Forum

Leaking Boat!

Looks like , if water is getting in between the ply layers it will follow any gaps and porosity and could come out anywhere. I've had similar problems on my vintage restorations. The only thing to do is clean and repair any external damage then I would cover ultra fine glass cloth and Eze-Kote with at least 3 coats and rubbed down between coats. This should cure your problem and also strengthen the Hull.

6 years ago by Colin H

Forum

Leaking Boat!

Hi Neville, Some intriguing suggestions here 😉 Good luck with the bicycle pump 😁 To be brutally frank! There are no short cuts to leak proofing an old wooden hull properly🤔 1 internal deck / xyz mounting notwithstanding, if there's something wrong with the hull I want to know it so I can fix it - for good! if the probable source of the leak is hidden by some internal deck or mounting for xyz it has to come out! 2 To be honest, looking closely at your pics of the hull underside it's obvious she has had a few knocks. I would want to sand back, seal and repaint at least the red underside. Having so cleaned the hull off I would closely inspect all joints around the keel and chines and look for signs of previous water intrusion and soaking into to keel especially - potential / capillary action through the keel or joints. When the hull is fully dried out and sanded back I would seal it with a couple of coats of Ezekote; the first coat you can thin with a little warm water so that it soaks into the wood better. Don't overdo it, about 10-20% water is enough. Second coat pure resin. if it looks 'patchy' give it another coat of pure resin. Dries so fast all this doesn't take long. Had to do all this on my fish cutter hull, Gina2 - see Blog! Was a sieve to begin with, afterwards she passed her ballast test with flying colours😊 See also my Sea Scout Jessica Blog. After that repeat your bath test, with ballasting to waterline, and KEEP AN EYE ON IT so you can see where any watter creeps in from!😉 If you take a short cut now you may well have to do it again (properly) some time😁 cheers, Doug 😎

6 years ago by RNinMunich

Response

Range Safety Launch?

Hi Neville, that far forward I would definitely look for some hull damage forward; crack in a seam or ? When you find it clean off all the paint around it, seal it with EzeKote and repaint. inside fill either side of the keel in that bay with resin. Check also the skin joints around the chine. Re motors; I don't see any suppression capacitors 😲 and the motors (or the one I can see) are mounted very high giving a very steep shaft angle! Will tend to push the bow down at speed instead of planing🤔 Ciao, Doug 😎

6 years ago by RNinMunich

Response

Range Safety Launch?

Evenin' Neville, Re Leak- Where did the water collect? Anywhere near the end of the prop-shafts? Whatever; as soon as it's dried out give it a good internal coating of EzeKote from Deluxe Materials, no pong and no hardener resin. Brush it on generously and leave to dry/harden overnight. Put PLENTY down in the bilges around the keel boards. Brushes you can simply wash out in warm water. Very 'People friendly'👍 After that carefully inspect the outside of the hull for flaked paint, cracks and of the skin or keel wood. Re scale for fittings- "Some of the 1/16th look better than the 1/12th and 1/24 is in with a change for some bits!" Don't quite get the last bit! Whatever 😉 The original was LoA 43' = 516". So your model with 44" is without doubt as near as dammit 1/12. (1 to 11.727😁) Owt else for the fittings would look a bit 'Gulliver's Travels' 😲 Re Build Blogs; the most comprehensive one I've seen here on Fireboats is Robbob's outstanding build and incredibly detailed and informative blog 👍👍👍 https://model-boats.com/builds/view/23951?goto=44797 Can't wait to see what electrics you've ordered, another big white delivery van full of surprises?😁 Bon chance mom ami, Cheers, Doug 😎

6 years ago by RNinMunich

Forum

Sea Commander restoration tips

Get yourself a small pack of epoxy resin from ebay and seek out all slight s of the plywood frames. Get the epoxy in those split bits and clamp them up. A clothes peg is sufficient if you're short of space. You can put a piece of cling film twixt peg and wood so the peg doesn't stick. Then use the rest of the epoxy to waterproof the insides. Be thorough and methodical. if you sand the model back to wood, use epoxy on that, either through fine model aircraft fibreglass cloth or just squeegee epoxy on all over with an old credit card. it goes much further and gets forced into the grain. it's not necessary to use GRP cloth on everything if it's well built. I have several over-50 year old model boats that are perfectly water tight with decent paint jobs (enamel, of course). Cheers, Martin

6 years ago by Westquay

Forum

Crash Tender Shaft Tube Poistion

Dave I won't take any photos yet as it's literally just the hull. You may remeber last year you provide loads of help on my plywood issue and the build blog is still there which shows me reducing her to nothing and making new superstructure side from scratch. The rest of her is in boxes 😂😂😂😂

7 years ago by neilmc

Forum

Crash Tender Shaft Tube Poistion

Thanks for everything tonight learning more each time I'm on here and at the moment its keeping me out of trouble😁😁😁 Paul - I was looking through my bits of paperwork today and found a letter from Peter when I joined this site 6 years ago - yes that's how I've been going on this project. The letter was to do with the actual fireboat and what colour grey was used so at one point I was quite far on. Then it all went wrong with of the plywood and major misalignment issues. Peter was a great a guy and really helpful

7 years ago by neilmc

Forum

Using old motors

Doug, that looks lovely. I can't guarantee the performance would be anything but sedate with the Target, but that kind of boat in the real world would rarely be seen exceeding about 10 knots if that. it's essentially a river boat. I would be inclined to keep with the scheme it has as it's nicely period with the off white. Maybe line the deck with a Rotring a la period too and veneer the coach house sides. I certainly wouldn't strip it as there'll be joints and filler and boring old plywood underneath. No, paint is the Aerokits look for sure needs only epoxy, either the repair and build stuff or the liquid a la West, SP, etc.. slide a knife in the and convince some epoxy in, then lightly clamp it twixt layers of greaseproof paper (when the GF's out) or plastic bag or similar. I use Plastikard, but I was given a box of lasered off cuts by Ivan at the Vintage Boat Company. He's now sold out to SLEC who are even nearer where I live! Anyway I have plasticard in three thicknesses to waste. if you stroke the surface with a scriber, it will make a weird hollow noise if delaminated. if it is, make a cut, persuade the edges up and insinuate some epoxy into the crack you've made. Ain't nuttn. you can't repair. You should have seen the window frames in my house when I sold it. A festival of epoxy, firewood and P38 car filler. Surveyor passed it with barely a look. Reallygood paint saved the day. Stupid waster! 400 quid Mr. Client, chching! As for the extra gizmos, I'd ditch them to save weight and complexity. You might find a 3 blade prop works better, but I'm no expert there. Finally instead of "this belongs to", I'd simply name her Jessica, in a nice script. I hope that helps. Cheers, Martin

7 years ago by Westquay

Forum

Free Fire boats

Two 3ft fire boats from the 1960s, these are free, not to be put on ebay but to be finished and used. Boat 2 (photo) has never been finished, just needs the side decks putting on and a bit of attention to the aft cabin. Prop shaft/prop (4ba I would guess) and rudder are fitted. Boat 1 (photo) looks as though it might have been used but has been completely stripped of paint ready for repainting, this boat needs a bit more work, but it is quite do able. This boat also has prop shaft and rudder. Both hulls are sound with no of the ply on hulls or superstructure, a good winter project. Why arent I doing them? I have already built one, (build on this site somewhere) More photos if required. Before anyone asks, I am not prepared to box them up and post them, but if you are going to the Lake District you can pick them up as I am in south Cumbria Alan

8 years ago by AlanP

Forum

Richards 48'' Swordsman

Hi good news, I have just checked the area of damage around the shaft exit, on further investigation there is no 👍 i think I will re stick the ply sheet down then stregthen the area with modeling tissue and resin. i am fotunate that the wood strips that run from the bow to the stern (i think they give the model grip and straight line stability,help i do not know the correct term), give a natural line to patch upto.i will stengthen the interior with wood strips again resind in.

7 years ago by rmwall107

Forum

Richards 48'' Swordsman

Hi Richard Whilst the appears local chance are the fuel has penetrated well into the laminates together with water. Use whatever you want to patch the damage but a fresh piece of ply will probably be cheaper and more resilient. Cascamite will not work well with cyano. I would, after sorting the damage, use a thin resin poured and swilled around the hull insides to seal, followed by a covering of glass fibre or cloth over the outside impregnated with polyester lay up resin. You can fill any resulting blemishes with car body filler. As the model had an ic engine chances are the prop shaft will be showing signs of its age. Even if the bearings appear ok'ish the shaft is most likely bent or twisted. I suggest whilst you are sorting out the you purchase a new unit of the same size. Most modern kit is metric so your shaft should fit any props and couplings you purchase. Some use an allen key to secure the coupling so this may not apply. Don't forget to fix a locknut and thrust washer at either end of the prop tube. If you look at the blogs on this site there are several example of how others have completed similar tasks Hope this helps Please keep asking if you need any further help Dave

7 years ago by Dave M

Response

Deck skins

Hi Rob, coming along real nice 👍 You might not want to do this, but a little tip I was given, stand it on its nose and pour some resin into the bow, particularly at deck, it just firm everything up, and provides a good strong seal against those "too fast into the bank" moments The original aerokits versions suffered from as in picture one above, which rotted the top deck. I have seen quite a few do this over time, the resin trick seems to stop it, just a thought"! Paul

8 years ago by pmdevlin

Forum

Sea Commander

Thanks Alan, I did wonder wether or not to smack it out with a hammer. I've also got of the ply on the port side of the main cabin above the window, going to try and glue it back together as wouldn't want to try and replace the hole side! Or should I replace it??

8 years ago by laurence1

Forum

Aero kits sea commander

Lovely original Aerokits Sea Commander, and in good condition externally. You appear to be quite a seasoned modeller judging by the background to the pics so should have few problems in restoration. I restored a Sea Queen and the build is pretty similar to the Sea Commander so you will be familiar with the internals. Many early specimens were used with IC engines and the resultant fuel spillages in the hull can result in some of the ply skins. it will take some time to remove all the stains and damaged bits but time spent now will save you much grief later. if an IC has been used the prop shaft, case and bearings are likely to be well worn and will benefit from replacement. if you have access to a lathe you can replace the bearings yourself if the shaft is not twisted. Check the hull for any soft spots and remove and replace any damaged ply. Also check the glue joints, preferably having first removed all the old paint down to the original skins. I covered my hull in fibreglass cloth on the outside and then used body filler to produce a smooth hull for final paint. Takes time but looks good and is waterproof. You can keep adding pics to the upload file box and when finished click the Submit button at the bottom of your post. Some pics of my Sea Queen for your info Good restoring Dave

9 years ago by Dave M

Blog

You can also see the original engine mount which I have attempted to remove as I have issues with the motor alignment - still the case but I can't seem to remove the block without wrecking the hull. To be fair the hull is in a decent condition just needs gluing as the majority of glue has perished and become extremely brittle. Not complaining as this allowed the deck and superstructure to be removed quite easily. The central piece of plywood fell out shortly after the picture 😰

9 years ago by neilmc

Forum

Plywood

HI Andy That's not good news but you when you have a feeling and then wish you'd never pressed confirm purchase - that was me last night and you've confirmed may suspicion. I'll have a look at them and post on the forum if no good so no falls into the same trap. in hindsight I should just have have used the ones I took off lol

9 years ago by neilmc

Forum

Plywood

HI all My fire boat has not been best treated as it's sat in a damp garage for over a year and even though there's loads to do to get it going I've noticed the plywood on the window area of the superstructure is delaminating. What the best glue to use that will accept paint and able to be sanded down if needed. Dont really want to use normal wood glue as have had issues in the past when painting over it. Any help would be great Neil

9 years ago by neilmc

Forum

Plywood

HI I built a firboat from plans from that guy on eBay. The templates where useless and I had to redrew most of them from scratch but I got it built in the end.check the templates first before you cut wood.

9 years ago by andrewandrachel

Forum

Plywood

HI Dave Hope you have a good one at your gathering it's all a little sparse done in the south for things like that or I'm just not looking properly. I've found a guy one eBay who's selling instructions and paper templates for the crash tender for 15 quid - shoukd be here 23rd so will let people know what they're like.

9 years ago by neilmc

Forum

Plywood

Heil Whoops sorry I was referring to my Sea Queen. I dont have templates for The Crash Tender. Sorry Dave

9 years ago by Dave M

Forum

Plywood

HI Neil You should be Ok with the 2.5mm. its not carrying any weight and will be easier to cut to shape and the windows will look more realistic. My model had the original metal frames and you could fabricate from Litho plate. Not seen anyone selling the part tho. I have provided others with templates for tyhe windows and will look up the file and let you have a copy. Just off to the Ship Modellers gathering at E Port so in a rush at present. I'll sort out tonight Dave

9 years ago by Dave M

Forum

Plywood

HI Dave Thanks for your reply and I've managed to have a good look at the plywood superstructure and it turns outs there was quite a few areas that have delaminate even to the point of crumbling. With your words in mind I attacked it to the point where there is no deck or superstructure on the hull now. it was pleasantly pleasing but now in a position where I'm asking myself why did you that. However all the glue was so brittle it came apart easily. I bought some 2.5mm plywood to make new side pieces but think it should have been 3mm? Also is there anyone on here that can make or sells the side window pieces? I'm not sure whether I'll manage it with the limited setup I have. I will set up a boat blog as suggested. Cheers Neil

9 years ago by neilmc

Forum

Plywood

HI Neil If the ply has deteriorated to such an extent I suspect it will crumble when you start sanding. As Mark says Cyano will seep into the layers but once the inner layer is exposed it is very prone to crumbling and once its gone there is nothing for the cyano to fill. You have not said which exact part of the window area is damaged but I had a similar problem with my Fire tender and having taken a paper template I made a new piece from ply of the same size and replaced the damaged bits. Glad I did because the areas that looked OK were all crumbling inside. Might take a bit more effort but better to solve now than when you start to rub down and paint. A build blog with pics would be of great benefit and help to other members who may have similar problems. Good luck with the restoration Dave

9 years ago by Dave M

Forum

Plywood

HI Neil Try using thin cyano, dribble it into the splits then use spring clamps to close up the damage. the glue will sink into the wood and is easy to sand, if you have a lot of damage go to the pound shops, they have tubes on a card, 10 I think, so your not opening a large bottle, do it bit by bit. Mark

9 years ago by jarvo

Blog

Aerokits 46'' Fireboat twin screw brushless conversion

Next bit is horrible, preparing for the paint. With my smaller 36" Fireboat, it suffered after time with , so I decided to fibreglass this boat, I had only done this once before, so was dreading this job. The photo is the fibreglass used for the hull, and a better brand for the deck, which is thinner and easier to apply, I wont need as good a finish on the deck as that will be painted with a none slip finish, as per real boat. The superstructure cabin sides will not need to be fibreglassed, more on that later, a bit of a trick coming up there 😉

11 years ago by pmdevlin

Forum

Fireboat/Vintage Model Boat Day 2012

Attending the Vintage day with PT301 Snuffy Smith. Though just found severe to the superstructure. Caused by 50 year old plywood and possible damage from rough waters at Fleetwood two weeks ago. I have decided to take the knife to the superstructure and hope it will be alright for the day. Glad of quick drying glue.mdlbt.com/sys_files/graphics/smileys/S04.gif

12 years ago by Gabby