Hi All.
Well the paddler bug has bitten again and I am going to build another one. This time a bit of a chalenge as I fancy the Jose Olson (with working beam ).
I have had the plans printed out. but I will convert the model to be built mostly from styrene sheet on the MMB G.R.P hull. Having collected it Yesterday I cant fault the hull. It is nice and solid without being overly heavy and it is 99.9% fault free.
The paddles have been assembled and the main beam supports are also done.
Photos to follow when I sort out how to resize them ( I have changed PC since the last build and have lost the software to do it.)
Cheers Chris M

If you have problems resizing the images, send them to me via email. I'll resize them and send them back for you to post Chris....

eddy.matthews@paddleducks.co.uk

Regards
Eddy

Thanks for the offer Eddie. But I need to find the program for my club newsletter.
Just got back from holiday and while I was away I found the little blighter on my lap top, so a quick file transfer and here they are (please excuse the state of my shed). I am now doing the drawings for the beam and cylinder details to get them laser cut in 2mm acrylic. While that is happening I will sort out the drive and rudder. Oh and a stand.
Cheers Chris M

Those paddle wheels look very good - are they all styrene, or another plastic material?

Hi there, They are 90% styrene, only the hubs are acrylic as I can't find styrene rods large enough, and to laminate them from disks of plasticard is going too far. Acrylic is easier to turn on my lathe as well. The joint between the spokes and the hub will be reinforced with small brass pins superglued into 0.7mm holes drilled through both frames and hub. They can then be disguised as rivits or small bolt heads. I did this on my models of "Princess Elizabeth" and "Monarch".
Cheers Chris.

I was going to rebuild my paddles in styrene so your great work has inspired me to move that job up the priority list!!

I personally would not use anything else, it makes a nice strong , light weight set of paddles. But others will probably disagree.

Interesting, I had no idea styrene was a practical material for making paddle wheels (I imagined the joins between the parts would be too weak to stand up to repeatedly hitting the water, and/or the parts would eventually become brittle due to flexing from the same cause).
This might inspire me to try scratchbuilding my own in future (in particular, I have a "Medway Queen" GRP hull which is the wrong size for any of the commercial paddle wheels I can find). My practical metalworking skills are limited to say the least, but I have a fair amount of experience working with styrene.

I would have no hesitation in going with styrene...I used it to make the paddles on my second attempt and it worked very well.

I guess you need to keep the thickness of the sheet in proportion to the size of paddle so that strength is maximised.

not used styrene like this before either, though i can certainly see the benefits.  i assume plastic weld the joints would not have any issues, it this what you use?

I generally use solvent, like Mek-Pak, and/or good old tube plastic cement. Even though it can be stringy it tends, for me, to deliver stronger joints.

Hi all a little bit more progress on Jose.
The rudder is made and mounted, a bed for the drive is installed (a piece of 12mm ply, it was all I had at work) and the acrylic sheet and data has gone off for laser cutting. This should get me accurate parts to make the beam and mock steam engine. That was fun to draw out on my CAD program, as the laser cutter cuts with a 0.5mm line and the ones on the drawing were about 1,2mm  . More photos to follow. As for the styrene paddles I make the frames from one piece of usually 1mm sheet this gives me the spokes as it were and then the rims also in 1mm. The floats are in 1.5mm. Using this technique I have made workable wheels up to 200mm (8") diameter and have not has one fail yet ( I have lost count how many I have made it is well into double figures). All welded with "Slater's Mekpac" adhesive.
Cheers Chris M

Hi all.
Another progress report and some more photos.It has been a busy week in the workshop. The rudder servo and linkages are all in place, all the deck and engine beams are done. The bits came back from laser cutting and I have assembled the fake steam engine and walking beam. The beam etc are made in styrene and acrylic so not the toughest of mechanisms.(that took quite a bit of thinking about to get the layout to work). She has been in the garden pond to test how much power the paddles put out, and whilst they are only 30mm wide they perform OK. I have made up the paddleboxes and the next job is to fit them and spray all the engine parts so I can "fettle" them and get them working smoothly.
Cheers Chris M

Hi there back again.
After a protracted gap here is the next update on my paddler. I am amazed how quickly it has gone together all the superstructure is made except the saloon skylight. That is made of timber and is waiting to be laser cut ( 24 tiny windows around an oval frame ugh)! The decks are about to be painted and then lined with a 0.3mm technical pen. The drive works OK but she still needs extra ballast to bring her down to the waterline. The walking beam caused a few comments at the Crowborough club where she was sailed, along with the smoke generator she should look OK. Just a few adjustments and a few fittings and she is done.
Cheers Chris M

She looks far better then OK     can not wait to see her painted