Model Boat Mayhem
Mess Deck: General Section => Model Boating => Topic started by: Sandy on November 26, 2010, 02:51:28 pm
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Hi,
I am going to build a modl lof the steam launch Choupette which was featured in the recent plans issue of Marine Modeller International magazine. It looks like quite a jolly boat.
I have received the kit and plans from Traplet.
As this is the first model I will be making for many (approx 30) years I was going to use an electric motor. Could anyone who has seen the boat in the magazine or know of it (length about 1 metre, chine hul) recommend a suitable size electric motor please?
Thanks in advance.
Sandy
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Standard 540 or 555 size should do the job for a steam launch keep the speed 'reasonably' scale like 15A esc will be needed.
Run it off a 6v 4ha battery should give you around 3-4 hours of run time, if you add extra features like a smoke machine for the smoke effect that will draw some power, decreasing the run time (but if you have room for it, get a 12v 7ah battery in there for an all day runner) depends what you want to add as extras to the model depends on the power pack you will need.
just note if you run extras like a smoke machine and lights you will need some type of power distribution board as lights tend to be 3v smoke machines 6v or 12v and your esc+ motor can run on 6 or 12v. im sure someone here will be able to link you suitable parts to make a decent model :-))
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I've just started building a Choupette for steam power - I'd be interested if you care to post any comments on your build. As for power, as has been said, almost any 540/550 type of motor on 6 Volts ought to give bags of power - it's no speedboat!
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It's nice to know someone else is doing it.
I will post a few photos. On holiday this week and hamstrung by not ordering or obtaining a prop shaft early enough. Local shop (Paisley Modle Centre) did not have a ten inch shaft and were awaiting a stock order. So ordered from cornwall last Tuesday. No sign of shaft, so phoned and found it was only sent on Saturday. Not in post today (eagerly awaiting postman tramping through the 6 inches of snow it dumped here from 1000 to 1300).
I am annoyed that I was tardy in obtaning the shaft, and miffed that Cornwall took four days from my phone call before actually sending it.
Lesson learned. I think I will give PMC my business as best I can for bits and pieces and order online for other stuff (radio, etc).
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Here goes.
Please bear in mind that (a) it is more than 30 years since I did a model boat and (b) I am making it up as I go along:-
Glued all the bits together using Titebond II..
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Found that, despite best efforts, the keel was 'bent'over its length. Left it a couple of nights 'reverse bent' using bits and trusty bricks. This worked out quite well but not completely.
Added stringers around outside of deck. two strips to get width, then added some 5x5 Obechi around inner deck hole (see last photo in previous post).
Added little 1 inch strips at curved front end and used dremel to turn it back so it fitted and was curved. I did this to supoort the vertical splash deck better.
Dummied it all up on the B&D workmate, simulating the propshaft with a pencil of approx 8mm diameter and found that the deck needs a fair bit of sheer. So ... bent deck.
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Titebonded front and rear formers to keel and modigied them so atht the Obechi inner stringers would fit. Carefull marked fromers as to what side was front then promptly glued rear one in backwards.
I also found I had to be a bit 'creative' with the positioning of the formers viz a viz the plan. Mostly it was done by eye.
I also glued the eight bits together to form the four hull pieces and found that, on mine, the side pieces are wrongly marked. Wahte says rear is actually front, but, you can tell that the abgled end is obviously the front bit to conform with the stem piece.
Mounted again on the workmate I epoxied (Z-Poxy, 30 minute) the deck to the formers.
Note radiator to get some warmth in kitchen.
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Ah-hah, but beforehand (apologies for being out of sequenece) I realised that I may need a hatch to access radio gear under rear deck so I cut a hole for a hatch. Drilled holes in corners by spinning drill bit between fingers (memo, must get pin vice, or better still, cirrect drill bit chuck for Dremel) then used 80 year old fret saw (and blade by the looks of the first edge) to cut deck hatch.
Braced underside of hatch and built little lips in the corners to support hatch, but the plan is to plank deck and make a 2 or 3 mm walnut lip around the hatch to cover saw marks.
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In the meantime I had glued the transom to the smaller piece of keel and fitted Obechi supports along the rear edge of the deck so that the transom would but up against it (visible in top photo in above post).
Using pencil and clamps I 'attached' the transom and keel and I now had a reasonably workable hull form to trial fit the sides and bottoms. Bear in mind that, as the prop shaft isn't fitted and the transon attached I could not fit stringers yet.
The side seem to line up quite nicely and fit quite well, as long as the deck is sheered.
The lower hull parts were a totally different matter. The bending of them at the front is very difficult and lots of naughty words (forgotten since the last time I 'fiddled' with an old classic car) filled the house.
I found that the lower side pieces are way too wide.
So, the plan is to fit them first, and sand them back.
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Once the lower sides were dummied up, I then constructed stringers.
I have several bits of long ply (make sure you buy 1 metre lengths, not 36 inches).
I used the 3x7mm bit as closest to the formers and another 3x5mm bit alongside it but which will be closest to the upper hull sides. Using both seems to 'fill' the notches in the formers and line it up nicely. It also means on my trial rig that with the lower sides clamped in place I can slide each in from the rear al the way forward and work out how much chamfering each front end needs. You can slide them out, cut or sand and slide them back in.
I also used 3x2mm ply for the keel stringer. Again, two are required, one on top of the other to fill the 'stringer gap' in the formers.
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And here is where I am at until the propshaft arrives.
Here's a photo of the stern showing the excess of the stringers hanging out. Nothing is glued yet but I have left it dummied up so the ply at least takes a bit of a twist for the bows.
My plan was ... is ? .... to work backwards and leave it all dummied and then apply Epoxy of both 5 min and 30 min variety and glue the lower hull side to the formers and bow and while that is drying apply it all around the stringers as well. In other words, instead of builidng the frame with the stringers and glueing the sheets over the top, I actually use the hull sizes to put the stringers in the correct place. To me it semed difficult to get enough 'bulge' outwards of the stringers between the front former and the stem piece to correctly meet the upper edge of the lower hull sides .... if you see what I mean.
From the photo in this post, you will also see that, amybe about a third of the way from the rear former to the transom, I will need to cut of the outer stringer piece as the transom cut is only big enough to take the inner piece.
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If the propshaft arrives tomorrow I intend to plough on and hopefully have a fillable and, maybe, paintable hull by the weekend.
No idea if what I have done is correct, or what I intend to do is correct either, but so far it seems to be working.
How have you got on with yours?
All the best
Sandy
P.S. Eek, just re-read my posts, apologies for spelling and poor keyboard/finger interface. The fingers are way ahead of the brain.
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Hi Sandy - many thanks for the photos and description - very helpful! I'll try and take some photos of how far I've got so far, but it isn't very far! I didn't buy the cut parts from Traplet (cheapskate!) and spent a fair bit of time cutting out the keel and formers/bulkheads. I did order a propshaft in time and now have that installed in the keel. I'm just fitting the keel to the building board/jig and will then start attaching formers and stringers. I've noted the problem with the deck - it appears to have a curve on the plan, which I think may be difficult to reproduce with so few formers supporting the stringers. I may have to add some temporary formers to get the shape until I have the stringers and deck fitted. I'm hoping to be able to avoid cutting any hole in the rear deck - I think it should be possible to get the servo in and out by mounting it to a removeable bracket which is secured with horizontal screws - we'll see! If I may, I think I should point out that you may be better off using a good wood glue, rather than epoxy, for the build. I'm not a huge fan of epoxy for wood, as the wood contains oils and resins which seem to compromise joint strength in my experience. Wood glue soaks into the grain and also swells it, making for a stronger and firmer joint.
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Thanks for the glue advice. I will use the Titebond for the rest.
The hatch was a great will-I, won't-I thing. The plans show a small hatch off set for the servo. I wasn't too keen on using the servo link set up proposed on the plans. having a slot in the transom semed a bit suspect from the point of view of water-tightness. I did think of using the tiller arm to steer her, using a servo on its side with a long arm and a Y-piece at the end which would move the tiller arm left and right.
Eventually I decided on the hatch for easy access for components.
Can I ask how you will be sealing inside the hull at the side joints/bow/stern ? The magazine mentions epoxy resin but I am a bit unsure as to what this is and how you get it to the critical areas at the bow and stern once the hull is all completed.
All the best
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Titebond is a good choice, I prefer Titebond III, as it's supposed to be 'waterproof'. I did consider other ways of operating the rudder, but am sticking with what's shown on the plan. You have seen the piece of foam fitted inside, through which the rod moves? As for sealing the inside, I'll cross that bridge when I come to it, if necessary. I was hoping not to have to do that, as I was planning to give the outside of the hull a coat of thin glass cloth. Sorry, forgot to take the camera to the workshop today, will have to take pics on Friday now - work intervenes! It's coming along though, got the bulkheads glued to the keel and the rudder is now ready to be silver-soldered.
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Finally took some pics today, when I returned to the workshop. Managed to get the rudder silver-soldered to its shaft, now I need to make some more brass bits for it. Made a start on the condensor/oil trap for the steam plant, will post a pic when it's done. Next step is to add the deck and chine stringers - I'm laminating those from lime - it seems to bend easily enough!
(http://s3.postimage.org/2e3yn7pj8/P1010384.jpg) (http://postimage.org/image/2e3yn7pj8/)
(http://s3.postimage.org/2e40ar210/P1010385.jpg) (http://postimage.org/image/2e40ar210/)
(http://s3.postimage.org/2e41yaeis/P1010386.jpg) (http://postimage.org/image/2e41yaeis/)
(http://s3.postimage.org/2e43ltr0k/P1010387.jpg) (http://postimage.org/image/2e43ltr0k/)
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Very nice.
My prop shaft eventually arrived so all bonded in, and stringers glued in place.
Just mocked up the first lower hull piece. A little sanding of the stringers required then I will break out more glue and hopefully have at least one hull 'plate' attached some time tomorrow.
What size of propeller are you using ?
All the best
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Its looking good there sandy :-))
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Sandy - using a 50mm propeller - about the largest I can fit without major modification - I hope it's large enough!
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Its looking good there sandy :-))
Thanks, Colin.
I missed you a couple of Sundays ago. Decided to start with the Choupette to get my hand in. Plus, join the club, of course.
All the best
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Finally have all the pieces on the hull now. Been a bit slower than expected, but getting there.
Now need to fill and undercoat and do some shaping.
Ignore the 'side-rear' writing. The kit is wrong (I hope) :}
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Finally have all the pieces on the hull now. Been a bit slower than expected, but getting there.
Now need to fill and undercoat and do some shaping.
Ignore the 'side-rea' writing. The kit is wrong (I hope) :}
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looking good nice lines on this one :-))
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It's looking good Sandy! I'm just about to start fitting the bottom skins to mine. Can I ask how you clamped the skins to the keel stringers while the glue dried? Having trouble trying to think of a way to do this that doesn't involve holes!
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could you tell me where you got the clamps with the soft rubber orange ends from seriously need some of them and cant seem to fined them :-))
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could you tell me where you got the clamps with the soft rubber orange ends from seriously need some of them and cant seem to fined them :-))
Our local B&Q. They were in the 'everything for a pound skip'. I bought two sets, each had about 12 clamps of various sizes. Quite useful as the rubber ends are quite 'grippy'.
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It's looking good Sandy! I'm just about to start fitting the bottom skins to mine. Can I ask how you clamped the skins to the keel stringers while the glue dried? Having trouble trying to think of a way to do this that doesn't involve holes!
Hi,
I used lots of clamps.
I have attached one photo of how I did the first bottom 'plate' and two of the second.
I found it easy to use larger clamps to hold the aft end in place to the stringers, the largest clamps I had to hold the plate to the front and rear formers, and the tight little clamps to hold between the bow and the front former.
The first snag I had was holding the part by the keel in place while 'twisting' the front section. As you can see, I used quite a few of the rubber nosed clamps to push down on the hull bottom plate and jam in against the little stringers I glued to the keel.
The second snag was that the second hull floor plate needed a huge ammount of bending to get it to fit, hence even more clips ... plus, while trial fitting the stringer split off from the stem piece and had to be re-glued.
Hope that helps.
All the best
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Getting the sides on was more problematic, especially the second side (no pictures unfortunately) as the deck seemed twisted and I needed one of the big blue clamps to pull it in to shape. Even then, I maybe should have applied more 'pull' as there is a gap at the top between sid eplate and deck. However, the teak rubbing strip should cover that.
Hope these help as well.
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Thanks for the pics Sandy. I'd just about figured out that lots of clamps were going to be needed. I'll have to try and find some like yours, with the soft grips, before I fit the skins. I use tape wherever I can, too, but sometimes only a clamp will do! I do plan to soak those bottom skins toward the bow, where they curve the most - ought to help a bit. Won't be doing any more on mine until next week now. Happy Christmas!
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Sandy.......the hull shape of Choupette would lend itself perfectly for 'diagonal planking'.. :-))....in the search box....just type 'diagonal planking'
You will find a number of threads ....some by member Bluebird where he displays some beautiful work .....happy building ....Derek
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Hi,
Some progress (both forwards and backwards) over the holiday.
Thanks for the advice in this thread:- http://www.modelboatmayhem.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=27957.0
I investigated using thin veneer, but what I was told was that going too thin could end up with glue soaked veneer which would look like wet cardboard. Spoke to Colin and Ronnie? at the Richmond Club in Glasgow (now a member), and planking was recommended.
Hot foot down to local model shop (Paisley Model Centre - helpful guys) and bought some 15mm x 2mm mahogany. Perhaps should have gone for 1.6mm, but they did not have enough in stock. Also, I bought enough planks to do the whole hull, but, when doing some mockups, there was just no way that I could get the planks to shape around the front with the clamps I have. Then remembered that Colin at the club had talked about painting the bottom of the hull. So, that is the current plan of action ... to paint it the lower hull black. If I had thought this all through a bit earlier, I could have bought less of the thinner mahogany 'planks' for the sides, but I am going to use the extras for the decking ... so it is going to be a very mahogany boat.
Just put a little filler on the lower hull. (nearly asphixiated by filler fumes) then will sand and slap on some undercoat/primer.
Still enjoying it, although the 'planking' was getting frustrating, but the CinCFleet was surprisingly unconcerned at her beloved bath becoming a sanding dock.
All the best
P.S. The diagonal planking would have been ideal, but it was vetoed .... :o
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looking good there Sandy
ready to sail when the Ice disappears :-))
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Looking good Sandy! Mine's come on a bit, but not as far as yours. I've got bottom and side skins now fitted, but am leaving the deck off for now, until I get some of the interior fixings sorted out. My plan is to paint all the inside woodwork with thinned West Systems epoxy resin before fitting the deck, so I want to get wooden blocks etc. all in place before doing that. Planning to paint my hull white sides with red below the waterline and plank the deck areas with mahogany. I'll take some pics this afternoon when I go to the workshop.
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Looking forward to seeing the photos.
I seem to be doing mine backwards, as your plan of attack seems more logical (and is, I think, the same as how the original was done in the old MMI magazine by the designer of the Choupette). I could have planned interior locations better/sooner, although, I have left off the half formers to allow very bendy, flexible wrist/hand/paintbrush access .... possibly :-)
Can I ask how you 'thin' the epoxy? I see that there is a West Systems agent in Glasgow. I was going to use yacht varnish for the interior, but maybe an epoxy resin wash would be better.
Is it pricey?
All the best
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Sandy...West Systems market a low viscious epoxt resin range........not much thicker than water O0 ...it is not inexpensive....but is a quality adhesive
Some builders use white or yellow PVA for the actual planking....this has the advantage of not needing to mix very small quantity of resin & hardner as planking should be performed in mirror images....& sometimes only two planks per days work
Then an internal coat of epoxy for strength + regitdity + water tight uintegrity
This then leaves a number of options for sealing the external surface whilst displaying the wooden plank colours & tones.... :-)) ....Derek
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Sandy - don't know about my logic being any better than yours, I just wanted to get the main mounting parts glued in before waterproofing the interior! West systems do several resins, but I bought their repair kit from Axminster tools http://www.axminster.co.uk/west-system-west-system-mini-repair-kit-prod364830/ (http://www.axminster.co.uk/west-system-west-system-mini-repair-kit-prod364830/). The resin seems quite thin but I'll thin the first coat with around 10% isopropyl alcohol. You have to be careful not to add too much alcohol! For the decking finish, I'm considering using Rustins plastic coating - http://www.axminster.co.uk/rustins-clear-plastic-coating-prod23018/ (http://www.axminster.co.uk/rustins-clear-plastic-coating-prod23018/), though I may still just use a conventional gloss varnish. Got the steam engine finished and running today - it's a PM research V twin. Seems to run quite nicely, even though it's not yet run in! I've attached a few pics to show progress so far.
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The painted engine looks very nice.
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kno3 - thanks for that! Just awaiting the arrival of some hex-headed bolts to give it that 'finished' look. I'll post a short video of the engine running in the 'steam' forum later - it's rendering right now.
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Hey Sandy - How are you getting on with your Choupette? I've been a busy bee - here's a pic with progress so far. I've been planking the deck today (tedious!) and ran out of the limewood, hence it's not quite finished. I had it in the test tank the other day, mainly to check for leaks before I fitted the deck - it floats!
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Wow, that looks great.
Not much done last week as I was busy with work, but I am hoping to get the last side plank on.
I haven't enough skill to plank the lower hull so it was going to get painted. Put on the first coat of primer and then decided it may have looked better stained. Ho hum.
I did get my 40mm propeller and I like how you have done your rudder. I don't have brass skills so I may try and modify a commercial rudder.
Unfortunately, seeing your planking has also made me realise that my idea was rubbish ...
All the best
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Sandy - thanks for the compliment. I don't have much in the way of brass skills either, but there's only one way to get them! The worst you can lose is a bit of brass and some time. The planking is really easy to do, it just takes some time - what you see is the result of two afternoons' work, about 4 hours in total.
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What glue did you use to attach the deck planking? And what wood did you use for the 'splash shield' ?
Here is where I am this evening.
Stuck on the last plank. I had to go 20mm wide to cover the deepest part of the side, and so, the mahogany is slightly different from the other planks ... drat.
But hoping that it is close to the waterline so it should be okay. And we have decided to paint the bottom brown.
All the best
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Sandy - that's looking good! Using Titebond III to attach the planking - seems to work very well. The 'splash shield' is 0.8mm ply, cut into strips and glued on - I'm planning to cover that with mahogany on the outside.
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Finished the deck planking today - not quite symmetrical, but close enough for a first attempt! Now adding more mahogany strips to the 'splash shield', or is it called 'the coaming'?
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Suffered a somewhat disheartening 'disaster' with the last mahogany plank at the front.
Ignoring advice from the club, I thought I could sand it in to a nice smooth shape, and failed. Now ended up with a rather 'unique' hull form up front and a rather blunt bow. :embarrassed:
But I bought a commercial rudder and some wood for the decking so I will press on with that. :-)
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Sandy - We all make mistakes, some admit to them and some don't. At least yours will be different from all the rest!
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Here are this evenings endeavours ...
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Sandy - you have nothing to be ashamed of there - it's looking great!
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Thanks very much.
Finished the deck planks today and sanded off the edges this evening. Stopped now. There is only so much sawdust the nose can inhale.
Quite pleased though. Spirits revived.
All the best
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Good result. Very pleasing on the eye.
Ken
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Deck finished, sanded and a small rubbing strip added around the upper edge.
Lower hull undercoated and then a first coat of paint put on.
I hit the first coat with sandpaper just to smooth it a bit. Pardon my ignorance, but it went from glossy to dull, which seems obvious. How then, after another coat (and maybe another) if I sand again it does it stay glossy?
I have the varnish to put on. Does that make it glossy again?
I also tried steaming an experimental piece of mahogany for the coaming. I can see need more steam and more bend without the heartrending ... crack ... of snapping wood.
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Sandy - regarding the gloss, the idea is that you sand intermediate coats down to get them as smooth as you would like, so that the last coat won't need any rubbing and stays glossy. Another approach is to sand the last coat with very fine wet and dry, using progressively finer grades until you end up at a stage where you can use cutting compound or metal polish to bring the gloss back. If you're trying to bend mahogany strip to go round the curve at the front of the coaming, you'll struggle to do that without breakage. You could either laminate two or three thicknesses of thinner wood, or do as I did and make the coaming out of thin ply, then cover it with 1mm mahogany.
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Hi,
You were correct about breakage. Snapped my way through several lengths. The only way I could get it to work was by water and bleach. It bent into shape fine, but the bleach had killed the mahogany.
Soooo .... going for plywood and paint instead, probably the same paint as the lower hull. Off to the model shop tomorrow for some electric bits and ply to install motor, servo and battery and get a feel for the engine cover and seat.
We are going for the 'old steam launch upgraded and modernised to internal combustion power'. Perhaps not a supercharged 502ci Chevy big block though ...
Started varnishing, as suggested with thin coats first. The boat stands are, as you can see, of the no expense spared variety.
All the best
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I love the deluxe stands! Why not do as I did and use thin ply for the coaming and then plank that with thin mahogany? I'll take a pic of mine and post it tomorrow. I've now finished the deck area, so gave it a last rub down and first coat of varnish today. Hoping the weather will be warm enough to allow me to spray the primer on the hull sides and bottom at the weekend.
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Am really enjoying these posts gents, it's a real pleasure to follow your builds (warts 'an all!) Have never tried a wooden kit but your builds are making it a very tantalising option for the future!
please keep the pics coming, (I think your ahead on points on that score Sandy {-) {-))
Regards, Tony. :-))
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Tony - thanks, it's nice to know that someone else is reading our posts! Sandy is definitely ahead on photo count, but I'll try to redress the balance a little tomorrow. Building a wooden hull from scratch hasn't been easy for me, but it has been very satisfying and I've even found a few skills I never knew I had. Give it a try, what's the worst that could happen? :-)
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I think there are a lot of use just watching and following with out posting.
Keep up the good work.
Regards,
Gerald.
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I second that Gerald. I've got a Choupette wood pack and plan sitting under my workbench ready to go sometime in the future.
I have been watching these builds with great interest. In fact it was seeing this thread that prompted me to purchase the wood pack at Ally Pally
in January.
Keep up the good work lads. :-) Hoping to learn a lot and make my build a little easier when I finally get around to it.
Got my TVR1A running in on air at the moment. Haven't ordered a boiler yet as I am not sure if a horizontal boiler will fit in the Choupette.
Might have to go vertical but would prefer not because of possible stability problems. Does anyone have any experience of this?
Bob.
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OK, now that I know we have an audience. :-)
Bob - I pondered long and hard over what steam plant to put in my Choupette. I made card templates of all the parts and trial-fitted them over the plan. I eventually decided to order a TVR1A and a Maccsteam 3.5" horizontal boiler. The TVR1A arrived before Christmas, but it was immediately apparent that it's severe overkill in a small launch like the Choupette - while it would fit, it just looks way out of scale to my eye. Also, further research has shown that the TVR1A would be way too powerful and would end up running at tickover most of the time. Another problem with the Choupette, is that prop diameter is limited by the design, I've had to modify it slightly to get even a 50mm prop to fit. All things considered, I decided to order a Regner 'Venus' for it, which is a bit more compact and less powerful, so should suit the boat better. Still awaiting delivery though. :(( I'm also having second thoughts about the Maccsteam boiler - I get the feeling that it, too, will look out of scale, but I've decided to postpone my decision until it's actually here and I can try it in the hull. There's a part of me that's minded to just order one of the smaller Graupner twin cylinder plants and use that, but I'm just a little unsure of the build quality. I'll post some more pics later today.
Gordon
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Did you order the whole Venus steam plant or just the engine?
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kno3 - I just ordered the engine for now.
Sandy, I do hope you are happy to share the thread? I don't wish to steal your thunder, so if you'd like me to start a new thread, don't be afraid to say so.
Some photos - This was the first time that I'd tried the assembled TVR1A in the boat and I have to admit that it doesn't look too out of scale. The main problem is its length - by the time there's a coupling added, there's only just room for the boiler between the engine and the front bulkhead - the gas tank would need to go forward of that front bulkhead and, to my mind, it would make the whole front section of the boat look very crowded. I'll put off the decision until I have the Venus engine and the boiler in my hands.
(http://s2.postimage.org/2mk1ziuc/P1010505.jpg) (http://postimage.org/image/2mk1ziuc/)
(http://s2.postimage.org/2mlpivc4/P1010506.jpg) (http://postimage.org/image/2mlpivc4/)
(http://s2.postimage.org/2mp0lkbo/P1010507.jpg) (http://postimage.org/image/2mp0lkbo/)
(http://s2.postimage.org/2mqo4wtg/P1010508.jpg) (http://postimage.org/image/2mqo4wtg/)
(http://s2.postimage.org/2msbo9b8/P1010509.jpg) (http://postimage.org/image/2msbo9b8/)
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That's some cracking woodwork there Aeronut! I like the banding around the inside coaming, and is it plastic or timber between the deck planking?
Looking forward to the next installments, regards, Tony. :-))
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Tony - thanks for the compliment about my woodwork - I think I've rather surprised myself, to be honest!. All timber you see is mahogany alternated with lime. The deck planking is 5mm mahogany and 1mm lime. The inside of the coaming is 10mm mahogany and 10mm lime. It's had its second coat of varnish today and is starting to acquire that rich colouring that's characteristic of those woods.
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@ Aeronut4: The boat looks very good, the contrasting woods and the workmanship, congratulations!
Regarding the Graham TVR1A: your hull seems large enough for it, the engine doesn't look out of place at all.
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kno3 - thanks for that! I now agree that the engine does look OK in that hull, but as stated in my previous post, it's the length that's causing a slight problem. There's also the fact that the TVR1A needs a throttle valve and an extra servo over the Regner Venus engine.
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Aeronut;
Thanks for the info on the suitability of the Choupette for the TVR1A engine. It seems as though there are several limitations. For example the maximum prop size may be a little small, the engine may be too powerful for the hull, it also is quite a long engine which means a vertical boiler will probably be required. This might introduce stability problems with such a shallow draught. All in all you may be right in using the Regner Venus engine. I notice that you initially had a PM Research V twin for the Choupette. What happened to that?
I was discussing these points with one of our club members and he offered me a Waterlilly hull which is similar to the 'Miranda'. He did have a Cheddar steam plant in it but now uses it in onother boat. I might take him up on the offer and use it for the TVR1A and get a smaller plant for the Choupette. Time will tell.
Sandy;
Great work on your boat. Looking very good. Are you still going to use electric power or are you considering one of the small steam plants now your hull is at the point of installing the power train?
Bob.
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Bob - The plan shows a vertical boiler and I'm sure that would work and that the boat could be made stable with one, but I think it would need to be a smaller one than a 3.5" Maccsteam. I'll post some pics of the Regner Venus engine in the hull as soon as I receive it. Yes, I do have a PM Research V-twin sitting here - I bought it with the intention of putting it in the Choupette, but this one really does look out of place in the hull and is very heavy - see pic earlier in this thread. It is quite a bit shorter than the TVR1A and it does only need one servo for control, but I think the Venus will be a better match for the boat overall. As soon as I've sorted out why it has developed a tight spot, I'll be putting it up for sale.
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Varnishing done as best I can and various bits of brass fitted.
And....
it floats :-)
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One or two little snafus fitting the brass bits (mainly off centre drilling - first time with a Dremel) but it is a 20 footer so I hope it will look okay.
Major snag is non-appearance of motor/shaft coupling at local shop as motor is an M4 but shaft is an M5. Hopefully sorted on Tuesday.
All the best
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I will see how the 'non-supported' skeg does. I have some small diameter brass that I could epoxy in place near the rudder just in case it needs support.
Once I have the coupling, I can locate the motor and battery and build the little deck house/engine cover and wheel position, then work on seats front and back, and some interior decking.
I may try and make a canvas dodger for the front on the coaming, depending on how much wet comes over the bow.
It floats very well with battery and motor and servo on board.
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Sandy - That's looking really good now - a great piece of work! That skeg is really only to protect the prop a bit, so I don't think it will cause a problem unless it happens to get bent in transport. You've put a lot longer piece of brass on the prow than I have - now I'm wondering if I should fit a longer piece! Got mine painted this last week and I won't be able to do much more now than varnish the deck again until the boiler arrives.
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The local pond (Rouken Glen Park) has a shelving, rocky banking which, along with making launching difficult, also tends to really hammer forepeaks, hence the longer piece of brass. In actual fact, it is as long as it came from the shop.
Thanks for the kind words. Yours looks great !
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I'm lucky in that the lake where I usually sail has vertical sides, so I think the brass piece I have already fitted should suffice.
I said I'd post a pic or two of the Regner Venus engine when it arrived. Well, it arrived a couple of days ago and here are the pics I promised. I think the engine looks just about the right size for the Choupette. I've only run the engine on air so far, but I do have to say that I expected better from Regner. Many of the small bolts were quite loose and two had actually fallen out when I unpacked the engine. Many joints were showing signs of leaking, so I had to go round and nip up every bolt on the engine, which seems to have stopped most of the leaks. The engine does run beautifully and will just tick over very slowly, but control of the speed on the built-in regulator is almost non existent, so we'll have to see what can be done about that. Waiting for the boiler to arrive now!
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Looks good. Quite a 'sexy' looking engine. I hope your boiler arrives soon.
Finally got the coupling from the local shop, so the motor is finally in its 'final' position.
Done some interior decking and seating. Let's hope it doesn't ship to much water as I haven't left myself enough space to sook it out ....
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nice work both of you.
What type of regulator does the Venus engine have? Perhaps you could improve the regulating capabilities for slow speed by filing the edge of the holes (to get a tear drop shape instead of a circle), if there is a valve disc inside.
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Sandy - Boiler delivery is now promised 'mid-March', but I'm think it'll probably be near the end of the month before I see it. The interior work looks good so far - have you considered building some sort of cover over the prop shaft and coupling?
kno3 - The regulator on the Venus is that round brass 'lump' at the top, so I'm guessing it is a disc type. I'll consider doing what you said, but I'm slightly reluctant to dismantle the engine in case it needs to be returned at any time.
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It may be finished ....
A bit more varnishing, another couple of figures (anyone now where I can get someone to stand at the wheel?), some little bits and bobs.
The deckhouse looks a bit untilitarian (at least in comparison with a nice brass steam engine) and should maybe have been more curved (top), and it could proabably do with some fittings and stuff on the deck, but ...
Connected up the radio gear. Rudder needs more throw, and then the new motor would barely turn the prop. Being a first attempt at electrics, hot foot it to Paisley Model Centre where a flat battery was diagnosed, despite the charger saying it was 'charged'. Thanks to them for the re-assurance and assistance over the weeks.
So, battery back on the charger, rudder adjusted ... and, when these gales pass, maybe a chance to try it on Saturday or Sunday.
Quite chuffed.
All the best
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Nice! Well done on getting it 'finished'! You could always fabricate some sort of dummy steam engine and boiler, if that's what you wanted. I have to say that I feel your figure looks a bit on the small side, but I guess that's probably down to the picture I have in my mind's eye of the dimensions of a full-sized one, if it existed. I bought a figure for mine from Ebay that's 6" tall - see pic - when in my Choupette, even that looks a bit too small to me (and wifey agrees!), so now I'm hunting for a suitable figure that's around 7" tall. I note that your model doesn't have a name - surely every boat has to have a name? If you'd like a decal for yours, then please PM me and I'll see what we can do.
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The figure is, supposedly, 1/12th scale and, although sitting, does work out to be about 6 inch tall.
I wasn't sure of the 'scale' of the Choupette, but at about 38 inches in length, I sort of assumed that a steam launch would be 38 or so feet long.
Without getting weird about it, if you stand a six inch figure on the upper deck, it does look about 'right'.
Hmm, I do have a Neo figure from the Matrix in the loft, plus a Mad Max and Warrior Woman ... (don't ask), so it could become the last of the V8 Interceptor steam launches .... pray that he's out there.
All the best
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Yes, very difficult to estimate the correct scale when there's no fullsize. I've looked at what must be hundreds of photos of steam launches over the past few months and had 'guesstimated' length at around 30 feet, which makes it around 1/10 scale. Neo, Mad Max? You'll have to add some sci-fi touches if you're going to use those! I'd found a figure of Arnie as Terminator, but I can't find out if it's articulated or not. Going to Toys-R-Us later today, so will let you know if I find anything. Do let me know if you'd like a name decal for yours.
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Sorry, I forgot about the name decal. We haven't decided yet, although we are actually partial to Choupette, or changing it slightly to Choupetta.
Good luck in Toys'r
ATB
Sandy
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Not a terribly productive search in Toys-r-Us yesterday. The only figure about the 'right' height that I could find was in some show jumping accessory set, comprising two female dolls and some relevant extras for £9.95. I did buy a set, figuring that, if all else failed, they could end up as passengers. Here's a picture of one, 'sitting' in my boat and I have to say that she looks a bit too big! This is more frustrating than building the whole of the rest of the boat and it's beginning to annoy me! I'm currently building the seating at the rear, so will wait until that's completed before I do anything further regarding figures. I've also attached a photo of the bow of my boat, showing the name decal, just to give you an idea.
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It floats .... it sails (okay, motors).
Bath tests made it looks like it was going to be a 'Miss America', but, while it is way too fast for 'scale' it isn't outrageously fast, and, while, as you can see, it wasn't windy or choppy, it does 'ride' well and stays pretty dry.
Some figures, a couple of bits and bobs and ,well, on to something else.
Thanks to PMC and the Richmond guys for all their help, encouragement and advice today and earlier.
Not finalised the name yet :-)
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Hi Sandy
Beautiful work! She looks the part stretching her legs in open water.
Somehow I had missed this thread, been catching up with it now though.
Regards
Andrew
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Thanks, Andrew,
I was all set to head up to Rouken Glen on Saturday, but the snow and 0C put me off a bit.
I am away next weekend but, hopefully, I will try and get up towards the end of March.
Any progress on the Caledonia?
All the best
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You`ve made a beautiful job of her Sandy and she looked the dogs do da`s on the water today :-)) :-))
Looking forward to your next project,it should be really interesting ;)
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Hi Sandy
Yes I'm afraid the weather put me off too! Caledonia coming along nicely thanks. Have just fitted bilge keels to her and hope to resin them finally in place tomorrow.
( off on leave for a week so time available :-)) )
Have been working on the lifeboat davits too, still lots to do though.....
Hope to catch up soon.
Regards
Andrew
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Sandy - well done on being first on the water, it looks great! It does look a bit empty though, perhaps you could help reduce my ever-growing collection of dolls!
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The figure thing is bursting my head. Can't decide if period or contemporary.
Mad Max and Neo is starting to look very appealing.
Saves money and give the olde Choup an 'edginess'.
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Sailing today with people aboard.
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That looks a lot better! I still can't decide if they look a bit small or not. Where did you get the figures? I see you've added a mast - all you need now is a flag or pennant to fly from it!
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I got them from the local model shop where I have bought most of my wood and hardware from.
They have quite a large dolls house section and sell these 1/12th figures. £4.95 each, 50p for the dog. I did not want to spend a lot on them, and £15 odd so far is quite a bit. But a young child today spotted the wee dog, so that makes it worthwhile I think. I maybe need one more for the front. There was talk of a young bikini'd lady, but, it is Scotland after all. Fully Souwestered more probably.
I agree on the size. They are just 'off' being correct, but the boat doesn't have the bulk of the boiler or funnel or canopy (in fact, that is why the mast was added, to give it some vertical bulk) so the figures sort of work ... just.
I was planning a pennant ( for the 'bulk') but printing online pages from Model Boats magazine has emptied the colour cartridge. :-)
It was a bit windier today, and there was a couple of times a fast little fire boat was out and about creating quite a wake (faintly visible in some photos) but the Choup remained stable and dry as best I could tell. Inadvertently nudging the throttle lever to full astern is not a good idea though. Some water came in the servo steering arm slot.
Due to the electric motor at full chat it was quite a bit of cavitation and, it turns much better one way than the other, probably due to propeller handedness.
However, all in all, very happy with it. Cheers for the support, and we are looking forward to seeing yours on the water ... no doubt swiftly followed by calls for our Choup to go steam :-))
It does need some brass fittings, cleats and stuff, but I am loathe to drill holes in the nice deck.
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OK on the figures - £4.50 each isn't too bad and 50p for the dog is a bargain! The boiler arrived today, that was the last piece of the 'puzzle that I was waiting for, so now I'm all out to get it installed and working. I'm planning a visit to central London shortly, so will be scouring any toy shops I can find! Don't forget to let me know when you've decided on a name. :-))
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Time for an update! I've been slaving away, trying to get the boat completed, now that the better weather is here - results shown below. All that's left to do is build a crate or two to cover the throttle and whistle servos. Maiden voyage (bath doesn't count!) is set for an afternoon next week when my official photographer (wifey) is free. It's taken a while and it's not up to the standards of some others on here, but it's all my own work! I'll post some more pics after the maiden.
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Looks just great, and judging by the hull lines, it could be a pretty fast boat too.
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It looks very elegant and should look great on the water.
Geoff
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Brilliant ! That looks great. Looking forward to sailing photos. :-))
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Thanks chaps! Watch this space!
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It was a lovely day for the maiden voyage - hardly a ripple on the lake! The boiler seemed to run out of steam after a couple of minutes, so I need to resolve that. The turning circle could have been better, so I may need to make a larger rudder. Otherwise, very happy! I took a bit of video as well (or rather, wifey did) so I'll post a link to that when I've got it all edited and uploaded.
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Very nice. But... where's the video?
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Very nice. But... where's the video?
Working on it!
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That is so cool. Looks excellent. I hope you enjoyed sailing it? :-))
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Sandy - thanks! Yes, a very pleasant afternoon sailing! I feel I should just add that Mike of Maccsteam has excelled in customer service - I phoned him about the steam problem on Wednesday morning and he said he'd send me a new type of burner which should cure the problem, though I probably wouldn't get it until after the Easter holiday. Well, it arrived in yesterday morning's mail, along with a 'couple of spare gas jets' to try. What can I say? There's few companies who'll exceed that standard of customer service! Hopefully, the video is now here for you all to see! http://www.vimeo.com/22777437
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I've decided to have a go at building one too.......
Had a problem obtaining some 8mm ply so went with 9mm instead.
So far I've cut the main former blanks, they need profiling to shape.
I've made my own prop shaft and used Phosphor Bronze for the bearings..
Just bought a piece flat board for building on....We dont want any bananas do we? :-))
Pictures to follow.....