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[sinjon]

Yesterday I took my Missouri hull (82.5'') from my workroom at the top of the house, to the garage for spraying. This required negotiating two flights of stairs with four hairpins - all with the boat clutched to my chest. Of course, the superstructure removed and no batteries, but it was still pretty heavy. Its now back in my workroom, but painfully obvious that I will not be able to repeat the journey when its fully detailed. 
I was wondering about suspending a box from the ceiling of my garage, slightly angled, so that I could slide the hull in (no superstructure). What I do not know, is how well will it survive in a garage summer and winter, has anyone used a garage as storage space? - any thoughts.

Colin

[Seaspray]

Down here (Kent) I think its too cold and damp in the winter for storage of the model outside..  A brick garage might be better but still gets cold and damp. Its the damp that goes for the model.

I took 11lbs of ballast lead out of my King George made a shelf using conti board and those slotted metal screw to the wall brackets. Put it as high as I could out of the way but its a pain to get up and down from there.

I've notice when I receive a parcel through the post wrapped in foam filling, there is a little warmth generated in the box. Maybe the model in a box surrounded with this would be a barrier from the damp.

Don't heat the garage now and a again as this will attract the damp. Paraffin is a big attraction to damp.

I also forgot to mention my KG5 can be split in two for transporting and ease of storage  A thing to consider when building.
 

[boatmadman]

Hi,

I keep all my models in a well ventilated and unheated brick garage with no problems. Changes in temp/humidity are gradual. For what its worth, I suspect the sudden changes from warm and dry in a house to whatever is outside, and back again later in the day may not be ideal.

Ian

[Bunkerbarge]

I take it you are referring to an outside unheated garage so the moisture content of the atmosphere is the big issue.  

I would consider a couple of options.  One is put silica gel bags in the hull but this is only absorbing the moisture and has to be dried out on a regular basis.  The best to me would be to make a sealed enclosure for the model.  This could be hung from the ceiling and the hull slid into it but make it airtight so the model will not be affected by moisture content.  I don't think it would be too difficult to achieve with a door on the end that had a seal around it.

What about something like these ski boxes that you stick on car roofs to carry your ski gear?  I suspect at the end of the day though it will be a lot better job to tailor make something and hang it from the ceiling yourself.

[Colin Bishop]

It's the sudden changes which cause the problems - centrally heated house to unheated garage is a big thermal and humidity gradient. Anything with moisure content such as wood needs time to acclimatise. As Ian says, if you keep the model in the garage all the time it will adjust to the changes without serious warping. As I have said before on another thread, (which I can't find!), my house is link detached with the garage acting as the link so it gets some residual heat from the houses on each side which means it is always dry with relatively low humidity.

[grasshopper]

Everything modelling is in my garage - unheated (unles I'm in there) and it can get dampish. As long as everything is covered with a plastic dust sheet it seems to survive alright.

If you want to keep it more dry, build a box big enough to incorporate one of those low wattage, electric greenhouse heater tubes.

[cdsc123]

This will sound a bit morbid, but surely body bags (as seen on TV news about Iraq etc) are about the right size and airtight?
If the model goes into one dry, with the addition of a few silica gel satchets it should come back out OK.
Where to get them I do not know- try medical suppliers?
How do you transport an 82.5" model?
I wonder if you saw the article about a year ago in MB magazine with the big freighter in two halves which fitted in the guy's hatchback?

[EXBoat]

Your model will encounter worse conditions when on the water!!, storage in a unheated garage will be luxury for it, just keep it covered when in storage.

[Colin Bishop]

Your model will encounter worse conditions when on the water!!, storage in a unheated garage will be luxury for it, just keep it covered when in storage.

But that isn't the same. It's usually the superstructure which is affected by changes in humidity as the hull is better sealed. The boat is only likely to be afloat for relatively short periods and then in reasonably good and frequently warmish weather before being returned to it's usual storage environment.

Whether it's covered or not isn't really the issue which is to prevent the wood rapidly (over a couple of days or so) absorbing moisture from the surrounding atmosphere and swelling. If the upperworks are plastic then you shouldn't have a problem (until you take it out into the hot sun!).

[KenP]

I am also building a 1:128 scale Missouri, very slow build as I keep building other boats !!!
I keep it in a small worksop at the back of the garage, completely unheated.
Hull deck and 50% superstructure done. No ill affects to it despite temperature and humidity variamce.
I keep it shrouded in newspaper which seems to go some way in absorbing atmospheric moisture.

KenP

[Shipmate60]

I build individual transport boxes for my models.
If they are a fairly good fit the moisture wont be much of a problem, and it keeps the dust off.
Plasticard seems to suffer with heat as opposed to humidity.
I do have a 10 foot wooden hull on one shelf covered in old bedspreads and this hasnt given any problems.
GRP and plasticard arent much od a problem to store.
Almost all my modelling is in an ungeated garage with no problems from storage in over 12 yrs.

Bob

[RickF]

cdsc123,

Do you know the issue of MB in which the article about the two-part freighter appeared? I am currently considering a two-part hull and want to gather as much info as I can.

Rick

[cdsc123]

Hi Rick
I've gone through all my mags and can't find it. It's late 2005/ early 2006, and it isn't Aug,Sep,Nov or Dec 2005, nor is it Feb,Mar,May or Jun 2006. The gaps are either because the mags are at my Dad's place, or the vicious magazine eating monster gottem. It's difficult having one of these in your home, recently it tried to dust my Amati J-Class Endeavour, whose binnacle no longer sports balancing orbs.
Regards,
Christian.
p.s. Nov 2005 has a few photos of the Portsmouth Model Display team with their manned pre-dreadnoughts.

[cdsc123]

Rick-
It's in the August 2004 issue, pages 56-59. Article is titled MV Scot Ranger by Charles Darley, model is 2.9m long when the two halves are coupled together. Do you have the mag or shall I scan and e-mail it? (pm me your e-mail address).
Rgds,Christian.

[Navigator]

If my old grey cells serve me right I recall an article covering a two part HMS Fearless but have no idea when it was published.  :-[

[sinjon]

Thank you all, the general consensus seems that garage storage is OK, I will cherry pick ideas, definitely Silica Gel, (where do you get it from?) and the storage box seem to suit my needs, I have a Bismarck hull waiting in the wings, so I am thinking of maybe a double width box, perhaps an 8x4 ply sheet cut at (2) x 2ft x 8ft top & bottom, and another (3) x 1ft x 8ft, sides and ends, and that gives me a bit of spare to play with.
Piano hinge at the far end would enable me to lower the box for easy access, possibly some 1'' dia dowel rollers to keep it smooth, and restraining cords on the box, so that it doesn't end up vertical.
Already I see a whole new garage enterprise taking shape. I love designing things, as well as making boats!  - Thanks for all your help.

Colin

[DickyD]

A Shed !!!

Richard

[MikeK]

Hiya Colin,
I was looking into the same problem and possible cure ie silica gel and my local village hardware shop had packets of the stuff, so presumably the big DIY stores will stock it. I received some stuff through the post accompanied by umpteen sachets of the stuff so my search stopped right there !!

MikeK

[Shipmate60]

One problem with Silica Gel is after it has done its job.
Yes it collects the moisture, but then keeps it.
In a wooden hull you will have to check it regularly and dry out in a mild heat oven!!

Bob

[sinjon]

Thanks MikeK, I will try B&Q tomorrow.
Another thought, as cdsc 123 said, how do you transport a 82.5'' boat. I have a VW Passat estate,
probably it will fit in - maybe with the tail gate open, but its crazy to keep a car just to transport a model for a small part of the year, I would like to get something smaller. My wife has a friend who has a car, where not only the rear seat folds down, but the front passenger seat as well, she thinks its a Citroen, again has anyone any knowledge of a dash to tailgate 'car' that would take 82.5'' ? and I don't want a Transit.
 
Thanks
Colin

[MikeK]

Hiya Colin,
I was looking into the same problem and possible cure ie silica gel and my local village hardware shop had packets of the stuff, so presumably the big DIY stores will stock it. I received some stuff through the post accompanied by umpteen sachets of the stuff so my search stopped right there !!

MikeK

I seem obsessed with the word 'stuff' do I not ? Sorry Colin can't help with the mini estate

MikeK

[cdsc123]

Hi Sinjon
Suggest you strap boat into box and box onto roofrack.
Rgds,
Christian.

[Colin Bishop]

Just seen an advert for a portable rechargeable mini dehumidifier. £19.99. Buy one and get one free. See here: http://www.coopersofstortford.co.uk/detail.php?productid=ST05934&supercategory=&branch=&wcategory=

Quite a nifty idea if it works as advertised.

[sinjon]

Thanks cdse123, a very logical way to go, and I have just ordered the mini dehumidifier, I'll let you know what its like when I get it.

Colin

[Bryan Young]

I have kept 4 models in one Garage (2 large ones live in a trailer) and 4 other medium sized ships in a racked out 2nd garage for the last decade or so. No damage whatsoever. Yet one of my other large models stowed in a supposedly dry locker in our clubhouse has suffered a bit. Advice? Suck it and see. Bryan Young.