Sprite Plus Power System.

Although I have removed the 120amp air cooled Surpass ESC from my Kopy Kommander due to an issue with it “pulsing” slightly, it is a nice ESC and it may be a good choice for the Sprite Plus when paired with a different type of brushless motor.

When I worked with large scale r/c racing cars, it was not uncommon to find that some servos just did not seem to “like” working together.

This was especially noticeable in these large scale racing cars where we used a pair of large high power servos for the steering, and up to three more standard sized fast metal geared servos to operate the carburettor, front disc brakes and rear disk brakes.

Sometimes when fitting out a new race car they would simply not behave and started twitching , and this was with correct types of servos that were best suited to the job (cost seldom influenced the large scale racers, so they usually had the best available).

By simply changing some of the servos for identical replacements the twitching stopped and the car could be raced safely.

The removed servos could be fitted into another identical car and they worked perfectly !!!! …..proving that some servos just don’t work well together.

Likewise, some ESC simply do not work well with some motors (laymen’s terms), but are perfectly happy to work with other motors with no problems.

With this in mind, I am very happy to fit the same 120amp air cooled Surpass ESC into the Sprite Plus with a high expectation that it will work perfectly with a different brushless motor .

I have taken to mounting my ESC on Velcro so they can be rapidly changed or fitted to other models quickly and without any damage.

Velcro also helps to insulate the ESC from any potentially harmful vibrations, so it is a good method of mounting them in a power boat.

Bob.

@ChrisF Nice idea!

If I had any artistic ability or painting skills I would be tempted to airbrush something like this onto the boat as it is a really nice idea.

I am sure that the yellow and green colour scheme would appeal to our Australian model boat builders quite a bit too!

Thanks for the idea, it would look good and having a brand name of a popular drink being the same as the boat would certainly be a talking point whenever the boat was seen!

I may have to start with something a little less ambitious, but an over-spray with this design idea in the future would always be a possibility ……..if I should ever gain any airbrushing talent.

Bob.

Hi Bob

What about this!!! 😄

Chris

Sprite Plus.

The dark grey spirit based undercoat has dried OK on top of the white spirit based wood primer and I have given the hull its first coat of spirit based gloss paint.

Any guesses (or suggestion) about a suitable colour scheme?

I always struggle to come up with a nice colour scheme……..

Bob

Sprite Plus.

@ChrisF maybe I should wait to get some gloss on the cabin sides so I can glaze the front windows in case there is any “deck-wash” at lower speeds or when slowing down quickly?

With an integrated cabin design (only the cabin top to lift off) it shouldn’t be too much of a problem though .

More doctors/hospital and physio appointments at the moment so this is slowing down progress on the Sprite Plus, but I have been able to get out and enjoy running the Remora and the Kopy Kommander so it is not all bad news!

Bob.

As soon as I finish glossing a hull I try it on the water. So I'd be itching to try out the Sprite Plus as it is a different bow design to most models and bigger than the original. At slower speeds and in choppy water the deck may get a bit wet but once up on the plane I should think it will be fine and handle well.

I glossed the hull on the Huntsman 31 a few weeks ago now but haven't been able to try it yet as have been doing other things including getting some paint on the Swordsman and going away for a week - I may as well wait now and finish the Swordsman hull and try them both. I've not been down the club for sometime and like last year it has been reported that the water level is very low again so I need to go and have a look. Excuse to get the motorbike out!

Chris

Punt Bow Testing?

I have now actually got some gloss paint on the outside of the hull (and deck) with the cabin sides covered with a grey primer.

The paint will need rubbing back and more coats adding to make it good, but I am tempted to get this unfinished Sprite Plus on the water early to see how it behaves.

At this stage, and with some more gloss paint on the hull to ensure that it is waterproof I could give the hull a run (even before I make a cabin roof or a rear deck cover) as I really want to see how this flat punt nosed hull performs in the water!

Any changes that are needed would be much easier to make at this stage, but maybe the fact that it is being slowed down by my dodgy arm, is making me a bit too impatient?

Next week I will be going home for another hospital appointment so I will see how things go as that may determine my next move?

I have never been tempted to try this with any other model (although some model boat builders that I know always test their hulls at this stage) ……….but I have never had a boat with a flat bow shape before either and I am keen to see if it makes any difference to the way that it drives.

Bob.

Yes, as you know painting isn't my favourite part of model building either. But I've been doing quite a bit recently and have gotten into the swing of things, so not too bad. I've given up with chasing a first class finish due to dust particles and am happy if I can get a decent finish. You tend not to notice it much afterwards anyway.

As you say it heralds the stage of the build coming together and allows you to get the boat on the water which is something I always look forward to. That's what I'm heading towards with some more of my builds and also it will be good to see your Sprite Plus on the water.

Chris

Paint?

Some undercoat has been applied to the Sprite Plus since I was last on here, and the first coat of oil based blue gloss paint has been applied to the hull sides.

Although I really dislike painting, it does help the boat "come together" and I can appreciate its shape better now than I could when it was still "in the raw" .

There is a lot of "rubbing down" and fine detail filling and sanding to go, but as each coat of gloss paint gets added and its surface is improved with every coat it will start to look better.

I have not even started to make a cabin roof yet (!) but I am very keen to get enough paint on the boat to make it water-tight so I can get the hull onto the water and test drive it as I have never had a boat with a "punt shaped bows" before and I am guessing that some minor changes may be needed with weight distribution etc, so I am eager to see how it performs.

Bob.

White Spirit ?

When I applied the white primer coat to the hull I got some of the paint on my fingers so once I had dunked the brush into a clean jam jar (that I had filled with some thinners from a new bottle that I had just bought), and worked it around a bit to get all the bristles washed, I rubbed some of the thinners on my hands with a cloth to remove the paint spots and noticed that it did not remove any of the paint at all - it didn't touch it!

At first I was thinking that this primer paint must need a special type of thinner, and when I filled another clean jar with thinners to give the brush its second rinse, I noticed that the paint was still clinging onto the brush bristles!

White spirits usually cleans any of the oil based paints that I have used over the last 60+ years , so I took a look at the new bottle I had just purchased. It is the small bottle pictured here and is called Bartoline Clean Spirt...some new sort of eco-cleaner perhaps?

I had bought this small bottle of thinners to make it easier to pour some into the jam jars that I was using to rinse the brush in - but it wasn't working.

I had a larger bottle of white spirit (also made by Bartoline) that still had some spirit left in it from some time ago, so I dabbed some on a cloth and it wiped the paint on my hands with it - and the paint came off straight away!

Another clean jam jar (I save all my old jars for cleaning paint brushes in) was filled with this original white spirit - and this time the bush was cleaned properly.

I am getting increasingly frustrated about the use of these new types of paints and thinners that may be more environmentally efficient - but don't actually work!

Some time back I repainted an old Myford lathe with some genuine Myford paint that I had for many years. I was amazed at how easily the paint covered the metal (with no need for a second coat) and at how well the paint dried in my very cold garage during the winter when I painted the lathe.

The next day, the lathe looked like it had been given a factory fresh coat of paint - it was perfect and made the lathe look like it was brand new. This quality of paint is no longer available to buy here in the UK due to current "health and safety" regulations.

I was later advised that the paint I had been using was some genuine original spirit based gloss paint that had lead in it. This type of "lead paint" is now banned in the UK - but it certainly worked better than any of the new stuff we can buy these days that does not cover as well or dry as well either!

Bob.

I have just "applied" a coating of the Leyland Trade Wood Primer - applied being the word as I could have probably used a putty knife to spread it across the wood as it was very thick and heavy.

A stiff "trade" brush was used to "smoother" the coating over the wood and it is now covered and waiting to dry.

I am not too sure how a wood primer should work, but I was expecting it to be very thin so that it could penetrate the pores of the wood grain, (like sanding sealer does) but I very much doubt that too much penetration has taken place. It was also very heavy going on my injured arm so I was please when I could wash the brush (another incident that will be worth a mention later) and close the door to wait for the primer to dry.

Once the primer has had time to fully dry, I will give it a sanding and a covering of sprit based undercoat as the brush marks are much heavier than the grain of the wood that I was hoping to cover !

This boat looks even bigger and chunkier now that it is all white coloured , so I may undercoat it in grey - just to make it look a bit less intimidating!

Bob.

At the moment I am finding it difficult to do much on the Sprite Plus due to am arm injury, but I do want to make some more progress so I am going to see how I get on with holding a paintbrush - a job I usually hate - but at the moment it may be all I can manage to do with my right arm.

I have found an oil based wood primer in Screwfix so I can give the bare wood some cover before it's first cast of oil based white undercoat, so this will be the first couple of coats to be applied to the hull and deck areas.

Bob.

Another vote for spirit based gloss paint 👍.

It’s what us traditional brush painters need for use on our Classic Model Power Boats.

Bob.

On the subject of paint, which I probably shouldn't bring up again! I'd used water-based in our back bedroom and our son's flat and it was alright and certainly being water wash-up is a big plus. As well as being less glossy (though OK for interior household) the frustration for me is on larger areas like window boards, where the quicker drying means it is difficult to lose brush marks, it just doesn't flow well.

So when doing some work in the bathroom a couple of weeks ago I returned to oil based, what a joy! It covers better and due to it flowing better I achieved a lovely, glossy finish with barely a brush stroke in sight! 😁

Chris

I'd finished the drawings for the Sprite outboard version awhile ago and received the outboard but hadn't done anymore with it. Partly because of other things but also I hadn't used my A3 printer since changing the computer and when I came to I couldn't get it recognised on the wireless network under Windows 11, fine under Windows 10.

Sister-in-law wanting some photos (it's a photo printer) prompted me to get it sorted, which I did, with the help of a 10m cable, as the printer is in another room. This has enabled me to print off the drawings for Sprite, blimey it is going to be big!

Good job, the motor is a big old beast! I knew it was going to be quite big, hence the bigger Sprite and something that would look right with it, but it's still impressive when you get it out of the box. It's well made and will look good mounted on a model.

TFL do a smaller one, but it's flexi-drive which I didn't really want, but more importantly it's even more of a race boat engine, so not very tall and the bottom end is curved and not very scale like. As it is, the bigger one is a "short shaft" design and the low mounting has been a bit of a design challenge as will be this part of the build I think.

I also stocked up on thicker ply for the keel etc. and other thicknesses for stock so ready to go really! But other builds still require work!

Chris

I agree that acrylic paints have come a long way, especially with durability. For me I still prefer to use oil based enamel paints. For years I have been using Testors, both in the small jars and small cans. The price has gone up in the past few years. The 0.25 (1/4) ounce jars run about 3 - 4 $US. That's about 12 - 16 $US an ounce. Ug!

I still find that the oil based enamels have a slightly better opaqueness over the acrylics. As for durability I usually use a clear dull or gloss oil based enamel over the acrylics.

Lately I have been using acrylics over enamels and vice versa. This is usually when I run out of one kind of paint. No problems.

Lew

Interesting read Bob and Doug, it’s not always available to have a discussion with a person in the industry be that candid about their product.

In these discussions people refer to “environmental impact or friendly products “ yet aerosol products are a pollutant too. Just look around your house and see all the different items we take for granted that in their manufacturing process are probably harmful to the environment and the ozone layer that makes up our planet.

I just as guilty of this as others. Just be careful with your choices.

Hi Doug,

I am sorry to say that I think you have misunderstood the point that I was trying to make (and have made lots of times previously) regarding the suitability of regular water based household paints for use on any surfaces that will be exposed to water and general outdoor use.....and in this case - specifically on an r/c model boat in particular.

I have also used "car touch-up" types of acrylic aerosol spray cans with total success - but that is a very different type of paint to the water-based tins of household paint that I am referring to.

Buying a tin of gloss paint here in the UK will almost always be water-based and often described as being "easy clean".

When trying to restore or build my Classic Model Power Boats I like to try to finish them using the traditional method of hand painting them with a brush, and when I was younger, this type of paint would always be oil based and durable for use outdoors.

Water based paints were previously referred to as "emulsion paints" and were generally used for painting indoor walls and ceilings and nobody would consider them to be suitable for outdoor use where a weather-proof finish was required.

Currently the oil based paints that we always used for making "gloss paint" are now very difficult to find as they have been replaced by these latest types of "easy-clean" paints that are water based that are environmentally much more acceptable.

I have tested these environmentally preferred GLOSS paints many times over the years and have found them to be totally unsuitable for use on my Classic Model Power Boats.

One example that I have previously mentioned was when I bought an environmentally preferred tin of "easy clean" gloss paint for use on a stand that I had made for my Rapier 1.

The paint did not cover very well and took several coats to give a uniform finish, and it was not especially shiny...or gloss like.

This paint was recommended (by the manufacturers - printed on the tin!) for use outdoors on all wood and metal surfaces!

When I tested Rapier 1 for the first time I noticed that as some drips of water dropped onto the stand the paint colour changed - the drips of water were washing the colour away .

I called the technical hotline number for the paint manufacture and explained what I had witnessed and my surprise at a paint that was been sold for use outdoors (including metal surfaces) was not actually waterproof.

His reply amazed me.

He stated clearly that this type of paint was what all manufacturers were being "encouraged" to make as the traditional oil based paints (and even worse the older types that included lead) were no longer considered environmentally acceptable.

In addition, he stated that he would certainly not trust or use any of these new "easy clean" water based paints (from any manufacturer) on his front door! Instead, he would do what I am doing now, and that is to search-out the few remaining types of oil based paints that are still available.

A "tip" was offered to look for paints described as "professional" or "trade" as they usually oil based as professional painters would not use water based paints on outdoor surfaces such as doors and window frames etc.

Another tip was to look for specialist paint types such as "coach paint" that are still used to brush finish some commercial and military vehicles that need an authentic (and durable) paint type......as well as BOATS.

Coach paints (and similar types) tend to be expensive and can often be found in boat chandlers and are often used for painting canal barges and other things that need a paint applied by brush to cover wood and metal surfaces.

Finding these plants online is an alternative for those of us that do not live near a boat chandlers or marine paint specialist......and is why I am pleased to find them available online from suppliers such as eBay.

I hope this helps to clarify why I don't like to brush paint any of my r/c model boats with any of the water based environmentally friendly household "gloss" paints that most of the warehouses now stock almost exclusively here in the UK.

Bob.

Doug, you have been quiet for a while, are you OK

Zooma-
Re "and the current crop of water based gloss paints have proven to be totally unsuitable for use on a Classic Model Power Boat."
Sorry Bob but I can not agree.
See my Build Blog / Restoration of my Sea Scout "Jessica" from 8 years ago.
I achieved a 'glass like' finish using acrylic spray can paints from the auto branch.
Details of the paints used (including clear coat sealant) and sources are given in my Blog.
Remember: it's not just a question of the individual paint type but THE WHOLE PAINT SYSTEM must be compatible. Don't mix solvent and acrylic types and Always seal Acrylics with the system/manufacturer appropriate Clear Coat, just like the auto manufacturers do! See my blog for details.
Cheers, Doug😎

https://model-boats.com/blogs/28209

Sprite Plus.

Solvent based Primer and Gloss Paint.

I have used a little P38 filler to tidy-up and flair-in the exit of the prop shaft under the hull and given the underside of the hull its first coat of primer.

A white spirit based primer was found in Screwfix and I may have found some spirit based gloss paint on eBay that can be used for my least favourite job of brush painting the boat when the build is finished.

Finding solvent based gloss paints for brush painting is not as easy as it used be and the current crop of water based gloss paints have proven to be totally unsuitable for use on a Classic Model Power Boat.

Bob.

Hi Mike,

You cant have too many clamps!

...and you can pop around anytime and borrow a couple... 🤣

Bob

Wow, Bob!
But tell me, what kind of clamp arsenal do you have? Crazy, I'm sure there are some you could lend me! 🤣🤣🤣
Keep it up, it's going to be great!
Michel-C.

My thoughts as well Will! 😂

Looking good there Bob, really taking shape now.
re rougher waters, hopefully being a fairly decent sized model, it will cope with a chop pretty well. Plus with your fairly regular references to "making white water'', means that the bow will remain at a high enough attitude to not worry about it burying itself 😂

Will

You will enjoy building the Sprite Chris - it makes a change to have a nice simple model to put together, and I have never had any boat with a "punt" bows feature before.

I have no idea how it will cope with the choppy waters on our local club lake that is close to the sea front, but I am looking forward (with some in in-trepidation) to finding out......and hoping for the best!

Bob.

Soon be ready for painting!

Blimey, what's the engine mounting for, a V8! 🤣

I'm going to be putting some paint on Fisherman soon, so that might be a good time to start on Sprite Plus OB! 🤔

Sprite Plus Prototype.

With the rear deck insert trimmed to size, the hull was turned over and drilled to take the water inlet scoop.

Both the rudder and the water scoop pick-up and the brass rudder tube were epoxy glued into position to seal them against any water ingress.

The next job will be to cut some fibreglass cloth to cover the engine mounting plate and bond it with resin.

The super-glue that was used to bond the epoxy side plates (for the water-cooled alloy mount) onto the engine plate made a very strong joint that was further reinforced by smearing 24 hour Araldite to make a fillet around the base that was also pushed into the series of drilled holes that were drilled along their base lines.

Fibreglass resin will further reinforce the motor mounting as the cloth will also be fitted against the lower sides of these mounting plates to cover the epoxy fillets and to flow smoothly around them to make a strong integrated motor mounting assembly.

Some P38 will be bought to smooth the area where the prop shaft enters the hull on the inside - and around the prop support fillet on the outside to make these areas look a little neater.

Once the hull build is completed, attention can be given to fitting it out with a LiPo supporting tray, and mounting the ESC and rudder servo.

A cabin lift-off cabin roof assembly needs to be constructed at some stage - and this may be started when some of the glass fibre is curing.

Bob.

Sprite Plus Prototype.

I started to sand the end profiles of the deck edge chine rails and spray rails where they ended (and over-lapped slightly) onto the balsa wood laminated "nose cone".

This was not quite as easy as I expected it to be, because I was a little wary about sanding a hardwood strip end when it was a glued on to a comparatively soft balsa wood nose.

A couple of layers of masking tape were placed on the balsa wood so I could protect it from being touched by the Perma Grit sanding block. When the cutting edge touched the masking tape it made a distinctive sound to alert me that I was getting a bit too close for comfort.

I think with a little bit of filler to complete the fairing-in of these chine strip ends it will look OK.

While I was out in the workshop(shed), I cut and fitted the final small section of deck skinning to cover the last open area of the hull, so all the decking is now fitted.

When the glue drys I can cut-off the selvage edge that I have left over transom so the hull will be ready to be prepped for final finishing.

The length of the hull on this prototype has worked-out at being 30 5/8" overall.

Bob.

That's good to hear. As I said the bow is usually well clear of the water, unless going through a chop so job done.

Sprite Plus Prototype.

Morning Chris.

I popped out to the workshop(shed) last night and looked at fitting some spray rails to the hull.....and revised my first thoughts.

As long as they stop just before the balsa wood "nose cone" they would not have any severe curves to shape or worry about - so I bunged a pair on!

When the glue has dried, the ends will need shaping etc, but fixing them with PVA was no problem at all. The brass tacks had their heads cut off and the shafts were then driven down into the spray rails to give a mechanical fixing to supplement the glue bond.

Bob.

I have considered both methods Chris.

The wood strip has to be bent across its width, so maybe some saw cuts would be best as it is not the natural way for the wood to bend.

When In get out to the workshop(shed) later I will take a look at it again.

Interesting that it may not be necessary though............

Bob.

Steaming or saw cuts?

But I found a video on YouTube of one with an IC engine which was going quite quickly and no real problem with water as the bow is clear of the water and water is being thrown outwards quite far back where the curve of the hull then goes flat.

Sprite Plus Prototype.

I did briefly lay a strip of 1/8 x 1/4 along the joint between the bottom and side skins and noticed that it will not be quite as easy to bend it along the curvature at the bows as I thought it would be.

The curvature at this point is more severe than it looks, and without the usual extended curve to the point of the bows there is less opportunity to persuade the strip to conform.

A suitable method will need to be devised.

Bob.

Hi Bob

No, the original Sprite doesn't have chine/spray rails and as you say it isn't a deep vee hull so the corner between the bottom and side skins is quite sharp so will act as a chine rail and help with turning.

But spray/water coming up the sides and over the deck is another matter. OK the rubbing strips will stop/deflect some of it and in theory the shallow angle of the hull and lack of flare at the bow should mean that water will be deflected outwards but you never know. So perhaps a good idea to fit them now rather than later and they do finish off the corner?

Worth a look at the video for Sprite but as Sprite Plus will be going faster then maybe they will be a good idea! 🤔😂

Sprite Plus Prototype.

Hi Chris,

The deck edges have been fixed in place - maybe slightly further forwards than you plan to stop yours on your outboard driven type, as mine actually overlap where the balsa nose blocks start - but only slightly.

I wanted to use them to further "tie-in" the balsa wood blocks to the hull side skins, but this may not work-out due to the curvature at the bows.

These deck edges may need to be sanded back as they join near the balsa part of the bows, but I will take another look tomorrow when the glue has set.

I see no spray rails drawn on your plan, and I am not sure whether to add them to the prototype build or not?

If fitted, the spray rails will help to lift the bows more easily, and that could be advantageous with such a flat nosed hull, but the design may not need them as I don't think the original LesRo Sprite had any?

I have no plans to make or fit any strakes to this hull as it is not a deep "V" type and my similar shaped shallow Remora hull drives beautifully without them.....but it does have spray rails.

Something to ponder over while the glue dries on the deck edges........

Bob.

Hi Chris,

This picture shows the punt bow shape after some sanding sealer has been brushed on to cover the hairy balsa wood surface.

I can now see the shape of the bow that I have achieved (so far) much more clearly.

Another couple of coats of sanding sealer will hopefully also penetrate into the balsa and help to toughen it up a little as well.

It would be good to retain the authentic character of the original Sprite design, so I will take another look at the shape of the bows to see if I can make it work with the flat "punt" shaped bows.

Working out exactly how and where I would end the spray rails and deck edge stringers that would both normally meet each other on the point of the bows is another thing to consider.

I have never made anything with a flat (punt) bow shape before, so this is another interesting area of the boat to resolve as I continue to enjoy building this Sprite Plus Prototype.

Bob.

Sprite Plus Prototype.

That does look better Chris - I will give that idea some thought.

Meanwhile I have started to sand the double blocks to get some idea what it would look like with the original "punt" bows shape.

The balsa wood is getting a bit "hairy" even with fine sanding paper, but I have found an old tin of sanding sealer so I will give it a light "dab" so I can see the shape a little more clearly.

Bob.

There's definitely something wrong with this site. older posts in this thread are taking ages to load and the pictures aren't showing. And on the Classic Model Boats thread I can't even get back to one post.

Anyway Bob, reason I'm saying this is that I posted a picture of a modified bow. Because of the increased size of Sprite Plus, as you say the front looks too wide and blunt so I put some angle into it. Not so good for pushing but looks a lot better.

Chris

Sprite Plus Prototype.

The balsa wood block that I glued on to the bows looked a bit "thin" when I looked at it after I started to sand it to shape, so I have added a second 1/2" thick piece of the same wood to give it a bit more depth.

I also think the front of the bows looks a little too wide and blunt (even though the boat has punt shaped bows) so I'm hoping that the extra depth can be sanded to give a more pleasing shape?

Hopefully I can make the bows look as nice as they do on the excellent drawings that Chris made for me to work from.

Bob.

Sprite Plus Prototype.

Decision made, the nose of this Sprite Plus Prototype will be made from balsa wood.

Some hard grade 1/2" thick balsa wood was found in the workshop(shed), cut to shape to fit the punt ended bows of the Sprite Plus and glued into place.

I was able to thread the feet of a pair of clamps that were long enough to reach the balsa wood nose through the windows of the cabin to hold it in place until the Rapid Bond PVA sets.

Hopefully, when the glue has dried fully, I will be able to sand the bows to a slightly nicer looking shape than the absolutely "dead flat" end that the hull ends in before the "nose cone" is fitted.

Following the natural flow of the hull should also make this nose cone a little less wide and a little less deep whilst still retaining the "punt nose" shape of the original Sprite.

Bob.

Sprite Plus Prototype.

Hi Chris,

That sounds like a plan 👍

I also have some wood hardener lurking around here somewhere that could be another possibility .

Using a balsa wood nose block is now looking a lot more appealing if I can find some HARD balsa sheet to make it from.

Bob.

Balsa block when coated in epoxy resin is very strong and resists dings or maybe fibreglass it?

If it does get dinged you can soon fill and repaint just the nose anyway.

Sprite Plus Prototype.

With the deck skins now trimmed back the boat is beginning to look a little more complete, although the small section of decking above the transom has yet to be cut and fitted.

I am really looking forward to fitting the chine spray rails and the deck edging, but I don't want to do either yet until after I have fitted the "nose cone" onto the front of the bows and I have still not decided what type of wood to do this with.

Balsa wood would be the "obvious" material to use as it would be the easiest to shape, but not so good a choice for a model that may be used as a "pusher" for recovery when it could become quite easily dented.

I have a suitable piece of hardwood that my Taycol electric motor was mounted on when I bought it recently from ebay, or maybe I could add a plywood skin over the face of the shaped balsa front..or even make a "pusher frame" to plug-on when being used for recovery duties.....I am really not sure which way to go with this at the moment.

Bob.

Wow, it’s coming alone beautifully.
Great job.
😎

Looking good and not too much to do now. Certainly easier than my Fisherman build which is nearly all curves!

Sprite Plus Prototype.

With the water-cooling outlet now plumbed-in, the side decks were glued and tacked into place.

The front deck had already been fitted and trimmed to shape, so only the central rear deck piece has to be cut and fitted to compete the decking.

Bob.

Sprite Plus Prototype.

The Sprite Plus does look like it will be a really "chunky" looking boat that will be a little over 30" in length when the front "pusher plate" is fitted.

I had intended to make the this "pusher plate" (that will be fitted directly onto the front of the bows) from balsa wood as it would be nice and easy to shape, but then it would be just as easy to dent it in use, so I am considering making it from hardwood, but that will take a lot more time to carve and shape to blend it into the lines of the hull.........

Meanwhile, I re-fitted the motor so I could see exactly where I needed to fit the water cooling outlet nozzle as this would have been almost impossible to do once the deck skins have been fitted.

I am pleased that I did this as it was difficult enough to force the cooling tube onto the outlet nozzle in the limited space between the lower cabin and the hulls side skin.

Bob.

Sprite Plus Prototype.

Hi Chris,

I trimmed back the side skins this morning using my "one handed plane" which worked really well.

This was quite a quick job as I had made the skin templates quite a "tight" fit as I knew that I didn't need to add too much excess to the overall size due to the lack of 3D curvature in the shape....so there was not too much excess skin material to trim back.

I did leave a small "tab" of side skin material at the bows and stern incase I needed them to help pull the skins down against the frame, but the skin sat so naturally I need not have bothered and I cut them off with my Tamiya razor saw this morning.

The side skins fitted really well and sat naturally tight enough against the edges of all the bulkheads to squeeze out any excess PVA between them and the skins without any tacks being needed at all.

Only the transom and the bow plates (both are flat on the Sprite Plus) needed some tacks to anchor the skins down at each end.

Some brass tacks were driven part-way into the chines when the glue was wet and then had their heads chopped off before being driven in flush to the skins surface.

Once I had trimmed the side skins, I was able to make some templates for the deck skins which I cut from 1.5mm plywood - again using my Tamiya razor saw that cut them very easily and quickly.

Before fitting the deck skins I will fit the motor again to check any openings that I need for the water-cooling tubing and for any wires to pass to and from the receiver and the LiPo batteries etc.

This will be the first time that I will fit everything into the hull to work-out the preferred positioning for the batteries, ESC and rudder servo etc.

I will also need to drill and fit a water scoop and make any platforms or mounts that may be needed to hold the radio equipment and LiPos as I check the balance of the hull and try to gain the ideal weight distribution.

Bob.

I said it looked big when I printed the drawings out! We have actually increased it quite a bit in length so I'm not surprised really. Good to hear that the skins have been easy to fit, helped by the sides being vertical. Did wonder about the bottom skins at the bow due to the compound curve but you didn't have any problems there.

The changes to the superstructure, particularly the front screen, have really made a nice difference and the stern will be much neater without that raised hatch.

Actually, apart from the bow, it does have a hint of the look of the Sea Vixen about it now!

Like Will, I can't wait to see how it goes on the water and it should be a great and unusual addition to your fleet.

Chris