YORKSHIREMAN / IRISHMAN  Kit Review 

As published in Model Boats (1991)

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This the first offering from the Model Slipway. On receipt of the kit the numerous parts were checked against the list provided, which clearly shows where to find all the bits. One or two were missing but a phone call had the errant parts with me by return of post.  

Hull 

Great care has been taken to produce a very substantial 34in fibreglass hull that does not suffer from warping, whipping or cracking. Marks on the outside of the hull show the location of the freeing ports, anchor recesses (which need to be made up) and the running gear, which needs to be drilled and filed to shape. There are markings either side of the bow for a bow thruster (only a tube is included in the kit). There are several options here: you can either not bother to fit the tube at all, or you can fit the tube as per the instructions. Alternatively a working bow thruster can be fitted (Graupner, Robbe or Marx).
The smooth finish on the inside of the exposed bulwarks can be achieved by wiping P38 filler using a suitable finger. When this is dry, rub down with 320 grade wet and dry paper.

Running Gear

This consists of prop shafts, propellers, white metal Kort nozzles, rudders and mountings. The nozzles come in two halves and need some filling and sanding to get a good finish. The rudder shafts benefit from a smearing of grease before fitting. The rudders need to be put in place with the nozzles and mountings. It pays to check the length of the rudder tubes and shafts in relation to the deck. I found that some trimming of these was required to give clearance between the top of the rudder, shaft and underside of the deck. It is vital to study drawing No. 7 and take time to dry fit the whole assembly. The parts fit together so well that without glue they will stay in place. When satisfied that all is aligned the parts can be glued using superglue and 5-minute epoxy.   
As part of the alignment process, now is a good time to install the motors and mounts (not included in the kit). The motors can be removed whilst building so they don’t get filled with crud. Care should be taken with the vac formings that make up the fairings for the prop shafts; they should be superglued or epoxied in place.  

 Decks

The decks come as a series of die cut sheets. Assembly should be from the stern forwards to the pointed end)!   

Afterdeck 

As the freeing ports have already been cut out the deck supports need gluing in place 1.5mm below them (i.e. the thickness of the deck). Care has to be taken here to align the styrene strip correctly. It may help to pin it in place using 1mm brass rod, allowing a dry fit before actually gluing in place. Leave a clean, glue-free top edge to allow a good fit for the deck which should be carefully sanded to a snug fit. To defy the law according to s** it is advisable to cut out the optional openings over the rudder posts to allow access to the rudder mechanism for maintenance. 
The next step is to build the aft superstructure and after deck bracing to make the whole assembly rigid before fitting to the hull. Part D62 should be used as the guide for the sizing with the superstructure sides fitting under this part. If this is not done the main superstructure will not fit over it – a potential disaster. Parts D7 need cutting back to fit within the hull. When this assembly is thoroughly dry it can be glued to the supports in the hull using polystyrene cement. The hatch supporting the towing bollard can now be built to fit the hatch in the afterdeck. Part D22 and D20 appear to be reversed, but apart from this the hatch assembles with no problems.

Main Deck 

This is once again die-cut plastic. To stiffen the assembly the hatch coamings are assembled and glued in place. For those who wish to over engineer the kit there is loads of scrap plastic to make additional stiffening members under the deck. The deck is glued directly onto the top edge of the hull using 5-minute epoxy. The scribe decided on some diversion here, from the instructions and used styrene strips round the inside of the hull - pinned and glued. The deck was then pinned and glued onto strip and hull.

Foredeck 

Yet another die-cut plastic part which fits on top of the lip at the pointy end of the boat. Before fitting, part D17 has to be fitted to the main deck and the foredeck will rest on this. It is advisable to drill the anchor hawse pipes in the deck while on the bench. I used .22 rifle cartridges as dummy pipes. 
Before gluing the deck in place ask yourself two questions:- 1. Are the anchor recesses in place? – 2. Have I done everything I need to do to the bow thrusters? – because after fitting the foredeck, access to these two areas is going to be restricted. Now for a nice tricky bit - the bulwarks D43. These should fit on top of the fore deck and then run over the break and along part of the main deck set in from the sides (Photo 6). The angle to the deck is set by the angles of the bulwark supports which are located on the printed plastic sheets (diagram 4). You will probably have to file the angle on the hull to get a good fit for D43. The capping rail can now be fitted to the tops of the bulwarks.
If you are brilliant you will not need to do the next bit! Now is the best time to go round the hull with filler to get rid of the holes and blemishes. I find that Humbrol filler is good stuff to use here.

Superstructure 

Before assembling the superstructure it is advisable to drill the holes for the portholes where indicated. They should be filed to a size that allows fitting of the portholes from the inside of the hull (some model makers might not bother to fit the metal portholes). 
Part D25 should fit over the main deck hatch coamings. This part is used as the basis for the main superstructure, the sides of which are attached to it and fit over the raised deck coaming to give a water resistant construction. Once again extra bracing pieces can be fitted using scrap to support the joint between base and sides. 
The wheelhouse deck is now fitted. At the back it fits to the top of the superstructure sides, at the front it is important that it is set 10mm from the top of the superstructure. After fitting the front deck to this, the front of the superstructure can be fitted – this is a curved part. The best way is to tape it in place and use liquid poly to glue it. Then leave to dry thoroughly before removing the tape and sanding to an exact fit. A similar exercise has to be done for the front of the wheelhouse deck. The wheelhouse is assembled in situ. The wheelhouse top needs a small cut-out on the front edges, and sanding to fit the front fairing on the top of the wheelhouse. Great care must be taken when trimming the front of the wheelhouse top or it will be too short to fit the length of the wheelhouse. The rear has to be trimmed to achieve angles that are equal both sides. 
The funnels are assembled from die-cut and printed parts. The bracing between the funnels will need to be trimmed so that the funnels align with the wheelhouse sides below them.  

Deck Fittings 

The white metal fittings only need the minimum of cleaning up - just polish with a small brass brush. Glue together or to the deck with thick superglue. It is worth planning the painting of these small parts as some are easier to paint before fitting in position. I found it helped to mount these fittings on two strips of wood in the order that they fit to the deck. This way they are securely held for painting and are in the correct order for final assembly.  The crowning glory is the mast - a complex assembly - which took me a whole day to build.

Painting and Detailing 

I sprayed the whole boat with Humbrol light grey to act as a base coat and also to show up any blemishes in the surface finish. The bottom of the hull was sprayed with Humbrol Matt Brick Red thinned 50:50 with Humbrol thinners. The top of the hull was masked off and sprayed with Humbrol Matt Black. The waterline should be marked to the measurements as detailed in the instructions. The hull is then put on blocks so the marks are same distance from the work surface. Then use a pencil taped to a block so that it is in line with these marks, to draw the waterline on faintly. It is then just a matter of applying masking tape to this line. 
The inside of the bulwarks have to be painted by hand unless you are very handy with the masking tape. Buff is not my favourite colour, taking three coats to get a good cover. I found it easier to turn the boat on its side to paint the inside of the bulwarks. 
A decision has to be made at this point as to whether you wish to call your model Irishman or Yorkshireman. The only difference is the colour of the main and fore decks, red oxide on Irishman and olive green on Yorkshireman. On both boats the aft deck is red oxide. 
The superstructure was sprayed in white and detail on deck lights etc. picked out using a fine brush. The whole model was then given two coats of varnish, the last job being to fit the glazing as required and the rigging for the mast. 

Fitting Out 

The motors can now be fitted back into the hull: 2 x 12v Decaperms with Dyco couplings to the shafts. A 380-type motor is supplied with the bow thruster and was fitted before the foredeck went on. The radio and speed controllers were fitted below the main superstructure along with 2 x 6 volt 10 amp sealed lead acid batteries. The radio is a set of 40 Mhz Futaba 6 channel gear, which will give me all the functions I need on this model, plus the ability to expand the functions in the future should I need to. This has put a lot of weight at the front and so most of the ballast has to be fitted below the rudder servo which is mounted beneath the aft hatch. Final trimming is of course done in the bath, to get the model floating to the correct water line.

Trials

The performance can be described as very stable, very manoeuvrable - even without resorting to the bow thruster it will spin in its own length. It is an ideal regatta boat in any weather, as it has a relatively deep draft and so doesn't get pushed around by the weather.

Conclusion

An impressive first offering from a new manufacturer. A well packaged and presented kit which sets new standards in the model boat market. The only let downs were small mistakes in the instructions which I understand have now been rectified. The kit is good value for money when compared with what else is on the market - perhaps to the point of being underpriced as it is a very complete kit. This model is a handy size, and even in a carry case will easily fit into most family cars.

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