What is the status for everyones battle readiness? I've got the sheeting on the Suffren ripped off and 98% of the superglue that someone used to sheet it with chiseled off. New sheeting has been silkspanned on one side and hopefully this weekend the new sheeting will go one and get sanded down and then silkspaned and doped. Suffren still needs her motor and gearbox remount job completed, which I will probably do this week while the sides are off. After sheeting its off to the paintcrew to make her pretty again. Suffren should be fully operational by the upcoming battle. The Mystery Maru has had the proper ballast allocated to the proper locations, but still needs water channeling, sea trials and to be fitted for a pump when in use as a target ship. She will be ready for sea trials at the next event. The Orfey class destroyer project (teeny tiny thing) is moving along slowly. The framing is complete and has been fiberglassed, it's sitting in my brothers garage though while it outgasses. Probably this weekend I'll go sand it down and trim the excess off. I have everything for the ship that I need to finish it since it will not be armed. She will likely come with to the next battle, and has a decent chance of being ready for sea trials.
Tirpitz is sheeted but not repaired from initial sea trials (esc/motor were destroyed) brushless motor and esc are in and awaiting installation all cannons (greg design) are in and awaiting assembly and installation I believe I only have two or three working valves at the moment but I have to double check that all pneumatics system is installed except cannons and remaining valves radio box is assembled and awaits waterproofing superstructure awaits final painting
Mutsu has her stern structure mostly rebuilt. No skin on the aft 6 inches of hull yet. Radio box was totally disassembled and one of the poppets replaced. She should be mostly ready to go by the next battle. Mogodor's pump has been located. A replacement ESC has arrived and needs to be wired in. Hull damage from transport need to be repaired. Should only require a couple of hours to get her ready.
Your persistent repairing of the Mutsu is impressive. I think by this time I would have put it on the shelf and started cutting that fiberglass hull out that you have. You have any luck retrieving the I-boat yet or hear from Hovey?
I did talk to Hovey. He hasn't done much on the ships for several months but has rearranged the garage so he can actually work in it. I haven't reached Kelley recently. I called the last time I was up in the area but no one was home. The challenge is keeping several ships working really limits the time to build a new one. I hope to make progress on her over the summer bit we are probably looking at fall before she is on the water. I don't want to wait that long and the work on the radio box won't be lost as it will be used in the next version anyway.
Good luck. I think we should try for an IRC sanctioned battle at the june battle, hopefully in cle elum, if things are ok there that early. -Greg
Time is the enemy of us all it seems. If I wasnt working 4x10s, I dont think I'd be very far on my projects - and I know I won't get much further this month, just got confirmation that a freelance project I had lined up is a go for this month - I'll have time to make it to a battle, but not much else it looks like..
voting/rules proposing in IRC... Right now the speed rules synchronization is on the ballot (I.E. make MWC and IRCWCC speeds the same, which speeds up cruisers by 1) and the IRCWCC rules about rotates are so poorly worded that there is great disagreement on them, and I would like to see that cleared up, but to vote/propose one needs to have fought in a sanctioned battle.
The Bismarck is ready to go. I was wondering if anybody has an extra poppet valve head. It would make my cannon work a little better but is not manditory to battle. Just increases the rate of fire. Nothing major.
Phill is correct I have been busy reworking my garage so I can actually get some work done out there. Now if I can just get work to stop getting in the way of my free time! I am hoping that the Westfalen will be repaired in a few weeks and the NC is still in parts.
less than 2 weeks, go go go! Is the Westfalen in the same state as the end of last year, still leaking co2?
Yeah, not much time left. I have been working on her and hope to do a sea trial on my pond soon. Also I might have a small surprise finished by then but no promises.
Warship first, surprise second, but you should bring the surprise along even if unfinished. Always good for discussions.
Things to do before the 18th: Fix trailer lights, mow 7 acres, spend weekend showing alpacas (three day trip), clean out barn, buy hay, clean pens. THEN I get to work on boats.
Hope the weather clears up next weekend like it has for this weekend. Suffren got new sides Friday and hull paint last night. Just need to put her back together.
