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    Blog
    105ft Motor Minesweeper
    I am currently fiddling about with 3D printers and as it is high time I built another boat I am going to combine the two hobbies and make the decks superstructure and some fittings on my 3D printers, a Prusa i3 Mk2S and a Tronxy X5S. So far the results are encouraging. The model is based on a 105ft Motor Minesweeper, a
    wooden
    harbour/coastal sweeper. About 300 were built and saw service throughout WW2. My example carries the LL magnetic influence sweep but proved under powered for the task and many were converted to carry an acoustic 'kango' hammer for dealing with acoustic mines.
    6 years ago by Nickthesteam
    Blog
    Command Boat 90
    Scratch built at 12th scale from pictures and profiles of the internet. The boat was originally built in Sweden a class of fast military assault craft originally developed for the Swedish Navy by Dockstavarvet Speed: 40 knots (74 km/h) Draught: 0.8 m (2 ft 7 in) Length: 15.9 m (52 ft) Overall; 14.9 (48') Complement: 3 (two officers and one engineer); Up to 21 amphibious troops with full equipment Armament: 3 Γ— Browning M2HB machine guns; 1 Γ— Mk 19 grenade launcher; 4 naval mines or 6 depth charges . The Model I was attracted to this boat due to its great performance and maneuverability, this was mainly due to the use of twin water jets as the main propulsion, this is a trade off with efficiency. So my start point was to collect as much information as possible about the boat this involved collecting pictures and profiles of the craft from various sources. http://www.dockstavarvet.se/products/combat-and-patrol-boats/combat-boat-90-h/specification/ Eventually I found some plans of sort :- http://laurell.today/boats/combat/plans.html My Dad was a boat builder in the days of
    wooden
    yachts, and had showed me how to make plans and frames from a line drawing. I went about this first by creating a prototype about 24 in long out of light ply. I then created full size plans of the model to be made. Pictures of small prototype finally painted plain green. The Main model Used my computer to print out the frames onto paper, cut them out and used them as templates for the ply ribs. The construction was simple chine style, with 1.5 mm ply. I tried to build jet drives but failed to produce a effective unit. So reverted to propshafts which worked out well with better control and the boat can spin on it own axis by putting one engine in reverse the other in forward and adjusting the twin rudders. That it for now, hope it was of some interest
    6 years ago by CB90
    Blog
    Mast assembly
    The supplied mast is of white metal and although OK it has a number of minus points for me. 1- The mast does not lend its self to being hinged. 2- It really needs navigation light on top and the supplied casting is not suitable for this. 3- wiring needs to be hidden, not easy with the casting 4- it’s quite heavy Having said all that it’s ok if you don’t want my wish list. So on with the manufacture of a replica, I chose brass as the preferred material because it’s easy to silver and soft solder. The main legs are made from 6mm round tube, which I squeezed in my machine vice to an oval shape to look like the castings, each of the ends were then squeezed again at 90 degrees to allow then to join to the cross mid-section. I made some brass inserts for the hinged end from 2mm brass sheet, which are bent by 25 degrees to allow the hinge mechanism to sit at 90 degrees to the cabin roof, these are drilled and tapped 8BA. These pieces actually block the end of the oval tube and need to have a 2mm slot milled in them to allow the wires to exit the tube; these are soft soldered in place later. Two feet were made from two pieces of 2mm brass plate the base plate being slotted to accept the upright and finally silver soldered together. (A point here for silver soldering is to use as little solder as possible and allow it to flow with the heat around the joint this means that no filing is needed. I find it’s also good practice to quench the part when nearly cool to break the glass like residue of the flux then just steel wool is required to clean the parts). The feet upstands were then drilled 8BA clearance and the base fixing holes drilled the same size. The cross mid-section is made from 1mm brass sheet and is bent through 360 degrees whilst placing a 6mm round bar in the centre to create a hole for the top mast. A small
    wooden
    former was used as the piece was pressed together in the machine vice, this was then silver soldered to give stability and then filed to shape. This piece has to accommodate the wires passing through, so again a 2mm slot is milled from each leg location to the centre to create passage up to the top mast. The top mast is just stock tubing which then has a turned top with four 5mm holes machined at 90 degrees to accommodate the LED. This is a 5mm Flat top wide angle LED this will direct the light out of the four holes. Finally the cross piece, again stock tube with small ball finials at each end soft soldered in place and tapped 10 BA for the pulley blocks. All pieces now made, it’s time to assemble the parts using a combination of soft soldering and epoxy resin. The wire that I used was silicon sheaved, and when I soldered the legs to the mid-section and lower hinge piece I made sure there was enough wire to pull through to check if the process had damaged the wire, but it hadn’t. So having soldered the LED, the top was epoxied to the upper tube and the tube epoxied to the mid-section. Finally the mid-section was filled using Milliput but first putting some Vaseline on the wires to avoid them being stuck should I ever have to rewire the unit. Next the cross beam was added and epoxied in place. The bottom of the legs looked plain compared with the cast version so I have made some thin gauge brass covers with mock bolts as per the original. The whole assembly was cleaned up ready for a first coat of etch primer, and white primer, followed later with a final coat of appliance white
    5 years ago by mturpin013
    Blog
    funnel mounts and deck hatches
    Fitted the "legs" to the wheel house so now at correct height when on the deck. Funnel mounts done (just need to finish the funnels, workout what holes to drill and then mount the funnels to the mounts) so we added 2 hatches to each mount, painted white with brass hinges. the one placed between the Cowl vents is open, the one at the back is closed. as we only had "closed" hatches put a triangle shaped bit of plastic under the "open" hatch to prop open. When dry mounting the Cowl Vents found an issue with the rear vents as they are suppose to be higher than the wheelhouse and the ones i got where not, so found 2
    wooden
    cotton reels the right height and turned then down to the correct width using the pillar drill as a lathe, painted them up and then placed the Cowl vents on those. also painted the "flat" vents chrome and stuck those to the mounts as well. to finish off these all we have to do is fit the breather pipes and ladder to funnels and fix the funnels to the mounts (allowing for the front funnel to have the hole for the smoke generator. Started work on the 2 deck hatches using 1mm plastic sheet. Made the 2 housings up and the planked and varnished them ready for the hatches. found out i had only enough hatches to do 1 housing, so drilled a 7mm hole in the hatch for a 10mm brass porthole, painted white with brass hinges. once dry stuck them on the housing ready to go. (ordered some more hatches to i can complete the other housing lol) one last thing was to start on the wheel box. Found in "The Works" in town a heart shaped box which was almost perfect for a mold for the thin wood that was steamed to shape and then held on the heart to fix the curve in place. next to do is to make up the front and back of the wheel boxes and stick the "curved" wood to that
    5 years ago by barryskeates
    Forum
    Good buy from Lidl
    Managed to get one of these sanders from Lidl on Sunday, all for less than Β£30😊 Thanks for the info Robbob, totally agree that it is a good buy for the money, πŸ‘just got to get a
    wooden
    boat to try it out. cheers Peter
    5 years ago by Rookysailor
    Blog
    PS Iona - ballast
    Well I said in blog 1 this was a mixed media ship... I forgot to mention the concrete. The bathtub test showed that the ship sailed ON the water rather than in it, so some serious ballast weight needed to be added. As I don't have any spare lead, and buying the amount needed would be expensive, I discovered an old bag of cement in the shed. Excellent! I roughly calculated how much to use to infill the base of the tug - about 1 inch depth distributed bows to stern, up to the level of the frames, so I could fit a
    wooden
    floor to mount the motors / electronics onto. Luckily this came out about right, and the paddles would sit in the water correctlyπŸ€“
    5 years ago by Harvey Kitten
    Forum
    Being Sociable.
    Hello to Rick and Peejay, Rick this bit is for you, Good to hear you have a steam engine fitted, and are contemplating a bench run to see how long it will run on a boiler full of water. it will bench run longer than on the water as the engine has no loading, I would recommend you fit a gas cut off valve to be on the safe side. I once years ago ran out of water and had to watch the boiler turn its
    wooden
    lagging to charcoal. No major damage was done but it did smell a bit for some time. Peejay may I suggest that you Google the likes of Microcosm and other Chinese manufacturers of model steam engines, there is an awful lot out there you will be surprised, try for a twin double acting side valve as they are very efficient, and will run on only 20 - 30 PSI, plus a 1/2" bore twin cylinder will easily power a one metre length hull. Regards to you both, Gary.
    5 years ago by GaryLC
    Directory
    (Yacht) DMI 'Pirat''
    Classic modell, in the 70's sold under the name DMI pirat. a full
    wooden
    sailboat without RC controls. the keel was extended to improve stability. In the 90's the
    wooden
    strips from the hull were so dried out, that I had to fill it complete with epoxy and sprayed the uniform 'baby blue'color. After a long period in the attic , it saw daylight again and the sails needed to be replaced. Now it is a static model with sailing capacities. (7/10)
    5 years ago by Smaragd
    Response
    Sea Queen
    Roger.com, I am not so sure about being less detail on a Norfolk Broads Cruiser. I have a small 21ft fibre glass 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
    Response
    HMS BRAVE BORDERER
    Yes also, I would love to see pictures. Very interested . I even went as far as fitting small
    wooden
    wedges on the rear of the under side corners of the hull. that was all trial and error from other modelers suggestions on the pond side. Prop swaps and all sorts.
    5 years ago by BOATSHED
    Forum
    Older Billings Models
    I have a Zwart Zee tug kit
    wooden
    , complete with all boxed brass fitings ,untouched,got it off an old workmate for a tenner years ago when he gave up modeling.its sat in the loft for years as life and other projects took priority.
    5 years ago by Ray
    Response
    Fast Patrol Boat
    Hi BOATSHED, The
    wooden
    block is screwed and araldited ti the keel and supports an Aluminium bracket designed for holding a Brushless motor in an Aeroplane, use what’s available I always say. The coupling is Silicon tube fitted to brass universal coupling fittings and because the way brushless run is very quiet compared to a normal Unversal Joint assembly. Will post it running shortly. Thanks for you interest. Graham
    5 years ago by jelley_baby
    Response
    Fast Patrol Boat
    How does the coupling work, as it looks to be a flexi coupling. There also looks like you have a
    wooden
    support under the motor? With the torque on brushless motors will it not wave about? I look forward to seeing her on the water, hope you do a bit of video of her.
    5 years ago by BOATSHED
    Blog
    Cabin detail part 4 Steering wheel
    The steering wheel is a simple 3-spoke design; first, I machined a ring and a centre boss in brass. I then made a
    wooden
    jig to hold the parts in the correct position whilst soldering, this consisted of a turned block with a recess to locate the O/D, and the taper towards the centre hole to give a β€œdish effect” that locates the centre boss. This just leaves the three arms to machine; these are cut using a slitting saw to cut a 3mm wide strip from a piece of 1.5 mm brass plate. These are the cut to length ready for soft soldering and then the parts are all cleaned and placed in the jig, ideally a minimum of solder is used to minimise cleaning afterwards. The finishing/fettling I find is always easier if you use a sharp craft knife to slice any excess solder away as it doesn’t easily mark the brass in the same way you might using Swiss files, finally finish with 600 and 1000 w&d before priming ready for topcoat of black gloss. The first wheel I decided was too small so the pics are of that construction; the final larger wheel is in the last 3 pictures
    5 years ago by mturpin013
    Blog
    Cabin detail part 3 (instrument panels)
    After the Christmas break its back to the cabin to finish some of the instrument detail. You may recall I detailed the cockpit with some ply constructions to represent the general layout; I also intend to detail the compass, throttle controls, steering wheel, panel lighting, and instrument panel. The instrument panel was copied and scaled from various drawing and pictures and I came up with a three-panel unit where panels 1 & 3 are identical as they are for the two-engine managements system the centre panel deals with electrical things. I intend to make the panel out of 1.5 mm aluminium cut to size on the guillotine I then attached this to a hardwood block with some strong double sided tape this will be more than strong enough to hold the piece for the drilling/light milling operation. I worked out the hole positions using an absolute datum (same as CNC work, if only I was still working) This does take some time using my rather old milling machine making sure any backlash is taken out during the 28 linear movements. I used various sizes of centre drills to produce the holes as they give not only accurate size but also perfectly round holes on thin material and the only ones that needed to be a particular size (6mm dial holes) the others are for switches and LEDs which can all be a 3 mm location hole. Each hole was drilled and then chamfered to simulate a bezel on the dials. Finally, I milled a shallow groove (2mm x 0.3 deep) to simulate the separate panels. I have copied a number of different marine dials from the internet and using PowerPoint I aligned in a complete group and then printed and laminated them, this will be placed behind the aluminium plate using double-sided tape. Having fixed the dials in place I drilled through the holes where LEDSs will fit. The LEDs will be shortened and polished so they are flat to the face; these are then stuck in place. Next, I made all the switches from brass bar with a fine brass pin glued across its face to simulate the lever. These were painted gloss black and the centre pin picked out in red, they were then glued into the 3 mm location hole. The black knobs/pull switches were turned out of black Perspex and polished; they were then glued into the location holes. The whole instrument panel is then pinned on to the
    wooden
    framework which has been left in natural wood finish (ply) as it looks like the original boat was just a varnished ply finish.
    5 years ago by mturpin013
    Response
    Friday's Child Fairey Huntsman 31
    Hi Brianaro, many thanks for that. i am about to go and check that out. As well as my old 70's
    wooden
    Precedent Huntsman, I also have an MFA Spearfish still in the box not touched yet. I had one back in the 80's with an Irvine 61 in it and it was a great fun boat. I did plan to do the same again with it but with the constant banning of using IC engines on the ponds around area's in the UK I suppose it will end up brushless. I know they are if not faster then IC now but the cost battery wise, now being retired the funds aren't as easily found now. The sad part is I still have 2 new SC 91's, 1 new SC 61 and a Irvine 120 all still new, never been run. I think there might also be an Irvine 61 that has no box. As well as a Zenoah 26c all pimped up in purple only run in ready to be put in a boat. Shed full of both engines and boats, some boats still new in the boxes still waiting to be built. Hopefully I will get to build them before I pop me clogs.
    5 years ago by BOATSHED
    Forum
    Older Billings Models
    That is a BB Samson II, using the same ABS hull as Sea Star and Polar and as you state from the late 80's- beginning of the 90's. DMI and BB were competitors in the 60-80's and the
    wooden
    model names are often mixed up, between them. This at least in Denmark.
    5 years ago by Tica
    Forum
    HMS Campbeltown 1941, 1/96 scale
    Hi Doug, Very sorry, no photos, I was a teenager sailing dinghies in the Medway in the late forties when I saw Manxman and I don't think I even had a camera in those days. My father was on the staff of T.S. Arethusa ex "Peking" at Lower Upnor and we lived in a flat over the ship's swimming pool, right alongside the river. I had a wonderful view of Chatham Reach from my bedroom window. There were so many ships laid up in the Medway and adjoining creeks at that time., taking the wind from us as we raced our dinghies from the Medway Yacht Club. There were long trots of the
    wooden
    hulled inshore sweepers, numerous destroyera and all sorts of support craft, there was even an old coaling hulk in Sheerness Harbour, but I'm afraid the passage of time means I don't remember names. Manxman stuck in my mind though, being a little different. Those were the days when we had a navy!
    5 years ago by Nerys
    Response
    Cooling coil
    As long as the coil toutches the motor you will be ok if it is NOT touching then simply start agaain as it will b a waste of time.............................................With regards to your painting question simplest way is to go to halfords and buy grey primer with is acrylic....if it is a
    wooden
    hull then you WILL NEED to use a coat of Halfords or Equivellent car laquer to seal the primer underneath ...rub down with 800 DRY then put your grey on top of it....reason for this is simple the primer is porous so you will need to stop water getting at the wood,if it is GRP then no need for this Dave
    5 years ago by Dave J
    Media
    Long Reef PT-50
    My father is currently building a 1/20 PT50 Rodriquez hydrofoil. it currently a plug mould with 2 fiberglass halves and a left over
    wooden
    plug.
    5 years ago by rcmodelboats
    Directory
    (Naval Ship) MV Krait
    The MV Krait is a
    wooden
    -hulled vessel famous for its use during World War II by the Z Special Unit of Australia during the raid against Japanese ships anchored in Singapore Harbour. The raid was known as Operation Jaywick. The MV Krait is on display at the Australian National Maritime Museum. (5/10)
    5 years ago by rcmodelboats
    Blog
    Julieth 4 French fishing boat
    Hi All As the owner of two Hellen fishing boats, I was looking for something with better access, but, about the same size. I found the French version of the Hellen. Larger hatch and a raised section forward of the wheelhouse. Also this is my first strip planked boat, I picked up an IKEA
    wooden
    blind for $5au with a 100 strips of 3mm by 25mm and 1100mm long. Canabus
    6 years ago by canabus
    Forum
    Outboard Motors
    I have acquired an old 50cm
    wooden
    model boat which requires a vintage style electric outboard motor. I am finding sourcing a motor very difficult. I would welcome advice. I am willing to take a second hand motor if anyone has one.
    5 years ago by BigChris
    Forum
    Pretend deck planking
    McDonald's have changed the shape of their stirrers all wavy sides I have seen a deck with the planks held down with drawing pins to make the gap between them. This was into a
    wooden
    sub structure then the gaps between the planks filed with black bumper body filler Scout
    5 years ago by scout13
    Response
    Stern & keel formers
    I have found as you have that gluing your abrasive paper to a
    wooden
    block is far better than wrapping and making sure all the bulkheads and other skin supports are at the correct angle can make a real difference to the line of the hull, only noticeable when looking down the length of the hull when painted and that's too late to change things. I also make a number of different shaped sanding blocks/sticks down to using the coffee sticks with abrasives stuck to then for getting into difficult areas.
    5 years ago by mturpin013
    Forum
    Pretend deck planking
    Hi Steve, What went wrong? 😲 1. Drawing on deck planking, i.e. on a veneer or thin ply- Why/how did it go wrong? Surely since the planks are all 'parallel curves' all you need to do is make a curve template in plasticard from the plan. Then at a few strategic points along the plank length mark the widths of the planks. Set the template along these points and 'Bob's yer Uncle - Fanny's yer Aunt' πŸ˜‰ Mind you; doing it that way the 'curious grain of the planks' would betray the fiddleπŸ€” 2. 'what type of strip wood - Any very close grained type. Possible source- http://www.slecuk.com/index.html 3. How to glue it!? Any thin, spreadable waterproof wood glue! 4. Gap? Max 0.5mm perhaps. Ca 10 to 1 ratio. 5. 'How do you secure the bent planks whilst the glue dries? Modelling pins at strategic points along the plank. Assumes planks are pre-shaped by steaming!! See 6. πŸ˜‰ 6. 'Do I need to steam the planks? - YES! As mentioned above; make a template defining the curve required. From this make a jig of ca 5mm x 10mm in which you can set the steamed planks to cool and set to the shape required. To allow for the so called 'spring back' make the jig with a slightly sharper curve than the actual deck curve. When fitting the planks to the deck it's easier to 'push them out' than to try to increase the curvature. Finally; mark on the deck base the plank widths at strategic points along the plank length as alignment points. Glue planks alternately left/right (OK port/starboardπŸ˜‰) using modelling pins to hold in place until the glue is fully cured. For the 'gaps' There are various solutions in Build Blogs on this site. One that I like is the use of thin black card. When the whole deck is planked and properly cured sand lightly (ca 240 grit). 7. 'weathered teak' there are various suppliers of teak stain and also deck weathering stains; e.g. Jotika stain, Lifecolor Washes for Hulls and
    wooden
    Decks, set part no. LP04, which includes
    wooden
    deck darkener and Shadower, amongst other useful weathering pigments. http://www.astromodel.it Google Lifecolor and you'll surely find some UK distributors. Enough answers for enough questions!? 😁 Hope this provides some inspiration, Cheers, Doug 😎
    5 years ago by RNinMunich
    Forum
    Scratch built yacht.
    I am thinking of building a new sailing yacht from plans which I have yet to acquire. I have 8 A4 pages of drawings of a Goth-USOM from Frank Russell 2014, not sure where I got them from and if they are worthy of the time and effort. The size is about right at 1000mm length and about 1500mm deck to masthead. I have had dealings with Nylet in the past and am sure they would be helpful for rigging, sails etc. I plan to plank build the hull onto
    wooden
    bulkheads. Although I have built several model boat hulls using this method before I wonder if I could enlist some help or recommendations from any other members of this group ie choice of plans, how to do it books. Many thanks Chris G
    5 years ago by ChrisG
    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
    Forum
    New knee, outdoor trials begin.
    Hey Colin, I've got a staple remover πŸ˜‰ you could nip over here, I'll whip the staples out and you can take the Supermarine back with you! 😁😁 Seriously though folksπŸ€“; Great news Colin, esp. after all this time and pain πŸ‘ Very happy for you 😊 Wasn't kidding about the motor. I'll be updating the 'Resurrection' blog soon. Attached are a few preview pics of the final tests run at the weekend. She's chuntering along at 11.1V (equivalent to a 3S LiPo) drawing about 1.3A off load. I've made up a set of connecting leads and set it up to run ahead with an RH prop as requested. I've assumed your ESC will have bullet connectors!? FF I've added a Red/Green LED to indicate if it should be running forwards (clockwise) or backwards. BTW: I wouldn't recommend full astern on any more than 7.4/8.6V, she don't like it 😱 Shall I put it in that natty plastic box? Or will you just screw it to a
    wooden
    frame? All the best to you both, Cheers, Doug 😎
    5 years ago by RNinMunich
    Directory
    (Tug Boat) Ferdinand Keulen
    Fibre glass hull.
    wooden
    and plastic superstructure. Built issuing the hull and plan. (5/10)
    5 years ago by Toby
    Forum
    My other hobby
    Just recalled one of my weirder experiences on a commercial flight! Was also on the memorable trip to Uganda end of the 80ies, just after idi Amin had left the stage! Was on a hop from Nairobi to Kampala (Entebbe). Aircraft was a venerable Boeing 727of Kenya Airways. Had a funny feeling climbing aboard as I saw the oil streaks over the wings and underside of the fuselage. The smell inside and state of the floor was more like a public toilet than a commercial aircraft.😑 After taking my window seat I was joined by a large 'native' Momma, who took up the remaining two seats in the row, and then I realised why the floor was as it was.😲 She plumped herself down with a big grin all round and carefully settled a large
    wooden
    crate with slats on her expansive lap! The crate was full of LIVE CHICKENS!!!!!!!!!!!! At first my ghast was absolutely flabbered😲 I expected that next someone would start building a fire to roast one, but it turned out to be quite funny and even useful! When the 'In flight meal' arrived it looked to me like old British Rail sandwiches (banana shaped) that they had sold on around 1960! I spent the rest of the flight feeding them to the chickens to the delight of 'Momma' and others around us, not to mention the chickens 😁 If you fly around long enough, and to off beat places, all sorts of odd things can happen! πŸ˜‰ Priceless memories 😊 Cheers all, Doug 😎
    5 years ago by RNinMunich
    Forum
    Ship rudders
    Two
    wooden
    pieces, steel rod, each hinge 3mm i/d brass tube, shaped with filler and then each hinge covered and the shape made using Strips of five glass and epoxy finishing resin. File to suit. Pins for hinges clevis type 3mm.
    5 years ago by Toby
    Media
    Carina
    This time I want to show the process after removing the now sanded hull. You get a first view of having me removing the frames and starting to fill lead into the
    wooden
    hull. in the last photo, you can appreciate the benefits of removing all frames from within the hull. The surface inside the hull is ready for further processing.
    5 years ago by Hellmut1956
    Blog
    Taking shape!
    Managed to fit the gantry and mast and made the sail. To get the right cloth I used and old pillowcase (well I think it was old) and painted it both sides with wood stain / varnish. Happy with the finish. As with all my models I always put a piece that my Dad made on the boat, this time it is the
    wooden
    pulley block.
    5 years ago by GrahamP74
    Forum
    Brixham trawler IBEX
    Hi Samnewbie I have a Cariad which is
    wooden
    hulled at twice scale. I decided to use a false keel but as I bought the hull completed needed to retro-fit one. I agree with you! if you can fit the tube as early on as possible it will make life a bit easier. My keel needs to be about 12kg and the tube is a couple of inches behind the mast. I am still trying to cast the keel; I'm now on my fourth attempt! I have calculated the keel weight and plan on it being about 1kg lighter than need be. This will allow me to finely trim the boat up once complete. Good luck with yours. Edward
    5 years ago by cenbeth
    Forum
    Cleaning sails, toy yachts, etc....
    Useful to know about Vanish. it certainly worked on my Star yacht sails. Fortunately the sails on the Ailsa yacht are lovely anyway, just some new rigging cord required. I would say the sails were the same as bed sheets. I used some white spirit to clean the deck on the Ailsa. Most of the dirt being handling muck. Then I waxed it with 3M wax...twice. it's wonderful stuff which I bought for our historic narrowboat's new paintwork. it was a
    wooden
    boat and when I replaced the cabins and had painted them with Tra-mar Coatings hand made enamel paint, I waxed them with 3M's wax and they went another 3 winters before I sold the boat, with the rain still rolling off in beads. The Ailsa is now waiting for some spar varnish over the repair's creamish paint. I couldn't match it perfectly, but I didn't want to repaint the whole hull. All the repairs are under the waterline so it shouldn't show. The Star...I never heard of them using aluminium for masts. How would they have kept the rigging eyes in place? Martin
    5 years ago by Westquay
    Forum
    Cleaning sails, toy yachts, etc....
    I think Hydrogen Peroxide is the active ingredient in Vanish and the like. it is regarded as "The Safe Bleach" in the cleaning products industry. it remains active on cleaned surfaces for up to 72 hrs.Hypochlorite types only for as long as you can smell them. it is safe to use on just about any surface or fabric and mixed with a small amount of say washing up liquid it will clean body fats from baths and showers and other fats from cookers and work surfaces. Also removes mould etc. it produces no toxic fumes and is safe on the skin. I worked for a company called Environmental Chemicals who were devoted to safer cleansing alternatives. You would be amazed at it's effect on a previously washed bread board. I won't list all they made but the one with the HP in it was very popular with industry and the public. I could identify most of their chemicals used by smell and Hydrogen Peroxide was one. Well not so much a smell but it's action on my nasal passages. Likewise with gas fire and boiler fumes. A very handy thing to have when I was plumbing/gas fitting. Anyway back to the point. You can bleach your sails safely with it as often as you like to make them as white (or_ grey) as you like. it also shifts grime from painted/varnished wood and metals. A mention was made by someone (Westie ?)of metal masts etc on a star Yacht. I thought all Star yachts had all
    wooden
    masts and spars. I knew the Denyes.Jean-Jacques in particular and was allowed into the hallowed halls once or twice but didn't see everything. I was told that after the war wood was in short supply and old mangle rollers that were made with apple wood were sought and used . I am waiting to get back on my feet to restore the two yachts I was given for my two boys at that time.Around '67/68. Only the smaller unnamed ones. I don't know what no they are. I've already made a mast for one but all metal fittings will need cutting out afresh and new suits of sails acquired. Regarding sails. Handkerchiefs are too fine a material to allow recovery in a blow down. They don't allow the water out so keep the yacht flat. Anyone know of an alternative solution? Sorry to go on but I hope this diatribe has been helpful to someone.πŸ‘
    5 years ago by onetenor
    Media
    Ashes the scratch built Motor Torpedo Boat
    I found this hull at thingiverse last year. I printed the hull from a local shop and rest was handmade. Firstly I bought a 2426 4200kv brushless 2-3s which was too powerful and too heavy for the boat size. The length is 38cm. And the 30Amp esc was also too big for it's size. After that I tried small 180 brushed motor with 20A brushed esc w/brake. it was perfect (still it's heavyπŸ˜‚). The bridge and deck is made by 1.75mm pvc,torpedos are made of
    wooden
    pencil. Small battery space takes a 2s 500mah lipo. 30mm 3blade propeller. YouTube video link is here: https://youtu.be/KZdmZ8_Z0IE
    5 years ago by Sakibian
    Response
    Spraying Again.......
    Agreed Boaty πŸ‘ With a plastic or glass fibre hull it's a slightly different kettle of fish. However I'm still wary of the primer absorbing moisture.πŸ€” Sealing with a matt or silk lacquer seems to give an extra knot or so as wellπŸ˜‰ But here we were discussing
    wooden
    hulls. Cheers, Doug 😎
    5 years ago by RNinMunich
    Response
    Spraying Again.......
    Hi Doug Red primer certainly is porus and does need some protection when used on a
    wooden
    hull. The only exception to this is when the hull is plastic then plastic primer can be used. It adheres better than the standard primer and is readily available from the likes of Halfords etc. I have used this on my italeri P.T 109 and is still good seven years on. Boaty😁
    5 years ago by boaty
    Blog
    Range Safety Launch?
    The β€˜Range Safety Launch’…………. Intro. I am now the owner of this boat.
    wooden
    , good hull lines and hull paint work but needing to be finished. I am told that it looks like it started life as a kit, but has had considerable modification to at least the above deck layout and detail. Advice is that it could be a rather simplified Range Safety Launch, but maybe I can use a little β€˜artistic licence’ and just make it look interesting and capable. There are two main reasons for sharing this project. 1. I will undoubtedly need guidance 2. Maybe some of the information will assist others The hull is 44 inches ( 112cm ) long and 14 inches (36cm ) wide, it has two brushed MFA Torpedo 800 motors………. and weighs in currently at 15 lbs 4ozs (6.91 kgs). It is large enough for me to be able to work on reasonably comfortably and apart from the cabin/upper deck areas to be β€˜improved’, I aim to introduce sound, lighting, active radar sweep, search light, together with maybe a deck hoist and water /fire monitor appliance. At my age it is difficult to tell the difference between wishful thinking and dementing…… However, the prime aim is to try and achieve at least some of this whilst having the boat usable during the current β€˜season’. There is so much knowledge, good will and help available on this site that even before I touched a thing, information came pouring in. If anyone feels like making a contribution then please just β€˜pile in’. Have ordered some parts so next time should have something to show. NPJ.
    6 years ago by NPJ
    Forum
    Vic Smeed's 'Waterbaby'
    Many thanks for your helpful reply. The line between the
    wooden
    hull and the lead part of the keel is very clear so knowing where to drill will not be a problem. Do you think a fostner drill bit in a hand drill (slow speed) will be best for drilling lead. its something I've not done before so any advice would be much appreciated. I will put some more pictures up hopefully tomorrow.
    5 years ago by Xtal
    Response
    Rudders and Propellers
    BTW; I copied your above massive text block into a document file and split it up into paragraphs so I could see where you're at! My conclusion: so far so good BUT! You made the one classic mistake of many model boat / ship builders πŸ€” You continued the prop shaft tube right back to the propeller and hence you had to make oversize struts to support them. This is fundamental wrong and creates unnecessary work.πŸ˜‰ On real ships, including the Schnellboote, the so called 'stuffing tube' is JUST THAT, it 'stuffs' the shaft through the hull and includes stuffing glands to prevent the ingress of sea water. Outside the hull ONLY the rotating shaft itself continues on through the bearing in the support strut and to the prop. See attached pics of my HMS Belfast as an example. There was actually no reason for you to make oversize strut bearings, simply bushes to match your prop SHAFT not the tube would have been correct. Inside the real ship there is also NO TUBE, only bearings at suitable intervals. They look like gigantic versions of the big ends in your car. Imagine on really big ships, carriers, container ships, bulk tankers etc, with shaft diameters of 1metre or so how big the 'tube' would be, how much weight that would add and how difficult it would be to service and maintain! I've often noticed in posts here that folk confuse shaft and tube, often referring to the whole assembly as 'the shaft'. For convenience we modellers use prop tubes, who wants to fiddle about making a row of internal shaft bearings no one will ever see and will most likely never be really concentric? The downside is that continuing this 'convenience' outside the hull is wrong, adds weight and detracts from the scale appearance of the model. 😭 OK, it's 3am here now so - orf me 'obby 'orse and up (in my case down!) the
    wooden
    stairs to Bedfordshire, G'night all, cheers, Doug😎 Re shaft length: What fits fits, what don't don't! Such a question is like asking 'How long is a piece of string?'! If all three motors abreast won't fit you have to decide if the central motor should / will fit fore or aft of the outer motors. Then measure / adjust the shaft length accordingly. Before you start fitting the centre motor check what length shafts are commercially available and adjust your motor fit to suit. Otherwise make your own shafts and tubes to fit as required, as I've started doing cos I got fed up with 'standard sizes' wot don' wanna fit my ship. πŸ€” G'night All, cheers, Doug 😎
    5 years ago by RNinMunich
    Forum
    A Tragic Tale Unfolds
    About a month ago I came across a
    wooden
    model of a Side Trawler by the name of β€˜Maartje’ dating from what I assume was the Sixties. It is 84 cm long (33 inches) with a beam of 19cm (7.75 inches). The then owner had found it in a poor state and had reconstructed and painted to a large degree, but then turned to model trains. It was not known whether it was a β€˜kit’ or β€˜scratch’ built but he had however found it was a model of a boat, UK 223, lost with all hands in the North Sea off Texel (NL) in 1967 thought to be registered in Diss UK.. I am aware that such a tragedy is not uncommon with sea fishermen but I had never come across a model of such a boat. I had some time on my hands so I started to make enquiries and I was surprised how helpful people were. I had contacted the Dutch Embassy in UK, the Press Association in Netherlands and the Texel Tourist Information Centre. Within a very short time I had responses not just from those sources but also from others they had contacted. A major response was from the Embassy with the names of the crew of five, some were never recovered and important, was information from the Harbour Master of the Port of Urk, Netherlands confirming the boat was registered there and who then contacted the son of the captain of the β€˜Maartje’ and gave him my contact details. I am pleased to say the captain’s son Jauwk contacted me and we are now in frequent communication. So we now know the date of the loss, the sea area, weather conditions names of the crew and results of the enquiry. Also very personal and emotional information including the fact that two of the crew were father and son and that the captain’s wife was carrying his son, Jauwk at the time of the loss. You never know what this hobby may lead you into. NPJ.
    6 years ago by NPJ
    Forum
    Hull internal finish
    Having been away from the hobby for a long time, I have a question about the best way to seal the inside of a
    wooden
    hull before installation of the electrics. I used to use (all those years ago) banana oil, but I was thinking now more of a spray primer? Any suggestions would be appreciated.
    6 years ago by J Barry
    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
    Response
    Rebuild starts
    Is it possible to fit new bearings in the existing shaft tube, if not I have managed to get old shafts out by carefully heating the tube using a soldering iron inserted into the end and as it heats up applying rotational force gently back and forth until the the glue gives way. This has worked for me on
    wooden
    hulls. Cheers Colin.
    6 years ago by Colin H
    Response
    Rebuild starts
    Hi Peter, I wouldn't use ply at all.😲 Especially not for a powerful brushless. I only bought the Krick adjustable mount so I could scan it and then make my own from 2 or 3mm aluminium, depending on how heavy and powerful the motor is. I will never use the original
    wooden
    one. it was just a 'means to an end' 😁 Cheers, Doug 😎
    6 years ago by RNinMunich
    Media
    Miss Maryland
    Huson 24 RC sailboat
    wooden
    hull. I have a small fleet of these. They are extremely stable in high wind. Bought this one online in pretty good condition. Did a lot of smoothing on the epoxy coated hull. I use West Systems epoxy because it flows so well - like paint - and doesn’t stink.
    6 years ago by Cozwhy
    Response
    Boaty P.T 109
    Dear oldtimer, If you have the patience to build a plastic model and the decide to fit it out and use RC in it. Then I am sure you would be able to build a model from wood. You can buy a
    wooden
    boat kit and if you have been able to read and do what the instructions say in your plastic kit then the
    wooden
    one would be no harder. You should never put yourself down and have belief in yourself and do it. Im sure you could.
    6 years ago by BOATSHED


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