Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length.

[cliffweld]

Hi there has anyone built the mountfleet 'danny boy' and if so do you have any hints,tip, or know of any problems i may come across,cheers cliff

[rob]

, pm sent regarding your build................ lovely boat !

[Mickymike]

Hi Cliff

I hope I havent sent you two copies of this.
I have built the Mountfleet Britannia about a year ago the only thing I would say is dont use the White Metal rudder I made my own from sheet brass.
One other thing I had was when drilling for the propshaft I was using only a 4mm drill to start it off but the back section broke away so I had to
build it up with P38 but it is a lovely hull and sails beautifully it is also quite a fast hull, I power mine on 12 volts into a German Bhuler Motor
running at 1500 RPM.

If you need any help please let me know, I have attached a picture for you.

Regards

Mike

[cliffweld]

hi there ,you did a great job of the boat ,where did you find the figures they bring the model to life

[Mickymike]

Hi

The figures I purchased from George Turner Models in Southend on Sea he does have a website   www.georgeturnermodels.com/
he has a lot of figures for boats.
Let me know how you get on if you build the Danny Boy.
Best Regards and Merry Christmas.

Mickymike

[cliffweld]

Thanks ,i'll check the site out merry xmas to you to

[Inkmark]

Hi Cliffweld
How's your build going.
I started my Danny Boy three months ago and so far have thrown most of it away.
The white metal castings are poor and badly out of scale. My fibreglass accomodation moulding
was out of square, twisted down it's length and full of blow holes and voids so I built one from ply.
Even the sheet ply included is twisted so badly it's of no use.
I also had to speak to them on their stand at a show to decode the instructions.
New Year resolution, buy no more kits!!
Cheers
Mark

[cliffweld]

Hi there,i just started building danny boy after xmas and from what i've come across sofar its not too bad, the hull had a lot of imperfection's,i've had to sand some off and fill others.I agree the instructions are a bit dodgy and there is a lot of flash on the castings and some of the wood was missing.I 'll let you know how i get on,i'm just trying to figure out how to fit all the radio control gear in the hull(it's my first time with r/c) so any tips would great,cheers cliff.

[Inkmark]

Hi Cliff
For the electrics I mounted two cross bars that carry a ply plate that comes just below deck level and to line up with the main hatch.
removing the hatch then gives access to speed control, switcher etc.
Receiver sits on another plate at deck level under the wheelhouse so the aerials can see the Tx (2.4 Gig)
What motor/ batteries are you using? I have a Mobile Marine T12 and two SLA batteries, still needs some ballast.
After mucking about with the GRP above deck moulding I abandoned it and made one from ply.
The GRP is out of square at both ends, twisted down its length and so full of voids that after initial attempts at repair I abandoned it.
I had a real job with the capstan. no two segments were the same. After trimming I eventually made a mandrel out of copper pipe
and built the barrel segments around it. Still not too happy with it but we will see after its third lot of fill and file.
Now the Christmas visitors are all gone I will resume. I thought it quite acceptable for visitors to sleep in a bedroom with a work bench and
model boat for company but the boss felt differently.
Cheers
Mark

[samuel15g]

I was lucky enough to "win" a brand new Danny Boy kit off E-bay just before Xmas, for £170.
The kit was originally purchased in 2002, the box opened and parts inspected but the owner fell seriously ill and the kit went into the loft space for 7 years.
I can only say that once I'd collected it, reopened the box and checked out the contents I was more than pleased. Yes some castings had substantial flash but with some enjoyable tinkering all are very good and well detailed. I've even trimmed and balanced the white metal prop for which I have seen many complaints regards its quality.
All printed wood, plain wood, wire etc were there and in good condition ( the 6mm dowel was somewhat oval in section but needs trimming down anyway). The hull needed minor working and there was some flash around the supertsructure moulding joint lines and some rivet heads were flattened, but again after minimal reworking all came out well. -- I have almost completed the superstructure, painted weathered and wired for lights.
The capstan was a joy and again it is painted, weathered and packed in a box ready for fitting once final assembly takes place.
Whether the quality of the kits has diminished since this one was originally purchased I can't comment . However I did buy a Puffer from Mountfleet prior to the winter of 2008 and again this was an absolute joy to build. A couple of parts were missing - the newly introduced crew figures- but other than that it was a cracking kit and has sailed with much admiration most Sundays during the past year -- built in less than twelve weeks of spare time.
I admit that the drawings and instructions do leave some things to be desired but a quick search around the various boating websites reveals resolutions to most problems regards positioning of deck features etc.
 I had a business meeting up in Yorkshire which finished early and as I was in the area I called Sue at Mountfleet who suggested I pop in. After a cup of welcoming tea I was given a personal tour of the kit preparation and workshop areas, very interesting and a charming lady.
To be honest I can't fault Mountfleet kits and certainly haven't had cause to discard anything in the box. So much so I'm seriously considering having a go at their Bangarth Tug
If I can fathom how to put pictures on the Forum then I will do so with copies of my Puffer and progress so far on the Danny Boy
Kind regards
Terry H 

[Inkmark]

Hi Terry
Very interesting. It would appear perhaps I have a 'Friday afternoon' kit.
Even the printed deck overlay had to be much modified. At the front where the deck lining ran to the bow
two of the plank lines were not parallel, one was almost 1mm different from is neighbour, looked terrible.
Had to scratch and sand the lines out and redraw. Also most of the lines were missing in the main hatch area
and a straight edge down the middle shows almost one plank width bend in the line. Now deck clutter in going on
you do not notice this but it caused a few head scratches on what was wrong until I discovered the bend.
How do you get on for scale appearance? When you put a figure in the wheelhouse the door are windows are too narrow.
Perhaps I am being too picky but a door that the figure could not go through looks wrong to me.
Oh well, onward.
Cheers
Mark

[samuel15g]

Hi Mark

Yes I reckon you got a real bad Friday job!
I don't reckon you're any more picky than I or most of our Model Boating colleagues, we just want things right.

I had the same opinion regards scale doors etc on the Puffer but when I looked at various pictures on the web -- an interesting one is some of the old Para Handy series on You-Tube. -- the doors are correct. They do look small but in most cases it would appear the crew had to stoop slightly to step down into the superstructure.
I live in a 300 year old cottage and some would argue that the doors in my house aren't to scale either, neither is the ceiling height and visitors soon learn to duck around the beams!
The Mountfleet figures you get in the Puffer kit are cracking little things - I've only used one on my Puffer. He bears a resemblance to Fred Dibnah, dressed in flat cap, jacket and overalls & holding a bottle of beer -- this one figure is enough to bring the boat to life. They are also less "cartoony" than some of the figures currently available.
The other two I have from the Puffer will be used on the Danny boy and are again  nicely represented but one did need some "plastic" surgery on his face and hands.
The capstan looks massive against these 1/24th figures but when you compare it to an actual crew member standing next to one in a photograph then the scale is right -- these would be relatively big and powerful units to haul a fully stocked net in.

Kind regards
Terry H

[Inkmark]

Hi Terry
I have the book 'From Tree to Sea' by Ted Frost and that initially sparked my interest in drifters.
Then I went to visit Lydia Eva at Yarmouth and took hundreds of pictures.
I bought Danny Boy and, coupled with the disappointment of the kit and my researches on these vessels,
it did not take much to abandon the kit and go my own way.
Most disappointing in my kit was the quality of the white metal castings. As stated before there was 0.8mm difference
between the individual segments of the capstan and two were missing the end tabs completely.
It took a lot of trimming and fiddling to get it together.
Low doors I accept but 16 inches wide?
I am just getting on now and building to drawings and photos so I will not comment further on the quality of the kit.
Impressions do count however, even at stand off scale. Every trawler I have ever seen has three windows at the front,
Danny boy has four which smacks the eye straight away if you know the subject.
We'll get there in the end, wherever that may be.
Cheers
Mark

[cliffweld]

Hi Mark,i am planning to build my kit as the 'Lydia Eva' and would be grateful if you could send me some of your photos of the deck layout and colour schemes, i live in the highlands of Scotland and it's not practicable to get down there and get my own,also do you have a rough guide for the spacing's  and positioning of the bulwark support's as the plan only covers three on the starboard side with different spacings and gives no hint for the placings on the bow and stern.Many thanks cliff.

[Davew]

Hi
I am after a bit of advice just about to start the Caldercraft Clyde Puffer build and I just what size moter to use and ESC to suit.

Thanks DaveW

[Inkmark]

Cliff
PM sent
Mark