4 Posts
3 Followers
19 Likes
52' Motor Lifeboat Victory
One of my nine-year projects is coming to an end. I am sad to see it completed in some ways, overjoyed in others. Many projects have been begun and shelved over those nine years; some are in the trash now.
What is known is the 213' WMEC-168 Yocona is hit or miss whether my attempts to waterproof a static hull will be successful. So on hold or a side project.
The Gunboat Philadelphia is on-going at work between shifts.
PBY that doesn't Fly I will place on hold, pending possible actual flight. (That will put three aircraft inline to be completed.)
The battleship North Carolina....Big. Not so complex as physically large undertaking.
SO, begin at the beginning as I tell my students. I pondered purchasing the laser-cut kit from Canada, but it is just frames, deck, and pilothouse. Yes, it is 1" to one foot scale, and would match my 44' MLB perfectly, but $286 plus shipping? For me too much, I will build at 1/24th scale for now. Small enough to store, big enough to detail and outfit with running gear.
My 44 MLB, is a leaky, but I am installing an automatic bilge pump. I get so much joy out of running it, and I will have the tri-fecta of MLB's 36', 44', and 52'. The 213 should be complete around the time I finish, so four CG projects in a years time, plus the Philly is a quick build. So, it is a year, year and a half plan.
This will be a slow one.
Non Boat picture is project that is almost complete.
Kevin
๐บ๐ธ KevinH
9 hours ago
3 Posts
7 Followers
30 Likes
Graupner Krabbe Ton 12โฆthe kit, not the boat๐
Hi yโall. After building the Caldercraft Clyde Puffer, and taking a break from building for a few weeks, I decided it was time to crank up my bench again. I had originally started on a kit that I got in a trade, a Deans Wacht Am Rheinโฆthis boat had been started some time ago, probably a good decade before I got my hands on it, and itโs been in my kit stash for a good 5 years or so now. The original builder got the rudder and tube installed and the aft and mid deck in place, and some bulwark detail. I was working on a motor mount when I decided I just didnโt want to deal with masts and rigging at this time. At some point Iโm going to finish that boatโฆjust not now.
Iโve had a Graupner Krabbe Ton 12 in my kits stash for a bit. Itโs the second version, when Graupner reorganized and sent the kit production to Asia, probably KYmodel. Same people who did the SAR rescue boat and the Taucher Wulf did this. Itโs a nice little kit, well made, instructions are somewhat between the Tauchers โguidelinesโ and a Billings kitโฆbetter, but not quite there. Now, I know I said I didnโt want to fool around with a bunch of masts and booms and rigging, and the Krabbe has that in spadesโฆso I decided to make something different. I thought about a slightly different take on a Kriegsfischkutter, or maybe a fishing boat to yacht conversionโฆbut, I decided on a simple tug. Basically a 1930s or so diesel or converted steam tug, something smaller that you might see in the Great Lakes.
With that decision out of the way I went to work. First thing I did was to make up a 4mm shaft and tube. I used a Caldercraft Fineline tube that I had stolen the shaft from. I have a small collection of tubes and shafts, and a very few that are complete. Anyway, the kit uses a 3mm unit, and thatโs just an odd size. Nothing wrong with it, just most of the props and fittings Iโve seen are for 1/8th, 3/16th, 2mm and 4mm. The 3 mm props and such are just harder to getโฆso I made up the tube by cutting down the Caldercraft unit to the length I wanted, and using the bushing from the discarded end I built up the tube, and added an oiler.
I then took on the task of choosing my power plant. The kit comes with a motor, a knock off of a Mabuchi RS380. My experience with these motors is that they make good model boat anchors. My first SAR that I built was completely stock, and I ran it on the recommended 6 cell nimh pack. After I had the boat completed and had about 6 good runs on it, she went dead in the water at Towne Lake. We retrieved it, and the motor had gotten hot, and the brush holders had softened from the heat and the brushes were not making contactโฆ.never again. I was thinking about my usual outrunner brushless, when I remembered I had a brand new MFA 2.5 to 1 380 sized geared motor in my possession. Went with that. After making up a mount and installing the shaft and tube I did a test run on the bench. At full chat, but no load itโspulling 0.07 amps on a 3 cell lipo.
Once that was squared away I used part of the motor mount/radio tray combo to mount the rudder servo, got the rudder mounted, and started to make up the deck houses.
One nice feature of this kit is that the deck slots into a groove in the hull. There are under deck stringers that are laser cut in the kit, once installed they give the deck a slight beam to beam curve. I used the kit parts to make up the aft coaming and house/hatch, and built up my fwd deckhouse and coming from plasticard. I then built up the wheelhouse using kit components..however, I built the deck and house โinside outโ, i.e Iโm not using the printed โdeckingโ side as Iโm probably going to paint the deck and house vs staining them.
Thatโs where Iโm at now. I think the wheelhouse, as built looks a little too tall. I might leave it as this is supposed to be a small, River or Great Lakes tug, not an ocean going boat, and in some of the pics I looked up to get an idea of how I wanted her to look, some of the real boats had tallish pilot houses. I might cut it down about a half inch, but havenโt made the choice yet. Once I make that decision Iโll finish up the house and start figuring out details and what job this boats going to haveโฆ
Cash
๐บ๐ธ Cashrc
3 days ago
16 Posts
10 Followers
130 Likes
1/72 Clyde Puffer
Hi One & All
Back in 1997 I purchased two vacform hull for a 1/72 Clyde Puffer along with the drawings from Sarik (drawing MM1410), as we have been having some bad weather of late and due to their size they started to look like a good boat to start building in the house. (just to keep warm), over the last few weeks I have joined the two halfโs of the hull, fitted the motor and shaft, alone with the deck, I have made a mistake when it comes to fixing the rudder, I should have made some form of fixing that went into the hull, so that the rudder had some were to fasten to, (will sort that out later on in the build) also I need to make some form of support for the shaft as I think it will in time work its way lose, moving on, the stern deck has been started and over half has now been planked.
Fred
๐ฌ๐ง Fred
7 days ago
19 Posts
11 Followers
138 Likes
1965 Sterling Yacht America
My last words were "Complete the 44' MLB, then work on a non-boat project." The problem was, as you can see in the back-round inside that large sailboat hull, a 110' WPB patrol boat hull, with plans, not seen, the gunboat Philadelphia in a box in the truck, on top of that in the backseat is the 75% finished hull of a PBY flying boat. There are also unbuilt R/C aircraft kits X2 somewhere in the area, plus two ARF aircraft. (DHC-2 Beaver, and a Cessna 182, also in that ship's hull.)
But my friends, last night I had a dream, and in it was of a gloss black, full rigged sailing yacht. Reasons, number one, the hull is straight and already built, I purposely purchased a hand-held sewing machine for sails, I figure i will need it for the Philadelphia as well.
So, this week we begin, the rigging, and instructions for the same are pretty clear. I included that note from "Rob", because "Mark, or Rob" if you are out there, your "once vision" will be challenging the British in about nine months.
I hope Fair Winds are in all of our futures.
Kevin
๐บ๐ธ KevinH
10 days ago
1 Post
1 Follower
4 Likes
CalMac landing craft ferry-Mv Carvoria
Iโve been gifted a ready- made wooden pontoon style hull which Iโm adapting into a model of the smallest CalMac ferry operating to the island of Kerrera from Gallanach(Oban)
The vessel is 12 m long and can carry up to 12 pax & 1 small vehicle . Motive power is a pair of Honda 80 outboard motors.
My model will be approx 1:24 scale powered by a brushed motor, with twin rudders. Eventually I intend to make dummy motors for the stern .
I am in dire need of some suitable CalMac decals . If anyone still has any surplus BECC ones from their own build Iโd gladly make you an offer!
First pic with mock-up wheelhouse( probably oversize at moment!)
Progress reports in due course
๐ฌ๐ง Peewit83
10 days ago