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Boats modelled on historic narrow boats


Derek R.

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Thank you both. No, it won't get destroyed, but after it comes out I will re-make the rudder to better proportions, and likely do a little more decorating of the table flap. If I can pluck up enough courage I might even have a go at writing Thos. CLAYTON Limited OLDBURY on the cabin side, and it will be renamed - something simple like IVY! Blocked and shaded. (Sucker for punishment).

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Steady on - I'll need a larger hat size . . . !

 

Patience - yes, but an indefatigable desire to get things right, but always failing to do so. There's a lot I'm not happy with, but that's the way with perfectionists - never happy. I guess I'm pleased with it since it started out as a load of old cardboard, and all the bodgery is hidden with gummed tape and paint. Mostly only one coat too, but I did 'size' the cardboard with a 50/50 mix of water and PVA beforehand. The hull was blacked with acrylic - kids paints from the ELC, had them a while, and then overcoated with the water PVA mix which gives a satin sheen. The fake scumble was also acrylic and 'smeared' with Ratcliffes Oak scumble paint. The rest of the colours are mostly Humbrol tins from decades ago, save one tin of Dulux brilliant white - which did need an undercoat.

 

It's surprising what can be achieved with a bit of ingenuity and persistence. My wife keeps saying "How do you do that?!" But it's mostly careful measurement, an eye for proportion (no plans involved), and at times pure frustration. Best part of three weeks work. Imagine trying to price that up!! I am very happy with the tiller. Lou found a piece of curved wood at her Dad's place. It was flatter and wider and longer, so it got cut to about the right length, sliced to get it more or less square, then ground the flats for the colours with a flap wheel on an angle grinder. Getting the colours on the tiller was challenging, and I'd never done spiral colours before - four, is enough. I started off thinking six would be good, but the working out of spacing their start, and at what angles they should wind around the tiller was too complicated. With four, it worked much easier. White and yellow first, left overnight, then the blue and red.

 

Painting was nerve racking. I'd get the shakey hands and have to stop and calm down! Compared to what professional model makers achieve, it's bottom of the league. Just a bit of fun.

 

The only purchases made were one tiny tin of Humbrol yellow (they're £2 for heavens sake!!!), and two pairs of brass hooks for tying curtains back with at £1.79 each. It was the ball shaped ends I wanted, I cut them off to make the knobs inside on the left, and the drop down table flap knob. Total - £5.58.

 

"How much for your model boat mate?" What would you price three weeks work at?

 

Lou wanted to move in . . . .

2082382001_Cardboardboat036(Medium).JPG.49ab0bc9163cc740583dd8f654ce3064.JPG

 

It won't boil if you watch it . . .

1034785628_Cardboardboat004(Medium).JPG.604991ff1fd52376b8baff0322f1b0d4.JPG

 

No masking tape was used anywhere. I did try, but the underbleeding was unacceptable.

707795772_Cardboardboat039(Medium).JPG.54daddfb11abb6893b5441868f0118e7.JPG

 

568933457_Cardboardboat043(Medium).JPG.71833a464632076f921da4be6fdbde7e.JPG

 

 

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On 05/08/2019 at 17:29, Derek R. said:

Thank you both. No, it won't get destroyed, but after it comes out I will re-make the rudder to better proportions, and likely do a little more decorating of the table flap. If I can pluck up enough courage I might even have a go at writing Thos. CLAYTON Limited OLDBURY on the cabin side, and it will be renamed - something simple like IVY! Blocked and shaded. (Sucker for punishment).

its are really nice model please dont destroy it by putting tco on the side! you've put cloths on it, fmc ivy or something but not tco

 

I know I might sound mad given I have a clothed tco boat but at least mine was.

Edited by billybobbooth
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Well, I based it on the colours of GIFFORD, which was/is a tanker boat, and gauged the length to include six inches of cloths. But when we hauled it into the shop window found it was too long!! The rudder was hard around at maximum, so I had to saw the cloth section off completely, and remove the cabin block and short section of top plank to make all fit. Now it 'could' be a tanker boat!!

 

GIFFORD is No. 60, and it's not GIFFORD, so I just put '3' under the truncated 'No.' on the cutaway side. But why not TCO? Why would it destroy it? It is only paint.

I did think maybe IVY was an FMC sounding name, but only plumped for that because it was short (I'm not a signwriter by any means). Could have been TOM, or JO, but they've got nasty roundy letters - not so easy. There is also the shape of the back end - that ain't no Josher! - It screams GU! But I don't fancy repainting it blue and yellow.

 

The whole exercise was not to replicate any particular boat or style, and a butty back end was a bit simpler than a motor (which I have done before on a much smaller scale for my daughters' 'show and tell' at primary school. We were still living aboard in the back cabin back then. (She's 31 now, but that model survives too, complete with 'brass' tiller, prop, prop shaft and look-a-like Bolinder!).

 

Cutting and fitting the curved hull sides was fun. The triple layered corrugated cardboard didn't like bending, so cutting shallow slits on the inside helped the curve. This had the effect visually of looking like vertical shearing that wooden boats were fitted with, quite pleasing, but only visible inside the hatches. Once started, these things become quite obsessive.

Edited by Derek R.
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On 07/08/2019 at 08:05, Derek R. said:

Well, I based it on the colours of GIFFORD, which was/is a tanker boat, and gauged the length to include six inches of cloths. But when we hauled it into the shop window found it was too long!! The rudder was hard around at maximum, so I had to saw the cloth section off completely, and remove the cabin block and short section of top plank to make all fit. Now it 'could' be a tanker boat!!

 

GIFFORD is No. 60, and it's not GIFFORD, so I just put '3' under the truncated 'No.' on the cutaway side. But why not TCO? Why would it destroy it? It is only paint.

I did think maybe IVY was an FMC sounding name, but only plumped for that because it was short (I'm not a signwriter by any means). Could have been TOM, or JO, but they've got nasty roundy letters - not so easy. There is also the shape of the back end - that ain't no Josher! - It screams GU! But I don't fancy repainting it blue and yellow.

 

The whole exercise was not to replicate any particular boat or style, and a butty back end was a bit simpler than a motor (which I have done before on a much smaller scale for my daughters' 'show and tell' at primary school. We were still living aboard in the back cabin back then. (She's 31 now, but that model survives too, complete with 'brass' tiller, prop, prop shaft and look-a-like Bolinder!).

 

Cutting and fitting the curved hull sides was fun. The triple layered corrugated cardboard didn't like bending, so cutting shallow slits on the inside helped the curve. This had the effect visually of looking like vertical shearing that wooden boats were fitted with, quite pleasing, but only visible inside the hatches. Once started, these things become quite obsessive.

the only reason why I said not tco is due to it having cloths, they didnt have cloths hence why would destroy the model as at the mo it looks really good, it's a bit like those mini steamer model you can get then they put ferret on the side.

 

I realise your not copying any particular boat, it's a bit like me putting my boat in waterways colours and putting bw on it, everyone would then tell me it's wrong as it never worked for bw.

 

it would just be a shame that's all. if the cloths are now gone then would work with tco and not make it look odd, (and yes my boat looks odd having tco with cloths)

Edited by billybobbooth
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On ‎08‎/‎08‎/‎2019 at 23:11, billybobbooth said:

the only reason why I said not tco is due to it having cloths, they didnt have cloths 

I have told you before that this statement is not true as Thomas Clayton (Oldbury) Ltd. did have at least two conventional unconverted horse boats for the carriage of naptha in steel barrels between Oldbury and Manchester - CHARLES, ex-Frederick Mason, Moxley in 1915 and BEAVER 15, built by Nurser's at Braunston in 1917 :captain:

Edited by pete harrison
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