zoedog1

No problems Iain,

I have no colour photo's of BB but I suggest you to contact "John Lambert" <lambert.plans@btinternet.com>- you may be surprised with what John can supply including your requirements on crest colours.
The drawings I have include general arrangement for interior and exterior as when the boat was first laid down

My Mk1 version of BB ended up quite heavy and it was suggested that on the Mk2 version I plank the hull with 3mm balsa then resin with 2 layers fibre glass. Any suggestion from yourself or forum members are quite welcome.

Also, not living in the uk, what is SFMBC abbreviated for

thanks

Martin from Down Under

IainM

Sorry Martin! Sometimes forget that many folk do not know ... SFMBC is short for Scottish Federation of Model Boat Clubs. We have the web site SFMBC.NET and use it to try to keep in touch with the widely spread clubs (wide by Scottish standards that is!)

I know that weight can be a problem on larger hulls and that's why I tend to use the double diagonal planking using thin marine ply. It is no heavier than 3mm balsa but is much less prone to damage and stronger. Generally one thin coat of epoxy is all I need (inside & outside) to seal it, followed up by the appropriate colour coat in enamel and a final outside coat of yacht varnish. It's much easier to accommodate the compound curves around the flare at the bow since the plank width can be reduced in those areas.

The BB hull was rubbed down with 600 wet and dry, cleaned with cellulose thinners and then sprayed (2 coats) with Automotive Plastic grey undercoat/primer and then given a couple of coats of acrylic satin finish varnish (automotive again!). Gives a great finish - not too shiny and sheds dirt very well.
I used the plastic primer 'cause its intended for use on rigid plastic components on vehicles, so seems to stick like sh*t to a blanket!!

Thanks for the suggestion of talking with John L; somehow I'd never thought of that!!

Iain

andi4x4

H Iain,

I have just started building the BB myself from the same MM plans you are using and a fibreglass hull that was supplied with them. I first purchased this kit about 15 years ago and began building, then lost interest. Over the years the hull has been re-used a number of times on "pleasure craft" build that I have done, but, now I am building the BB proper as I have just recently moved to the Isle of Man and dicovered that the model boat club here meet on a pond within walking distance of my house !

But, getting back to the point -

I was wondering if you could let me have some of the photos you have done of yours - particularly the transom flap and exhaust flap details - I would like to incorporate working exhaust flaps and transom flap into my model. I am not building a fully true scale model - I have neither the skills nor time ( or patience ! ) to spend months working on a project - if it looks the part ten feet out on the pond I will be happy !

The hull I am using is 35 inches x 9 1/2 inches - ( 1/32 or 1/35 scale ? ) so I am also looking for some Bofors for it. I have seen the Italeri kits in 1/35 scale - they seem like good value ( and appear to include the gunner and co, too ) but i have also seen some 1/32 scale guns on a website - which do you think would be the best size for the boat I am building ?

All the best

Andi

Madmuffer

Hi Guys

I'm new here and hoping to be allowed to jump on the Brave Borderer bandwagon.

How I got a 'Brave' hull, plans and pictures is a long story (and I've had 'em a long time), but suffice to say I've decided to convert the large lump of glass-fibre sitting on my garage shelf into a living, breathing vessel.

As it's been a while since I last built a boat (Aesop was a mere slip of a lad) I thought I'd start by having a nose around on the internet - saw Pete Stern's absolutely superb BB model and nearly decided not to bother getting my tools out!

Then I came across this site, where the natives seem to be exceeding friendly and, like me, maybe in need of a bit of help, encouragement and support whilst striving to achieve Pete's level of excellence. So here I am, bearing gifts from the darkest recesses of Cornwall.

It seems you have a need for detail information on the Borderer, and I just happen to have some photos available that could help out. They are original Vosper Thorneycroft (Porchester Works) plates of the BB, black & white photos about 10" X 8". Not being sure of the correct protocol in forums such as this, and not wishing to incur the wrath of the webmaster by filling his server with huge files, I've scanned the pictures at 10cm X 8 @ 90 dpi and uploaded the images to my gallery page - please feel free to have a look.

I'm happy to scan and e-mail the pictures to you, or anyone else, if interested (presumably it's okay to make contact outside of this forum?). At full size and 300 DPI it is possible to read many of the labels on the instruments (in the bridge picture), but the file is nearly 2.5 Mb - so it's probably best sent outside of the site if that's permitted. Alternatively I can scan a smaller area at higher resolution (up to about 1200 dpi) if required.

Back to my own attempt to build a Borderer - the hull and plans are from Kingston Mouldings at 1:32 scale, and the plan seems to be very accurate when compared to the photos There are still 101 things that are not clear, and I'm sure I'll be back with a thousand and one questions to you and the other members.

In the meantime, the very best of luck with your own model, please get in touch if you want the photos.

Madmuffer

Hi Andi

I'm working on a Kingston Mouldings hull and plan. The hull is 35" long (without the exhaust platform and plane) and is quoted on the plan as being 1:32 scale - 3/8" to the foot.

Like you I've been looking for suitable Bofors kits (although it'll be a long time before I actually need it!), but can't see any that are the same version as that fitted to BB. I assume you've come across Pete Stern's model on the web? His representations of the gun are incredibly accurate to the original (see my galery), but all the kits I've seen have a couple of seats for the gun operators, which I can't see on the original.

Do you think the guns could have had some form of automatic control system?

All the best

Pete

adross

Hi Guys,

Just thought that you may be interested to know that Nautical Marine Models latest products include some 1:32 parts for BB and the export-market versions (Perkasa, Soloven, etc), which includes a superb 1:32 Bofors gun - Nautical Marine Models - model boat manufacturer - There are also mushroom vents, box vents, various lockers, hatches, etc.

Note, Thanks for the full-size BB photos Pete, please may I take you up on your offer of the larger scans when you have a few minutes?

Andy

monst

Hi Pete, just to let you know that I bought my 40mm BB Bofors Gun from Nautical Marine Models, they're based in the North West of England. The Gun arrived quickly and the kit they supply is very detailed and accurate in 1:32 scale for BB Boats.

Heres a picture off their website:



Hope this helps. MONST

Madmuffer

Hi Andy

Find your way to my home page (link under my contact details) and add 'pictures.htm' (without quotes) in the adress bar after BraveBorderer/

The pictures page will load (slowly - they're fairly large files!). I couldn't fit the last couple within my allotted space, so e-mail me from the site and I'll put them up for you.

Are you planning to build a Brave?

Pete