Topic: Berthing tug Yarra, Dutch style

[subdriver]

Hello, I am Lex Verkuijl, a modelbuilder from the Netherlands. I have been modeling for nearly 40 years now, everything from speedboats to scale, tugs, and submarines.

(Please excuse some spelling- and gramar errors on my part, Englisch is not my native language. The other option would be to ask you all to learn Dutch ...  I have tried that with Ron for the past 30 years or so, still no results … )

After finishing two of Ron’s kits in the past, the ‘MTB 488’ and ‘Lady Beale’, i have started on a new project; the tugboat Yarra. It is a realy nice model, easy to transport but still big enough to accomodate for some extra’s. I rarely build a model  ‘according to specifications’, usualy there are few extra functions and details added. For the yarra I have the folowing wish-list:

Brushless motors
Working Becker rudders
Soundsystem
Working fire monitor (turning and variable waterpressure)
Rotating radar
Various lighting
Working towing winch
Cooling water simulation





And  after studying some pictures I found on the all famous Internet of the original tug and it’s sister vessels I am going to add details as:

Tire ‘fenders’
Towing winch reels on deckhouse
Depth- and plimsol markings
Sacrifical anodes


Starting the Build



After taking a good look at the kit i decided to make some modifications. The supplied props dont seem to fit the nozzles properly. There is about 5-6mm clearence between the two in stead of 1mm needen for an efficiënt kort nozzle system.



Ron told me the supplied nozzles are in fact just prop rings to keep out floating timber and debree found in the Australian ports. But i like real nozzles better, they at least take the scale appearance of the model up a notch or two. I also am using Raboesch props and shafts on this boat, and modified two of their rudders into Becker rudders.





All of this means some more work since the mounting of the korts and shafts have to be modified as well. I think it is worth it. A smal test of the Becker rudders:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IQW4b8pA5bI

The internet pics showed that the real tugs are sitting a lot deeper in the water as the proposed waterline on the plan. The stern even would be out of the water that way! A test in my garden pond with the original waterline marked on the hull revealed that  1.8 kg of weight could be added. With the weight of the hull itself the model could weigh up to two kilograms. Thats better as the 1.55 kg mentioned in the specs. This way the model will look more scale on the water, and will be able to put in all the extra stuff i have planed. Hopefully …  And luckily the Raboesch rudders have an o-ring seal. With the new waterline they will be underwater …

[subdriver]

The korts are glued in place, now aligning the props and shafts



Finished propulsion and steering





Inside the hull

Inside the hull things are getting along as well.  I made an aluminum motormount for two 28mm 750KV outrunner motors. These probably have a little to much power  , but that can be usefull when towing bigger objects. 





Furthermore the rudderservo is schrunk to a mini-size and is moved all the way back. This creates the opportunity to make the acces hatch in the aft deck smaler, and thus easyer to make it waterproof. With the stronger motors I expect a little more water over the decks …







In the hull I am placing two waterpumps for the monitor and the coolingwater. Over these i made a ‘second level’ to accomodate the sound system with Multi-switch module, and the receiver. The ESC’s are mounted to the hull sides with velcro.





So far my progress. I will put up more posts as the build progresses.

 

[colin]

very nice indeed.. 

[subdriver]

Unfortunately things aren't going as quick as i would like. I finaly found the time to glue the deck onto the hull.



Now its to detailing the bulwarks and the bollards.

PS Never mind the stand, it's uggly but just a build stand. I am planing something else for that later on...

[colin]

things never really do go as planned, I have also first hand experience that this..

[subdriver]

I did some work on the bollards and made new ones that look more like the real thing. They ar made of carbon tube, that should be strong enough ... 

The kit bollards out of resin with the new bow- and stern bollard in carbon



And the side bollards, like the original folowing the lines of the bulwark



Original



And the rear bollard with the resin one next to it

[subdriver]

And also the single bollards have found their place along the bulwarks.





(Dit you know that carbon sanding dust is a real pain in the b*tt to remove from an unpainted deck .... ?  )

[karlgalster]

Hi Lex, you are making a really nice job of this tug. 
Robin

[subdriver]

Today i took advantage of the extreme winter weather we are having at the moment  and was able to use my outdoor spraybooth; the garden   . The hull and the rest of the 'underwater parts' are now sprayed in 'antifouling red'



The colour was made by mixing bordeaux red, a little green, and a can of Humbrol gold paint. That gives a colour quite close to real antifouling paint. The gold adds it a slight metalic gloss to it, like the real thing with copper additives. That is not vissible now since the paint is still wet, but wil show when it has set to a satin finisch.

(While I am typing this i am wondering why i didn't use the real paint in the first place ..  )

[subdriver]

The paint has set and in the meantime i made the steering cabin

Al the parts. Although there are lasercut windowframes for the front windows i decided to use the printed ones. That way it is easier to make them fit properly



The stages of growth:







And a test fit on the deckhouse with the roof on



After all this, this is how my workspace looks like. It can get worse, trust me .. !!




Merry christmas everyone! 

[subdriver]

So far, so good ... 

[subdriver]

Made a footbridge in the deckhouse to have an opening to let the sound out of the model.





And with fitting the deckhouse I found the overall proportions a bit off. Like the deckhouse was positioned a bit to far to the bow. The aft deck seemed to long and the bow deck to short. With taking some mesurements from a picture of one of the original tugs this was confirmed; the end of the deckhouse needs to be in line with the left side of the third scuppers from the bow. This ment modifying the deck opening to be able to put the deck house about 18mm more aft. Here is a picture of the comparison:



Top picture = position according to the plan, middel = 18 mm more aft.

Modification to the deck opening:



This way the feeling i had about the disproportion is gone, the model looks balanced now.

[Manxman1831]

I hate to say this, but looking at your comparison pictures, I think that the superstructure is now too far back, and should be in the 'as per plan' position.

[subdriver]

Here an other comparison with the original tug in a true 90 degree angle to the camera, like the model. In the other picture the angle is a bit off, that distorts it a little.



Also note the position of the rear of the deckhouses to the third scupper from the bow.

OK, it might have to be 15mm back in stead of 18, because of the tire in front of the bow. You can't exactly deternine the first point of the bow with that.

[radio joe]

Surely the comparison tug is different to the first one, it doesn't have the recesses in the bulwarks, even so I have to agree with Manxman the shorter fore deck looks right to me, Deans are not infallible but I think they have this one right.