Hi from Jim

[Jim]

Hi to all,

Stumbled across the site tonight whilst trawling another model boat forum. I always fancied a model paddler. Have plans for Chieftain paddle tug, also for PT Reliant, which I saw some years back in the National Maritime Museum at Greenwich. The wife has for a long time been keen for me to make a Waverley, which I note Kenny is building on a blog on this site. Yes Kenny, it's me, Jim, of Boston Typhoon fame who you met at Wicksteed.

So there seems plenty to interest me here.

I am semi retired in UK (Northampton area) with long time interest in modelling. Boats mainly, but have also dabbled in planes, plastic kits and model engineering. Current models on the stocks are Caldercraft Victory 1:72, a US Customs cutter 1899and a scratch built Clyde Puffer to name but a few.

Hope to contribute positively whenever I can.

Jim
 

[Eddy Matthews]

Welcome to Paddleducks Jim - I hope we can inspire you to build a paddler, we're here to help where we can, so don't be afraid to ask questions. We're a friendly bunch, honest! 

Eddy

[Tug--Kenny]

Hi Jim

Welcome to Paddleducks club. Yes, this is how I found this club. Stumbled in during surfing, and now I don't want to leave. 

Here you will find the "engineering" of the boaty world. Just the thing for patient blokes like you and me. Find a project and get stuck in (as they say) but don't forget to do Blog. You have a great way with words.  

Cheers...Ken

[Jim]

Thank you for the welcome Eddy. I've had a good look round the site and i'm impressed with the content. One of the things that has put me off modelling a paddler in the past is the complexity of the paddles themselves. I have a couple of detailed plans of feathering paddles which I would love to find the time to make (I am a bit of a perfectionist and these would take me months!) but having seen the wheels that Kenny bought from Waverley Models, then maybe I don't have that excuse to delay any more.

Kenny, how on earth you can proceed with your Waverley at the rate you are doing (seems almost half finished after only one day of posting!!!) is beyond me. Is it Red Bull or something? I am a plodder, trying to juggle between so many interests. But you will be an inspiration with your build blog.

Eddy, how I would have loved to have been on Waverley on the trip to Iona, and to have met up with the other Paddleducks. I took 'er indoors to Oban for a week in February and was aware of the Waverley voyage. Just couldn't do the 1100 mile round trip again so soon, not at current oil prices!

Kenny, i'll blog here whatever paddler I build, but as I said, I am a bit of a plodder, so don't hold your breath!

Meantime, I hope I can positively contribute to the site with the benefit of my (questionable) modelling skills.

Happy modelling! Jim.

p.s Been thinking about a lock on the door of my workshop, to keep the boss out. Just been advised she's planning a lock on the outside to keep me in!

[Eddy Matthews]

The paddles and drive system is the "normal" thing that put most people off building a paddler, but they aren't as bad as you first think! They can often be simplified, but still look the part, and remember that almost the entire wheel is hidden when the model is on the water!

A lot of people use the paddlewheels from Graupner - Admittedly they are made from plastic, but they work well, and can be made to look very realistic with a bit of work. The good side is that they are about £45 per set, as opposed to metal wheels like those that Kenny bought from Waverley Models - Extremely nice, but very expensive!

We tend to try and get at least two sailings in on Waverley each year, so no doubt we'll meet up on one of them at sometime in the future? We almost always post a message on the forum, so the other members know which voyage we'll be on....

Regards
Eddy

[sandystrone]

Hi Jim,
Don't be put off paddle models because of the so called complexity of the feathering wheel.
I designed my own simple wheels for my original WAVERLEY in 1976 and they are still going strong.
See my plans for JEANIE DEANS, WAVERLEY and TALISMAN in Model Boats and Marine Modeller magazines which have  a simple feathering mechanism. They were so easy, I made them on nightshift!
                   Alex C. Thomson

[Jim]

Thanks to all for the welcome!
Looking forward to following your Waverley blog Kenny, at your rate of building, I reckon it will be finished by a week tomorrow! 
Eddy, a trip on Waverley would be a real treat. Thanks for suggesting the Graupner wheels. I've seen these and they would be OK for me durability wise, as I like building more than sailing. Thanks for the encouragement to make a set myself Alex. I just have to find the time, but I relish the challenge.

(sorry for late response - server down over the weekend)

Cheers
Jim