HS tugs

[Guest]

Hi my name is Peter and I have been building a HS TUG for about 6 or 7 years, its based on a Kingston mouldings hull and is steam powerd, I had got to the stage ready for paint but have decided to look for some more info about this type of boat before I go any further, also I have decided to cover the ply superstructure in fiberglass sheet (its 0.005 thick) used for model plane wings, The reason is to stop the ply from lifting as it gets hot and wet, so I have had to strip all of the top to fit this, Ill post a few pictures when I find out how to on this site. Anyway what Im after is any pictures of HS tugs or info, they where built to replace tugs lost in WW1 so about 1920 ish there where about 80 built, but I can find so little info. I have had to go of boats built at the same time for fitting design but would like to get it as correct as posable. any info would be helpful. Peter

[Guest]

Peter, firstly a warm welcome to the forum, it's nice to see another steamer amongst our ranks.

I'm not sure yet what a HS Tug is but I will have a look through my own resources and see if I can find anything. If you could post some pictures it would be a great help.

As for your superstructure, although glassing it will give it tremendous resilience it will be difficult to work and you will run the risk of loosing the sharp edges of the original wooden shape. As long as you do a good paint job on your model, with two or three coats of paint suitably rubbed down between coats, you should have a finish that is impervious to water and will last for many years. Glassing it is really making life dificult for yourself and you may well end up with a model that you are not as happy with.

I have put three coats of humbrol enamel on my steamer woodwork and it will get weathering and a clear flat coat to seal it which I am expecting to be suitably waterproof for the life of the model.

[Guest]

Well Welcome to the furm Peter. I have looked for some information on the HS tug and have found very little. I see what you mean about the little information.

Regards

Char

[John]

H.S Class WWI steam tug. A classic British coal-fired single screw steam tug design that was built in quantity to replace losses during the 1914 -1918 war. All began life in Naval service, mainly towing barges laden with supplies such as fuel and munitions between the UK and the French channel ports, as well as along some of the larger French inland waterways. In wartime service all H.S. tugs would have been painted grey, but almost all of those that survived the war were sold to civilian users, which means that many alternative colour schemes can be used to depict these tugs in post-war service. Model displacement is about 20lbs (9.1kg) and the hull is spacious enough to carry several of the smaller steam plants currently available from Cheddar and Stour Valley Steam. The first photo shows a very nice model in a fairly typical post war colour scheme. The next two photos show my own prototype, which was powered by a very early Cheddar Pintail, not quite finished, and looking rather bare at this stage with no fenders fitted. The last photo shows the bare hull, plenty of room inside with no bulky frames or bulkheads to hinder access, and a superstructure lifting off in one piece will make operating the finished model at the pond side relatively easy.

Hull length 875mm 34½”

beam 215mm 8½”

scale 1/30th

http://www.westbourne-model.co.uk/kingston-mouldings-hull-mouldings.htm

There isn't much info about them, hope this helps

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[Guest]

Picture Of the tug just before I removed all the fittings for plating.John yes there is verry little info about , but you never know sometimes someone has a stack of info you need this happend with my fireboat ,it was just about finnished when about three people came up with pictures and the plans from the bulders,the boat then req a major rebuild,the info you sent I think is the kingston Moulidings info im using there hull its verry good, Peter

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[Guest]

Peter,

welcome to the forum. You have chosen an interesting subject and I wish you well. The level of detail you have achieved is excellent and I am sure we all look forward to seeing the finished article.

James

[Guest]

Bunkerbarge .thanks for the info, Ive posted a picture of the fiberglass sheet that I have used in the past it is verry thin and with the right glue works verry well and enables you to forget about grain lifting . I did try just resin as used on planes, it wint on ok and was nice and flat ,but would chip.so when I built my fire boat I used this on the decks, it not that cheap but very light, I put it on over light ply and it looks very good (ill post a picture of fire boat) the joint on the superstructure are coverd in the main by plastic angles

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[Guest]

That's a very interesting technique Peter and looks a good bit better than the resin painted job I was envisaging.

If you could put together some sort of brief tutorial I am sure it would be of great interest to a lot of us boat modellers in the future. It is too late for my curent projects superstructure but I am interested in the possibilities of thermal insulation for steam plants inside the superstructure.

[Guest]

crash93,

That stuff looks very interesting, do you have any other details, thickness, glue type required, etc.

I was wondering if it could be used to simulate wooden planking, is it stiff enough to use for superstructure with/ without reinforcement?

J.

[Guest]

This is the stuff I used it comes in different thickneses (web-address) so you prob could use it to build a superstructure, with very little extra suport. I use the glue (picture) its a P U Glue that foams so fills any smal caveties, but you have to clamp it (picture of deck drying) OR Weights, the glue is what was recomended and is ideal for our use as it is even sea water proof,but If you get it on your hands its there for 10 days so wear gloves, for a superstructure I would try epoxy for joints.you could use it to plate a hull or a deck , but as far as planking goes if it was to have a painted finnish it would be ok but it would not take a stain. the picture is of my fire boat deck drying it was bonded to lite-ply,and only takes 20 min before you can start hacking at it again. Peter

http://www.mickreevesmodels.co.uk/

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[Guest]

Many thanks for the link,

I guess i should drop into a model shop that specialises in airplanes, some useful stuff there.

J.

[Guest]

From Captain "H" re HS tugs.If you go to www.thamestugs.co.uk/Watkins/Fabia you will find she was an HS tug design and had a very chequered career in WW2.

[Guest]

Thank you for that It gives me anothere ship to follow up, I will eventuly get information on them , I dont think Ill start a build untill I have all the info together first

Thanks Peter

[Guest]

I am building an HS tug based on the picture of the William Watkins tug "Fabia",my father was mate on her as a young man .I also have a painting of her by Ian Boyd .The hull is Kingston Mouldings.Am not rushing to build as I have other projects on the go such as the Watkins paddle tug built in 1876 as Ben Nevis aquired by Watkins in1896 and named "IONA"

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[Guest]

Hi Captain H mine is also a Kingston hull I have been working on it anumber of years, It is at the stage where I will soon be painting it as I have now finnished most of the fittings, I may be changing the tow hook for a winch as was fitted to some, I have found very little info over the years, mine is steam powerd with a few working features. I have posted a few pictures in my gallery. have you any detail of you biuld or info or pictures

thanks

Peter