Paddleducks
Paddler Modelling => Construction => Topic started by: Eddy Matthews on April 07, 2009, 04:03:26 AM
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I've decided it's time I made my own model of the paddle ferry Sir William Wallace. I made one a couple of years ago for Andrew Gray, a friend up in Edinburgh, and the more I got into the build the more I liked it's quirky design.
The one I built for Andrew was at 1:43 scale, mine will be larger at 1:32 scale.
I've been collecting suitable vehicles to put on the deck for the past year or so, and although I still need some more, I have enough to have a reasonable deck cargo when she's finished.
The drawings have been dug out of storage, and on checking everything, it will give a model 60" long, with a hull beam of 11.25" and a total beam of 19" over the sponsons.
Construction will start later this week once I've sourced the materials for the hull.....
Regards
Eddy
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Coo Eddy!
that's UGLY! - I love it, and at 60inches it'll be big and ugly -= even better.
Stuart
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No doubt I'll be picking your brains for fixtures and fittings once I get the basics done Stuart! :)
I admit it is ugly, but it has a certain charm about it - With such a wide hull it makes into a superbly stable model.
Regards
Eddy
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Can't wait to see this one, it'll be impressive sailing!
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All the hull materials have just been ordered - Don't you just love online ordering! :) So now my credit card is £57 more in debt :(
The build will commence as soon as the order arrives..... I have to admit I can't wait to get started!
Yes I think it will look impressive on the water Mick, and definately something a little out of the ordinary. I don't think I'll get the model completed by the time of our paddler day in september, but it should certainly be ready to sail even if all the odds and ends aren't made and fitted.
Regards
Eddy
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The hull materials eventually arrived this morning - It only took a week!! Don't you just hate bank holidays!
Anyway, 6 sheets of 1/2" thick balsa have been glued together to form the bottom of the hull, and that has now been cut to shape. The hull formers are all cut out, and I should get those fitted tomorrow evening, then it's onto the planking...... With a bit of luck I should have something that resembles a hull by the end of the weekend - Photos will come then.
Now I have to find two sheets of 1/16" ply 5 feet long - This is where sods law strikes as none of my local suppliers have any! :(
Anyway, at least I'm off to a pretty good start...
Regards
Eddy
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Okok, but which engine?
Andy
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Okok, but which engine?
Andy
Nothing exciting for you steam buffs Andy.... The real boat was diesel/electric powered, so the model will use two electric motors to give independent paddle control exactly like the real thing.
Regards
Eddy
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The hull is now planked, and final shaping/sanding is being done.... With a bit of luck, early next week will see a hull that is a reasonable representation of the real thing, and I'll post some photos then.
At that point, the hull will be given to a clubmate who will fibreglass it inside and out for me - I hate working with that stuff, and to be honest he'll do a job that's ten times better than I could do anyway!
Now I need to get some plywood for the deck, and then I can really get onto the bit of the build that I enjoy..... :)
Regards
Eddy
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There's still a lot of sanding and final shaping to do, but the hull is now starting to look the part - Here are a few images of it taken during constuction.
Also included are a couple of photos of the modified Graupner wheels I'll be using on the model - I hate making paddlewheels, so this makes my life a whole lot easier! :hehe
Regards
Eddy
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Does everyone remember the "A Team"? I just love it when a plan comes together.....
Well in my case, I think our house is the home of the "B Team" - I just hate it when a plan falls apart.... :(
Some of you will know my wife suffers from epilepsy which isn't controlled by medication. And after thousands of seizures over the last 40 years her brain is now damaged permanently. One of the ways it manifests itself is with her extremely poor balance, and yesterday she fell - You guessed it, right on top of the SWW hull.... No damage to my wife, other than a bit of a fright, but the hull is totalled beyond repair!
Those with a good memory will remember that almost the same thing happened with the SWW I built for Andrew Gray a couple of years ago - Deja Vu
I know it was a complete accident, but to say that I was annoyed would be the understatement of the decade, and I was not the most pleasant person to be with for a few hours whilst I calmed myself down! Anyway, these things happen..... Time to start on another hull....
Eddy
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Eddy - I sympathise. There must be a dissapointment gremlin around at the moment. You may remember I was building a model of the salvage tug 'Euro'. It was crated in the UK and transported 15000 miles to Greece, carefully unpacked and lived, waiting to be worked on, on a shelf in my temporary study come workshop till 2 days ago.
Our adopted cat decided it would be fun to jump on it - it fell several feet contacting EVERY vulnerable part till it hit the floor where the hull split open!
I have to say the cat was quite tasty with a light salad!
Stuart
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I too, synpathise with you. Just think how good the second one will be, now that that you've been that way before. You might even be quicker, now that you know the ropes :whistle
ken
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Eddy and Stuart,
I also feel your pain. In my case it was a Sergal/Mantua Cutty Sark that I was just finishing the rigging on. My young kitten found his way into my work/play room and had fun with the bobbins of line that I had hanging from the rigging. Now to tell the truth I am the one that taught him to play with little balls of string. I had made a Kitty teaser from an old 5' fishing pole by tying a 6' piece of twine to the pole and then a small bundle of string tied to the end of the twine. I would flip the bundle of string around the living room and he would just have a ball chasing and capturing it, so when "I" left the door open to my room and the wind was blowing these little balls of string around in the rigging he thought it was play time with the result of the Cutty upside down on the floor, all the upper masts broken, and all of the lower ones driven down through the bottom of the hull. :o >:( 10 years later I still have not finished the Cutty. I was so mad I wanted to kill the little monster but the SWMBO asked so sweetly "Just who left the door open in the first place, huh?" :-[ that was the end of the mad at the cat and the start of the mad at myself period. Later that day while I sitting and watch the TV the little monster climbed up into my lap and then up my chest and curled up and went to sleep just purring like mad, :) at that point all of the mad went out of me. I realized that I would rather have the cat than the ship. :D
Andre
over yonder in Portland Oregon
With a new cat who thinks that my room is the neatest thing to explore ever, if I leave the door open for more that 10 seconds she is in there just looking every where for what ever cats look for.
PS Stuart, I hope you and your cat have made up.
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Eddy,
On a different note, was the William Wallace only used on a river or was the flat bottom a concession to ease of building?
Andre
over yonder in Portland Oregon
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I have to say the cat was quite tasty with a light salad!
I love my wife dearly, but I'm not sure I could eat a whole one.... At least not in one sitting! :hehe
Anyway, now that I've calmed down and assessed the damage in a more rational frame of mind, it looks like I'll get away with repairing one side of the hull and replanking the other. The paddlewheel frames are also broken into many pieces so they will also have to be replaced. Not the start that I wanted, but these things happen..... It's not the first time, and no doubt it won't be the last! :(
Like most of these little setbacks in life, you have to pick yourself up and start again.... The alternative is to give up, which isn't acceptable.
Regards
Eddy
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Eddy,
On a different note, was the William Wallace only used on a river or was the flat bottom a concession to ease of building?
Andre
over yonder in Portland Oregon
The SWW ran across the Firth of Forth near Edinburgh before the Forth Road Bridge was built in 1963-64. This is a tidal stretch of water, so the flat hull allowed the boats to sit firmly on the bottom when the water levels were low.
The downside is that with such a shallow and flat hull, they were notoriously difficult to control and were badly affected by the slightest of sidewinds.....
The upside from the modellers point of view is that it's an extremely easy hull to model :)
Regards
Eddy
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Eddy,
What is worse at least for my self, was I then got mad as heck at myself for loosing my cool towards something that had no idea that what it had done was bad, I have worked in several hobby shops and in one that I worked in we had a customer that was mentally challenged and just him coming in the shop would aggravate the heck out of me and then I would get aggravated at myself for letting him get to me and not taking his condition in to account and being more patient with him. Sounds kind of like you and your wife, she had no control over what happened, and you got mad that it got damaged and then got mad at your self for blaming your wife. Any way the build is the most fun for me and this way if there was any thing that you wanted to improve now is the time.
Andre
over yonder in Portland Oregon :)
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As I said Andre, these things happen - At the end of the day it was my fault. We've been married for 32 yrs, so I should have known better than to leave the hull where it was!
We've kissed and made up, so everything is back to normal ;)
Eddy
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I've now spent two days solid (about 10-11 hrs a day) working on a new hull, and apart from some final sanding/shaping I'm just about there.....
Hopefully if I can get it finished tomorrow morning I can then give it to a clubmate to fibreglass inside and out...
While he's doing that I can make a start on the deck amd the paddleboxes, so it should then start to look like a boat! :)
Regards
Eddy
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Good to hear everything is back to normal ;) (what ever that is). Photos of the new one please :)
Andre
over yonder in Portland Oregon
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No photos of the new hull I'm afraid Andre..... I didn't see any point as it's virtually identical to the first, and it's now with a friend to apply fibreglass inside and out, so I won't get it back until next week.
Now I still need to find some 5 foot long sheets of 1/32 ply - So far I've drawn a blank!! :(
Eddy
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Last time i tried to by that thickness from my local supplier the price had gone sky high.
Have you tried these guys?
http://www.slecuk.com/index.html
not 100% sure on this but i think he is an importer??? might be worth a phone call, its been a few years since i used them
EDIT:
I see he has an online shop now - link to birch ply 1/32
http://www.slecuk.com/catalogue/0.8mm-Birch-Plywood.html
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Thanks Kim, I'd forgotten about SLEC - They list 4 foot by 2 foot sheets, which will be fine. The deck has a break in the middle, so I can easily get away with that.
2 sheets, just over £41 including postage!! Expensive, but it's what I need so I'll just hide the creditcard bill when it arrives :)
Eddy
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While I'm waiting for the hull to be fibreglassed and for some plywood to arrive so I can make a start on the deck/superstructure, I've made a start on the paddlewheels.....
I've used the Graupner paddlwheel frames, and modified them so that they use fixed floats. Once they are painted black, they will do the job nicely....
Now I have to wait patiently for materials to arrive before I can progress further :(
Regards
Eddy
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Eddy i hope this doesn't come to late but...
I am just off the phone to SLEC, they have just quoted me for a single piece ( 190cm x 30cm x 1.5mm) Birch ply £11.90 + 9.00 postage if i buy a couple of other pieces of wood to stiffen it for postage.
Regards
Kim
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While I'm waiting for materials to arrive, I decided to make a start on the bridge today.... It's a real pig to do as it has a fairly pronounced curve (which doesn't really show in these photos), so there isn't a right angle on it anywhere!
I still have a lot to do on it, but it's slowly coming together....
Regards
Eddy
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The basic structure of the bridge is now sorted - Needs a lot of sanding down and filling before applying some paint, but it looks like it should!
Eddy
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At long last, the plywood I ordered has arrived.... Why do these things always take so long when your waiting, yet they would arrive in a matter of a day or so if you weren't?
Anyway, now I can really get cracking! :yeahbaby
Eddy
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Good news.
Just a thought, could be that the trees can't grow at the same rate you build at. You put me to shame :)
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Don't you just love it when a plan falls apart...... :(
This morning I thought I'd take a look at the drive system as it needs to be installed early in the build to make access easier - The Graupner wheels I've modified take 3/16" diameter rod for the axle, but the sprockets I need to use for the chain drive are 5/32" diameter. The spockets have a brass collet bonded to a nylon sprocket so drilling them out to 3/16" diameter would cause them to fall apart! And finally I have a choice of two different motors I could use, one has a 5mm output shaft and the other has a 6mm output shaft, so the sprockets don't fit on them either!
I think I have a solution to all of these problems, but I need to have a word with a couple of the engineering guys in my club to see if what I have planned can actually be done - I'm no engineer, so I'll put forward my suggestions and then take their advice on the matter. Hopefully they will be in a good mood to perform the necessary modifications! :hehe
Eddy
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Hey Eddy,
Can you get a 3/16" shaft and have the motor end turned down to 5/32"?
Randy
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Hey Eddy,
Can you get a 3/16" shaft and have the motor end turned down to 5/32"?
Randy
Yep that is the plan Randy - The guys at my club said it could be done okay, and they will also turn down the output shafts on the motors, so problem solved :)
Eddy
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I nearly had heart failure today.... In one corner of the room were the two parts of the main deck (fore and aft, divided at the paddleshaft), and in another corner of the room was the basic bridge assembly I've made - I looked at them and thought, the bridge isn't wide enough!! Bearing in mind it's supposed to be almost as wide as the main deck..... So I thought I'd made a mistake with the measurements on one or the other, and had visions of redoing one (or both) of them!
But thankfully, it was only an optical illusion!! - Place the bridge across the deck and it's correct! But when the two parts are seperate they look totally different in size!
Today I managed to add the timber that goes right around the deck at the outer edge - 10mm square! So it's far too big to bend into the relatively tight curves at bow and stern. I did it with 10mm x 3mm timber - Glue the first one to the outer edge of the deck and then add another two to get a 10mm thickness (okay technically it's 9mm but the glue joints add the final 1mm)... Since the deck is in two halves, and there is left and right on each piece, it meant a total of 12 pieces of wood to get the correct size, so it's taken all day with loads of clamps and then patiently waiting for glue to dry...... Thankfully that's one of the most time consuming bits over with!
Now I really need to get the hull back - Then I can finally trim the deck to size, and get the deck and hull glued together. Then everything else should start to fall into place!
Eddy
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I've now got the hull back after having it fibreglassed inside and out. It needs a bit of work on the bow and stern, but nothing that an hour or so of elbow grease wont cure!
The deck has been cut to shape, so I can now get an idea of the finished size of the model - 60" long, with a 19" beam. Although that's a fair sized model, it won't be too heavy because of the very shallow hull. Having had three lots of spinal surgery, and a back that is now held together by metal rods and screws, the weight of a model is something I have to take seriously!!
Attached are a couple of photos showing the model with the deck just lying on top - I won't fix it permanently until I have the drive system installed. To give an idea of how much bigger it is that the last one I built for Andrew Gray, the first photo shows his 1:43 scale model siting on our sofa, the last two photos show my current 1:32 scale build...
As it's my daughters birthday tomorrow, and wednesday is club day - it will be thursday before I can get any more work done :(
Eddy
Regards
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Well, things didn't go as planned - I expected to get back to work on SWW on thursday, but I ended up doing taxi duty for my wife and daughter all day. Friday I was away at a model show, saturday consisted of tidying the garden, and today I was at my local boat club, followed by the F1 grand prix.....
However, I have managed to get the deck glued to the hull and the paddleshaft fitted this evening, so now I need to wait for the slow setting epoxy to cure..... I had to get something done to try and keep up with Talisman! :hehe
Hopefully tomorrow I can do some final sanding on the hull ready for the paint to be applied - Until then it doesn't look a lot different to the last photo I posted showing the deck just resting on top of the hull, so I won't bore you all with another almost identical photo! :)
Regards
Eddy
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Hmmmm... Still nothing to really show anyone, but some progress has been made.
A couple of the guys at my club who are into metalworking have taken the motors I have so the shafts can be turned down to suit the drive wheels I want to use, and another chap is knocking up a couple of brass rudders for me - Hey I hate working with metal, so these guys are a godsend to me!
it will probably be next week before I get the parts back, but I can cope with that! :)
In the meantime, I've finished the final sanding of the hull, and I've started cutting all the parts for the first of the paddleboxes - Unlike most paddlers, the SWW has paddleboxes which aren't the same left and right (or port and starboard if you prefer). One has a ticket office at one end, which means they are different sizes - Although at a quick glance they look the same!
So it will probably be another week before there is any real progress to show in the way of photos, but once I have all the parts together, I hope I can complete the drive system and the paddleboxes in a day or two..... Then things should really start to take shape quite quickly!
Regards
Eddy
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Here's the progres as of this evening..... Deck glued in place, paddlewheels and axles fitted, and a start on one of the paddleboxes....
Once the paddleboxes are done in the next few days, the progress of the major part of the upper cabins and bulwarks etc should be pretty quick...
regards
Eddy
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It's taking shape :) will you have a single drive shaft or independent? what did the real boat have ?
I do like your spring clamps much more exciting than the usual Black :)
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It's taking shape :) will you have a single drive shaft or independent? what did the real boat have ?
I do like your spring clamps much more exciting than the usual Black :)
Thanks Kim, hopefully by the end of next week the paddleboxes will be complete and the raised fore and aft decks will be fitted along with the bulwarks that link the two. Then it will actually start to look like something rather than an aircraft carrier! :hehe
The real boat had independent paddles with it's twin diesel/electric drive system, and the model will have independent drive as weill
Hans Freund (Scotfriend) is over here from Switzerland right now, so we're off to a new model show in Lytham St Anne's today - Hopefully I can get the rest of the odds and ends I need for the detail stuff later in the build?
Regards
Eddy
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Does anyone know of a source of 1:32 scale diecast vehicles?
I have a few for the SWW, but I could really do with more - Preferably British vehicles from the 1950's or very early 60's.
If anyone can help, please let me know!!
Regards
Eddy
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I got a ford anglia and a jaguar XKE from the science museum gift shop, they also had an 'isetta' and a morris minor/traveller but the morris looked like a larger scale and the isetta was out of stock last weekend.
I've also collected a box set of airfix car kits (viva HA, escort Mk1* and triumph herald) from ebay plus a few individual ones that turned up from time to time (austin healy sprite, mk3 zodiac, triumph TR3, 'bullnose' morris), all with the intention of one day finishing the 1/32 scale Tattershall Castle....
...this is the type of thing... http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Airfix-Triumph-TR4A-1-32-Kit_W0QQitemZ250423807501QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_ToysGames_ModelKits_ModelKits_JN?hash=item250423807501&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A1688%7C66%3A2%7C65%3A12%7C39%3A1%7C240%3A1318%7C301%3A0%7C293%3A2%7C294%3A50
could be worth looking out for old airfix racing cars, just the body shells would do as the rest can be fabricated if they're just going to sit on deck.... I know they used to make a Mk1 cortina and a mini.... http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/SCALEXTRIC-AIRFIX-AUSTIN-1100-CAR-Spares-Repair_W0QQitemZ360155806864QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_Toys_Games_Scalextrics_Slot_Cars_ET?hash=item360155806864&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A1688%7C66%3A2%7C65%3A12%7C39%3A1%7C240%3A1318%7C301%3A1%7C293%3A3%7C294%3A50
*some of these are probably a bit too new for your ferry, especially the escort*
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Thanks for that Mick - I'd prefer to stick with diecast vehicles rather than plastic kits if I can. They turn up on Fleabay occassionally, but they are almost always sports cars, and a deck full of sportcars just wouldn't look right :(
I have a VW campervan, Landrover series 1, Citroen 2CV, Fiat 500, Austin FX4 taxi, and an Aston Martin 1.5 litre sportscar.
Finding the "run of the mill" vehicles from the late 50's is like trying to find hens teeth! Ford Anglia, Zodiac, Prefect - Morris Minor, A35, A40 etc etc.... I'd also like to find a few commercial vehicles such as a removals van, and a bus/coach.
So if anyone sees anything like that on their travels, please give me a yell....
Regards
Eddy
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I've managed to make a bit more progress in the last few days, so the SWW is slowly starting to take shape. With a bit of luck I'll get the motors back tomorrow as a clubmate is turning the shafts down in diameter to fit the drive sprockets I want to use, then I can finally get the drive system sorted while everything is easy to get at!
Regards
Eddy
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More progress has been made, but nothing worth photographing.... The rudders are made and have been given their final shape, and the rudder tubes are fitted to the bow and stern.
Then I started getting all the parts together for the drive system - Motors, sprockets, chain, motor mounts, and axles for the paddlewheels - I was about to start fitting them when I suddenly realised the paddlewheels would stop me from painting the hull! So at that point I stopped...... Hopefully we'll get at least one decent fine and calm day to allow me to get the hull painted soon! Until the hull is painted the drive system will have to wait :(
So now I'm patiently waiting for the unpredictable British weather to play ball for once!
When the hull is painted and the drive system is installed, I'd like to give the model a first test sailing, just to see if everything works as intended!
Regards
Eddy
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So now I'm patiently waiting for the unpredictable British weather to play ball for once!
When the hull is painted and the drive system is installed, I'd like to give the model a first test sailing, just to see if everything works as intended!
Regards
Eddy
My fingers are crossed for better weather.
My Dad had a theory that the best place to paint is the bathroom as there is less dust. Both he and I have never tried it. I did suggest to the wife that it would be best, her face went a strange colour of red, perhaps i will hold out for some better weather :)
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I'm not sure about the bathroom theory Kim - My wife and daughters like to cover everything in talcum powder after a bath, so our bathroom certainly isn't dust free! Mind you I could end up with a model that smelled nice! :hehe
We've had a couple of heavy showers this morning, but I did manage to get outside and spray the paddlewheels... The hull is next!
Eddy
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In between the showers I did manage to get a couple of coats of primer onto the hull, and that has shown a couple of areas where it needs some more epoxy applying...... Hopefully if the weather holds I'll get that done tomorrow, and then get the paint applied on sunday/monday.
So not as much done as I would have liked, but at least some progress has been made :)
Eddy
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The weekend progress on SWW will be a bit slow, as there is the Monaco GP this weekend.....
Saturday, practice 09:55-11:05. Qualifying 12:10-14:15, and on Sunday coverage of the race itself from 12:10-15:00 on BBC.
I don't miss the F1 grand prix for anything!! So somewhere along the way between practice, qualifying, and the race, I have to get more paint, and get some work done on the hull.
With a bit of luck, next week should see some reasonable progresss, as the week after that is filled with various hospital appointments :(
Eddy
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Hi Eddy,
i hope you will enjoy the Monaco GP, for it will be more fun to go to my workshop :sobbing and work on the "Bloody Oak"
regards Hans
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The weekend progress on SWW will be a bit slow,
Eddy
Similar story here Eddy.
I took my newly re-wired Saint Columba out this afternoon for a trial sail and a battery shifted and the model almost sunk :( ( Thanks to Ian McGhie for his help getting the mess sorted out)
This eve rather than working on my Talisman i'm drying out electrical items on the radiator.
Fingers crossed i haven't written off 3 Speed controllers and a reciever.
Enjoy your GP
Kim
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Hi Eddy,
i hope you will enjoy the Monaco GP, for it will be more fun to go to my workshop :sobbing and work on the "Bloody Oak"
regards Hans
You know you'll be watching the GP Hans, even if the BMW Saubers are at the back of the field :darn
Eddy
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The weekend progress on SWW will be a bit slow,
Eddy
Similar story here Eddy.
I took my newly re-wired Saint Columba out this afternoon for a trial sail and a battery shifted and the model almost sunk :( ( Thanks to Ian McGhie for his help getting the mess sorted out)
This eve rather than working on my Talisman i'm drying out electrical items on the radiator.
Fingers crossed i haven't written off 3 Speed controllers and a reciever.
Enjoy your GP
Kim
I'm sure we've all experienced similar little mishaps in the past Kim! :)
I managed to get another coat of epoxy applied to the hull of the SWW today, and I got the bridge painted with primer - Hopefully I'll have time to call into Halfords to get a few cans of paint tomorrow, and then I can eventually get the hull painted!
Eddy
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Today I managed to get the hull painted....
Sitting on top of the hull are the two rudders that have yet to be fitted, and the bridge assembly, so we're getting there slowly...
Eddy
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Eddy,
Now I am even more confused :-\ (this not diffucult), I thought that the WW was a ferry, how did they load the vessel? All the ferry's ihave ever seen loaded over the stern.
Andre
over yonder in Portland Oreogn
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Eddy,
Now I am even more confused :-\ (this not diffucult), I thought that the WW was a ferry, how did they load the vessel? All the ferry's ihave ever seen loaded over the stern.
Andre
over yonder in Portland Oreogn
The SWW had twin loading ramps at the side Andre - If you look at the photo in the first post in this thread you will see them....
Eddy
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Eddy,
I see what you meant by the twin loading ramps. Did they back the cars on for a quick unload or did they back off or for the third option did they turn the cars around on board? I also am assuming that they did not load much that had a trailer behind it. Looking at this arrangement it looks like it took a while to load and unload at each end. Why did they pick this loading arrangement when other more efficient methods were already established?
Andre
over yonder in Portland Oregon
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Hi Andre,
The boats had loading ramps on each side, with a turntable on the deck between them - They could load and unload pretty quickly, turn around times were generally about 15 minutes.
The boat had independent paddlewheels (diesel electric power) and a bow and stern rudder, so it could happily run in either direction - In fact it's debatable which end of the boat was the front! :hehe
Also remember that the boats ran from the 1930's until the early 1960's, so there wasn't the volume of traffic we have nowadays! By the 1960's the boats were struggling to keep up with the increase in traffic, but the Forth Road Bridge was opened in 1963 which made them obsolete.
Regards
Eddy
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I should think it would be easy enough to arrange for the boat to land with the ramps in front of the vehicles onto the pier, eg. they drive onto the starb'd side and off of the port side, and use the turntable only if that wasn't possible for whatever reason...
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In the last couple of days I've managed to get the drive system and paddlewheels installed, and the rudders fitted....
Because of the flat deck on the SWW, the drive sprockets have to be tucked up inside the paddleboxes - This may look quite neat, but it's a pain in the proverbial to fit! Trying to get tiny grubscrews into sprockets when your doing it all by feel alone is enough to make anyone swear!!
Although it looks like a solid shaft right across the boat, the piece in the middle is actually brass tube that the inner end of the paddleshafts fit into to support them.
Only some on the water testing will prove if the motors have enough power, I think they will as it was never a quick boat, but we'll see when it hits the water for the first time - Hopefully sometime next week if the weather is kind?
Eddy
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Looking really good Eddy, where do you find the time? Think i need to reset my alarm for earlier in the morning to try and keep up :)
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The weather forecast for tomorrow morning is excellent, so I've spent the day temporarily installing the RC gear and getting batteries etc charged up. Sadly I've only managed to get the stern rudder hooked up, so I'll have to lock the front one in position for a quick test. As the boat has independant drive as the real one did, I doubt the rudders will really be needed anyway...
So hopefully if all goes to plan, I should have a few photos, and maybe a short video, of it's first sailing by tomorrow afternoon.... Then we'll see how it handles and wether the motors are powerful enough?
Eddy
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:goodluck
Hope all goes well for you Eddy.
Look forward to seeing the pics
Kim
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What a glorious day - Perfect weather, just a gentle breeze and blazing hot sunshine....
The SWW performed flawlessly - It took 14Lbs of ballast, so I know all the diecast vehicles will be fine on the deck. The motors had more than enough power, which was one area that I was concerned about! And even though it only has the stern rudder connected at the moment, it turned surprisingly well....
So I'm absolutely delighted with it's first sailing, now I can continue with the build knowing that everything works!!
Attached are two photos and a short video - The video is taken on a stills camera so the quality is poor, but it gives an idea of how it went....
Regards
Eddy
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Congrats Eddy!
Can't wait to see it finished!
Stuart
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Ditto Stuart's comments.
:bravo
Thinking about the mixer Question Eddy if you left everythin controlled independently i.e. each rudder and each drive on separate channels she could be great fun to play with rather than having a computer doing all the fun stuff... might even be possible to have her 'crab' sideways while on the move , now that would make for impressive docking.
Great update your well on your way now... You might have time to fit another build in before paddler day?
:hehe
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Thanks guys,
To say that I was delighted by it's performance would be the understatement of the decade!
The throttles were seperate, one on each stick, and the rudder (only stern rudder connected at the mo) was on the right stick - So tank steering. That was confusing enough for most people that had a go with it!!
I do have a mixer that I might try next time I put it on the water - The problem is that it's only designed for older PWM radios, and will only work on my PCM set if I put throttle and rudder on the same stick, it just does nothing if I have the normal throttle on the left stick and rudder on the right.....
There's absolutely no chance of me starting another build before paddler day Kim - It's unlikely the SWW will be complete by then, though it should look a lot more like the real boat than it does now!! :hehe
Eddy
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Eddy,
SWW hull looks well on the water, going to be impressive model !! 8)
I love the wakes from the wheels... looks like a lot of weed rising up in that lake ready to entangle, though!
She must be very stable with that beam
Clark
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Well done Eddy. Looking very stable in the water.
ken
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Eddy,
Looking gooooood!!!! Great job so far, now finished it. :hehe
Andre :D
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Thanks again guys, it's always good to get a few comments, good or bad.....
Don't worry Andre, it will get finished - I've been working on it today, got the bridge painted white, and made a start on the deck planking.
Eddy
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Oh I wasn't worried, just a little tongue in cheek teasing ;D It really is looking good. You might think about make one end the bow and the other the stern and only have one ruder that works. All of the ferry's that I am familiar with lock the front rudder in the direction that they are going. If the rudder gets caulked to one side or the other the steering engines can't over come the force of the water on the rudder and this is way more than your average servo is designed to handle. Backing up at a slow speed for a few minutes is OK but running for a long time is going to eat battery power as well as put lots of strain on the servo at the front of the ferry.
Andre
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Hi Eddy,
well done, congratulations will it be finished to the paddlerday? ;) ;) ;)
regards Hans
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Thanks Hans,
I don't think it will be complete by Paddler Day, but it will have all the basics, so it will be on the water! :)
I'm currently planking the decks which is a long job! Hopefully I'll have some updated pictures early next week.... Nothing will happen tomorrow as it's club day in the morning, and then the F1 GP in the afternoon!
Eddy
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A few photos showing the deck planking on the SWW - In these photos, the planking is just lying in place, it isn't glued down yet and still needs some final shaping to fit correctly.
I had intended to do the deck with individual planks, but then I stumbled across some fibreglass deck sheets from Orion Mouldings http://www.wearboats.com/ and that is what you see in the photos. Okay maybe not as good as a properly planked deck, but still a pretty fair result - And since the deck will be covered in vehicles, there will be plenty to take your eye off any little imperfections! :hehe
The only difficult part was cutting out the circular turntable on the aft deck - Cutting a circle in fibreglass without smashing it to bits is a little tricky!
Eddy
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Eddy,
That deck is looking good, don't worry about not using individual planks this will hold up better.
Andre
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Over the last few days I've managed to get the rest of the bulwarks fitted, and the paint applied to the rest of the hull.... It needs some minor touching up here and there, but overall I'm fairly happy with the result - Especially considering my almost none existant painting skills!! :hehe
Eddy
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ARRGGGHHHH!! :ranting :ranting
My model slipped while I was working on it this afternoon, and it crashed down smashing both paddlewheels to pieces, totally beyond repair.....
Just when i thought things were starting to go well.... :squareone
Eddy
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Hi Eddy,
this isn't the first time things like that happend to the SWW, i am sure you are so experienced to repair it :whistle come on and give it a go :goodluck regards Hans
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Hi Eddy,
this isn't the first time things like that happend to the SWW, i am sure you are so experienced to repair it :whistle come on and give it a go :goodluck regards Hans
You remembered the damage that happened to the first SWW I built then Hans? :hehe
The main problem is the fact that I used the Graupner paddlewheel frames and added fixed floats - The frames are very brittle and don't like sudden impacts, they just shatter!
I might try one of the paddlewheel kits that are done by Barry in Australia, but it all depends if his kit can be modified to take the 3/16" axle that I have installed. The other problem is that I'm really struggling to get the model anywhere near finished in time for our paddler day in september, and the delay in getting a kit sent from Australia may just be too long?
Regards
Eddy
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Bad luck with the paddles Eddy. I got a set sent over for my Talisman. Only took a week to arrive.
Looking forward to seeing more on SWW, - I come from Edinburgh and watched these ferries many times when I was a kid!
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Thanks Pete,
Good to hear the postage only took a week, as I said, I'm really pushing it to get the model anywhere near complete in time for our paddler day, so every day counts!
Then there's the problem that it's a real pain to actually remove and fit the paddlewheels - It can be done, but it's not a two minute job! The original wheels took almost a full day to fit because everything has to be done by feel as it's all hidden under the paddleboxes - I swore more than once doing that!
Regards
Eddy
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I had the same problem with fitting the wheels on the Waverley which I built nearly 20 years ago. This time, I've made the whole of the paddle-box fan and bottom valance removable such that the paddles and shafts can be withdrawn as one unit. As the paddles are a friction fit on the shafts ( 5mm ), this seemed the easiest solution.
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Hi Eddy,
would it help if i send you the rims of a Graupner kit?
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Hi Eddy,
would it help if i send you the rims of a Graupner kit?
Thanks for the offer Hans, it really is appreciated, but I've just ordered a set of wheels off Barry in Australia - I think they will be better as they won't be as brittle as the Graupner wheels....
They will need some modifications, but no more than I would have to do with the Graupner wheels anyway.
Regards
Eddy
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Hi Eddy,
Just put some photos of the 'Oz' paddles in 'My Gallery. May be of some interest to you. ( I do realise that Talisman had rimless wheels, but I preferred these as they may give a bit more debris protection! )
Regards,
Pete.
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Sorry to hear the news, Eddy
The same thing happened to my Wave Springerly. The plastic does shatter. I repaired them with a copper band around the rim and bonded in, but of course, yours doesn't have rims so not much help realy.
Hope the new wheels can replace them alright and the shaft diameter problem is not too great.
Ken
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Hi Eddy,
Just put some photos of the 'Oz' paddles in 'My Gallery. May be of some interest to you. ( I do realise that Talisman had rimless wheels, but I preferred these as they may give a bit more debris protection! )
Regards,
Pete.
The Talisman is looking very nice Pete!
I like the "engineroom" layout, nicely done. Just watch those MFA geared motors, they can drink power! I have two in my cigar ship and when in the water they pull almost 5 amps each!, so my runtime is around the 15 minute mark!
Regards
Eddy
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Well, despite the problems with the broken paddlewheels, I have still managed to make some progress.... The bridge is basically installed, so now it's starting to look like the real boat.
The next major job is the main deck fitting, and once that's out of the way it's really just a load of detail stuff to start and bring the model to life - But that's the part that takes all the time!
Eddy
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The paddle wheels are bad luck Eddy i think an incident like that would kill my motivation so well done you for keeping going.
I'm a great believer in things happen for a reason but cant see why on this occasion she was looking good on the water!
Regards
Kim
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The paddle wheels are bad luck Eddy i think an incident like that would kill my motivation so well done you for keeping going.
It certainly did put a dent in my motivation Kim, and to be honest I'm not looking forward to redoing the paddlewheels... I know the kit I've ordered from Barry will require some modification, but I'll only know what when it arrives, and then there's the long winded procedure to refit them to the model, which is difficult with everything hidden under the paddleboxes :(
I'm a great believer in things happen for a reason but cant see why on this occasion she was looking good on the water!
Regards
Kim
There was a similar accident when I built the first SWW for Andrew Gray at Edinburgh MBC - My wife took a seizure and fell on that one!
It's just little things that are sent to try us..... At least that's what my mother always used to say! :)
Regards
Eddy
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Eddy,
I think a higher power is trying to tell you that you should engineer the paddlewheels so that they are easily replacable so that when you are out on the water and catch a snag, a crushed paddlewheel won't be the end of your day.
Randy
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Okay guys, I'm after some help and advice..... I rather fancy the idea of working ramps which I can lower when I come alongside, but I don't really have any idea how to do it!
Attached is a photo of the model I built for Andrew Gray to give you an idea of what things look like - Bear in mind that the decks overhang the hull by a long way, so the hull is only a shade larger in beam than the turntable in the picture.... The deck is also only about 1.5" above the water on my model, so running rods or cables under the deck and into the hull would almost certainly cause a leak!
So, how to do it? Has anyone got any ideas? A few drawings to explain it would be very welcome!
Regards
Eddy
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Hi PD's.....just a few thoughts from OZ Eddy :whistle
1) consider the vehicular ramp having the normal lower 90 to 120 degree pivot requirement
2) add a 90 degree plastic bevel gear set
3) add one of those TAMIYA geared motors & a connecting drive shaft & :beer ... I am sure the one package provides ratios like 10:1, 100:1...to 1000:1
This is one application where we would throw scale out the window :shhh ....if the ramp took 30 seconds to lower ....then :trophy would look good...so dependent on the TAMIYA speed reducer ratio selected ....lowering is not an issue...as the ramp when striking terrafirma....would simply place moment of the SWW in the water
I have not addressed the raising of the ramp & the mechanical STOP limitations or considerations etc....
In the attachment SWW1 ...I have shown the drive shaft & the TAMIYA motor axis as negative 15 degrees...this is to simply get it away from deck level & you could hide the bevel gear set in a deck box
You could also consider motorising the carousel,....so that when the ramp is lowered/raised....the car carousel rotates 90 degrees...two teflon/nylon rings as near the major diameter would make simple bearing elements ..... Derek....:coffee
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Hi PD's....& just :thinking....Eddy...some posts back you mentioned 14 pounds of plumbonium [Pb] as a requirement ...& so deck level vehicle weight would not be an issue
1) consider adding a layer of lead in the sandwich construction of each ramp.....the added mass will tend to make the raising & lowering of the ramp 'smoother'
2) the torque from one of those TAMIYA geared motors will be VERY high. :oops...so rather than eye sight or mechanical limit switches to electrical shutdown...the new owner of ACTion Electronics FLJ?......... may have a simple current limiting device :crash....Derek
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Thanks Derek, I'll give your ideas some thought and see what (if anything) I can come up with... it may be a case of the time and expense involved in getting it to work may not be worth it for the few times it will be used?
Anyway, in the meantime, I've been placing the vehicles I have on deck to see where they will be located - I can't just have them rolling around the deck! So now is the time to fasten them down before the deck is finally fitted to the model.
Eddy
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Great news.....
The paddlewheels I ordered from Barry in Oz arrived today, and although I've only had a chance to look at them very briefly, it appears that they will fit the SWW with only very minor modifications :)
My sincere thanks to Barry for his superb service!
After seeing the wheels in the flesh for the first time, I can honestly say that this will not be my last order, and I'd have no hesitation in recommending them to anyone!
Regards
Eddy
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After a lot of swearing and cursing, I've eventually got the broken paddlewheels removed from the SWW.... The new ones are almost complete, so hopefully I should be back on track in a day or so...
Here's a quick photo of the damaged wheels....
Eddy
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Yes PD's....Eddy's new wheel set will look a little more authentic too by way of the hub area :great....I am not sure about the previous BLACK wheels Eddy........how about RED oxide primer :whistle :crash :hammer ......... Derek
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I'll go along with that. It'll make em stand out :whistle
I would varnish them as well to protect them from all that heavy 'spinning'
cheers
ken
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Hi Eddy,
there is no BMW and also no Ford Transit :D
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Okay guys, red oxide it will be for the next set of wheels......
The Transit didn't exist until 1965 Hans, and thats the year the ship went out of service, so no Transit.... And a BMW??? We'd just finished bombing the hell out of each other during the war, so I can't see a huge demand for BMW's at that time! :hehe
Eddy
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Hi Eddy, you could always have a BMW 20002 Short Wheel Base 2 Door Saloon introduced in 1966 :whistle
cheers
Jim
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Hi Eddy,
what about a BMW Isetta???
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The problem is finding suitable models at 1:32 scale Hans...... Plenty of sports cars and American cars/trucks, but very little else :(
Eddy
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I didn't like the idea of the bent pin that is shown in the paddlewheels I got from Barry, so I designed my own method of attaching the wheels and got one of the guys in my club to make the parts for me....
This "new" hub simply bolts to the paddlewheel and then has a grubscrew to fasten it to the paddleshaft.... A much better solution I think - Anyway, here's a photo of one of the new hubs that I will be using.
Regards
Eddy
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:darn...I too was not keeen on the bent pin so had four brass hubs produced by a well known engineering facility in Crewe UK by a man + dog + cat as employees :respect :whistle...as per the attachment dated 20.04.09
I used 10 BA as the four side bolt attachments & an M3 tapping for a S/S HPGS to lock the shaft....very similar to your construction Eddy ........ :shhh....Derek
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Great minds think alike Derek! :trophy
Eddy
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Here's the first paddlewheel with it's new hub fitted.....
I'm beginning to wonder if someone upstairs doesn't want me to build this model...... First the hull got broken when my wife fell on it, then I broke the original paddlewheels, and today I paid a visit to the optician only to be told I need new glasses, so while they are away getting new lenses fitted I'm as blind as a bat!
Nevermind, I'll keep persevering! :picknose
Eddy
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A couple of photos to show progress to date..... Just to show I haven't spent the entire time sitting on my bum doing nothing :hehe
Eddy
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Hi Eddy
Looks nice i hope we can see it on the Paddlerday?
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A little bit more progress.... About 3/4 of the railings are now fitted, the rear deck is glued in place, and the bulwarks are almost complete.
The next job is to refit the paddlewheels, and then build the centre section of the deck....
Regards
Eddy
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I like your rails and stairs. Looks good, Eddy. I feel I know your settee better !! Have you considered covering it with a drape to prevent colour clash with the model ? ;)
ken
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I don't have a suitable drape to go over the settee Ken..... Mind you I could get my wife to pose naked with it next time, at least that would take your eyes off the settee :)
Eddy
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Just out of curiosity, I decided to do a black and white photo of my model, as almost all of the images I have of the real ship are B&W.... All of a sudden it looks very realistic - Well okay, the settee doesn't do a lot for the image!!
Eddy
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Hey, that's a good idea. :D I'm going to try that.
ken
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I managed to get the SWW on the water first thing this morning, before the wind got up, just to check how she's sitting in the water - No paddlewheels fitted yet as I didn't want to risk damaging them again during the final parts of the construction!
I was getting a little concerned about the weight, so I'm pleased to say she sits almost perfectly - It should only need a couple of pounds of lead for final trimming.
Now that I'm happy with that, I'll get the last of the painting done, and then refit the wheels so I can have one final test to see how she handles before paddler day....... Not long to go now!!
Regards
Eddy
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And just to show I haven't forgotten here's progress on the crane so far - it will work by the way.
Stuart
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Oh wow, that's looking great Stuart!!
Just one request.... Please don't make it too good or it will show up my mediocre building skills!
Regards
Eddy
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SWW on the water earlier today..... First a photo, and then a short video.
Regards
Eddy
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is this a paddler or not?
Andreas
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Hello Andreas, a copy of the first post. Yes it is and in the photo you can see the defined twin washes on the pond sureface
cheers
Jim
I've decided it's time I made my own model of the paddle ferry Sir William Wallace. I made one a couple of years ago for Andrew Gray, a friend up in Edinburgh, and the more I got into the build the more I liked it's quirky design.
The one I built for Andrew was at 1:43 scale, mine will be larger at 1:32 scale.
.........
Regards
Eddy
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Looks great on the water, Eddy. Very smooth sailing. Well done . :beer
ken
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Thanks Ken,
The video makes it look like it's hurtling across the lake, when in actual fact it's quite slow..... Wonder why that is?
Regards
Eddy
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Congratulating this is an impressive model, so nice on the water.
Don't tell us it can't be finished till the paddlerday, it seems 99% complete, so no problem to do the last step ;D.
regards Hans
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Congratulating this is an impressive model, so nice on the water.
Don't tell us it can't be finished till the paddlerday, it seems 99% complete, so no problem to do the last step ;D.
regards Hans
Thanks Hans,
There's still a lot to do, so it will never be complete by Paddler day. We're away on our family holiday at the beginning of september, so I have less than three weeks to do as much as I can :(
The are two masts to make, various handrails to do, winches for the deck, floatation seating for the passenger deck, wooden window frames to make and fit, navigation lights, the crane for the lifeboat, two loading ramps to make and fit, not to mention the various bits of paintwork that need touching up, and a million and one other odds and ends!
It will certainly be sailing on Paddler Day, but it will not be finished...
Eddy
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OOPS!!
I've just been informed by Andrew Gray that I have the model running in the wrong direction, the loading ramps and turntable should be at the front of the boat...... And bugger me, he's right!! :hehe
No problem, I'll simply reverse the rudders and the drive system so it runs in the opposite direction... :darn
Eddy
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Hi Eddy,
Sshe is looking good!
I was passing a spare 5 mins this eve with a trawl of the net and found this little piece of video, you might be interested ...
Kim
http://ssa.nls.uk/film.cfm?fid=0885
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Thanks Kim,
That shows the boat running with the ramps at the front exactly as Andrew said, so for me that confirms it.
Somewhere I have a DVD with loads of footage of the Forth ferries, but can I find it, can I heck! :(
Eddy
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Good to see her on the water, after your bad luck during the build with the wheels.
She sits very well in the water...looks great!
Clark
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Hi Eddy and PDs - Sir William wallace looks the bee's knees on the water!
I have completed the crane and attached two pictures - one stowed and one extended, (the cable looks floppy 'cos there's no load on it, the ship's boat will provide that) I hope it will do the job. It will be winging its way from Greece on Friday.
Stuart
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The crane is fantastic Stuart, I can't thank you enough!!
Please don't hesitate to ask if there's anything I can help you with in the future....
Regards
Eddy
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Eddy,
She must have run half the time with the ramps and turntable to the rear or they would not have made the hull double ended with rudders on both ends. If one end was always run forward they would have eliminated the bow rudder and made the stern wider so they could have carried more cars, they also would have moved the bridge closer to the bow for better visibility when docking. There are to many things about the design that say they ran it both ways, I think that it is more correct that the ramps and turn table always faced the same direction, IE towards one end of the run say the southern end.
Andre
over yonder in Portland Oregon
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Amazing!!
Everything on the SWW is powered by one 12v 5Ah battery, two motors, two rudder servos, and receiver.... On sunday I ran the model for well over two hours, yet when I recharged the battery last night it only took 700mA to top it up.
At that rate, the total runtime will be around 12 hours - More than enough for anyone, even the most enthusiastic sailors, to get bored! :hehe
I would have been happy if it had ran for an hour!
Eddy
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No huge changes, but the various odds and ends that start to make the model look a bot more realistic are slowly being added....
The two engine air intakes (one on top of each paddlebox), the passenger saloon now has it's floatation seating fitted to the deck, the two masts are made, the loading ramps are fitted, and last but certainly not least is the lifeboat crane that Stuart kindly made....
Now if only the wind and the rain would go away for a day or two so I can get the final bits of paintwork touched up!
Regards
Eddy
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Eddy,
Did they really park the cars in a jumble like that? I would have thought that they would have parked them so they would unload faster.
Andre
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That one is unusual in being side loading/unloading: the cars have manoeuvred to the ends, but the semitrailer can't.
Virtually all car ferries which I have been on have had bow & stern loading, with unidirectional lanes. Many have been narrow, so that the outermost lanes involve a wiggle. They are loaded first, with cars which are then blocked in by trucks on the centre lanes.
I have been on some single-ended bow loaders: drive on; back off.
On some larger overnight ferries, despite having stern and bow ramps, I have driven to one end, U turned in the space, then driven out. I suspect that that may have been caused by the layout of ramps linking multiple car decks.
AFAIK the only side loader which I have been on was a CalMac (MV Juno, not paddle) from Wemyss Bay to Rothesay.
I wrote in my pad that this was unusual: a stern ramp, a starboard ramp, no bow ramp.
At Wemyss Bay, loading was from the stern; the early vehicles on made a right-hand turn, ready for offloading. The later vehicles stayed in lanes (cars right, trucks left) to turn before offloading. At Rothesay, offloading was from the side. The reverse operation applied for the return.
Regards,
Roderick B Smith
Rail News Victoria Editor
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Eddy, really coming to life with the detail being added...I must admit that is my favourite part of model ship making, very rewarding ;D
Roderick, MV Juno's sister ship, Jupiter, still works the Dunoon/Gourock route at the moment, end loading at Gourock, Starboard side to at Dunoon. She is loaded at Gourock in such a way that any large vehicles /trucks/coaches have an easier disembarkation at Dunoon, being parked aft/or to the port side.
At Dunoon large vehicles are usually put on board first, then cars behind, unless, in high winds, high sided vehicles are put between port & starboard ramps for shelter
NB Wemyss Bay/Rothesay is now bow embarkation Wemyss Bay, Stern disembarkation Rothesay, new linkspan there.
regards
Clark
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From what I've seen, the loading was a little haphazard at the best of times on the Forth ferries. Firstly, they only had a very short time for turnaround - From docking to leaving was generally less than ten minutes, so no time to park vehicles neatly!
And then we get to the major issue with the model, the deck cargo of vehicles are all diecast, so they aren't light! Because of that they have to be spaced so that they keep the ship in trim fore and aft and side to side. Surprisingly, two similar sized models (of vehicles) can vary in weight enormously! You'd expect the largest vehicle (the cattle truck) to be the heaviest vehicle, but it isn't, some of the cars weigh more!!
So I have to have a certain amount of "poetic license" when it comes to vehicle positions...
Regards
Eddy
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Thanks Clark.
Yes, the same principle (large vehicles to port) shows in my Juno photo.
I checked my Argentina train ferry photos www.paddleducks.co.uk/smf/index.php?topic=2603.0
I had assumed that these ferries were dual rail & road, but apparently not so.
As at 1984, the road bridge had been opened.
There must have been separate ferries for road traffic in earlier years.
On looking at the photos, it seems that all loading and offloading was done at the one end: wagons and carriages would have been shunted on anyhow. The bufferstops at the far end appear to be fixed, not movable.
On my first visit to Norway (Jan.76), I came from Narvik to Bodo by bus one afternoon. This involved three fjord crossings by ferry (30 years later, two are bridges and only one remains as a ferry). The crossings gave bus passengers a chance to buy snacks from the ferry kiosk without adding time to the schedule. On one of the crossings (a short one), a truck was left to last to offload, but was to one side. The ferry listed as the first few vehicles got off, and the truck slid sideways onto the wall. It couldn't get off. With difficulty, the bus got off, making the list worse. We left and didn't see how the problem was solved.
I have watched rail ferries loading in NZ and in Italy: high-speed pumps fill/empty port or starboard ballast tanks to balance the weight of the rail vehicles being loaded/offloaded on the other side.
One of my early experiences was the Williamstown punt, across lower Yarra River. It always had long queues, and loading/offloading was rapid. However, strictly laned (drive on at the stern, drive off at the bow, three lanes each side). On one occasion, I was stopped short behind a tiptruck. I soon realised why. A deck hatch was opened, and the truck tipped a load of coal into the bunker on the run, and so reduced delays for the queues. I have a photo, but not scanned. I enclose a standard 3/4 of the ferry in action. It was to be withdrawn when West Gate Bridge was opened. When the bridge collapsed during construction, delaying completion, the punt was withdrawn anyhow. Vandals sank it at the mooring, and it was scrapped.
Regards,
Roderick B Smith
Rail News Victoria Editor
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Hi Eddy,
i like the SWW more and more when i see the photos of her when she comes together with all these small parts.
The only thing i see is, if there is a third build you need a larger settee :hehe :hammer :hehe :hammer :hehe :hammer
regards Hans
PS. my van is back from the paintshop and it looks goooooooooooooood ;) ;) ;)
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Thanks Hans,
I think the Forth ferries are ugly, but they definitely have a certain charm, and you have to admit they do look different!! :)
Regards
Eddy
P.S. I'm really looking forward to seeing how your van has turned out!
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about the van...... GREAT ;)