Members Harbour
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Little Shelley Foss
Dual counter rotating props driven by independent 1000KV brushless motors.
6V / 3.5Ah Lead Acid Battery
2 16BL30 Quickrun Hobby Wing ESC's
3 ch. 2.4GHz Hobby King receiver
Built to replace the Beaver Tug
cjanik001
5 months ago
11 Attributes
1 Photo
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Lorelei
Water Jet Propulsion
cjanik001
2 years ago
8 Attributes
1 Photo
4 Likes
Princesse Loane Trawler
Built between October 2020 and January 2021 during the Pandemic.
Plans were downloaded from www.freeshipplans.com
built entirely of sheet basswood, and some sheet balsa
cjanik001
4 years ago
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1 Photo
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Monterey
Here is my Monterey built about 1/2 scale from the plans which were downloaded from www.aerofred.com.
Construction of the keel and hull ribs is 1/16" basswood. The sides and deck are planked with 1/32" thick strips of basswood running horizontally along the hull. The superstructure is pretty much balsa.
Before painting, the hull gaps between the planking was filled with automotive spot putty, and sanded smooth.
Like my Beaver Tugboat, the model felt lightweight when finished, so I added plaster of paris to the inside of the hull for additional weight.
cjanik001
4 years ago
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3 Photos
5 Likes
Marinecraft Kestral
Marinecraft Kestral #1 (Red Cabin) I built this for my first Grandson several years ago.
Kestral #2 (Blue Cabin) was build during the Covid 19 lockdown for my second Grandson.
Construction is of Balsa mainly 1/6" and some 1/8" for the internal structure. The sides and bottom are 1/32".
Currently, both models are brushed motors, but due to heat and motor life, I plan to change them both to brushless soon.
cjanik001
4 years ago
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3 Photos
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EezeBilt Beaver Tug 50+ Challenge
This was my first build venturing into the RC Boat realm.
Plans were downloaded from the KK EezeBilt website.
Construction is of 1/8" Balsa throughout.
To waterproof the hull, I sprayed it with automotive undercoating on the outside, then painted with a latex paint.
The model seemed to be very lightweight, and with the flat bottom didn't draft very low in the water. I added about 1-1/2 to 2 lbs of plaster of paris to the main hold giving it added weight.
I need to shoot a new video of it in the water.
cjanik001
4 years ago
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Members Blogs
7 Posts
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Dumas #1206 Little Shelley Foss Build
Hello,
I purchased this kit for myself for Fathers Day this past June. This is actually my first commercial kit to construct, as all others in my harbor were scratch built. Since retiring my Beaver Tug boat some time ago, actually, it got sent to the scrap heap, my harbor has been looking for a replacement. At 24" long, this fits well with the other models I have made. Also, my Admiral (wife) won't allow anything larger.
The kit comes with all the wood for the vessel, railing, metal stanchions, other cast metal details like horn, lights etc. What it does not include are the running gear parts including stuffing tubes, props shafts and rudders. I held off purchasing this additional kit because I had been gifted a Dumas Trojan some years ago. While the Trojan was not very well built, I was able to remove many of the running gear parts from it before sending it to the scrap heap.
As you can see from the pictures, I have already constructed the hull skeleton. The pieces are removed with ease from the die cutting. I did have to use a hobby knife on some of the more thinner frame pieces to avoid breaking them, but for the most part everything came out clean and with minimum cleanup.
As far as instructions, they seem to be lacking. There is a 33 step, 2 sheet written instruction sheet, a parts I.D. sheet, along with a full size drawing of the boat exterior showing locations of the hull and superstructure details. There isn't a lot of visual details, so you must read the instruction text, and figure it out for yourself. To Dumas' credit, they did make this disclaimer in their write-up that instructions are minimal, and recommended for more advanced modelers.
I am at the stage now, where I need to plank the hull. The planking comes in 4 - 1/16" plywood sheets cut to fit the curvature of the hull on each side. I have never planked a hull with plywood before, only with strip wood. The ply seems to be sort of stiff, and will not conform to the hull without some serious bending and clamping. I need to ask this question, or maybe search other build blogs as to how to best accomplish this task.
Can thin plywood be wetted, (or soaked) in water so that it becomes more plyable and easier to clamp while being glued? or will this just warp the hull once it dries back out!
Hopefully, I will find my answer after searching the blogs, or a fellow follower will provide the answer.
That's all for now, hope you enjoy reading the blog.
cjanik001
2 months ago
4 Posts
4 Followers
19 Likes
Lorelei
Started a new scratch build after getting interested in waterjet propulsion from articles by JBKiwi and Rowen. Didn't initially have a specific boat in mind at the start, just wanted to see if I can make the thing work. After looking at different hull designs, I elected to go with the Cresta which is on the KKEezebilt boat web site.
I know, I know, egg crate construction! not exactly the best, however, after getting into it, this has created quite a bit of room inside for the water thruster, and it also has a very flat "V" shape to center mount it . It also turned into a very easy build up to this point. The boat frame is made of 3/32" basswood, with 1/32" sides and bottom. There is also 1/32" ply for the thruster intake, and the exhaust nozzle in the transom. The chine is reinforced with basswood strips.
After downloading the Cresta Plans, I scaled up the prints to the length of 23", this seemed to be the best fit for the 16mm thruster purchased from Amazon. I initially purchased a 26mm unit complete with reversing bucket, however this one was way to big. Unfortunately, the 16mm unit does not have a reversing bucket, so it is forward only. (My ESC is a bidirectional unit which will reverse the brushless motor, so maybe it will have some sort of reverse!)
Modifications to the Cresta plans include adding extra angle bracing between the floor and the bottom, modifying the transom, and cutting down the beam for the thruster unit. I also made the top removable to access the internals. The cabin area cutout will have a fake bottom to allow for wiring and connections on the subfloor. Once I get the whole boat covered in fiberglass, a float test will determine the placement of the batteries and electronics, as well as look for leaks.
cjanik001
2 years ago
Recent Posts
๐ Motor burn out?
8 days ago by
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I donโt know if this post has any previous posts, but it sounds like it may be a motor over voltage situation.
Double check the motor specifications and adjust the battery voltage accordingly.
Good luck
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๐ Question of the Day?
16 days ago by
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I think itโs an A.I. plot to bolster the United Kingdomโs score.๐
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๐ Question of the Day?
16 days ago by
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I have to agree with that one as well!
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๐ Recovering from cataract surgery
2 months ago by
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You will be back at it in no time.๐
Good luck and take care.
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๐ฌ Re: Little Shelley Foss first float
2 months ago by
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I have to admit the captain was preoccupied with running his own video of the event, and not watching over the bow. ๐ The Admiral actually caught the incident on record.
Anyway, had we several inches or rain the past week, now the pond is higher covering the snags.
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๐ Little Shelley Foss first float
2 months ago by
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This past Memorial day weekend the Admiral an I went to the local park โduck pondโ for the first outing with the Little Shelley Foss.
The Admiral insisted on a photo op with the tug in hand before its maiden voyage.
The tug run very well and I was quite pleased with the performance despite running into exposed logs, as the pond is shallow due to lack of rain the past few months!๐
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๐ Vinyl cutting machine choice
2 months ago by
๐บ๐ธ cjanik001 (
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โCricutโ ( I hate Appleโs autocorrect!)
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๐ Vinyl cutting machine choice
2 months ago by
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Crocus has its own download software that runs it. Plenty of online videos on operation.
Good luck๐
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๐ Vinyl cutting machine choice
2 months ago by
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I have to admit I was pushing the limits of the machine by cutting 3/32 basswood. The machine will calculate how many passes are required, and depending upon the clarity of the wood, and hardness, most of the time that numbered was correct. Other times when it finished I had to cut out the remainder with a hobby knife. For that thick of material generally 12 - 15 passes. Time wise about 15 min. This also depends on how complex a cutout and the size of the sheet. Thinner material and balsa wood takes less passes and time.
You cannot sharpen the blade, or at least I havenโt found a way! I built my Princess Loanne using only one deep cut blade. But it probably will need a new one when I start a new project!
Attached is a short video of the cutting speed.
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๐ Vinyl cutting machine choice
2 months ago by
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I have a Cricut Maker style machine. Cutting thin sheets of material such as vinyl is no problem with the blades that come with the machine and can generally cut in one pass. I have used the deep cutting blade, (20USD) to cut thicker cardboard and thin balsa and bass wood. This operation takes multiple passes with the cutting blade.
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๐ Transmitter Camera Mount
4 months ago by
๐บ๐ธ cjanik001 (
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I am a bit of a lone wolf here in my area when it comes to model boating, so I have to video my operations myself when at the local park pond.
In the past I was able to rubber band my cell phone to the top of my radio, and hope it didn't fall off into the drink!
While at the "Dollar Tree" store one day I found some folding cell phone stands. This got me to thinking, if I could attach parts of this to the top of my radio, velcro could be used to attach and secure the phone, making my hands free to control the boat.
I removed the bottom portion of the stand simply by removing the plugs which made up the hinge of the device. I first tried to secure with super glue, but both being an engineering type plastic, it would not stick. I then got out the E6000 glue which is a more flexible type adhesive but requires a lot longer set time hence the magnets holding the two together. When that set, i was able to then glue the front portion ahead of the antenna of the radio.
Adding velcro strips to both the stand and the phone yielded a very secure but removable attachment. The radio is able to be moved in a 360 circle without the phone falling off! I also have recently got a new cell phone, so the old one makes a perfect candidate for a dedicated video camera. If it falls off no harm.
Hope this may help others in the same boat!๐
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๐ Tinkering
5 months ago by
๐บ๐ธ cjanik001 (
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Keep it up! Remember you were there first. ๐
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๐ Little Shelley Foss Update, conclusion
5 months ago by
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I just posted her in my Harbor, so I guess I need to finish out the blog.
The last posting showed the hull completed and ready for paint. Finishing the superstructure was straight forward gluing up everything except for the very top plastic roof, where I installed magnets so that it could be removable, and a small video camera can be place within to give a captains view. The black cube within the cabin is the camera. Hopefully this will give some interesting video on the water.
Now the hard part, putting holes in the completed hull for the prop tubes!!! I soldered 5/16" brass tubes at the proper angle to flat brass plate and epoxied to the hull both inside and out.
The prop shafts are 1/4" stainless steel threaded for the props. I purchased 5/16" to 1/4" oil lite bushings for the water end, and at the motor end of the tubes installed ball bearings within. The prop shafts needed to be machined down slightly so that the ball bearings would slide onto them. There is a picture of my milling machine (drill press and file). Chuck in the shaft, and lightly hold a file against the shaft and a block of wood while the drill press is turning. Checking frequently for a perfect fit.
Installing electronics, motors, and wiring. I chose to operate the rudders using two smaller servos connected to the same channel via a "Y" connector, as there was no space for a larger one with the linkage to connect the rudders together. Seems to work well, at least in drydock.
Hand rails and upper pilot house details were part of the kit. All other detail parts, port holes, doors, fire hoses are from Harbor Models. The stairways between decks are scratch built using styrene bits.
I used rattle can primer paint on the inside and outside of the hull to seal the bare wood. I painted the color using acrylic hobby paint, and sealed with rattle can clear, giving it at least three separate coats for a good waterproof seal.
All in all it was a fun build, The quality of the wood within the Dumas kit was not optimum, but it was usable.
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๐ Little Shelley Foss
5 months ago by
๐บ๐ธ cjanik001 (
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Dual counter rotating props driven by independent 1000KV brushless motors.
6V / 3.5Ah Lead Acid Battery
2 16BL30 Quickrun Hobby Wing ESC's
3 ch. 2.4GHz Hobby King receiver
Built to replace the Beaver Tug
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๐ Heatsink Fins
5 months ago by
๐บ๐ธ cjanik001 (
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In my dealings with dc motors, as long as you are operating the motor within its torque and voltage / current limits, the heat is tolerable. Itโs when it is operating beyond these limits where there are problems.
However, most of the ESC out there are water cooled. So I guess that would be the answer.๐ค
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๐ Question of the Day?
5 months ago by
๐บ๐ธ cjanik001 (
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Definitely needed this softball question after a week of wrong answers๐.
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๐ LEDs
5 months ago by
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You did not mention the current limiting resistors. These are very important for the life of the LEDs.
But definitely good connections are a must for any circuit.
Good luck
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๐ Question of the Day?
5 months ago by
๐บ๐ธ cjanik001 (
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Yes, Declination is the correct term. Too bad I missed it as well.
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๐ Has anyone any experience of using a Dremel scroll saw?
7 months ago by
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Should be a good investment, Dremel is quality stuff. I have a craftsman scroll saw that works well for model making. You have to have a steady hand to get straight cuts, as there is no fence to help guide the wood. As with anything it takes practice to master. Good luck.๐
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๐ Question of the Day?
8 months ago by
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Ok I understand now, but being from across the pond not really relevant to me. I was thinking that this was something which had to do with the shipping during WWII. That is why I chose forties!
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๐ Question of the Day?
8 months ago by
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I really donโt understand todays question, but got a lucky guess anyway!
Can some one further explain what this is?๐
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๐ RTTL 2755 update
10 months ago by
๐บ๐ธ cjanik001 (
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See scratch building isnโt all that bad! Good work!! Keep it up, and keep your eye out for other ordinary things you can use for your boats.
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๐ฌ Re: Sea Commander from a pair of old cabin sides
10 months ago by
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Looking good so far. Great job!
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๐ Question of the Day?
10 months ago by
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Lucky guess this morning!๐
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๐ Question of the Day?
11 months ago by
๐บ๐ธ cjanik001 (
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I guess I learned something in my 5th grade geography class!๐
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๐ฌ Re: Ship of the desert new project (sand yacht)
11 months ago by
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Very impressive โsailingโ.
Good work JB
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๐ Once in a blue moon
11 months ago by
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Congratulations on your anniversary.
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๐ Little Shelley Foss...slow But Sure!!
11 months ago by
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Well, starting back after the clean-up has taken awhile longer then expected. That, and the 47 days of triple digit heat in Southeast Texas hasn't helped, however I did manage to get the final planks installed and formed the solid balsa bow block. Since there is no sanding or painting inside, I had to sweat it out in the outdoor shed๐ด! Attaching the planks at the bow created a problem since no clamps were able to secure while the glue was setting. I therefore used brute force and secured the planks with a well placed screw or two into the balsa bow block. This worked quite nicely, and the screws came out without an issue.
The top of the deck is next on the agenda with the bulwark base and bulwarks. The stern has three sections which are glued together, and then filed to form a slope towards the rear. The wood material in the kit for these parts was not the best, and some of the pieces had to be glued back together, the die cutting process actually crushed the plywood. After assembly and forming the slope, it was glued to the stern of the boat along with the bulwark bases.
The bulwark nose block on the bow is formed out of a solid balsa block. The kit came with a pine block for the solid pieces, however I decided to go with the balsa for ease in cutting and shaping. I cut the long upright bulwark sides in half for better attachment. I also used super glue to get a quick hold since there was limited grip for clamps.
Once both bulwark sides were in place, I used painting tape to eyeball the slope between the stern bulwark and the bow. Then using a marker along the outer edge of the tape put a cut line. Using a very new and sharp x-acto blade, I carefully scored the lines edge to get a nice smooth groove, and with additional scores of the blade finally cutting through the plywood.
There are a few more odds and ends left for the upper deck, and then final filling and sanding.
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๐ Dumas #1206 Little Shelley Foss cont.
1 year ago by
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Well I guess I'm getting better with posting sooner! The Admiral informed me that I needed to clean up the dry dock because we are expecting some upper brass (daughter) and a few V.I.P's (grandsons) later on this week, hence the urgency of getting this post out sooner.
After getting the first two sections of planks on the hull, the instructions switch to gluing the deck down onto the hull structure. In preparation, the small tabs on the bulkheads are cut and sanded to match the crown of the deck as seen in the first picture on the right side compared to the left. I marked with a pencil and then cut with a razor saw.
Since the deck is in four pieces, I placed the outer decking on the hull, and marked where the inside cutout for the inner deck would be, and made sure my glue didn't go past these marks. When the outer deck was dry, I cut most of the bulkheads through only leaving 2 on each side uncut so the inner deck could be glued. When that dried, I cut the remaining bulkheads to remove the inner deck with the bulkhead bracing glued to the bottom of the inner decking.
chugalone100 asked what glue I used. There is a picture of the brand which I have used for the past several builds with very good luck so far. My models are stored in the garage, which is not humidity controlled, in Southeast Texas as well โ๏ธ๐ฅ, and I haven't experienced any delamination of the glue on the previous models. This brand also has a level III glue in the green label which claims to be waterproof. I will switch to that when this runs out. The remaining pictures show adding the #4 planking on the sides and rear, as well as adding the #3 planking to the rear. The #3 side planking will need to wait until after the VIP's visit.
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๐ Dumas #1206 Little Shelley Foss cont.
1 year ago by
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Wow. eleven days goes by fast when you are having fun! First I want to thank BarryS for the
link to the other forum and build blogs. A Picture is worth a thousand words, and a hundred pictures even better!!!
After reading the forums and looking at the pictures, I gained the confidence that planking with plywood could be accomplished if I took my time and was careful. I initially thought about just carving the lower bow section from balsa, but decided to actually add some sheet balsa, gluing to the bottom of the stringer, and adding some sheet to the keel for gluing support.
Before gluing any of the planking, I clamped the initial bottom plank matching along the keel from the stern to bulkhead #3. With this fitted, I then marked along the top of the stinger inside the hull with a pencil to make the cut line for each piece. once cut and re-fitted to the hull, I glued each bottom plank starting from the stern and working to the number 5 bulkhead.
Once that had dried, I then glued and clamped both sides to attach Bulkheads 4 and 3.
Now the fun began.๐ The plywood needed to be formed more closely to fit the keel toward the bow. I carefully clipped away the ply with diagonal cutters on each side and smoothing with sandpaper until I got the desired fit on each side. Then glued both sides down, and held the foremost part of the bow with a well placed tie wrap.
The second sheet plank was done in a similar fashion, dry fitting the sheets with clamps, marking the stringer line, and cutting and sanding for a smooth fit before gluing in small steps from stern to bow.
This now completes steps 7 of 33 on the Dumas instructions.
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