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[broadsword]

I live by the Thames Estuary and we have an old wharf which looks ideal for remote control boats. As this is salt water, are there any recommendations you would make for the type of paint and glue I should use when building my boat?

Mick

[Shipmate60]

The glue and paint will be ok as long as it is well covered by such as a varnish, and when finished sailing wash off with fresh water. I find a plant spray with a weak mixture of washing up liquid in one, and fresh water in another cleans off the salt well.

Bob

[broadsword]

Thanks Bob

[Shipmate60]

If you are running brass props, clean these well as they will discolour and go GREEN.
Perhape even try plastic ones for salt.

Bob

[malcolmfrary]

The running gear will probably need cleaning and lubricating more often, not so much for the salt as for the silt that is present, which acts like sandpaper on bearings. 
My models rarely get cosmetic cleaning, I just let nature have it's way with the mostly unprotected Humbrol matt / satin enamel.  Then again, mine tend to be types that can stand a bit of weathering.

[flag-d]

Mick

I run my MTB in salt water all the time without any problems at all.  Just remember to wash off the salt water when finished.  I too use a plant spray, but only with fresh water in it, though I do use a large, soft paint brush to 'scrub the decks' as it were!  I use a decent quality grease in the prop tubes and rudder tubes, actually it is wheel bearing grease for boat trailers.

Happy sailing

Mike

[broadsword]

actually it is wheel bearing grease for boat trailers.

Nice tip.

I'll also have silt to deal with if I use the wharf so I guess it's down to a lot of TLC when I get her out of the water

Mick

[OneBladeMissing]

Make absolutely sure that salt water cannot get into your radio gear. Just a drop with wreck a pc board.

[flag-d]

In regard to salt water and electronics.  Generally speaking, yes, salt water will kill electronics gear.  However, I have got away with it on more than one occasion.  As soon as possible after the soaking, disconnect all power and disassemble as much as possible (don't de-solder anything, just take it all out of any case it might be in, eg receiver, servo etc.) and then rinse under plenty of running fresh water.  Use an old toothbrush or a stiff-ish 1/2" paint brush and vigorously brush everything in sight.  Blow dry (compressed air from a can), then check it over with a magnifying glass.  Any whitish deposits anywhere mean trouble, so rinse again and brush and blow etc until they're all gone.  Dry thoroughly, on a radiator over-night for example, and you may well join the ranks of the 'lucky buggers' who get away with it!

Happy sailing

Mike

[Welsh_Druid]

Salt water and electronics. - some years ago flying R/C sailplanes off a cliff over the sea I was forced to land the model on the beach - before I could get down the cliff the model was engulfed by the incoming tide.    Fortunately there was a water tap in the field next to where we were flying from .   I washed the receiver thoroughly in fresh water and it worked perfectly for ages afterwards.

However I forgot about the control connections. All the pushrod ends rusted VERY quickly and within days had seized up the connections onto the plastic servo arms.

Getting out the sand deposited inside the model by the seawater was another problem though  >:(

Don B.

[malcolmfrary]

Flag-D
Add to that giving it a soak overnight in meths, and then drain and dry again.  Hopefully this will shift any last remaining residue if water and/or whatever was dissolved in it.  Its amazing how ong water can last in small nooks and crannies. 
Never use silicon-based water repellent spray on a wet surface - all it does is repel the water near the surface even deeper and then seal it in so that it can do its evil a bit later.

[martno1fan]

Flag-D
Add to that giving it a soak overnight in meths, and then drain and dry again.  Hopefully this will shift any last remaining residue if water and/or whatever was dissolved in it.  Its amazing how ong water can last in small nooks and crannies. 
Never use silicon-based water repellent spray on a wet surface - all it does is repel the water near the surface even deeper and then seal it in so that it can do its evil a bit later.

meths ehh? does it work mate if so ill need to remember that one.i tried the fresh water aproach some time ago without any success the receiver had fried i think by the time i got the air boat out of the water,she flipped wrong side up at 35 mph and oops that bloody water tight box lost its lid hehe.

[Colin Bishop]

Meths is an accepted METHod ( ) of getting water traces off surfaces without leaving a residue. Good advice!