Topic: Martin's Moutfleet Highlander Puffer Build (Read 24844 times)

Cargo · « **Reply #105 on:** September 07, 2007, 04:40:47 PM »

Today a good friend has collected the Puffer, some parts where repaired on my kitchen table (not a french one

) the rest at his workshed. He also will balance the boat at his own small pond. In two weeks shes is back and i take her to the clubpond

DickyD · « **Reply #106 on:** September 07, 2007, 04:55:03 PM »

Halfway to finishing the next one then Martin

Martin (Admin) · « **Reply #107 on:** September 07, 2007, 05:08:08 PM »

Once she's reapaired and balanced, you will need a crane to move her!
How did you get on setting up your radio in the Puffer?

DickyD: Bismarck, Sheerline, Pegasus, GMT trawler, Southampton, Crash Tender, Sentinel, PT-109, Mayhem Speed project, Slipway Puffer, Sovermeny, ... roughly in that order

Cargo · « **Reply #108 on:** September 07, 2007, 06:50:17 PM »

Each batterie is around 2.8 KG...

He has taken the radiogear with him...

Martin (Admin) · « **Reply #109 on:** September 10, 2007, 10:42:28 AM »

The build continues... now in another country - Maid of Scotland

chocpyro · « **Reply #110 on:** January 08, 2008, 03:12:06 PM »

Hi
I was wondering why I couldn't get past page nine of the build blogg of this project
I've just got this kit as my first build for christmas and was enjoying the read
Any hints
D

DickyD · « **Reply #111 on:** January 08, 2008, 03:32:13 PM »

Hi
You had best ask Martin, he's always moving things about and losing them.

Martin (Admin) · « **Reply #112 on:** January 08, 2008, 04:28:33 PM »

Just another one of those things that I haven't completed..... anything in particular I can help you with?

Quote from: chocpyro on January 08, 2008, 03:12:06 PM

Hi
I was wondering why I couldn't get past page nine of the build blogg of this project
I've just got this kit as my first build for Christmas and was enjoying the read
Any hints
D

chocpyro · « **Reply #113 on:** January 09, 2008, 02:23:08 PM »

Hi Martin
Nothing in particular, I was just enjoying reading about the build as this is my first
I've not started yet as we're moving house in a few weeks so the permissions officer is keen to start packing everything into boxes, and I,ve broken my ankle.
When I make a start I'm sure you'll be sick of me asking questions
Anyway if you could get the rest of the build blogg up that would be great
Many Thanks
D

Martin (Admin) · « **Reply #114 on:** June 19, 2008, 05:37:05 PM »

Hi All, sorry for the delays but I'll now be updating my Puffer build on here and then transfer
it to the build on Model Boat Mayhem afterwards.

http://www.modelboatmayhem.co.uk/Builds/Puffer_Jan/1ndex_Puffer_Jan.htm

..... now where was I with the build.... swearing at the winch I think!

Kit: http://www.mountfleetmodels.co.uk/highlander.htm

DickyD · « **Reply #115 on:** June 19, 2008, 05:43:19 PM »

This isn't going to take as long as the build is it Martin ? :-\

Martin (Admin) · « **Reply #116 on:** June 19, 2008, 05:50:02 PM »

It's taken longer already!

Martin (Admin) · « **Reply #117 on:** June 20, 2008, 05:28:17 PM »

Anyway, the instructions and diagrams for the winch are..... well, not very useful!
Someone seems to think steam winches are an everyday occurrence in modern daily life....

After 3 or 4 assemble and disassemblies I finally had the thing together..... correctly!
The kit supplies a piece of ply for the winch base but I substituted this for a piece of plastic (CD case)
that would look more like iron plate when painted.

The various pipework casting were then cleaned up and painted.

Painting the winch was quite enjoyable. I painted the whole thing matt black, then over the next few days
painted various bits with other blacks, gloss, satin, smoke and white.
In the end a nice little model in it's own right.

Martin (Admin) · « **Reply #118 on:** June 20, 2008, 06:23:48 PM »

Bradders was working on the hull.

He noticed that the 'falls' (?!?) were not even and required trimming and
evening out.

Next the white metal "Iron plates". These trimmed and bent to shape and then stuck down
with thick superglue.

Other "iron work" also added and primed....

Hand rails added....

.... more "iron work".....

Martin (Admin) · « **Reply #119 on:** June 20, 2008, 06:38:43 PM »

Bradders then added the coaming for the main cargo hatch and the wheel house.
We would make the cargo hatch to fit the coaming we'd cut but make the coaming
to fit the wheelhouse interior and then cut the hole to fit that coaming.

The wheelhouse didn't sit flat on the deck but this would be compensated for when fitting
the false / show deck.

Martin (Admin) · « **Reply #120 on:** June 23, 2008, 04:29:46 PM »

Continuing the the work on the wheel house opening and coaming....

Martin (Admin) · « **Reply #121 on:** June 23, 2008, 04:37:38 PM »

Starting on the fore / bow deck (?)......

Martin (Admin) · « **Reply #122 on:** June 23, 2008, 04:43:45 PM »

Going back to the aft / poop / quater deck!........

Martin (Admin) · « **Reply #123 on:** June 23, 2008, 05:04:23 PM »

Next thing to attempt was the aft stanchions and rails.....
These a while metal and although the rails are made of soft copper, they are
much harder harder/stronger than the white metal stanchions , so care has to
be taken not to force or bend them. I formed the the rails complete on the
deck before attempting to fit them. The stations holes were opened up with
a small drill bit in a pin vice. Nothing is glue/fixed down at this stage... I would
only knock it off while doing something else....... :-\

Martin (Admin) · « **Reply #124 on:** June 23, 2008, 05:23:10 PM »

The hatch was Bradders little baby! he was quite enthusiastic about and came up with all
sorts of different ideas and methods for doing it, it was like he was painting the Sistine Chapel !
It looks very simple but at one stage I counted up 12 different materials and glues used in it's
construction. As I pointed out before, build the hatch to the coaming you've already formed
on the deck so it's not to loose (falls or & not water tight) and not too tight, (won't fit at all).
Remember to allow for shrinkage, glue, varnish, paint etc, a couple of layers of paper around
the coaming should do. Making the small triangular pieces and gluing them in place was a
particularly frustrating and aggravating exercise....

Martin (Admin) · « **Reply #125 on:** June 23, 2008, 05:50:12 PM »

Bradders and I had many, many long arguments over the final finish of the hatch.
Should it be black or tarpaulin colour?
Should it be clean or stained?
Should it be open or closed?
Should it have cargo showing or not?
What, if any, cargo should be showing?
If not, should you be able to see into the hold?
What colour should the hatch planks be?
What glue should we use? Etc, etc....
But in the end, there was a simple soloution.... Bradders did what he wanted to do! ......

The white stuff is PVA "canopy glue" that dries clear.

The "tarpaulin" was glued down with very slow set superglue, stretched and held in place
with straight edge ( with selotape on them) and clamped in place for 24 hours.

.
.
.
.
.
.

........ and I had to go and find out how to "get stuffed!"

Cargo · « **Reply #126 on:** June 24, 2008, 11:44:21 AM »

Quote from: Martin - Forum Admin on June 23, 2008, 05:04:23 PM

Next thing to attempt was the aft stanchions and rails.....
These a while metal and although the rails are made of soft copper, they are
much harder harder/stronger than the white metal stanchions , so care has to
be taken not to force or bend them.

It is maybe better to use stanchions made out of brass. The white metall is to soft.

Martin (Admin) · « **Reply #127 on:** June 24, 2008, 03:28:17 PM »

Next to be tackled were the convenience & the companion way hatch (s***er/toilet/head & stairwell hut).
Again the instruction leave yo much to your own imagination as to method of construction, so if it looks
right, it probably is right.

These were my attempt at simulated hinges.... would have been acceptable on a large scale boat!

Martin (Admin) · « **Reply #128 on:** June 24, 2008, 03:44:32 PM »

"Construction" of the campainon way hatch...

Martin (Admin) · « **Reply #129 on:** June 24, 2008, 04:24:17 PM »

A lick of paint and they look OK.

(They look different colours as some are taken under flourecent light and some are flash.)

Martin (Admin) · « **Reply #130 on:** June 24, 2008, 05:03:23 PM »

Getting back to the cabin (superstructure) and wheel house...
(First contruction steps can be found here: http://www.modelboatmayhem.co.uk/Builds/Puffer_Jan/Part_6.htm)

The Fibreglass cabin needs to the sanded back a bit and cleaned to create a clean gluing surface
and later, painting.The white metal fittings are glue on with thick superglue, everything else slow set
2 part epoxy.

Decide where you want the hand rails to be and drill holes for the 'storm rail stanchions'.
Remember to allow gaps for the ladders rails... I didn't. You will also have to start thinking
ahead where things like the steering chains will orientate as the 'down pipes' also cross the
hand rails. This involves marking out boundaries of the wheel house floor and the the steering
chain run. Mine didn't match up to the plans but Bradders put that down to my "ignore the plans"
approach!

Fitting the doors is simple enough... I got the fitting wrong 4 times... and theirs only 2 of them!
Remember the doors fit vertically to the keel, NOT the deck......... make that 5 times!
Oh, and the door hinges are towards the bows not the stern.......... 6 times......
My hinges are made of copper wire as Jan wished the doors to be functional.

You will also have to start thinking ahead where things like the steering chains will orientate as
the 'down pipes' also cross the hand rails. Again, all fittings are perpendicular to the keel, not the deck.

Martin (Admin) · « **Reply #131 on:** June 24, 2008, 05:31:53 PM »

Right the wheel house.
Bradders and I had a fearful argument about who was going to build the wheel house.
I argued that I should do it as I had already started the cabin, Bradders argued that he wanted it done right! >:(
In the end I got to build it as he was going off on holiday for two weeks... which was a holiday for me too!

Grab up all the wood but be carefull not to mark up the printed side as this will only be varnished not painted.
Farley straightforward construction methods here, PVA wood glue or thick superglue, reinforce the corners, sand
everything until it fits, make sure everything is square and vertical. The top of the cabin in meant to be parallel to
the keel, so I worked to that. As I figured out that the wheelhouse would be on and off 'like a fiddlers elbow', I
covered the cabin roof with cheap selotape and superglued the floor down to that to give me the slight starboard
to port curved floor and worked up from there. to ensure the wheelhouse sides fitted perfectly, I used a small
torch to look for gaps underneath the walls.

Martin (Admin) · « **Reply #132 on:** June 25, 2008, 05:48:37 PM »

Continuing the Wheelhouse build.....

Framework, door jams, handrails cut and fitted.

Holes for window frames cut to match each frame.... they were ALL slightly different sizes. >:(

2 part thin roof cut and glued down.

Consideration of the work light, Jan preferred the original white metal one supplied with
the kit... which I decided to make work ... big mistake! ( The one on the right.)

The ladder was a bit of quandary, it a bit short and the feet are at the wrong angle.

Inside painted with satin / dull white ( to tone it down a bit ).

Martin (Admin) · « **Reply #133 on:** June 25, 2008, 06:16:32 PM »

Time for some electrics.....

On Jan request, I decided that all the original white metal light fitting could be made operational....
... but then again, I'm a very optimistcal type of bloke... naive too!

Martin (Admin) · « **Reply #134 on:** June 25, 2008, 06:16:52 PM »

Right, time for some paint. Jan opted for a dark wood, "grey" and cream colour scheme.

Martin (Admin) · « **Reply #135 on:** June 30, 2008, 05:26:14 PM »

I had "a bit of trouble" with the wheelhouse roof.... about 5 weeks worth of trouble!
I started of with Tamiya paints and as you can see, it didn't take to the wood well.
I was brush painting but even after 6 coats, it was still patchy ?!?!?!
I tried sanding and solvent cleaning back to the wood but 3 attempts later, still patchy....
Bradders informed me "that it was all my fault", (a stock saying between us now) and
said he would spray paint it. Two attempts at spraying later, it was pronounced that
"the paint was bad." We bought another bottle(ette), immediately the difference
was apparent - the paint was bad!

I was sort of happy with the finshed....... but it did look 'rubbish'!

[/color]

Martin (Admin) · « **Reply #136 on:** June 30, 2008, 05:54:00 PM »

I wanted to shave some sort of texture on the wheelhouse roof and hid the wood grain.
My first bright idea was painted sandpaper... easy enough!...... No!

First job, remove the secondary roof and clean up......

Martin (Admin) · « **Reply #137 on:** June 30, 2008, 06:00:13 PM »

So now it's just a simple matter of paining the sandpaper, job done!

.....and when it dried!...... Oh!

Take it off and try again...

Used the ~@%$]*&!!! wrong pot of paint again by mistake!

Martin (Admin) · « **Reply #138 on:** June 30, 2008, 06:04:25 PM »

Well this stupid! It's a 6 inch piece of wood and I can't paint it!
You know the old addage, "KISS" (Keep It Simple Stupid ) will I thought I'd do the other thing!

How about using sand for texture!!!

You'd cut your fingers off if you went anywhere near the thing!

Martin (Admin) · « **Reply #139 on:** June 30, 2008, 06:09:40 PM »

Another barinwave, TEXTURED PAINT!

Naaaaaa! Looks like a badly Tarmaced road!

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Author Topic: Martin's Moutfleet Highlander Puffer Build (Read 24844 times)

Cargo

Cargo

chocpyro

chocpyro

Cargo