'Working from what few photos I could find on the net, the plans were not very detailed.' That's good, because I was totally gonna give you grief about your superstructure
Work continues on with waterproofing the wood and sealing the joints on the fiberglass board. Shape of the funnel has been created, still more work to do with detail so that the casting looks proper.
Fixed a depression in the bow (run away sander), mat and then cloth with west system epoxy. All the wood has been waterproofed at this point, that was a lot of work. Bow blast shield is in place, next is a coat or primer and paint before the blast curtain is placed in the hull. Still need to sand the shape of the top rail at the bow, there is a slight flair at the top.
The keel is back on the ship. As long as I can do 10-15 min per day I should get this done by next NATS... Now it is time to add motors, shafts, and the "going to be fun" rudder setup.
Work continues although slowly, everything is epoxied and primed. Next is the shafts and motor mounts.
Shafts are in, still need to make the wing supports that attach the shaft to the keel. Looks like wings, not sure why they did this instead of the more traditional supports. Set the shafts as low in the hull as possible, this is due to running her high in the water so she can take the damage and have a chance to reach port. The brown is west system with micro balloons, this still needs to be sanded but not before the stern is built. Going to use the BC double gearbox to drive both screws, a 550 should give me plenty of power at a blistering 34 second speed. Next is to make the rudder assembly, thinking of doing an articulating rudder. Thinking of doing a "how to" on mold making in this build if there is interest, otherwise will just post the final pieces.
Is West Systems Epoxy + balloons stiff enough when wet that it holds its shape without support? I must get some balloons to try out. I'd be interested in a mold maing tutorial.
Rebuilt the BC dual gearbox and dry-fitted it to the hull. Need to pick up a one inch pipe coupler to hold the 550 motor, will use a metal clamp to keep it attached to the hull. Using a speed controller to keep it simple, just need to attach the dean connectors. The small water tight cylinder will house the receiver, this will be held to the hull with Velcro. More than likely I will mount this high in the hull to ensure it is not sitting in water for an extended length of time (unless sunk). Batteries will be placed after the majority of the boat is built so I can find the center of gravity for the ship. With these batteries I can run all day and not worry about juice for the ship. Next is fun making and installing the rudder and rudder servo.
I suspect that he was using it as a fairing compound. You can make a pretty good filler putty out of microballoons and epoxy, but it's not that great as a structural material. Sands well though and is very light weight. If I want a structural putty, I'll add some chopped glass or microfibers.
Thanks Brian, the micro balloons were used to make it easier to sand to final shape. I do use the chopped fibers for more structural applications.
Did not have any more "regular" expanding foam, so I used what was available. Mental note, "15 times expanding" is 14 times more than what I thought... Started work on the prop shaft wings. Fiberglass board to make a rigid connection. So much sanding still to do in this area... Motor mount is in, will reinforce later this week. The holder for the ESC is also in place.
One step forward, two steps back. The foam I used absorbs water, so out it went. Now filled with balsa blocks and west system epoxy. Tried to upload pictures, but not having much luck today. Servo tray is installed, using aluminum right angle with tapped holes for the servo, should make for a strong mount. Rudder is currently being made out of fiberglass board and epoxy. Next is sanding and final interior paint, then the blast shield. Doing the final sanding on the bow to get the curved angle at the top of the bow.
Smooth-on Flexit Foam III, it is like a sponge (in feel and absorbency). Definitely not for our hobby. I prefer the Smooth-on rigid foams, easier to cut and sand (also you can use spackle to fill the voids and clear coat over it for a smooth finish.
Final coat of epoxy paint and sanding has been done to the stern. Servo tray installed as well as the rudder post.
Notched the ribs so that I could include the below decks access, the angle was filled with epoxy mixed with fiberglass fibers.
Taped the sides and applied red paint to the bottom of the ship. So far so good, there was a lot of sanding involved in this process.
