Paddleducks
Paddler Modelling => Construction => Topic started by: Doonie on January 02, 2014, 06:43:37 PM
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PS BELLARINE 117 gross tons. Built as Dispatch at Milang in less than 9 weeks in 1877 by Thomas Smith and Frank Potts for A H Landseer. She was 111.6 feet (324m) long, had a draft of 18 inches (457mm), could accomodate 60 passengers with bunks for 8 females and 12 males. Serviced the Milang-Meningie mail service across the lakes. She was a Royal Mail vessel and a vital link in the overland service between Adelaide and Melbourne. November 1888 sold to W H Smith & Sons Ltd of Melbourne and steamed to Port Phillip under her own power. 1889 renamed Bellarine, worked on Corio Bay Geelong until when 1900 sold to A Phillips, Melbourne and converted to a lighter. {Notoriety: - In November 1877, soon after she was built, the Governor of South Australia (Sir W F D Jervois) travelled on the Dispatch to Goolwa after visiting Milang. In 1881 Prince George (later King George V) and Prince Albert travelled on the Dispatch, skippered by Captain George J Wallace, to the Bowman's property, Campbell Park, to join in a kangaroo hunt}
G'day, Doonie ére. I've made a start on the Bellarine and I'd like to share the build here if I can. I'm hoping to get a bit of help every now and then as I hit hurdles.
Here's a couple of old pics I've found.
Doonie ;D
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Hi PD's ....& welcome Doonie :coffee.........
Yes certainly this is the correct location for your build thread of our PS Bellarine.......
Are you using the Float a Boat plan set?...Bellarine would make a superb model :hammer
Naturally any questions just ask.......one of our world wide members :gathering will be more than happy to assist
Digital images are always very informative & most welcome.......Derek :beer
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Hello there ,
First of all best wishes
would'nt 35.76 be a more correcte lenght of the ship ?
Otherwise it would be a Titanic xxL :D
Gr from The Bombus
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Hi PD's ....& welcome Doonie :coffee.........
Yes certainly this is the correct location for your build thread of our PS Bellarine.......
Are you using the Float a Boat plan set?...Bellarine would make a superb model :hammer
Naturally any questions just ask.......one of our world wide members :gathering will be more than happy to assist
Digital images are always very informative & most welcome.......Derek :beer
Thanks Derek. I'm a little way along with the build and yes it is from the Float_a_Boat 2 plan set. The plans are a great aid but not fully informative and one must make a lot of stuff up as ya go along. Matter of fact, I had a good look at the pics I posted and it may yet become PS Dispatch. The twin electric motors and shaft/bearing set up takes up a lot of room where the Boiler and engines go but I noticed that the Dispatch had a forward Cabinny thing which would help to hide all that.
I'll post a few more pice in the next day or so.
Doon.
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Hello there ,
First of all best wishes
would'nt 35.76 be a more correcte lenght of the ship ?
Otherwise it would be a Titanic xxL :D
Gr from The Bombus
Very observant. I copied that info off the net and didn't check it. My mistake. My model is a 5 footer (1.5 m ish)
Cheers,
Doonie ;D
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Here's some pics of the build so far. Next thing I have to do is build the paddles. I haven't tackled paddlewheels before and am not sure how to build them. Also haven't been able to find any plans yet. I was going to cut 3 mm circles off the end of a bit of 6" and 4"plastic pipe for the outer circles but the six inch won't fit under me bandsaw so I'll have to think of another way to cut them. Any ideas of a simpler way would be terrific.
Doon :o
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Hi Doonie I am in the same situation as you new to the site and making my first boat. Did you have a look at the paddle wheels at Float a Boat they have a range of them in different configurations ranging from 50mm up to 180mm maybe you can get some ideas from them
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.... Next thing I have to do is build the paddles..... I was going to cut 3 mm circles off the end of a bit of 6" and 4"plastic pipe for the outer circles but the six inch won't fit under me bandsaw so I'll have to think of another way to cut them. Any ideas ....
I'd use a 'compass cutter' (circle cutter) and cut them from suitable thickness styrene sheet
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Hi Doonie I am in the same situation as you new to the site and making my first boat. Did you have a look at the paddle wheels at Float a Boat they have a range of them in different configurations ranging from 50mm up to 180mm maybe you can get some ideas from them
Yeah, I went there to buy some but when she said, "that'll be $150 thanks," I shat meself and thought I'd have a go at making them.
I'll get there. Something will come up or I'll just go ahead and make some and see what happens.
Cheers and thanks,
Doonie.
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.... Next thing I have to do is build the paddles..... I was going to cut 3 mm circles off the end of a bit of 6" and 4"plastic pipe for the outer circles but the six inch won't fit under me bandsaw so I'll have to think of another way to cut them. Any ideas ....
I'd use a 'compass cutter' (circle cutter) and cut them from suitable thickness styrene sheet
Thank you. Still thinking about that.
Doon.
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theres no reason why you cant build them your-self,but , my first set of p wheels took me 3 months , but im a slow builder
since then i haver use laser cutters for my adelaide p wheels , last set were HIPS from FaBoat , took me all of 4 hrs to build , a very good product .
i would advise to build up rims on a plan or jig , others have cut out of alum. plate
good luck
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See also the reference which I culled from Loney:
http://www.paddleducks.co.uk/smf/index.php?topic=2384.msg11355#msg11355
It was used for pleasure cruises from Geelong to tea gardens at Point Henry.
I wouldn't want to go right down Corio Bay with that draft, and not across the heads to the Mornington Peninsula side, although Lake Alexandrina and Lake Albert were both notoriously rough.
The sale date of 1888 was the result of the opening of the through railway between Melbourne and Adelaide (IIRC 1887), making the mail boat redundant.
Roderick B Smith
Rail News Victoria Editor
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Thanks for that. I'm leaning more to build it as the Dispatch, for various reasons, but thanks for that tidbit to add to my info collection.
Doonie.
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OK, I've made a decision. Its going to be the Dispatch, or as near as I can make it going off a couple of old photos and Flooataboats plans. I have the independent drive systems set up and wired up but now I have to wait for some stuff to arrive from the US before doing much more. I'll give more pics when that happens.
For now, needs must move on to other projects for a while.
Doonie. :azn: :azn:
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I moved over to the Baby Bootlegger Project while I'm waiting for the bits for Dispatch from the US.
Here is where she's at. The first pic is the real boat, the second a modern replica and the others are my model.
Cheers,
Doonie :azn:
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and
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and
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and
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and last but not least,
Cheers,
Doonie
Sorry bout all the posts. I couldn't figure out how to post the pics.
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Well hullo PD's.......... :whistle ...that was a quick conversion from a paddle wheeler to a high speed racing hull? :oops
The subject hull is very interesting :hammer ....but a little away from what I expected........ :squareone ...you could copy & paste into a new thread created by yourself......
It is important :gift to keep ....eg., a thread on PS Bellarine closely associated to that vessel
BTW that rudder :shhh...will it have enough surface area to steer that electronically powered monster speed boat?.........Derek
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G'day Derek,
I just threw that in there for interest sake. Mebbe a tiny bit every now and again but mostly about the Bellarine, now PMS Dispatch, which by the way I have done a bit on since me bits arrived from the US and Hong Kong.
Pic 1 where I'm at.
Pic 2 forward compartment - battery esc.
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and
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Pic 3 motors hooked up with dpdt switch to swap poles on left motor which enables spin on the spot left or right to get out of trouble.
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Pic 4 stern compartment, steering servo and receiver.
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Pic 5 smoke maker roughly in position.
Still need to decide how to make the paddlewheels. Any info re that would be gratefully received.
Re the Bootlegger Rudder. I dunno. In fact I dunno if the thing will thrash itself to death or not when all that power gets unleashed from that huge motor.
Model boat building is a bit of an out there I dunno what will happen, argh stuff it lets have a go experience I reckon.
Cheers, thanks for the interest.
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The way I make paddle wheels can be seen on this site. Construction, Duke of Devonshire, page 4&5.
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I see that you are using the same model of smoke machine as I am.
After I received mine, I modified it to hold more oil and it now runs well over an hour. I found a plastic box in my attic that was the same height as the steam machine.I carefully drilled a small hole into the side of the machine and the box as close to the bottom as possible and joined them together with a plastic tube. The level of the liquid will be the same height in both containers.
Enclosed are two photographs.
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The way I make paddle wheels can be seen on this site. Construction, Duke of Devonshire, page 4&5.
Excellent work, thanks for that.
Doonie
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I see that you are using the same model of smoke machine as I am.
After I received mine, I modified it to hold more oil and it now runs well over an hour. I found a plastic box in my attic that was the same height as the steam machine.I carefully drilled a small hole into the side of the machine and the box as close to the bottom as possible and joined them together with a plastic tube. The level of the liquid will be the same height in both containers.
Enclosed are two photographs.
Good tip thanks for that, and I have been enjoying watching your build.
Thanks,
Doonie.
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Thanks for the replies.
I have built three boats,wrecked two built for speed and two cars overbuilt for speed.
This is my first attempt to build something just from blueprints. I have realized that if I give enough time to analyze a problem in building I will solve the problem.
There are several issues I have to think about such as how to put steam at the back of the boat to make it look like the caliopy is playing.
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I understand your problems with the paddle wheels Doonie, I am at the same stage. I have now decided to make them out of 3mm plastic which I pick up on Wednesday night mine are 180mm diameter with 16 paddles For the Mississippi Paddle steamer Robt. E. Lee on the forum. I tried a sample of them out of 3mm ply and it seemed to work ok cut out rough with a scroll saw then clean up in the mill easy as but time consuming job. I to saw the ones at Float a boat and thought they were to expensive anyhow keep up the good work and photos I will do the same.
Jaydee
John
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Goodonya John. If'n you saw them at Floataboat then you are in Vic. I live in Briag, SE Gippsland. You anywhere near that?
Doon
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No Mate South Springvale will be looking for a place to float my boat when it is finished. Where do you go? anywhere towards Melbourne. $50.00 for the paddle wheel plastic, I will get started on them at the weekend.
john
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Jaydee when I lived in Springy Sth I used to travel to Boxhill by train with my mobility scooter with model attached to sail with the Surrey Park Model Boat club which I was a member of.
http://www.spmbc.org.au/ (http://www.spmbc.org.au/)
Damien.
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hello
Beautiful hull, I like this boat, where had you the plan?
Cheers
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Not sure what you mean mate, if you are talking to me. However, if you mean nice boat so far, thank you, and I got the plans from Float a boat in Victoria Australia. http://www.floataboat.com.au/
Cheers,
Doonie.
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Nice boat
bad translator, sorry .
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gday folks , there is no reason why you cant build your own paddle wheels , dont forget aluminium , 2/3 mm, then you bolt on the floats w "J" bolts , home made out of 2 mm s/steel bolts BUT it took me a LONG time to finnish my floats ,almost 3 months , out of brass plate =too heavy .
but my FaB paddle wheels were built in 4 hrs ,a good product , i still think
regards bill s
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G'day. Done a bit more on the boat. I've decided to build it as the RMS Dispatch, which is what she was before being sailed around to geelong.
I've bit the bullet and ordered the paddlewheel kits from floataboat and also got onto a nifty esc for paddleboats. It's a Sabretooth 2 x 12 rc esc. Here's a link to the website. https://www.dimensionengineering.com/products/sabertooth2x12rc and a link to a YouTube demo with a snow plow thingy, but you'll get the idea. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mbLJotA2L6I
Cheers,
Doonie
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Done a bit more. Made the sponsons, then realised I'd have to put the steel sides on before I could mount them so I did that. That two motor speedie turned up. as did the paddle wheels so its full steam ahead at the moment.
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and
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Got the rustic deck planks on, and the sponsons.
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Hi PD's........looking good Doonie :bravo
Difficult to tell from the images :whistle ....but could this be :shhh
1. cedar deck planking?
2. pine planking on the hull?
3. hardwood for the sponsons?
I think the deck planking when aged/preserved will be a brilliant representation :clap
Derek
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Good work Derek and thank you. Hardwood for the sponsons, balsa ( plus fibreglass) for the hull and Meranti for the deck. I added ten drops of black dye to the glue when gluing the planks and rubbed it in as I went. The planks were all rough cut so some were higher and some were lower. When the glue dried, it dried clear leaving the black dye in between and on top of some of the planks. I plan to also paint the deck with a wash of turps and black paint to accentuate the colours. I hope to end up with a silvery grey look, similar to weathered fence planks. As you know, I' m building the Dispatch, which was a whacked together cheapy with not a lot of pizzaz. Making it up as I go. Only got two old photos to work from.
Doonie.
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Hi Doonie
Well done and good tricks! By expecting, you did this from only two photos, all my respect!
Regards
Gerhard
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I wish I were that clever mate. I started with a set of Floataboat plans for the PS Bellarine, which is what the Dispatch ended up as. But there are major differences between what she started as and what she ended up as. I am trying to build what I believe was the original boat.
Pic 1 is a painting of the PS Bellarine.
Pics 2, 3 and 4 are the Dispatch at various times.
I'm trying to build her like Pic 2.
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t`s just the same thing with most of that old paddlers. They all had their changes, depending on the use.
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Made a start on the paddlewheel covers today.
Pic 1 The bits and my drawing and a picture to work from
Pic 2 I cut angle bits off a lump with the big band saw
Pic 3 then ripped them to thickness through the little bandsaw
Pic 4 and passed them though my mini thicknesser.
I think I'll have a couple of days off and get my head back together.
Doonie.
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So much for taking a couple of days off. Drove me nuts thinking about the paddlewheel thingies but it came to me in the middle of the night so I made them today and yesterday. Also shifted the main deck superstructure back to be more like the Dispatch than the Bellarine, and shortened the wheelhouse cos it was out of scale. Going to town tomorrow so I'll get some more annealed aluminium and make some water protector thingies to go inside the wheel cover thingies.
Doonie
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................... but it came to me in the middle of the night .......................
Doonie
That`s how it always works. Study all day, nothing happens; Dont think about it, here comes the solution!!
The wheel covers look really good!
Greetings
Gerhard
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Paddle-boxes are almost done. It was always my intention to make the whole upper superstructure and paddle-boxes lift off as one to enable simple access to the mechanics of the thing. I am certainly relieved that it is done and has turned out so well. I'm quite interested in working on it at the moment so I'll keep going until I hit a hurdle or something more urgent pops its head up.
Doonie
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Got more done.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3aO9OI1TpD4&feature=youtu.be
Doonie.
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verry nicely done
i'm happy to see that esc
did'nt knew about it before and it's just what i need fore my (little) boat
thnx for sharing
greeting from The Bombus
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You're welcome. The test will be in the water. The response is such that I can always run a servo to the rudder to steer it if the ESC is too skritchy.
Doonie.
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Hi Doonie, me again 8)
Good Video, but I think, the wheels would have better response to the motors, if you would use small timing belts instead of what I believe are O-Rings. The ship looks great, really good work!
Greetings from cloudy Vienna
Gerhard
PS.: What music is used in the vid?? I like it!
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Very nice model Doonie . I hope you won't take offence. From my experience the wheels are to fast, so don't run them at full speed. Or water will squirt out the vents like a fireman's hose. Keep up the good work. R.G.Y.
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Hi Doonie, me again 8)
Good Video, but I think, the wheels would have better response to the motors, if you would use small timing belts instead of what I believe are O-Rings. The ship looks great, really good work!
Greetings from cloudy Vienna
Gerhard
PS.: What music is used in the vid?? I like it!
Thanks Gerhard. I guess I'll find out, on the water, if the "O 'rings will suffice. If not, I may have to go to timing belts. As to the music, I'm not sure. I have thousands of my favourite songs on my phone and I play them all day through a speaker system designed for Computer screens. Doesn't matter what comes up next, I like it.
Doonie.
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Very nice model Doonie . I hope you won't take offence. From my experience the wheels are to fast, so don't run them at full speed. Or water will squirt out the vents like a fireman's hose. Keep up the good work. R.G.Y.
No offence taken. The motors are geared and are at 148:1. At the moment the big pulley is on the motor to gear them up a bit but I can swap them over or make different ones to get to a good ratio. Thanks for the thoughts.
Doonie
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Hi PD's & well done on the build Doonie :clap....but as other members have mentioned :thinking
1. O-rings will slip when driving in the water.....those little segmented V belts will solve this
2. ideal model motor shaft speed can vary from say 100 to to 150 RPM max
3. your tank steering will have the vessel rotating on it's axis length
4. the paddle shafts when rotating I water will deflect from their current point being outboard of the shaft bearings......you could consider mounting a small plummer block outboard of each wheel & mounted on the sponsons
These are available as scale pieces from Small Parts & Bearings in QLD....small to scale & fitted with 316L totally enclosed [ZZ] miniature ball bearings.......I will be using them in my build....here is one fitted to my 5/32" stainless paddle shaft....I also have a 4.0 mm metric version for the auxiliary boiler feed water pump
Keep up the good work .........Derek......... :beer
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Hi PD's & well done on the build Doonie :clap....but as other members have mentioned :thinking
1. O-rings will slip when driving in the water.....those little segmented V belts will solve this
2. ideal model motor shaft speed can vary from say 100 to to 150 RPM max
3. your tank steering will have the vessel rotating on it's axis length
4. the paddle shafts when rotating I water will deflect from their current point being outboard of the shaft bearings......you could consider mounting a small plummer block outboard of each wheel & mounted on the sponsons
These are available as scale pieces from Small Parts & Bearings in QLD....small to scale & fitted with 316L totally enclosed [ZZ] miniature ball bearings.......I will be using them in my build....here is one fitted to my 5/32" stainless paddle shaft....I also have a 4.0 mm metric version for the auxiliary boiler feed water pump
Some good thoughts. Thanks Derek.
1. I don't doubt you but will try them before changing to belts.
2. I should be able to attain those revs with the up and downing of the pulley diameters.
3. Yes it will be able to do that but the amount of power going to left and right motors is infinitely variable and controllable with the joy sticks. I want to be able to rotate it in its own length in case I get it stuck some where. Most of the time it will steam in a straight line with a little bit of left or right to change direction. If it fails to work properly, I have a standard esc and servo for the rudder. Just in case.
4. Excellent suggestion re the bearings.
Thanks again.
Doonie.
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These are available as scale pieces from Small Parts & Bearings in QLD....
Did not know them until now, but that`s one of the most worthful sites for model builders!!
Thank you DEREK!! :s_cool
Hope they ship worldwide!!
Regards Gerhard
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More done. Cubbla pics.
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and a couple more.
Doonie
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...sorry to pinch the thread Doonie........ :shhh
Gerhard......Small Parts & Bearings are I understand originally US based, but have branched out to Australia & UK via a franchisee system
I cannot see any link to a German franchisee/distributor........but the UK link is closer to you than my link which is 1000 km from Brisbane to Wollongong...... or 20,000 km from Australia to Germany................Derek.... :beer
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hello Doonie ,
she's coming along verry nice .
i like the looks of her , can almost smell the oil and grease by just looking at the pictures
are there plans of her here on the downloads ?
verry nice steamwinch , where is it from ?
and where are you from Doonie ?
could'nt find it in your profile
greetings from The Bombus
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hello Doonie ,
she's coming along verry nice .
i like the looks of her , can almost smell the oil and grease by just looking at the pictures
are there plans of her here on the downloads ?
verry nice steamwinch , where is it from ?
and where are you from Doonie ?
could'nt find it in your profile
greetings from The Bombus
Thank you. I bought the plan set (2 sheets) from Floataboat. The plan set is the Bellarine but I am building the Dispatch, or a facsimile of the Dispatch which is the original boat before eventually becoming the Bellarine. The steam winch is a kit available from Floataboat. It is not perfect, parts don't fit as the exploded diagram that comes with it suggests but the end result is enough I believe.
I'm from Briagolong, a tiny town in East Gippsland, Victoria, Australia.
Thanks for the comments and interest.
Cheers Doonie.
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Got the chimbley nearly done today.
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Bit more done.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F410AGddtkc&list=UUAuv4rUb8XBK1m3q66Kiiuw
Doonie
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Hi Donnie...
It appears that we share a common interest in the PS Dispatch.
I live at Meningie, SA on the shores of Lake Albert where the PS Dispatch was the first of two paddle steamers, the other being the PS Jupiter, that serviced the town from Milang across Lake Alexandrina. This was one of the early transport routes between Adelaide and Melbourne.
It is my intention that we will build two models of PS Dispatch, the first, possibly 10-12 metre in length as a playground item for the kids to play on located in our town park on the lake edge. In the near future we hope to also build a large new visitor/interactive/cultural centre in which I'd like to place two large, accurate models of the two paddlers that meant so much to our town from 1860 to 1930. If you consider down the track that you wish to sell your Dispatch, our council may be interested in giving it a good home.
I note that you have a number of pics of Dispatch and possibly further information on her, I'd be interesting in obtaining similar for our visitor centre. I also came across an on-line pic of her showing her bow nameplate and that forward "cabin" that you've mentioned. This cabin was more of a solid canopy or bimini.
PS: Love your youtube extracts, the top edge around the boat side is referred to as the gunwale
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Hi Paddleducks. My head is back in a good space. It wanders every now and again. I have started building a 1.2 metre Racing yacht which is now nearing completion and is off getting a couple of jobs done on it. The Dispatch is back on the work bench. I have it hooked up to a 6 channel Radio so that I can have a few extra things happening. Today, with the help of a real nice bloke who lives in this area, I solved several electronic problems. The boat now operates as follows. There are two geared 12 v motors, each running one paddle using "O"rings to drive them. The drive seems OK. It's not a race boat by any means. I can't stop the shafts from spinning by squeezing them between my thumb and fingers. Time will tell, but it will be an easy conversion to belts. I have the machinery to turn up belt pulleys. Meanwhile, the right hand lever thing on the radio controls the throttle, forward and reverse is up and down. Left and right on the lever will spin the wheels forwards and backwards at whatever ratio of speed I have on to go from gentle left and right to spin on the spot. I can also spin on the spot from barely moving to flat out. I read somewhere that this method is fraught with danger and I can see that it would be if I was a ten year old and did everything flat out. I have no intention of doing that but I would like to be able to turn her gently in her own length to get out of trouble. Time will tell there also.
The speed controller is a complicated piece of hardware which works very well doing the above mentioned stuff but has some quirks. When the throttle is in dead stop, there still seems to be power at the motors because the smoke generator is hooked up to neg pos on the motor and runs freely even though the motor don't turn. I solved that problem by installing an rc switch so that I can isolate the smoke thingy at the flick of a switch.
Time to get on with painting but first I think I'll plonk it in somewhere to see how it rides with all the rc stuff and the big lead acid battery aboard.
I'll post some pics or a vid when that happens then I'll get back on with the detail work.
Cheers,
Doonie.
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Good news Paddleducks. I plonked her in today. First, I was gunna put her in my mate's bath cos we don't have one (got two showers though). Anyway, plonked her in a little puddle just up the road from me and the paddles didn't even touch the water. We loaded her up with shit out of the back of me mate's car, oil bottles, spanners, heavy things. Whatever we could find to get the paddles in the water and the boat down near the water line. Fired her up and away she went. Doesn't answer the rudder, just sails serenely along wherever it wants to go but the caterpillar system I am using soon sorted that out. Works perfectly to change direction gently or spin it on the spot to go somewhere else. The "O"ring drive is perfect. No slippage, just puddles along noice. Absolutely no moisture in the hull. The system of "O"rings I have on the outer side of the paddle drive shafts, with a dot of grease, worked perfectly. I have a double action radio switch in the electronics to turn the smoke on or off and I will also have lights connected to that switch.
I weighed all the stuff we stuck on it to get it down in the water and I'm gunna need at least six kilos of lead to get her down. Even with all that extra weight, it just paddles away picking up speed and looks sensational.
I gotta work on the fiddly bits of the superstructure now but I'm not that far off. I'll post picks when I get it done.
Cheers,
Doonie.
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Bit more done. Here's a liddle movie.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UcF_7MHjQ_Y&feature=youtu.be
Doonie.
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Very nice Doonie :) :)
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Maiden voyage.
Doonie.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-IJVix76r4E
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Hey ...congratulations Doonie........ :yeahbaby...great water first trial...& we see from the smoke that there was a fair southerly blowing :41
This naturally indicated near ZERO steerage..........however this is prototypical of our OZ paddlers...is the barn door rudder to scale?
What were your thoughts?........Derek :beer
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Thanks Derek, very kind. She's a slug, don't you worry about that. First up, the twin electric motors, geared to 1:148 then geared up a bit with a slightly larger driven pulley delivers almost scale speed. I had to back the throttle off to about four fifths to get what looked about right. The rudder is useless but is to scale. It'd turn around on a footy oval with the rudder. Yes, a stiff breeze was blowing and it did take control of the boat. However, with a fair bit of space, as shown about half way through, I was able to utilise the bulldozer steering to good effect. It steers well, slowly, with the bulldozer steering. It's been a long project, almost five years but I am very satisfied. Some small detail work now. A bit of paint but I'm going to go with the mostly timber thing because I like it like that. The boat, to me, is a model of the Dispatch but also a piece of woodworking art. I'll post some more pics when it's done and maybe some more video in a good setting with a few pans.
Doonie.