Post by Commander Popeye on Oct 24, 2007 16:56:46 GMT 1
With the hull fully planked (1st layer), fore and aft (front and back) decks fitted, the resin anchor piece (from kit 22) glued on but without the main, centre removable deck, the model weighs almost exactly 3 lbs. I applied several layers of 350mm wide clingwrap along the hull so as to wrap the hull in a continuous length and therefore waterproof it so that it could be floated in the bath without risk of wetting. I marked off the proposed waterline at 1 11/16 inches from the flat keel bottom, using a length of insulating tape (according to the various photos and drawings, you could go up to 2 ins, but this only leaves 1 inch up to the underside of the deck, rather small in choppy waters, as I intend to power up and use my ship for real). I needed 10 lbs of ballast to take the ship down level to the proposed waterline. Therefore all up displacement is 13 lb (you could go up to 15 lb with 2 ins of hull submerged). I hope to use 2 x 6v 7.5ah lead-acid leakproof batteries (which weigh about 3 lbs each) which should provided adequate ballast (each battery will power each engine separately with a separate speed controller to provide an element of redundancy, the battery elimination circuit supply from each of the speed controllers being commoned and fed into the receiver/control units - the one area that I cannot easily duplicate).
Incidentally, for the second hull layer I have bought 5mm x 1mm x 1m strips from my model shop at Worthing, Sussex (so that I can cover almost the whole hull length with each strip, for added uniformity and strength - and Squires shop and mail order at Bognor Regis 01243 842424 do a blank bending machine for £11, which is very good). I will probably then also apply a thin glass reinforced resin layer (the type used for aeroplane bodies) over the hull for additional strength prior to painting). Inside the hull I used a semi-stiff dress lining gauze (from CH Fabrics) to reinforce the hull instead of Boots bandage gauze. It is much easier to cut and handle as it keeps its shape and does not break up in your hand as you cut it!! I use quarter turn dzus fittings to hold the centre deck section onto the hull (the receiver end of the fittings are screwed under the internal "gangway" that runs around the inside of the hull sides, just below the top).
By the way, I am a real (submarine) engineer. My other boat is a steam-driven (2 x Stuart Turner triple expansion marine engines) 9ft model of the Japanese battleship Yamato (Fleetscale/Westward Mouldings)
Incidentally, for the second hull layer I have bought 5mm x 1mm x 1m strips from my model shop at Worthing, Sussex (so that I can cover almost the whole hull length with each strip, for added uniformity and strength - and Squires shop and mail order at Bognor Regis 01243 842424 do a blank bending machine for £11, which is very good). I will probably then also apply a thin glass reinforced resin layer (the type used for aeroplane bodies) over the hull for additional strength prior to painting). Inside the hull I used a semi-stiff dress lining gauze (from CH Fabrics) to reinforce the hull instead of Boots bandage gauze. It is much easier to cut and handle as it keeps its shape and does not break up in your hand as you cut it!! I use quarter turn dzus fittings to hold the centre deck section onto the hull (the receiver end of the fittings are screwed under the internal "gangway" that runs around the inside of the hull sides, just below the top).
By the way, I am a real (submarine) engineer. My other boat is a steam-driven (2 x Stuart Turner triple expansion marine engines) 9ft model of the Japanese battleship Yamato (Fleetscale/Westward Mouldings)