what type of boats suitable for N Cornwall ports c1960

[2ManySpams]

Couldn't decide if this was best here or wheeltappers or what but here goes.

 

My home layout that is taking shape in my mind will have a small quay and i'd like to have a realistic and period vessel moored up alongside. Something between 9 and 12 real inches long in 4mm scale. The layout will be set on the North Cornwall coast around the late 50s / early 60s.

 

I've been looking for kits but the quest is hampered by not knowing who makes suitable kits and what type of boat whould be suitable.

 

Any help appreciated.

[Andy Y]

I'd have said one of these would be a safe starting point until one of those nautical SWAGgers proves me wrong. )

 

http://www.artitec.nl/index.php/en/artitec-kits/item/h0-ships/kits-h0-shrimp-cutter

[shortliner]

Possibvly a bit far south, but Langley do a Clyde Puffer in OO scale - not particularly cheap though. The Puffer was an inshore freighter made famous in the Para Handy stories. Gregor Fisher played him in the BBC series. I think Harburn Hobbies do a couple of small lobster boats, and also doxkside accessories. If you can cope with HO look at Frenchman River and BlueJacket Shipcrafters in USA

[ColinW]

Hi Chris,

 

Langley models offer a variety of boats that could be suitable (ie small shrimp cutter trawler, traditional Dutch sailing barge, Traditional sailing boat). If you check their website you should be able to find something you think will be acceptable.

 

Colin

[2ManySpams]

I'd have said one of these would be a safe starting point until one of those nautical SWAGgers proves me wrong. )

 

http://www.artitec.nl/index.php/en/artitec-kits/item/h0-ships/kits-h0-shrimp-cutter

 

did you say naughty SWAGers?

 

Thanks Andy - doubt i'd have found this site.

The shrimp cutter looks great. I also like the coaster (not sure on period though and perhaps 150e is a bit steep) and for some reason the mini sub caught my eye!

[2ManySpams]

Hi Chris,

 

Langley models offer a variety of boats that could be suitable (ie small shrimp cutter trawler, traditional Dutch sailing barge, Traditional sailing boat). If you check their website you should be able to find something you think will be acceptable.

 

Colin

 

thanks colin. Looks like Langley are a distributor for the Arciitec kits in Andy's link - useful to know. Three on the short list are the shrimper, large fishing vessel and the coaster (nearly 2' long!). Coaster looks like something used at fremmington for clay.

[2ManySpams]

Possibvly a bit far south, but Langley do a Clyde Puffer in OO scale - not particularly cheap though. The Puffer was an inshore freighter made famous in the Para Handy stories. Gregor Fisher played him in the BBC series. I think Harburn Hobbies do a couple of small lobster boats, and also doxkside accessories. If you can cope with HO look at Frenchman River and BlueJacket Shipcrafters in USA

 

thanks jack, another two sites i've not come across before. Both are currently blocked by the pc i'm currently on but i'll have a good look soon.

[Oldddudders]

Couldn't decide if this was best here or wheeltappers or what but here goes.

 

My home layout that is taking shape in my mind will have a small quay and i'd like to have a realistic and period vessel moored up alongside. Something between 9 and 12 real inches long in 4mm scale. The layout will be set on the North Cornwall coast around the late 50s / early 60s.

 

I've been looking for kits but the quest is hampered by not knowing who makes suitable kits and what type of boat whould be suitable.

 

Any help appreciated.

Chris

 

I think the traditional catches along the North Cornish Coast were pilchards, herring and mackerel. Anyone offering a boat with one of those catches mentioned is probably as good as it will get. And don't forget the lobstermen, in their small dinghies, going not far from the shore, but still very visible in model terms. Marker buoys for the lobsterpots could also be a detail for outside the harbour's edge. A fish-merchant's office/factory on the quayside or beach would look good - a gutting station etc is contained within. The fish merchant in Port Isaac is/was called Dennis Knight, I seem to recall from his sign.

[Galtee More]

I seem to recall some very positive magazine reviews of some fishing and coastal type craft, in 1/76 scale by a small manufacturer on the Isle of Skye. It was one I always intended to follow up, but, needless to say, haven't yet ! They are list on UK Model Shops site as Anchor Precision Models, but they don't seem to have a website. Their contact details are::

 

Anchor Precision Models

An Acarsaid

Viewfield Road

PORTREE

Isle of Skye

Highlands

IV51 9ES

 

01478 612252

 

OO scale model fishing boats, coastal craft and dockside accessories.

 

 

Let us know how you get on !

 

Ian

[Stubby47]

Chris, www.cornwallmodelboats.co.uk have 850 boat kits and are based in Tintagel. Not sure if any of the kits are suitable scalewise, but may be worth a call for info of boat types.

 

Stu

[ColinW]

thanks colin. Looks like Langley are a distributor for the Arciitec kits in Andy's link - useful to know. Three on the short list are the shrimper, large fishing vessel and the coaster (nearly 2' long!). Coaster looks like something used at fremmington for clay.

 

Hi Chris,

 

As far as I know Langley manufacture their own kits. Possibly an e-mail to them will inform you more about their ships.

 

Colin

[shortliner]

I seem to recall some very positive magazine reviews of some fishing and coastal type craft, in 1/76 scale by a small manufacturer on the Isle of Skye. It was one I always intended to follow up, but, needless to say, haven't yet ! They are list on UK Model Shops site as Anchor Precision Models, but they don't seem to have a website. Their contact details are::

 

Anchor Precision Models

An Acarsaid

Viewfield Road

PORTREE

Isle of Skye

Highlands

IV51 9ES

 

01478 612252

 

OO scale model fishing boats, coastal craft and dockside accessories.

 

 

Let us know how you get on !

 

Ian

 

 

I think he only builds to order now - but it may well be worth a phonecall to check - I saw some of his models at an exhibition (Perth?Glasgow?) a while ago, and they certainly looked good

 

Another name that just popped into my mind is Deans Marine who are in a litlle village (Farcett? ) near Peterborough

[Andy Y]

As far as I know Langley manufacture their own kits.

 

Most of their non-narrowboat nautical stuff is Artitec; I know the exchange rates have changed somewhat but I've found that they're cheaper on the continent. From a couple of personal experiences I'd prefer to buy from another source anyway.

 

 

 

[sunshine coast]

Chris,

you could also check out "Gift" shops,if you have any locally .....there are many quite cheap boat models brought in from the far east including various trawlers and fishing boats and yachts..although not usually having a particular scale,many are around "OO" and an easy way to see if it looks right is to take a OO figure with you and match it with doors etc ...

 

regards Trevor ...

[2ManySpams]

Chris,

you could also check out "Gift" shops,if you have any locally .....there are many quite cheap boat models brought in from the far east including various trawlers and fishing boats and yachts..although not usually having a particular scale,many are around "OO" and an easy way to see if it looks right is to take a OO figure with you and match it with doors etc ...

 

regards Trevor ...

 

hi trevor

 

i live on the east/west midlands border not far from many of the towns and villages that claim to be the centre of england. Sadly not many fishing boats in gift shops around these parts ;-) Not sure what the alternative 'regional' gift of choice is though! I'm definately going to keep my eye open for suitable starting points next time i'm coastal bound though.

[2ManySpams]

I think he only builds to order now - but it may well be worth a phonecall to check - I saw some of his models at an exhibition (Perth?Glasgow?) a while ago, and they certainly looked good

 

Another name that just popped into my mind is Deans Marine who are in a litlle village (Farcett? ) near Peterborough

 

thanks again jack - another good lead to follow up. Think I need to do more research on prototypical vessels first though - at the very least find a photo so i can say to the kit retailers / producers "i want one of these, do you do one?" I keep looking at those arcitec kits though - Andy i blame you ;-)

[2ManySpams]

Evening all

 

Been quiet on this one for a week but in the meantime i've found a great book:

I've had a very quick look through and i'm hoping it will provide me with a good deal of the background info i'm after. Certainly coasters get a good mention as do the specially converted sand dredgers that ran out of Padstow.

 

I've also written a note to the National Maritime Museum in Cornwall to see if they have any further pointers.

 

This Arcitec Coaster kit looks very close to a ship pictured at Padstow in 1964 on pages 179 and 181 of the revised "An Illustrated History of the North Cornwall Railway" book.

At bit pricey though....

[Coombe Barton]

Also try St Agnes Museum - run by locals. Have extensive model of Trevaunance Cove and the ships in there. They're very switched on http://www.stagnesmuseum.org.uk/

[2ManySpams]

Also try St Agnes Museum - run by locals. Have extensive model of Trevaunance Cove and the ships in there. They're very switched on http://www.stagnesmuseum.org.uk/

 

John, Thanks for this info.

[Pacific231G]

Evening all

 

Been quiet on this one for a week but in the meantime i've found a great book:

I've had a very quick look through and i'm hoping it will provide me with a good deal of the background info i'm after. Certainly coasters get a good mention as do the specially converted sand dredgers that ran out of Padstow.

 

I've also written a note to the National Maritime Museum in Cornwall to see if they have any further pointers.

 

This Arcitec Coaster kit looks very close to a ship pictured at Padstow in 1964 on pages 179 and 181 of the revised "An Illustrated History of the North Cornwall Railway" book.

At bit pricey though....

 

The Artitec Coaster is an excellent model of a typical Dutch coaster and they were certainly to be seen around British ports in the early 1960s and many similar vessels were operated by British owners though I'm not sure from when. I'm not sure if they were so common on the west as the east coast coast. In the 1950s steam coasters were still pretty common around the UK coast though they largely died out in the 1960s and more post war coasters were motorships. Typical post war British coasters seem to have been rather larger than the 300-500 ton Dutch coasters and the smaller ones were generally of the raised quarterdeck type between 120-150 ft long.

 

The Bristol Channel was like the Clyde known for very small steam coasters and, though the Clyde puffers have become a bit of a cliché and were never the most typical British coasters, some ships of this type were built on the Clyde for service in S. Wales and of course the puffer based VICs were around many ports after the war. The archetypical "Vital Spark" type puffers were built to fit in the Crinan canal so had maximum dimensions of 88x20x9.5feet but seagoing coastal as opposed to inshore vessels tended to be rather larger than this.

 

If you want a really good source there is an excellent book titled Steam Coasters and Short Sea Traders by C.V. Waine & R.S. Freeman ISBN 0 905184 15 7 (I think I bought my copy from the shop at the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich) and it probably has enough drawings and designs for a very convincing modelling project though it doesn't cover fishing vessels nor as the title suggests the later motor coasters.

 

If you can get hold of it the old Frog (later Novo) Shell Welder kit for a coastal tanker has a very good hull shape and though to 1/130 scale can be fairly easily rescaled and adapted to a small 100' long cargo coaster, one size up from a puffer, in 00 or H0 scale . You need to increase the height of the main deck superstructure and the wheelhouse, replace the railings, with bulwarks on the cargo deck and scale railings elsewhere, add a cargo hatch and replace or resize other clearly underscale fittings such as the lifeboats, binnacle , companionways, portholes and doors.

[Coombe Barton]

While we're down here we're asking around - as we're only a few miles from Newlyn. You could also have a look at the Newlyn and St Ives Schools - artist types used to paint what they saw.

[Coombe Barton]

Just thought - you could try http://www.cornwallmodelboats.co.uk/ - for both advice and possible supply 01840 770406

[Adrian Wintle]

If you can get hold of it the old Frog (later Novo) Shell Welder kit for a coastal tanker has a very good hull shape and though to 1/130 scale can be fairly easily rescaled and adapted to a small 100' long cargo coaster, one size up from a puffer, in 00 or H0 scale . You need to increase the height of the main deck superstructure and the wheelhouse, replace the railings, with bulwarks on the cargo deck and scale railings elsewhere, add a cargo hatch and replace or resize other clearly underscale fittings such as the lifeboats, binnacle , companionways, portholes and doors.

 

This kit has also been seen in Eastern Express and Modelcraft packaging.

 

One of the Revell North Sea Trawler (1/142) or the Lindberg North Sea Trawler or Tuna Clipper (both 1/90) kits might also be useful as the basis of a fishing boat.

 

Adrian

[2ManySpams]

Thanks everyone for continued suggestions - I'm looking at all of them.