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Author Topic: HMM Wavemaster 34.  (Read 5131 times)

zooma

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HMM Wavemaster 34.
« on: June 04, 2020, 09:36:53 am »

The next classic British model boat that I would like to make is the Wavemaster 34.


L J Rowell designed and made this kit available before his popular Aerokits range was sold in the UK and over its production life time it seems to have had some different manufacturers make it.


I have managed to find an old HMM Wavemaster 34 kit but I see that there is no date on the plans or the building instructions.


My guess is that the prototype could have been around some time before the model was kitted and that it must have been available to buy sometime in the early fifties?


I know someone who has a Wavemaster 34 that was built from a Yeoman kit, but I have no idea who made the kit first - Hammersmith Model Makers or Yeoman - or maybe neither?


If anyone happens to know the history of this interesting British classic model boat I would like to know when it was first designed and when the different kit manufacturers made it.


The HMM building instructions state that the prototype was tested under very severe conditions on the Sea and the River Thames, so maybe Hammersmith Model Makers were the first to make the Wavemaster 34 kit?



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BrianB6

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Re: HMM Wavemaster 34.
« Reply #1 on: June 04, 2020, 10:00:33 am »

It was probably first made by Hammersmith Models.    My father almost certainly bought one from them as we lived nearby and he made it on our Kitchen table about 1955.   It had a Bonds electric motor and cycle lamp batteries (which did not last very long)We sailed on the Whitestone Pond in Hampstead as one of my aunts lived close,
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DaveM

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Re: HMM Wavemaster 34.
« Reply #2 on: June 04, 2020, 10:28:16 am »

This might help shed some light on the model http://www.vintagemodelworks.co.uk/?page_id=9


This photograph was taken in 1953, so nearly as old as me!
There's also this smaller version which, at a pinch, could be used as the basis for a set of scaled-up plans and parts. https://www.slecuk.com/boat-kits/wavemaster-25

Dave M
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zooma

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Re: HMM Wavemaster 34.
« Reply #3 on: June 04, 2020, 10:43:14 am »

My "new to me" kit had been previously assembled as the hardened lumps of balsa cement on the bulkhead to keel joints show.  The bulkheads and keel were also warped and twisted so I have made new replacements and also built a jig to assemble them on.


I have never built a hull using the upside-down method before - or made a building jig, so this is a nice change and it is giving me a break from working with old and rotten materials on my ongoing Corvette restoration.


The jig is certainly a robust assembly - good enough to go into bulk production with - but it has been made on one of my new 12" wide x 48" long shelves that I recently cut to store my sheet wood on and keep it nice and flat.


Sadly the two wooden fly-screen parts are missing, and as these are not drawn on the plan I will have to make my own shapes for these two parts, so they may not be truly authentic, but hopefully they will look OK.
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tonyH

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Re: HMM Wavemaster 34.
« Reply #4 on: June 04, 2020, 12:31:03 pm »

The third production line!
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john44

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Re: HMM Wavemaster 34.
« Reply #5 on: June 04, 2020, 12:53:30 pm »

Hi Tony, nearly finished my build of the wave master, just grab rails and glazing to finish


John
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zooma

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Re: HMM Wavemaster 34.
« Reply #6 on: June 04, 2020, 01:03:46 pm »

Hi Tony, nearly finished my build of the wave master, just grab rails and glazing to finish


John


Hi John,



If you have built a Wavemaster 34, I guess you too will have sampled the delights of having to make a jig first?


Stay safe!


Bob.
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john44

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Re: HMM Wavemaster 34.
« Reply #7 on: June 04, 2020, 01:36:33 pm »

Yes Bob I did sample the (delights) of making a build jig. Keeps everything in line during the
Fixings of the hull bottom and sides.


John
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zooma

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Re: HMM Wavemaster 34.
« Reply #8 on: June 04, 2020, 01:55:31 pm »

Thanks to Tony, you can see my jig and the new bulkheads and keel that I have cut from 4mm birch ply.


The original kit parts for the bulkheads and the keel were both warped and twisted - so they were all bent in more than one direction.  It took a lot of my body weight hold the original parts flat enough to draw around them and make the outline onto the new wood.


Before I cut the new parts I still had to "straighten them up" as the original parts were quite badly distorted despite my best efforts to persuade them to stay flat for a few seconds while the biro run around them!


The notches needed to be measured and re-drawn too to make them "square" and of the right size to take the stringers.


The keel was also snapped, so that needed glueing together "on the round" , and when the glue was dry I was able to press that flat enough to draw around as well. 


Surprisingly, when I checked the new keel against the plans it was "spot-on" so I know the shape will be right when I assemble the new bulkheads onto it.


I have sent way for some new wood from SLEC UK to give me some idea of the cost of building this model from scratch and it is not a lot different to buying one of the new Wavemaster 25 kits........and because that kit has a more modern inter-locking construction it would not need a jig to be made and would probably go together much better and a lot faster too!


However, I prefer the original slighter larger 34" model, so I had no choice other than to try to find a kit or a set of plans to make it from.  As it turned-out, I did find a kit, but the contents had not taken too well to a previous attempt to assemble it or to the subsequent lengthy storage that followed after it has been returned to the box so I have ended up building the model from plan and making all my own new parts in any case!


Without this kit I would not have had enough information to build the model, so I am pleased that I can now start work on making my own Wavemaster 34 from new wood.
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zooma

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Re: HMM Wavemaster 34.
« Reply #9 on: June 04, 2020, 01:59:48 pm »

Yes Bob I did sample the (delights) of making a build jig. Keeps everything in line during the
Fixings of the hull bottom and sides.


John


Hi John,


Another new build Wavemaster 34 - I like it! :-))


Is there any chance that you could draw around the two fly screen halves for me by any chance?


These are the only two parts that I have found missing from my HMM kit.


If I could have a copy of your parts I could make sure that I make mine to the correct authentic shape.


Stay safe!


Bob.
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john44

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Re: HMM Wavemaster 34.
« Reply #10 on: June 04, 2020, 02:43:07 pm »

Hi Bob, the parts for the windshield come oversized so you have a margin for error with the
various angles. It would be better to make them when the boat sides are on and the window
Solid carved deck/windscreen support are in place.see your plan
There the frame sits on the angled support with the top edge level with the top of the side window
As I said my boat is already finished but I really must apologise to you.
There are no dimensions on the plan as they come laser cut on a ply sheet.


John

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zooma

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Re: HMM Wavemaster 34.
« Reply #11 on: June 04, 2020, 04:41:58 pm »

No problem John - I can make my own when I get to that stage.


I do have the triangular piece to form the base to and the cab sides will give me the height at each side.


It’s only the shape of the windows and frames that I need to work out.


Stay safe - Bob.
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zooma

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Re: HMM Wavemaster 34.
« Reply #12 on: June 05, 2020, 01:59:27 pm »

I was really pleased to get the glue out yesterday - so the assembly of the newly cut hull parts has now started.


The doublers were added to the keel while it was still in the jig, but only one side of the two doublers that will encase the prop shaft was glued down.  When everything was solid and dry I was able to cut away the part of the prop shaft slot in the keel that was still visible before gluing the remaining half to cover it.  I am hoping this will make the work with a round file a bit easier when the time comes to enlarge it and fit the shaft.


The apron was glued to the first bulkhead and then re-screwed down onto the jig as per the kit instructions and the remaining bulkheads were glued onto the keel after checking that all of the datum lines I had drawn onto the bulkheads lined up with those on the jig.


The original kit bulkheads were badly warped and twisted so when I copied them I also had to check the shape before cutting them out as they all needed some "adjustment", and I found the best way to do this was to mark the centre line on each of them and fold the template down this centre line to see the deviation between the left and right sides of the template.


The easy "first check" was to flip the old bulkhead over after drawing around it, and then draw around it again.   The double lines clearly showed the difference between the two halves


It was surprising to see just how far out the two halves of the bulkhead templates were, and not all of this deviation was caused by the warping and twisting!  Most kit built model boats are probably not perfectly symmetrical if they were all checked to the n'th degree as I have seen this amount of "deviation" on just about every kit built bulkhead part that I have ever checked over the years - but it also goes to show that it is not terribly important either as long as it is "more or less" right.


Having to draw out and make new templates for the bulkheads made it easy to make the new bulkheads with a "mirror image" between the left and right halves. The central datum lines were good to align with similar datum lines that I marked on the jig baseplate and the securing "alignment blocks".


I also think that the boat would look the same and sail every bit as good if I just draw around the original parts and cut them to the same shape !


The 1/8 by 1/4 obechie strips were fitted and glued into place. At this stage I also decided to beef-up the bows a little by adding another  1/4" "apron infill" between the chine stringers and the bows to add a bit of strength to the area where they butt against the keel. I am sure the bows would have been strong enough in this area without them, but I felt a little happier with them fitted.


After they had dried I laminated the second strips onto the chine stringers but now have to remove the dried assembly from the jig before laminating the second row of deck stringers as I forgot to put some plastic covering on the base of the jig, and I don't think the jig would look too attractive as a permanently laminated part of there hull  >:-o



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tonyH

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Re: HMM Wavemaster 34.
« Reply #13 on: June 05, 2020, 04:16:24 pm »

Glueing arrives!
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zooma

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Re: HMM Wavemaster 34.
« Reply #14 on: June 05, 2020, 10:34:59 pm »

The second row of deck stringers have now been fitted, and thanks to a speedy delivery from SLEC I was able to cut two new side skins from the fresh 1/16" ply and fit one of them tonight.


The hull is held securely (and nailed down) in the building jig to resist any form of twisting while it drys until I can get to it again sometime tomorrow to fit the second side skin.


SLEC also had a set of white metal fittings in stock for the Wavemaster 34 (not the same part number as those for the Wavemaster 25),  so I also ordered them ready to fit when the building is completed.  They look good and should clean-up very nicely.  I am guessing they are the same pattern as the Wavemaster 25 - but slightly bigger?


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zooma

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Re: HMM Wavemaster 34.
« Reply #15 on: June 07, 2020, 01:52:18 pm »

The side skins have now been cut and fitted and I took the opportunity to fill the lower front bow compartment with a suitable plastic foam to act as a buoyancy aid before it was hidden under the skins.


The compartment was formed by adding the two 4mm lower apron parts to each side of the keel, and these also strengthened this area and made it a lot more solid to nail the stringers and side skins to as well.


The lower hull skins have now also been cut so they will be fitted next after the side skins have dried and been trimmed back.
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zooma

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Re: HMM Wavemaster 34.
« Reply #16 on: June 09, 2020, 10:38:10 pm »

Now I have the side skins and one of the bottom skins fitted I am thinking about the propshaft .


The length of the shaft will to some extent be guided by the diameter of the motor I decide to fit, and being a classic from the fifties I am thinking about fitting a brushed motor as I think it would be more in keeping with the model and it would save a bit of cash too!


I have seen good reports about Wavemaster 34's giving a really good performance using a Graupner 700 motor, so I think I would like to try one of these in mine, but these motors are not currently available (from what I can see), so does anyone happen to know if the other 700 motors all give the same performance and if the sticker on the motor can is the only difference between them all?
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john44

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Re: HMM Wavemaster 34.
« Reply #17 on: June 10, 2020, 11:25:43 am »

Hi zooma, Graupner made 4 versions of the 700 motor, speed 700 Turbo 4.8-14.4v, 15000 nls
Speed 700 BB Turbo 4.8-16.8v 13000 nls
Speed 700 race 7.2-9.6v, 19000 nls
speed 700 BB.turbo 7.2-19.2v 11600 nls
Stall currents respectively are, 65A, 77A,90A,43A


Hope this helps


John
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zooma

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Re: HMM Wavemaster 34.
« Reply #18 on: June 12, 2020, 12:19:16 pm »

While the glass fibre resin and matting was outside drying inside the bows of my Corvette yesterday,  I was able to get into the workshop (shed) and fit the other bottom skin onto the Wavemaster.


The hull has been left to dry on the jig overnight and today I will be able to put my jig (shelf) back onto the wall and trim the skins so the hull will need a stand making for it as most of the work will now be done with the hull the "right way up".


I also need to cut all of the windows into the new cab sides I have made from 4mm ply.....and the windscreens and fly screens...  Jig saw work is not something I am too good at, but having just chopped out the Corvette windows I am at least using the jig saw a bit more often so maybe with all the extra practice I may get a bit better at it?


When I cut the Corvette windows I used some short tacks to hold the two sides together so that I could halve the work by cutting a pair at the same time. This worked OK so I will try it again with the Wavemaster cab sides and hope it works as well.


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zooma

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Re: HMM Wavemaster 34.
« Reply #19 on: December 21, 2020, 07:50:51 pm »

The windows have now been cut out of the cabin sides.

I nailed the two sides together with small brass nails before cutting them out so I only had to cut the window shapes once, and I know that they are exactly the same as each other!

A basic box type stand (very basic - but functional) has been made so the hull can be held "the right way up" ready for future work. Whilst I do admire some of the craftsmanship that many model boat makers employ when making their elegant looking stands, mine "do the job" and are handy for carrying spare "oddments" both when building the model and later at the pond side.

As I like to work on more than one project at a time, parts such as prop shafts, rudders, props, couplings and fittings etc that are acquired during the building of each hull can be stored in the box-stand to save many hours of searching for them at a later date when I have forgotten where I put them !

The new birch plywood looks nice and clean and contrasts well against the original warped brown plywood kit parts that I cannot use.

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tonyH

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Re: HMM Wavemaster 34.
« Reply #20 on: December 22, 2020, 12:51:50 pm »

Pics to suit.....
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zooma

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Re: HMM Wavemaster 34.
« Reply #21 on: December 22, 2020, 08:45:25 pm »

The next pictures show the fully skinned hull on the "box stand" with the parts I have acquired for the boat - although these could be "subject to change".............
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Seacommander

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Re: HMM Wavemaster 34.
« Reply #22 on: December 22, 2020, 09:10:33 pm »

Great thread, I'm enjoying this.
I have an original one, not sure of the history, but still has a Bassett Lowke Motor fitted
It works well, I've always liked it.
Cheers and good luck with it
Mark
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zooma

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Re: HMM Wavemaster 34.
« Reply #23 on: December 22, 2020, 10:22:03 pm »

Great thread, I'm enjoying this.
I have an original one, not sure of the history, but still has a Bassett Lowke Motor fitted
It works well, I've always liked it.
Cheers and good luck with it
Mark


Hi Mark,

If your Wavemaster 34 can be traced  back to 1953 (onwards)  it could well be the same vintage as my kit probably is, and it will have been built from the same original HMM kit, but at some later date the kit was transferred and sold (?) to be made by Yeoman and so far nobody seems to know when this happened but I would guess that it would have been sometime in the 1960's?

Either way, yours will be more original than mine as although I do have a genuine HMM kit, all of my wood is new as I have copied the original parts, but I am making mine from birch plywood as (I think) the original kit would have been cut from.
 
When I have finished building, I will still have an HMM kit and I hope to have been able to press the original plywood parts flat by leaving them under weights for a few months!  Hopefully this kit will be of some interest to a vintage kit collector who would like to take it to add to a collection, or build it, or copy the parts and build it like I have done to preserve the original parts  :-))

Progress is a little slow on this model as it is one of a few projects that I am working on at the moment, but I will finish it and hopefully you will find the progress reports interesting as yours will have been constructed in the same way that demanded a jig to be built (as per the original kit instructions) rather than the later re-designed kits that now probably have a self-interlocking assembly method.

The original kits were also saw cut from birch ply and I have also replicated this.  Modern laser-cut kits are usually cut from water-bonded plywood to aid the cutting process so they are not the same - even if the overall shape has been authentically reproduced.

Thanks for your comments on this thread, it is nice to know that there are still a few of the original Wavemaster 34 models about - and yours has a Bassett Lowke motor that could well have been fitted when the kit was first built.......or it could have been a later addition - but either way it makes a nice period combination.

Bob.
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zooma

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Re: HMM Wavemaster 34.
« Reply #24 on: December 23, 2020, 10:52:44 am »

I found a 1960 advert by A A. Hales Ltd, and it includes the Wavemaster 34 kit.

So we now know that the Wavemaster 34 was being produced under the Yeoman brand name (owned by A A Hales) in 1960, so at best it was only made by Hammersmith Models under their HMM brand for seven years maximum (between 1953 and 1960) - but possibly for an even shorter time period.

If anyone has any more information to share about when HMM stopped making the kit, or when Yeoman started making it,  it could help to narrow this time frame down still further.

Presumably when Yeoman finally stopped making the kit,  this would also be the date that the Wavemaster 34 kit (in this format) was last made and maybe this is when A A Hales ceased trading unless the kit production stopped even earlier?

Recently the Wavemaster 34 has been kitted again by SLEC, but this is a new re-tooled kit that is laser cut and has an interlocking construction that does not require the builder to make a jig to assemble it on.  This kit will probably be a lot easier to make as it has been brought up to date and I am guessing that it would probably be lighter in weight too?

If the original Wavemaster 34 kit was made by any other manufacturer after Yeoman creased trading and when SLEC started making the new revised version there may be another element to add to this classic model boat's interesting history.

Bob.
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