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[Phil22]

Hi All,

Things are continuing to move along on the zz. The railings are now all done, this was a very rewarding job. Being made to fit in with my design, my set overall is a loose match with the plans provided.









Nothing yet is permanently secured so that the painting of components can be done separately.




The pre-drilled holes for the railings around the prop make for a tight fit. These got a rework to give more space.







A first coat of primer went on. For railings, has anyone got any advice to stop or help prevent the build up of fine strands when spray painting? Each piece is going to need attention to clean things up before the next coat is applied.





On to the decking around the bridge. This was done over a couple of days.











The fitting of the lights too got well underway. Both sets on the masts are working, next is to fit the brass housings and seal the wires.











Cheers,
Phil

[Phil22]

This week I've been working on the parts of the build that need completing before the superstructure can finally get primed again for paint. This included some more prototyping and testing of the lighting



and the decking for the top bridge. The beading was glued to a piece of plasticard but I found though still somewhat flexible, its shape couldn't be located on the model, so it was cut in two.



A single piece of bead works as a cover. Thinking back, being less susceptible to damage, I should've used a square-ended piece for this task.



The dividing walls either side of the mast were reproduced in 2mm plasticard. This needed doing as I'd made my mast vertical at the base over the kit's tapered one.



I'm pleased with how the fit came together for these parts.









The visor/sun-shield (??) got modified too, mine is half the width of the kit's which I prefer the look of. As there are no mounting points or brackets in the kit, I first superglued the 3 parts in place, then packed the undersides with lengths of 1mm Tamiya section for more surface contact.







This wonderful resource popped up in Google search:

https://www.scheepspraat.nl/zwartezee1963.htm

It shows some of the construction of the Zwarte Zee, her crew, and information on various working voyages. For those interested and to view in English, Chrome's translate to English option (right-click menu) can be used.

Cheers,
Phil

[Hande]

Hi Phil

Looking forward to the build. Always remember the Zwarte Zee as Plank on frame. Nice to see they have updated the kit

I, too, was put off by the plank on frame kit earlier.
I love the fine shape of ZZ 


I have missed this thread - Is this going to be static, or should the thread go under "Working vessels"?


Hande

[Phil22]

Thanks for stopping by Hande. It's been great catching up on your SMIT build since I discovered that, the precision and detail levels are outstanding!!

My ZZ will be a working vessel, I wasn't sure where to start this diary, 'Tugs and Towing' seemed like a good place. @Martin if this is better catogorised in 'Working Vessels', please feel free to adjust.

A couple of odds and ends have been the focus for the past few days. In anticipation of the return of the 'Shipyard GM' (my Dad), I've been keeping the pace up so we can definitely be sailing her in April.
 

The trim has been completed between the deck levels.



I decided to extend the decking above the bridge to help balance the look colour-wise. Doing the decking is a fun job and again here, the wood is stuck to a piece of plasticard.





This is what I ended up with.





Steps and handrails. The second pic shows the strands that I'm getting when spraying railings. This all needs cleaning up.







Over the blank kit parts for the propeller mount, I had these random bits that look more industrial.







Fitting the crane.





Last, I added a 1x1mm bead around the base of bridge to mask the slight gap where it sits in the decking. Honestly speaking a lot of the work of late has been done with a pinset, while I love the ZZ as a ship, I can't say the 1:90 scale physically suits my hand size. If something is say 0.5mm out (or even less sometimes), it can standout as being misalinged or a poor fit. This is from personal experience but if there is ever space for a third boat, I'll look to a 1:50 or similar again.





Cheers!
Phil

[Phil22]

Finishing up on the mast detailing. Each ledge was connected using a small splint to take the weight of the brass fittings. The brackets beneath could be added easily afterwards.





The superstructure got primed again.



It wasn't until some time after I'd painted the hull that I noticed several marks left by the masking tape. They are only visible really when they catch the light but I couldn't let them pass knowing they were there.



The wooden handrails were fitted and primed.







Masking up again to redo the black topcoat. This is the first time using tape with the attached plastic wrap. It was pretty good sat on a layer of 3mm painter's tape.



Balcony paintbooth 2.0, overspray protection.





There is quite a lot of weight on deck from the brass fittings.



More progress with the painting.














Thanks,
Phil

[hama]

Such a beautiful vessel and what a stunning work you do! You make me want one.
All the best!
Hama

[Phil22]

Thanks so much Hama for the kind words. It’s much appreciated.

Since the last update there has literally been several masking and painting marathons. Carefully masking the hull to receive the different colours took a good few hours of patience, but I'm happy to report it was successful in the main. A few tweaks and touch-ups have worked out to correct a couple of minor mistakes.

Here is a selection of parts that either required a first or second coat of primer, or were ready for a topcoat.









Provision for rigging for the Smit flag. The parts attached to the wall are non-kit








I left the edging proud to have a white rim around the green deck. It largely came out ok but in a couple of places the green crept in. This was sanded off and I found this excellent 1.5mm channel to use as coping.









Masking for the white



The handrails have been done in light gun metal



Work on the funnel





I've never seen any colour matching service for paint in Tokyo like we have in the UK. The range of spray paint is quite limited I've found. This first attempt painting the rear structures with Tamiya Color's 'Dull Red', had them coming out a very distracting brick red. The second go was Tamiya Color's 'Red Brown', which was a 'No' straight away. Trying to find something available that would work with the green deck, I finally decided on Mr. Color Spray's ‘Navy Blue’, which looks more like a military grey.







More details receiving attention



Top bridge is now ready for the additional decking to be added. This too had the white channel added around the sides.



Masking for the green





Overall





Thanks for reading.
Cheers,
Phil

[hama]

Wow! This is turning out to be a real masterpiece!!
Hama

[Hande]

marks left by the masking tape.
[/size]
[/size]How do you clean the tape glue marks? I got them, too. Afraid that I might ruin the paint!
[/size]
[/size]your work is so smooth and precise. I know there were gaps here-there, but you just calmly deal with them - no panic. I admire your philosophical attitude... Or do you actually swear by yourself (like I do ).
[/size]
[/size]Hande

[Phil22]

  Hama - "Masterpiece" I'd definitely attribute to your own work - I'm still but a young Jedi in comparison hahaha.

Hande - Sadly the marks didn't rub off in my case. The rubbing I did do only proceeded to make the areas lighter. I used some wet & dry (2000) to level the bad areas off then repainted. I've learnt not to leave any tape on for very long. This time I removed it as soon as the paint had dried and not keep it on overnight as I had in the past. Another thing I did this time was to stick the tape to a clean surface like a table or door to take some of the tack off before laying it onto the hull.

Lol I don't flap much when I work  . If we make a mistake, that's life, we can learn and easily move on : )

Cheers both!!

[Phil22]

Dad and I have continued to crack on with things these past 2 weeks. A lot of time has been spent bringing things together and thinking about the best way to tackle each stage.

Here's the bridge and top deck going on permanently following the installation of the lighting circuit. The bridge roof had a severe warp going on in the ply that has now finally been taken care of. All is aligned nicely.





Some detailing











Got the decals on (non-kit)



Big nod to my Dad xxxxx



Dad nailing the miters!!



For the decking, progress was great having the hull between us and working on a side each!













A clear coat of varnish got applied to all decks
.




The intention was to have the whole superstructure (in one piece) bolted down when running and then be able to lift it off for transportation. Then it dawned on us..... the dowel (see shot) provided a real solid joint but if it was affixed here, then there would be no access to the bolts.

Minor details .... 

The rework was to still have the dowel pass through the deck but its fixing point has changed. A bracket on the underside of the deck now secures it in place.


Additionally the deck the mast sits on has been left removable.



Anchor winch



Dad added on some combing





Masking up and applying the urethane coat







Next it'll be working on the davits and the lifeboats.

Have a nice weekend all - happy sailing.

Cheers,
Dad and Son

[Mark T]

That really is lovely clean work - congratulations on your build 

[Phil22]

Hi Mark (@Mark T) and thanks so much for your kind compliment. I consider your work to be among the very, very best. Today I introduced my Dad to your incredible Le Rochefort build diary. For those who’ve not seen it, do take a look at Mark's inspiring build and the jaw-dropping levels of detail and dedication he achieves in his work https://www.modelboatmayhem.co.uk/forum/index.php/topic,66046.0.html

Significant progress on the ZZ has been made possible with Dad's help. We're enjoying to put in a good few hours each day on the build. Here's what we've been up to this week in between sightseeing.

The davits are on on both sides. All 4 sit on extended ledges which are connected to the upper deck. The columns are affixed to the main deck below. We had planned to put little screws in through the ledges to really secure each davit in place but testing the idea saw the first davit start to split so we stopped.









Guidance for future builders.

At the time of writing, the decals are self-adhesive and not water transfers. I made a whopper of a mistake and so lost one of the main Smit logos for the funnel. It's my fault entirely, I should've tested more before diving in. The decals are good quality but beware of your fingerprints being picked up then clouding any clear areas. I opted to use the Dutch flag in place of the lost logo.

Also the Dutch flag is the wrong way up in the main photo on the box. The red stripe should be at the top. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_the_Netherlands



I'm pleased how the custom boom design turned out.









The rigging for the main mast. I have it all in a lower spot on the mast than in the plans.



The mast to mast rigging at one point required four hands to manage the elastic hahaha









The rear rigging for the flag is custom too. Here is how the flags got steadily affixed with superglue.





Rigging for the rear mast.



The forward rigging is detachable to allow for the superstructure to be removed.



Rigging overall.







Railings are now all in place.











Tonight we've been working to build a box for transportation made out of dibond, I'll add some pics of this next time along with the lifeboats going on. Thanks for looking.

Cheers,
Dad (GC) & Son (Phil)

[JohnG]

lovely to see this - beautifully clean work - thanks for sharing.
(and a pity wicksteed may be a bit far for you phil - would be nice to see it in person!)
do keep posting.

[Phil22]

That's very kind of you John, nice one. I hope to get there one day 

[Alan52]

Hi Phil.


Been away for a bit and just checked back on your build. What a difference. Fantastic build and pictures. A very impressive and well documented build Phil. A real masterclass. Thanks for sharing the build and pictures.


Alan

[Phil22]

Hi Alan,

Great to hear from you and thanks for stopping by. I hope you're keeping well.

Indeed the hammer has been down these past months with the aim of sailing her this month. Dad and I put in a good amount of hours almost daily for about 3 weeks straight and every minute was a joy. Especially the tying of knots in elastic with our sausage fingers hahaha.

Davits done, lifeboats next.



The canvas material that comes with the kit is fine but we agreed another colour would look better. The kit stuff got used for testing. My Dad tried out applying PVA glue to the underside of the canvas, then having wrapped a lifeboat in clingfilm sat the canvas on top drawing it tight. They were then left overnight and came off easy, cap-like. Good result!













The edges were then trimmed and a 5mm strip of the same material applied (also PVA'd on the inside).





Fixing them to the davits with cotton.

[Phil22]

...continued

One final go in the test facility for ballast and trim.











Looks about ready =)



The box was made from dibond (ali skin > composite > ali skin) and a selection of joints from the DIY shop. My wife helped to get this going so I need to give her a shout out too.



Used self-adhesive foam pieces inside, these are quite firm but shouldn't bother the urethane finish. The hull line sits snug down the middle with no lateral movement sideways.



The stern butts up against a foam section covered with a microfiber cloth. Additional rolled hand-towels here and there stop any other possible shifting.




Another one of Dad's ideas was to use the foam's resistance to keep the hull pinned in place. This works very well indeed. The railholders spin 360 to allow for the bar's removal but they are not loose enough so that they can move in transit.



The forward one rests flush on the superstructure with minimal pressure and no friction.







Ready for the off



Official maiden voyage update to follow.

Cheers all,
Phil

[Phil22]

double post

[Alan52]

Looking forward to pictures of the first voyage Phil.

[Hande]

Quite an elegant carrying case and the final touches are exquisit!
Looking forward to the footage of the maiden voyage !!
You probably are - and you should be - going to stuff the sides of the vessel as well inside the case. I have some experience about the forces that attack the precious load in the car. No matter how great the friction seems, when you try it on the "kitchen table".
I love the teamwork approach of farther-son, too 
Below, you may have spotted my photos from the Hamburg birthday celebration already. The ocean tugs Holland and Elbe are somewhat similar to the Zwarte Zee.
Good job!
Hande

[Mark T]

When I built my Fairmount tug I struggled with the covers for the boats - I used brass covered with epoxy coated cloth which looked OK as I couldn't think of anything else.  I wish that I had used your method which looks far better and much more realistic too.  A fantastic build 

[Circlip]

Looks a far better use of case material than UK building companies.     Again, looks like a Greyhound on speed.


 Regards  Ian.

[Phil22]

Hi All,

Cheers @ Alan, Hande, Mark, Ian for the kind and thoughtful comments. @Hande yes, absolutely and thanks for the advice! I had a mix of small towels and bubblewrap stuffed in around the hull, being extra cautious like The lake is around 30 mins walk from home but the trolley did a good job! Only need to remember never to stand it up.

 

This was the scene at 7AM on the day, some light breeze but nothing to hinder ZZ :) Sorry tiny photos are from my phone.







Some bigger shots and 2 vids hosted on Vimeo:







Dad and I were laughing when we spoke about all of those half-mil tolerances that we painstakingly chased that are completely lost from sight at 50 yards hahahaha.

https://vimeo.com/manage/videos/831171981

https://vimeo.com/manage/videos/831172640

She's very stable to sail. With the sleek hull, and the battery and motor combo used, we had well over 2 hours of almost continuous time on the water. Docking was done with care, letting her drift slowly on inertia each time from about 5 yards away.

There are a few things left including to make a little battery compartment for the lighting and install a switch, some ballast too needs putting in permanently. I'm saving these to do during the rainy season which is almost upon us in Japan.

The fleet (so far).



Thanks for following the build with us,
George (Dad) Phil (Sonny)

[Hande]

Congratulations to the team!
Nice sailing. What deliberations went into adjusting the speed and rudder?
About the tolerances - you _know_ and that is the point!
cheers, Hande