Most amusing Ian 😁

hmmm.... I can recommend a good cosmetic surgeon 😁 😁

Here he is, out of sick bay, should give you all a good excuse to use the smiley's
Looks like some character out of Doctor who, might have to take a dremel to his head 😁

Alan

😁 He is booked in for major surgery tomorrow, could end up looking like a bad morph and be shipped into the bin 😁

Alan

HI Alan,
That rear tub is just awesome.
How is the unable 😯 bodied seaman getting on?
Has he been given the all clear to leave the sick bay yet and resume his duties ?

Here is the tie down for the hook, made out of brass, string and a bit of modeller's licence, as Paul would say.
I am also growing a seaman, he has no legs, hands or a head yet, but I am feeding him spinach every day, so here's hoping. 😁

Alan

great job Alan! yes they do flop about, I used some modellers license to strap it down!

Paul

Thanks for the compliments lads, going to have trouble getting my head through the club doorway tomorrow 😁
I do try not to damage my scale boats boatshed, but I do have a problem with buoys and the lake side when sailing the fast electrics 😭 Blackjack and Rocket are getting a pasting tomorrow 😁

Alan

HI Alan, if I made something that good I don't think I could be so modest!! Fantastic job
Roger

HI its Boatshed ,
"I think I have finally managed to make a half decent job of the tow hook."
Isn't that a bit of an under statement ?? 👎 it looks awesome. 👍 👍 😋 .
I would be frightened to put it into water when it's finished. I take out an old tatty 30 year old boat and have no problems. I took out my new Miss Geico cat and broadsided the bank first time out. Got away luckily with scratches. But with the way your Fireboat is going to look, I would scared to use it.
I look forward to seeing pictures of her when she is finished. Also hope you put some video on here when you take her out.

I think I have finally managed to make a half decent job of the tow hook. All that is needed to finish the back tub, is something to tie the hook too to stop it swaying about and knocking one of the crew overboard 😁

Many thanks to Paul for help with this, photo's and such.

Alan

Thanks for the compliment Boatshed, if you need some springs making in the future for hoses, let me know

Alan

Sorry about that Alan, it was just a suggestion 😭 we can all hope.
Seriously, they look great. 👍 only wish I had room for a lathe.
Keep up the good work should be fantastic when she's all finished.

Regards Boatshed

Thanks Paul.

Boatshed, they are just polished brass and not chrome and as you guessed they where made on the lathe. if you knew how long it took me to make them, you wouldn't be suggesting that I make more to sell 😁

Alan

Love the hoses and fittings on the ends. Did you do these on a lathe? How do you do the chrome work.on them? You should be making more and selling them on here.
Also if chrisj is checking out your build seeing his remarks regarding the
Sea Commander they are being sold in kit form, from

Hobbies Ltd . Raveningham, Norfolk, United Kingdom
Sea Commander 34" Cabin Cruiser Kit £180.00 £6.95 Economy Delivery
The original Aerokits Sea Commander
This beautiful 34' cabin cruiser now completely re-designed to take advantage of modern materials and manufacturing techniques.
Hope this is of some interest or help.
Ebay link

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Sea-Commander-34-Model-Boat-Kit-for-Radio-Control-2001-/400177875372?pt=UK_ToysGames_RadioControlled_JN&hash=item5d2c75c9ac

great work Alan, I found this stage of "all coming together" really interesting, keep it going!
Paul

This is the last hose fitting, the knurled piece turns on the main body, but I couldn't manage an internal thread on it 😟
The fittings fitted on the hoses and put in position. Next job is the tow hook 😱

Alan

Looks great Alan and the hose fittings are beyond belief makes me jealous!
Roger

I think I have finally got the upper hand of the gloss black on the hull, its now in the dining room drying and Ill not go near it for a week 😯

In the meantime I have made the bayonet fittings for the ends of the hoses, just need some heat shrink now, to cover the springy bits

I have not been idle, well maybe a little bit.
Nearly finished the rear cockpit, just the hoses and tow hook to do. Struggled a bit with the steps, first three sets went into the fire 😟

Alan

I used Halfords primer, that has been alright, its just that black shows up every mark, bad preparation on my part I think 😑
I had that trouble with laquer on a fast electric boat and was told that I had not left enough time between coats

Alan,
if that is halfrauds paint I see, what primer did you use?

Black is a real pain, my lacquer has now crazed, very faint, but I know its there 😑

I ended up getting some mixed from a paint supplier, it was same price as the shop bought rubbish, and the finish was great, don't know wehat went wrong with the laquer

I have painted quite a few boats with good results, but the black on the fireboat is trying my patience, 😭 black must be the worst colour to use, it shows up every minute Imperfection. Now onto my second large tin of black gloss and a lot of wet & dry.
Photo is of the hull cooking above the stove after yet another coat of paint 😭

omg! fantastic, and you even have a gold pencil..... 👍

I have been looking for some nice brass fairleads for the fireboat, but no luck, so while some paint was drying I have had a go at making them.
I have used the earthing pins out of 13amp plugs.
The pics show them marked off, drilled and the final result, three more left to file to shape 😑

Thanks Paul, it's shiny paint for me then 😁

Alan

Chaps,

Vosper plans do not state it was antifouling black or red, only none slip on the deck, it was called "cerrux". I would suspect that the cabin rooves (how do you spell that!) were also antI slip as the monitors were on them, but sometimes we can use modellers license to make the model appear better! none slip finish on the white cabin tops would probably end up looking like a bad paint finish, that's my take on it anyway! 😀

Having seen some of your other work I'm sure you'll be as good as or pretty close to that. 👍

Yep, see what you mean, bright red gloss it is then, not sure if I can get a finish like that though 😎

Alan - Have a look back at the high gloss finish of Pauls hull, you could use it as a mirror. 😋 Given his attention to detail I would think that calls for bright gloss. 😊

I am not far off painting the hull now 😊 and need to know, is the bottom part of the hull antifouling or bright gloss red?

Alan

Thanks Flack and Alan for the replies. I really have loved the Aerokits boats since my childhood (50 odd years ago...can it really be so long ?) and one of these has definitely been on the build programme for many years, hence purchase of the Sea Queen, which was a great disappointment and still languishes half built. I've always wondered why some enterprising sole hasn't redrawn the designs in CAD and produced accurate laser cut parts....as has been done with so many vintage aircraft (my other passion).
Maybe in my pending retirement I'll CAD out the Fairey Swordsman design (as it shouldn't be copyright protected as probably the Aerokits are).

Sounds as the Lesro people are going the right way....pity they don't do the Sea Commander though. But now I'm getting "picky" !

Interesting thread Alan, and I follow with interest as a newbie !

Chris

Abuse, me, never, I am now upset 😭 😁

Mine is the 34" Lesro Crash Tender, just the kit for making the boat, no fittings at all, all the parts are laser cut, good quality wood and fit together well, the instructions are very poor, minimal might be the right word.
If you follow the instructions at the start and fit the bulkheads according to the drawing, the cabin side pieces wont fit, fortunately I dry fitted the parts and found this out.
Apart from that I am happy with it, I think I paid £120 for it at last years Haydock show

Alan

HI Chris,

Apologies for hijacking your post but I am in the process of building the 46inch Crash Tender from Lesro. The kit is by Vintage Model Works which is a different entity than Vintage Model Boat Co. I found the kit to be fairly expensive but I have to say the components are fairly high quality containing most of what you need with the exception of prop shafts, motors etc. and quite comprehensive. The instructions at first glance seem to be very self explanatory but as I progressed with the kit I found them a little difficult to decipher, part of that will be my own lack of experience in model boat building. When I needed further advice I found Michael Cummings from the Vintage Model Works to be extremely helpful. Before I get a whole host of abuse from Alan, 😛 he , Dave M and pmdevlin were also a great help and inspiration. 😊

Alan, how do you find the quality of the Lesro kit ? is this a kit from the Vintage Model Boat Co ?

I purchased a Sea Queen from Jokita, a couple of years ago, and frankly is was appalling .....fit up was terrible.

Regards
Chris

PAINT IT, no way, polish and maybe a light coat of clear lacquer.

The stepped front of the lens cut easy and polished clear on the lathe, but I think I had the speed to high while parting off and it started to melt, I had to finish this side off with wet and dry and then cutting compound until it was clear.
Ought to get on with the boat now, so that I have somewhere to put all these bits 😁

Alan

really nice Alan, lens turned out great, did it try and melt as you cut it? mine went milky yours looks clear. I have no longer cornered the market on brass fittings, that looks superb, its almost a shame to paint it!

Inspired by Paul I have had a go at the search light for the fire boat, the lens cut from Perspex on the lathe polished up clear with some car cutting compound.

I don't see what the problem is with wives, mine is the same. What's that stink?
What are you using now?, Why can't you do that outside?
I don't complain when she paints her nails every few days. That smells, it also smells when she burns the dinner. But do we complain, No, we just keep quite and bear it.

On the brass pin subject they definitely won't rust if they are brass, and should not ping out. I used them on a Aero Kits Sea Hornet back in 1977 and they are still in place, and have not rusted. I still have the boat now. You can check they are brass with a magnet if they stick to the magnet then they are only brass plated.
Hobbies in Raveningham in Norfolk sell brass pins that are brass.

Yes it would be good to get together Paul, but it will have to wait for Shaun to finish his kitchen, oh and wait for warmer weather as he doesn't like the cold either 😁 😁

just make sure they don't fall off when the boat is running, from what I see those far northern lakes are very choppy!

Just had an email about the funday, hope to go, what about a northern event to shake our boats down first!!

Thanks Paul.
Drilled and then filed until it looked right, drank two cups of tea during the process 😁

lovely job alan, did you have the patience to cut those slots by hand!

hI al
just what you need another fireboat part built its got your name on it in the clubhouse
all the best Ted

While waiting for paint to dry, the lathe looked to clean, so I had a go at this for the end of one of the hoses.

New year, new toy.

Something satisfying about knurling, it's even better than making swarf 😁

I knew there was a good reason to treat myself to that lathe 😁

what a great idea well done! far safer than my method, to stretch the springs I screwed one end to the wall in the garden, and pulled with all my might, if it had come off the wall it would have been painfull, its so much more satisfying when you make it yourself! 👍

First day back in the workshop after visitors, uncovered the fireboat but couldn't decide which bit to do, so, thought I would have a go at the hoses.
I drilled a small hole in a long piece of aluminium bar to take the garden wire, then with the lathe in revers and slowest speed, wound it onto the rod to make my spring, it took a 4m length to get what I needed. After the wire came off the rod it was stretched, the only bit of shrink that I had was the clear sort, so I used a small piece of this and then sprayed it matt black just to see what it looked like.
Think this is the way I will make the hoses, well it passed a couple of hours 😀

Top job Alan 👍 But as your personal Health and Safety Adviser I have carried out a risk assessment and I am a bit concerned about the risk of falls through the doors with the absence of a staircase on the cabin side 😁 😁