Arf a sixpence...

Well, half a litre, anyway.  I went to my local paint supplier today, Kett's Autopaints (much recommended, no complaints) to get, I'd hoped, a 1/4 Litre of enamel paint in a nice off white for a model boat.
Unfortunately as they had to mix it, they could only do half a litre. Fair enough, but whereas a litre is 21 quid, HALF as much is over 16!  How is that right?  Not their fault, that's what the makers charge. It is good stuff mind you, so OK I paid it because I had no choice, but I'd have been happier with something around 12 quid as half of 21?

I wanted it for my latest Aerokits hull restoration. I bought this on ebay for 99 p. Yes, really! Must have been wrongly listed, I can't now recall.  I am not a huge fan of the Sea Hornet as designed. Too busy, too much intended to go on, on the upper works, so I decided to do a Chris Craft on it. I started thinking 2 cockpits, but even that was a bit fussy, so I found the Special Racer or sometimes called the Custom Runabout.  A heavily tumblehomed stern, but not quite as rolled as the Barrel Back.  Then I thought it would look good painted, for a change, instead of varnished mahogany.  Then I found this...perfect....

Of course, the model is a looky likey, rather than a spot on job, but nobody would know as nobody in this benighted land could give a shit about classic speedboats. And fewer still know one from a canal barge.  Whereas, Moi?  I detest tugs, tankers, traders, warships, torpedo boats, coasters, ocean tugs, footy yachts and springer tugs, prate galleons, clipper ships and square riggers of any kind, IOM yachts, modern yachts of any kind in fact, generic offshore power boats and silly overpowered Zenoah weed whacker powered stuff (although I do like the excellent finishes usually applied to the latter.  I am, in short, a fussy sod.  I like vintage yachts and classic speedboats and although I lived on an historic canal boat, I can think of nothing duller than a model of it on the water!

I am a fan of the mahogany hotrod.  And very little else.

Here's my 99p Sea Hornet with its new deck.

The long engine hatch will have to be made to its own frame to maintain the crown of the deck. I have the smaller hatches for access to steering servo (side) and tiller (aft).  The transom should be slightly curved but you gotta stop somewhere when modifying a standard product.

The deck will have to be slightly engraved to represent the planking, before painting.  But painting it all will save me hours which need to be spent on the Spitfire kneeler outboard, Greavette Gent's Racer and Darby One Design in the shed, not to mention the finishing (after 55 years) of my Crash Tender.  Oh and the Vanity Victorian Cutter model, which is very close to finishing.  Something tells me I'll be carrying this lot into Winter rather than the usual diet of slot cars and scenery.