2016

Clyde Puffers were common in Scotland from around 1856, and gained their name because of the sound of their steam engines. The early puffers did not have a condenser fitted to extract water from the exhaust steam, so the sound of the exhaust was a “chuff” at each stroke. Later puffers were quieter, and many were fitted with diesel engines which sounded entirely different.

On early puffers the area around the wheel was open, but later boats had an enclosed wheel house. This model is of that later era, with what is probably the more iconic enclosed layout.

Puffers also had a single mast with a derrick to load the hold. In the photos of the model, the derrick is shown in the horizontal position.  

The Model

The model was built from a hull and a few fittings, given to Bill. Sadly, the hull was already damaged at the bow, so the first job was to repair this using glass fibre cloth and resin.

The hatch and engine casing were built using Plasticard.

The wheelhouse, which is a very distinctive feature of Clyde Puffers, was built from 1/16 inch (1.5mm) ply, and panelled like the original.

The ship’s boat was a commercial item, fitted out by Bill to make it look more authentic. It’s those details which make a plain and simple shape into a convincing part of any boat, and really add to the visual appeal of a model like this.

The model is fitted with a 6 volt motor driving a prop through a 2:1 reduction gearbox. This helps harness the power characteristics of the motor while providing smooth and scale-appropriate sailing, especially at low speeds.

Control is via a 2.4GHz radio receiver, which simplifies the location of the aerial, and removes the need for  channel allocation.