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[RST]

Hi,

Conscious I have posted on others threads but not shared anything I've done for a while so thought I'd share some pics.  All my projects are relatively small these days, I have lots on the go (most seem to get to 80% before slowing right down and my mind wanders to the next project).  I can build hulls fine but don't enjoy it so my preference is to find a base-hull and I usually scratch-build in freelance from there.  I try to chose a prototype too varied for anyone to say it's not prototypical, and I know on my models not all the right bits are in just the right places!

The Cormorant hull is a vac-formed HIPS moulding from Sarik at £30.  Comes in 2 halves which need joining and it comes out about 18" long overall.

As I'm still learning 3-D printing I'm tending to try that more often these days and on this the main hatch, the whellhouse and both combings they sit on were pumped out on my Steadytech Mini in good quality PLA.  The fore companionway, radar and life raft and the gas bottles are 3-D printed also.  Deck is from an Obeche sheet I had in storage, the rest is polystyrene sheet, bits of brass rod, etc.  The stanchions are not right size or handrail spacing but look close-enough (think they are Caldercraft).  The rudder hinges are actually cut down and bent & drilled stanchions also.

The winch is a bit buig, 3-D printed and a bit more rough and redy than I would have liked but looks OK from a distance.  Should be OK after a good brush coat of Revell enamel -same as the rest of it.

I'm not sure whether I'll fit a 285 or 385 MFA motor yet, will have an Mtronix 10A ESC and I think I'll fit a modelradioworkshop diesel sound unit and small speaker.

I might update with more better quqlity pics as I go but I don't do blogs these days so it's just supposed to give some inspiration for cheap, tabletop modelling.  Hope this is of some interest or inspiration for others looking for small, easy scratch-build projects.  Also, there is almost NO mention of builds of this model on-line, so there is one now!

Rich

[spearfish99]

If you have all the right bits, just simply not in the right  places, perhaps when finished you should show the port of registration as Morcambe  ( home of Eric)

[RST]

Hi,
Can't believe this was on the back-burner for so long and sorry for not replying.  It takes me ages to finish anything.

With (almost) finishing my Puffer, my attention turned to this again.  I finished most of the detail now -all the final bits are just loosely in place on the pictures which explains the wonkeyness!  To be honest impatience has got me on a few things and I started to get scrappy.  So I think that's the end of most of the work now and everything stops for painting after I figure out the main running gear inside.
I just noticed the mast boom fell off the crutch again.  I need to think of some kind of elastic rigging to hold that down as it needs to be moved for access.

The rudder is just held together with some brass rod at the moment.  Will be replaced with some M2 brass thrraded rod cut to size.  There is a small Ripmax servo hidden inside -just fits under the square box aft (the aft deck and top of the box lift-off for complete access).

Should look OK at a stand-off once it's all painted.  I think I will stick with blue for the hull but keep ther things white.  I used to have some pics of a Cormorant I think I grabbed from ebay but I can't find them now -nevermind, I think I got close-enough as it's not meant to be the same.

...Maybe I should change the name to something like "Not a Lot" -something in keeping with "All the Right Notes" or something though I think the Cormorant was based on boats from NE rather than West Coast.

I'd be interested if anyone has any pics of the original Cormorant model as there's not much to go on out there.

Richard

[davidjt]

hi,
this is my build of vic smeeds  cormorant but changed name to gemini. i built it plank on frame making all parts. sails fantastic




david

[RST]

Hi David,

Thanks for sharing the pics -looks fine to me and good to hear it's a seaworty model.  Where did you get the skates or flatties from please?  Was it Mac's Mouldings?

I've had some old tangerine netting saved for years to use on this.  Trouble is I have put it for "safe keeping" somewhere (two of them in fact in case I lost the first one) LoL.

Rich

[davidjt]

hi richard,
               i bought the fish  from blackpool  our haydock  show many years ago cant remember who it was though. i built this in 20014  i think.  i found the mfa 385 6v to 15 v  motor the best  as for battery  size i now use lipo 7.4v the lightest, and metronc 10 amp esc. i sail it on my small pond 10 feet by 4 feet reguarly love it .


david

[roycv]

Hi all, has anyone got a plan number for this Vic Smeed model?
Regards
Roy

[roycv]

Hi, all, further research led me to a list of Vic Smeed plans and I found a number,  Cormorant plan No. V112 although you will not find this on the Sarik web site unless you look under Hull and Plan sets.  Not very good cross referencing on the site.  Shame as it is the main source of plans these days.

So this must have been one of his own and not published in Model Maker or Model Boats magazine.
Looks like a nice model,
regards
Roy

[RST]

Hi guys, the plans and the hull are listed on Sarik.  I was too tight to buy the plans when allot of details can be scaled up from the illigimateate images of the copies off the web and I'm not building mine as per Vic's plan anyway.  I have a second hull in the cupboard.  If I ever finish this one it looks about right for one or two pilot boats out there.


A very quick Google search should reveal the internet copies plus the original magazine article that can be grabbed and downloaded.  I won't say where they are as they look like they bypass copyright but they are very easy to find...


Rich

[RST]

PS when I search Vic Smeed Cormorant, Sarik is one of the first hits so pretty easy to find the plans and the hull!  Just not many examples of completed models out there.

[RST]

Hi David,

Thanks, I will have to go fishing for some catch.  I have no incentive or ability to jump to Li-Po batteries (7.4v would be Li-Po?), Ni-MH suits me fine but not sure whether this will suit a 285 or 385 type motor just yet.  It's just a bit smaller than my Puffer so will try to sail that first before committing to the motor -I got lots of them to chose from as well as a collection of propellers (I have been hoarding parts during the pandemic for future projects!).

Rich

**EDIT, you're making me think again re-visiting the idea painting the hull green rather than blue or black .....hmmm***

[davidjt]

hi richard,
                i have always liked green so decided i would go for it as a change from others. i did have ni-mh batterys 6v that was my mistake on li-po . i got into lipos from a mate who died and left me all his heicopters with over 12 lipos and 4 chargers. i find them ok much lighter for small boats.   I got the plan from early model boats magazine april 1989.






david

               

[RST]

Hi,

I can't do Li-Po even if I wanted to because I can't assure the corect charge and storage rates.  As a batchelor, I spend allot of time away from home -I have nothing in my house contining Li-Po batteries.

Rich

[RST]

Hi,

A bit more progress on this one.  Every step a bit further forwards and as usual most bits right, but not necessarily in the best places!

I made up some hydraulic controls for the winch and ran some pipes using electrical solder.  The control knobs are blobs of epoxy.  Everything is part-painted so excuse the mis-match of colours.

I realised a way to make some lobster pots from some bits and spare insect netting I brought back from France when I moved out my apartment there (mosquitos ate me alive!).  No close detail but they will look OK from a couple of feet.  I'll try to paint them up a bit to dull the brass hoops and plastic underneath.  They're quick and easy to churn out to keep making better ones anyway.

I'm experimenting with some fish box designs I pulled from internet dimensions.  Is taking a fair few attempts to repoduce but I'm surprised just how fine my Flashforge filament printer will do.  But I'm re-printing lots with better geometry as some detail was just too small to last after trimming.

The first coat of red antifoul brushed on quite amazingly for one coat, full credit to Revell enamels which I use almost exclusively now!  Second coat to come now that I've sanded back using a Tamiya sanding pad and I found maybe my last tack rag from old stock the last time I pained something on a car (new ones are cheap enough so time for a new box).  After second coat some days to leave to fully cure before masking off the WL and whether I put a white band or not which will need to be aplied next due to the masking and curvature.   Meanwhile I procrastinate about the hull colour:  I really like the primer grey / white but it's too bland!  Looks a bit too cold war eastern European to me.  I can't bring myself to paint it green bt I do have a "teal" kind of colour option -maybe, maybe not.  I think it will end up blue.

Anything wooden so far is just painted dark brown before any detail highlights.  There is a tehnique on fishing boats to simulate wood on steel panels but for the life of me I can't remember the name of it.  I did something imilar on my puffer but not sure if I'll do it on this model ecause I didn't carve planks or panel lines to create the detail.

I've decided from many days of internet "trawling" this is probably a "ring netter".  Have been trying to make a folded up net with some ropework and beads but there's no pictures showing boats with nets out on deck so I'll maybe not bother with it plus it's amazingly frustrating to produce something that wants to sit in place though maybe an old orange net isn't the best thing to use!

Some of the black dots are a new product I was trying.  It's fabric paint from Hobbycraft that I saw used on another boat forum.  Have to say so far though I've always done similar just using blobs of PVA , cyano or epoxy and a cocktail stick.  Suppose I've only used this one a few times now so I should get more consistent over time.  One £2'odd bottle today was enough for a hundred or more models anyway so it's not like it was a big loss.

I have not sailed my puffer yet owing to "wrong weather" or bad timing, so apart fro the rudder servo, nothing inside has been figured out yet apart from I'll use a 4" 4mm fine-line shaft with a brass 4 blade raboesh propeller I had in the bits box, the boss of which was filed down previously for something else -it fits in the opening much better for this.

...I've jupmed a step again and not figured out a stand for this yet!  Will probably figure one out before the antifoul coat is finished.

Rich

PS:  As if by magic saying there's not many examples of this.  I grabbed a few pictures from ebay the other day from a model that just appeared looked like something Vic based this model on!  Won't post here though as it's not my model.

[RST]

Bit more progress,

I am a bit dissapointed.  The hull from Sarik has an assymetry I kind of knew about -it's not major but has only showed up it's extent with the painting now and it looks completely daft at some angles.  My waterline marking went well but I did too much white befofe the blue hull colour.  Hmm, it needs some more white to balance.  I could not cut masking tape thin enough so used trimpline so far and I think the stripes on the upper side rather than painting the gunwales looks OK so far.  Not happy relying on trimline but it looks better in my eye with the white stripe to balance things out.

I made some bow name boards -I'll stick with Cormorant as a name but I'll pick my own registry numbers.  The nameboards are slaters polystyrene letters and I used solvent weld on a thin polystyrene sheet.  They are just painted brown so far, rough coats applied, the details to be picked out yet!

[steve mahoney]

I'm often disappointed with my finished products but after couple of months I usually come to terms with them. I think your one is looking pretty good.

[Ralph]

Looks good RST, I certainly can't see any asymmetry on the hull in your pics.


I used Slaters lettering on my Yorkshireman on a plasticard backing the same way you're doing.  After spray painting them I ran a fine sanding block over the surface to take the paint off the top of the letters.  Gave me nice white raised lettering against the background colour without any masking.


Ralph

[RST]

Hi Ralph,

...yes it's as effective a method as you say.  That method still looks good on my semi-scratch buld Smit Nederland almost 20 years later.

...doesn't work this time though.  I think I'll just start again.  I think the Posca Markers are not great for this.

Rich

[RST]

I'm often disappointed with my finished products but after couple of months I usually come to terms with them. I think your one is looking pretty good.

Steve, you are so unrecognised on this and RCgroups forum and I'm flattered you posted.  My work is rank amateur in comparison with yours and many others.  I'm very flattered someone such as you posted a comment.  Quality of your work is way above my means.

(I do watch your posts but they are so good I have nothing to say on them!!!)

Rich

[RST]

I tried to strip back my attempt at the first wooden effect name boards.  Mean time I dug out my Silhouette cutter and after much cunfustication and swear words I remembered how to get a good enough cut from it.  Not sure if I'll go back from the vinyls yet.  I was trying to cut a more traditional font but I just could not get t to work but I'm happy enough so far.  I also got th outline of a flying Cormorant cut and pasted on it (the INS number is junk by the way -apologies if someone else has it!)...

These vinyls are quite big, at somepoint I hvae to decide how to coat them to seal them.  I have a bottle of Vallejo satin polyurethane that's worked well from a quality artists bush before.  It pains me to break out the Iwata airbrush again these days -just don't have the facilities.

[RST]

Hi, sorry for not posting for a while.  A short while back I started to make all the little bits of deck clutter, fish boxes and floats etc  but not sure how to put it all together for something looking just half realistic.  Here it sits at the moment with all the bits piled up waiting for a decision to get it finished.

I cleared Cornwall model boats out of most of their fenders a few weeks ago but I also bought a pack of wooden beads from hobbycraft and made some bigger buoys myself so I've enough to last a good few years and models I think!

Fishing boats are hard for me.  I'm more used to work barges, tugs and offshore vessels.

Rich

[Tworrs]

Looking very good Rich, looking forward to seeing more.

[Tafelspitz]

Some very nice and fine detail work there! All that deck clutter adds a lot to the realism 
Dom