Started another model boat project, but the grandkids will be disappointed as it doesn’t plane! It’s a 39” model of the 39’ Fairwind, built in the late 1930s, early 1940s by Windboats of Wroxham, on the Norfolk Broards, where speed is limited to 3-6 mph. Fellow modeler, Ron Wem knows a lot about these boats and got me interested. His advice and photographs have been really helpful, but there is also a surprising amount of information online. Have enjoyed researching it. My connection with the boat? I chartered one (Maid Rosalind) for a week on the Thames with school mates, when I graduated from High School aged 18 in 1966. How I persuaded them to rent it to us (3 guys, 4 girls) I will never know, but we had a blast! I had to travel up to London to visit the main base the day before (and last day of school) to prove I could handle a boat this size. Rosalind was probably 25 years old when we chartered her and she definitely wasn't modern but I remember lovely old fashioned paneling etc. She was perfect for us. We did a one way charter from Wallingford (just below Oxford) all the way to the outskirts of London. Would love to hear from anyone with an interest in these boats.
I always try to use a different construction method and this time, because the chine had the same profile as the waterline for most of the boat’s length, I used the chine lines to make a ‘floor’ exactly at the waterline. Everything will be built up from that.

I always try to install the shaft and power unit at the earliest point, as soon as the keel is done. It's so much easier to get everything lined up before planking the hull etc.. Once everything is perfect, I remove the motor from the mount and the shaft from its sleeve to avoid dust and damage. It's easy to reinstall everything, using the same screws, at a later date. Unlike my past boats with powerful Outrunner motors, this boat is not fast, so to produce a realistic speed, I used a Mack 1885 12v motor geared down 2.5 to 1, driving a three blade 1.48" x 1.33" Octura prop on a small 1/8" shaft.

Building the bow was the test for this construction method and it was easier than I expected. I had started with a base of 1/8” ply, shaped as the the cross section at the waterline. For most of its length, the chine was almost exactly the same profile as the waterline, so it was easy to add hull below this, but at the bow the chine of course came above the waterline. I added balsa block in the area, cutting it first vertically, getting the chine shape from the ply template, then horizontally following the line of the chine. It was then simple to cut the hull shape using the new chine and the keel/stem shape. These boats were almost always varnished above the waterline (as was Maid Rosalind), so I will have to plank the topsides, but below she’s painted with red antifouling, coming several inches above the waterline, so I could get away with using a conventional sheet of Bass Wood, which I bent into shape overnight with a wet paper towel and clamps. The area of the chine above this antifouling is so small I didn't bother switching to planking. So far this construction method has worked well and has been simple to do. In one old Fairwind photograph, it looks like the planking follows the chine rather than the sheer, curving up significantly all the way up the stem at the bow. Any thoughts on this? Also, the bottom will be fiberglassed in the normal way, but I am undecided on the very visible varnished topside planking. A thin layer of epoxy would probably be best, but it’s not always easy to get it perfectly flat, and any dips and imperfection will show in the shiny varnish. Planking will be 1/8 x 1/4 Bass.

Building up from the waterline. The bulkheads, cabins, bunks, galley and heads are roughed in. Each bulkhead and the floors will be paneled with 1/16” x 3/8” strips. I have 224 feet in 2’ lengths ordered. That’s a heck of a lot of tiny paneling! Painted the engine room. The hull has no solid bulkheads below the waterline, so could also paint most of the inside of the hull, fore and aft. The transom, though straight in plan view, curves backwards as was the fashion, so used 1/16" sheet laminated. The hull sides do the same, but these will be planked, so no problem there. I'm enjoying researching this old cruiser and reliving memories!

Installed lighting. Used 5mm square Mega Chips from Evan Designs. By far the best LEDs I’ve used yet. The resistor is already incorporated so after specifying the voltage before ordering, they can be connected directly to the power source. Unlike past purchases also advertised as warm light, these ones really are! Because there are no solid bulkheads below the waterline, it was easy to run wires from the battery to any part of the boat, coming up at any bulkhead. Added the ESC, a terminal strip and a box for the battery. The battery snaps in, but is easily removed by depressing the brass clip. Once the topsides and decks are added, the access to this area will be more restricted, so I made sure everything can be easily removed. The ESC is held by velcro. The whole terminal strip is bolted rather than screwed and there’s enough slack in wiring, so the whole thing can be lifted out and worked on more easily. The washbasins and galley sink were made from epoxy filler pushed over clay molds. The outside of the relatively soft filler was then strengthened with a cover of clear epoxy. I could have used a 3D printer or bought something ready made and this most certainly would have been more realistic, but for me the challenge is to figure out how to make it from scratch! Now I have to think how I could make the cooker (with oven) and two heads! Have finished most of the (endless) paneling. I stained the wood before cutting, dipping the two foot lengths in a home made tube/stand. Pre-staining avoided glue marks appearing through final staining. I used Curly Maple veneer for the head and galley counter tops and will use Cherry veneer for the floor, neither of which Rosalind had, but I wanted to brighten the interior.

Maid Rosalind, the Windboats Norfolk Broards/Thames cruiser. Made faucets/taps from brass tubing and rod. Baked a three sided rough cube of clay for the cooker, cutting it into shape with a razor saw, strengthening it with wood and glue from behind and adding details to the front. Cut the sheet of cherry veneer for the floor into 3/8" strips. Pre-stained the strips to avoid glue marks in the wood and to stop the very thin veneer from curling when the wood glue was applied (too intricate to use contact cement). Painted the bulkheads, floors etc with a coat of lacquer. I feel super shiny interiors look unrealistic so resisted the temptation of a second coat!

Maid Rosalind, the 1940 Thames cruiser.
Built the cockpit unit that slides between two bulkheads, covering and giving access to the electronics.
Placing the switches for operating the boat is always a challenge. I try to have them accessible without removing the cabin top.
Past boats I've hidden them in a top loading freezer and under a small removable bridge deck. This time they are supposed to look like the gear and throttle at the helm.
To do this, the switches are located on the fixed bulkhead but protrude through the helm console when the cockpit is dropped into place.
Also made the heads. In those days there were no holding tanks and waste could of course not be discharged into the Thames River, so I assumed they were old chemical toilets.
The brochures understandably didn't highlight this part of the ship and I don't remember what Rosalind had, so I had to guess.
Ended up with a cylinder shape, slightly fatter at the back, to fit the shape of the seat. The body was made in clay, roughly shaped before firing, then cut, ground and sanded to shape. Added a shower grate to the forward head. It's roughed in on the original brochure plan, but doesn't say if it's a shower or a tub.
A bath was preferred to a shower back then and many boats had tubs, but I went with a shower. Again, that's not something I remember! The tiny switches came from Evan Designs. So glad I found these people!

Maid Rosalind, the 1940 Thames cruiser.
Pre-stained the planking as before, by dipping 2' lengths of 1/8" x 1/4" Bass wood in a tube filled with stain. This avoided the inevitable glue marks in the stain if done after construction. It also avoided having to stain planks on the inside, which would have been difficult. The exterior side of the planks was sanded smooth so no advantage there.
The bow planking was bent overnight with clamps and wet paper towels.
Built the inside supports for the decks and cabin sides. Fitted decks. Hung the boat for staining, first from the bow and then the stern.

Maid Rosalind, 1940 Thames cruiser. Applied three layers of West System epoxy to the hull, clear on the topsides where the planks have to show through, but plus fine fiberglass cloth below the waterline. Initial sanding was with a Fein sander and 40 grit paper (yes 40!), but a smooth epoxy finish can only really be achieved with days of hand sanding, finishing with 320 grit soaked in water! Added rails and finally a coat of lacquer to the topsides and red paint for the antifouling. I believe decks would have been canvas, covered with off-white paint back then. I can achieve this with textured spray paint under the finish coat. Any ideas from people familiar with these boats, before I start?
The close up picture of the hull, before the epoxy was coated with lacquer, shows the construction method pretty clearly. The project started with a sheet of ply at the actual waterline. Below this, the hull was built up using conventional sheets of Bass wood. The plywood served as the interior floor and the bulkheads were attached directly to it. The black line is the height of the antifouling, which was considerably above the waterline.

Maid Rosalind, 1940 Thames cruiser. The beds are made! Because they would be glued down I could get away with simple self hardening clay rather than stronger fired clay. My sculpture clay contains a lot of grog for texture, so I experimented with DAS modeling clay, from Italy, which is much finer. I would use it again for this type of project. It dried hard in 48 hours, with very little shrinkage. The mattress, pillows and turndowns were all made separately, dried and glued together, as wet clay does not stick well to other clay once dried. The turndowns were formed in place but with masking tape in between for simple removal before drying. The ‘mattress’ was sprayed with brown Rustoleum textured paint to give the feel of a blanket and covered with a thin layer of red. All exposed white clay was sprayed with a fixative used for setting charcoal drawings, as it’s very absorbent and stains easily. Wasn't sure what to do with the awkward corner of mattress in the aft double, so experimented with a checkered cushion, but the jury is still out on that one!