Running Gear, Fitting the 5mm ply skegs to the prop shaft/hull, this was a big decision, as now i regret not fitting brass skegs and bearings with open type shafts past the hull line, but it can also increase the costs, you need shorter brass shaft tubes and of course longer shafts so there's a possibility of double the expense, some might say thats easy just remove the one end brash bush and shorten the tube, but these days the tubes and bushes are made to a much higher specification than the earlier days , say 1960's 1990's, i cen remember pulling some bushes out by hand

Part 2 of "Running Gear", think that was a touch of finger blight on the keypad so the file went to early, continuing on, more pics of rudder forming section, drilling holes for glue key, then adding bits of timber to build up the section, and then car body filler ( P38 ) to hide the mistakes lol, finally the doping or sealing the wood, i tend to mix a drop of dope and thinners 50%/25% dope to thinners in a can, then dip the rudder let them soak for a min and then hang them up to dry, wiping the dripping access off against the can side, after abt 30 mins: you can usually give the surface a quick rub down with sandpaper and dip again, carry on about 5-6 times and you finish up with a nice smooth finish. Motors, they needed to be easily removed, as there was a possibility of interchanging from boat to boat, a little jig retainer was thought up , so they could be slid into place, then arose manufacturing problem the four retaining top edges were not exactly identical, lol, so a paint ID was required, this was done and made the job a lot easier, Regards Muddy..

Cabin/Upperworks, cutting out the sides, and i always cut them as a pair, then made up the internal formers and roof supports, the roof's were planked, and veneer was added after the main cabin construction. Had a bit of a funny senior moment, and planked the roofs in striped, bad idea, i now dunna like em', so more painting.. urghhh ! lol.

Cabin/Upperworks, Fishing off the rear cockpit, this was just veneered with the planking drawn it with a hard pencil a 1H i think and the nail marks with the centre poit in the compass, a nobed pin could be used, then rub in a touch of Cyno into the nail marks this highlights the mark and makes them more pronounced. On to the painting, used a filler paint for the first cote
the Halfords grey Primer, followed by colours of choice, thought an Ivory or off White would suit this boat better than a sparkling dazzle white.. Launching/ Running trials approaching.. Muddy ..

Running Trials, Just before water tests, decided to change the drive motors from Decaperms to 777's. With 12 volts on the motors she was trying to fly and looked ridiculous. The voltage was reduced to 6 and things looked more sedate and true. But the motors ran a little warm, even prop changes did not appear to make any differences, so reverted back to the Decaperms and 50mm 3 Blade Props, from Prop Shop, i do like these Props and they work very well. Off to the pond we go and trials begin, she performed really well and was not disappointed, if required she showed her Foot but no attempt to fly or plane. But, and a Big BUT things did not look right, the Bow/Prow was to high and it look ridiculous, pics to show off this. So back to the Harbour and she was put on the shelf, disappointed was not the word and thoughts went to another build or two.. So over a period of time thoughts went back to her, and a modification was devised, very simple remove the deck chop off an inch or so at the bow and taper it back to the cabin front, a two job i thought , so i went with it, lol but it didnt last long.. Regards Muddy ..

New Deck, This two hour job as previously thought, was started, it being 5 years after the first " sea trials" and disappointment. First question was where to start with lifting the planks off, it was quite apparent that the planks did not want to be removed. No matter how delicate and forceful they did not budge. So saving the planks was out of the question, gain access to the plank edges was required and this was done by drilling some 1 1/2 " holes in the deck, but still very reluctant to depart their location. The jigsaw was called apon and ran a series of cuts across the planks, by this time and desperate i just wanted them off we were well past the allocated removal time and it was cold in the shed. So with a lot of grunting a 2lb hammer and a mini lifting chisel/crow bar the deck was removed, the hull was marked out for a 1" removal at the bow tapering back to the original level at the wheelhouse. Jigsaw did most of the work assisted by a roll of sandpaper. The deck was off and ready for a replacement. This was the first time i have ever done a modification to a hull, and i dont mind admitting was not happy untill i could see the light and prospect of a new deck and a better look vessel.
And a lot was learnt whilst this undertaking was in progress, but if i had not done this "job" i would still be in the dark about a lot of things, and my advice is if you dont attempt it, it aint gunna work, so one has to grasp the nettle and give it a go. Now where's the new planks.. Muddy ..

Once the deck was removed and the old bulkheads cleaned up a new ply deck was laid, followed by a Mahogony planked deck, later the side strips were added and some rubbing strips, ( we have bricks lining our local pond and they can take chunks out of the woodwork ) .
This is now the state of play, so a lot of finishing to be done, painting and varnishing plus some deck fittings etc..
But that is all in the future.. Regards and thanks for all the Likes and Comments Muddy ..

Varnish the fore deck, a few coats yesterday, Wilko Yacht Varnish, thinned with white spirit about ten percent. and four coats today. Muddy ..

After a HORRIBLE couple of years and not finding the time to indulge into the website or the workshop, I finaly managed to finish the Fishing Trawler My Susan, in finish I mean she hit the water for sea trials. There will be many I hope bits and bob's to make and fit, transforming her into a lookalike working boat, without going over the top.. If there are any double-ups of pics I apoligise.
As I mentioned in the past most of these build pics were rescued from a crashed pc. So I,m trying to pick up the tail of build in pics from this blog, which does not look correct to me, must have suffered a major touch of finger blight and posted these/this build onto the Gwen Eagle blog, so this could get exciting trying to follow either of the blogs, again i apoligise for this "foo-parr".. Think this where i left off..
Dont forget the boat stand, an ideal time whilst in unpainted and " rough " state of the build.

After most of the Build was finished, time for some paint.
As this is a wood build, most items received about 6 coats of 50/50 cellulose dope and thinners, lightly sanding between each coat. The first job was to paint he insides of the Bulwarks and associated deck bits, decided to do this in Humbrol enamel, as it would be easier to touch up after other operations..
I found a Satin spray which is ideal for this job, it can always be glossed up, or dulled down with a matt version. Tend to use cling film on fiddly jobs like this as it has a type of adhesion, maybe just static, but once placed , stays put, if the surface is dust free.
Next job was the hull painting.
Lots of masking up, and trying to find some paint, came across some spray paint from Wilko, not a great choice in colours, but all the basic's were there and cheaper than any other at the time. The Wilko spay paint went well, a bit thicker than others but this is what i wanted for this boat's hull. Rubdowns and resprays were aplenty. The upperworks was painted by hand with Humbrol Enamel, some NOS, more old than new, it took some time to mix up.. lol.