π Egrete - Progress
4 months ago by
π¨π¦ gcladd (

Master Seaman)
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When I saw this post I was inspired to resurrect the David Metcalf Build article in the May/June '88 issues of Model Boats along with the AutoCAD drawings I did 30 years ago.
My plan was to do this build in balsa and thin sheet ply because at that time I had to much of it in stock. It's progressing well for about three weeks work. I have started a build article to post of this balsa/ply version when I get further along with cabins and the elevating wheel house assemblies.
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π¬ Re: Precedent 49" Perkasa
5 months ago by
π¨π¦ gcladd (

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Love the progress you are making on this build. I have the 1/32 scale Precedent Perkasa that I started many years ago. I found the kit has a bit to be desired if you are looking for true accuracy. I should look into the reference books shown in your photo.
I bought the 1/72 scale Tamiya Perkasa as a reference around the same time and started to measure with mic and Vernier all the parts on the parts trees and redraw them in AutoCAD (yes I am crazy) as starting point to rescale and build from scratch. Drawing work is always progressive as I build each part. Eventually I will get a laser cutter and do what John Drain does with his stuff on pt-boat.com.
Perkasa build has been on hold for about 3 months but I will go back to it soon since I hope to paint the hull in the spring. Shown is one of many parts I have built from my rescaled Tamiya drawings. This part was difficult and had many modifications made to suit the Precedent's hull geometry.
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π Power source for a 42" Fairey Huntsman
5 months ago by
π¨π¦ gcladd (

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Thanks Nick.
I took look a look online and have seen a few speed controls that will handle high current loads. It's just that issue of the manufacturer's recommendation for a specific motor size, usually 540 size that scares me off.
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π Power source for a 42" Fairey Huntsman
5 months ago by
π¨π¦ gcladd (

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I have an old Veron Marlin Cruiser that I have an 850 motor that has been sitting around waiting to be set-up. What did you guys use as an electronic speed control for this motor size? I am tempted to revert back to an old rheostat control that I yanked from a Tamiya RC Car I still have from the 90's.
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π¬ Re: Virgin Atlantic Challenger I
8 months ago by
π¨π¦ gcladd (

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John:
I recall that I had a similar problem to yours using the Graupner stock motors. Forgot this when I wrote the original post. I have a pair of Kyosho Lemans AP29's that I bought way back when to get it to ride on plane. These motor have a noload rpm of 16000.
I would play with motors/prop diameters before attempting to rip out drivelines.
I will have to put the Kyosho's back in the model and take it for a run on a weekday when there is no one else around that the speed or wake would bother on the pond.
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π¬ Re: virgin boat
8 months ago by
π¨π¦ gcladd (

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Hi John:
I used to teach Tech Design in a High School before I retired a couple years ago. I built the Challenger II with my class in an article posted in Radio Contontrol Boat Modeler back in the 80's. Full size plans were not provided so AutoCAD was used to measure and scale the "blue" plans printed in the article to a size that could be built in class with scrap materials available in my scrap box. Because of this the model is way too heavy but it sits nicely in water.
It is on the schedule to be painted this year if I can get ahead on my builds before winter sets in and it is too cold to paint outside.
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π Virgin Atlantic Challenger I
8 months ago by
π¨π¦ gcladd (

Master Seaman)
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Resurrected a model that I build years ago from a set of plans published in Model Boats magazine (still have the issue with plans). Hasn't been in the water, but a group of guys involved in a sailing club invited me out to participate if I do not go to fast or create a large wake.
it's powered by two Graupner 380 motors and Graupner gear reducer units. The current prop size I believe is a 20mm three blade, but I have two blade racing props that really make this sucker move.
It does have operating lights that I never completed, so I should get that cleaned up while waiting for the arrival of new battery packs (still has 7.2 V Nicads in it).
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π¬ Re: Veron Marlin Cruiser Rebuild
8 months ago by
π¨π¦ gcladd (

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Cleaned up the and added spar urethane to the deck and the top of the cabin. Veron's colour recommendation is white on the cabin roof, but I do like the look of the natural mahogany against the white paint on the hull and cabin sides
The model's exterior has been epoxied with West Systems, but I didn't like the way it went on the deck surfaces. After consulting with a yacht builder in town he said that it is common for these vintage boats to have epoxy underneath their spar urethane coats. He said to just make sure the West's has been smoothed out with 220 sand paper.
3 coats of Spar Urethane later... it looks pretty darn good. i will spend the next week or so finishing and glazing the mahogany window frames.
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π¬ Re: Veron Marlin Cruiser Rebuild
8 months ago by
π¨π¦ gcladd (

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Did some recent upgrades on this model. Got tired of a colourless model so I did a bit of painting on the hull and cabin. Strayed the area below the waterline dark green and the upper hull white.
I also made some Mahogany window trim to add some wood detail to the white cabin sides. Next major step is to complete the deck with spar varnish
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π¬ Re: 1986 Bayliner 3250
12 months ago by
π¨π¦ gcladd (

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The covid repairs and updates really cleaned this build up. Took better care to fabricate details and paint the hull.
This youth activity was probably the project that inspired me to go back to University in 1991 to shift my career aspirations from engineering to teaching
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π¬ Re: 1986 Bayliner 3250
12 months ago by
π¨π¦ gcladd (

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After about 30 years the model was looking pretty ratty and went through a ton of repairs after being stripped and repaired with lots of epoxy and microballons.
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π¬ Re: 1986 Bayliner 3250
12 months ago by
π¨π¦ gcladd (

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The kids we were working with not having the best home lives never really finished their models and most were smashed or broken.
My model was set aside for a long time...yes until the Covid years and went through a strip and refinish on the entire model (the details and paint job looked like crap).
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π 1986 Bayliner 3250
12 months ago by
π¨π¦ gcladd (

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This is the very first scratch build I ever "started" way back when I was still in school.
It began as a cover photo on a copy of Power Boating Ontario in July of 1986. I was looking for something that wasn't difficult (never thought that one through) as it was meant as a project for some youth that myself and a friend were working with through Youth for Christ in London Ontario.
The plan was to keep it small so the original drawings would create a hull no larger than 20" that could be operated with a 2 channel radio and would be a cheap build
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π¬ Re: Veron Marlin Cruiser Rebuild
12 months ago by
π¨π¦ gcladd (

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During the rebuild I ripped out the original stuffing box and altered the slope that the original owner had so that it is shallow and will handle a big 800 series high performance brushed motor I have that fits nice and low in the hull.
I bought the motor(s) about 15 years ago for my Perkasa but found they were too heavy for the 1/32 Precedent model and used a pair of Graupner Speed 600's instead. I don't consider weight a major issue with the Marlin Cruiser.
Built a removeable motor cover to aid in cooling, since I will have to add a water cooling port at some time if I can get an 800 size water jacket. The entire inside floor of the hull is removable in sections (bit of an ordeal to make work) and will conceal 4 C-size battery packs.
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π Veron Marlin Cruiser Rebuild
12 months ago by
π¨π¦ gcladd (

Master Seaman)
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Picked up a vintage Veron Marlin Cruiser that was in bad shape many years ago when I was young, working and had little time to do anything with it.
During the covid "work at home years" years I got off my butt, covered the front deck opening, planked the deck and rebuilt the cabin to give the front window more slope.
Can't wait to get a big motor for this sucker and finish it off this summer!
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π¬ Re: PT-109 first scratch build
12 months ago by
π¨π¦ gcladd (

Master Seaman)
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Nice work. Your ambition puts me to shame. I have a 1/24 scale scratch built Elco PT boat that I started 30 years ago and have yet to finish.
After all this time I am afraid to paint it for fear that I will screw up my work. Time to overcome this stigma and get it done
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π¬ Re: Uniflite 28 "Salty Dog" Sport Fisherman
2 years ago by
π¨π¦ gcladd (

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Nice looking model. The paint scheme and geometry resembles a scratch built model I started back in the 80's and only recently started to finish based on a 1986 Bayliner 3250 cabin cruiser. Covid has resurrected all those builds that were started and never finished.
Mine is not a true scale model, but it is about 20" long from the bow sprite to the swim platform, balsa construction and was designed from the cover photo and an article in a July 1986 issue of Power Boating Ontario.
After doing a "dryfit on parts", Christmas looks like a good time to finish this one off and maybe do build journals on the many models I have in my drydock (been a recruit for to long). Like yours it is powered with a 540 motor and uses a 32mm prop.
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π¬ Re: Virgin Atlantic Challenger
2 years ago by
π¨π¦ gcladd (

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This model is a work in progress I did by scaling and redrawing the magazine drawing photos in Autocad.
It was done as a build sample a number of years ago when I had students in my design class building models from door skin in my scrap box. Most of the material I used was later bored out and lightened with balsa filler, but it is still way heavier than it should be. I will have to finish detailing and get it painted.
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π¬ Re: 20th Scale ELCO 80ft PT boat part 36
2 years ago by
π¨π¦ gcladd (

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Steradent tubes are clever. My PT boat's build scale is 1/24 and I played with many ideas to get a realistic shape and diameter of 22" Mk XIII's. I did not want excess weight so I tried plastic tubes with cut ping pong ball heads, but nothing gave the look I wanted
I eventually used some large aluminum cigar tubes that a friend gave me. The 7/8" diameter on these was the .04" undersized but they have their own bulb nose and they are so light. My model has roll off racks, so the smaller diameter works better with the rack size
Also these tubes have lots of inside space in the event I try to motorize them like John Drain did on his site.
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π¬ Re: 20th Scale ELCO 80ft PT boat part 28
3 years ago by
π¨π¦ gcladd (

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Nice build progress. I have a 1/24 scale Elco 80 footer (40" long) that I started many years ago from a modified fibreglass PT boat hull I bought from Dynamic Models, back in the late 80's . Every winter I tell myself "this is the winter that I will get this sucker painted", and after 10 years it has yet to happen. I have spent to many hours drawing and scratch building scale PT boat components with AutoCAD to just have them sit in a box waiting to be painted and mounted to the hull. You have inspired me to get my butt in gear and get this one finished.
GC Ladd
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π¬ Re: S 100 Schnellboot RC build
5 years ago by
π¨π¦ gcladd (

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πLove the 32nd Parallel stuff from way back when. You have inspired me to pull my type XXIII U-boat out of "moth balls", stop being so obsessed with details and get the build finished.
Might make a good build post on this site.
Wish I had purchased their Schnellboot as well back then, but as a newly graduated student at the time I bought the Type XXIII when my money was limited.
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