Topic: 46' Watson S.G.E. (Read 16862 times)

slinger · « **on:** January 04, 2014, 08:52:39 pm »

Hi, I am attempting to build a 46' Watson lifeboat using Neil's building blog of his three lifeboats and in particular the parts relating to H F Baily. The boat I am building was called S.G.E. which was stationed at Yarmouth I.O.W. from 1936 to 1963 in memory of my father who was bowman on her during the late forty's and fifty's.
The hull and cockpits etc. were supplied by Dave Metcalf using the moulds that Neil made in his blog. I will not go into detail of the build but hope to show that someone with limited experience in semi-scratch building can by following the instructions and photo's given by Neil make a semi decent model?
The first photo's show the bilge keels fitted as described previously. The other are the rudder and rudder blocks. After fixing the block for the rudder post and servo leaving them quite high so they are well above the waterline I now realise and hoping that they are not to high by getting in the way of the cockpit floor?
I will add more photo's as I go along?

Neil · « **Reply #1 on:** January 04, 2014, 09:17:07 pm »

good to see you Graham, posting your build.....

I haven't forgotten those fittings but haven't been into the workshop of late, especially over chrimbo..........could you please pm me a list of what you want and I'll sort them asap. neil.

slinger · « **Reply #2 on:** January 04, 2014, 09:29:45 pm »

Thanks for that Neil, hope I can do you justice. You did send some parts before and have been making some by casting in resin some fittings from the ALR.
I will be in touch when I have sorted out what I have got and once again many thanks for your help?

Graham

slinger · « **Reply #3 on:** January 06, 2014, 08:30:35 pm »

Catching up with the work already completed, in that the frames have been fitted. I tried to match up the measurements from the cockpits, plans and taking the layout from Neil's blog. I used this method for the fitting of the sub-decks.

slinger · « **Reply #4 on:** January 06, 2014, 08:41:24 pm »

When fitting the beams for the rear cockpit deck it was as feared in that I had made the rudder support and servo blocks to high so could not get the correct depth, but from the plans it is only 8mm to shallow?
I have now fitted the main decks and the bow and stern cockpits which I will show when I have go the photo's off of the camera?

Neil · « **Reply #5 on:** January 06, 2014, 09:31:19 pm »

good progress matey.
neil.

derekwarner · « **Reply #6 on:** January 06, 2014, 11:35:02 pm »

Do all model lifeboat builders have dusty cluttered workshops? ....

Only kiddin guys.......... slinger have you lost a drill chuck key yet?

......... Derek

slinger · « **Reply #7 on:** January 07, 2014, 07:55:55 pm »

Hi Derek. As I have been following the master lifeboat builders blog and also visited Neil at his workshop (sorry Neil), I thought that the dust was all part of the build, it has taken me weeks to get to that state. No I not lost a chuck key yet,

I know they are there somewhere just not sure where? Seriously though I keep the chuck keys on bungee cords fixed to the drill and lathe and a spare one taped to the inside of a drawer to be on the safe side.
I was also surprised just how much dust there is when sanding/cutting a fiberglass hull and superstructure. I would have like to have done the work outside but the weather has been that bad and I always wear a proper industrial mask as I would not like that lot on my chest, I already have breathing problems I had no option but to do the work inside?
Graham

slinger · « **Reply #8 on:** January 09, 2014, 08:20:34 pm »

I have now finished fitting the main deck using 2.8mm ply. Unfortunately the sheets I ordered from Hobbies were not large enough so I had to join smaller sections either side of the rear cockpit.

slinger · « **Reply #9 on:** January 09, 2014, 08:30:35 pm »

Now that the main deck is on I have started to make the combings around the rear cockpit and the access hatch in front of the bulkhead. I followed Neil's advice and angled the combings each side of the access hatch. The look a bit of a mess but should clean up ok? After fitting the rear section of the combing, my concerns as to whether rudder/servo blocks were to high was not such a problem as I think the deck level of the cockpit will be ok

leaving room for the rope bins and other fittings to the rear of the cockpit?

Neil · « **Reply #10 on:** January 09, 2014, 08:37:09 pm »

that's looking familiar matey......de' ja vou'

furball · « **Reply #11 on:** January 10, 2014, 09:48:48 pm »

This might be of some use :

O.N. 804, the second S.G.E. This one was built by J.S. Whites in 1938. The first S.G.E. (O.N. 787), built in 1936 by Groves & Guttridge was destroyed by fire in their yard in June 1937, when it was presumably in for refit.

The photo was taken in the early '50s, I believe.

Cheers

Lance

slinger · « **Reply #12 on:** January 11, 2014, 02:20:05 pm »

Thanks for that Lance, the photo is a lot clearer than the ones I have, which I copied from a couple of postcards. I have spoken with Yarmouth Lifeboat Station and they kindly sent me a photo of her but early in her life as the funnel has the two exhaust pipes on top when she was fitted with petrol engines.
Regards
Graham

slinger · « **Reply #13 on:** January 11, 2014, 02:34:55 pm »

In the fifties which is the period I am basing the model on, would the bottom of the hull be painted in green or red anti fouling?
Neil, the copy of the photo which I sent you which was not very clear I asked the same question? and you kindly replied that the early boats had green paint. In view of Lance's kind reply would the colour for the fifty's make a difference?
Graham

furball · « **Reply #14 on:** January 11, 2014, 03:28:33 pm »

I suspect it's whatever the yard it was serviced in had. We've seen green, red and even blue, although it seems red was more common.

In the photo above, I think they've used red.

Lance

Neil · « **Reply #15 on:** January 11, 2014, 03:51:17 pm »

Quote from: furball on January 11, 2014, 03:28:33 pm

I suspect it's whatever the yard it was serviced in had. We've seen green, red and even blue, although it seems red was more common.

In the photo above, I think they've used red.

Lance

yes, I agree with Lance.......the colour on Lances photo certainly looks red............don't forget that before elf and aistey it was usually and generally proper red lead that they used for antifouling on most boats/ships, and after a short while kept at sea, this tended to go "pinkish" in colour anyway........the Royal Navy were famous for using "pink" anti fouling in the 50/60/70's.....and in a b/w photo red anti fouling always looks lighter than green stuff.

slinger · « **Reply #16 on:** January 11, 2014, 08:35:28 pm »

Thank you gentlemen for your assistance in the colour, I'll be using red. I was in the navy during the 60's and 70's and I was drafted to ships that had the sea time in with well worn anti fouling not like the big ships who were aground on the empty beer cans thrown overboard? As we used say "roll on my twelve and lets have the rum, b** and baccy".
Back to my build, I found I have made a big mistake in the cutting out for the rear superstructure? I could not get it to sit properly and found that the cut out on the deck was not equal from either side of the hull so I have to start again.

As the boss politely told me "Serves me right as I go like a bull at a gate"

slinger · « **Reply #17 on:** January 14, 2014, 08:03:54 pm »

After looking at the problem I had with the combings around the rear access hatch and cockpit, not being able to get the cockpit to sit properly, I decided the best option would be to take a hammer to them and start again. I also did not want to start taking the main deck off so I added some strips of obeche timber to the edges of the access hatch to square it off. Although this made it narrower I can still get access ok to the motor mounts and be able to place the batteries in the hull. Also by making the access narrower, I was able to get clearance for the new combings without having to angle them to suit the engine casing.

slinger · « **Reply #18 on:** January 20, 2014, 08:05:02 pm »

Last couple of days have been prepping the inside of both cockpits by sanding down and using knifing putty to smooth over the fiberglass ready for the frames which I will make out of cardboard, again as recommended by Neil..

I have also started on the cockpit capping's using 2mm plywood. Around the rear of the aft cockpit I have used a plastic strip (bought a couple of bundles at Blackpool) gently using a hot air gun to bend it into a curve to fit. Hopefully when it is sanded down and faired in and painted it won't look out of place.

Today I have also fitted the base for the windscreens, which after looking a the photo's I have of the S.G.E. and taking into account some comments on Neil's blog re the windscreen as fitted to the HFB I am making the side screens a a greater angle and will also be higher when finished.
Graham

slinger · « **Reply #19 on:** January 20, 2014, 08:14:28 pm »

In relation to the colour of the antifouling used on the S.G.E earlier in the blog, I had the following included in a PM from a member of the forum who worked on her in 1954.

" The colour of A/F on S.G.E. would have been International Paints Kobe Green , the strongest A/F made at that time, due to the high arsenic content . At £30+ per gallon in 1954 it was considered to be the Bees-Knees for the job . Applied with a 4" brush (no rollers in them days) and absolutely NO THINNERS , by the end of the day you knew about all about aching wrists and arms !!!"

Once agin I would like to thank him for his assistance in this subject.

slinger · « **Reply #20 on:** January 25, 2014, 04:38:41 pm »

The last couple of days I have fitting the cockpit beading using card and sticking them using UHU glue and then adding a couple of coats of sanding sealer before giving them the first coat of satin brown.

slinger · « **Reply #21 on:** January 25, 2014, 04:45:24 pm »

I have also fitted the trim lines to the main cockpit made using plastic strip and fixed with superglue before giving them the first coat of satin brown.

The last task for today was to make and fit the combing using ply to the companionway.

Rottweiler · « **Reply #22 on:** January 25, 2014, 10:47:25 pm »

you're making a grand job of this build,and good progress too.
Well done
Mick F

slinger · « **Reply #23 on:** January 30, 2014, 07:50:57 pm »

Thanks for the comment Mick?

Things have gone slowly the last couple of days, however in between hospital appointments I have been able to make the three hatches for the boat from plastic card, the engine room hatch was made using a spare resin cast hatch I had from building my Mersey, which is a slightly deferent shape and size from the plan but looks Ok, though I will see when I come to fit them if I still like it?

slinger · « **Reply #24 on:** January 30, 2014, 08:06:44 pm »

I was considering to plank the deck with strips of ply, but decided to make deck overlays. So today has been using the card templates used for the main deck and marking and cutting out the overlays and trimming to fit the cockpits and the deck edge. The next stage will be trying to draw the planking lines and mark out for the fuel caps etc. I will have see what this turns out like as I have problem with my eyesight due to long term diabetes in that I do not see straight lines, they tend to curve. So it might be wise for me to get my daughter to draw the planking in after I have marked every thing out?

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Author Topic: 46' Watson S.G.E. (Read 16862 times)