Forum

Painting over epoxy

On fibreglass you could use an etching primer which is a modified alkyd primer that produces a sound base coat on wood, steel, fiberglass, aluminum surfaces. but you should use an ordinary primer before the top coat. Halfords do a spray etch primer.

5 years ago by mturpin013

Forum

Painting white metal

Hi Rogal, Whatever it is (wood, , plastic, white or any other colour metal) PRIME IT! Primers are designed to give the top coat paints something to stick to. Otherwise they will scratch easily and flake off especially from smooth plastic or metallic surfaces etc. Enamel or acrylic? Your choice, just make sure both are the same basis otherwise you may get a nasty reaction when you apply the top coat😲 Acrylics are usually easier to use, don't pong, and the brushes can be cleaned in warm water😊 Happy painting, cheers, Doug 😎

5 years ago by RNinMunich

Media

Thames cruise barge

total scratch built on fibreglass hull 127cm x24 cm,11 months to build 6volt system brushed motor,3blade 35mm brass prop.

5 years ago by markiee

Forum

Fairmile D 1/24 Scale Build

Sakibian, My friend Graham built his E-boat with a fibreglass hull but scratch-built everything else. He does magnificent detail work. For you to build this hull you first need to get the plans to the scale you want to build. 1/24 is good for these models. The cross sections are essential. You need to determine how many bulkhead frames you will require. You won't require as many as shown on their plan and photos - maybe less than half - as many as will enable you to support the stringers to give you a shape of the hull on to which you can fix the planking or skin. The frames you choose need to be at or very close to cross sections, so you can use them to mark and cut your frames. I use 5mm plywood. There is a photo of my Fairmile D frame earlier in this series of posts. One of my earliest posts on this website was a Youtube video with the E-boat and my Fairmile D in action with sound effects.

5 years ago by reilly4

Forum

Fairmile D 1/24 Scale Build

Hi Sakibian, The PT boat site now sells stuff too, but was originally a site where the author John Drain described how he was building his PT boat and then the E-boat. There are good plans and examples of how he has constructed these boats. My Fairmile D was made from plywood frames, pine stringers, planked and skinned with balsa and then fibreglassed. it was a very interesting and difficult shape, but very satisfying once completed. it sails beautifully in the most difficult conditions. I have also included a few more pics of my friend's E-boat with the newer camouflage for further inspiration.

5 years ago by reilly4

Forum

Fairmile D 1/24 Scale Build

The E-boat was built and belongs to a friend of mine - Graham Smithwick. it is a fibreglass hull and he has had it for a long time. There are plenty of resources on E-boats. This is a very good one. http://www.pt-boat.com/ I have also included some photos of his E-boat before the newer camouflage.

5 years ago by reilly4

Directory

(Other) Vosper RTTL

Recently acquired fibreglass hull and plan. Build to take place in parallel with others on the bench over the next six months. (5/10)

5 years ago by Welshsailor

Response

Sea Queen

Roger.com, I am not so sure about being less detail on a Norfolk Broads Cruiser. I have a small 21ft hulled boat in Potter Heigham on the Broads. But when you see the older wooden Broads Cruisers they have lots of detail especially the ones that get cared for as they should being wooden built. Some of them are so beautiful and well varnished polished brass, Chrome fittings and well groomed. if I could afford a wooden cruiser and be able to keep her in the fashion she should be kept then I would. But if I win the lottery then I will have one. Even the old wooden sailing yacht's are kept in wonderful condition and lots of detail brass etc.

5 years ago by BOATSHED

Forum

Ship rudders

Thanks R in Munich! The shapes of brackets under the rivets are cut out from a sheet of . Depending on contour held in place with a dab of CA or the finishing resin, then topped with finishing resin. I have now to decide if I use the rivet method for the reset of the ship. The hull effect was via dabbing pva glue but some spread slightly and thus look over scale on some. 1mm ~50mm so a rivet head spreading to 2-3mm ~ 100-150 and I think a 6" rivet head might be unrealistic? What was ther likely rivet head size on such ships. Toby

5 years ago by Toby

Forum

steam water pump

You don't need to buy a water tank, simply build one into your hull using plywood and fibre-glass, the favourite is the sharp end simply fit a wooden bulk-head and cover it in fibre-glass.

5 years ago by GaryLC

Response

HMS BRAVE BORDERER

Hi Kevin, Yes I did, because of the complexity of the shape that was another technique that could have been used. I decided to use glass fibre as the cowl is around 7" wide and 3 1/2" deep. Considered a draw of that depth was beyond my skill and facilities with plastic sheet. if they are available it would have been a good approach. The more I work with glass fibre the more forgiving it seems to be. Not many mistakes that cannot be disguised or corrected! Rowen

5 years ago by Rowen

Blog

HMS BRAVE BORDERER

Back to the build. Next milestone, to complete the superstructure and engine covers. The superstructure is essentially a cowl that supports the open bridge and serves as the air intake for the gas turbines. The engine covers fit into the rear of it. The superstructure is full of curves and will be interesting to make. Still trying to save weight, decided to make it out of glassfibre. Rather than first make a plug then a female mould and finally the cowl, wanted to try the technique of making a plug out of styrene foam sheet, then covering it in a glass fibre matt. Once the glass fibre is set, the foam is dissolved out using a solvent and the cowl remains – inshallah! To ensure the foam did not react to the glass fibre resin, painted the finished cowl with enamel paint before sticking the matt down. See pictures. What a mess! The resin had crept under the paint and into the foam dissolving it. When the resin dried the plug had shrunk slightly and had the surface finish of a quarry. First thought was to hurl it and start again, this time in wood. On second thoughts, wondered if the plug could still be used. Decided to build it up with wood filler and from it make a female mould, as originally intended. The cowl would then be made from the mould. Built the damaged plug up and sanded it smooth. As the plug would be covered in fibreglass, the surface finish was not critical. Brushed a coat of fibreglass on the plug and, after drying filled any defects with glaze putty and sanded smooth. Once the finish and dimensions were satisfactory, applied a thicker coat of glass fibre to the plug. This was again smoothed down, waxed with carnauba polish and then covered in mould release. From it the cowl was made. Picture shows plug, mould and cowl placed side by each. The cowl requires reinforcement; the fittings and various mountings then adding before installing. A trial installation showed that it fitted properly the deck and was accurate. A lesson for the next time is to make the plug and mould much deeper than the finished item. That will allow any rough edges, on either the mould or the component, to be trimmed off leaving a smooth fibreglass edge.

5 years ago by Rowen

Directory

(Naval Ship) HMS Cadiz

Scratch built other than a fibreglass hull, built by my father over about 5 years using a mix of balsa, plasticard, ply and wire. He never sailed it but when I inherited it I was determined to complete it ready for it's first "sea trials". I've completed the RC installation and adjusted the ballast and it's now had two successful outings at the local boating lake. (10/10)

5 years ago by landie

Forum

Bristol pilot cutter mascotte

Hello all this is my latest build of the Kingston mouldings Bristol pilot cutter 'mascotte' was purchased from a forum friend who no longer had time to build it. Sadly Kingston mouldings has now closed down. The first job was to glue the lead ballast into the bottom of the hull, this was done by using fibreglass resin then a couple of layers of fibreglass to seal the lead shot into the built in keel

6 years ago by kmbcsecretary

Directory

(Tug Boat) Ferdinand Keulen

hull. Wooden and plastic superstructure. Built issuing the hull and plan. (5/10)

5 years ago by Toby

Blog

Proboat Sonicwake

Three weeks ago I got a Proboat Sonicwake deep V fast electric. This appears to be a replacement for their previous model Vorocity. Very interesting self righting method with a water tank on the port side, slots in the deck and a large exit point at the stern. Idea is that if it capsizes, water will enter through the slots and as it draws the boat under, the air trapped in the hull will self right it. If the boat is stationary in the water, it will list to port due to water entering through the stern outlet and when power is applied it will empty out. Bit scary to watch at first as I thought the boat was on its way to Davy Jones. I use waterproof marine clear tape to seal around the hatch ever time I use it. The quality of the hull raises a few concerns. This relates to its ABS construction as the vast majority of similar boats at that price are made of fibreglass which is much more rigid and would be more suitable for the high speeds. Makers claim it does 50 MPH plus on 6S lipos. The electrics however are excellent with the exception of the external quality of the Horizon Hobby STX2 TX which looks a bit "toyish". For myself, this is not relevant as I replace all my wheel TXs with the "stick type" and I found that the Futaba T2HR fulfils all requirements and worked well when I sailed the boat. I have not yet changed the stock prop for an Octura one, the latter works great on my Blackjack 29 with a noticeable increase in performance. The motor is a Dynamite Marine W.C brushless 1900 KV with a 120 amp W.C ESC . 😁😋 Boaty.

5 years ago by boaty

Directory

(Racing Boat) Hydro

Complete fibreglass.straight shaft, uses three channels. Speed,Rudder,and flaps for rear plane .when using best to wear brown trousers (on 5 cells I have had 57.4 mph (Motor: Sss4075) (ESC: Flycolor) (8/10)

6 years ago by Purser1944

Directory

(Working Vessel) Leilah Marie

Fibreglass hull and top.deck is hand laid planking with black card in between to simulate caulking.props are prop shop three blades at 55mm each working radar and search lite. Mainmast lights consist of white over red, learned this very early in my career first thing you see when pilot comes aboard is his white hair, followed by his red nose..... full lighting system. Plus nav lights (Motor: GHD) (ESC: Hobbyking) (8/10)

6 years ago by Purser1944

Response

Hull off the build jig

Actually I meant your children as a 'crew production unit' 😉😲 Good to hear you have potential already lined up 👍 Tip about cross beams is from experience. Along time ago (far far away!) I reskinned a long thin destroyer hull, originally built all balsa with a 1/32" hull skin, with and suddenly it was even thinner! Good for speed vs given power 😊 but not so good for refitting the decks and internals 😡 Also seemed to create a twisting stress in the hull!! Carry on the great work, All the best Doug 😎

6 years ago by RNinMunich

Response

Hull off the build jig

So far so good Steve 👍 I might be tempted to fit at least temporary cross beams though, just in case the fibre-glassing tries to pull the sides together 😉 Crew already lined up? Or do you need to chat with your children? 😁😉 (Apologies if on thin ice!) Cheers, Doug 😎

6 years ago by RNinMunich

Response

Friday's Child Fairey Huntsman 31

They are a great looking craft, I am restoring one myself, please be aware that red paint may contain lead, so wear a mask while sanding. My restoration is of a old hull I intend to install twin rudders and motor shafts and go brushless, I am building the superstructure from scratch with some help from old plans. I want to have a swordsman type cabin.

6 years ago by CB90

Forum

PS Waverley

Hi Martin, My stanchions were pre-drilled, from Graupner ca 30 Years ago. Never 'eard of Modelling Timbers. Timber stanchions!!!😲 I "only" had to drill the holes in the decks (thought that was what you meant), there were enough of them. Much worse though was fitting all the two part portholes 😡 Since ing the the hull I have to do that all over again😭 Frankly I think anyone who gets so many stanchions made as castings without pre-drilled rail holes need his bumps feeling. I thoroughly agree ref mini drills, too easy to snap fine drill bits. 👍 For precision / repetitive drilling I use my Proxxon mini milling machine as a drill press. if I need more than one of something I knock up a simple jig (usually from hardwood taken from demolished old furniture) to hold the work piece in the machine vice attached to the milling machine cross bed. I took the irritating collet fixing off the mill and fitted a real 3 jaw chuck 😉 Happy 'Vincenting', All the best, Doug 😎

6 years ago by RNinMunich

Forum

Old outboard motor...

Oh I know what to do with 'em, Doug, just not sure I could DO it! I think if you need a quick outboard and won't pay Graupner prices, you're stuck with a HobbyKing who do 2, both very similar, but about 65-70 quid a pop. I've just realised my little vintage outboard will go on my little fibreglass clinker dinghy, making it a wee fishing boat. I will have to put 2 servos in the dolly (dressed as an old salt). One will turn it on and off and one will steer once I've put a tiller on it. No ESC needed. Old o/bs either run or not, so he can turn the little brass switch on and steer it. Painted harbour launch grey, with a couple of lobster pots and a dog, it'll be a sweet little model. Martin

6 years ago by Westquay

Forum

USGC Island class fg hull.

I wish to build a USCG Island class cutter. I have a full set of plans but I am not too brilliant at making hulls from scratch. I have found a possible source, MTBHulls of Gibralta, of getting a hull at 1/48 scale but they need an order of 4 to produce one. They produce many different hulls but not this one, hence the requirement for 4 to make it viable to make a new hull. So I am looking for 3 other model makers who may be interested in buying one of these hulls at approx. £55 each plus any cost for me to post them on or deliver. The Island class cutter is 110 feet long, which would make a model just over 2 foot long, and based on a Vosper Thornycroft design but built in the States. I believe there were about 80 built of which 35 remain in service. There are many pictures of them on the internet which is where I got the plans from but I am happy to copy the plans if anyone is interested.

6 years ago by epmbcmember

Forum

Paddle Steamer For Sale

Remote Control wooden and fibreglass scratch built Dart Belle paddle steamer for sale. 85cm long, 27cm wide, built to an excellent standard. With purpose built carrying box.

6 years ago by Doug79

Forum

EarlyVosper M.T.B by Simplas

Found on E Bay but sold in June of this year, a 42 inch kit of a Simplas Marine Construction Vosper M.T.B. It would appear that there are not many about now. I built one in 1972 and the kit contained a fibreglass hull with all fittings including the guns being in cast metal. Deck and superstructure were plywood and the boat was a model of an early Vosper as it had a very narrow beam and torpedo tubes were towards the stern. I fitted a DC Sabre 1.5cc diesel but had to add a lot of ballast which resulted in a sharp drop in performance. This was solved by replacing the Sabre with a Fuji 15 marine version glowplug engine . The boat was free running and as I was on an apprentice engineers pay and could not afford r.c.as I was having to support an ageing Mini. This was my transport from Ellesmere Port to the boating lake in New Brighton. If I had bought a Taycol Supermarine motor it would have solved all my problems as the battery would have been the ballast. Boaty 😁

6 years ago by boaty

Media

HMS Cadiz

My dad built this over a long period of time, starting in the '80s. The hull is fibreglass and the rest is scratch built from plastic card, balsa, ply, wire and anything else he could adapt. Although he installed the motors, props and rudders he never completed the RC installation or tested it. I inherited his boat models a few years ago and wanted to "finish the job", getting the model on the water. After installing the RC gear and batteries over the last few months, this weekend was the first sailing outside the bath at the Valley Gardens boating lake. Happy to report that it sailed really nicely, seems to be reasonably stable although I did restrict it to calmer times when the MTBs and faster boats weren't running ! HMS Cadiz was a battle class destroyer, laid down and launched during WW2 although she didn't receive her commission until 1946 so didn't see combat with the Royal Navy, serving with the home fleet. Due to the changeover in pennant numbering she was originally allocated R09 and later, when the admiralty decided to revert to the D for Destroyer pennant numbering she was assigned D79. To reflect this my model has D79 on the starboard side and R09 on the port side. She was sold to Pakistan in the late '50s, and renamed PNS Khaibar. She was sunk with the loss of nearly all hands in 1971 in the indo-Pakistan war.

6 years ago by landie

Response

Now Coating and Matting

After the application of fibreglass or matting i usually put on a second coat of EZ-Cote.After drying lightly sand.Overlaps I find easy to level up with another coat of EZ-Cote.I have been using the same bottle for 3 years.That stuff really stretches.All the wrong size fittings can always be used on other projects or modify them to suit yours.

6 years ago by Donnieboy

Blog

Now Coating and Matting

On to Coating and Matting. (as well as sanding!) Now have at least finished all the stripping. Then did the ‘bright light in the hull bit’ to look for areas that needed patching. The major problem area was in the bow and that did not receive the light as it is a totally blanked off compartment. However, it was obvious from the outside anyway so, could I assume it was the only leak? Decided to put a fine matt over the whole hull, not deck, just to be sure of best chance of success. I can imagine what will be said here if it still leaks after all this! I had ordered some supplies ready for the next stage and drew up a plan view of the boat to help think through layout of electrics and other items. Made my usual mistakes about size. Some fittings purchased too small………However, never too large now that’s interesting. Some materials purchased too large. Now have a life’s worth of Resin……(when does it ‘go off’ by?) Also have a lounge floors worth of tissue matting! Also Sandpaper. Now there is a mine field. So now I know a bit more about that and which way the numbers work! When I forgot to put the mask on, I had some of the crispest 'bogies' in years.............. No images posted! On the plus side, although I never wanted to get into this stripping sanding, filling sanding, sealing sanding, matting sanding, painting sanding, painting, sanding bit……………. I now feel I started out with someone’s boat I had bought and now it has become “my boat” for real! I am at the stage now where I have put some filler in and applied the first coat of Eze-Kote from DeLuxe Materials To use Eze-kote read stuff from RNinMunich on this blog or the’ leaking boat’ thread. Washes out of the brushes very easily. There is such as this ..... Youtube link - watch?v=yP05qv3QtUk RNinMunich or Colin H. and the like have bits of extra comment and experience that is always very helpful. BTW, after that finer sanding before first coat, I did the dust down and vacuuming bit but it still felt a bit ‘chalky’ so I gave it a wipe with Methylated Spirits. Now I realise that has water in it, so if anything goes wrong it could be blamed on that................. Having left the first coat to dry I started to cut out the light matt to apply after the next sanding. The matting I have is called Glassfibre Surface Tissue EGlass from FibreGlass Direct. A part of Tricel Composites (NI) Limited. Available internationally in lengths from a metre upwards, it is quite fine in weave so we shall see what happens. I have left quite a wide margin at the moment but may reduce that when I have tried using it! This is another first for me so plenty of room for mistakes............... Will need to cover with the matt in stages as I cannot get around all the boat without changing its position. Going for the bottom of the vessel and stern board first as I figure they are going to be easier than some of the other bits. Then will leave that to cure before moving the boat. Really worried about the joins/overlaps and how well I will cope with those, not to mention the curved bit! Started to look at electrics and layout for a bit of a change. I will post again when I have had the first battles with the matting! TTFN. NPJ

6 years ago by NPJ

Response

Fibreglass the hull- continued

That has saved me a lot of bother! thanks. NPJ

6 years ago by NPJ

Response

Still Stripping......With Care!

Evenin' Neville, I told you you'd get the hang of it pretty quick. (It was either that or you'd burn the house down😲)😁 Seriously; I'm proud of you👍 You had the guts to give it a go and you're learning fast 👍 Hat off Sir! A few observations; (Colin might also have some at this point, had a very nice chat with him on the phone this afternoon - but that's another Encyclopedia Britannica!) #1 if the paint scraps are smoking the gun is too hot or too close, or moving too slow. Wind it down to 350 and see how that goes. Back up to ~400 if seems necessary. #2 Bow cracks; I see a bodge up there where someone couldn't bend the skin properly or, benefit of the doubt (In dubio pro reo!), maybe it was collision damage. Whatever; filler in a thin crack will always vibrate out again sometime😡 Try to get at the inside and seal it with two layers of fibreglass tissue well soaked in resin, EzeKote is what I used. Wait about 10 minutes before applying second layer. Then it should bond well with the first. When that has set (ca 20 - 30 minutes) then you can apply some fine filler from the outside. When set sand smooth and seal the whole hull outside with two layers of FG tissue. Sand smooth and if any bare wood appears apply wood sealer or EzeKote thinned with 10% warm water. Don't overdo the water or it takes yonks to dry and set - Yes, it happened to me🤔 Then continue with priming / finishing as described above; or look in my Sea Scout 'Jessica' blog for the fine details. The beauty of using EzeKote for all this is that you can get a whole hull done inside and out in one day and no mixing ratios to cock up😊👍 If it's any consolation to you; when I did all this on my fish cutter and PTB loads of filler went soft and fell out as well, and the 'goo' holding the prop shafts in my PTB as well. No sweat as I wanted to realign the shafts anyway! TIP: I removed all shafts rudders and any other protrusions in the way so there were no 'twiddly' bits left to make things awkward. Leaving the odd patch of sanded paint which is still firmly fixed to the wood is OK; as long as you can't feel a 'bump' with your finger tips and you are going to seal it with resin and primer anyway. Then it can't react with the new paint. Here endeth the 3039th epistle from Admiral Doug. Will all dissenters, contradictors and other lobbyists and Trump lawyers please queue up at the Spanish inquisition Office next door. Take a number, we'll grill you in turn 😁😁 How do you like your stake? Cheers All, Happy building and renovating, Doug 😎 Now back to me fish cutter gearbox, mechanical gubbinses are not really my strength🤔 HAMMER, have you got a minute please!? (Viewing / reading tip; click on the thread title, then you can read the the structured version in paragraphs as I wrote it 😉)

6 years ago by RNinMunich

Forum

Model Slipway

Model Slipway Tamar 1/16th lifeboat for sale fitted with bow thruster and servo,will come with two cans halford paint one indigo blue other VW orange Reason for sale is with only previously building one model this may be suitable for a more experienced builder,every thing in place for a beautiful finished lifeboat,photos available £325 With the model being at this stage it may be possible to send by courier Would consider swap for a cruiser i.e. Huntsman /Jules Verne /Perkasa with hull with two props NOW WITHDRAWN FROM SALE

8 years ago by shambles

Response

Bit of a problem.............

Hi Neville, yep, only took about a half hour per hull 😊 And NO DUST 😉 If adjustable use the gun on medium heat and don't get too close or too long on the same spot or you'll scorch the wood. As soon as the paint starts to bubble or flake lift it with a not too sharp but not blunt 3/4" chisel. The gun will blow it off in chunks. I found that the chisel was more effective than a normal scraper. Work the gun from side to side just ahead of the chisel. After that I shone a very bright light inside the hull, which instantly showed up the holes and thin spots. I ringed them all with a felt tip and they then received extra attention and fibreglass strengthening. That'll fix your leak wherever the heck it is😊 Eeezy peezy😉 So - Tally Ho matey! Cheers, Doug 😎 PS I didn't have to 'scrap' either boat 😁😁 PPS I love the embedded insect fossils in your hull! Or are they cave paintings?? 😁

6 years ago by RNinMunich

Media

airboat

I thought as the lake is still full of weed this would keep me sailing built from light ply ed inside & out then painted length 33" width 12"height 16" to top of the prop 70 amp esc aircraft brushless motor 11" prop I am busy with a landing craft i thought this would be another one to beat the dreaded weed 😱

6 years ago by Northumbrian

Response

Bit of a problem.............

Evenin' Neville, For God's Sake (Whoever he may be) put the wire brush back in the drawer and save it for cleaning engine blocks😲 Use a heat gun and a scraper to get the paint off without destroying the wood. Like I had to do with my Gina 2 fish cutter and PTB hulls. Much less dust than trying to sand / wire-brush the paint off. That way will take you a month of Sundays anyway. The sand the hull flat and cover it with two layers of fibreglass tissue and resin. I used EzeKote, no mixing, no smell, sets in about 20 minutes and brushes wash out in warm water. 😊 Apply a final coat of resin. Sand flat and prime. The pics show these three stages for the cutter and the PTB. If the crack is bad reinforce it on the inside with a couple of layers of tissue and resin. Then give the whole inside of the boat two coats of resin. Take out anything that stops you getting down to the underwater hull and keel joints. That should fix your leak once and for all, strengthen the boat to help prevent any further hull damage if you hit something underway and give you a good base for the final colour coats. Bon chance!👍 Now back to fixing the prop shaft in my cutter.😉 Cheers, Doug 😎 Oh, and by the way - 'DON'T PAY THE FERRYMAN'!

6 years ago by RNinMunich

Blog

Fairey Hunsman renovation part 2

The boat was free but I gave a small donation to the club,(Darlington & District Model Boat Club). Started by removing all hardware, motor mounts, prop shaft, rudder, water-scoops and outlets. Next fill the holes I have made, remove some excess wood. roughly sand down hull. Foam bow area, and glue crack in deck. Find a lot of damage to the fibreglass hull, large chips out of the gel coat and associated stress fractures, and other spider web cracks. Drimmel all crack lines and open up chips and dents, then fill with a filler. an experimental mix of P38 and Araldite, hope it works. Start planning drive options I have a number of items that I have brought and not used that will be put in this boat, otherwise they may never find a home. last picture shows drive option to use up components.

6 years ago by CB90

Forum

HMS Campbeltown 1941, 1/96 scale

I'm building her as she was following her 1941 refit (with four funnels) and not her revised profile (two funnels) for the raid. However, I believe it was only the midships section that was changed so I will see what I can do. In the meantime, the reference book I have can be found here https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/search?index=books&linkCode=qs&keywords=9780851779973 The fibreglass hull was given to me by a friend, who had already built HMS Burnham and had no use for another hull. I've just been on to Deans website and found one at £75 ! http://deansmarine.co.uk/shop/product_info.php/cPath/26_33/products_id/550 What a great friend I have. Steve

6 years ago by cormorant

Blog

Emma C Berry Schooner

Scratch built from old kit plans but planked and fibreglassed rather than balsa sheeted as in the original. Modified to fit a removable keel. Winch and continuous loop sail control fitted under deck.

6 years ago by alan20

Response

Range Safety Launch?

Eze-Coat is fabulous stuff to use.It is thin enough to run into any crack in hull and seal it up.I also use it to fibreglass hulls.No fuss no mess.

6 years ago by Donnieboy

Media

KATYA

Scratched built on a hull, home made sails with a modified star wars figure Bought from a member of our Kingswinford Model Boat Club, Peter Ellis, who sadly passed away

6 years ago by jfstoker

Blog

Fairey Hunsman renovation part 1

I was lucky to be able to get myself a hulled Fairey Huntsman 31 this is a model of the 31 ft Huntsman which converts to a scale of 1:11 which is a bit of a strange scale, the superstructure is in a poor state, so I am thinking it could now be changed to a 'Fairey Huntsman 28' which I think looks better. Huntsman 28 The model 34 in long is close to 1:10scale at 34.6in Some History Four Huntsman 28's took part and competed in the 1969 Daily Telegraph / B.P. Round Britain powerboat race. A Huntsman 28 'Fordspeed No 909' entered and completed the London - Monte Carlo race in 1972. Also the same boat set a new class speed record of 51.271 mph on Lake Windemere, in October 1973. The hull is a deep V with single chine and spray rails. The construction was of laminated mahogany, the hulls were cooked in an oven to cure the glue. The twin engines were placed mid ships. Dimensions LOA: 28' 10" (8.8m) LWL: ~24' 10" (~7.6m) Beam: 8' 9" (2.66m) Draught: 2' 6" (0.76m) Displacement: 8160lbs (3710kg)

6 years ago by CB90

Forum

Wianno Senior progressing

Added rudder today. Fibreglass applied and fillers between rudder and shaft. I put in a temporary mini servo, not pictured, but it was just beside the control horn.

6 years ago by Ronald

Forum

Spektrum, new, useless...

Re Portholes, Martin, I don't know how many dozen I did on my 1/72 53" destroyer, two rows in the hull plus superstructure, but that's why I AM NUTS! 😁 Since fibre-glassing the hull I now have to do those AGAIN! 😡 Cheers, Doug 😎

6 years ago by RNinMunich

Forum

knitting pins

Good lady bought a big bundle of Knitting pins from a charity shop there were a few odds and sods that I have acquired 2,2,3,3.5 and 6mm there made from really strong plastic coated steel and some are they could come in handy ,50 pins for a fiver so worth raking through charity shops for cheap rods . Cheers Marky

6 years ago by marky

Forum

After fibreglass and primer coat

Hi Ron, mark the 'real' waterline, the LWL (Load Waterline) as on your plan. Then load the boat (in the domestic Test Tank😉) down to that line then you know what she can carry, including any missing deck and superstructure of course! See test I just did for my fish cutter 'Gina 2'. Cheers, Doug 😎 PS: seal and prime the hull when you wish, I do final finishing / polishing when all major internal works are done, and especially after prop shaft tubes and rudder stock are fitted and 'fettled in'. Cheers, Doug 😎 PS Applies just as well to renovations and new builds! BUT more power to your elbow for scratch building 👍

6 years ago by RNinMunich

Forum

After fibreglass and primer coat

So, the hull has been fibreglassed, and several coats of primer applied. What next? Mark the water line as seen on the PDF and photographs? OR Place model in water, load up with approximately the weight of servos, batteries, and other building materials? Paint exterior hull or wait till interior servos are mounted? Scratch building questions...

6 years ago by Ronald

Media

Titanic

I built this 1/125th scale Amati kit of the Titanic over two years from 2016. it has enhanced etched brass details from Minibrass. Conversion for radio control involved making the hull waterproof with multiple layers of fibreglass cloth bonded with epoxy resin as well as the installation of a drive train and RC gear. With only a tiny rudder, steering is dependent on a mixer unit controlling the differential speed of the propellors.

6 years ago by JeremyBB

Forum

Fibreglass hull/deck fit

I don’t currently have an operational boat so not at the moment. Back in the ‘60s I built a Sea Commander and used to sail that regularly at Princes Park. Eastbourne Model Power Boat Club use the lake but I haven’t seen them there for a long time, not sure when they sail, there are often EMYC events there though when I’ve been to the park, it’s a good lake.

6 years ago by Brianaro

Forum

Fibreglass hull/deck fit

I’m have 1m long x 320mm beam fibreglass hull and s fibreglass deck 310mm at its widest. When dry fitted there is a gap about 8mm wide each side rearward of the bow. The deck measurements are symetrical side to side. Should I force the hull sides to fit as tight as possible or leave the gap and fill it or something in the middle? Any help would be appreciated, thank you.

6 years ago by Brianaro

Forum

Fibreglass hull/deck fit

Know the feeling! Living in Munich, with a German keyboard, I have to switch between English and German, BUT I switched off the automatic spelling correction so I can check what it's offering for alternatives 😉 I see you are in Eastbourne, do you sail in Princes Park? Until recently my Mum (93) lived in Royal Parade just round the corner from the park. Sometimes if I drove over from Munich I would take my 1/72 H class destroyer with me and sail it in Princes Park. Last time there was a guy there with a Trident sub with full diving system. I played cat and mouse with him, trying to 'be there' when he surfaced, good fun😊 Cheers, Doug 😎

6 years ago by RNinMunich