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    Blog
    WWII Italian MAS 562
    Skinned the frames added deck and splash rail also started on cabin and superstructure, added rudder and installed twin brushed Graupner 600 motors via Graupner style direct couplings. Motor mounting system through a bulkhead gives extra support to motors which mount on to end of the shafts. currently adding a rudder servo mount, as rudder is a close copy of the real boat's and still functional.
    6 years ago by CB90
    Media
    Fairmount Alpine
    Hello ! Som more Pictures of my Fairmount Alpine , A little bit forward on the deck propshaft and rudder is mounted the towing winch is mounted and working more pictures is comming // Have a nice weekend all boat builders πŸ‘
    5 years ago by jugge
    Blog
    Painting
    I must admit that the painting process is not my favourite. it takes so long and time is always at a premium due to work commitments. I rush it a bit so that the build can continue. I fitted all of the windows into the deck structure and covered them with the low tack film. I then primed, two coats, painted, two coats followed by two coats of lacquer. I am quite pleased with the results even though it is not perfect. I decided not to fit the deck until all of the electronics, including the ESC, battery and receiver had been installed. This is because one of the big problems with this model is the lack of room to work in once the deck is in place. Another problem I encountered was the fitting of the tiller cranks onto the rudders. if the instructions are followed, it is almost impossible the adjust or remove them once the deck has been fitted. I solved the problem by reversing the cranks and bending the connecting wire to miss a bulkhead support. The screws can now be reached from the deck opening. I have now completed the majority of the painting and have started to assemble the remaining parts. Currently I am doing the wiring of the lighting and making a couple of circuit boards. There are a lot of wires involved so to reduce the amount I have decided to us e a common negative. (Cannot remember what this is called right now). There are still a lot of wires and they are mostly coming out from the cabin structure. I have decided to introduce some nine pin connectors to make cabin removal a lot easier. This is quite a big job and will take a little while. I really enjoy this bit. The results add that little bit of extra satisfaction when it all works as it should.πŸ€“ The top search light assembly came as a bit of a surprise. it is manufactured from nickel silver plate and requires soldering together. Even though I am a precision engineer, I have not soldered a box since I was at school. Once I stopped burning my fingers with the heat, I quite enjoyed the assembly even though it would have been useful to have an extra hand and took the best part of today to complete.😀 I can honestly say that I have enjoyed most of this build and even though earlier on I was thinking to avoid Aero-naut models in the future, I have changed my mind. They are very cleverly designed. I expect to complete this model some time in March. That would be the first for me to complete in recent times even though I have two others on the go and one new one in its box ready for a Summer start.😊
    5 years ago by MouldBuilder
    Response
    HMS BRAVE BORDERER
    Hi. Been watching this build progress and the discussion. Having seen the recently posted pictures of the rudder installation it appears that your problem is probably caused by the rudder aspect. From the photos it appears that the rudder post is not mounted completely vertical. Thus when the blade is turned by the servo this will create an aileron or elevator effect on the water flow. Things behave very. Much the same in water as they do in the sir. Regards Kevin
    5 years ago by kevinsharpe
    Media
    Fairmount Alpine
    A Little bit forward , propshaft and rudders ar mounted and some things on the superstruktion , im going to start with the running lights tonight Have a nice day everybody // JΓΆrgen
    5 years ago by jugge
    Blog
    Deck, servo mount
    Put together a pilot house based on some tugs I've seen. Just freelanced it as I went. I build a lot with styrene so I am used to just cutting and building. I use liquid styrene cement that fuses the materials together. See photo, will trim it out as I mount it, need to add some detail at roof and some Navigational lighting. Put on on 3mm plywood deck, same as hull bottom. The deck is also curved (proper term is SHEAR) and I started to build up some wood edge at the opening. Will sand everything well, then start sealing and priming all surfaces. Made a bracket for the rudder servo mount and an adjacent platform for the ESC and RX. Ordered two 6v 5ah SLA batteries. I will wire in parallel to stay with 6v and get 10ah. I like to stay with 6 volts as I want the motor to run slow like a tug should. Will wire in an in-line fuse. Haven't decided where I will put switch, up high somewhere to avoid water. I will show the wiring once I get to it. This build is going fast because it's a simple design, just what I was looking for. I work on it late afternoons and into the evening while I watch basketball games. About 4 hrs a day. Looking forward to building the hatch and getting some primer started tomorrow. Regards, Joe πŸ‘
    5 years ago by Joe727
    Response
    BRAVE BORDERER
    Hi I once saw a boat called a Telectra perform . Hard chine hull nothing unusual. This planed as flat as a pan cake even in fast turns . it was unusual in having a central single screw close to the transom but with twin rudders mounted as far away from the prop as possible . So no propwash over the rudder Cheers Ian
    5 years ago by TOWN3810
    Blog
    Day Three
    Hi, Using 3mm Baltic birch plywood, I skinned the hull. Used Titebond III wood glue, bent by hand, drilled and tacked in place with small brads. I cut the bottom oversized so it was easier to position, after drying 16 hours I cut the edges flush with the sides using a Japanese pull saw. Built the core for my rudder, see photos, solder my own arm as I did not have one. Used a 3/16" set collar, filed the surface to expose brass and solder a piece brass. Will drill the second hole later. Attached brass plate that will be inside the actual rudder, will build from either plastic or wood. Next, laid out the placement of the stuffing tube, then drilled the hull then I built a motor mount from wood and added some green foam to limit mount vibration and sound transfer. Set the rudder post and block. Time to let everything overnight. Joe
    5 years ago by Joe727
    Blog
    coastguard
    I bought the hull from a member on here i stripped the insides and redone it to take the rudder servo i then made the motor mounts from ply i used epoxy to set them in it runs nicely on the two 45mm brass props i will make the superstructure from lite ply
    5 years ago by Northumbrian
    Forum
    Mixer
    Hi TJ, The third motor can be connected to one of the secondary outputs, rudder or third (central) motor as it has no effect on the steering! The mixer only affects the two outer motors to augment the steering. Fairly elementary, anything on the boat's longitudinal axis can't have any leverage effect on the steering.😁 "The WTail mixer also has two extra outputs to allow you to connect up a rudder and a further centrally mounted motor." Ciao, Doug 😎
    6 years ago by RNinMunich
    Forum
    Cheap motor for a quick fit, but what prop gents?...
    Hi Doug, yes, very similar sizes. (Nice finish on your Sea Hornet, btw. Mine cost me 99p off ebay!). My drill motor is from a 14.4Volt one, if I can find it! OR, I'll buy a 20,000 rev one from ebay. Roughly the same I should think. I'm going brushed because I have ESCs to use up, apart from the one or two for the Taycols, thanks to your kind provision of electro-boards. I was thinking 30-35mm prop. so that's good to have confirmed. This is actually the first full installation I've ever done in a model boat. My Sea Urchin is free running, the Crash Tender was installed by my Dad with REP single channel stuff and I once put a rudder servo in my brother's borrowed 575 yacht. Everything else (and that's a lot) has been static. Just got the steering servo mounted and made a sweet wee box for the Rx to help prevent it getting wet. Motor next. Cheers, Martin
    6 years ago by Westquay
    Blog
    Rudder Horns ect
    Hi Well after some time thinking about making some new rudder horns (thinking = four beers) I have made them out of an old three pin plug I used the small fuse clip that the wire goes into, I have also used a mini servo and all seem's to work O.K, new motor mount made so that the motor's now line up, I also had to make a new rear deck and bulk head I will in time plank the rear deck, I have also started on making new rear deck housing. Fred
    6 years ago by Fred
    Response
    Seaplane Tender 360
    Hi Bryan, If you want to do the SOE version she was most likely painted all matt black! The colour of skulduggery πŸ˜‰ What ever you do, despite your good intentions to retain the 'old patina', judging by the photos you are in for a complete strip back and redo. Just as I have discovered with the PTB I bought. Thought it would just be a 'cosmetic job', flatten back and respray with Pacific green camouflage. Ho ho ho! Pics show what she currently looks like after cleaning off layers of enamel, and discovering that the prop shafts and rudders were misaligned and the chine strakes glued to the paint. 😑 Never mind an engine room fire when I tried to test the 'as bought' motor installation. 😭 Since those photos I have fitted new a new chine strake and started reinforcing the thin hull with glass fibre tissue. Next issue; set prop tubes properly and make an alu bracket to mount both the motors. Then set the rudder stocks correctly. Last thing I want is to dampen your enthusiasm, but that hull looks like it needs oodles of TLC. πŸ€” Be aware of what's ahead of you and plan accordinglyπŸ‘ Deck looks pretty neat, if unusual for a WW2 in service boat! As far as I can tell from the photos it's not just the cabin roof which is warped 😲 cabin and window frames will also need some attention by the looks of it. Before you run that motor I would strip it, clean all parts and check brushes and commutator for wear. See my Sea Scout blog 'Taycol Target motor' for a 'How to'. Should run well with a 3S LiPo, 11.1V. These boats weren't the fastest, 28 - 30 knots I believe. Which is why ST360 was reduced to more mundane duties after try outs by SOE. Don't forget some spark suppression!! Good luck, whatever you decide to do have fun doing it, Cheers Doug 😎
    6 years ago by RNinMunich
    Response
    H.M.S. BRAVE BORDERER
    Hi Rowen, I have had water cooling on all my patrol boats running at 12Volts, whether brushed or now brushless. For the brushed motors I have used aluminium tube coils with water pickups between the propellers and rudders. I did try water jackets a couple of times but found too much friction loss and therefore lack of flow. For the newer brushless outrunners I use a brass tube soldered to a brass plate across the front of the motor fitted between it and motor mounting bracket. I agree with Doug with regards to the disconnection of the red wires on the ESC's. This is now common practice, especially if you have an external receiver battery.
    6 years ago by reilly4
    Blog
    H.M.S. BRAVE BORDERER
    Once the rudder, propeller and shafts were installed, the position of the motors could be established. A light aluminium bracket to hold all three was fabricated and bonded to the hull. Due to the high speed capability of the brushless motors, particular attention was paid to alignment. Also kept to the shortest prop. shafts that could be fitted to avoid whipping. Although the motor type might change, whatever is best will require a sound electrical installation as the current requirements for each brushless motor could reach 50 Amps. Wired each motor and ESC separately with its own dedicated fuse to give the maximum system protection. There is an extra fuse section allocated for auxiliary circuits, such as a cooling water pump and lights. Will try the original planned layout of 3 x 2835 motors with 30mm propellers and a 2S Li-Po battery first. Am hoping the reduced voltage will also make these motors more tractable. For the test program the three ESCs will be each controlled from an individual Rx channel. Once the final layout is determined, a more sophisticated and flexible control system can be installed. To minimize ballast, particularly around the stern, the battery will be housed as far into the bow as possible. After the test runs the final battery type, size and location can be established. To assess performance, hope to try both 2 and 3S Li-Po batteries. Planning to reduce heat build up by fitting cooling water jackets to the motors, these are easiest to instal at this stage so the wiring or mounts are not disturbed in the future. Have not decided the layout for the water circuit yet, but this easily can be added later. All that is needed now is the ice to melt off our local lakes so tests can commence.
    6 years ago by Rowen
    Blog
    7th April
    Connect rudder to the mounted servo, servo box completed and glued into position, servo was mounted this way to leave the max height for rudder tube, as stern of the boat is narrow and when on the plane will be deep in the water. also the servo could be glued to the hull and the internal frame. Part of coupling attached, waiting for the motor! Also note some strengthening around the frame base, with right angled scrap. Reused cutaway plastic to make an inner sealed hatch this will be stuck down with ice hockey tape.
    6 years ago by CB90
    Response
    Devil in the detail!
    I'm with you there Skydive πŸ‘What Boatshed means is the part of the rudder in front of the stock. Thinks: are you building an Offshore Power Boat or a scale Lifeboat? If the former then follow Boatshed's recommendation. If the latter and the rudder is 'scale' then leave it alone. Any braking effect, which usually is only significant in a fast racing boat model or other fast planing types, can be diminished by reducing the rudder servo throw at the TX. One should also consider how the original behaved, maybe they did 'dig in' maybe not. There has to be a reason why such rudders were developed, and surely not just to annoy modellers 😁 One more minor point that struck me - Ouch 😭 Your prop struts! "not that it provides a huge amount of support but adds to the scale appearance." Even in a model they can be important. To help reduce potential whipping of the propshaft, especially if the model is overpowered. Actually in the originals they were vital, especially in larger vessels. The purpose of these struts, in larger vessels 'A' frames, is to provide support to the end of the shaft which carries the prop weighing several tons and, more important, to carry the bearing for the outer end of the shaft! Actually in the originals the shaft tube, or 'Stuffing Box' would not extend significantly beyond the hull. Thus the strut or A frame was vital for the shaft end bearing, fitted immediately in front of the prop for maximum stability. Attached pics of my HMS Belfast (sorry don't 'ave nutt'n smaller with this featureπŸ€”) show the arrangement. Have witnessed such construction in various shipyards around the world. Last one in UK was the first T45, quite an experience! 😲 In the end she's your boat, if it feels good do it! πŸ˜‰ I would leave the rudder alone if it is 'as fitted'. πŸ‘ I make my struts and A frames from brass sheet and tube. Cheers Doug 😎 PS Stick with the brass Donnie! πŸ‘
    6 years ago by RNinMunich
    Blog
    Clothing complete, fenders on!
    So, managed to get all the glass clothing done at work at the weekend! So far, 1 coat of resin followed by 2 thinned coats to come. Today has seen all the fenders/rubbing strakes added. it took some careful measuring to get positioned correctly but well pleased with the outcome. it paid to pre-shape them prior to fitting. I’ve added filler where needed and a couple of coats of sealer, all seems to be faired in nicely. May need some touch up after priming. Also fitted the
    rudder mount
    s as today’s final job. Tomorrow should see the prop shafts fitted, motors mounted and will make the shaft struts. Postie arrived with some RNLI resin crew figures that will add a great touch when painted.
    6 years ago by Skydive130
    Blog
    Up Grade NDQ speed boat
    This is not a build but a modification of a cheap Chinese boat just for fun, I got a bit bored of scratch building projects as they take so long especially as I am not retired yet. The NDQ 757 Coastal Brother 1:25 Radio Controlled Racing Power Boat cost about Β£25 each from Amazon. These boats have a basic 27mhz radio and two 380 type motors which have forward and reverse and you steer by powering one motor or both for straight ahead. I bought two of these boats as they are light and about 24 in long, one to convert/upgrade radio, esc and brushed motors. The second was to upgrade radio, esc for brushless motors. The brushed motor version I put in two higher rated motors (390) with cooling fans built in, but same motor diameter but longer body I had to modify the mounts, kept same couplings and shaft/propellers. I did remove trim tabs (fixed) and replaced the straight running adjuster for a racing rudder. The brushless version is the same but has brushless motors 2x 2845 2600KV sensor less Specifications: KV(RPM/Volt): 2600KV RPM: 50000 Max Current: 42A The boats ran well but trimming needs attention, as hull is curved up at the back so trim tabs down, to prevent proposing, in-fact at one stage the boat left the water, but need to distribute weight towards the bow. Tried on 3S (11.1v) for brushless went well but got slightly hot after 10 mins. 7.4v for brushed also got slightly hot after 10 mins., and went nearly as well as the brushless. Surprised!!
    6 years ago by CB90
    Blog
    Rudder servo in place!
    I placed the rudder servo forward of the gear box. The folks at dumas wanted it placed. Against the coaming that runs along the opening of the hull! I found this angle troubling! The servo would be on a 180 degree angle. Which would be hard to get to. What if I don't have a screw driver. that's small enough to get to the screws! So, the servo has been placed next to the gear box! On a 90 degree angle which makes it extremely accessible. I have also placed the receiver. On the coaming using double sided tape. I placed the aerial on a piece of wood. I placed on a 90 degree angle! On my last Tug I put the receiver. On the motor mount floor. And the aerial against the coaming!
    6 years ago by figtree7nts
    Forum
    Help
    Evenin' Gerry. OK understood. So I assume you have no electrical equipment, experience or components available. Correct? For an 'electrics novice' I am inclined to recommend you start with standard brushed motors and NiMH batteries. Cheaper and easier to manage for a novice. in which case 3 x 380/385 motors with 3 x 25mm 3 blade screws would be a good start. Can send some info on a suitable dual+1 ESC and rudder mixer tomorrow, getting late here in Munich now 😲 Don't worry there's lots of clever (been there dun that) guys here who'll help you through πŸ˜‰ More later when I've cogitated a little 😊 One final thought: don't finish planking/skinning the hull until the motor mounts and prop shaft hull breakthroughs are sorted out and trial fitted for alignment. Doing that on a completed sealed hull is a pain in the you know whereπŸ€” cheers Doug 😎
    6 years ago by RNinMunich
    Blog
    Planking near finished
    Have added a few more planks over the last couple of days before and after bed as on nights. Gaps should be closed by Friday? Have also marked exit points for prop shafts and marked and drilled
    rudder mount
    ing holes.
    6 years ago by Skydive130
    Response
    Hovercraft
    Many thanks Dave and Brian, I guess Brian's craft is much bigger and heavier than mine; 56x30 cm. Spec says weight 1.3kg with motors fitted but without batteries and RC gear. It came with a 9cm diameter 3 blade ducted fan, 13x? two blade thrust prop and a pair of 400 size brushed motors, the mountings for which limit me to 28/30mm diameter brushless. When I hauled the kit box down from an upper shelf to investigate I found the packing list and spares price list in both Deutschmark and Euro, i.e. circa 1999/2000!! Planning well ahead for the retirement πŸ˜‰πŸ˜‰ In mine there are no rudders! The whole motor/prop mount is turned. Will see how it goes with that and maybe mod it later with rudders depending on how easy it is to control - OR NOT😲 many thanks for the tips πŸ‘ Doug
    6 years ago by RNinMunich
    Blog
    Rudder, water pickup and skeg
    At this point I decided to fit the rudder tube, water pick up and skeg. I was able to mount the boat in the machine vice by gripping the keel; this ensured that the holes are drilled absolutely true and square, 2 x 8mm holes are needed to take both the rudder tube and water scoop. I purchased the rudder assembly from a well-known supplier but I didn’t like any of the proprietary water scoop tubes on offer so decided to make my own. Whilst the boat is in the vice I also decided to machine the slot for the skeg to fit in. This required drilling a series of 2mm holes and then opening them up into a slot using a long series slot drill again giving an accurate slot which the skeg can locate into. Water scoop Having dealt with the woodwork, I turned my attention to metalwork. To bend the ¼” brass tube successfully it has to be annealed, (cherry red and quenched in water), then inserting a tight fitting spring inside the tube to stop any kinking I gently pressed it round a former to the correct shape. Springs removed I filed the end to the correct angle which gives an oval opening, but the end didn’t look finished, so I machined a thin spacer and then squashed it to suit the oval end and silver soldered it to the end of the tube, this gives a much better visual appearance.
    6 years ago by mturpin013
    Forum
    Airboat - one rudder?
    I am currently building a skimmer (Dave M will be very familiar with the type). I propose to mount the motor as a pusher on the single pylon. To minimise clutter I was thinking of a single rudder, mounted centrally behind the motor. Most skimmers/airboats I have seen have two rudders, but do I really need two? Any thoughts? Thank you Steve
    6 years ago by cormorant
    Response
    The Vosper 46” RAF Crash Tender Kit By Vintage Model Works
    Hi Mate and welcome to the forum, (mad as hatters!!!) I have built the 46" and before you get to far in you need to decide if your having single or twin motors, and rudders, that way you dont fall foul of bulkheads, and shaft mountings, mine has Graupner 700bb motors on 3s lipos, but i am up-grading them to brushless soon, have the new ESC,s and the motors are on order. Great model to build and sail, attracts a lot of attention. Mark
    6 years ago by jarvo
    Forum
    Skimmer from Mobile Marine
    Hi Steve Sorry, no I did not take photos of the build. if you have the Mobile Marine hull then I built a vertical wooden plate up through the top and strengthened with wood plates beneath the top moulding. if your rudder snake runs over the top make sure you allow for this when deciding how high to mount the motor/prop!! This works but flexes when power is applied so if I did another I would mount the upright to the base and make a slot in the top to allow it to pass through. I would also provide support, below the top, to the upright behind and right up to the hull sides. The force from the motor is truly awesome and plastic mouldings tend to (and do) flex. I use two rudders as other members have found they work better than one. I used 1/8" welding rods for the cage and did have some hard black netting at one time but have had no problems with just the frame. if I sailed in an area where the public had access then I would provide a cover. Just get the mount and prop sorted before you finalise as mine was too small!
    6 years ago by Dave M
    Forum
    Footy
    Ok Is the weight and dimension the same as the Siren or 507? Looking at the rudder this looks like an after fit and does seem to be differently mounted (more vertical) than those on the website. The keel looks flat on the bottom. Has it been chopped in half? This would make the model very sensitive, especially in a gust. I'll wait for your response before adding more thoughts.
    6 years ago by Dave M
    Forum
    Prop Shaft Grease
    Hi All I was told to use plumber's tap silicon grease, which I have used for 3 years and only regreased once each year. I have added oiler/grease tubes to my rudders as well. Also you can get a silicon spray like WD40, but, with the silicon spray it crawls up the shaft. With the shaft out and the tube cleaned out(pipe cleaner works well for this) a shot of silicon grease in each end of the tube(only small amount). Hold your finger over the other end and install the shaft, this stops the grease coming out as the shaft comes through. A shot of silicon spray down the oiler tube and seal silicon fuel tube sealed off at one end. Canabus
    6 years ago by canabus
    Blog
    Electronics Down Below (5)
    This time I will try to remember to put in the β€˜source’ information on the bits and pieces I use........... In the most recent piece I should have included exciters/transducers are Dayton Audio DAEX 25VT -4, 4 Ohms – 20 Watt pair, obtained from Sound Imports Netherlands and very quickly as well. The sound unit is a Mtroniks Digisound 5M diesel sound, available all over the place. Now to look at where I am at. Exciters are in place as high up the Hull as possible, but remembering the Deck level. Used the adhesive pads as supplied after wiping that part of the Hull with Meths and Silicone adhesive to keep in place as well as using the wiring tidies from Modelsport Ltd., for the cabling. (Pic 1+2) Before I start the motor and controller wiring I changed the platform β€˜up front’ (pic3) with a piece of thin ply which I have given a couple of coats of varnish to waterproof. Then I thought to myself β€œwhy am I waterproofing this when, if it gets that wet, it will have gone to the bottom and be useless anyway”! (Pics 4) However, the platform gives a little more choice in terms of layout of other components and my plan for them is not really settled yet. I am concerned about the stern and possible swamping, but it currently seems the best place for the upgraded battery. (Pic5 ) Whilst talking batteries, I have gone for a separate battery supply for the receiver and hope to use the Bec supply for running other less critical items. Also the fitting of the battery in the stern bay drew my attention to the rudder servo for a couple of reasons. First is I am still considering increasing the size of the rudders and I am assuming that will increase the strain on the servo. The servo supplied is a standard issue and not water resistant so I have gone for an upgrade as shown(Pic6) That gives torque increase of 17Kg/cm over the Hobby Engine S1040C and has metal gears, metal control arm and waterproof for 20grams extra weight. Second is the closeness to the new battery position. So I was going to alter the servo arm setup anyway and the new metal arm suits this well. Maybe my β€˜tutors’ will consider all this to be a little β€˜over the top’ but I do so enjoy messing......................... New Servo DS 3218 by AYANI from Amazon. (Pics 6/7 ) Following that distraction, back to the front end and the Motor/Mixer placing and wiring. Now a little time ago I drew a plan to see what could go where and it came out that most of the β€˜bits’ would go in the front bay with motors to be wired once power was brought forward, followed by the Esc/Mixer. (Pic 8) At that time I bought a P94 dual esc/mixer from Action Electronics and got the 20 amp version to be on the safe side................. My β€˜guardians’ did point out this was β€˜over-kill’ but I had already got it. Now, when placing the unit on the mounting board I found that the heatsinks made it too high to fit in the Hull! So being a spoilt brat only child I ordered the 10 amp version and as usual it came very quickly from up here in Bangor. ( Will keep the other one for the next project............Happy Hunter??) Unboxed it and it looked just the same, heatsinks and all. (Pic 9/10 ) So at that moment there was a bit of a set-back so I rang Component Shop at Bangor, they said β€œtake the heat sinks off and you have a P94 lite”! Such a simple answer and such a nice chap. (Pic 11 ) Now a quick 'measure up' before I have a glass of wine (Pic 12) and does it all fit...? Well it appears to at the moment! (Pic 13) Next time really going to screw down the components under the forward hatch and wire it up. NPJ
    6 years ago by NPJ
    Directory
    (Other) CG-40564
    DUMAS 1:14 USCG 40' UTB. REPRESENTING US COAST GUARD UTILITY BOAT CG-40564, WHICH CAPSIZED DURING A RESCUE ATTEMPT ON THE COLUMBIA RIVER BAR ON 17 JAN 1961. HER CREW WAS FORTUNATELY RESCUED. SHE WAS ASSISTING CG-52301, A 52' TYPE F WOODEN MLB, WHICH FOUNDERED WITH THE LOSS OF ALL HANDS. IT REMAINS THE WORST SMALL BOAT RESCUE DISASTER IN COAST GUARD HiSTORY. THIS IS AN UNUSUAL SCALE BALSA PLANK-ON, COVERED BY 2 OZ FIBERGLASS. I USED MINWAX POLYURETHANE FOR AN ALTERNATE TO RESIN, WHICH TURNED OUT WELL, AND CAN BE DONE WITH MINIMAL VENTILATION. WITH BIRCH PLY DECK & CABINS, 1/8" SCRIBED SHEATHING COVERS THE DECK BOW TO STERN AND MAHOGANY TRIM LEFTOVER FROM ANOTHER DUMAS KIT IN MY SCALE SHIPYARD. STOCK D/C FITTINGS WITH SOME SUPPLEMENTAL PREMADE AND HANDMADE ITEMS. SHE FEATURES TWIN RABOESCH 4-BLADE WIDE FLUKE WHEELS AND MATCHING RUDDERS; WORKING HATCHES WITH STOWAGE AREA FOR ANCHOR & TOWLINE, LIGHTHOUSE 9V LED NAV LIGHTS AND FLASHING LED LAW ENFORCEMENT BLUE LIGHT (RC CONTROLLED). I'M ADDING A MOUNT FOR A SCALE BROWNING M2 50 CAL THAT I WAS ABLE TO PRODUCE ON MY 3D PRINTER. THAT'S AN ADVENTURE IN ITSELF. THIS WAS MY FIRST REAL PLANK ON BULKHEAD, AND BALSAWOOD CAN BE A LIL TRICKY, BUT WILL ALWAYS BE THE STANDARD OF WHICH I COMPARE ALL MY SUBSEQUENT BUILDS. MY FATHER BUILT RC AIRCRAFT, AND ALWAYS PREACHED THAT YOU SHOULD OVERBUILD IN ORDER TO SURVIVE A CRACK-UP AND FLY ANOTHER DAY! THAT'S MY CREED WITH BOATS. OVERBUILD!!! THANK YOU DAD! BTW-FYI-MR. ARNOLD PALMER WAS A US COAST GUARDSMAN (YM3) 1950-53 (Motor: 775 JOHNSON-TYPE 6-12V) (ESC: HOBBYWING) (9/10)
    6 years ago by circle43nautical
    Blog
    M.V. TEAKWOOD
    Finally obtained General Arrangement drawings for both vessels. Scaled them to the same size and superimposed the Teakwood hull drawing onto the Velarde. This confirmed that a conversion was possible and that much of the major rework would be limited to around the stern. The bow could be extended relatively easily and the bulwark heights trimmed and reshaped. One point to remember in reviewing the attached photographs, the Velarde hull plan is slightly oversize. Have noticed when printing plans the humidity affects the paper and sizes can change slightly. This would not be of much importance when building a kit, but should be considered in a hull conversion. With the two hulls superimposed and the Velarde adjusted to the correct size, considered the ways the hull could be adapted. Measuring sternwards from the revised bow profile found the correct LBP could be obtained if the Velarde rudder post was moved back about 5/16”. This would also reduce the stern rework and allow the use of my traditional bow strengthener of bent wire from a steel coat hangar. This slight bow extension would help to offset the stern profile, with the hull and LBPs remaining the correct overall lengths. In the photos the Velarde hull lines are black and the Teakwood red with pencil accents: they indicate the amount of bow/stern rework. The bulwarks are relatively simple, they only need lowering slightly. Next step is to examine the actual hull and compare it with the plan to see how accurate it is. Hopefully this will confirm of my investigations - of course, could always leave the hull β€œas is” and use it that way. I would be only person aware of the differences! Unfortunately, being something of a purist, this easy way out did not compute.
    7 years ago by Rowen
    Forum
    Crash Tender Shaft Tube Poistion
    Sometimes I hate work it gets in the way but I've managed to get the first fix for the prop tube at last now to leave for a while as work and courses in the way again. I have also managed to open the hole for rudder guide and presume this needs a bit of expoxy resin to secure it in place? The oiler is also fitted and a bit of cleaning of the inner hull to remove some of the old paint ready for sanding sealer coat after I've mounted and aligned the motor - not looking forward to that at all if past experience is anything to go by. But now the old mount is out there is more space and the prop and shaft is at a much better angle thanks to Dave and Doug😁😁
    7 years ago by neilmc
    Forum
    Crash Tender Shaft Tube Poistion
    Standard Saturday Mrs Mac decided I had other things to do before being allowed out to play but I think I've got there, just need to check it's right before gluing up. OK so I lied that I wouldn't be asking more questions on this topic😁😁 The hole has been opened out enough to achieve 3/4" but the photo doesn't really show it. it took some time to achieve it as well more time than I thought, even used my dremel at one point😁. But pmdevlin's tip on using a disc was a great help. The position of the outer tube on the hull needs a slight adjustment but nothing major and still achievable as no glue. I did have a check fit of the motor and came across another issue as there was no way I could achieve alignment of the shaft and motor which was made easier by Doug's universal coupling idea😁. I went for removing the last remaining piece of the old motor mount (should have listened to Dave a year ago) which took about an hour as it was glued in good and proper.😀😀😀😀😀 There is some clearance on the hull from the prop so think I'll be going for a 30mm prop as suggested by Dave as to my surprise mine is 40mm diameter. Hopefully the arrangement is all good and I can use Dave's and Doug's tips on getting it secured. I still need to blank off the water pick up and fit the new rudder tube. Also I think the motor alignment will still be interesting as after removing the last bit of the old mount the motor was interfering with the bulkhead behind it so removed so it. Also will possibly need to take some out of the hull centre piece to achieve a perfect alignment. Hopefully tomorrow will go well as will also fitting the oiler as seen on Robbob's Build Blog.
    7 years ago by neilmc
    Forum
    Rudder Position
    I'm after some advice on rudder position in my ever tedious restoration of a crash tender. After some great advice from DaveM and Doug I actually 'bit the bullet' and removed the old IC Engine Mount and lessened the angle of the shaft which will hopefully make motor alignment easier. I removed the rudder bearing tube and water pick up for ease of access whilst re positioning the shaft and then noticed the rudder and pick up were not centrally positioned on the hull. On looking at the plans for the 34" Crash Tender I found that the measurements of the rudder and water pick up tubes were also not positioned correctly. I am now presuming that I will be need to re position the rudder as a priority and possibly the water pick up?😀😀 Any advice on this one would be much appreciated from you the experts😁😁😁
    7 years ago by neilmc
    Forum
    Crash Tender Shaft Tube Poistion
    Hi Neil, yes, very similar. Could be regarded to as a first step before applying Eze-Kote to give it a harder, knock and almost everything else resistant surface. Hammerite then sticks to it like the proverbial to the blanket and you have a super clean 'engine compartment' dead easy to keep clean. 😊 80 quid for a brushless !!! Do you want it gold plated or what? My Propdrive 2830 cost less than 20 knicker from Hobbyking and was delivered almost before I ordered it! Just make sure it comes from the UK or EU (still!?πŸ€”) warehouse and not USA or Global. otherwise you might get stuck for import tax 😑 For the motor mount / shaft alignment: no one said it was easy, but Nothing's Impossible', maybe that's why I drive Toyota!!😁 back end is determined by the diameter of the prop you want to fit, which in the case of brushless motor should be roughly the same diameter as the brushless (outrunner). in my case 28mm motor and 30mm prop. This defines how far you can lift the aft end of the shaft, leave at least 1cm between the prop tip and the hull! This reduces unwanted interaction between the vortex from the prop and the lamina flow along the hull, result; more forward thrust and better rudder effect. (Didn't spend 30 odd years talking to shipyards for nowtπŸ˜‰) If you have plan (or at least a sketch - take some measurements if you don't have one of these and make a sketch) of the keel and existing motor mount; project back from the newly determined exit point of the shaft. Check how far forward you need to go to be able to comfortably fit the motor mount with good alignment and purchase a shaft of appropriate length. Cut a wood block to fit around the keel as the basic mount and 'fiddle' with it until your motor and mounting (e.g. the Robbe / Romarin 400 mount) aligns with the shaft line. Alignment is checked by running the motor at a fixed low speed with an ammeter showing the current it draws. Shim the motor mount up / down, and shift slowly from side to side until the current reading is a minimum. Then glue and screw everything in place quick before anything moves! Takes almost longer to describe than to doπŸ˜‰ The coupling type shown in my photo is called a 'Steg' coupling here in Germany (don't know the EnglishπŸ€”) and available from Krick Modellbau, for various motor shaft / prop shaft diameters, here the link to their English page- http://www.krickshop.de/?shop=krick_e Part number for the 3.17mm (1/8") to 4.0mm version I used is 63902. part number for the motor mount I used for my 28mm brushless is 42117. Advantages (to me at least!) they are not as long as the traditional UJ and Cardan types, they are resilient but don't flop about like the UJ types so are much easier to fit and align. Cos they are shorter you can use 'em for mountings in confined spaces. And they don't make no noise!! πŸ˜‰ One final tip (may not be so useful on hard plywood built boats!). When I had this problem with my destroyer I sharpened the end of an 8mm alu tube (same as the shaft tube dia) and used it to bore back from the hull exit to the last bulkhead before the motor mounts. the bulkheads though were 1/4" balsa! Nice and soft man πŸ˜‰ Hope this helps more than confuses, but it all worked for me! Cheers and happy fiddling, Doug 😎
    7 years ago by RNinMunich
    Forum
    Crash Tender Shaft Tube Poistion
    Hi Neil, here's my 'twopenn'orth' on this subject w.r.t. the brushless upgrade in my 24" Sea Scout. I'm happy with the relationship between prop and rudder so am concentrating on the motor mount and coupling now. Pics show the motor removed and the new one, old and new mounts and new coupling. Alignment will be done with the help of an ammeter as usual. Minimum current draw = best alignment 😊 Insides have been cleaned up and sealed with Eze-Kote 1 part polyester resin. Lovely stuff, just wash out the brushes with hot water and you can use 'em again! When all is correct the 'engine compartment' will be painted with white gloss Hammerite. 2nd last pic shows old plastic prop (50mm) and new brass one (30mm) matched to the brushless. Have fun, Greetings Doug 😎
    7 years ago by RNinMunich
    Forum
    Crash Tender Shaft Tube Poistion
    Hi Neil, (Old (Sea) Dogs can learnπŸ˜‰). My pleasure, happy to help. Today (quite coincidentally!) I ran across a mathematical dissertation on the relationships between prop, rudder and hull (Yawn!) done by Marin Corp. for a symposium on 'Fast Mono-hulls'. Primarily naval. Full of Froude numbers and Lord knows what. But the upshot was that the optimum distance between prop and rudder should be 0.47 x radius of prop. So with my 30mm prop and 17mm distance I'm a 'bit' offπŸ€” 15x0.47=7.05. Shucks; where are my thrust washers? Need a couple more πŸ˜‰ Never mind, I wanted to make a new shaft anyway, to fit the brushless upgrade mounting. Ho hum! Whatever - Have fun, Doug 😎
    7 years ago by RNinMunich
    Forum
    Motor mounting
    Well there I was with the Kingfisher motoring along on the pond when it suddenly lost power, nothing??? No forward no reverse. I could give the motor forward and reverse but no reaction. Fortunately the breeze blew the boat into shore along with me using the rudder control. Upon landing and a cursory inspection I saw that the universal nylon had broken off at the metal connection. But, upon the workbench it was discovered the motor mount had come off the hull structure. It was just totally free, it lifted right out of the hull after removing the speed control connectors. Maybe, it is time to replace the geared motor to a direct drive. Any suggestions? I use brushed motors.
    7 years ago by Ronald
    Forum
    Skimmer from Mobile Marine
    Hi Chris Mine just has a large flat ply plate over the bottom of the hull with the rx rudder servo and battery fixed in place. I use velcro for the rx and made mounting blocks for the servo. An aircraft snake connects to the rudder. The battery is in a small wooden compartment. My ESC is just below the motor mount hanging loose. You do need to strengthen the motor mount - I used lots of wood inside to make it all less pliable - the plastic is not strong enough on its own. You need to build a plinth to attach the motor high enough to attach your prop. This need to be well braced to take the thrust from the prop. Mine moves slightly and if I were to make another I would make it stronger. Mine required two small sheets of lead up front to keep it on the water at speed. Please post details of your build Dave
    7 years ago by Dave M
    Blog
    Masts, mast steps, inside the hull, the rudder
    The model's lower masts are made of white cedar. These were cut square, a taper hand-planed in, made 8-sided, then round. The bands are the same brown paper tape the hull was covered in. A visit to the real ship in Baltimore to get measurements, and look at some artifacts netted me some bits of live oak original to the ship. The Navy began stockpiling live oak for ship-building in 1816 with the Gradual increase Act. it was from these stockpiles that Constellation was built. These trees were as much as 200 years old when cut, so this wood I have could be as much as 400 years old. I wasn't sure how to incorporate this bit of the ship into the model, and opted to make the mast steps from it. One piece is the size of a business card and stamped USS Constellation 1854. I'll stamp the year she's finally finished and my name into that and install it as her builder's plate. The masts step on what I call her mechanical decks. These are simple 3/8" plywood panels where her mechanics and controls will be mounted. Beams were epoxied into the hull for them, and they are held in place with brass wood screws. The aft deck is where the mizzen steps and the rudder servo is mounted. The battery lies on it's own deck just abaft the main mast as low as it can possibly be inside the hull. The cross-section drawing shows deck beams, decks, ballast rods, the external ballast, etc etc etc. The rudder is made from Plexiglas as shown in it's drawing. A brass tube passes through the stern that the rudder's head just fits into. There's no room behind the rudder head for a bell-crank setup to work, so I again went with real boat tech and installed a tiller, made of copper plate soldiered to a set-collar. There's a couple of pictures of the aluminum tubes for the ballast rods in there. You may want to right-click on an image, like the drawings, and "View Image" then click on it to see it full size and legible. Use the browser's "back" button to get out of that.
    7 years ago by Jerry Todd
    Blog
    Shelduck
    Hello.. Finish the hull belting and flare in the prop shaft. Paint applied. Work on the mast and booms from Pine dowel from DIY shops. Fabricating the rudder, the hinges and bearings were an old Prop shaft and bushes. Decided to scrap the internal servo operating with control line wire to the rudder , mounted the servo as direct as possible, comments received about the rudder is that the original or scale rudder is far to small, so this one was made about 5 times larger, it can always be cut down, but didnt fancy all that work again making a replacement rudder. Rigging the sails is not my Forte', first time so a lot of playing about. Regards Muddy....
    7 years ago by muddy
    Blog
    The cockpit steps – part 2.
    The steps need to be fixed to the floor of the cockpit so that the upper part of the steps do not require fixing to the cockpit wall which would be difficult to do and make removal of the cockpit floor difficult if I need to access the rudder servo. To ensure that they sit firmly in place against the cockpit wall I chose to secure the steps to the floor with some β€˜spring assisted’ fixings that would ensure that they would always abut the cockpit wall without a gap. To achieve this I carefully measured and marked the cockpit floor with the step positions and then drilled through the floor. The steps were then temporarily held to the cockpit floor for alignment and then drilled through the cockpit floor into the legs of the steps. A small offset was introduced to the positioning so that the steps would always need to deflect slightly when in their final position against the cockpit wall. The holes in the floor were then opened up to the thread diameter of the cap head wood screws that I would use and then the underside of the floor drilled to make some recessed pockets for the springs. The springs were taken from some old ball point pens and trimmed to a length that would provide the required tension under compression to allow the mountings to flex, these are securely retained in the pockets in the floor and also a by small washer under the head of the cap screws. This arrangement means that I am able to remove the cockpit floor with the steps in place and, as a bonus, there is sufficient clearance for the foam tanks to stay affixed on the cockpit floor during removal. The whole cockpit floor assembly is held in place by the single cap head screw in the top of the tow hook stays. I’m quite chuffed at how this has worked out so well 😊
    7 years ago by robbob
    Blog
    Slowly does it.
    After a long pause I am as far as propshaft, motor and rudder installation. I need a servo next but spent all my pocket money climbing a mountain in Wales this month. it was good but wet. The motor lives on the usual alloy bracket, screwed to two wooden plinths made from strip laminated with araldite. it's all standard stuff but making it this way allowed me to shim the height correctly, the strip being about 1.5mm thick. I'll post some pics if I can work out the Google drive thing but you will also see that the lower skins are on and after the servo installation I can think about the upper hull skins and then the superstructure. All good stuffπŸ˜€.
    7 years ago by fid2b
    Directory
    (Naval Ship) HMS Belfast
    Performance not yet known, still in the fitting out dock. Power is actually 2 x 6V 4Ah. ESC will be Graupner Navy V30R. Maybe 2 for differential control to support rudder. I've left 'Number of Props' as Please Select cos Belfast has 4 and this ain't an option!! Long term plans for smoke (borrowed from model railway kit!) lighting and gun control. Have already bought magicians 'Flash Paper' for main battery gun flashes. Ignition using old 'out of work' glow-plugs? Any ideas welcome :-) Ship is Graupner Premium line. NOT IMPRESSED with quality of cast resin parts, lots of air bubble depressions :-/ Fair amount of rework / repaint necessary! (Motor: Speed 540 x 4) (ESC: Navy VR30 or Viper Marine. Trials on 40MHz then 2.4GHz DX6) (7/10)
    7 years ago by RNinMunich
    Forum
    Kingfisher progress
    The stuffing box is packed with axle grease; the rudder is mounted awaiting control arm; motor mount is secured as is the motor. The motor had to be moved causing some redesigning issues ( for the purest) this could cause some questions, but I think with some planning the outcome will be respectable.
    7 years ago by Ronald
    Blog
    Covering hull
    To get the nice reverse curve in the bows, large blocks of balsa were used; luckily got given plenty of them years ago. I did use the thin ply supplied for the hull skin as replacing it is expensive, just recut to suit. After carving the bow shape and sanding everything true I covered the hull with fine woven glass cloth, after coating the hull with spray adhesive and letting it get tacky. After 2 coats of epoxy resin and lots of wet sanding, time to fit the rudder tube and prop shaft (with 3d printed oiler) and motor mounts, then the inside was sealed with epoxy.
    7 years ago by manyboats
    Blog
    DAMEN STAN 4207
    Fitted the bow thruster casing, this also requires very careful measurement and location before gluing in place. A brace was added to firmly locate the thruster as the adhesive dried. Reinserted the propeller shafts and trial fitted them. The motor couplings were installed along with external sleeves to hold them rigid. This enabled the motor and mount assemblies to be aligned. Found that leaving the upper hull sheathing off helped eased this operation as can measure and use straight edges in both planes. The next items to install were the stabilizer fins. Made the fins out of styrene sheet bent around a brass rod, the gap was filled with epoxy adhesive. This holds the rod in place and gives the styrene the requisite aerofoil shape. The rod slides into a brass sleeve to allow the fin movement. Fitted the sleeve into a wooden reinforcing strip glued to the hull inside face. Took care to ensure the brass sleeve inner ends terminated above the water line. Described this rudder building technique in my HMS Beagle blog and can report it works equally well for stabilizer fins as for rudders. Fitted rudder horns onto the brass shafts inside the hull and made up a linkage using old bicycle spokes. Thought this might be difficult as the two stabilizer shafts follow the contour of the hull bottom and are inclined towards each other with an included angle of around 140 degrees. By bending the linkage to replicate the contour found the movement remains free. One of the rudder horns was then connected to a servo to operate the fins. As the servo is mounted parallel to the keel top and the fins are inclined, during operation there is a force that tries to slide the rod out of the servo horn. This was overcome by using a threaded portion of rod through the horn fitted with a nut to hold the rod in position. Not sure if the fin movement should follow that of the rudders (the sense is opposite, but do they move through the same arc at a similar rate?). To allow corrections the stabilizer linkages were made adjustable. The first test sails will show if any are needed.
    8 years ago by Rowen
    Forum
    fitting sound module to a tug that has 2 motors and a mixer
    Oh dear, as a humble seaman I must defer to a Captain's authority and wealth of experience - maybe we are talking about two fundamentally different systems? As I make my own mixers I don't have a great deal of experience of using other offerings in the market place - so I'll describe how my mixer works and will welcome any comments - maybe we are both right! The mixer produces two speed demand outputs to the ESCs where the throttle input adjusts them in unison and the rudder input adjusts them differentially (ie increases the motor speed on the outside of the turn and reduces the motor speed on the inside of the turn in equal and opposite amounts. Thus to spin on the spot with my mixer the throttle is set at zero and the rudder is put hard over so one ESC sees 0%(throttle) 100%(rudder) = 100% speed and the other sees 0%(throttle)-100%(rudder) = -100% speed ie the motors are at full speed ahead and astern. So if the sound unit is connected to the throttle input it *will* be making a tickover sound - the motors having achieved full drive from the rudder input alone. I'm aware that there are some variations in implementation - like only slowing the motor on the inside of the turn and only mixing in a proportion of the rudder input. Check out my youtube video from 2009 where the boat is turning eitherr way on rudder input alone https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lTzRN53zkJA
    8 years ago by alan bond
    Forum
    Schottel drives
    Edward,experiences so far, to fit the unit into a hull you have to dismantle the drive by removing the gear retaining circlip and then pull of the large crown wheel,mine were both very tight,then lift of the rudder gear wheel you can then remove the lower gear assembly. The plastic tube that forms the upper part of the lower housing that turns in the mounting(still with me)? I put some felt inside and put some engine oil in so that it can be turned upside down and still retain a bit of lubrication. This was before I was aware that the lower section is lubricated with water!!! On fitting it into a the boat the supplied circlips had to be replaced because I was a bit heavy handed so I found some s/s circlips. One drive is a bit noisier than the other but early days yet. Steve.
    8 years ago by Stour-boy


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