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Showing posts from March, 2021

Pot Launcher

H ere are screenshots of the next key mechanical model I've created for the F/V Scully , the pot launcher. This is a major component of any crab fishing vessel.  The hydraulic launcher is a powerful  piece of equipment  that raises and launches crab pots.  There are various types of launchers that can both raise up to toss the pot overboard, as well as, tilt forward and shake crabs from a pot to a sorting table. I struggled for some time working out what equipment crab fishing vessels had back in the 70's and whether a pot launcher made the Scully look slightly too modern-day in terms of technicality . Sometime between the  commercial crab fishing industries beginning in  Alaska  (back in the 50's) to its heyday (around 1980), pot launchers were introduced to fishing vessels to help speed up loading and offloading crab pots (empty pots alone can weigh roughly 800 pounds). I did some research and eventually decided to make a basic single actuating launcher.  The little hooks

Rope Coiler

B elow are screenshots of my next mechanical model,  a rope coiler,  I'm working on for the deck of the F/V Scully. This an  automatic rope coiling device that draws in a line of rope to a crab pot being hauled in. Similar to other models I've created before, I only had photographic references to go by making this coiler from scratch.  When it comes down to working from a handful of images, it  requires me to get creative. This is because c ertain areas are not as well documented. A big part of the job is filling in the gaps to make it as believable as a real-world object.  However, this isn't always straightforward! In this build, it proved quite tricky with many parts pivoting on one arm and the other being fixed inside to the top of the coil can. Eventually, with enough trial and error, I found a balance and soon had the low poly model complete. Jason Bartlett ©   Jason Bartlett © Jason Bartlett © Thanks for reading :)