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[spongie]

Kim, If I were building a shannon (which I'm not) I'd say that having too many pictures is impossible.


I would still buy your DVD as well as using the free images from Adrian too.

[Canterbury Coxswain]

Spongie, totally agree [I think I covered that, it was my intention] and thanks for the encouraging feedback.
Kim

[kinmel]

I already have Kim's excellent set of photos and have also downloaded Adrian's too.

Both sets complement the other, it would be foolish not to have them both.

[Canterbury Coxswain]

Kinmel, thanks. What with a choice of two superb models to purchase - depending on your building style approach - then all of these photos, the lifeboat section are really going to be spoilt for choice! Long may it continue.
Kim

[Canterbury Coxswain]

Just had a chat with Andy at MbD who said I had misquoted the Kv rating of his brushless motors in the photos from the weekend. They should be 600Kv x 14.8 volts, giving 8,880 rpm before load. That is important if others want to do likewise from what they have seen. I have 1600Kv motors to go in mine; it will be interesting to see what happens, however, I can always drop the voltage input to 11.1volts or even 7.4volts on the LiPo battery input to lower the rpm, should I get cavitation. Kehrer state a maximum rpm of 20,000.
Mk1 [John] in answer to your question on the Kehrer water Jet28s being used, Andy had the 'straight out of the box' configuration with their water buckets here, but he has tried his own GRP [Mk1] version which works well too, and is currently developing another for even more control and realism.
There, that's got everything up to date, just in case someone was going out to buy their motors!!
Kim

[Flundle (Speedline Models)]

Kim, I put the photos on the site to help any modellers building a Shannon. Nothing to do with money raising.
I'm sure you will still sell your DVDs.
Adrian

[Canterbury Coxswain]

A busy start to the week with non-boat matters, but got out and did a little more today.

• Finished off the to outer hatches on the stern / transom deck area. When I get my milling machine fixed I will probably machine these hatch covers out in aluminium.
• Then used my RNLI plans and the measurements obtained on my recent visit to Dungeness and 13-02 to re-mark the measurements onto the wheelhouse and using the same method as in the windows above [drill corner holes, then join up with diamond grit slit 'saws' - both large and small diameter - and file to shape] cut out the access points, storage and vent apertures. Completed the Port side, but did not quite finish the Starboard side, maybe tomorrow, but not if we get the weather predicted by the Met. Office!
• You will see that I have not taken the bottom edge of the  Port wheelhouse nose storage access for the life raft container fully to the floor. This will be done when I have constructed and fitted the 'box' behind it. At the moment it keeps the bottom edge rigid. All of these 'boxes will be made and fitted next.
• If I have to remain inside I might start to take the window glazing off its 'sprue' sheet and then fettle and package each frame and window in its own small polythene bag.

C.C.

[Canterbury Coxswain]

Busy doing other things today, but an odd hour has allowed me to plan for the coming week and also do a little bit of research.

• Firstly, in planning to make the vent opening 'inners' for both the port and starboard sides of the wheelhouse I have noticed I have made a glaring error, which I would not want anyone copying the build  to make. Easily rectified [especially as I keep all the little pieces taken out], but the wheelhouse air vent [slide] intake Number 4 on the port side should only have been the front half taken out, the stern facing half is filled in and the slide cover goes over this when the vent is in the 'open' position. That will be put back in tomorrow! This is where the photos taken at the RNLI Open Weekend August 2015 come in handy, they show all this in build detail and it just jumped out at me - wham!!
• In my research - looking forward to making all the deck and wheelhouse fittings - I have looked up the Furuno Radar unit used and this is the DRS12A 4' [four foot] version. If you go to the Furuno Electric Co. Ltd website and put that product number in it comes up on the instalation manual PDF on page 41. Other companies do the manual for download, but one appears to be on page 36 instead. I will attempt to attach it here, instead of the usual photo. It gives good measurements detail and the side view looking starboard to port side, the front elevation and the view from on top. Unfortunately not the rear view, but photos will compliment and help complete here.

That's all for now - duty elsewhere calls.
C.C.

[Canterbury Coxswain]

Yesterday, continued to do some work on the Shannon, getting ready for a Show this weekend where they asked for a 'work in progress' display of the lifeboat model, photographs and the drive system. The following was completed:

• the repair was made on the port side to the air intake vent [4] for the engine room, where I had taken too much out of the wheelhouse wall towards the stern, behind the last window.
• filled in the front wheelhouse nose hatch area, as pointed out before, this is slightly too long and a little wide, however this can either be shortened using the items provided with the model or as I am doing, replace with an aluminium one that will open and be cut, later, to the exact size required.
• squared off the two rear corners of the wheelhouse.
• cut out the remaining areas of the wheelhouse door corridor and the upper steering position.
• finished trimming out [filing] the starboard vent apertures.

[Canterbury Coxswain]

Today I decided to have a go at fitting the two bilge keels. My method was to secure with M3 grub screws [allen key fastener studding].

• Firstly, I filled the top of one keel in with U-Pol filler, just to bring it up flush with the top - there was a slight meniscus in it.
• At the same time, as the filler was mixed, I skimmed the two rear facing 'walls' on either corner of the wheelhouse. this was where I had exposed the glass fibre when squaring off the corners yesterday.
• I also filled a few of the little cuts where I had over-run the diamond cutting disc in making the vent apertures.
• I marked the three holes for drilling [2.85mm drill hole] on each keel using the RNLI plans and the notes and measurements taken a couple of weeks ago when I visited Dungeness. With my milling machine out of action I was going to have to do this with my trusty Proxxon electric screwdriver, which can be adjusted for speed, thus allowing a more accurate upright 90 degree drilling.
• Once drilled I turned the screwdriver onto its lowest setting and then cut an M3 thread with a tap.
• The deck was then removed, the hull turned upside down and on a masking tape area marked out the three corresponding holes for the keels. I started with the starboard side and then re-positioned the tape on the port side and repeated the process.
• Using Nyloc M3 bolts I secured each of the bilge keels in position. Tomorrow [later today!] I will make two metal [possibly brass] load spreading plates to go on the inside under the bolts to strengthen the holes in the glass fibre hull. They will be glued in position nearer the end of the build.

[Canterbury Coxswain]

Here are the final photos for this part of the bilge keel process.
Later today I will hope to rub down the filler on the wheelhouse and then spray that and the bilge keels my favourite colour - GREY! This will mean the boat will look more like those being built down at Poole in the RNLI All Weather Lifeboat Centre! [Sorry Andy, Martin, Gary, Phil, Jeff, Kev and the rest that call me Mr. Grey!! - It was RNLI orange for a little while, thanks to Andy at MbD].

[Canterbury Coxswain]

Today started by making the two brass 'load spreading' plates for the bilge keel's fitting inside the hull. 

• Unscrewed and removed the deck first, handy as this really does give more access for this and later the fitting of the water-jets.
• Then measured, cut, drilled the two pieces of brass and fitted back the bilge keels onto the hull. Not without its very small problem that required one hole on both pieces to be slightly enlarged to give a good fit. I really will appreciate getting my milling machine back!
• Made a note in my diary to order some more M3 allen key studding [grub screws] and M3 Nyloc nuts when I get back from the Show next week.

Canterbury Coxswain

[Boats on wheels]

Kim , don't worry about the colour , I went into Halfords today and they now do Belcher gray in their paint range

[Canterbury Coxswain]

This afternoon I used 280 grade and 800 grade 'wet & dry' paper to put a finish on the wheelhouse. Again I put a few drops of washing up liquid in the water to avoid the paper clogging. Then I let this dry off in the sun before giving the whole of the wheelhouse exterior a spray coat [Halfords rattle can] of plastic grey primer - now it looks like one of my models!!! I push fitted the window frames into place and maybe later might get to take the window inserts off their 'sprue'.
All of this now makes the model look a lot better for my Shannon class lifeboat display this weekend at the St. Albans Model Engineering Society Show. There will be a lot of other lifeboats on our stand and quite a few MBCs displaying too. There is usually another hall with boats in too and an outside pool, plus a large Meccano display, model railway layouts, the Tamiya Trucking team, fixed wing aircraft alongside helicopters and quadcopters, traction engines and steam locomotives on a fixed line for childrens' rides and a rolling road. There's a  'bring and buy' area and a few traders, including the local RNLI Shop. A great event, considering it is put on my a local club and we get access tomorrow from 1630hrs to set-up and on Sunday have to take the lot down by around 1830hrs!!
Well, back to my build, this should be the last of the main 'dirty' part of the build. When I get back I must seriously clear up my workshop so I can start to think about fitting the water-jets and electrics. Then will come the long procedure of making all the fixtures and fittings - something I relish in my model making. That's what the autumn and winter will be about [D.V.].
Hope you like the outcome so far.

[17-09]

That's more like it Kim, 50 shades of grey !
17-09

[Macsmouldings]

Now that's looking like a Belcher model.

[Canterbury Coxswain]

Thanks Gents!!
Before I set off for St. Albans today I did actually mask and spray a little bit of COLOUR on the hull! These were where I had put a small amount of U-Pol filler on the port side top edge and also where I had smoothed off some of the mould line on the bow. I used Halfords Balliol Blue - it just blends straight in with the gel-coat RNLI blue. I'll try to remember to send a couple of shots from the Show tomorrow of our stand.
Typing this up from my 'pad' in Marlow - home for the next few days.
Kim

[Canterbury Coxswain]

Now back from a superb weekend at the St. Albans & District MES Show - the best ever! Still can't believe that a small Society like this can put on such a large Show across two days with so much variety. Some 1,500+ visited. I have attached a few photos of the stand that Jeff Carter organised and he, Gary, Kev, Phil, Lee and myself put on a large lifeboat display. Jeff had his 1/12th Speedline Trent and Atlantic '21, Gary his RNLI Lifeguard Jet-ski, Kev his small DGzRS lifeboat and an RNLI Air-boat, Phil the new Graupner Premium RTR DGzRS 'Harro Koebke' at 1/25th, Lee his 1/12th scale Brede and 1/12th scale Brede and in build Atlantic '21 and I had my MbD 1/12th Shannon, in build, with a display board with the Kehrer Modellbau Jet28s and HobbyKing Rotor Star brushless motors, Turnigy ESCs and a Shannon photographic display with the 1/14th RNLI lifeguard jet-ski and my new Shannon postcards - in all a great display and much attention from the public was given to all of the models.
On the Saturday it was great to meet 'mrzippy' [Paul] and we had a very long talk about the Shannon and the motor / water-jet set-up. He went on to say he could not believe the quality that Andy had got on the window frame insert positions on the wheelhouse sides, especially as I had not 'fettled' them at all. He was not the only one across the weekend to comment on this and it was a pity Andy was not there to hear the comments given!
Early last week Andy rang me to talk about models and I asked him how he had controlled his Shannon at Headcorn so well. He gave me the 'low down' on what I required. During the weekend I was talking to Gary who demonstrated his Futaba FX20 and said this would cover all the aspects I wanted to have on my lifeboat, including working trim planes [tabs]. A voice, from a very good friend, said over my shoulder 'I have one of those for sale - I have recently upgraded!'. On Sunday a deal was done and I am now the proud owner of a Futaba FX20 2.4Ghz - well pleased! Now I can make up a 'demonstration board' with all the functions on it to get the Tx programmed. Now that should be fun!!
This week will not see too much done on the lifeboat as I have a lot of gardening to catch up on, a mammoth tidy-up of the workshop, ready for the Autumn and Winter activities and also start my Company accounts [my accountant is already chasing me!].

[Canterbury Coxswain]

My very good friend and Dortmund [don't mention Borussia Dortmund though!] Companion - Martin from Macs Mouldings - has recently been in to Halfords and found the very paint Gary was talking about a couple of Posts above - thanks 'gents'!!

[Canterbury Coxswain]

Went to Whitstable RNLS to pick-up a 'junior' Musto RNLI All Weather Gear clothing set and Gecko helmet on Friday, ready for a village C of E School [near Dover] talk I am giving on Thursday. Now that is just too big for the Shannon 1/12th figures! Yesterday I spent a large part of burning DVDs of photos to clear a recent run of orders.
So today, after lunch, I just spent a few hours with the RNLI Shannon plans, my laptop with its photos and some B&W photocopies of the water-jet buckets, along with the rear wheelhouse bulkhead - and I compared all of these with my own measurements taken at Dungeness of the actual boat - and there are differences, not large but in some areas significant enough for me to go with my measurements and then mark my drawings accordingly. This is still a slow part of the process, but I just want to get it as right as I can. Reading Steve Davis' [snooker player] auto biography 'Interesting' at the moment and he says 'The thrill of doing something was always so much better than the end product......the best way for anybody to achieve success in anything is to enjoy it.' I can't agree more and that is what I did and felt this afternoon, hopefully smoothing the way for some more model building later next week.
Tomorrow I'm off to Ramsgate RNLS to get the adult All Weather Crew gear for Thursday's talk - this week is going to go very fast!
Really looking forward to getting the water-jets in, but the start of that will probably be the week after next.

[Canterbury Coxswain]

Thanks to 17-09 being on hand this morning at RNLS Dover [while I was at RNLS Ramsgate returning AWL crew gear] we have two shots of the RNLS Amble Shannon 13-16 - RNLB 'Elizabeth and Leonard' where she 'overnighted' on her way from Poole to Amble in Northumberland, via Harwich and Lowestoft.
The only differences I can see from mine [13-02] and other earlier versions are:

• that the stem head roller is now in bare stainless steel [instead of being painted black].
• there is no SeaCatch mechanism attached to the bow bollard and fore deck, so no doubt she will remain 'afloat' and not be a carriage borne lifeboat.
• and the 'furniture' on the wheelhouse nose survivors' cabin hatch cover is painted black and has a different shaped main access lock handle.

The first photo [when enlarged] does show the concealed LED spotlights rather well in the pulpit rail structure. You can also see Dover castle up on the sky line.

Thanks 17-09, most useful. Will we get any photos from Harwich and Lowestoft?
C.C.

[spongie]

I'm going to try and get her tomorrow morning in Lowestoft

[spongie]

P.s She is an afloat Shannon

[Canterbury Coxswain]

Cheers Spongie, thanks for the info. Await possible photo.

[Netleyned]

She is coming up to Southwold as I type


Ned