A lifeboat build blog...........How a kit is made!

Magic Neil. Are those little Axes i see. Amazing.

Getting close to getting their bottoms wet Neil!

yes they are Tony, and yes they are barry.........hope to have them ready for the weekend of the 23/24th June for the national Lifeboat rally at Etherow.

neil.

Today, I was informed of a few items for the aft cabin of the "Smuts" by my guru..........a steel box for holding the line throwing equipement, a box for holding the lines/rockets etc, and an open pigeon hole type locker for holding flairs.

The latter was to be split into 16 pigeon holes.......I had a locker that I had made earlier that I thought would do for the rockets and lines to go under the starboard bench, aft cockpit, and the steel box will be made from a block of obeche, but the pigeon hole locker, I had to scratch from plasticard, using a "carcasse" of 1.0mm plasticard, with an inner set of interlocking 0.8mm card to make the pigeon holes.

Secondly was the making of the mizzen masts from 6.0mm dowel and resin cast brackets and base plates to hold both masts in place at their set angles.

Have been doing a lot of painting of fittings today, and added the samson posts with cleats to the boats as one, but realised from a comment my Guru made yesterday in email to me that I hadn't included the "explosives boxes".those containing the line throwing gun, and rockets for line throwing...........so made these this afternoon.........from memory of seeing the Anne Letitia Russell, the gun box was red and the under seat locker for rockets and lines was painted grey......both had haspe and staples with padlocks.............and I always think that those little bits of detail always add a certain authenticity and interest level.
When the paint hardens tomorrow I'll label them "Danger Explosives".

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Next up real little folk to man these exquisite models, now that will be a challenge lol

how about these,Damien.........some I made some years ago...............

Looking amazing Neil, as usual. I want to say hurry up and finish them because I'm getting impatient to see
them on the water, but I know you're doing your best so I wont, er......ooops!

Love the explosive boxes, the fittings on those are quite delightful. And I'm sorry to hear about your TV ,LOL.
Don't you know you're not supposed to admit to that kind of thing? Don't you have a cat or some other pet
you could lay the blame on? That is what they are for you know.

hi James.....here's another cracker.......lol

Been fitting out the fore cabins with the oil tanks and hand pumps, gratings, bases for the samson posts and any other little bits and pieces inc. chart tubes and even hooks to hang the binoculars and megaphone on.........all add to the interest.

And lastly I'm glad my 13 year old daughter is a better spell checker than I or my computer are........was merrily applying the lettering to the grey rocket boxes and had gotten to the last box and the last E of the last word when she looked over my shoulder just befor she went to bed, and said
..............." Da-aaaaad!!! ( you know the way they do when they either want something or want to ask a question) "

"Ye-eeesssss!" I replied.

"isn't there supposed to be a "P" in explosives".

Duuuuuurrrrrrr!!!!!

just love this build blog neil but must ask what are you going to build next to top this one ?

believe it or not, Andy, what I would really love to do is restore an old Healey ( of the austin healey fame) Speedboat at 1:1 scale.



I nearly bought one ( a 16foot boat) 2 years ago and had made an agreement with a chap in the lakes who had one in restoreable condition......and we came to a price of £1500 quid.

Made arangements to go to the lakes with a car with tow hook and had drawn the money out in cash for him, only for him to email me at 23.45 hours the night before I was due to go, and he told me he'd decided to keep it..........i'd booked a large workshed in an industrial unit with power, got all my tools together.......I was gutted..........



so if any of you guys know of a Healey speed boat in need of resto out there..........please let me know.

cheers, neil.

Well, I've got over my hissy fit from yesterday.......nothing seemed to go right and I realised that I was not going to get the models finished for a show in two weekend's time which is devoted soley to RNLI and other SAR modelsand I was a little upset.
I started off by making ( or trying to) the wind/spray screens for the three boats.
when I made the Anne Lettitia Russell and ( I think) the Liverpool class boat I made the surrounds to the screens from "U" shaped brass extrusion, and it worked well...........but yesterday, after spending hours cutting, mitreing and then surrounding the screens with the brass.............it looked.................well s****, is the only word I can discribe it with.

So I re cut all the plastic screens, and decided to trim the edges with black vynil sticky tape..........the next disaster.......and by this time I was getting a little persisted off........as the adhesive on the vynil wasn't strong enough to hold the tape to the screen..................

so, I went back to basics, and decided to use my tried and tested double sided sticking tape that I use to stick windows and framed to superstructures.
I stuck this to the adhesive on the sticky back vynil and then stuck the vynil to the screens..........partial success but the tape still was having a tendancy to lift from the screens...........so in the end I put all the screens between two layers of conti boards and stuck 3 large car batteries on top to weigh them down, and brought the whole thing in doors to sit for a couple of days..........hopefully the vynil will get fed up trying to seperate and stay stuck......if not I'll then try the whole thing again but use black paper and double sided tape...........now that whole excercise took me the best part of yesterday without probable success................so you can now imagine why I was fed up last night.
Today have been spraying vents and other little jobs.....but that's another story.

not a great deal to do now.........hopefully these three will be finished by the end of next week..........then down to the pond for a sail.











I will of course remove all the dust before I take them sailing, lol



.

I am really looking forward to the sailing Neil...Will you be going to the boating lake on the sea front?

will be barry..........hope for a calm day......can't sail lifeboats in rough weather,

it's amazing as you get towards the end of you start finding bits and pieces that you have forgotten to do, forgotten to make and even bits that you haven't a clue as to what they are because you've never come across them before..............

so I'll start with the thing I have forgotten to make first of all.........the rope bins for the Mary Stanford and the H F Bailey........these go inside the aft end of the rear cockpits in both models and were made from good old obeche strip, and then painted and fixed into place.

Secondly, and something I have been putting off for a while is the servo for the rudder for the Mary Stanford, which if you cast your minds back to before I put the deck on, it was fixed into a purpose built holder.............I inserted this into place, locked it into place, and then set about making the linkage bar ( which from the photos is self explanatory and set this onto the servo arm which I screwd in place.

The final set of photos are of the plans of the Mary stanford around the fore end of the engine casing and mast tabernackle..............my finger points to the object that looks like a mast crutch...............but it is set about 18" to the port side of the mast tabernackle and so can't be a crutch for the mast..............so come on guys..........any idea as to what it is...................I have emailed Quinton Nelson in Donaghadee to ask him, but as yet haven't got a clue.

oh yeh.......and the tube that runs up the front of the mast of the mary stanford..............half expecting that one to be some conduit for wiring like on the Smuts.

neil.

Hi Neil - if you are pointing at the item that looks like a stanchion, I am wondering it if is something
to grab on to whilst working on the mast - you quite often got posts like that near hatches in decks
to act as a handhold as you climb in or out of the hatch - sorry can't think of anything else
Remember the old adage on a boat - one hand for the boat, one hand for yourself

Geoff

cheers Geoff..........it has me puzzled for sure.

neil.

found out what they were Geof from Quinton Nelson, the tube up the mast is an insulater for the RT, and the bracket was a handling bracket for the anchor which was never actually put onto the boat.....phewwww!.....lets me off the hook with that.

It has come to the stage now where I have only miriads of little jobs to do to the three models..........I had a visit from Glyn and his wife today, and we had a lovely chat about the boat, which included a few bits to re position that were different to those positions shown on plans, and a few bits not shown on plan............in the end, I could fill another page of RCMB with photos of the little bits that I had done..................but I won't..................I'll save the photos for when I have finished the models........hopefully next week and then will post some of the finished boats.........

just save to to say that the list below is of items we discussed today, items I compleated this afternoon, and those items that I need to do to finish the boats.

1) Roller fairlead added to starb side front cockpit

2) voice pipes to fore and aft cabins

3) hand grab rails to top sides of fore cabin

4) hand grab rails to upper aft of rear cabin.

5) Painted helmsmans back rest as discussed.

6) Added engine control to starb side fore cabin false wall.

7) added several buttons and switches to control panel

added fire extinguishes to fore and aft cabins.

9) added clock to fore cabin.

10) added loud hailer to aft cabin top.

11) added 4 x search light pedestals to fore and aft cabins and one search light

12) box for line throwing gun painted and fixed to position discussed.

13) oil pump repositioned.

14) axes, hatchets and knives fixed into position.

15) header tank filler caps added to aft cabin top

16) glued rope bins to side "barge boards" ready for fixing to engine casing top.

17) painted mast fittings a second coat of white.

Jobs still to do:

1) make the tiller arm

2) cap for tiller socket

3) Button for Klaxon.

4) binoculars and megaphone.

5) drogue to be made.

6) add the two fenders bnow and stern.

7) tool holder at stern cockpit wall

screen wiper for fore cabin. .

9).buffers for wind screens

10) cleats for aft mast .

11) Pullies for radio lines and radio lines

12) .plank the sides of the aft cockpit where it meets the engine casing/barge boards .

13) Paint deck and the vent cowl bases

14) .Glue cowl vents to decks

15) .rig masts

16) rig stanchions

17) top cap for the black conduit up the fore mast.

18) fit the navigation, anchor and steaming lights.

Oh yes, and fit the r/c gear into the boats..........got to find some motors for them yet, and buy some speed controllers.

daren't tell the missud, lol

It's been a long hard slog since last autumn and the three models are nearing completion...............just the stanchions and chains to put on all three boats, and the deck to paint grey on the "Smuts"......she came straight from the builders with the deck painted rather than planked....
I've used a little modellers licence on rigging the aft masts on all three boats, as when I rigged the ALR all those years ago, the mast was not stiff or sturdy enough.........after all we are dealing with modellers materials, and not the real thing............so extra stays were used to keep the mizzen sturdy enough to take the odd knock.

Also the "Smuts" wasn't fitted with cleats on the toe boards as the mast stays were anchored onto the stanchions and chains although I have added them and deck eyes as should the stays have been anchored to the stanchions, the fore cabin would never have been made able to be removeable.......another little bit of modellers licence.............after all............these boats have been made to sail and to be accesible to the inners and the R/C gear..........so, probably the last shots now before completion in a few days..........hope you all like them.
neil.

Neil as you say a hell of a long slog but well worth it as you have three beautiful models at the end.
A bit of a rest then start planning the next work of art.
What are we going to read in the evening now you finished.

Geoff

pugwash wrote:

Neil as you say a hell of a long slog but well worth it as you have three beautiful models at the end.
A bit of a rest then start planning the next work of art.
What are we going to read in the evening now you finished.

Geoff

not quite finished, geoff..........got to get some motors couplings and 4 x electronise speed controllers.............will probably wait til after my hols for those..........bit expensive before don't think my good lady would be too impresssed, lol.

Simply superb Neil.

Now which is your favourite??

Now, Barry..............I'll put that one back to you.........which is yours?

Oh eck, mi brain urts!!!

makes two of us matey............one looks like a Royal Yacht, and the other two look very business like and true lifeboat styles, but my vbote goes for the Royal Yacht..the Field marshal and Mrs Smuts........she is so beautiful, graceful and so inspirational.......I just love it.........plus if made my brain hurt............and took much longer to build than the other two because of it's RNLI design and idiosyncracies.

been spraying up all my stanchions this morning with undercoat..........the easy way, lol............not one for doing things one at a time if I can get away with it,

all the stanchions contain a fixing pin made from brass to fix to the toe boards..........so I utilised this by fixing them to a strip of 20mm square scrap via holes..........then just a matter of spraying on mass.

it's been a pleasure to log in and read the fantastic build log neil you are truely a fantastic builder dare i say a true master of the hobby thanks for the enjoyment you have brought to me

I feel humbled Andy......just doing what I enjoy in life......building models and helping others ( If I have ) by talking about them.

if you have a tallent.........it's very sad if you can't share it with someone.

neil.

well, bar the shouting, the three lifeboats came to completion late this afternoon.........have just the lifebelts/breeches bouys to rig with their crutch support and ropes and paint tomorrow and add to the cabins and the three boats will be ready for motors and r/c installing and go play with them ( but that'll be after my holidays later in July...as I can't afford to buy 4 speed controllers befor the hols...................I will take them out of the shed tomorrow for some proper pics in the garden, but took these three pics, one of each boat this evening showing the stanchions/chains rigged and the masts too.............I am quite chuffed with them...............

In order of posting they are the Beaumaris lifeboat RNLB Field Marshal and Mr Smuts,

Cromer Lifeboat RNLB H F Bailey,

and

Ballycotton lifeboat RNLB Mary Stanford (GM..the only lifeboat ever to be awarded a Gold medal for herself)
neil.

Neil there is only one word to describe them - EXCELLENT.

Well done you.

Geoff

OUTSTANDING Mate!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!11

cheers guys....

much appreciated.........makes the building of them all worth the effort when your modelling peers say such nice things..............thanks again.

neil.

Okay Neil, I have made my decision!!!!!!! My favourite is the Beaumaris boat, but only cos I went there every year for our family holidays when I was a kid and went around the Lifeboat station more than once...

That said, the other two are simply superb too.

Perhaps the RNLI could send some life boats to Aussie land, illegal immigrants are drowning by the boat load.

yer as sad as me, Barry........my favorite too.........................speaking of Lifeboat stations........was only talking to someone thwe other day about Fleetwoods old boat station and sliup way..............and there was that undeniabley distinct smell about the place...........don't know what it was..........a mixture of tar, grease, petrol and other things..........but a wonderfull smell just the same................sadly you don't get that in stations threse days.......bit clinical they are.

Damien wrote:

Perhaps the RNLI could send some life boats to Aussie land, illegal immigrants are drowning by the boat load.

we'll send them overland then, shall we??

bummer, BUMMER, BUMMER!!!!!

Just when I thought I had almost finished.............I was clearing all my pots of paint, and fittings etc, ready for the mamoth clean up when I looked and gazed at my models, to see , in horror that thwe plastic vynil that I had wrapped around my windscreens on all three boats............was lifting and curling at the edges like a British Rail egg butty...........and that was after I had had them pressed under weights for about 4 weeks to make sure that they bonded.
Now in an earlier post it was recommended that I get some stick on copperconducting tape as used in model railways, but that would mean buying a roll of god knows how many meters for about 600mm...............so decided that I would paint the "frames" in satin black.

I re cut some windshield to the correct size of the frames on the boats and then masked off using "Frog tape" covering the whole of each shield.....ad then cut around the perimeters and removed that little bit of tape which will be painted on to............hopefully this will work.

and just a word of warning to all modellers out there..............to look after their tools.
Over the last few weeks my ol' faithfull 240-12volt transformer has been flickering and cutting out..................just thought that after 25 years of constant use it was giving up the ghost.
I always have left the power on in my workshop all day long whether I am in or out of the place or even the house, winter and summer.
Yesterday whilst doing my final finishing bits and bobs..........I was working with my dremmel dril and had the transformer just to my side, when I smelt a whisp of burnt electricity...........and out the corner of my eye I saw smoke.............I looked down at the transformer and not smoke, but a small flame was coming from the lead to the plug...........the damn thing was shorting out in a big way......and yet my trip system in the garage to protect from this sort of thing hadn't tripped out and shut the whole place down..............I was lucky..........had I gone out without seeing this, I might not have three lifeboats to talk about now, as grp, timber dust and other flamables don't mix with burning electricity.

I was b***** lucky yesterday, and have learned a valuable lesson.....swith off even if only going for a "p"

Ouch.....New transformers don't come cheap. That is one reason I have all my electrics connected up to one switch which also operates he lights, so with the flick of the switch, the whole lot is off...So glad I did it hearing your story Neil...

a few more shots of two of the finished lifeboats.the third one has still to make it's entrance into the outside world.........but too dusty at the moment, and the weather is a little inclement.

lovely work as usuall mate reckon these'll look the business on the water

i'm looking forward to it, but can't afford the speed controllers till after my hols in 3 weeks time, lol

by the way......wot you doin on here...........it's your birthday you should be out with your good lady enjoying rich food and fine wine...........happy birthday mate.
neil.

thanks for that Neil in fact what I was doing was relaxing after another hectic day preparing to move we took possesion of the new place today and I've taken a week of to decorate it prior to occupying it early next week not fun lol

good luck on that one Phill.............an exciting but very stressfull time moving.

I have always maintained that that profession of furnature removals has got to be the most stressfull and worste job in the world..............I couldn't do it...........would cost the insurers afortune for damaged goods



best of luck, neil.

Thanks mate we're pretty well organised though getting the place decorated in 7 days is a pretty steep climb lol

Triumphant!!!!!!!

took Smutsy down the lake today with just a small 6v battery inside her rather than the heavier12v one that I have earmarked, and although the rudder needs a slight tweek on the servo arm and she's somewhat light on the bow........she sailed beautifully for about half an hour before I brought her in for a check...........bone dry inside...............she's a goodun, and hopefully will give someone a lot of pleasure,

Now, does anyone know how to get a video footage from a sim card to youtube.
cheers..............find that proposition much harder and more stressfull than building 3 boats at the same time, lol

Oh my she is beautiful Neil....Well worth the effort.

Now for the sim card. You need to connect the card to your computer, through the phone, if that is what it is from. You should then be able to read what is on the card. It should run automatically, but if not, select the card via "My Computer". Select the file you want, right click and copy it. Now go to your desk top and right click again before pasting. this should transfer the video to your desk top.

Once there, go to your "Youtube" account and follow the instructions for uploading the video, using the file you have put on the desk top....Voila..

Let me know if you have a problem.

Thanks Barry.....will try that.

as for the boat............I'm over the moon as to how she sailed..especially on a 6v battery that hasn't been charged for two years..............will wait now to after my hols and see how they all go.

off to the pooter now and try.

just noticed.........I said a sim card.........meant an SD card........and just plugged that into my auto reader on the pooter power box, like I have been for the passed six months with my own camera card( this one is out of a mate's vidcam) and nothing comes up....not even a note to say no images found???stalled at the first fence.....bummer.lol

neil.

Neil,

An SD card is simple. Go to my Computer" after plugging the card into your reader and you should see it there. If the reader is a seperate unit and you do not see the card, try plugging it in again. Let me know how you go on with that..

ahh, but this sd card is just not registering on the computer, barry........zilch, nothing .blank screen.......and yet I can put in any of my sd cards from camera, vidcam and I get the usual menu pop up.......going round to his howuse now to sort it.....he probably forgot to press record, lol

my mate finally got my boat onto youtube tonight, but gawd knows what went wrong with the video.........seems as though I've made a rubber boat with rubber masts, lol

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K_1tQYkx2FU