We will do our best too turn heads and I believe we will especially once we learn what we are doing []
Have you tried out Bowning Shipyards in Australia? See the AusBG.org web site for a link. You can get a current quote on a hull with an enquiry. The hulls are quite rugged, though not so "pretty" as BC hulls. I have 4 so far, and have been very satisfied. Cheers,
Considering that we paint out hulls anyways. Is a gelcoat all that nessary? I know why it is nessary on full scale boats and all, but our boats do not spend enough time in the water.
Note: Some not only lack gelcoat, but are not trimmed. What I mean by an example. My 3 island tramp was aolid from the tip of the bow straight back to the top of the poop. There were no 3 islands. This is not a bad thing. I could cut the deckline where I wanted it for building, and, in my case build in the well-decks and scuppers. But you need to be aware that some additional cutting may be needed. This is also good, as it allows you to use the same hull in some slightly different configurations. As for the no gelcoat, we do paint and cover the hulls with balsa, and the surface gives great adherence. Like I said, I really like mine. They are rugged and battle-worthy. We have a dozen or more in our club, I believe, some waiting for build-out, some battling for 5 years or more. But, if you want a lighter weight, thinner fiberglass, pretty, gelcoated, trimmed up hull, BC has some good ones. Of course, the question was where to get less expensive ones. Cheers
All Ralph has the following fiberglass hulls for sale. Tirpitz (2) New Zealand (2) Dunkerque (1) Rodney (1) He also has the following 1/72nd scale hulls Surcouf French cruiser submarine (2) M1 British submarine (2) Santissima Trinidad (Spanish ship-of-the-line) (2) He also has the following 1/24th scale hulls. Simon Lake Submarine (2) Soviet river monitors I am not sure about the prices on these, but if anyone is interested in them, please contact Ralph. Thanks. Mikey
BC is not really 'expensive', relatively speaking... when Swampworks was still running, their prices were in the same range; And really, from the perspective of someone who has been eyeballing BC hulls for several years, their prices haven't gone up a whole lot, whereas the price of many things has.
I cant speak for BC, although ive emailed rick several times and he's been nothing short of helpful, but Ralph's hulls are absolutely amazing and worth every cent, even if they are cheaper then BC hulls.
If your interested, I have molds for both the USN Gearing and the IJN Akizuki, the Akizuki would be the easier of the 2 to build with the weight and space issues. The Gearing had 95 sisters, so lots of names to use there..
Mikey, do you know if there is a loose Richelieu hull floating around someplace? I'm in the market ...
Ralph Coles traded one of his newer hulls for one of his Richilieu hulls last weekend. The latter is unused and available for sale. Bob
pre-pearl harbor or post pearl harbor? If it's a pre-pearl harbor hull the BC Maryland is the correct hull.
I am planning to have a couple more packages sent down from Ralph. He has the following hulls left. 1/144 Tirpitz (2) New Zealand (2) 1/72 Surcouf (sub) M1 (sub) 1/24 Soviet gunboat PT boat Simon Lake (sub) If anyone is interested in any of the hulls, please contact me directly, and I will see about having them added to my boxes. Thanks. Mikey
