Ian,
Enjoyed the photos and videos, thanks. 👍
Joe 😎

Thanks very much folks. It all seemed quite promising - might have another go tomorrow evening when it will be calmer.
Tony , as you may know Greta was my first model started in 1974, been bonkers about steam yachts ever since. Looking forward to news of your paddler!
Nerys, loved that story! I have always felt a bit uncomfortable about my fascination with the playthings of the Victorian and Edwardian rich but they existed and they were beautiful. Who was it said of them, 'If you have to ask the cost, you can't afford one'?
All the best,
Ian
PS thanks Bill, your message popped up as I was writing this.

Hi Ian.
Well done looks superb.
Bill

Absolutely beautiful Ian, she's a real credit to you. As you say, a bit of ballast adjustment, but hey!, what's that. Both photo and video could be the real thing. There's always the old story of a gentleman, years ago, standing on the waterfront in Cowes and saying to his son, " Now you see the ones with funnels, they're the real yachts."

Cheers, Nerys.

Hi Ian,
Very very nice.
If that was filmed in black and white you would think it was the real thing.
Well done.

Martin555.

Hi Ian,

The model looks absolutely delightful both on the water and on display - well done. It is a lovely example of your modification to a Vic Smeed designed hull.

Reading about the full sized SY Greta, in one of the Model Boats magazine specials, these were designed for the "well to do" in society.

Well done, super model, looks great on the water, sails well.
Cheers Colin.

Here is a photo and a short video clip of SY Minnow on her shakedown voyage. I use that term as there were a couple of things that need attending to. It was quite a blustery morning and the wind was funnelling up the flood relief channel we were sailing on, piling up the waves a bit. I would have preferred a calm day for her first voyage! I deliberately ballasted the boat a little deep fearing instability problems and she did heel turning into the wind- but I suspect the real ones did too. I think she could do with being ballasted down by the stern a bit as well- hard to really tell in anything but completely still water.
Jane did her best with photos but we were facing into the sun - the little video came out quite well- you can just hear the whistle above the wind noise on the microphone.
I shall do the necessary and wait for a quiet and balmy evening before going out again. The only crew at the moment is a small dog- an onerous responsiblity!

Thanks all for the positive comments.

Pete, the mist unit was purchased from Steve Tranter at Model Boat Bits, a very helpful man. I think the unit actually originated in Australia as the paper work is marked Float a Boat. It is the first time I have tried one.They aren't particularly cheap, although cheaper than a steam engine! I found it fairly easy to set up once I got my head round it. It is all mounted on a board which attaches to the boat with magnets, so is easily removable.

Bill, it would be good to get together when things settle down a bit. We could stand one each side of Double Locks and shout across! However I still feel a bit odd going out for anything other than shopping - strange how quickly our attitudes have changed.

Nerys, I know we'd all be interested to see photos of your sharpie. You got me thinking about the collective noun for swans! Apparently there are quite a few, bevy, bank, herd and gargle! I'd never come across any of them.🤔

What a beautiful craft she is Ian, will look outstanding on the water👍
btw, What smoke/steam unit are you using? it is very good😊

Cheers, Pete

Very nice indeed Ian.
A really fine model.
Well done.

Martin555.

Ian.
Looks superb.Well done.
A credit to you.
I am going to have to come and take a look at her on the water when this lockdown is over.
Bill.

Finalised the installation of the mist unit today and made smoke. This is adjustable and may need turning down a bit! The speaker is a steam whistle - I made a port to carry the sound out of a grating in the superstructure but it remains to be seen how effective this is out on the water, only one way to find out and hopefully that'll be next week.🤞

Ian, pleased to hear that you are likely to start work on your Egret sharpie sometime soon. Good luck with her. I still haven't found the photos of my full size 43ft sharpie but will post them one day. The lake in Barry is very well maintained but we do suffer from Swan mess on the apron from where we launch at times. There is a large flock (flock?) but they generally live at the other end. As a matter of interest, I see on the Barry Past and Present Facebook that there are now three black swans arrived on the lake.

Cheers, Nerys

😊I had spotted that but no problem Nerys! I have nothing more to add about Minnow until I take her for a test sail, which is imminent. This afternoon I have been double checking everything and finalising the installation of the mist unit - hopefully it will look like a steam yacht even though it isn't really!
When Minnow is finally finished I hope to start on my sharpie Egret.
It would be interesting for you to build another full sized dinghy - go for it! And thank you for your kind comments.

Go for it Nerys.

Martin555.

Yes Martin, if I go ahead with this build, I'll certainly do a photographic record, I'm still trying to find a good enough excuse to build her. I can't say it is in case of flooding, we live on top of a hill, 500ft asl A bit of design work will be necessary, the original offsets will have disappeared long ago, but I'd love to do it.

Cheers, Nerys

Hi Nerys,

I would love you to build your Dinghy, I only ask one thing.

Would you please post your progress on the build so we all can see how it is done.

After all this is a site for boats.
You could class it as a large scale model. LOL!!

As Nerys said sorry Ian.

Martin555.

I'm sorry Ian, your thread about S.Y.Minnow seems to have been usurped by talk of my boats etc. I do apologise, not all my fault, but I must reiterate what a lovely job you have made of her, a real credit to you and I hope to see pictures of her, afloat, in all her glory before too long. Very well done.

Cheers, Nerys

Martin, now you are trying to spoil my fun, I could easily go and buy something, but I'm really looking for an excuse to build just one more real boat and I think I could just about cope with the one I am talking about. I'd love to prove to myself that I could still build a boat. When I built 'Gwahaniaeth' my 43ft sharpie, I carried two of these dinghies on deck, one for me and one for my son though they would comfortably carry three people.

Cheers, Nerys

Nerys,
I have seen on utube somewhere some foldable dinghies might be worth thinking about.

Martin555.

To avoid Alice having to paddle along behind, I could, and still have a hankering to build just one more real boat. In this case it would be the 8ft. praam dinghy I designed (and built several,of) to be built from two sheets of ply and a bit of lumber and could be constructed in two evenings in the lounge of a first floor flat. I even built a sailing version, though that took longer which performed remarkably well.

Wistfully, Nerys

Thanks very much Mouldbuilder! I notice we aren't a million miles from each other.

Well Doug, all the nice girls love a sailor, so they have to wait to see what the tide washes in and pick the best.
Cheers Colin

Really nice model Ian. It looks to be beautifully made.👍

With Alice paddling along behind as Lady in Waiting Colin 😊
(Always wondered what they were waiting for🙄)
😎

Great idea Nerys, but to save your energy the review could be done with somebody else doing the paddling (I'd volunteer for the job) while you sit back and have a cuppa.
Cheers Colin.

Doug and Ken, As I saw the 1953 Spithead Review, I get the general idea. I anchor all my boats plus a few invitees from other fleets in rows in the lake, then review the fleet by paddling up and down the rows in my coracle. By the way, salt water there is a plenty running through my veins, but, you'll find far more tea than whisky mixed with it.

Cheers, Nerys

Thanks Bill and Martin, nearly there now.

Thanks, Ron. You too.

Ian.
Looking really good.
Keep it coming.
Excellent work.
Bill

Nice work Ian.
Looks really good.

Martin555.

Looking forward to seeing more soon.
Stay safe!

I thought folk might be interested in the binnacle, wheel and telegraph made for Minnow. The wheel was purchased but the brass ring, pedestal and boss were turned. The binnacle is brass but drilled out for lightness (couldn't have that great lump so high in the boat) and the telegraph is also brass, possibly a little stylised. The brass work is 'gunged up' with Gilders paste to give a slightly neglected look - something I have tried for the first time on this model.
I have decided to try and finish Minnow completely (except maybe the figures) before she goes on the water, so hopefully next week.

Ken, Nerys has so many barges and tenders ready for sea trials she'll be holding a personal Fleet Review.
She'll have so many boats on the lake you won't get a look in!😮😁
😎

Hi Ken,
I suppose we are alright, or as well as can be expected. Have to admit, that we visited the lake last week, different locks and the public car park up by the beach was blocked off. My Dutch barge is coming along, doing the decks at the moment. Just hope we'll get a chance to sail before too long. At least our English counterparts can now, the First Minister needs to catch up with Boris's thinking.
Trust you and Judy are alright.
All the best, keep safe, Nerys

It would be nice to think there was some possibility of getting to the lake soon but the directive here is that we cannot go out of our home area and the lake is fifty miles away, also I'm told that the council have changed the locks on our carpark so we wouldn't be able to even get in to the lakeside.

Unhappily, Nerys

Thanks Nerys. As I said , this water gets weed infested as the weather heats up - it is a flood relief channel three feet deep with a concrete bottom. But it's clear at the moment.
I hope you will be able to get out and about soon and try your new boats- it is very frustrating.
Ian

Lovely looking boat Ian, well done. She does you credit. Lucky you having some water near by where you can try her out. I have two boats waiting for water and with Welsh lockdown rules, stand no chance of getting to the lake.

Cheers, Nerys

Thank you Martin- I will post pictures.

Very nice work.
Good luck with her first Trials.

Martin555.

Thanks, there are still a few details to complete but she is sailable so maybe next week.

She looks great, very nice finishes. Good luck with the pending sea trials.
Joe 👍

Thanks Doug. My camera lady and I are pretty much joined at the hip anyway so she will definitely be there.

Breath taking beautiful boat Ian👍👍👍
Good luck with the maiden🤞
Don't forget to take your 'camera lady' with you!😉
Cheers, Doug 😎