Hi Rick, and your comment is very much appreciated. I have not done much on here of late as too many problems to sort. Mind, I have to make allowances when a steam problem rears its head, and even more so if it happens to be a Mountfleet Danny Boy North Sea Drifter. Regards, Gary.

Hi Pewit, (and a proper name would be handy.) If you check out my photo number 1 you can see that the deck has been cut through the centers of the two coal filling covers and right up to the small hatch, this gives very good access to everything. Plus there is a hatch cover at the rear end for access to the steering servo, and a hatch in the front to get at the radio gear and batteries. I would suggest that you fit a gas cut-off valve as a safety and common sense feature. Plus you need good air circulation so don't glaze any portholes or windows leave them open, and fit working ventilators and fit open handles to the wooden hatch covers, this will work just fine and you won't need any ventilation fans. I would not worry at this stage about boiler certification and would concentrate your efforts on building the boat. If you need advice or have problems then get in touch and I will help you out if I can. I will be interested to see your progress in this venture so keep me posted or maybe a build log might be a good idea. As you can see from my photos good access to everything is definitely possible, and you should not need to use any ballast as there is none in mine, due to the weight of the steam plant and boiler water. Regards, Gary.

I can sympathise with the white metal fittings glued in the wrong place, I also have to remove several plus the decks have been fitted but not where they should be so will have to come off. My original plan was to finish the model but that would not be possible without altering almost everything so not surprisingly it went on a back burner. The cabin casting is very heavy and detailing inside is challenging. May be better to rebuild using wood or plasticard. I'll be interested to see how you progress with your build.
Good to hear you are aware of the requirements for model Steam and most Cheddar Boilers should test OK. Your friends will certainly prove of great use when the time comes.
I have a steam unit very similar to yours in my Picket boat and the boiler, engine and steam trap are all mounted on a brass plate which lifts out for servicing. The top casing lifts Off so there is lots of access which is really necessary for a steam plant. I suspect you could modify the deck to accommodate this on your model but it will need some careful thought to avoid spoiling the overall model appearance.
The white metal fittings are copious and add considerably to the weight. We had an armed trawler version at our lake a couple of years ago - it was electric but it took two to lift the model into the water and was way too heavy ballast wise. I have considered recasting many of the fittings in resin for my model. Perhaps this and all the other issues is why I am not proceeding at present.
dave976

Hi, thanks for replying. It came with the article and mag you mention and regarding the construction I don’t really think I will have a problem as I have done restoration work for museums before - I think a couple of them have been posted on this site.

Totally get your point about placement, the chap has glued some white metal pieces in the wrong places and it’s going to be an interesting job getting them of.

All steam seems to be commercial made, I am a charted fellow of the institute of insurance so I totally understand the boiler situation and water compliance.

A couple of my friends restore full size steam locomotives for a hobby and have said when I get around to the point of wanting to steam up they will check it and sort out certification. They already do this for few of the model engineering clubs apparently for the larger steam model locos.

At the moment I am just trying to find people that have made Danny preferably with a compleate `cheddar steam system in as I seem to have.

It’s tight, very tight and I want to. Know how the hell you service the thing when you have the deck on.
To me it looks like a one way ticket and you could never get at anything ever again.
I just don’t see how you would get in to replace or repair thongs like the servos for reversing or ruder either once the deck is on. There is no room to work.

Very bad experiences with a fully rigged and sailing Golden Hind a few years ago. My mistake, couldn’t get at anything properly to repair or service.

I was following the advice of a Rusian chap who had built one and was sailing it on Lake Biacal.

I asked him what he did when he needed to replace a servo.

Great and typical Rusian answer. ‘ I build another boat”.

Great set of pictures GLC.
Rick

Brilliant, thanks for replying. I suspect it’s an old model as the capstan is white metal and in bits and not resin but I don’t know how to tell the things actual age.

I will write again later or over the weekend as at the moment I feel I should try to secure the large plastic greenhouse that seems to have slipped its moorings and is walking down the road.

It’s not mine, does not look familiar and may have traveled far.

Hi Peewit, I think you have been extremely fortunate as this is a really great model, and it also has a steam plant a Cheddar no less. Worth a mention is this is an older kit before the Mountfleet fire, and this is definitely Mountfleet at its best. I will to happy to help you in your endeavor to put it all together. I would suggest a very good starting point would be to buy the book, From Tree to Sea by Ted Frost, the building of the very last wooden drifter, the Formidable LT100. I appreciate yours is a steel-hulled Drifter but very simular, and an awful lot of information in that book. I will find a couple of photos for you of my Danny Boy with steam plant. Regards, Gary.

Hi peewit
Model Boats October 1996 had an article by Dave Abbott who build The Mountfleet herring drifter.
I own a part built kit that was started by a passed member and I consider it to be a fine kit but not for the novice. It is highly detailed and you do need to put the bits in the right place otherwise the effect is totally wrong. I did start work but decided It needed lots of dismantling to be able to follow the plan and get everything to fit. I will restart work at some time but so many other projects need my attention. Dave Abbot is a skilful and award winning modeller and his article will help you avoid many of the pitfalls.
As regards the steam plant, you will need the original documentation and certificates if you intend to sail this. If the boiler was home constructed and has not been previously tested you may have difficulty in getting a test and certificate unless the boiler tester can be satisfied that the correct materials and construction methods were used. This would normally be ascertained by visual inspection and talking to the boiler builder.
Many model boat clubs are affiliated to one of the two bodies (N.A.M.E. and The Southern Association of Model Engineers) whose member clubs test and issue certificates to club members which may require annual updates.
Initially you need to find a local club that is affiliated and join if they are able to test your boiler.
Most waters will require sight of a valid Pressure and steam test certificate as well as third party liability insurance.
I am sorry if this is not what you wanted to hear about the steam unit. It looks well made and hopefully will work as designed and meet current test requirements. If you have a compressor you may be able to run the double oscillator on compressed air to see if it works - give it a good oiling and make sure it turns freely before applying the air.
Good luck and enjoy your build
dave976