Mine are from a woodworking on-line store, or you can make somthing up, many possiblities, just go with what you like, no way is right or wrong.
I now have the sub deck epoxied in and ready to continue. Looks like I better read my directions to see whats next. As I don't have a clue! Is this section OK with its step? What about prop shaft measurements. I marked some spots on the bottom of hull. Two lines are 1 1/2 inch on each side of the keel center and a and perpendicular line 10 3/8 from transom to where the prop shaft should enter ,I think, going by the big drawing of the ship. I also put a line perpendicular to the 2 keels lines at the level or where the hull flattens. Hope you can see something and advise. I also have a small picture of the big plan and parts, what is what?
djranier Stuffing tubes for the rudder and shafts doesn't sound very nice. Joke! Gotta look at my directions, does GB 500 mean anything as far as gearbox?
GB500 is battlers connection part code for their gearbox with gears. here you can see the shafts coming from the left into the gear boxes, the shaft has the big white gear on it(thats not the stock Charley gear, I use 32 pitch gears in all my boats, no reason why I just do and they work so I haven't changed) The motors don't have gears on their shafts yet. but thats generally how everything is mounted together. the copper tubing around the motors is for watercooling, i havent hooked it up but i thought i might when i was building it.
I posted some new pics above to show where I am. Snipe was right this does have the GB500 gear boxes. Hope some one knows how to get me going again.
V Strut, Drag prop, single strut, prop on prop shaft in stuffing tube. The struts will hold the stuffing tube (the tube the shaft runs through) and attach to the hull, they help hold the stuffing tubes in place adding some structural stability. The drag props go on the outer shafts that you aren’t powering. The step looks ok, how much space is there between them, you’ll want that to be a solid step so no water gets in. Want to hang out and work on hulls today? I have a lot of forming and sanding to do on my wooden von der tann hull that I was going to do today anyway.
Looks like we are going out. The step has 1/2 inch between them. I gotta check out the DVD on building befor I can continue on the ship. Can see where to drill yet.
unless i misunderstood Ron, he is going out today so i dont think we are going to meet up. Ill be working on my boat most of the day at my place, not sure if im going out this evening or not. I dont mind if you stop by if you want some help with something, cant promise ill be here but i probably will be for atleast most of the afternoon.
I have to go make a delivery after work so I'll just work on the windows a my place. Maybe next time.
Looking at info for installing the prop shafts and it sure seems difficult to set this up without problems. Have to understand it better before I drill any holes. Any easy techniques for doing this? Even Bob's DVD shows it as a hit and miss installation. Tough job!Is there a flexible connector that goes from the motor to the prop shaft or is this a solid connection. Flexible would allow it to be slightly off.
This will be a long post, its actually quite easy to do, but hard at the same time, because you don't want to drill that first hole in your new hull bottom. Once you get over the drilling part, you will not have any problem with it. First thing is get the rudder post installed and the rudder on. You use it to reference where the prop stuffing tubes go. You have a skeg so its pretty each to determine where it goes. Just dill the hole, put the rudder stuffing tube thru the hole, and put the rudder post support over the rudder tube. You then shape the bottom of the rudder post with a sander to fit the hull. Install the rudder, and swing it back in forth to ensure it is not binding or hitting anything. If everything looks good, tack in with SG. For right now the rudder shaft it self may extend above the deck, do not cut yet. The GB500 slides on to the end of the stuffing tube, and then the bottom is glued to the hull. What you do is drill the holes, get the stuffing tubes into place, with the shaft and prop installed in the stuffing tube, and put the GB500 on to the end of the tube, from the inside of the boat. You objective here is trying to get the inboard stuffing tubes as level as possible, and at the same time as close as possible to each other, without the props hitting. If the tubes are angled down too much you will actually pull the stern of the ship under water when you go in reverse, in just a few feet. The reason the props are on of course is so that they help with the alignment, and you make sure they do not hit the hull. What size props did you get with your kit should also determine where the shafts are installed, especially since you only have 1 rudder. The goal here is to pass as much of your water flow from the propellers as possible across the single rudder. As a example, say you received 2, 2 inch propellers, the shaft centers should be no more than 2 1/4 inches apart, I would go for 2 1/8. That way the props are 1/8 to 1/4 apart at the tips of the blades. On my PE, they are right at 1/8. Dont worry what the drawing shows on the shaft seperation, this is critical if you want the boat to turn. Also a slight angle in of the shafts will again help with the water flow across the rudder. What I mean here is using my above example. 2 1/4 at the shaft centers, at the propellers, and 2 3/4 at the GB500 gearbox shaft centers. That will give 1/4 inch on each shaft, so that the water is slightly angled in towards the rudder. Next the forward to stern alignment, this is the reason for the rudder being installed first. The closer the props are to the rudder the better. If your props have a very pointed hub, which sticks out alot, sand it off, just be carefull you do not heat them to much that you desolder the blades. The new BC's I dont think you will even need to do this, unless you received the older style which were quite pointy, the new ones are rounded. You align the stuffing tubes with the props on, swinging the rudder back and forth making sure they do not hit the rudder, again you are going for a 1/8 to 1/4 clearence, basicly as close as you can get them without hitting the rudder. While at the same time, sanding the bottom of the GB500 to fit to the hull, You can sand off quite a bit of the bottom of it, and you will sand quite a bit off of the bottom side facing the stern of the ship. This is very important also, since the GB500 installation needs to be straight and align up with the stuffing tubes, so that when you put the gears on the shaft, everything aligns up straight. It should be pretty straight when you put it on to the stuffing tube, and to do the alignment from front to rear, you will find its actually the sanding on the bottom of the GB500 what determines the alignment. Next thing dont worry about the holes, but the time you are done they will be much larger than what you ever wanted to see, they may even scare you into thinking you really hosed it up, don't worry alignment is more important than anything else that you will ever do to the boat. My holes always start small but grow geometrically till I have the shafts aligned to where I want them, usually 1/2 inch wide 3 or 4 inches long. I then just tack everything in with SG, so that I can always move somthing again if needed. Once everything looks good, proper alignment, and nothing hitting, I then use the masking tape and tape off the area around the stuffing tubes from the outside, then flip it over and using 5 min epoxy level the area I'm epoxying and epoxy the tubes and GB500 1 at a time so that it does not run all over. Afterwards the masking tape just pulls right off and you may or may not have to just patch a few small areas. This was long winded, but this is the most important thing that you will do, for great operation of your boat. And I hope it helps.
djranier I have the rudder and when looking at the hull where does it go. There are 3 steps in the bottom of the hull. I have the large print which shows it a little different. Gonna work through this slow but asking questions. I think this is where the rudder goes. See pic. Am I right? Do you make the ruder tight enough that you contour the rudder to fit in?
That looks right to me Ron. Have you checked out Steve Reichenbach's website? He has some pictures of his Maryland. He is a really good builder and has a few shots of his prop/rudder setup as well as other internal stuff. Visit this site hope that helps a little
Got the nerve to drill after I saw that Steve's pics. Fits in but its toooo high and hits the deck. Should I cut the outer and inner shaft down some? How much is some? You guys are helping me so much I promise won't shoot at you if the oportunity arrises (SIKE). At the rate I going maybe spring 2009 VE VILL MEET. FARGEDABOUTIT!
How are you going to turn the rudder? Throw arm or gear. Cut both right now to get the rudder to fit close to the hull. Cut the hull a bit to get the rudder to fit if needed, looks like you need to at the top front edge of the rudder. Square the hull off some. Remember any that you cut from the rudder affects your total rudder area, not good, [V]. If the hull gets a bit thin, just add resin to the inside. []
Cut the two shafts to fit and trim the hull and not the rudder. The rudder post is also too high should I cut it down some to get the top to be shorter and allow the shaft to stick through. Should the rudder shaft stick through the post so the arm mounts on top but misses hitting the sub deck?. I'll sand the base of the rudder post to fit hull. Using Throw arm or gear? Whatever you say don't know.
