

[mtaylor]

Lovely hinges, Michael.

[themadchemist]

I'm Amazed again. You reproduced them very nicely. Making one is tough, making 4 proportional is Outstanding craftsmanship.

 

I also like your comment of 1/2 chucking the jewelers saw, I've had problems with blade flex no matter how tight I stretch it, but hadn't though of shortening the blade clamping and on really small stuff you really don't need that much kerf throw anyway. I've noticed that on thick stock, like fretting something from a 3/8" square ebony that the cut isn't vertical due to blade flex, this should solve that.

 

Oh the little Jewels interspersed in build logs are like nuggets of gold.

[michael mott]

 

I suppose the screws for the hinges will be scale slot-headed ones as well?

Druxey There ya go

 

 

Kieth I am glad that you can use the saw blade trick.

 

Mark Thanks

 

And than you all for the likes.

 

I was not very happy actually with the set of four new hinges so today I began a third set, this time I did not anneal the brass but bent it cold, and scaled up just a little by using a 1/16th end mill. The picture shows a steel rod acting as a bit of a drill to clean up the holes after the milling

 

 

The next picture shows the new hinge made today next to the slightly smaller earlier one. the new one looks a lot tidier to me

 

 

Set up in the companionway.

 

 

I added some small bevels to the door frame. tomorrow I will finish the second set for the other door.

 

Michael