English modeller Robin Burnham has been building wonderful model boats for many years

His work has been featured in prestigious publications including Model Shipwright, Model Boat and Marine Modelling International. (Robin’s models were on show at the Liskeard Model Society 2010 Exhibition. Julian was there to cheer him on!)

His boats have been shown at a number of exhibitions around the UK, and his gig was awarded a bronze medal at the Model Engineering Exhibition in 2008. Robin talks about how he came to the world of model boats.

“From an early age I was interested in boats and the sea and this was fostered during my days as a Sea Scout where I learned to row, scull and sail in a 30-foot naval gig. Later, I trained as a shipwright with a boat-building firm in Dartmouth.

I try to build my models the same way I would do if they were full size; I find ¾ inch to the foot about right although I use bamboo pins rather than copper nails as the latter would be too small to handle. Up until now I have not found it necessary to steam any planking or timbers. I use Lime for planking (very fine dense grain) and Apple for the timbers (it bends in fair curves).”

Julian, who has a soft spot for this sturdy two-masted craft since earning his Navy colours in sailing in them says, “The whaler is something Bligh would recognise after his heroic four thousand mile voyage following the mutiny on the Bounty. It’s been carried as the standard Royal Navy seaboat for many years, and I have fond memories of banyans (improvised steak picnics) ashore by tropical lagoons in the Pacific as well as that night of tragic life-saving duties when my carrier Melbourne collided with the destroyer Voyager.

This model is quite superb – I challenge any seaman of my time to detect it as a model from a photograph!”