Building Veronica tells the story of how to build a radio controlled model of the famous Thames Sailing Barge, a versatile and economical cargo vessel that plied the Thames Estuary and surrounding waters throughout the 1800’s and deep into the 20th century. But it is much more than that. It shows the traditional skills of boat building craftsmanship that can be used to construct a working model of just about any sailing vessel.
Peter Simmonds has built and sailed aboard many full-sized vessels. He is now an active model builder and race competitor and takes us step-by-step through the build process, along the way sharing the practical hints, tips and how-to’s that have made his own models so successful. This video includes sections dealing with:
- Constructing a strong, straight and accurate hull frame
- Planking both flat area and complex curved shapes
- Planning and installing radio control gear
- Adding scale detailed deck fittings
- A practical guide to the daunting task of rigging a sailing ship
- Making masts and spars
- Sailmaking
- Painting and finishing
- A look at Waterwitch, one of Peter’s other models
- Sailing Veronica on Peter’s local lake with some similar models, including an interesting on-board perspective
Thames Sailing Barges played an important role in London commerce of the 19th and early 20th Centuries, and they were raced to show prospective clients the speed and skill of the boats and crews. These full-size competitive races continue to the present day for pleasure and are held within the estuaries around the Thames from June until September. Today a growing number of RC skippers are discovering that building and racing scale models of these iconic craft can provide both a hugely satisfying construction project and highly competitive yet friendly and sociable racing.
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