Model Boat Mayhem
The Shipyard ( Dry Dock ): Builds & Questions => Lifeboats => Topic started by: Pat Matthews on January 02, 2011, 03:36:40 pm
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In California, the Los Angeles County Fire Department is responsible for the life guard service, which watches over the many miles of popular beaches. The department also takes care of near-shore rescue, and offers paramedic service on Catalina Island. Since most of the coastline is wetted by Santa Monica Bay, the lifeguards are also known as "Baywatch". Yes there really is a Baywatch, and no, Pam Anderson is not employed there!
The department has a small fleet of rescue boats, crewed by dudes who are lifeguards, paramedics, firemen, boat drivers, and tow boat operators, all rolled into one. Gnarly. Most of the boats were built by the now defunct Seaways Boat Company of Long Beach, and they don't look like the TV show boat at all. The boats were constructed in few sizes, such as 32 and 36 feet, with open and semi-enclosed cabins. Power is from a pair of Cummins diesels, with a third diesel aft for the fire pump. The first one of these boats I encountered was #12, a 32 foot open boat, and I immediately became hooked.
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So I've taken a few hundred photos of these boats, of which a number can be found at the LACO FD/LG station in Marina del Rey. Seaways never did offer me any lines, so I've had to work from these photos and two dimensions-- 32 feet overall, 12 foot beam-- to create a set of lines for 1:12 scale model. Actually, I took lines from a Dumas Trojan cabin cruiser, which I only needed to scale, after reshaping the aft part from a tumble home design to the Seaway design. (sorry, no, the plans are NOT in distributable form....)
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The build is well underway. Hull frames are 1/8" ply, with stringers and a single layer of diagonal-planked 1/16" basswood (lime). Total weight has to be kept down, to less than 4 pounds, so I'm building light at every opportunity.
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That's a pretty neat boat, and nice work too. :-))
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The cockpit floor is built of 1/32" light weight ply panels over an open framework, allowing for some sizable access hatches. My hatches lift straight out though, not hinged like the real ones!
The anti-skid patches are glass microballoons, sprinkled into wet paint in masked off areas.
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Here is some of the anti-skid texture.
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Nearly as good looking as Pamela Anderson,excellent build dude!
keep sending the photos Pat :-)) O0
All the best Tony
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A mighty fine piece of woodworking there Pat.......she's going to look a fine boat when finished..can't wait.
neil.
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Thanks all.
Here is some of the machinery installation... though I've already replaced the big green brushless in-runners with smaller and much lighter out-runners.
ESC's are mounted on a side wall, making use of space. Battery and motor mounts all attach to a common and removable floor panel. The servo hangs from the rafters, again making use of available space... you don't have to screw everything to the floor!
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One of the joys of modeling an extant boat, is being able to actually see, measure, sniff, etc., all the details... and perhaps even find current catalog drawings!
From photos like the first one here, I was able to track down many of the details I'll have to model... the siren from Federal Signal, the PA speakers from FourJay, the Taiyo RDF antenna, the Furuno radome... and quite a few more!
I was even able to find a sound clip of the FS siren's emergency whoop, which is going onto a digitally recorded sound chip...
http://media.fedsig.com/sites/media.fedsig.com/files/mp3/Touchmaster%20Delta%20Scan.mp3
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Another one of those details is the fire monitor, made by Stang in California.
I tried several techniques for making the 1D bends required in 1/4" tubing... impossible, this tight of a bend cannot even be done with professional mandrel bending gear. The actual bends are typically forged in 90° elbows, not tube forms at all. As I wanted a true stainless steel appearance, the available plastic elbows just weren't going to do. What to do then?
I decided to turn a doughnut from brass stock... and quartered it into the required elbows. With a bit more fabrication and careful soldering, the whole (non-functioning) monitor was assembled. A bit of nickel plating finished the job.
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Nice work.
This sort of boat is not my thing, but this build log is really interesting.
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again, beautiful brasswork, Pat............did you have it chrome plated once finished, or is that a "silver" coloured spray.
superb.
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Thanks!
As mentioned above, it's a nickel plate. You can do this at home with a kit. But the underlying brass must be polished to a sparkle first!
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The bridge structure was interesting, with its sloping wrap-around plywood front. A framework was built, and a sandwich was wrapped around that... 1/64" ply, 2 layers of 1/32" balsa, and a top layer of 1/64" ply. All wrapped dry and cold, went on easily enough.
The bits around the curved front were left with staggered ends aft, which allowed the sides to be grafted on in their own layers. The entire assembly is built loose from the hull, to allow easier access for painting and detailing.
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Likewise, the wind deflector on the bridge was a puzzler. I finally found that I could bend a single sheet of 1/64" plywood to the necessary shape, after first creating a paper template. The ply was doubled, for a stout lip on the bridge.
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As mentioned over in the 3D Printing thread, http://www.modelboatmayhem.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=22134.0 , I designed and sourced 3D printed stainless steel struts and rudders for the model. Many pros & cons in this process, but it worked out well for me here.
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Now that is comming along very nicely indeed.
your doing a wonderfull job in replicating everything.
Classic lines that will never look wrong, cant wait to see finnished model
phill
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I wish I could learn to polish stuff better...
Federal Signal CP100 siren, machined from brass and nickel plated. Body is almost 1/2" diameter.
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Sound board for the siren:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uawjJec6zro
with a little more description at:
http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1367210#post17026270
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A few details, in progress...
- The radio shack
- Taiyo RDF antenna
- Becker soft-top rescue surfboard
- Polypropylene tow line on a big spool
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love the model surfboard, pat.....just makes it so real. :-)) :-))
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With the deck roughed in, it's starting to look like something.
At this point, the bridge assembly is still loose and removable... a few more details to go on it before it gets locked down.
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Did some work on the steering wheel... rim is 2mm tubing, annealed, bent, silver soldered, and drilled 1/32"... hub is lathe turned, and drilled 1/32" for the spokes. Assembly/soldering fixture is turned from PVC bar... solder is low temp silver bearing stuff, I was able to solder in the fixture.
Buff the wheel, nickel plate it, and install. Simple!
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Coming along... a lot of painting since the last post, and today, decals.
(http://s4.postimage.org/22o13kx0k/w4_3360.jpg) (http://postimage.org/image/22o13kx0k/)
Did some stencil work to add the number to the non-skid foredeck:
(http://s4.postimage.org/22ob0szz8/w1_3353.jpg) (http://postimage.org/image/22ob0szz8/)
Built a life-ring, about 45mm dia., with real fabric straps:
(http://s4.postimage.org/22ot7ptes/w3_3357.jpg) (http://postimage.org/image/22ot7ptes/)
(http://s4.postimage.org/22p4sh8v8/w3_3358.jpg) (http://postimage.org/image/22p4sh8v8/)
Compare to:
(http://s2.postimage.org/xbrmdqjo/w3_LA_057.jpg) (http://postimage.org/image/xbrmdqjo/)
(http://s2.postimage.org/xbt9x31g/w1_8071.jpg) (http://postimage.org/image/xbt9x31g/)
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you need this figure and modify it slightly :D
(http://www.firebirdtoys.com/images/MVC-459S.jpg)
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Hi Pat
Your Baywatch boat look really nice I like the man on the deck with the cup of coffee :-)
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Thanks Essex, but I'll distance myself and the boat as far as possible from the TV farce... ok2
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First time I have had a look at this build - it is beautifully made and the metalwork is stunning
The only thing I'm not keen on is the colour of the deck on the full sized version - like the colour of a 60's bathroom suite.
Excellent build.
Geoff
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But so very right for Southern California!
Get out in the sand, under the sun and palm trees, with your shorts, shades, and flip-flops on... and it will all seem right to you!
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Sorry on the Northumbrian coast its clouds and rain,thermal vests, long johns and wellies.
Geoff
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why is michael knight wearing a sporran %%
This boat is fantastic, such good detail
phill :-))
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A little more detail around the "office".
(http://s4.postimage.org/1222r6t7o/x2_3380.jpg) (http://postimage.org/image/1222r6t7o/)
(http://s4.postimage.org/1227psup0/x4_3388.jpg) (http://postimage.org/image/1227psup0/)
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Aerials in place.
(http://s1.postimage.org/2hxa0lshw/x6_3394.jpg) (http://postimage.org/image/2hxa0lshw/)
(http://s1.postimage.org/2hxbo54zo/x6_3396.jpg) (http://postimage.org/image/2hxbo54zo/)
and a few details, forward.
(http://s1.postimage.org/2hxdbohhg/x6_3398.jpg) (http://postimage.org/image/2hxdbohhg/)
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Loving this build, the attention to detail for such a small vessel is amazing, truly excellent work :-))
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I wish I could learn to polish stuff better...
Federal Signal CP100 siren, machined from brass and nickel plated. Body is almost 1/2" diameter.
I love your detail here! The siren now looks fantastic in place.
I think with models, in the same way a satin paint finish on the model replicates a gloss finish on the real thing, your nickel plating (ie not as shiny) replicates the chrome of the real thing and looks "real" on your model. Great work. Thanks for sharing it and your expertise.
Chris
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Just about there...
(http://s2.postimage.org/2g501p1ic/z1_3412.jpg) (http://postimage.org/image/2g501p1ic/)
(http://s2.postimage.org/2g56nufhg/z1_3416.jpg) (http://postimage.org/image/2g56nufhg/)
(http://s2.postimage.org/2g59yx4h0/z1_3417.jpg) (http://postimage.org/image/2g59yx4h0/)
(http://s2.postimage.org/2g5exj5yc/z1_3419.jpg) (http://postimage.org/image/2g5exj5yc/)
(http://s2.postimage.org/2g5i8luxw/z1_3421.jpg) (http://postimage.org/image/2g5i8luxw/)
(http://s2.postimage.org/2g5ljojxg/z1_3426.jpg) (http://postimage.org/image/2g5ljojxg/)
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Excellent model Pat. Great detailing. :-))
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beautiful model..........enjoy the sailing.
neil.
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Took it to the local model show (a little thing we do here, for 57 years now); did OK.
http://www.toledoshow.com/index.cfm?p=gallery&Gal=2011%20Working%20Vessel%20Unarmed%20Boat
(http://s4.postimage.org/8nelrrdw/IMG_4020.jpg) (http://postimage.org/image/8nelrrdw/)
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Looks great now you have it finished Pat. Congratulations on your win.
Geoff
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So if winning first place is doing OK, what on earth is doing well!!!
Bob
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what a classic, pat. even the stand is a work of art in itself.
very nice indeed.
neil.