Model Boat Mayhem
The Shipyard ( Dry Dock ): Builds & Questions => Working Vessels => Topic started by: CarlC on August 26, 2021, 06:29:14 pm
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Hi,
Recently, I was talking with my partner's father and discovered that, at 15 years old, he joined the merchant navy. His first ship was a 18,000 ton H Class tanker called the Forthfield. After a little research I discovered there was an old Vic Smeed plan for an H Class tanker they had named the STS Dilysia. The Forthfield was originally commissioned by Shell but was sold to Huntings (I believe) prior to her completion and this was the vessel my partner's Father sailed on.
Having acquired a copy of the plan from http://www.vintagemodelplans.com , it has sat on my workbench for a few months while I built up the courage to start building. I have never built a boat from scratch, or from plans, so it was quite a daunting prospect. Finally, today I grabbed the bull by the horns (or more correctly, the band saw) and decided to get started. I am totally new to "from plan" building so this will be an interesting journey with, no doubt, a few mistakes, and I am sure a lot of learning but I thought I would try, over the next few months, to detail the build here.
So, day 1 has been tracing and cutting parts, then building the jig. Tomorrow will be cutting the parts for the breadboard bow and stern. The parts in the photos are just stood in place, so no real assembly has started yet.
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Hi well done and all Vic Smeed's designs were good. Is this a single prop boat? If so best to cut the slot for the prop shaft before final fitting of the frames. You can double up over the slot with sides to keep the shape of the stern. I am assuming this is a working model, is that right?
Regards
Roy
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Hi Roy,
Thanks for the advice, much appreciated. Yes, it is a working model and will be single prop. It is a great idea to cut and install the prop shaft prior to installing the frames and as the rear is bread board construction (I hope I am using the right term), I can double the side with the pieces for that.
Will get on that tomorrow along with further cutting of parts.
Carl
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Hi Carl,
The magazine article on STS Dilysia which accompanied the plan, was in the May 1957 Model Maker magazine. If you haven't got a copy, I could send if you message your email. Reading the item there isn't a great deal amount of information about the model build, as was normal with many of these old magazine articles, obviously much is dated. There are four photographs which could provide some information.
You have certainly made an excellent start.
Tony
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Thanks Tony,
Will pop you a PM re the article.
Carl
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Without trying to put a dampener (sic) on the proceedings Carl, is the grade of plywood you've used for the keel waterproof? ie a resin bonded variety. It looks to be a B&Q offering.
Regards Ian.
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Hi Ian,
Its marine ply purchased from an online timber merchant, but you are quite right, the B & Q option would be disastrous.
Carl
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Hi CarlC,
You have made a great start for your first scratch build.
Obviously you plan to cut out the insides of the frames to enable RC installation.
I would be tempted to plank/skin the hull sides before gluing on the forward and aft blocks.
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More cutting today, although limited time, so I only got the pieces for the bow cut.
Will do the stern pieces early next week.
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So I decided I wasn't happy with the formers I had cut by hand, and spent some time dropping the design into Fusion 360 then cutting them on my CNC (should have done that in the first place). So parts wise I am getting pretty close to having all the parts cut.
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Keep up the good work Carl.
Looking good.
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This has been on hold for a while, work and life getting in the way but a small amount of progress has been made. Planking starts next week, and should be interesting as I have never planked a hull before, but hey, it is constant profile, so even I shouldn't be able to mess it up %%
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After much delay due to life, work and COVID, I finally got to do some more work on the tanker. So, my first attempt at planking, thankfully constant profile. Will start on the shaping of the hull over Christmas.