I am selling my HMS Vanguard hull as I am going to use smaller boats from now on. I also have a Ralph Coles Graf Spee hull uncut also for sale for 80.00 plus shipping Vanguard is 100.00 plus shipping. please contact me for more information. There are pics of both hulls somewhere in these forums. I have my eye on a couple of class 4.5-5.5 ships that much better suit my needs. Chris
Ok, Thanks Chris. I am still undecided what to do over the winter. My original idea was scuppered when my plan turned out to be too inaccurate to use. Not sure what to do -- I could invest in a new set of plans, or a new hull, or use one of the hulls in my garage. I contact you off-list if I decide to get a new hull....
Hi Bob, John gave me Tommy's old Nagato -- I was going to build a new wood hull from it and reuse the superstructure. I didn't plan on using it, I just wanted to get it to a useful state (and keep my hands busy). The problem is that the sections I have are over 1/2 inch too shallow for the Nagato. I think they were distorted a little to get them into the book I used. I really don't want to buy another plan as I am a 'victim of the resession' and want to keep the cost down. I am in the process of stripping off the old balsa and waterchanneling foam to see if I can resurrect the old hull with some rebuilding/reinforcing. It seems that the bottom of the boat consists of 1/8 inch plywood - I don't see a keel (as such) but it might be a double keel hidden by the waterchanneling. Once it is stripped I might be able to strengthen it enough to make it useful for another year or two. But at this point I don't really know. In the meantime I was looking for a winter project. I have a ton of hulls in my garage -- but as always, none really appeal to me right now.
Hi Rob, Is that his original Nagato? If so I wouldn't waste any time on it. Tom got it from a reseller of used hulls and non-functioning BB cannons and part of the hull was rotten. I think Curt and Tom started to repair it , then realized it was too far gone to be worth rebuilding. Tom replaced it with a fiberglass hull from Battlers. Bob
(sorry to hijack your thread Chris) Yeah it's the original --- it is in really really bad shape. The stern cracked behind the rudder while I was stripping the balsa. It later then broke off while I was gutting the inside. I have found at least two different types of bondo, plus fairing compound. The channeling was made from two different types of foam, plus a couple of balsa blocks, all covered with some kind of resin. There are umpteen coats of paint on it which probably accounts for 90% of structural strength since there is NO keel - the ribs are glued directly to a 1/8(!) in. plywood bottom. The toprails are rough shape too. I am planning to spend a little more time on it to see if anything can be done. I was planning to start a rebuild-thread but I don't think it would be very long and likely to end with the phrase "into the garbage can"
