Ikara Leander

middle_watch · Post by **middle_watch** » Fri Jul 07, 2006 3:26 pm

With the first time off since before Christmas I took the opportunity to clean out the shed and dust off Naiad. Getting the hull smooth proved to be a real pain but eventually it started to look something like.

Apart from smoothing I have added bilge keels, these were lengths of plastic shelf edging from B&Q, 67 pence per metre. The bulkheads have been cut away too. Here I am preparing to mark the waterline and boot top.

middle_watch · Post by **middle_watch** » Fri Jul 07, 2006 3:27 pm

I used a super high tech tool to mark the hull up...

[/url]

middle_watch · Post by **middle_watch** » Fri Jul 07, 2006 3:30 pm

A fortuitous purchase for the Cabin Boy offered an opportunity too good to miss. The hull has been masked off and the lower have given a couple of coats of Red Oxide from the local pound shop.

It is not clear here but the hull is riding satisfactorilly high showing she can take plenty of weight yet, and proved stable even without ballast.

middle_watch · Post by **middle_watch** » Fri Jul 07, 2006 3:38 pm

The stabelisers have given me a bit of a quandry. The Jecobin plans show them in line with the Bilge Keels and rectangular, but do not indicate their length. The only reference photos I can find are of the Yarmouth which shows tapered stabelisers above the line of the bilge keels. But these were retro fitted when the Rothesay Class were adapted to take a helicopter so probably not typical for a Leander hull.

Racking my rum soused brain I decided to go with the plans for now and guestimate the length, ideally I need to get a look at a builders model.

Naiad goes back in the shed now to let the paint set hard before the final smoothing and then starting on the grey.

middle_watch · Post by **middle_watch** » Fri Jul 07, 2006 3:44 pm

Meanwhile the pool was still available so I popped in the Dog Boat after sealing the leaks found around the rudder from the first test in the bath late last year. The little beast zipped along nicely using a lightweight 6V Nicad battery. I am concerned though that the boat is already at the waterline, more top hamper and a large battery may well take it too low, still it has cost me virtually nothing so far apart from the drive train so I will probably spare it the breakers yard just yet.

treadhead1952 · Post by **treadhead1952** » Fri Jul 07, 2006 4:33 pm

Your Naiad is looking good so far. Gotta love those "Hi Tech" tools.

Looking forward to your progress as you go.

ARH · Post by **ARH** » Fri Jul 07, 2006 4:38 pm

Hi Middle-Watch, Glad to see you doing some building, its looking good, glad to have you back

Post by **Dave Wooley** » Fri Jul 07, 2006 4:44 pm

Nice to see you back in the fray. and Naiad.
Dave Wooley

middle_watch · Post by **middle_watch** » Sat Jul 08, 2006 3:40 am

Cheers guys, I am back on shifts at work which gives me a clear four days off every eight so hopefully I should get some productivity in, the way they had me working since Christmas was just slavery, trouble with civvie street, they expect you to earn a living!

middle_watch · Post by **middle_watch** » Sun Jul 23, 2006 9:44 am

Red oxide for the below waterline and auto grey undercoat for above. I am not topcoating either at this stage, there is still a lot of work to do on the hull, A frames, sonar domes, shafts etc, but I want to make a start on the upper works.

[/url]

middle_watch · Post by **middle_watch** » Sun Jul 23, 2006 9:47 am

To my consternation I found I had cut the deck opening too wide, I have not allowed for the width of the superstructure bulkheads. However since I intend laying 0.040" styrene down to form the deck all was not lost, it is rigid enough for me recover the error.

middle_watch · Post by **middle_watch** » Sun Jul 23, 2006 10:14 am

Some scrap balsa to form the guides for the superstructure. Since I intend to have the hanger open I have used very thin pieces there.

I have drilled out the towing hole and the anchor holes, the anchor holes will be mated to the upperdeck holes with some tubing, otherwise I risk water ingress into the bow, likewise the towing hole.

I have started work on the removable Mortar and 199 well. The mortar well is a simple push fit, but I will shim the 199 well and surrounding hull with thin styrene, I am hoping a rub of silicon grease will make the result watertight in the event of going astern.

After some debate I have decided to construct the main body of the superstructure out of 1/8" ply, the same as the two wells, but I am out of it and back on my four day shift so it will have to wait while late next week.

Some trivia: When the Leander was designed in order to save topweight to allow the superstructure to be added to the basic Type 12 hull the diesels in the bow were moved down below the waterline forward of the Boiler Room, this was the food storage area on the Type 12. The freezers, fridges and storerooms were bumped up a deck to where the Officers cabins are on the Type 12 and the officers relocated to the new superstructure.

On the Type 12 and 12I the diesels vent from holes in the bow or from small stacks fitted on the focsul at anchor. On the Leander the foremast is a MACK (Mast And staCK), the diesels exhaust up through it.

middle_watch · Post by **middle_watch** » Mon Jul 31, 2006 1:48 am

Took me a while to find some suitable ply, none of the local lumber merchants stocked anything less than 4mm, in the end had to buy small sheets from a model shop in Wakefield, each cost as much as I normally pay for a 6x4 4mm sheet. Ouch.

I settled for 3/32" rather than 1/8" it can be cut with a knife and holds the shape well enough.

01 deck and the bridge base were simple enough but the hanger proved very fiddly, also puzzling, cannot recall what some of the bits are!

middle_watch · Post by **middle_watch** » Mon Jul 31, 2006 2:12 am

Bows on shot, note the tubes which will be cut off and sealed to make the anchor chain and tow hawser tunnels waterproof, the tube is a fuel line off an old RC aircraft.

Post by **JIM BAUMANN** » Mon Jul 31, 2006 3:15 am

despite having to share shed space with a freezer and a lawnmower...

progress looks good and rapid--I particularly liked the clear labelling of the superstructure componenets--very helpful and explanatory!

Will be watching this....

JIM Baumann

middle_watch · Post by **middle_watch** » Mon Jul 31, 2006 4:35 am

I have been promised my own shed, but once again a higher priority expense has meant it is "Jam tomorrow!"

ARH · Post by **ARH** » Mon Jul 31, 2006 11:24 am

middle_watch wrote:I have been promised my own shed, but once again a higher priority expense has meant it is "Jam tomorrow!"

BEEN THERE , DONE THAT, ATE THE JAM BUTTY.

middle_watch · Post by **middle_watch** » Tue Aug 01, 2006 3:04 am

I would settle for a Cheesey Hammy Eggy, but nuts if I can remember how they were made, any chefs on line?

Anyway, back on shift so I have had time to do some research on my puzzling lump, I thought it might be an ATU (Air Transfer Unit) as I have some vague recollection of a lump of machinary overhead in the the 1J access lobby (starboard side of the hanger). But plans cannot tell you everything, here is a shot of an original fit Leander.

Note the royal showoff standing in for me! The lump is actually the base of the Seacat Director.

But on the Ikara conversion the lump remains even after the director is removed, but unless my eyes are playing tricks those are now vents on the aft face of the lump, so either an ATU or engine room uptake. Either way, time to ponder making some grills.

middle_watch · Post by **middle_watch** » Tue Aug 08, 2006 1:21 am

Here we go, back on shift, 2 days and 2 nights before I can get back to the shipyard. Managed to forget the photos, will sort some out tonight.

I have been working on the detail around 01 deck on the hanger, I wanted to try litho instead of styrene, but unable to source any I tried using the thick foil from the base of an Aberdeen Angus pie we scoffed last week. Worked really well except it proved difficult to glue, I normally use a thick slow acting super glue but this formed a bubble on the foil and fine detail like hinges slid away. A general purpose adhesive did not seem able to hold down the edges. I will have to try a thin super glue.

My plans are very vague about the area, showing just anonymous rectangles which I take to be access hatches, I seem to recall there was often a lot of activity in that area cleaning filters when the sun was out. Due to the overshadowed nature of the deck I have no decent reference photos.

largeallan · Post by **largeallan** » Tue Aug 08, 2006 3:16 am

mmmm, cheesy hammy eggy!!!....wasn't that the only thing they could cook right?...mind you, the odd pot mess wasn't bad, complete with tinned snorkers!!