Given the popularity of the Golo in 144 scale, I thought that a similar sized ship in Battlestations may create a little interest. So I found a little yard oiler just 174' long with a single prop for simplicity. The YOG 05 class oilers were self-propelled gasoline barges. Basic shell - about 22" long, so shorter than the 144 Golo but bigger than my 1/48 scale PT boat. Assembled with superstructure. Corrugated plastic board forms the outside of the stern deck house. It's a great use of all those political signs. Sheeted, partially painted and ready for installation of hardware. Interior. I didn't have time to put a pump in or fit the internal armor, so 15 oz of lead was added to make the waterline. The motor is a 130 size driving a 3/4" prop. At 50% throttle it draws about 0.5 Amps. A 1450 mAhr 2S LiFe battery should provide about 2 hours of run time. No room for the rudder servo under the deck, so it is mounted on the deck and protected by the outside of the first level superstructure. Shakedown cruise in moderately rough waters. With 1/2" of freeboard, the deck is definitely wet.
Technically, the back 'superstructure' that's usually considered hull would have to be penetrable, but I love the packaging. Nicely-built ship!
I discussed that very point with several people. It was evident from the drawings that the aft superstructure as not built as part of the hull - for example the hull frames only extend to the main deck. Even in the pictures the aft superstructure looks tacked on, not a smooth extension of the hull. So after much discussion I decided to treat it as superstructure, not hull. I'm sure some will see it it differently, but this ship is different from the standard Liberty ship or battleship that have been modeled 100's of times.
I guess for sinking purposes, the captains will just have to know that the deck (for 'decks awash' purposes) is at the base of the SS. No big deal. How thick is the deck? I was admiring the magnets in the subdeck, but then wondered how thick the magnets in the deck were. Wondering because I've been contemplating using some high-strength magnets to solve my wandering SS problem. My freaking 1/144 POW developed a 10-15 degree list this weekend because the SS got moved (admittedly there's no bracket, the deck lip holds it on, so my fault), if the pump hadn't blow off its restrictor I'd have been sunk big time. But USS Macon needs quick,easy center-section removal, those magnets look like part of the solution.
The decks are 3/8" thick since the freeboard is less than 1". The subdeck is 1/4" and the deck top is 1/8". The magnets I use are 1/4" diameter x 1/16" thick, so they can be set flush even in the 1/8" plywood. A 1/4" Forsner bit allows me to drill a hole for the magnet without going all the way through the deck.
wow, 1/16" thick Yes, I have quite the Forstner bit collection for my woodworking needs If you ever need to use the 3" one, I've got it
Wow, 3"... that must of cost you and arm and a leg. I can get the magnets at my LHS, but I have also ordered them from here: http://www.kjmagnetics.com/proddetail.asp?prod=D41-N52 It is amazing how fast 150 of these have disappeared into my ships.
Getting the 3" one wasn't as bad as finding something powerful enough to use it Thanks for the link, I've just ordered!
