DUTCH AUXILLIARY.

This build blog been brought about by chance and is project which fulfils a leaning toward nostalgia in a few ways. My last build had come to an end and had proved successful on the water, and I thought that building had ceased, as we humans would be released into the wild again, perhaps building would take a back seat during the summer months.

But on reviewing some of the folders in my workshop I came upon a couple of plans that I had bought two or three decades ago intending to build them one day. One was a MAP plan of Tornado, a small high speed launch and the second, which is to be the subject of this build blog, ‘Dutch Auxiliary’. I remember gazing at both these models in the MAP Plans handbook of the day in the 1950's.

The nostalgia kicked in and I decided I must build it. Designed for Model Maker in the spring of 1952 the construction shows all of the ideas of previous eras. When I was about 11 or 12 my elder brother, some ten years senior, bought me a book for Christmas, around the time this plan would have been published, Model Boat Building, sixth edition 1948, by F J Camm.

As an impressionable youngster I gathered that, whoever he was, F J Camm must be the fount of all wisdom as he edited all the ‘Pratical’ magazines of the day , be it Wireless, Television, Motorist, Householder and so on.

The design of Dutch Auxiliary follows many of the ideas shown in this book and the idea that the model should be sturdy is reflected in the use of 3/16 ply formers set at 2 inches apart in a 16 inch hull which seems a bit hefty. The junction of the stem to the keel using cross halving joint and screws seems to show how jointing then did not have the advantage of our modern adhesives. In fact I did wonder if the designer had recently retired from building Henry 8ths Fleet of warships and did I ought to go out and buy and adze!

The final bit of nostalgia came from the fact that on my first holiday from work in 1979 I enjoyed a week on the Norfolk Broads with a teenage mate in Whippet 11, a small two berth yacht fitted with a British Seagull outboard and this design bears a similarity to that boat. (1930's Whippet - Broads Cruiser Renovation By Chris - Boat Renovation People (boat-renovation.com)

The plan has not a great deal of detail, the bulkhead lines are shown in half section with a side view of the keel and plan view of the deck and lines, with step by step drawings of the assembly. It was to be skinned with 1/16 ply on the hull, deck and cabin top. A plain dowel for the mast and just an outline for the sailplan and simple rigging to hold up the mast, set in a brass ferrule attached to the keel. The auxiliary can be either a small diesel engine, electric or clockwork.

In this relatively simple design I can see the chance to make a small model yacht which has a degree of class, if built using dark natural hardwoods, with a tapered wooden mast, hardwood booms and bowsprit. The hull can be skinned with a thinner grade of ply, say .8mm, and then planked with a similar thickness of mahogany. The cabin again would be dark hardwood as would be the seats in the well. The deck could be planked with a light wood.

The power unit, with not a clockwork clock in the house and having sold my small diesels 50 years ago, would have to be an electric motor. The pics show a bit of an overview of the Plan and building will commence with next blog.

Geoff

Getting Under Way
With these thoughts, I set about the build. First the keel. This would not have a detachable portion, bolted on as per plan but a hardwood fin keel jointed into the main keel and glued, (epoxied) into position, similarly the stem was half jointed as the plan but glued in place without the screws! The keel was then notched at the bulkhead stations as shown on the plan.

In the past I have bought bundles of hardwoods from Hobby Craft and this furnished me with some dark wood from which I have been able to construct the keel fin. The two pieces were joined vertically to give the required width and a third piece horizontally across the bottom to cover the exposed end grain in the verticals.

As a means of getting a start I made the rudder and tiller. In the past I have bought bundles of hardwoods in packs from Hobby Craft and this furnished me with some thin dark wood. I cut two pieces to outline of the rudder and laminated them with a piece of .8mm ply as the core. This I consider will keep the component free from warps and an offcut from this was used for the tiller arm. As a decorative function I have reinforced the join with two brass pins.

In pursuit of Doug’s passion for people in boats I am figuring on having a little man sitting on the seat in the well with his hand on the tiller, his arm moving with it! There are so many possibilities with this model. Again, from within the site, Nerys has suggested that the boat be gaff rigged so this will happen, I expect. So much encouragement and ideas from members, thank you all.

The bulkhead patterns were derived from scanning the half forms from the plan, printing two copies, cutting each half shape out and pasting them, mirror image, onto a piece of cereal packet. (I remember someone else saying on the site, never throw away a cereal packet, more good advice!)

These were then cut out carefully and pinned to the ply and drawn around, Then cut out by my trusty Draper Scroll Saw.
This is just the starting point, with the bulkheads in outline only so far, they have to be notched for the stringers and also to cross halve with the notches in the keel and the centre portions cut away. Fitting the RC gear and motor /propshaft is going to be challenging in a model of this size. This could almost be a prototype as little detailed information is given on the plan.
I would hate to try to start a Mills .75 in this model. Thankfully we have modern batteries and motors now.

The next steps

The bulkheads were notched for the stringers and keel and all dry fitted to ensure a good fit, but before they could be fixed to the keel it would be best to fit the propshaft through the keel. The bottom stringers had been fixed to the keel and it was considered that to just drill a hole for the 5mm o/s propshaft would be all that was required. But, alas, this all went wrong and the keel was ruined and it was never going to hold together again, with just the small section of the keel behind shaft somewhat adrift.

So I had to take a different tack, I cut a new keel and was able to salvage the fin from the first and fit it satisfactorily to the new keel. On consideration as to what to do next I fitted one side of the lower stringer to the keel with a doubler on the same side. Turned the keel over and sawed the slot for the shaft in the keel. This left the keel intact on the stringer and doubler, and then the stringer and doubler on the other side were added. This worked well and I could proceed.

The bulkheads were fitted and epoxied to the keel, two or three at a time to get them lined up. To get the angle of the transom to the keel, a piece of balsa was superglued to the end angle of the keel and the transom clamped to this.

I have included a pic of gloves that I use to aid grip when using a knife or fretsaw or Proxxon circular saw. They offer a bit of protection against slippages and also allow a firmer grip on the workpiece when sawing, especially the fretsaw. They are quite comfortable to wear and are available for around £1 at discount outlets and builders merchants.

I must say that this model is occupying a lot of my thought as to how it will all fit together with the radio gear and the rigging and running rigging. I want to preserve the open well at the back with its seats but the top of the propsahft will protrude into this space with the motor as well. The cabin I will probably make as detachable to give as much access to the 'hold' as possible for fitting and servicing the equipment, but more of that later.

Moving On
With all the bulkheads firmly attached to the keel the upper and lower stringers were attached.

This is a flat bottomed hull and I have decided to plank this directly onto the frames. I have acquired some old slats from a wooden blind which have given me the material to create planks for the bottom of the hull. They have a finish on them which has been removed by belt sander on the side to be glued, and they have been affixed to the frames to form a very solid hull bottom. I have a feeling that this model is going to be something of an apprentices exam piece as I am using a few different techniques in the hull construction. The sides will be .8mm ply with mahogany veneer thickness planking and the bow section is balsa blocks. The deck will be planked with the same material as the hull bottom.

With bottom successfully planked the next building step would be to add the ply sides, but before I do this want to make sure that the gear will fit into the hull satisfactorily.
For the motor I have chosen a small 280 motor with a short shaft which is sold as replacement for the power units in the Crocodile Heads. From Banggood these were minimal cost and a suitable prop was bought from the same source, as was the 10 amp ESC.

I wanted to mount the motor as neatly in the boat as possible and have opted for it to be in the well area and be covered with a mahogany casing. I have opted for a rubber band drive which works well in my Mantua Mincio, and allows the motor to be mounted below the shaft. Using an 8mm pulley on the motor and 12mm on the shaft, giving a 1.5 reduction.

I considered various winching arrangements such as a standard servo with an extended arm which would give only a short travel for the main boom. A standard arm winch would not have sufficient room within the hull to move. Finally I have purchased a two turn standard servo size winch from Howes models for £9.99 which will give me adequate control over the main boom. It will be mounted at deck level with the winch drum inside the cabin. This allows the battery, a 1600 5 cell Mnih to sit under the winch in the bottom of the hull. This can stay in place and be charged as required.
The Rx will be mounted on the first bulkhead by Velcro and will be accessed by a hatch in the deck, The ESC will be between bulkheads 2 and 3.

A mini servo will be fixed to the transom for the rudder control. See all pics.
I have loosely rigged this all up and it works quite satisfactorily.

A Step Further.
Having decided to build the cabin as a detachable unit rather than build to the hull, it gave me a chance for a bit of light relief from the hull building.

So setting about the cabin I drew the outline of the base and built the cabin much as I had done with many model aircraft, over the plan, This worked well and the unit comprised four sides and three roof cross bars. The pic shows this built to this stage. Portholes had been cut into front and two sides. These will be copper washers stuck onto a an acetate ‘window’ and then this stuck over the drilled holes in the sides. To complete the cabin it will be roofed with .8mm ply and then this planked with mahogany veneer.
Back to the hull, the bottom planking has now been sanded smooth and the .8mm ply sides added, as far forward as former 1. The triangular void at the bow will be filled with balsa block.
Sub frames for the deck bow section have been filled with 3mm ply to receive screws for bowsprit fixings and ply apertures to support the deck planks around the forward hatch and the mast box. (Please excuse wide angle lens distortion on last pic.) More soon

Geoff

The more I proceed with this project of scratch building the more I realise that I have to make my own way through the build without a nicely illustrated Handbook.

But it does give the chance to switch from one part of the build to another. The cabin has now been built, top planked and varnished and two doors made. I think I may only have room for one door in the cockpit due to having to enclose the 'engine'.

As far as the hull is concerned I have added the two top side sections, sanded and shaped all smooth. The bow blocks have been added, and similarly carved to shape. The whole hull has been given a coat of eze kote.
In the meanwhile I have been making one or two of the fittings for future use.
As I go through this hull building, I wish I could have had some sort of jig on which to build the skeleton of the hull, but it has curvature on the deck and so a flat jig would have taken some time to construct. But some distortions have crept in due to having to build the hull 'in mid air'. I will do my best to disguise these as I go along.

The cockpit panelling at the front has been added also. I have included a mock up pic to give a little idea of what the craft will look like.

The build goes on.

Geoff

Slowly making progress
It seems as I have not posted an update for nearly three weeks, so my apologies for being a bit lax. Nevertheless, I have not been slacking, it just seems that the tasks I have completed since last blog have been time consuming, and have not produced much of photographic interest.

The deck has been planked with 5mm wide planks and these have been sourced from slats from a discarded wooden blind, the finished stripped from its surfaces by belt sander, then fine sanded and cut into 5mm strips on the Proxxon circular saw.

The planks were butted edge to edge and stuck to the frames with Evo Stik waterproof glue, planking over the apertures for the forward hatch and mast box, leaving me to rediscover them later. Planking was taken as far as the rear of the cabin and then the rear section completed, by using the slats at full width, but scored at 5mm intervals to simulate planks.

As this wood is quite white I have just varnished it with Sikkens outdoor varnish, which is clear and water based and brushes are cleaned in water. Don’t like spirit cleaners these days.

A mahogany cover has been made for the forward hatch and has to be detachable for access to the Rx.

Following this work the floor boards were made for rear well and were built in three sections, two at the fore, either side of the engine, and one into the rest of the well to the transom. The boards, as used for the deck, were laid on .8mm ply to make life easy and to keep the shape.
The seating and back rests were glued to the formers and again using the wood from the slats but this time, stained as antique pine to match the boarding at the rear of the cabin. This will be varnished as above.

Finally the ‘engine cover’ has been built and finished with the stain to match. The top of the propshaft, with a rotating collet, is not fully covered and may present some health and safety issues, but people will just have to be careful!!

That just about brings me up to date now but would like to leave this gem with you.

From, ‘Build Yourself a Model Boat’, published in 1950. ---'In these days of motor cars and wireless sets, most men can solder.’ We still have the motor car and wireless sets, but can most men still solder?

Geoff.

Hello Again,
A little while since I let you catch up with progress on the Dutch Auxiliary Yacht, and I have been involved in adding the mahogany planking to the sides and a solid mahogany transom. The latter task was a bit tricky but was able to use clamps and rubber bands to help the glue bond.
The planking was 5mm x 0.8 mm over the existing .8mm ply side. This went quite well and was only the second bit of planking I had done, so was reasonably pleased with the result.
At this point I must say how much encouragement and how many constructive ideas I have received from Nerys. Her encouragement has been in the form of making my Dutch yacht have a Dutch look to it and has advised that I make leeboards for the boat which I have done, (not operational) and through experience she has advised that I deepen the rudder so that is more effective, so a second deeper rudder has been made.
All this has made me search for images of Dutch boats on the Net and I am amazed at how many different designs and variations there are to look at and follow. Leeboard shapes and design are legion, so I have opted for what seems to be a suitable design for my boat. I am hopeful that with this wide variety available I will be able to evade criticism of things, ‘not being right’. The leeboards will have brightly painted head and foot, which seems to be the thing.
Work has gone on well beyond what I am showing here and so my next blog will follow relatively soon, I hope. The final picture shows paper mock-up of the sails with other bits just taped in place and it is beginning to look like the picture on the packet! (Had there been one).
Some of the delay has been as a result of the Woodbridge Model Boat Club reconvening and so have been sailing instead of building, which has been good.
Thanks for your continued interest.

Geoff

The final Chapter, (delayed)

Thank you Nerys for reminding me that my blog has lapsed, but the model has now been finished’
Progress had been good up to the point when I had to, (well wanted to) break off to build a small model for the Club steering competitions at Woodbridge. So in about the space of a month I built a SLEC ‘Mr Tom’ which has improved my performance in the comps. A picture of the culprit is attached.
But with the yacht I did meet a stumbling block in the fixing of the weight to the keel. I had determined by trial and error the amount of lead needed to bring the boat to the waterline and set about implanting this in the keel.
I had acquired some sheet lead flashing and was able to knead this into a shape to fit within the existing keel. I cut the required aperture and fixed the lead there with hot melt glue and then set about covering it over with hardwood cheeks. This produced a fin that was now far too fat and being hardwood was very difficult to thin as it was attached to the hull, a place where it had sat in glory almost from day one. I was now left with a model yacht with an ugly fin and absolute disappointment that this aspect had not allowed me to continue the good work that I had achieved so far. So, ruthlessly I sawed off the offending part leaving me with a flat-bottomed boat. A new fin was cut in outline from the same timber as the keel and this would be butt jointed and dowelled back onto the keel. The lead was placed within the fin and fixed as before. Two thin cheeks of .8mm ply were glued to the outline of the hull and were able to be tapered to a reasonable fore and aft thickness. This was all covered with Eze-cote and heavyweight model tissue to enable a good surface to be obtained. Gone now was the lovely hardwood varnished keel and the new fin was painted to blend with the lower surface of the hull.
The in-house seamstress was persuaded to make her first set of sails ever. The main was laced to the mast from bottom to top and the jib threaded with its own stay. The curved gaff was two laminations of hardwood around a .8mm ply insert which protruded below the gaff to enable the top of the main to be glued to it with canopy glue. This seems to be holding OK.
It was then a matter of completing the rigging and getting everything in place. And testing the radio functions. All performed well although the two-turn winch does not pull the sail through 90 degrees a good arc of control is available. The motor, driving the prop through a 2 to 1 reduction via a rubber band and pulleys worked well.

The maiden voyage went off without incident, although on the day, the wind on the Woodbridge Pond was very light and fickle, the usual state sadly, it being surrounded by trees. It sailed well with what wind there was, and the motor proved useful in executing 180 deg. turns.
At one point I was able to come along to the windward side of a DF65 and gently ease the motor on leaving it almost standing still! The motor powers it at a respectable speed and so far am happy with the performance but would like more wind to get a good feeling for it.
It only remained to bring it home and break open the Champagne and name this ship DAME NERYS which is Dutch for Lady Nerys, I told her I would do it!