Calling all model Thames barge sailors! Please have a look at the photos attached.
I bought this model last year on EBay from a chap in Clevedon , Somerset. Unfortunately when I went to collect it he was in hospital and I didn't get the chance to talk about it with him. ( Who knows, he may use this forum?) .
Anyway, it is built on a plastic moulded hull and is about 33" length overall including rudder and bowsprit. I think it may be an HFM kit, because I don't know any other plastic barge hulls of this size, which would make it perhaps twenty years old or more? Can anyone confirm?
I sailed it a couple of times "as was", then I did a bit of work on it - some repainting, detailing, added a boat and davits and crew figures ( the mate having a fag on the mainhatch is 1:35 Russian tank crew!), and put new 2.4 r/c in it. Then Covid struck, but I should soon be able to get it back on the lake at Oxford.
Question for anyone sailing this size of barge ... I can see that the two white jibs are not correct for some reason, can anyone give me a possible reason why? The upper one seems to have been fitted upside down and is on a stay that goes halfway up the topmast instead of to the top. Similarly the lower one is stayed to the bottom of the mainmast/topmast doubling when it should ( in full scale practice ) be stayed to the top of the doubling. I have a theory about this; as rigged, the sail plan is lower, and I wonder if this was done to reduce the chance of the model being knocked flat by gusts of wind or when gybeing. It did seem a bit prone to this and would sometimes put its lee rail down to the water, a bit worrying when the hatches are not sealed watertight. I think the barge would originally have been sailed on Clevedon lake, which is right next to the sea and I would guess gets a fair bit of wind.
I would like to make new jib(s) and rig them authentically, but I don't want to sink it!Comments, advice and shared experience would be welcomed.