Colchester Smack

Colin B said:
This is the tentative start of a build log for a Colchester smack, which is a type of fishing craft that worked out of the Colne and Blackwater rivers in Essex in the 19th and 20th century. Many of these craft still survive as yachts and I live only a couple of hours away from where they can be seen. I will be using the plans in the Chatham Directory of Inshore Craft which were drawn by the naval architect Maxwell Blake. I have to get these enlarged as the originals are in a private collection and I don't know who owns it.

My model will be built at 1:24 or 1/2":1' in Imperial. This has the advantage that 1mm is about 1" in scale terms which makes sourcing the timber rather easier. There is lot of drawing to do which I will continue in parallel with working on my car project which is 1930 Singer Light Six which hasn't been on the road since around 1970. The model will form a nice contrast to the rather large and oily car!

I will probably go for sycamore or lime although I have to find a decent source. I have made a start in the meantime by getting most of the car stuff out of my main workshop and trying to establish a boatyard in its place. I have acquired some machine tools since I made Leon as a student with hand tools on the kitchen table so I hope these will help me make a boat that is worthy to sit alongside the quite outstanding models I watch develop on this forum.
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Hallo @Colin B
we wish you all the BEST and a HAPPY BIRTHDAY
Birthday-Cake
 
Dear @Colin B
happy Birthday Birthday-CakeBeer
The work you do in restoring the car as well as on the ship model is really very impressive and the results are commendable. Well done, I will continue to follow in your blog
 
Colin B said:
This is the tentative start of a build log for a Colchester smack, which is a type of fishing craft that worked out of the Colne and Blackwater rivers in Essex in the 19th and 20th century. Many of these craft still survive as yachts and I live only a couple of hours away from where they can be seen. I will be using the plans in the Chatham Directory of Inshore Craft which were drawn by the naval architect Maxwell Blake. I have to get these enlarged as the originals are in a private collection and I don't know who owns it.

My model will be built at 1:24 or 1/2":1' in Imperial. This has the advantage that 1mm is about 1" in scale terms which makes sourcing the timber rather easier. There is lot of drawing to do which I will continue in parallel with working on my car project which is 1930 Singer Light Six which hasn't been on the road since around 1970. The model will form a nice contrast to the rather large and oily car!

I will probably go for sycamore or lime although I have to find a decent source. I have made a start in the meantime by getting most of the car stuff out of my main workshop and trying to establish a boatyard in its place. I have acquired some machine tools since I made Leon as a student with hand tools on the kitchen table so I hope these will help me make a boat that is worthy to sit alongside the quite outstanding models I watch develop on this forum. View attachment 90532View attachment 90533View attachment 90534View attachment 90535
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Hallo @Colin B
We wish you all the best and a Happy Birthday
 
Thanks everyone! Birthday and Covid together; lovely combinationROTF Strangely enough I have been looking at the smack again having just finished a complete rebuild of a 1951 MG TD including LHD to RHD conversion. I haven't touched the smack for 2 years but having decided I'm not doing any more cars I will get back on the case and hopefully post a bit of progress sometime soon.
 
Cars like modeling are an addiction. I had a 67 TR4Airs that I drove many happy miles. Got the American bug and modified it too include a fuel injected 4 litre Rover V8 with a TR7 5-speed. Much fun and very quick but not brakes. Added Wilwood brakes on all 4 corners to help the stopping power. Back to modeling, I built a Model Shipways Lobster Smack and it is a wonderful display model. Looking forward to your smack.
 
Hi Colin
Any news on the Smack? I'm very interested in this build because it's local to where I was born and brought up on the Dengie peninsula. I recall seeing these boats along with the Thames barges at Maldon, many years ago. Also, having seen your mention of 'Tree to Sea' I hunted a copy down and am awaiting it's arrival.
F/S
 
The book From Tree to Sea has just arrived, and I can see why you described it as a really good book! The illustrations, apart from being copious, are wonderful in both a romantic way but also in terms of accuracy. I can't wait to start reading it, thanks for mentioning it Colin.
F/S
 
Thanks FenStranger - lovely video and full of interesting details. I keep looking at the smack model and visit this site most days for inspiration so perhaps the build will start again over the winter.
 
such a boat has not much sails and reduced rigging, but the video is showing, that there are already so much ways of handling
Great video - many thanks for sharing - I think a great help for understanding the rigging for this and similar vessels
 
Uwek said:
such a boat has not much sails and reduced rigging, but the video is showing, that there are already so much ways of handling
Great video - many thanks for sharing - I think a great help for understanding the rigging for this and similar vessels
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Thanks Uwe, I'm glad it was appreciated!
 
My glacial progress on the Colchester smack continues! My only excuse is that I have restored a 1952 MG TD imported from Texas in the meantime including a full strip down, RHD conversion rebuilt engine, repaint rewire etc! I suddenly got a resurgence of interest in my little boat project and have glued the top strake in place, cut down the tops of the frames and started working on the stern timbers. I have put a couple of dowels in place just to secure everything but I have got to go into major dowel production soon! The hopeful thing so far as the boat is concerned is that I have decided to stop doing car projects and just enjoy driving the cars I have, so more time for other things including this smack!

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Colin B said:
My glacial progress on the Colchester smack continues! My only excuse is that I have restored a 1952 MG TD imported from Texas in the meantime including a full strip down, RHD conversion rebuilt engine, repaint rewire etc! I suddenly got a resurgence of interest in my little boat project and have glued the top strake in place, cut down the tops of the frames and started working on the stern timbers. I have put a couple of dowels in place just to secure everything but I have got to go into major dowel production soon! The hopeful thing so far as the boat is concerned is that I have decided to stop doing car projects and just enjoy driving the cars I have, so more time for other things including this smack!
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I rushed into putting a second strake along the bulwarks before realising that the sheer strake needed to go on first as it sets up the deck structure, and also establishes the width of the bulwark planks and the space for the waterway above the covering boards. The second planks I added were too wide and didn't leave space for the sheer strake etc so they have come off. I'm just eying in the sheer strake before fitting it. The top strake along the bulwarks will stay in place for a while to stabilise the structure but this will come off too in the end before re-planking with thinner and narrower planks. We all make mistakes and I'm often too gung ho for my own good but you have to be ruthless and start again! :)

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Sheer strake glued on. It is 2 3/4" thick in the original so I have laminated two pieces of 1.5mm which is not far off at this scale especially after a bit of sanding. The port side has the lower layer glued while I am adding the top layer on the starboard side. Once both sides are glued and dowelled I can establish the run of planking, although I will generally be winging it as usual! I need to progress from clothes pegs to other clamps as I go further down the hull so that needs a bit of investigation.

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