2015

The North Sea fishing boats consisted of drifters and trawlers. A trawler pulls a trawl (fishing net) behind the boat, or may operate as one of a pair of boats, each hauling one end of a trawl net. Trawl nets are pulled along the sea bed, or at a specific depth.

A drifter, on the other hand, operates a drift net which effectively hangs down from the surface of the water, like a curtain, and is suspended between a float, at one end, and the boat at the other. The net is prevented from sinking by floats attached to the top of the net “curtain” and is held vertical by weights attached to the bottom of the net.

The Model

The North Sea Drifter is a very impressive vessel, whether it is the real thing or a model.

The model is built from a kit purchased from Mount Fleet Models.

After spreading the contents of the kit on the bench, the hull was found to be slightly twisted. This is not an insurmountable problem, but rather disappointing in an expensive kit.

The kit contained a substantial number of white metal fittings, but not all of these were used. Instead, some fittings were made in the workshop, as these can then be made more accurately, and are usually lighter. Building a capstan, for example, turned out to be a two-handed job, instead of requiring three (or more) hands for the commercial fitting. Due to the twist in the hull, the fittings had to be carefully thought out. It’s at times like these we wonder why we are modellers...

Perseverance and prior knowledge saw the model completed, producing a pleasing result.

So why alter such an expensive and comprehensively equipped kit? Like all modellers, the builder enjoys a challenge in the pursuit of accuracy, or, as modellers say “Because its there!”