Hiya Alessandro, thanks for the comments. On the day I only hooked up one battery to the motor, but the plan would be to use a parallel connection to the others next time. I am sure it could sail for longer than 45mins. By the time the rest of the build is done I guess I will probably be down to two batteries and some lead for ballast as the fittings will all add up in weight terms.

Great intermediate test, Trident73.
It sails very well.
Three lead-acid batteries! Great, you'll have a lot of autonomy I imagine.
Did you connect all three in parallel, or is one dedicated to the receiver and servos and the other two in parallel to the motor (my favorite solution)? Or other?

But am I wrong or could it do much more than 45 minutes?

Hi Trident,
I appreciate that you had glassed the hull so the underlying wood was protected👍
Nevertheless, sailing only with primer is not recommended as it absorbs moisture.
Be sure to thoroughly thoroughly dry it out before proceeding to top coating.
I have added the link to my Blog for info, but I realise you may not want the 'glass' finish for a working boat😉
So far so good, watching with interest.🤓
Cheers, Doug😎

she is ready for fitments. 👍



have fun


Isaac

Hi Doug, thanks for the heads up. On this case though everything has been glassed or varnished and the grey primer is a coat to show any imperfections of the glass coating.

Sails well Trident👍 Chugalug chugalug😉
A word to the wise!
Primer does NOT waterproof!
It consists largely of a solvent and a fine filler powder, chalk powder or similar.
Look at any car with a primed panel that's been out in the rain and you'll see what I mean.
For my Sea Scout 'Jessica' (see build blog) I used a 4 stage process-
1 2 applications of EzeKote water based resin, diluted with about 10-15% water to seal the wood-
2 Grey primer/filler from the auto branch-
3 Top coat colour, Royal Blue, also from auto branch-
4 Clear finishing lacquer from same paint series as the colour coat to achieve a glass like surface.
Details of materials used are in my blog.
Cheers, Doug😎

blogs/28209?sort=ASC

Hi Boatshed. Yes I am in Sevenoaks but this weekend I was in Gloucestershire and that was a quiet section of the Gloucestershire and Shapeness canal. I had been paddleboarding with a mate that weekend and the worst case scenario was that we would have had to blow one up and go get the boat. We did have a case of a lost prop on one boat this weekend but I used the new tug to push the stricken boat back to safety.

Hi Trident73,
I see you are in Sevenoaks, I am curious, I see you you run your boats on a river. Is it on the Medway/ Are you not worried if anything should happen (not trying to be a Jonah).
How would you receive or do you take a recovery R/C boat with you.
That would always be my concern.
I have run my boats up on the Norfolk Broads but that was only because I kept a dingy in the Boat yard that I could use near my own Cabin Cruiser I had there. Or actually out on the river when I was following it a bout 50 yards behind it. People used to look amassed when they saw a small boat out on the river. I heard someone shout out to me once "watch out mate your going to run over someone's toy boat".

Nice driving style, it sits well in the water.👍

I'm glad you eliminated the problem on the bridge, you are now progressing very quickly after that annoying obstacle.

Thanks for the info Doug and Len. It all makes sense. I will have a think about whether I could replicate a sliding door perhaps 🤔
Regards, Chris.

Hi Ronald, no the woods in the kit are basically sapelli for the deck planks, Walnut for all the other planking and panelling and framing and some lime also.

As you have already been advised the door always opens outward. I also believe that the door swing should be such that the door swings against the direction of forward motion. This way it will not be slammed open if it comes off its restraint and causes an open passage for the sea to enter.
Len

Do you have Mahogany available? The reason is that Mahogany stands up to the elements better because of the natural properties and oils in the wood.

When we toured the Alaska State Capital building, I noticed that the interior was finished in Mahogany rather than the natural wood materials found in that state. Upon asking about it, the answer was that the mahogany stood up better in the fluctuations of moisture compared to the other species found in the forests of Alaska.


I would have thought Cedar could be used, but they said no, Cedar didn’t have the structural qualities that the Mahogany did.

Cabinetry, doors, trim all were Mahogany.

Makes sense, I was just guessing.👍

I agree with your Dad Trident👍
Many smaller vessels have sliding doors for space saving reasons.
BUT, always on the outside so that it gets pushed onto the frame, not pushed off it's tracks inwards.
It also saves space inside which is needed for consoles, other equipment or furniture.
Cheers, Doug😎

Thanks Doug and Wolle - I asked my dad about the door as well - he was a harbour pilot for his career and he reckons it would have been outwards as well or otherwise even possibly a sliding door. It makes sense what you say about pushing onto the weather seal 👍🏻

Hi Trident,
Nice work, SFSG👍

Re the door.
As a general rule, and on every ship I've been on, naval or civil, and there's been quite few over 30+ years, ANY door which opens onto a Weather Deck, i.e. to the outside, always opens outwards.
This is to ensure that in storm conditions (or even a rogue wave) the door will be pressed into the watertight seal. Instead of of being pushed inwards by wind gust or water pressure and thus risking flooding the ship.😮😭
Cheers, Doug😎

Looks very nice.
With the door...very good question. 🤔I've never thought about that. I think inwardly.

What a beautiful ship. Congratulations👍

Hi Trident... I bought this kit 3 years ago and had a build blog.....but never kept it up. I have now finished and will add some pictures and video to the blog i was running.... It was the first model I have done with planking and it was very challenging as you've found.

Ah ok Trident73, if you also resined the inside your hull is very robust and well waterproofed. Optimal.

I am very interested in this problem, I will see how you solve it and learn from you.

Yes, I don't think you're the type to give up. However, I think the best solution is the one you are adopting. Strip the wood of the deck completely bare.

Logically you will do other tests outside your ship to observe the reactions. Only if everything is fine after two days can you repeat it in the model. Right?

I agree. I will persevere past it. I have already scraped the deck clean back to the wood using a half of a knife blade. I will check it carefully again tomorrow and then have a fresh go at finish coating it.

I'm sorry but a model maker does not give up and faces the challenge

That's probably the better solution. I was thinking of sanding the deck again with very fine sandpaper, but I think you're better off not doing that because it will damage the structure of the deck.

Hi Wolle, no just at the edges where a particular brand of masking tape was used. I guess some of the adhesive residue must have been left behind. Am considering flat-scraping the edges with a razor blade edge when it has fully cured and then satin coating the edges again. It happened in places on the port side and all the way down the stbd side.

Did this happen everywhere?

Actually, I have answered my own question- a bit of experimentation showed that crimping worked quite satisfactorily …

Hi Alessandro.Thanks for your compliment on the fibreglassing. I did a couple of coats of resin on the inside of the hull as well. On the inside there is no cloth however. Basically the hull is fully watertight inside and out.

Watch this space for updates on the deck 😁 the reaction has spread across the whole deck where I masked the deck off. I am going to sand it back and start over.

Hi Trident73, I had some questions for you about the exterior resin method.
But then I saw the pictures and there was no longer any need.
I have to say you did very well.
I'm afraid to use resin on the outside of the hull.
I prefer to reinforce only the inside with resin and leave the wood exposed on the outside (but this is not your case), using paints for waterproofing.
If I decided to put the resin on the outside too, I wouldn't use a special fabric but I would impregnate the wood directly. This is because I don't have enough experience and I'm afraid that the fabric won't adhere perfectly to all the sinuosities of the hull.
But as I said, you have mastered this operation very well.
I see that you didn't consider it necessary to pass the resin inside too or am I wrong?
Did you consider the hull already robust and resistant enough as it is now?
I am interested in any reasons you have for your choices and would like to know them.

As for your last problem, I would wait to sand the deck.
I would first try to remove the adhesive residue with progressively more aggressive products. First the alcohol, then acetone, then white spirit and only lastly thinner for nitro paints.
I would try it on a small portion first.
If instead it is a reaction of the cyanoacrylate then all these products are useless.
It has often happened to me that cyanoacrylate reacts with whitish manifestations (this characteristic is used to detect fingerprints in the field of judicial police instead of powders).
In this case, very cautious mechanical removal (fine sanding) and subsequent repainting is perhaps the only solution.
I'm curious to see how you manage to solve it because this negative experience of yours will also be useful to me and other modelers.

Feel free to ask any questions Alessandro, and I will do my best to answer.

This work is very educational for me.
I'm waiting until you finish the hull to ask you some questions, Trident73.

Nice.

Thanks Alessandro, much appreciated. 🙂👍🏻

Hello Trident73, I like this hull and I like how you built it.

Just be careful with the "black" Sharpies. I've seen them fade to a purple.

Lew

Trident,
You have been added to the list of nominees for 'Planker of the Month'👍
😎
PS: Don't know what a 'sharpie' is, but if it's a permanent marker it should not react with your varnish. UNLESS! They use the same solvent.
To be absolutely sure you could seal the deck with a resin, e.g. Deluxe Materials Ezekote.
A water based one part resin, NO hardener needed.😀 I use it diluted with 10 to 20% water as a sealant. Let dry overnight and you'll have no problems with your varnish, whatever it's basis / solvent is.👍
Cheers, Doug😎

Here’s a top tip - nail varnish remover for gel-type nails completely removes cyano/super/crazy glue. Put some on a cotton pad and wipe your fingers with it for a minute and they will be glue-free. I think it is the acetone in the remover that does it.

@Alessandro, I will keep you posted. 👍🏻

@Isaac I have had a couple of “uh-oh, I think I am stuck” moments so far 😁

with so many planks, my fingers would have been glued to the boat hundreds of times.

I find super glue to be really sneaky when it runs and my fingers get glued.

Have fun and do not breath the fumes.


Isaac

Hi Trident73, I used a pencil to simulate the caulking.
I edged all the strips with lead graphite black before positioning them.
I don't know how your marker will react.
It would be better to test it on a small external plank (for example 12 x 6 cm) and see how it reacts.

Trial and error has shown me that it is important to only apply a thin bead of cyano. Image 2 shows what seems to be about right. Once in place I have a few seconds to get it perfect before the adhesive bites. Then I burnish the plank down with a piece of dowel to make sure it is well stuck.

Thoughts turn to how I will finish the deck. I was thinking with several coats of thinned yacht varnish. I read however that it (polyurethane) might smear the sharpie that I have used along the plank edges. I may have to do a test first with sealing the planks with satin spray varnish before I apply yacht varnish.

Also worth a mention is that I have had to carefully check each plank I use, as there is occasionally a noticeable inconsistency in the width of the supplied planks for this stage of the build.

A "sharpie" is just a brand name for felt markers. In my experience they tend to fade to purple on there own even without being in contact with any solvents. Len

Great Trident73, I'm glad you improved the asymmetry.
The model makers who gave you the suggestions are really smart.

I understand that you have little space available but I'm afraid that 30 degrees is a little too low to make good turns in an RC model.
The only way is to shorten the rudder arm and the servo arm as much as possible, which must be perfectly symmetrical and aligned (you need to make a recess in the wood if you haven't already done so).
A shorter arm will not immediately touch the stern allowing you more travel.
Alternatively you can try a V-arm on the rudder pivot.
If I haven't explained myself well, tell me and I'll make a sketch.

Can you post more updated photos of the change you made?

Thanks for the comments everybody. Ref the points about asymmetric throw - yes, you were all correct, I did experience that, so I made a few changes. The servo arm now points directly astern and the rudder horn points directly ahead. I am using a much shorter linking rod between them. I am getting probably around 30 degrees one way and maybe a bit more the other I guess. Probably the best I am going to get as it is all very tight in there.

The mechanical throw of the rudder with this config will be asymmetric (more motion steering to Port over Starboard)

A better solution (if there's room for the throw) could be to reverse the servo direction on the Tx, rotate the servo arm by 180deg and use a shorter connecting link..

Excellent, very well done.

Builders should keep in mind kit instructions are often guidelines and suggestions. It's your boat, you can do it any way you like. The only person you have to please is you.
I am a scratch builder, I follow the plans unless there is something I don't like, if there is, then I change it. Every model is individualized to my taste.

🤓

I am interested to know how you get on with the rudder configuration. Generally the principle to follow for a rudder set-up is for both arms (that on the servo and the rudder yolk) to be parallel, and for the linkage to be at right angles (90 degrees). Whilst this is the ideal set-up, other configurations will work, but with perhaps more steerage to port than to starboard (eg)
When you are on the water let us know how your boat steers.
Good luck 😉

Hi Trident73.

It's very interesting how you made the connection between the servomechanism and the rudder.
A curiosity: how many degrees (even an approximate figure is fine) of excursion can your rudder make with this configuration?
I mean the maximum angle formed by the longitudinal axis of your ship and the rudder (view from above).