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38ft GRP
Trawler.' Eventide' - and the '
MISS-FIT' Model .
Based on the vessel 'Eventide' originally from Whitby - as
researched whilst at Great Yarmouth -in Aug 2002. 'Miss Fit' is a medium
displacement model Trawler/ potter, now registered in Whitby North
Yorkshire; She was built as a stern trawler, but now is mainly used as a
potter. The 'Eventide' boat was built in 1990, by Cygnus marine, and the
vessel was believed to be fitted out by GB Boats of Gardenstown. The
eventide is only 32 feet in length, but provided enough detail and
reference to be the basis for the Model 'Miss -Fit'.
The Full size vessel 'Eventide' is fitted with a Caterpillar 3406 C
engine, with a twin disc gearbox with a 3:1 ratio, driving a 48 inch 3
bladed prop, she is also fitted with a 2 cylinder Lister auxiliary engine,
and is fitted with both 110 and 240 volt wiring. The vessel is fitted with
a Simrad CP 40 plotter, Furono Radar and GPS, Navitron Auto pilot, and
Scanti VHF radio.
The other features include a 4 ton split drum Spencer Carter Trawl winch,
and Hydraulic net hauler .
The Model- basic details.
The Model is basically Scratch-built at 1 to 10th scale, some fittings
and details are at a slightly larger scale of 1 to eighth scale…the model
is 46 inches long and beam of approx 16 inches -the hull and wheelhouse
are GRP, the deck is Plasticard, the rudder and rudder post are in
Stainless steel. The model is driven by a single 12volt-car heater fan
motor, powered by a pair of rechargeable lead acid gel cell batteries.
Control is via 2 channel Radio control. The ESC is from M Soniks.
The Hull was purchased as an un-started project from the Southwater
dabblers show in 2002, its origin is unknown All lighting is operational
and the lamps are all 12 volt grain of Wheat type bulbs and these run from
a separate 12 volt gel cell battery. Handmade 3 blade prop gives the model
a good turn of speed and a run time of around 2 to 3 hours. . Some
fittings and crew have been purchased from Cap Maquettes via Bow Wave
Models [see Links page],
these are excellent quality and save hours of production. The remaining
fittings are all scratch built, including the winch.
The model construction was started in Autumn 2002, I obtained some plans
from Cygnus marine and enlarged them several times on a photocopier, the
lines on the plan became distorted especially on the stern drawing, I put
this down to the enlargements….but the curvature of the foredeck was also
in question….This started me thinking that this boat may not be a perfect
hull of a Cygnus boat…..
The basics of the model was well under way by now, so after some further
research into similar trawlers of similar dimensions I decided that it
would not be fair to name the model ' Eventide', especially as the boats
are different lengths, Eventide was photographed in Gt Yarmouth, and now
my model did not fit the drawings, so the name Miss-Fit was suggested, It
seemed to work,.
I still wanted to 'register' the model in Whitby, just minutes from where
I grew up as a child !- So Miss -Fit
from Whitby it was. I have not yet added the registration or name and port
details to the model yet, this is all to come, I have an order placed
with BECC flags …..so when the Vinyl's arrive they will be added.
The model had to
be a generic type model now, and as such I chose a fairly common Cygnus
paint scheme and a fairly traditional deck layout…. Especially as every
boat builder fits out each boat differently…
I also gained a great deal of research from a web site…
.
www.findafishingboat.co.uk this details hundreds of boats for
sale or charter, a great source of images, details and technical
reference.
The model is based on a 1 to tenth scale, the figures on the deck are the
largest I could find, these are 1 to tenth scale figures from Bow Wave
Models, the limbs and body proportions have been partially built up with
filler, but still the figures still look a little small on the boat In
addition I had bought some fittings for the boat at a model shop in France
whilst on holiday, these later proved to be around 1 to eight scale and so
the look a little large for the model, these have now been replaced….
The drive system is straightforward, I prefer direct drive in all my
models, the motor is a 12 volt Car radiator cooling fan motor, the ESC is
an M-soniks unit which is very reliable ( so far !). The motor was rescued
from a scrap yard and is runs with a fairly low current consumption
considering the size and displacement of the model, the motor is running
on 12 volt, the power comes from a total of 3 x 12 volt 11ah gel cells - a
pair of 12 volt 11Ah Gel batteries for the main drive motor and to power
the receiver, the 3rd battery powers the lighting only, and
adds the required ballast. The prop is a home made affair, not quite as
well prepared and balanced as Simon's at the
Prop Shop
- but it certainly displaces the water! The boat is overpowered but I
think it's always worth having some power in reserve… all in all it makes
for a fine all weather operational model.
The biggest plus
of a model of these dimensions is the great sea keeping characteristics,
the model is very stable, and the performance is said to be steady! The
good beam allows for quick handling with no fear of roll. The model is big
steady and heavy, as it also had 8 lbs of lead added to her keel to bring
her down to nearer her correct waterline and to maintain her low centre of
Gravity…..this in turn assists the handling.
Fittings etc.
The deck is 3-mm plasticard and details includes Lobster pots, (from
Euromodels. A wealth of fish boxes with a fresh catch inside,
floats, ropes, and bins full of ice, and all the other items that are
found aboard similar boats that were photographed up in Gt Yarmouth.
The pink fenders are another Bow Wave item, they are rubber and so are
100% functional, They do have a habit of coming off the black top
sections, the draw back is these are dense and drop to the bottom of the
lake - but they do look the part!
The scratch built items include the Spencer Carter 4 ton split drum winch,
and a shell fish cooker along with the hatches, the deck rollers and the
trawl frame and Dunbar doors. The fish boxes are made from ABS, the
hatches and hinges are all from Plasticard and the Exhaust and cowling is
in Styrene.
The fish were
found in a Dolls house shop, there are flat fish, to represent Plaice and
Lemon sole, and some other species of fish, these are not so native to the
British waters - They look like Red Mullet!
The ice in the
fish boxes are small pieces of clear acrylic, I found that by turning the
coarse blade around on my circular saw, and getting it to run in the
'opposite rotation' if you cut a sheet of acrylic, the resulting shards of
acrylic are perfect for representing tiny flakes of ice, - this keeps the
catch cool!
There are also a couple of crabs… these were found and the 'Fish Wives'
Stall at the 2003 Beale show.
[Photos Here]. I was so pleased to find some well modelled
crabs at the right scale I immediately announced to the wife and some
fellow club members that 'I have got crabs…' then I realised what I had
just said…but they look good on the boat - and they don’t itch! I found it
hard to find some scale lobsters, but a fellow club Member Francis Fearn
helped me out whilst visiting a model shop in Leicester! - Thanks Francis!
The main switch for power and radio function is hidden under a full fish
box along with the switch for lighting, I hope to add further nets and
catch equipment to the boat in due coarse.
The trawl frame and the derrick are all scratch built in ABS, the nets are
those found in the fruit and veg department in the supermarket… I used to
use hairnets for fishing boat netting details, but these now don’t seem
to last and are becoming harder to find!
The floats are
beads from a dress makers store, and they don’t float they sink!
The model is not yet
complete and will benefit from increased weathering and the addition of
more crew in due course…
More later.... Guy Bagley |
