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Author Topic: 1963 Refinery Line Handling Tug Busby  (Read 7401 times)

steve mahoney

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1963 Refinery Line Handling Tug Busby
« on: November 28, 2020, 09:02:00 pm »

You know the saying about going from a feast to a famine – well this is just the opposite. After not touching a model project all year I now have 4 builds on the go at once. Two are personal: the Maui (a 1971 17m Voith harbour tug) and the Tui, a 46ft steam river tug from 1880.

And now I have 2 commissions: the 15m Busby and the 11.5m Mahi.

While trying to track down some reference on the Mahi for a personal project I contacted the current owner. After seeing some photos of my Tika model he asked if I would be interested in making models of his two tug boats: the Busby and the Mahi, for him (photos 1 & 2). Well, I’ve got time on my hands and I like building tugs – so yeah, it’s a no brainer. Here we go!

I'll do the Busby first as I have a GA and hull lines – 1/32, display only. The Maui and Tui are back in the cupboard.

Busby and, identical sister ship, Marsden (photo 3) were built in Auckland for the Northland Harbour Board, and launched in 1963. They were designed by Burness Corlett & Co and built by Mason Bros in Auckland. 13.7m LOA, 23 tons gross, powered by two 300hp diesels with a 3.6 ton bollard pull. They were designed as line handling tugs for the supertankers calling at the then new oil refinery in Whangarei’s deepwater port. The tugs were named after Marsden Head and Busby Point which stand on opposite sides of the harbour entrance.

Burness Corlett were notoriously protective of their drawings, much the same as Damen and Allen are today. These two little tugs were standard 2 chine hulls and not 'Hydroconic' hulls which were patented by Burness Corlett so that may explain why there are still basic hull lines in existence. Sure makes my job easier. The whole 'Hydroconic' thing seems like a lot of smoke and mirrors now. There really wasn't anything startlingly unique about the hull design and I doubt that the patent would stand up to scrutiny these days.

Marsden and Busby were the smallest of the 6 Northland Harbour Board tugs. Parahaki and Raumanga at 39.4m/27 ton BP, and Herekino and Waitangi at 35m/22ton BP were all built by Brookes of Lowestoft in the UK. All 6 tugs were delivered in the early 1960s and at the time Whangarei had the most up to date fleet in the country. The Parahaki and Raumanga also served as rescue tugs for the top of the North Island and up into the Pacific. They are big bruisers but dated looking even when they were new. I quite like the look of them and built a 1/50 Parahaki a couple of years ago. (photos 4-7)

Parahaki and Raumanga were found to be underpowered and not as manoeuvrable as they needed to be and were eventually replaced. Marsden and Busby were also soon surplus to requirements and sold off.

Busby went to Auckland to work on the Manukau Harbour. Unfortunately she was smaller and less powerful than the Ports of Auckland tug (Manukau) she replaced and was ‘the right tug in the wrong place’. She certainly wasn’t meant to be handling ships up to 6500 tons on her own. This was borne out in 2001, when she couldn’t single-handedly pull the ‘Spirit Of Enterprise’ off the Motukaraka Bank after the ship had grounded.

Ports of Auckland didn’t waste time waiting for the inquiry’s final report, within three months, Busby was back on light duty in the adjacent Waitemata Harbour, carrying out tasks better suited to her size. She was eventually sold off in to private hands and has been through several owners. She is now with STF Marine and does general inshore/harbour duties around the Auckland region, everything from barge work to towing a dead whale of a beach.


She’s still in pretty good nick and I was able to get onboard recently and get a stack of good reference photos.
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steve mahoney

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Re: 1963 Refinery Line Handling Tug Busby
« Reply #1 on: December 02, 2020, 08:02:43 pm »

Now onto the project:

The owner sent me a GA and some very basic hull section drawings for the Busby which were easily transferred into a cutting template for the major components. The hull drawings are pretty rough but I've worked from worse.


I also have a few photos of her out of the water which show some of the rudder and propellor details. They will be very useful. I was also able to get onboard on a recent trip up to Auckland and get a heap of good detail photos. As luck would have it the Busby was moored right next to another tug on my wishlist – the Tauhine, and I got a lot of useful photos of that as well. Great day for photos if it wasn't for that knobhead in the hat.

The Busby drawings are not 'as built' – the wheelhouse windows are not angled. I'll make it as it is now, as in photo 4. The frame lines are basic but adequate. Better than I've had for some of my builds.

As usual the keel and hull frames will be 36mm ply, and the deck is 1.5mm. The hull sheeting and superstructure will all be 1mm ply. I haven't used 1mm for anything this large before so it will be interesting to see how it stacks up.

Everything has been laser cut and is all ready to go. So... on with the show.
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JimG

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Re: 1963 Refinery Line Handling Tug Busby
« Reply #2 on: December 02, 2020, 08:22:54 pm »

Are you covering the wood with paper when laser cutting?Is this to stop burning of the wood surface?
Jim
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steve mahoney

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Re: 1963 Refinery Line Handling Tug Busby
« Reply #3 on: December 02, 2020, 08:45:24 pm »

Jim – it's actually to stop the parts falling way from the sheet during cutting. Both side of the sheet are covered, the bottom side 9away from the laser, has two layers. The laser doesn't cut through the second layer.
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steve mahoney

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Re: 1963 Refinery Line Handling Tug Busby
« Reply #4 on: December 07, 2020, 10:50:49 pm »

Finally got started and it wasn't so bad after all. The hull framework slotted together pretty easily – with a lot of CA. The 6 packs it comes in also include a tube of CA de-bonding agent. That stuff is brilliant, unlike me who needed to unglue my fingers from the ply twice. Yes – twice. Doh!

Despite that the frame all seems straight and true, so far.

In hindsight I could have designed and laser cut a simpler, more elegant spacing/bracing system – but hindsight is always 20/20 – and you'll never see it once the deck goes on.
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steve mahoney

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Re: 1963 Refinery Line Handling Tug Busby
« Reply #5 on: December 11, 2020, 11:23:27 pm »

I've managed to squeeze a few hours in at the bench between home maintenance, the usual pre-Christmas bedlam, and other tasks, and have installed the deck and stringers.

I haven't used stringers on any of my models before – always in too much of a hurry to get the hull finished. As this build is for a paying customer, I thought that I'd better approach it with a bit more of a professional manner and build it like some of the pros on this forum.

Turns out they are a good idea – the stringers, I mean. Really helps to get the curves nice and smooth and shows up any problems with the hull section alignment. Who knew?

Also attached the deck and covered it with Diamond Plate sheet. That hurt – US$30 for the sheet. Ow! It's a Plastruct product that is described as HO Diamond Plate 1/00. I'm pretty sure HO scale is 1/87 and this stuff looks perfect on a 1/32 boat so I think that the Plastruct description is a bit out. Strange type of styrene too, doesn't cut well. I think I'll stick to the tried and true Evergreen in the future.
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madwelshman

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Re: 1963 Refinery Line Handling Tug Busby
« Reply #6 on: December 12, 2020, 09:40:49 am »

Really starting to take shape now.


I agree with you re the deck, looks spot on, to me anyway.


Will
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davejo90

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Re: 1963 Refinery Line Handling Tug Busby
« Reply #7 on: December 13, 2020, 11:01:08 am »

If feel your pain regarding other duties around the house etc. At least when the new year starts normal service can be resumed  ;)

I like the look of the checker plate but not the price  :o

But it's coming on well Steve
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Dean's Marine

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Re: 1963 Refinery Line Handling Tug Busby
« Reply #8 on: December 13, 2020, 01:29:05 pm »

Hi
with age it goes brittletry here a lot cheaper http://deansmarine.co.uk/shop/index.php/cPath/82_86

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steve mahoney

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Re: 1963 Refinery Line Handling Tug Busby
« Reply #9 on: December 13, 2020, 06:31:17 pm »

Thanks Will and Dave.
Ron: Now you tell me!! I wish I had seen that $30 ago! I'll know better next time  :-))
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steve mahoney

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Re: 1963 Refinery Line Handling Tug Busby
« Reply #10 on: January 05, 2021, 07:25:02 am »

So...

The hull sheeting went on OK. Working at 1/32 is all new for me and I'm surprised at how much glue I'm going through compared to 1/50.

This is the last section of the hull to go on. The next few photos show the work fairing out the bow and trying to get the chine lines smooth and sharp.

And the last few photos show the bulwarks and the aft capping rail attached. The bulwarks are 1mm ply and are surprisingly strong – even where I have sanded through a couple of layers of ply. The forward capping rail is steel tubing. I'll do this with styrene tubing but will need to pin it in place with some thin brass rod. Mañana.

Work on this one has now ground to a halt. I had ordered some props and shafts from The US in late November (none available in UK prior to Christmas) but they have been stuck in a US Post clearing depot in LA since December 8. Some rubdown lettering for a couple of completed models is suffering the same fate in Vancouver. Looks like the Maui and Tui will be getting a bit more attention.
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steve mahoney

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Re: 1963 Refinery Line Handling Tug Busby
« Reply #11 on: August 29, 2021, 12:46:54 am »

Well, this one is finally back on the bench after an 8 month break. We moved house at the beginning of the year and a couple of projects have been packed away until I was able to set up a workspace in our new place. As they say – it has been a long time between drinks.

Luckily nothing got damaged in transit or lost in storage although after such a long break I had to spend a few hours getting back up to speed with the build. Two other projects were finished just before we moved and they are still in storage. I'll unpack the Tui and Hikurangi in the next few days and post some completed photos. The Hikurangi has been a long time getting finished and it has become one of my favourites.

At the start of the build I had noticed that the basic drawings didn’t reconcile with the as-built photos. Some things were quite obvious – the real boat has flush wheelhouse windows – the plans have angled front windows. Same for the anchor wells – none, but they are shown on the drawings.

I had managed to miss a couple minor things. The original skeg has had a triangular extension added on between the shafts. The scuppers/freeing ports are not in the same position as on the drawings – there are still 5 but they are more forward. The change in bulwark height is also more forward than on the drawings.

And yes, the stern hawser holes are at different heights port and starboard. All issues easily fixed with some filler and a scalpel.

I’ve also added the engine cooling water outlets and the holes for the fender attachments along the bulwarks.

The propellor shaft footings have been attached so the next job is the shafts and rudders. The photos seem to show the rudders off-centre and inboard of the shafts – does that sound like a real thing?
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steve mahoney

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Re: 1963 Refinery Line Handling Tug Busby
« Reply #12 on: September 01, 2021, 06:38:58 am »

Not much progress today – the propeller shaft support struts should have been simple enough but ended up taking all day. The system is pretty simple: two angled struts attach to a couple of half round sections welded to a collar around the shaft. The outer struts have an short angled section at the hull end and an oiler tube running down them into the shaft collar. Easy enough – or so it would seem. Here’s how not to do it...

But first the props. The propellers are the single most expensive item on any of my builds. They’re never cheap and by the time you add freight to NZ they have doubled in price. These two were $64 for the pair. Ow! When I ordered them my usual suppliers in Europe were out of stock so I got them from the US. The boss shape is different from the Raboesch I’m used to. These one have a very extended rounded boss and the Busby’s props have shorter more sharply tapered bosses.

We are back in covid lockdown at the moment and I’m running low on quite a few basic materials so rather than order new props and wait 4 weeks I thought that I’d finally get to use the mini lathe I’ve had unopened for 10 years and re-shape the bosses. Mistake number 1.

I couldn’t get the chuck to get a grip on the prop so I screwed in the shaft as tight as possible and gave it a go. Sure enough the prop unscrewed itself in no time – even with Locktite. So I turned some brass rod to fit exactly into the propeller shaft hole and braised the shaft onto the prop. My first attempt on the lathe turned out fine. Very simple but the shafts fitted perfectly. Those props weren’t going anywhere. The rod was too soft to handle the lathe work and started to bend (mistake No 2).

After half an hour trying to hand shape the boss with a tiny file I realised that wasn’t going to work either (No3). Out came the hacksaw and off came the boss (No4). Cleaned up and shaped with filler. Making a symmetrical tapering cone isn’t a easy as it sounds (No5). Not perfect yet but I’ll get there. On the real boat the props are painted so the colour won’t be an issue although all of my other models have brass props.

The struts were also a headache. I’d decided to make them from styrene (easy, and on hand) around a brass rod core (for strength). It’s a method I’ve used successfully a few times before. Not this time – I ended up making a real hash of it (No6). I should have stopped and started again but I persisted and eventually have something that works. Lots of bad language and huffing and puffing. A bit more filler, sanding and some paint may hide the imperfections. They aren't attached yet.

After all these years I’m supposed to be getting better at this, not worse. Bummer!

The rudders on this one are more complex than they should be for such a small tug so I can see mistakes 7, 8 and 9 coming on tomorrow. Happy days!
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steve mahoney

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Re: 1963 Refinery Line Handling Tug Busby
« Reply #13 on: September 12, 2021, 04:59:37 am »

I've made a little progress over the last week. The shafts and rudders are pretty much finished and ready for painting. Due to the complex rudder arrangement I'll need to paint these items before final assembly. They'll be held in place with pins through the rudder posts and the rudder stocks but aren't glued in for these photos. Once the underside has been painted the shaft supports can go in, then the shafts and props, then the rudders.

From now on the hull won't be getting too much rough handling so I can start attaching some of the smaller items. I've already added some of the fender tie brackets and there are still 40 L shaped ties inboard of the fender eyes (.25mm brass), and 20 PE brass eyes/loops to go on the exterior hull – all very easily bent. At least the bow fender is as solid as a rock.

The real Busby has very pronounced welding seams along the hull so I've added these with 0.5mm half-round styrene. A 5 piece pack fitted almost exactly down to the last 5mm – more by good luck than good management! We are in the highest level lockdown at the moment so running out of materials means things will grind to a halt.

I haven't got enough paint on hand to do the hull (red oxide/dark blue) but I've got plenty of white so I can start with an undercoat – nothing like a nice coat of matt white to highlight any errors.
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steve mahoney

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Re: 1963 Refinery Line Handling Tug Busby
« Reply #14 on: September 15, 2021, 02:39:28 am »

It hasn't been good weather for painting the hull lately so that has been put aside for awhile. We moved town April and it has pretty much rained at some stage of every day since then. Not really what we had in mind!

I've made a start on the superstructure. The basic laser cut elements slotted together pretty easily and quickly. It's only 1mm ply so there is a lot of bracing hidden underneath to prevent any warping.

After putting it all together I realised that glazing the windows was going to be a problem so I cut out the door holes for easier access. The port and starboard doors are in different positions. Same with the aft wheelhouse windows. Sure enough I glued the aft bulkhead in the wrong way round and had to cut and flip the window section. Better spotted now rather than later.

The roof has gone on, and the towing bitt block, and the funnel with its angled top vent.

That's all of the major components built, everything else is smaller detail stuff now, and not too much of it: bitts, bollards, vents & intakes, engine room hatch and various other hatches, etc. Doesn't sound like too much work if you say it fast.
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hama

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Re: 1963 Refinery Line Handling Tug Busby
« Reply #15 on: September 16, 2021, 04:39:36 pm »

Love your builds, not only because you're obvious talent,  but also because of your humor and that you share the mishaps.
Just a pity you don't make them RC as they're crying to be put in the wet stuff, but that's obviously your choice.

As for the Busby, I don't think I've seen that kind of rudder arrangement before with the unsupported posts. Interesting!
Keep on building!
Hama
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steve mahoney

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Re: 1963 Refinery Line Handling Tug Busby
« Reply #16 on: September 17, 2021, 01:45:14 am »

Thank you Hama, it's nice to know that someone is enjoying the progress. I've also enjoyed your ferry builds very much. Local subjects are always closer to the heart.

This one is a commission for the owner so he doesn't require RC. Our old home was in the worlds' windiest city (officially) so RC runs were always rare and often tempting disaster. Our new town is much calmer so an RC version is my long-term plans – perhaps a 1/25 Damen 2411 in local colours – if I can ever afford the ASD units.

Steve
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derekwarner

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Re: 1963 Refinery Line Handling Tug Busby
« Reply #17 on: September 17, 2021, 02:24:00 am »

Have you decided on the direction of prop rotation yet Steve?.......one day = LH......next day = RH.......next day = LH etc... :o ...or is it the owner who cannot make up their mind?  {-)
Not really sure I understand the angular buffer on the bow....appears to be high impact  <*<  at the point of tangent/contact


Watching on as always


Derek
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Derek Warner

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steve mahoney

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Re: 1963 Refinery Line Handling Tug Busby
« Reply #18 on: September 17, 2021, 03:00:33 am »

The photos have them as clockwise/port, anticlockwise/starboard. Never sure which is inboard/outboard, LH/RH, different in Europe & UK from the US.

The bow fender roll seems to be belt and braces protection. There are also several truck tyres hanging from the bow. Maybe they've had a few bumps as that area is a blindspot from the wheel. Looks like it's had a few dings over the years.

And, no, I can't bring myself to paint the propellers that horrible yellow.
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RST

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Re: 1963 Refinery Line Handling Tug Busby
« Reply #19 on: September 17, 2021, 04:03:46 am »

...they're outward turning props by normal terms but it makes little difference.  I balked at one user on a different forum insisting he fits "contra" rotating propellers on his models which is entirely different.  I was intrigued by the rudders on this also -particularly with the heavy vertical post and leaving an unbalanced rudder blade behind.  I wondered whether it was a conversion job or a change from original design -the pockets around the tops of the hull penetration look to be a corrosion hot spot.


Nevermind, it's a cracking job.


Rich
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derekwarner

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Re: 1963 Refinery Line Handling Tug Busby
« Reply #20 on: September 17, 2021, 04:10:03 am »

OK......I see outboard turning propellers [gross  {-)  yellow].......


The hull plating appears  :o  to be rather highly and uniformly stressed <*< & stretched over the frames ...near appears to be a design issue in the thickness or the Grade of the hull-plate


[In Port Kemba, we have the BlueScope Steelworks who produce coil and plate..... a quantity goes to Bissaloy Steels who provide the heat treatment


So even with the Meturigical Certificate for the steel chemistry, every plate post Heat Treatment is subjected to NDT Certification to Lloyds 100A1 with the final Customer being the Australian Submarine Corporation


All of the steel for the Collins Class submarines builds was from our Port Kembla supply .....orders for the steel for the French design build now cancelled >>:-(


Sorry to go off the stretched steel view  :embarrassed:


Derek
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RST

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Re: 1963 Refinery Line Handling Tug Busby
« Reply #21 on: September 17, 2021, 04:28:01 am »

Quote
The photos have them as clockwise/port, anticlockwise/starboard. Never sure which is inboard/outboard, LH/RH, different in Europe & UK from the US.


...sorry but just re-read this they're definitely CW starboard and CCW port which is "outward" turning.  I wouldn't be surprised if the septic's had it backwards but it's the Germans I only ever had problems so far who can't tell left from right when it comes to rotation and model propellers.
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RST

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Re: 1963 Refinery Line Handling Tug Busby
« Reply #22 on: September 17, 2021, 04:42:11 am »

Quote
All of the steel for the Collins Class submarines builds was from our Port Kembla supply .....orders for the steel for the French design build now cancelled >:-(" title="Tickoff" class="smiley" style="vertical-align: bottom; font-family: Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12.92px; background-color: rgb(236, 237, 243);">




...what on earth has that to do with Steve's build blog for Busby ?? You should post that in "chit chat" and an admin should help Steve to tidy the post.
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derekwarner

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Re: 1963 Refinery Line Handling Tug Busby
« Reply #23 on: September 17, 2021, 05:45:22 am »


..............."what on earth has that to do with Steve's build blog for Busby"?.......

Well it's simply a qualified reference for steel, where Steve's model prototype has suffered a hull plating defect


It offers an explanation as to the cause of the example defect. ...re-reading the vessel build history, it suggests that the hull steel plating was UK produced  {-)


I am sure if Steve considers the comment text inappropriate %) , he would take action


Derek
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steve mahoney

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Re: 1963 Refinery Line Handling Tug Busby
« Reply #24 on: September 21, 2021, 01:08:55 am »

Spring has arrived all of a sudden and the wet weather has gone so I was able to get some paint onto the hull.

The running gear was pre-painted and attached in a specific order: A frame supports, then shafts/props, then rudder assemblies. Then any gaps were filled (fiddly) and the final braces attached to the rudder posts. These are slightly over scale but I wanted to add a bit more strength.

Everything below the waterline has had a final top coat. The propellers are not going to be yellow. That colour makes them look plastic and toy-like. Judges decision, no discussion will be entered into.

I've put a base coat over the hull before I attach some items that would make painting difficult. It will have a few light coats but this is a good start.

The colour is spot on. Busby has been Ports of Auckland blue (a much lighter mid blue) for many years (photo 5) but the latest repaint was much darker (6).

I'm a bit OCD when it comes to colour and it's hard to match a paint swatch to a photo on screen, so I figured that the real life colour needed to be close to the ice-cream container that the Busby's components are in, and close to the shoebox that my paints are stored in. I think I've nailed it (7). Still a few little things to fix.

This dark colour does hide a few details – the cleats for the fender ties are very hard to see. Well, at least I know they are there. A satin coat may help.
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