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[Mark T]

Mark may i give you another idea.
A 12v 7ah bat weighs about 2.5kg . A 3s 11.1v 5ah hard case weighs about 320g. My ferry is powerd by x2 720 bb torque motors. Like it has been said they pull naff amps. so a 5ah bat will last a very long time . Here is the good bit . with lead sheet you can get it down very low in the hull a lot lower than a 7ah bat. This will make your boat more stable . If your 7ah bat is fitted so the terminals are at the top,then the top of bat will be above the water line . It was like this in my ferry. I noticed a bit improvment in stability by swaping from x2 12v 7ah bat to a 3s lipo and lead sheet.

john

Hi John thanks for the info - Now I must be honest I know nothing and I really mean nothing about batteries    This boat is going to need a lot of ballast but having said that there is a lot of space in the hull to place lead.  I'll have to look into this a bit further as I was also interested in what Inertia said about using 2 different power options.  I would like to have one charging point if possible and I don't know if this is possible with different power sources.

[Stavros]

Hi David I did read about that some where but I can't remember where     In all honesty I do not think that I would even try that mainly due to my lack of experience with paint.  I just had too much to loose!  Happy new year to you mate :)

 
It's in Painting guide by myself
 
Dave

[Mark T]

 It's in Painting guide by myself
 
Dave

Ha ha yes Dave it is - I will try and improve next time I just didn't want to mess things up.

Talking of which!!  Only joking - Here's a little update.  I am glad to say that I have at last reached the last part of the paintwork on the outside of the hull     I'm sure everyone else is a bit fed up with it too.  To put the job into perspective though it has been at least 1 week between colours for drying so its been a 2 month paint job; so far 

Anyway onto the last part - There were quite a few minor blemishes that required sanding out which I did with 1200 paper.  After they had been removed the whole of the hull was smoothed and prep'd with grey scotchbright.  This was an all or nothing job for me; either it would go well or ruin my work so far.  I'm glad to say that it went ok.

Prepping with scotchbright



Then the deck was masked up and the hull was given 3 really good coats of clear lacquer after degreasing and tack cloth.  I must say that this pushed the rattle cans to the limit of what they can do.  The spray pattern was a bit to small for such a big area and as such I had to move far more slowly with the cans than I wanted to. 

Also because the cans were being sprayed for quite a long period I found that the lacquer dripped just in front of the nozzle and needed constant wiping to stop it spitting    I found this out a bit late but its nothing that I can't easily remove.  Here's how it came out





Now I can't do anything with it now for a week as it needs to fully cure.  The lacquer certainly has pulled all of the paint together and from earlier experiments it seems to dry harder than the paint.  Its also extremely glossy so at some point in the future I may matt it down with something like testors dull coat but only after compatibility tests.  I'm unsure yet so I'm going to leave it for now.

Anyway as soon as its fully dry I will post some nice photo's of the finished paint job.  The next jobs on the list are - fit all of the motors and props, install the floor in the base of the hull, work out the ballast and re-work the fixings on the rear deck.  I think that I'm going to finish the hull and all of its detailing before starting on the superstructure.

So that's it for now as these pictures are about 1 year of my part time life on this boat but I'll keep this thread as up to date as I possibly can.

Thanks for looking - Mark

[derekwarner]

Mark......

1. if one were to read this thread from today going backwards  ...it would be difficult to comprehend that the hull was sheet on frame construction
2. the final finish on the hull appears to be of a first class professional paint job on a glass hull 
3. it is amazing that you have attained such a finish with rattle cans
4. congratulations.....

.....Derek

[Mark T]

Wow Derek I honestly don't know what to say - Thanks very much for you comments     I'll do my best to get some "posed" pictures up next week.  I have loved building this hull but on occasion I could of happily thrown it out of the window    I am really looking forward to getting into the detail now I just can't wait!

[david48]

Hi Mark
DM has done me a drawing set up to charge two batteries witha a change over switch .I think it's on here somewhere I'll have a look for it . I do have a hard copy in the build file . This is my next job , I will ask Component Shop which are the best connectors to use to plug the charger into charge circuit . As I will be useing two batteries fitted as per drawing when I have all the electrical control gear in getting the batteries out will be a dit awkward .iwill try some pictures .
David 48

[Shanew79]

Dave M,
Thanks for the heads up on the oz supplier. Think I might send Action Electronics an E-mail direct.

Mark,
I bought my kit today finally. I'm in the zone and ready to go! Looks a pretty extensive kit when you start to go through it. I have just started today having a rough check that all the parts are there and I have found something missing already, Did your kit come with plastic ladders for the superstructure and deck? Should be 8 in total according to the parts list. I didn't get any!!! Am I missing something here, do we build them out of wood???

Shane

[derekwarner]

Shane......without stealing the thread...[Mark T] who I know will not mind ......buying from Component Shop in the UK from OZ is a breeze

1. good response to your e-mail enquiry
2. UK postage to OZ is not really that expensive...you get a firm quotation prior to you order
3. ten days from order to reciept
4. no association to the designer  , or proprietor of Component Shop

Just another happy customer with ACTion products  ........... D 

[Shanew79]

Thanks Derek,
That's good news, I also trying to fid a supplier for the Roboesch Bow thruster as well. You know of any in oz?

Shane

[inertia]

Hi Dave M - I am going to use 2 gel 12v batteries mainly as a simple way of ballasting the hull but also because it will run all day without a charge.  What I want to do though is set up a charging system through 1 plug that can also work without disconnecting the batteries from any of the systems in the boat.  Would you be able to give me any advice regarding how to go about this?  Thanks Mark

I don't recommend connecting two SLA batteries in parallel, especially when charging. There's a circuit diagram for two batteries at Fig 12 in this article http://www.modelboats.co.uk/news/article/but-i-don%27t-understand-electronics/18054 (Left click once over the image to increase its size) - the idea is that you either charge them consecutively or use two chargers.
If you really want to adapt it to use just one charging socket then omit Socket #2 and solder the +ve wire from Socket #1 across the two LH terminals of the switch, so that they are bridged together. The Management cannot accept any responsibility for any damage caused by back-charging etc.
Ref charging different types of power source with the same charger there's only one piece of advice - NO!!! SLA batteries require a constant voltage charge while NiMH and LiPo packs need a constant current.
DM

[david48]

Hi Shanew79
Yes the ladders where in my kit just have to make hand rails , double check the winch parts if the are short it might be a problem mine were short,asked the supplier in UK still waiting had to make my own .Otherwise all Ok
David48

[Mark T]

David48 - Thanks mate but DM has added the diagram to the thread.  I'll PM you my details so we can have a chat 

Shane - Great news!!  I hope you enjoy building your Fairmount    and yes the ladders were included in my kit also

Derek - This thread is getting better due to the discussion.  It would be really good if it turned into one huge Fairmount build thread with as many different versions and contributors as possible.  Almost like a reference point for future builders 

DM - Thanks very much for the advice and the diagram.  I fully understand what you have said and I now prefer the idea of separate charging points.  It now makes much more sense to me and the diagram makes the solution simple    - Mark

[inertia]

I've re-done the drawing to show a P103 in circuit (which is recommended) and also the alternative circuit which uses just one charging socket. Although it appears that the two negative wires from the batteries and the one from the two sockets ought to be connected before they reach the P103, in fact there is just one common copper track for all negative (earth) wires underneath the PCB, so all will be well as shown.
DM

[Shanew79]

Thanks guys for a heads up about the ladders, mine has definitely not come with them and I think they would be nothing short of difficult to make from scratch!! also need to find a supplier for the Raboesch bow thruster soon!!

Shane

[Mark T]

DM - Your diagrams are simply brilliant and so easy to follow.  One question though; should there be a fuse somewhere in this circuit or would you put one after the P103?  If so what kind of amperage fuse should I use?


Shane - I got my bow thruster from http://www.cornwallmodelboats.co.uk and the part number is Raboesch Bow Thruster 108-04

[Shanew79]

Thanks Mark,

They look like they have a pretty extensive range of stuff!! Can you please explain what VAT is???

Shane

[Mark T]

Thanks Mark,

They look like they have a pretty extensive range of stuff!! Can you please explain what VAT is???

Shane

Its an unfortunate thing we have over here - VAT is Value Added Tax.  VAT adds 20% to the cost of an item but if it is advertised as including VAT its already added to the price you see.

[Shanew79]

Ahh, It's like our GST (Goods & Services Tax) over here. A right pain in the but if you ask me!!!

Shane

[david48]

Hi Shanew79
Have you got round to checking the stanchions yet are thy White metal  .Itried to use them with cyno glue thy were rubbish .i had some photo etched iwill still have the art work ,thereshould be some in OZ that can do that . I used straight brass wire not the coiled copper that comes with the kit .
david48

[Shanew79]

Have you seen this link: http://www.tugboats.de/fairmount_summit_e.html

Some good detail photos!!!

Shane

[Shanew79]

David48

Do you mean the packet of small metal parts for the handrails?

Shane

[david48]

Yes that's the one Ithink the American kit are in brass if thy are Ali thy are the same as the EU kit there is hardly two the same .I have used that link to ge detail for the inside of the bridge,good reference picture.The real ship is on its way to Cadiz in Spain this very moment. I track it on AIS I might be lucky and see itin Aberdeen someday
david48

[Shanew79]

Yeah, mine are Ali I think. Were you using thicker CA or thinner CA? You could also try using some Kicker to make it go off faster? That would be great, you have to get plenty of pics if you see it!!!

Shane

[david48]

All rail work is finished now ,all the joints were soft soldered just some minor clean up where I was too enthusiastic with the solder . Time taken to make a good jig pays off in the end .
david48

[Shanew79]

You got any photos of yours handy???

Shane