Model Boat Mayhem
The Shipyard ( Dry Dock ): Builds & Questions => Pleasure boats, Sports, Race, Power and Leisure Boats: => Topic started by: wombat on January 28, 2007, 10:03:51 pm
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After a couple of months drawing up the plans, I have started the build of the narrowboat project.
It is a 1:20 scale model of a 35ft Dayboat based loosley on "Phoenix" belonging to the BCNS. It is going to be a "modern" take on the idea.
The boat is basically a pusher tug with an oversized engine. They were designed for places where there were no locks and only a short run between sites - they could pull three or four 70ft butties. With the pusher tug, it can also shove pans, similar to "Tom Puddings" - if it does end up with three or four butties it will be a fairly long thing - 3.5 to 4.5 meters long.
You also get a hint of my one of my other pass-times
Tim the Wombat
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Hi Wombat.
Are you trying to make it narrower !!! ;D
Best of luck with this project. keep us informed
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Hiya Ken,
Well everything went absolutely pants on that one..... Had to do a complete rebuild on it from scratch.
It has worked much better. Here it is a shot of the hull, covered in filler ready for sanding down. This is the cargo section of the boat - though the floor isn't in as I will use the space for ballast.
The bow looks a little crude - but the thing is not made for speed, especially when it is shoving pans around
The final thing will be around 600mm long - so the butties will be about 1.2m.
Tim
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Gosh, this is going quickly........
Here is the stern section going together. Why have it separately you ask... well the isde is that for other narrowboat models, I can use the same stern, a different bow and then I can make the middle section as long as I like.
Getting back to the work in hand, here is a l;ink to the inspiriation:
http://www.bcn-society.co.uk/BCNS_Photo_Gallery10.php#More%20Boat%20Projects (http://www.bcn-society.co.uk/BCNS_Photo_Gallery10.php#More%20Boat%20Projects)
http://www.bcn-society.co.uk/workboat.php (http://www.bcn-society.co.uk/workboat.php)
As you can see, the stern on my take is closer to a narrowboat cruiser (so I can use for the same) also the cabin section on the model is much longer as it needs te space to hie the gubbin without needing to fill the load space. Also the angle on the ster is much sharper on mine - partly to compensate for the longer length of the cabin section and partly because of the pusher action. The photos on the site will be used as the inspiration for thebuttieswhn get that far
Her is the assembly of the stern section started
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Well things have moved on a bit - the electrics and mechanics are loaded in and everything is mounted up. The 400 size motor is a little powerful - it gives a considerable amount of thrust. Still should get a heavy load moving ;D I have ballasted the boat with about 400g of lead sheet which is mounted under the floor of the cargo section.
The hull has been sprayed black and given a coat of satin finish, but looks a bit smart at the moment. I will have to dirty it up a bit. There are some imperfections in the paintwork, but that just makes the thing look a bit more realistic. The superstructure is completed, along with a nice chunk silencer for the engine - just right for seriuosly silencing a diesel for chugging up and down the waterways.
Tim the Wombat
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Nice neat job on the electrics :)
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Hi TigerTiger,
I like nice neat electrics - also, the expensive bits of electronics are in a simple pluggable module that can be moved between models - so the various takes on the narrowboat share one set of expensive bits.
Wom
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Here are the latest piccies. THe paint is a little bit rough and tacky but I am experimenting. The paint is Plastikote enamel, from pots, but sprayed with the airbrush. It is a little thick straight out of the pot, but does not need a lot of thinning.
The logos and labels are done with window film printed on the inkjet. These will be sealed down with satin coat once I have tidied up (and dirtied up) the paintwork a bit
Tim
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Took it on the lake today - got a problem with the bow: it ships water straight into the cargo area. OK so it was bit choppy out there (scale height of the waves 1 to 2ft) but even so :-\ :'(
I think that sailing is postponed until I have built a jebus (and possibly afew pans to push
Wom
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Good job it's not 'Choppy' on the canals, else you wouldn't be the only one with this problem, Tim :D
Did you say you might be lengthening it. Wouldn't this compound things ?
Bye the way, I like your electrics also. I'm trying to emulate you. I like the idea of a removeable control system to save money.
Cheers...Ken
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Hi Ken,
I think the problem is the shape of the bow - there is nothing to shift the bow-wave to the side. It needs a point, but that isn't how the original was done. I guess when it is running at scale speed (0.2mph = 9cm/second linear scale) there is not a problem but on the pond. Lengthening the thing by adding tubs should not make it worse - in the worse case I can put a duct in the jebus to take the wash away
The panel for the electrics is done using a 9-way D-type - I use the four outer pins for +5V and GND, and the remaining five pins for channels 1,2,4,5 and 6 (Channel 3 is hooked into the ESC). I stripped down ribbon cable for the connections, using a matching scheme to the M-Tronics ESC. I used plenty of heatshrink on the soldered joints to avoid failures
Tim
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Nice work. Odd bow though: looks more like a barge or Thames lighter than a narrow boat. It looks as if it goes a bit flat at the bows - trad narrow boats did have a sloping stem and moderately pointed bow, but the stem went right down to the flat bottom. I wonder if your swim is taking some buoyancy out of the bows? For later Marks, you should look at the Eco hull shape, which has an almost semi-circular bow going all the way down to the flat bottom, and some concavity in the aft swim, to accelerate the water into the propellor and rudder.
It may of course just be that hulls designed for canals perform best in canals, and don't do so well when asked to cross the channel. (I know some narrow boats have, but I'd not volunteer to crew!)
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narrow boats did indeed (do)have a sloping bow section as did most barges that i know of.my dad sailed barges from traditional sailing barges to deisel powered barges and all had the sloping bow.also narrow boats sail very well on the sea as long as its not too rough,youd be surprised!!.where did you get the idea from for the bow?.if you notice on these boats both the narrow boat (orriginal working narrow boat) and the old yorkshire barges moored at selby had a sloping stem and a rounded one too .the larger barges stem curves just towards the bottom where as the narrow boat starts from deck height.both will desperse water when under way.
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Hi Guys,
Yes the bow shape is a little odd - it is close to the original, though the angle at the bow is much sharper (45deg rather than 30deg) because I was working from photos and did not find the line drawings until after.
It does differ significantly because it is intended as a pusher. IIUC the original was a day boat for use on canal without locks. It could shove pans or several butties. But it does look like the design is flawed for use without a load - at least on open water. I do have a design for a trad bow, but it was not appropriate for this design, which was intended to be a "modern" take on an unusual narrowboat used to push pans around. However, it clearly needs something to break the bow wash - possibly when I put the buffers on this will help.
I have not found any information on the actual design of the eco hull, though I have found a few mentions of it - it seems it did not catch on because the design ate inot the available load space in the hull - reduced payload with a higer build cost were not adequately offset by the fuel savings.
Wom
The next take on this will be a double-ender. These used two to four butties, and when the load was dropped off, the boat just moved to the other end, so there was no need for a winding hole or a basin for the return journey.
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hi usually the pushers did have a pointy bow section but it was a seperate vessell that was attached to the bow when running without a load.ive seen lots like that ,as you say this one was maybe designed to push and not drive on its own thats why they had the seperate bow section which was no more than a steel pan with a bow on that attached with chains .
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Hi Wombat thought you might want to look at these pics i took last year at goole (sobriety project) of the Welldale and cod head (that's what i call it )
the boat is apusher and used to push tom puddings around gool docks and the canals
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damm two photos the same try again ,sorry
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Wom, I have the 1992 BWB drgs for the Eco hull - if you'd like a look at them PM me with your snail mail address and I'll send them - but I must have them back! They are A3 so I can't copy/scan them myself.
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Hi Wombat thought you might want to look at these pics i took last year at goole (sobriety project) of the Welldale and cod head (that's what i call it )
the boat is apusher and used to push tom puddings around gool docks and the canals
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Hi thats what i was trying to explain thanks for posting it,by the way my dad was a bargie for 20 odd years then moved on to ships pilot from Goole to Selby you will know him probably Graham Eastwood.
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Hi Guys,
thanks for the comments....
Posrtside II - The Tom Pudding boats were an influence on my thinking having seen them on the Aire and Calder Canal and the Sheffield and South Yorkshire Canal. This is where I thought I would need a bow section (the jebus - showing off here). Looking at the pictures, I think that the pusher area is too large on mine, and the sloped section too steep and shallow.
Thanks for the pictures - that will perhaps be one of the next projects.
Tobyker - I would like to see the pictures, I will PM my address, and will send the originals back with a set of copies (I don't have an A3 scanner, but do have access to an A3 copier and an A0 plan copier).
Wom
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After a bit of a delay, here are the latest shots of the narrowboat. I have redone the paintwork ot make it a bit more "normal"
Took it back on the lake - it rides a lot better when you don't run it too fast and when the swell is not the equivalent of 2-4ft in height. All I need now to finish it off is a control panel and throttle lever and a figure...and maybe a few bits and pieces of tat to put on the top - maybe the dinner set from George Turner.
I am also putting together a couple of pans to push or pull. These are equivalent of 35ft long. They will able to be pushed or pulled and can be strapped side-by-side for use with a springer. I have a set of plans if anyone wants them, but there are a few little errors :-[
I have tried to make them with flooding tanks so they don't have to be ballasted. Hopefully it will work OK
Wom
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Wombat,
Without sounding too clever, the barge bow looks like it would make the narrow boat bow better if you cut them both off and swapped them over, just a thought......
Roy
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Decided not to flatten out the bow on the narrow boat after all - when I get the barges painted it will be shoving them most of the time....
The narrowboat itself is done - it has now got the driver (first seen on the figure painting thread) with the colour flatted off some. He is just having his dinner so all the muncihes are out along with a good book. (All form George Turner models). The life ring is from Robbe.
Wom
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Beautiful workmanship. Well done.
Ken
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Nice job, well done.
HOw did you do the mug and pinta?
What scale is she?
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Thanks all,
The whole of the dinner set is available from George Turner models from the accessories section of the site - £3.50 for the cup, the pinta, the sarnie, the pasty and the bag. It just seemed to be a nice little bit of detail - though the guys in Games Workshop (who are getting used to the eccentric wrinkly coming in) were a bit put out when I asked for pasty coloured paint.
I will have to resurect the web-site and put the plans on it - someone might find them useful.
Wom
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Thanks all,
I will have to resurect the web-site and put the plans on it - someone might find them useful.
Wom
Yes please Wombat!! I fancy a change from building lifeboats, and it would be useful to recover them when they decide to stop in the middle of the lake!!
Mike
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OK - will do. Can't promise the plans are without error, but I will put them up. There are also templates for the varoius parts.
It will be later this week before things start to move.
Wom
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Bit late, now, but the plans are now up on the web-site: www.floatingwombat.me.uk (http://www.floatingwombat.me.uk)
Wom
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It is with deep regret that we wish to announce the loss of Fawkes with all hands.
The boat was pushing two fully laden butties when it got inot difficulties. One was swamped and entangles the other and the boat pulling them down with it. The captain remained at his post throughout, maintianing the best traditions of the merchant marine, saluting as he sank below the waves.
Ahh well, so I am down a battery pack, ESC, 6 channel Rx, Servo, crystal and all that time. Is it worth it?
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What bad news Wombat. I am very sorry to hear she went down. I know how you must feel. Is there a chance of recovering her ?
Ken
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Hi Ken,
I don't think so...she went down in the deepest part of the lake, I suspect it is too deep for normal scuba diving.
I was conducting the post mortem last night - I think what happened was that I hadn't let the flooding tanks in the barges fill before I was trogging round the lake. I think because of that the water was sloshing around inthem. A nasty bit of wash tipped one of the barges and destabilised it. Then it was all over bar the shouting. I tried to run for the shore but didn't have control. I suspect if I had been towing the barges, when they would have been loose coupled rather than pushing them there would not have been a catastrophic loss.
Note: when usingf flooding tanks, make sure they are full or are segregated.
Wom
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Hi Wombat
Keep the 'position' in mind and record it. I am working on a design for a grappling crane with a long cable on a substantial craft. This has come about due to recent events and a quiet think.
There must be a way of recovering our boats. The costs alone bring tears to the eye when one sees them submerging. I hope to have a prototype up and running and will try various theories before saying any more.
All the best
Ken