Pevensey the model

[Dai Powell]

Hi folks,
As Derek Warner has noted, my version of Pevensey has been
posted in the files, Derek has asked for some details, so here we
go :- Firstly the motors are "Torpedo" 500 4.5-15 volt from Como
Drills in England, they are geared with Master Airscrew gearboxes to
give 150 rpm, I originally had them geared down to give 50 rpm but
considered that with esc I could decrease the rpm but could not
increase so opted for a higher speed, then I could if needed slow
down. steering is by standard servo via "cables" to the rudder this
doesn't give much travel to the "barn-door"type rudder, but I can
suppliment the steering by individual control of the motors. the
picture of her in the "test tank" showed her floating on her marks
with all gear on board except for cargo which will be "wool bales"
made from lightweight foam blocks 2" x 2" x 2" within a cotton "bale-
bag" the construction of the boat is "plank on frame" that is
1/16" "aircraft" ply on 1/8" "Doorskin" ply frames with cedar
planking up to the waterline, and pine planked deck on a
1/8" "doorskin" subdeck, the interior was sealed with cold-cure
epoxy resin, glue used was standard white carpenters exterior glue,
paint work is acrylic (no smell no fumes and water
cleanup).

I would appreciate information as to how the fore and aft holds are
covered when carrying a cargo that doesn't stick up out of the
coamings, it appears that the guy at Echuca who sent me the plans
doesn't know and will have to ask one of the skippers (who must be
at the headwaters of the Murray, with a drought on) because I have
waited weeks for an e-mail reply and am still
waiting. .........Dai Powell

[Derek Warner]

on Wednesday, March 26, 2003 5:05 AM, daipowell wrote :
>the motors are "Torpedo" 500 4.5-15 volt from Como Drills in England, they are geared with
>Master Airscrew gearboxes to give 150 rpm
Dai - could could you please say a little more about the master airscrew gearbox's - like what sort of
hobby shops may sell them

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

>I would appreciate information as to how the fore and aft holds are covered when carrying a
>cargo that doesn't stick up out of the coamings
Each of the six snaps of Pevensey in our photos file section show the either the canvas tent/s over the
FWD & AFT holds, or the timber frame work to support the tents - and this is the same in other book
snaps that I have seen of Pevensey

Considering that Pevensey did not have a her own jib hoist, it must be fair to assume that heavy
cargo [yes wool bales] would have been loaded & unloaded via the old style wharf 'shear legs', and
again without her own jib hoist, she could not have used hatch covering boards as used by all
nature of vessels with their own jib hoists etc

So based upon the point that she has been restored to near original status I suggest what you see
in the snaps was as built - regards Derek

[Dai Powell]

Thanks Derek for the above info, I guess I really knew that, but had
thought there may have been some more pleasing way of covering the
holds.
However, regarding your query regarding the "Master Airscrew"
gearboxes they are produced by an American company called:- Windsor
Propeller company in California USA they are, I'm told available at
any hobby shop (That may not of course apply to Aussie) they have
however a web address :- www.masterairscrew.com
Or as my hobby shop says they would be happy to supply, you can
reach them at :- info@bcshaver.com
Both master airscrew and bc shaver and hobbies will accept payment
for sales using VISA or Mastercard, I hope that info will
help...........Dai Powell

[Derek Warner]

Dai - well having said that Pevensey currently appears to have canvas tents over the holds,
nowhere does it say that she did not have hatch boards - with Decoy, the FWD hatch deck
opening is 4" x 6" and is covered with a removable 3/8" wide x 6" long rough sawn cedar planks
which are in turn glued to a balsa sheet - @ 1:25 scale this equates to 9 3/8" wide x 12' 6" long
boards - most hatch boards have two lifting eyes permanently fitted - I have used 1/16" brass
split pin heads

Now we all know that our river folk were a pretty tough bunch [many probably convicts deported
from London & Ireland] so I reason that two or three tough river men could easily lift one of these
9 3/8" wide x 12' 6" long boards

According to the [Australian] publication 'Ships of the Inland Rivers' many OZ paddlers have hatch
boards a noted above - so maybe here is an alternate to the canvas tents - Derek

[dragoncity]

Dia,

Congratulations on your P.S.Pevensey.

I have uploaded a couple of photos of Pevensey, see files, Australian Paddlers, showing her cargo area.
One is of the P.S Pevensey at dock, the other a very fine model built in Echuca.

I'm not sure about what they did if the cargo was below decks, but basically they used
a heavy duty "tent" to cover the hold , running along a fixed post and beam
above the hold.

On close inspection of one photo I have ( not uploaded) I note a row of eye-bolts and rings
in the deck very close to the edge of the hold - I could make out 2 or 3 spaced along the hold edge,
presumably to tie off ropes, they may have slung a few cross poles/planks and then covered with canvas.
I doubt that they would use solid timber hold covers - not enough storage room, waste of cargo space,
etc. ( Any way if made of timber they might have ended up in the boiler !! )

As the boats often operated without piers & jettys, they did carry long wide planks to act as gangways
for loading/unloading, and these could possibly be used as dual purpose items.

Hope this is useful.

Cheers,
Brett S Hallett

[Dai Powell]

Thanks Brett for your observations, I note (and have included) that
Pevensey had (and still has) a winch forward of the fwd hold and so
I could assume that a de-mountable derrick could have been used or
for that matter a de-mountable set of sheerlegs could have been used
for loading cargo and for that matter handling hold covering boards
although Derek Warners comment about them ending up in the furnace
is quite a possibility, especially if there was any sort of race on
for cargo etc, although I must beleive that there would have been
more than just a canvas covering over the otherwise open holds, I
feel that in the "WET" a canvas cover would be insufficient, I know
they could sit on the bottom in a drought, but not full of water in
the "WET"............Dai Powell