Hi there this is the detail I have about the LEDs
They are just standard flashing LEDs with no adjustment.

Ultra Bright Flashing / Flickering LEDs 3mm/5mm/8mm/10mm Multi Colour UK Seller
( 361399365207 )
Colour: Blue Flashing

Number of LEDs: 10x

Size: 3mm

I have purchased some 3mm blue flashing LEDs, to mount in the mast of a police boat, however the beam emits at 30 degrees (when the conductors are in a horizontal plane) I asked the seller (component shop) if this was normal or were they faulty.
The reply - Hi Michael,
Thanks for getting in touch. What you are describing is pretty much the case for all 3mm flashing LEDs, this is because unlike a standard LED which just has the one chip producing the light, the flashing LEDs have a second timer chip to produce the flashing effect. The two chips are mounted side by side as there is not enough room to mount the lighting chip centrally and still squeeze in the flasher.
Best Regards

Any thoughts ?

Graham A very nice result I have recently finished the three hatches on my police boat. I use the same technique as Rob using a piece of card to to give clearance's of this type, Another tip for a non stick gap is to use a piece of non stick oven liner (a Lakeland product) its reusable and there's no glue that will stick to it.

Graham it wasn't a criticism (a bit rough) just an observation of all planking when its first laid down

That really looks the part, a nice job well executed.

Hi there Steve , its not too difficult to make your own have a look at how I made mine for the Crash Tender

https://model-boats.com/blogs/37275#64926

🔗

A nice touch Rob very well executed, I did wonder if you could fit a small linier servo in the cockpit

A good job your keeping an eye on things Doug

Great minds think alike Ron, I also installed an old cooker hood above a bench area which is exhausted to the outside. I use it for brazing ,soldering, spraying and any other smelly jobs😝

I'm very fortunate to have 2 of my workshops within the house, my engineering workshop is in the basement which is centrally heated and my modelling workshop is on the fourth floor of the house which is half of an area I share with my good lady who has her sowing room up there again the warmest rooms in the house.
However my garage which is my car mechanics workshop is absolutely freezing and not to be ventured into in winter

Some tricky silver soldering there Rob, I can see why you've been quiet recently it must have taken an awful lot of time to build all that, let alone the planning to achieve such a superb outcome, a standard to aspire to

That's a really nice piece of work, it will look good when its finished.

I've been having a look at your club web site, its a very inviting piece of water, I bet your itching to get that new boat on the water

That's a nice space, is it a garage? if so were does the car go?

Thanks JB had a look at the possibility so Ill bear this in mind on the next build

Thanks Doug Ill better get the needle files into action.

My condolences to his family.

When applying the hull skins there was a feature incorporated in it (a fairlead) which ultimately is to be laminated with a 1.5mm piece of ply, however also included is a 5mm separate version so I choose to use the 5mm piece.
The 5mm component that is given in the kit first of all needs to be bent to the contour of the bow, because it’s made from 5mm ply which on such a small part will be difficult to bend. First I cut a former to the shape of the bow which will clamp the piece between it whilst it sets, so, jug kettle to the rescue, I dangle both parts in the steaming kettle for four or five minutes then they are quickly transferred to the clamping jig and left overnight to set.
Now we have the correct shape the piece has to be located in position on the bow, to make sure we have a secure mounting and also to ensure the shape is maintained I will place pins in the bottom of the piece, these pins will locate it on the bow.
Now since these are made from ply and the rest of the boat is made from walnut these pieces are to be veneered, pieces of veneer are cut to shape then glued in place using aliphatic glue and left to set using the jig as a press. Then top pieces are added and trimmed to size, finally the pieces are given three coats of gloss lacquer and a final coat of satin to match the deck.

Nice work Graham, planking is my favourite part of a build, its so satisfying seeing the initial laid planks looking "a bit rough" then the transformation when its sanded and lacquered

Hi Rob its amazing what you give away in a simple post, The main reason for this post was to show a quicker method of planking rather than waiting for each plank to dry before putting on the next.

Hi Stephen Its a Cannon sure shot its really useful as it has a digital screen that can rotate upside down and backwards

On the real boat the side panels are actually the inside faces of the planked hull and are angled at about 45 degrees, so to try and simulate this I decided to plank some side panels to fit down the sides of the lower deck, Once again I used some 0.8 mm ply as a backing. The backing sheets were cut to the shape of the box side which is tapered towards the stern, next I cut lengths of plank at random to mix the different shades and the ends are cut to 45 degrees so they can be set against the bottom edge when gluing, these are then laid on the backing sheet in position ready for gluing.
The backing ply is stuck to the building matt (which in turn is stuck to the building board) with double sided tape, this will stop the sheet warping when the glue is drying, it also allows me to fasten a piece of wood along the bottom edge to push each plank against and also to rest the angled “ply pusher” (see picture) against it to ensure each plank is at 45 degrees and is pushed up against the corking.
I work from a full length plank first to give a firm piece to push subsequent planks against, I will work from this plank to the right and then finish planks to the left. The process is quite repetitive – spread an area with glue just in front of the last plank then lay a strip of black card against that last plank making sure its covered in glue, then take the next plank and lay in the glue and using the angled “ply pusher” push the plank securely home, then remove any excess glue and repeat the process. This whole process takes about an hour to place all the planks in place, the side piece is then left to fully dry and the second side is prepared ready to glue.
Since the sides are planked with walnut timber its only right that the end sections are treated in the same manner to give a consistent look. For this I had already purchased some walnut veneer which I used on the motor housing. Pieces where cut to size for each end then the surfaces were coated with aliphatic glue and the veneer pushed against each end and pressed home using “ply springs” (bendy ply sticks)against a flat board. Once the ends are set I can then cut out the various apertures that were previously cut out for the wires, pipe ducts and fuse holders, these are carefully cut using taper cutters and small files.
There is a video clip showing my process, please forgive the background music and heavy breathing, it sounds like I'm on my last legs, it must be a very sensitive microphone on the camera😁

https://model-boats.com/blogs/37275

🔗

Police boat planking

▶️

Hi there Zdenek, Fred, this is what I did for multiple LEDs from a single power source. you can see more in the web link

https://model-boats.com/blogs/37275

🔗

On the real boat the side panels are actually the inside faces of the planked hull and are angled at about 45 degrees, so to try and simulate this I decided to plank some side panels to fit down the sides of the lower deck, Once again I used some 0.8 mm ply as a backing. The backing sheets were cut to the shape of the box side which is tapered towards the stern, next I cut lengths of plank at random to mix the different shades and the ends are cut to 45 degrees so they can be set against the bottom edge when gluing, these are then laid on the backing sheet in position ready for gluing.
The backing ply is stuck to the building matt (which in turn is stuck to the building board) with double sided tape, this will stop the sheet warping when the glue is drying, it also allows me to fasten a piece of wood along the bottom edge to push each plank against and also to rest the angled “ply pusher” (see picture) against it to ensure each plank is at 45 degrees and is pushed up against the corking.
I work from a full length plank first to give a firm piece to push subsequent planks against, I will work from this plank to the right and then finish planks to the left. The process is quite repetitive – spread an area with glue just in front of the last plank then lay a strip of black card against that last plank making sure its covered in glue, then take the next plank and lay in the glue and using the angled “ply pusher” push the plank securely home, then remove any excess glue and repeat the process. This whole process takes about an hour to place all the planks in place, the side piece is then left to fully dry and the second side is prepared ready to glue.
Since the sides are planked with walnut timber its only right that the end sections are treated in the same manner to give a consistent look. For this I had already purchased some walnut veneer which I used on the motor housing. Pieces where cut to size for each end then the surfaces were coated with aliphatic glue and the veneer pushed against each end and pressed home using “ply springs” (bendy ply sticks)against a flat board. Once the ends are set I can then cut out the various apertures that were previously cut out for the wires, pipe ducts and fuse holders, these are carefully cut using taper cutters and small files.
There is a video clip showing my process, please forgive the background music and heavy breathing, it sounds like I'm on my last legs, it must be a very sensitive microphone on the camera😁

Police boat planking

▶️

Hi Graham I like the thought of using what is available rather than buying new all the time, you always seem to buy more than you need ending up with an excess of materials. I've just finished a few weeks ago the planking of the police boat but have not written it up yet.
My next post will detail the process I use.

Hi Martin, they will be able to be charged in situ, however I'm hoping since they are only powering a few LEDs it will last quite a long time on a full charge.

Thanks for that JB, nothing is final until its "final" so its a possibility to investigate.

I want an additional battery supply for the lighting so it’s not using the main motor battery, there is space in the bow area and also in the stern but both of these spaces would cause extra weight in the wrong place. The only other place is in the centre of the boat under the motor box cover, to be able to fit batteries in this space I decided to use standard rechargeable AA batteries housed in a proprietary battery box (£1.50 each on EBay).
So that the boxes could be fitted and secured in this space they are best mounted at an angle this enables them to be joined together over the top of the prop shaft and fastened to the floor either side. I built the mount using some black pieces of 3mm black Perspex machined to give the angular mount, the pieces were glued together using Tensol adhesive. The wiring I installed earlier in the build can now be pulled up through the floor and used to send power to the bow or stern. At this point I haven’t decided what lighting will be required in the cabin area and also at the bow and stern

Just a reminder, I thought I'd just bump it to the top again and ask if those who don't contribute could they please consider making a contribution in this, a New Year and hopefully a fresh start for everyone - and the web site

Sorry to hear that Sy I'm sure you'll get back to it in the new year, so all the best for Christmas and the New Year