Decking installed ready for first sand and trimming the bulwark.
Upper Cabin shell made and funnels cut into place.
Lots more to do but it’s taking shape I think

Started work on the paddle boxes now that the upper deck position is fully established.
Cut out the paddle box fronts and backs, and milled the slots in the front panels. The bars between the slots are understandably flexible at this stage, so these will be strengthened as part of the next step.

I’ve also begun forming the paddle‑box steps. Each step is being made individually so they can be trimmed and adjusted to ensure the final overall height aligns precisely with the upper‑deck step.

Doors, Portholes and funnel caps is today’s task

I’ve started work on the sponson support brackets, using 1/8” brass square tube with 1.2 mm mounting plates and braces. Before completing the full set, I test‑fitted one bracket on the hull to confirm alignment and geometry. The fit looks good, so tomorrow I’ll finish the remaining bracket details and finalise the two‑bolt mounting positions for attaching them to the hull.

Before securing the paddle brackets and committing to the full paddle‑box assembly, I decided it was prudent to focus on the control system and the power‑pack cassis. This ensures that all internal components are accessible and serviceable once the upper works are installed.

I’ve now mounted the lighting transformer and the required relays on a dedicated sub‑plate that slides into the cassis. This makes pre‑wiring straightforward and keeps the low‑voltage control gear neatly grouped. The receiver sits on its own separate sliding sub‑plate, giving it isolation from the power electronics and making future access simple.

At the brushless‑motor end of the access area, the two ESCs are installed in a fixed position, with clean routing for the motor leads. Power‑in sockets for each LiPo battery have been added, along with individual on/off switches positioned for easy reach through the deck opening.

The gearboxes can still be removed with the cassis in place, which was a key design goal. Everything has been arranged so that any component can be replaced without disturbing the paddle boxes or sponsons once they are permanently fitted.

I’ve now completed the main setup and bonding work on the paddle boxes, which marks a key structural stage in the build. With the upper‑deck position established, the paddle boxes were aligned, tacked, and then resin‑coated internally to lock everything together and prevent any long‑term movement. The boxes are now fully secured to the hull and sitting exactly on their bracket line.

With that done, I’ve moved on to the sponsons. These have been fabricated to match the sheer and trial‑fitted against the paddle‑box brackets and hull contact points. At this stage they’re still adjustable, allowing me to fine‑tune the fit before committing to final bonding. Once the geometry is confirmed, the tops will be planked to match the upper deck, and the cutouts for the bollards and fittings will be added.

This section of the build ties the paddle boxes visually into the hull and upper‑deck walkway, and it’s good to see the characteristic Forceful profile starting to emerge.

Following the installation and internal resin‑bonding of the paddle boxes, I’ve moved on to the next structural stage of the build. The sponsons have now been fully installed: first with an adjustable Isopon bedding layer to set the geometry precisely, and then with a final resin bond to lock them into position. This ensures both sponsons sit perfectly parallel to the paddle‑box fronts and follow the hull sheer without any stress in the structure.

To support the outermost contact points, I’ve added additional sponson brackets. These were fabricated and positioned to pick up the farthest edge of each sponson where it meets the hull, giving the assembly a more robust and true alignment. With these extra brackets in place, the sponsons now sit firmly on their full support structure and are tied cleanly into the hull and paddle‑box bracket line.

With the sponsons secured, I’ve added the rubbing strake along the hull edge. This has been bonded using two‑pack Araldite epoxy to give a stable, long‑term joint. Once cured, the cork strip and the underside of the sponsons received a thin coat of finishing resin to seal the surface and prepare it for paint. A second coat will be added where needed to achieve a smooth, uniform finish.

I’ve also sealed all exposed end grain on the paddle boxes, including the internal faces and the slotted front panels. This stabilises the thin plywood sections and prevents any movement or fibre lift during later sanding and painting. The paddle‑box fronts are now ready for final surface preparation before priming.

This stage brings the hull, sponsons, and paddle‑box assembly together as a single, stable structure. With the geometry now fixed, the additional brackets installed, and the surfaces sealed, the model is nearly ready for the next major milestone: exterior preparation and hull painting.

Work has continued on the navigation lights for Forceful, with both the brass housings and the coloured lenses now fully machined and prepared for illumination.

The lantern bodies are built from 1.2 mm brass sheet combined with ¼″ brass square tube, cut across the corner to give a sharp, true 90‑degree return. The components are assembled using solder paste, which keeps the joints extremely fine. After soldering, the housings are dressed clean, leaving a smooth, crisp finish that looks more like a machined block than a fabricated assembly.

The lenses are turned from red and green acrylic rod, then cut into quarter‑sections to match the curved profile of the full‑size navigation lights. Once polished, these inserts fit neatly into the brass bezels and give a very authentic appearance.

The ABS mounting brackets have also been fabricated, cut from 1.5 mm sheet and shaped to match the paddle‑box front geometry. These will be bonded on after painting to ensure a clean finish and avoid masking around the lanterns.

Next, both the brass housings and the acrylic lenses will be drilled to accept two seed LEDs per lamp. This dual‑LED setup will provide a wider and more even light spread. The interior of each lantern will be lined with a matte silver reflector to improve diffusion and brightness without creating glare.

Once the LEDs are installed and the conduit run is completed, the navigation lights will be ready for final fitting to the paddle‑box fronts.

Work has continued on the navigation lights for Forceful, with a focus on long‑term reliability and ensuring the whole assembly can be painted cleanly before final installation.

To achieve this, a miniature conduit system has been fabricated using 4 mm and 3 mm ABS tube, with the smaller tube sliding neatly inside the larger. The 4 mm tube has been used to create accurate 90° and 45° corner joints, allowing the conduit to follow the paddle‑box interior layout without stressing the LED wiring. The 3 mm tube sections are cut to precise lengths for each straight run.

A draw‑wire has been installed through the full conduit path, allowing the LED wiring to be pulled through after painting — a major advantage for future maintenance, as any LED can be replaced without disturbing the finished paddle‑box or the brass lamp housings.

The conduit protrudes through the paddle‑box top at the exact mounting position for the navigation‑light bracket. This means the bracket and lamp assembly can be inserted and bonded after all painting is complete, ensuring a crisp finish with no masking complications and perfect alignment of the lamps.

To install the conduit early, paint freely, then fit the lighting hardware cleanly at the end. It’s a small detail, but one that contributes significantly to the model’s long‑term serviceability and

Work has begun on the freeing‑port safety bars for Forceful, with the first sample section now test‑fitted on the hull. Each port will carry three evenly spaced bars, matching the arrangement on the full‑size vessel. The bars have been produced as small brass assemblies, soldered for strength and consistency, and prepared for airbrushing to achieve a clean, uniform finish.

The sample installation was carried out to confirm spacing, alignment, and the visual balance across the bulwark openings. With the geometry now finalised, the remaining bar sets have been fabricated and are ready for painting. The hull exterior will be sprayed black and the bulwark interior grey before the bars are bonded into place, ensuring crisp colour separation and avoiding masking complications around the openings.

This marks the completion of the fabrication stage for the freeing‑port bars, with full installation planned once the hull paintwork is underway.