Tamiyacowboy Posted March 23, 2011 Share Posted March 23, 2011 it has been a while since i have whittled wooden knick nacks, this year i had some old balsa scraps. balsa is a pain to whittle, being very soft mistakes show 10 fold and are more hard to remove. three inch by half inch slats had been bonded with child safe pva glue and given a rough block shape. blueprint/plans was out the window, this was a eye to hand carve. i had no guide to fall back on via a blueprint plan. i decided it looked more a working boat shape or a thames barge, but the latter was to wide berth for this spline of balsa. after trawling google, bing, asking jeeves and basicly the whole interwebs i found a working boat with just the right shape, a josher hull. more searching i came across " LING " she was a working boat built in 1934 and owned by Fellows, Morton and Clayton Ltd with the working number 1556. above is her hull shape with cabin fitted ready for a smooth fine sanding and blacking. i decided to use this very small model at just over 15cm as a base carve for a more larger project. a balsa plug around 30 inches Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carmst74 Posted March 23, 2011 Share Posted March 23, 2011 Looks good mate Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turner Boy Posted March 23, 2011 Share Posted March 23, 2011 Looks very nice matey, would be very interested to see your larger project take shape, do you intend to make it r/c or static only? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SatNav Posted March 23, 2011 Share Posted March 23, 2011 Looks nice I used to work on 1:1 boats years ago at my local boat yard on the grand union, mainly dry dock work extending boats, prop tubes ect ect. At least working with balsa you don't get all the muck and barnacles. Keep up the good work and if you need any pics of 1:1 just let me know. Brett Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tamiyacowboy Posted March 23, 2011 Author Share Posted March 23, 2011 (edited) Looks very nice matey, would be very interested to see your larger project take shape, do you intend to make it r/c or static only? the larger will be whittled, then carved to give me a plug. from there i have three choices. fibreglass hulls vac formed hulls static one off model i am going for a static one of model carving. building one like they used to be made will be fairly hard without some scale plans to work from and a decent jig made up. hand carving has one problem, you just cannot get it perfect but only eye close. and yes this mini version will float/sail. it could be fitted with a small 4mm pager motor. but sourcing a prop so small will be a very hard thing to do. found a full size narrow boat that has been fire damage for £5000. when done they make anything for 10 grand to 70 grand. maybe its a mid life crisis but i would like to live a slower life and maybe on the water. so i am looking into getting a cheap livable hull and renovate as i get older. as for an rc version, yes it is possible but thought has to be very much on the top of list. they need ballast and can need anything upto a few kg of lead flashing Edited March 23, 2011 by Tamiyacowboy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turner Boy Posted March 23, 2011 Share Posted March 23, 2011 Seems llike you have given it some good thought! mini r/c boat narrow would be amazing cant beat a life on the navi, slow and steady keep your progress updated, be interesting to follow! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bs2236 Posted March 23, 2011 Share Posted March 23, 2011 I know the narrow boat 'Ling' intimately, i last surveyed her in 2009 prior to her being sold into private ownership in 2010. As i recall she is 21.34m long by 2.08m beam and is (was) powered by a lister hb2 air cooled diesel engine delivering a mighty 24bhp!. She was indeed built at Yarwoods but not sure of the date, in my records it is shown as 1958 but it could be a typo and may indeed be 1938. She was in a bit of a sorry state the last time i saw here and didn't manage to get a decent overall photograph of her but have lots of shots of the cabin and engine space as well as the hull. Good luck with the build, it would be good to see here when finished. If you need any info drop me a pm and i can see what i can find. If you fancy modelling any other inland waterways craft let me know as i have extensive knowledge of all types of craft both pleasure & commercial. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tamiyacowboy Posted March 23, 2011 Author Share Posted March 23, 2011 I know the narrow boat 'Ling' intimately, i last surveyed her in 2009 prior to her being sold into private ownership in 2010. As i recall she is 21.34m long by 2.08m beam and is (was) powered by a lister hb2 air cooled diesel engine delivering a mighty 24bhp!. She was indeed built at Yarwoods but not sure of the date, in my records it is shown as 1958 but it could be a typo and may indeed be 1938. She was in a bit of a sorry state the last time i saw here and didn't manage to get a decent overall photograph of her but have lots of shots of the cabin and engine space as well as the hull. Good luck with the build, it would be good to see here when finished. If you need any info drop me a pm and i can see what i can find. If you fancy modelling any other inland waterways craft let me know as i have extensive knowledge of all types of craft both pleasure & commercial. thank you. ling is still running as a working boat, she had a new updated BW cabin fitted. yarwoods have her down as 1938'ish been watching that tv programe on bbc 1. recklis (reckless) as she was named was burnt out and in fairly good condition before it was sold to BBC production team. i hope they do her justice . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tamiyacowboy Posted March 24, 2011 Author Share Posted March 24, 2011 Some more changes ( pictures coming soon ) i have blacked the hull and given the cabin a BW blue type coloring as the original Ling has these days ( so internet says ). but i done some major changes. ling has now become a transformer narrowboat model, i built a deck the whole length of the cargo hold area and glued a new full length cabin to this. when painted and finnished it will be removalbe so i can have a cruiser style boat or a working style open deck boat. i may just sand down the new full length living quarters and have it painted to mimic the cargohold covers. i am going to do some more hunting of photo's of ling so i get it right this time round and not mess up the bigger build planned. i have also re-thought my plans idea and may go Victorian style just grab some balsa sheet and splines of different sizes and go for a hand eye build from google snaps and the idea's and knowledge of the builders and ex real live boat workers from internet sites and wiki etc etc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tamiyacowboy Posted March 29, 2011 Author Share Posted March 29, 2011 (edited) so here you can see LING with a different look. i have made a extension along the hull. i had a idea i can carve this and add details to make it look like a canvas cover, or even as a covered live aboard. i have already added a tiller and rudder. and need to work on the bow and ad some fine thin balsa sheet. this will give me the curved fore deck i have an idea that may work. 4mm pager motor and a silverlite picoz micro heli pcb board. this including the li-po should allow her to sit deep in the water and have some type of propulsion without steering. the steering will have to be user fixed Edited March 29, 2011 by Tamiyacowboy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thatsliam Posted March 29, 2011 Share Posted March 29, 2011 kkkoool looking good i might make one now Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tamiyacowboy Posted March 29, 2011 Author Share Posted March 29, 2011 (edited) kkkoool looking good i might make one now just be careful please when whittling and carving wood. i ended up in the doctors with the chance i could not have little ones because i had stabbed myself with a surgical blade when younger, as time gone by i have become more careful with my working and carving balsa. takes a slight slip and that blade slices through like butter and keep going. blades i used was. N 11 standard blade then i swapped to a small chisel blade and a large curved blade. standard sandpaper with a fine grain afterwards. both tiller and propshaft are carried in bushes taken from a picoz micro helicopter main shaft - main shaft chassis holder. tiller itself is made from a Z bend wire that slips into the rudder. now to the highly technical part, the electronics and lathe / grinder / rotary tool / hammer its a fun laugh but does the job eating away the balsa Edited March 29, 2011 by Tamiyacowboy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tamiyacowboy Posted April 8, 2011 Author Share Posted April 8, 2011 So here comes summer and i hope to have the large version of LING swimming by next spring. this is one model that cannot be rushed. i have sourced a nice 1/12 scale hull with plans for cabin and living quarters. the plans go out the window here as most work is done from eye and google snaps. but a removable living quaters like the small model is in hand. nitro fuel pipe will be used as a seal if she rolls over. decided to use balsa or maybe thin ply to give the ABS hull some beef and as cross members, easy to replace but will add strength. the electrics is giving me a headache, would be nice to have that chugging sound of the old lister engines, but electric is the way. so idea is a slow rpm dc motor and a three step speed system ( the old tamiya type ) and a extra small 5v dc motor to power the water cooling. these hulls move slow so the usual forced water cooling system is lost. i have a couple more pictures to throw up of the micro version with tiller added. after playing with the old heli parts i found a brass bushel just the right size for a piano wire tiller, a small 2mm sheet of balsa sanded down gave me the rudder system and yes it works would also like to say hello to Sarah the owner of LING who found us via the web. so i have a few things to work on and a run to the coast to pick up the hull in the next month and source the ply-balsa and some clay mini bricks to give ballast and have the hull sit nice and low Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deejayy2k Posted April 9, 2011 Share Posted April 9, 2011 So here comes summer and i hope to have the large version of LING swimming by next spring. this is one model that cannot be rushed. i have sourced a nice 1/12 scale hull with plans for cabin and living quarters. the plans go out the window here as most work is done from eye and google snaps. but a removable living quaters like the small model is in hand. nitro fuel pipe will be used as a seal if she rolls over. decided to use balsa or maybe thin ply to give the ABS hull some beef and as cross members, easy to replace but will add strength. the electrics is giving me a headache, would be nice to have that chugging sound of the old lister engines, but electric is the way. so idea is a slow rpm dc motor and a three step speed system ( the old tamiya type ) and a extra small 5v dc motor to power the water cooling. these hulls move slow so the usual forced water cooling system is lost. i have a couple more pictures to throw up of the micro version with tiller added. after playing with the old heli parts i found a brass bushel just the right size for a piano wire tiller, a small 2mm sheet of balsa sanded down gave me the rudder system and yes it works would also like to say hello to Sarah the owner of LING who found us via the web. so i have a few things to work on and a run to the coast to pick up the hull in the next month and source the ply-balsa and some clay mini bricks to give ballast and have the hull sit nice and low gonna be watching this looks like an interesting build. maybe have a look around some of the scale rc forums and see if someone can make you a sound unit up, are you gonna run a smoke unit ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danny boy Posted April 9, 2011 Share Posted April 9, 2011 ive got to say ive been thinking about doing something like this over and over again in my head. It looks like youve got a very nice project there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tamiyacowboy Posted April 9, 2011 Author Share Posted April 9, 2011 (edited) ive got to say ive been thinking about doing something like this over and over again in my head. It looks like youve got a very nice project there. Hi danny. i first started modeling in the early 80's when we came back from THE ROCK ( gibraltar ). when i was younger me and my friends used to rent/hire out dayboats, me being a none drinker i was the designated pilot - steerer. shift on a couple years i built my first SpitFire Supermarine IV, skip to last year i made my very own foam aerobatics aircraft. after watching narrowboat afloat and the storys of working boats i fell in love with them. for some advice i would say grab some block balsa, pencil line some main marking up lines and go hammer and togs with a couple of sharpe surgical type blades. a 2ft block will give you a good couple three hulls to practice on. Smaller the model the more easy to carve and learn knife craft. a couple sheets of sandpaper and a couple hours free time will have you whittling wood the old way. anyways here are some updated pictures for you to browse. here you can see side profile - rear profile - and sitting ontop of the removable living quarters Edited April 9, 2011 by Tamiyacowboy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danny boy Posted April 9, 2011 Share Posted April 9, 2011 funnily enough it was narrowboat afloat that started me thinking about making one. I was maybe thinking of creating a replica of the narrow boat "dover" that he built. Thanks for the advice Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thatsliam Posted April 9, 2011 Share Posted April 9, 2011 I kayak offen as im in a club! I get up close and peorsinal with the boats!!! i've noticed alot of rudders are curved and have a design at the top carved into it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tamiyacowboy Posted April 9, 2011 Author Share Posted April 9, 2011 (edited) I kayak offen as im in a club! I get up close and peorsinal with the boats!!! i've noticed alot of rudders are curved and have a design at the top carved into it! yup most working boats have a fancy rudder that sits out of the water, the buttys ( none powered working boats) had very ornate looking tillers and rudders. some buttys even had two rudders so it could be steered by either end. i found it very hard to get the top curve on the rudder and any thing ornate carved to it, i do not have any powered tools that fine or pencil files. the larger version will be given a more ornate type rudder shape and finnish maybe. painting may be given a miss, my poor eyes are not as good as they used to be and my hands cramp up from time to time. so using a rabbit/hare hair for painting will be very time consuming and painful this month is going to be busy, i start a new job on monday ( unpaid ) for a month in conservation work around the norfolk broads, so am hopeful to grab a few shots of any rouge working boats i find and maybe try and get a couple of norfolk wherry / barge photographs to. Edited April 9, 2011 by Tamiyacowboy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tamiyacowboy Posted April 10, 2011 Author Share Posted April 10, 2011 gonna be watching this looks like an interesting build. maybe have a look around some of the scale rc forums and see if someone can make you a sound unit up, are you gonna run a smoke unit ? i am realy not sure, the abs hull i have my eye on is around Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thatsliam Posted June 6, 2011 Share Posted June 6, 2011 anything? Maybe have it brushed for that slow speed and waterproof motor? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tamiyacowboy Posted June 7, 2011 Author Share Posted June 7, 2011 (edited) going slow to be honest. loss of work and pay hit me hard and the payout for new camera to. propulsion will be brushed 7.2v stock can. i am looking to run to a gearbox to help the motor and the thrust to be nice and slow. either way it looks like a wooden hull build, the cost for fibreglass hulls have gone through the roof the past couple of years. i have also on my google travels came across a narrow boat that was make from paper mashe. a big unit powered with a lead acid cell to aid in getting the draft correct. got a few projects running inc this one, mainly getting the veg garden sorted and a greenhouse built for next to FREE. hull length : 2ft / 24" is where i stopped. not to big and not to small. the 7.2 should be able to push the hull along. balsa sheet will give the cabin and ply for the internal ribbing with balsa sheet covering them. balsa will also form the main living section with ply ribs and so means of sealing ( fuel tube compressed seal) as for plans, they been thrown out of the window, i will build this from eye and photo's , is the best way to keep costs down, wood will be offcuts and any scrap i can find. fittings shall be sourced cheap, paint i will do myself and also means learning the art of signwriting, stock motor i have a 1987 tamiya silver 540 motor, and a 1987 slide bar run MSC ( mechanical speed control ). the msc runs a ceramic heat sink on the rear of rc cars, my idea is to waterproof electrical connections and have this ceramic heat sink mounted under the stern ( prop wash cools the heatsink ) hence keeps the cell pack cool. the hull will not produce enough speed to force water around a waterjacket system for cooling. Cabin will be open like the old working hulls before liquid cooling systems came along ie: open door's /hatches and a internal space Edited June 7, 2011 by Tamiyacowboy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.