Just a quick update. I have just started to prepare the last parts for painting. When I was just about to start the monitors, Martin555 asked me if I was going to remove all of the split lines from the parts. I really hadn’t thought of doing that because of the time it would take but it just kept nagging away at my mind, just like a second wife really.😁 I just had to do it. I tidied them all up with files and paper and then painted them. I was sold in the idea. It made a massive difference, so much so that I now do this to all of the pre-moulded parts. I include a picture showing the difference. One ladder still has all of the production sink marks on the side whereas the other ladder has been smoothed out. Thanks Martin for making me do this as the difference is really pleasing.😀

This is probably the most enjoyable part of any build project when all of the parts, which have taken hours to get to this point, can finally be fitted.
I have spent the past few days drilling small holes to fit the metalwork, painting some small items and fitting everything. I still have to fit and wire up the mast but I think I will leave this until last along with the radar for safety.
The rear navigation light is fitted to a small metal bracket which in turn us screwed to the cabin. This looks rather strange so I decided to make a bracket for it which, in my opinion, looks much better.
The rise and fall of the monitors still needs to be completed but I am waiting for Krick, who have very kindly offered to replace a spring I destroyed foc.
I also have to complete the anchor area which is also next.
There is still a lot of small jobs to do but I really want to get this one completed as soon as possible so that it can collect dust on the shelves with the others.
Peter.

Today and yesterday I concentrated on completing the hull. I have written a list of items to finish on both the hull and cabin. There are 15 entries on each so far.
I have added the rubbing strakes and the waterline today and completed the windlass yesterday. Three down and 12 to go, so far.
Note: If you see any waveyness in my waterline that is because the river is quite wavey so that the waterline looks level.😜
Peter.😀

The weather here is not so good which is a plus for modelling. I have never had this much spare time in one stretch so I am determined to finish this model.
First on the list was naming the ship. I have read how Krick advise on how to do this but was never really comfortable with it. I had no better ideas so onward I went. The first thing was to cut the pre-arranged letters from the laser cut foil sheet. Then the waste around the lettering was removed leaving just the ship name still stuck to the backing. This had to be done really carefully as the letters are quite small and still attached to the outer area in places. Once this was done, a piece of masking tape was stuck across the front face of the lettering leaving just the tops showing to aid alignment. The next stage was to very carefully remove the backing to leave only the letters still in place. Then the letters were aligned on the hull a few millimetres away and then slowly lowered to make contact. The tape was then smoothed down to ensure that the letters had stuck and then again, very carefully, removed. You were right Krick. I am very happy with the results.
Next job was to fit the anchors. To attach the chains I raided the wife’s sowing box for some strong cotton. After removing my cat burglar suit I then tied the anchors on three times for security and threaded them through. The non-moving anchor was glued in place along with the chain.
The last job for this update was to get the rise and fall working on the deck mounted monitor. The line supplied was threaded through the small tube to the top. This end is trapped under the small hand wheel behind the top spring. This was always a concern of mine but, in fact, holds really well. The rod is 1mm diameter as is the hole I drilled in the hand wheel. I threaded the line through the centre of the hand wheel and then pushed the handwheel onto the shaft which very successfully trapped the cord. The bottom end goes around the pulley assembly that I had made to correct my error, explained earlier, and then through the servo arm and trapped between two washers and locking screw. The results were better than expected. I tried to fit the monitor unit into the hull but then spotted another small error. The pulley mounting block would not fit through the hole in the deck mainly due to the offset nature of the rotation disc on the servo. A quick disassembly and onto the mill for a quick modification. It fits!!
My next job is to connect the up and down motion on the other two cabin mounted monitors. This will be a little more difficult as the two have to work together and all of the cabin detail is fitted so easy to knock off.

Things are moving along at pace now. I have fitted the life rings and their hooks and the hand wheels for the two forward hose connections.
I have completed the up and down movement of the two cabin mounted monitors which was quite tricky with only two hands. The bollards have been painted and fitted and most of the cabin handrails have been glued in place.
I decided to do another small design change to the deck supports for the rowing boat. The supports are made from 1mm thick ABS which you would have to stick down using the long edge. I could see these being knocked off regularly so I decided to make bases for them from scrap. I cut to size and then milled a 1mm slot in the middle along their length. The supports then pushed in and glued. I painted them and then fixed them in place with glue. Much better.
I have also painted the two antenna that I made earlier, from brass rod and tube, ready for fitting.
Next will be to tidy up a few loose ends before the final push for completion.
Peter😊

After four years of working whenever I could between work and normal living, retirement has finally given me the time to complete this model much earlier than I had first thought.
Over the past two weeks I have managed to successfully get all three monitors to work correctly in both left to right and up and down directions. The up and down did take a bit of tuning where three hands would have been useful. I still have to check the extremities of up and down movement with the transmitter connected as there is restrictions to this by the cabin wall and the amount of movement actually possible. I have restricted this to 30% ready for the full electrical testing which I will carry out next week.
An envelope with small o rings arrived from the UK today which has allowed me to complete. These are to cover small errors I made early in the project by drilling the holes for the radar and anchor lights slightly too big in the cabin roof outer skin. The look good as they are only 1mm section. I also used one to hold the speaker on to the top of the search light. I connected up the wiring for the anchor light which completed the model.
The only things I have left to do are the full electrical test and final connection of the water pump to the monitors. I am still trying to find some suitable quick connectors for the water pipes so that cabin removal is easier. To remove the cabin I will have to remove the electrical plug, disconnect two servo cables and disconnect the water. Not too bad considering.
In conclusion, I have really enjoyed making this model. Krick have done a wonderful job but there are still areas in which improvements could be made. I have made modifications in a few areas which have been discussed earlier in the log. Some were for aesthetic reasons but a few were necessary if full functionality was required. The crane height was necessary so that the small boat went over the railing. Another was the tow hook. The method that the supplier designed used a bent wire spring. The force needed to actuate this was immense. I changed the design by burying a small coil spring inside the unit. It works really well but for now, remains disconnected as I have run out of channels. Krick designed to actuate this tow hook at the same time as lifting the cabin monitors. This is unrealistic so I want to isolate the unit and operate it with a servo. I cannot do this yet as I have used all of the sixteen channels available right now but more importantly, I have run out of operating switches on the transmitter. I will correct this one day by doubling it up with another channel.
The electronics and radio equipment to operate all sixteen channels has been a challenge but one which I have really enjoyed. I had to completely overhaul the wiring diagram and redrew it in Acad, well DraftSight actually which is almost identical but much, much cheaper.
I can highly recommend this model to anybody but if you want to get full functionality, you must be prepared to get involved in some quite complex circuitry.
I will post the functions video soon but the full test on the river will have to wait until April.
Thank you for your interest in this project. I have a couple of boats to complete before I start another major build. In my to do box I have a Tamar Class Lifeboat, an RAF Crash Tender, HMS Hood with Rc upgrades and a 47” Huntress. Which one should I attempt?
Peter.

I had tried a full test of the functions but had issues with three of them. The first concerned the rotation of the search light. It would not move at all. I checked the full circuit for continuity and all was as it should be. I then placed a battery separately onto the motor and it worked. Strange. I found that I had a dry joint on the negative motor terminal. I re-soldered the joint and this cleared the problem.
The second was that the anchor would go down but the connection of the chain drum to the motor slipped as soon as the weight of the anchor was lifted. I remedied this by putting flats onto the drum spindle and then glueing the connector in place.
The third was the lift of the monitors. This was just an adjustment problem.
The second test went very well with all 16 functions working well. The monitor lift and fall is still not perfect but the best I can achieve at this time.
There are two videos attached. One is very short and shows some of the electronics required. The other shows all of the functions in action.
The electronics are made up of six ESC’s, five rc controlled switches, five servos and six voltage regulators.
The radio control is made up of one eight channel receiver and two four channel s-bus decoders.
I have found that I cannot add the videos here so I will attempt to load them into the media section.
Peter.😊

I am having problems loading the video files but will update as soon as I can.😉

[Admin Edit: Video added 👍]

The first trial on the river took place today. I was reasonably pleased but there are a few alterations needed.
The first is to add some ballast weights. They are required on the port side and at the bow. The batteries are quite heavy so I was not too surprised.
The small boat on the stern also needs some weight. There was only a light breeze today but the small boat kept blowing off of the deck. I have just noticed that I have lost both of the oars during the test. I was happy with the way they turned out as well. Never mind. Teaches me a lesson. If they do not function, stick them down!!
The rudders caused me some problems. The servo needs reversing but I did not know how at that moment. I will have to check the instructions. Yes, I did say that JB and Steve. Now, where are they?
The Port light was flickering a bit but behaved itself once the boat was retrieved.
I have a few corrections to make but I was generally very pleased with the results. The water jets were better than I expected but the monitor rise and fall needs a little improvement.
I will perform the second trial once I have dealt with these issues, probably in 2027.
The video of the trial might be found on this link, but if not, I will add in the Media Gallery later.
Thank you to all those who have helped and given support during this long build.😊