Model Boat Mayhem

The Shipyard ( Dry Dock ): Builds & Questions => Navy - Military - Battleships: => Topic started by: martno1fan on October 09, 2006, 02:18:08 pm

Title: higgins boat scratch build!!
Post by: martno1fan on October 09, 2006, 02:18:08 pm
Hi well after getting the plans for a higgins boat 30 inches long i made a start on the build,she will be powered using a 540 motor and a 7.2 volt nimh pack, and im using plywood frames and balsa planks and sheeting for the hull.i first made a jig by drawing the outline of the deck onto a piece of 3x 2 softwood,i then marked the frames and cut down to the line creating slots for each frame to slot into.then i used 1/8 ply for frames i could have used balsa but prfered to use ply.if i had 1/16 id have used that but i didnt so instead decided 1/8 would be ok if i cut some lightening holes in it.heres  a cpl of pics of her to show my progress so far.(http://)feel free to comment !!
Title: Re: higgins boat scratch build!!
Post by: martno1fan on October 11, 2006, 03:43:16 am
well theres plenty of people looking but so far no ones had any comments which is disapointing!! heres a cpl more pics of the hull .planks are all on now so just needs sanding and maybe a bit of filler here and there .(http://)ill post more pics when i get chance if anyones interested??
Title: Re: higgins boat scratch build!!
Post by: cdsc123 on October 11, 2006, 04:23:33 am
Hi Martno1fan-looking good but you won't find many commercially available fittings at 1/31.2 scale I wouldn't have thought...
Title: Re: higgins boat scratch build!!
Post by: Daryl on October 11, 2006, 04:47:27 am
keep postings I'll look forward to seeing the finished boat. As allready mentioned how are you going to solve the problem of fittings or are youu going to make everything?

Good Luck
Daryl
Title: Re: higgins boat scratch build!!
Post by: martno1fan on October 11, 2006, 04:55:22 am
Hi Martno1fan-looking good but you won't find many commercially available fittings at 1/31.2 scale I wouldn't have thought...
im not using comercial fittings all the guns and torps are on the plans and im building them all myself from the build instructions which if you look at my other thread on the plans you will see all the info is there to download including the plans.the side plan and parts plan probably wont work on your printer though but martin will be posting the plans at some point for me so you can download them,in the meantime if anyone wants them ill send them in an email!!.also the john drain site is good for info on how to build the fittings from scratch.why buy them when you can have the fun of building them and save yourself a fortune also?.glad you like her so far though thanks!!
Title: Re: higgins boat scratch build!!
Post by: White Ensign on October 11, 2006, 08:20:32 am
Hi Martno,
my son Dennis (age 13) wants to start with a Higgins as well. He decided it to be his first boat scratchbuild. The base is the Free plan from MB.
Though I will follow your report with lots of interest. But we will make it scale 1:24, just to have the opportunity and put some more Nicads in it...  ::)

Jörg
Title: Re: higgins boat scratch build!!
Post by: martno1fan on October 11, 2006, 08:55:38 am
hi jorg this boat is for my son also hes ten,i decided to build it this scale as i had the plans and all the instructions to build everything myself .i need to get it done by christmas so ill need to get cracking lol!!.actually you could do this build any size you like if you play around with printer settings.i may myself build a larger version of this one next year some time.it certainly helps having all the instructions and i also have a build thread off a lad that did this same build so i can keep looking at the pics and see how im doing.the guns and torps are all balsa with a few bits of ply and brass tubing,wire etc.my wifes also buying a copy of the film they were expendable so my son can see her in action for real.theres also a new computer game due out soon of the pt boats  ::) no doubt he will want that as well heres a link to it downlod the trailer it looks good.
http://http://games.softpedia.com/progDownload/PT-Boats-Knights-of-the-Sea-Trailer-3-Download-9514.html
Title: Re: higgins boat scratch build!!
Post by: cdsc123 on October 11, 2006, 10:30:29 pm
You guys are all doing it the wrong way round. I attach a picture of my son, he is about 1/12th scale , built from scratch (and other types of contact). By the time he is born my fleet will be made and then he will break them all.
Title: Re: higgins boat scratch build!!
Post by: ministeve on October 11, 2006, 11:07:06 pm
congrats cdsc i too have tryed this form of scratch building three times to be exact and you are right the little cyborgs will in fact try and sink everything else you make but its worth it in the long run


     sorry her in doors tells me there not cyborgs there TERMINATORS
Title: Re: higgins boat scratch build!!
Post by: warspite on October 11, 2006, 11:17:22 pm
you have to check what model numbers they are as well, i got two of the 666 series
Title: Re: higgins boat scratch build!!
Post by: martno1fan on October 12, 2006, 10:35:39 am
well the hulls planked and so is the deck i just need to trim the deck and sand,once ive done that ill fit the motor mount and fasten the prop tube  and rudder in place .once im happy with it ill coat the hull and deck with epoxy and sand smooth ,ill give it 2 to 3 thin coats of epoxy using an old credit card.then ill fit the hatch and start on the chart room ,mast and all the fittings
(http://)
Title: Re: higgins boat scratch build!!
Post by: martno1fan on October 19, 2006, 10:38:57 am
Hi well ive finnished the hull and its coated with two coats of epoxy and the deck is coated too.all i need to do now is attach the chartroom and fit the hatch cover and then make all the fittings.ive half built the boffors cannon just needs a bit of detail adding,gun sights etc i made it using balsa and a bit of plasticard also some round softwood stock sanded to shape for the barrel.i havent used any brass or copper tubing at all as i need to get this built and dont have time to mess arround with solder.but it looks pretty good and im sure once its painted it will look pretty good.the hull looks pretty good and im more than happy with the shape and the smooth finnish.just needs paint now.the motor is mounted and connected now i need to put the rudder in ,first ill need to make the rudder though.progress has been slow the last few days as ive needed to wait a day for the epoxy to set up in my workshop before i could flip the boat to do the other side etc.the cooler weather doesnt help either but ill get there in the end.pics to come!!
Title: Re: higgins boat scratch build!!
Post by: martno1fan on October 19, 2006, 11:23:53 am
heres a few pics of the finnished hull hope you like what ive done!!(http://)
Title: Re: higgins boat scratch build!!
Post by: martno1fan on October 19, 2006, 11:25:57 am
more(http://)
Title: Re: higgins boat scratch build!!
Post by: 2772e on October 19, 2006, 07:11:39 pm
Hi Mart,

Looking good, hull seen to have turned out better than the Vosper. Should go well, with all that balsa i bet she's light!

 ;) ;)
Title: Re: higgins boat scratch build!!
Post by: martno1fan on October 27, 2006, 06:21:48 pm
Hi Mart,

Looking good, hull seen to have turned out better than the Vosper. Should go well, with all that balsa i bet she's light!

 ;) ;)
hi simon thanks for the compliment ,yes she is very light and she looks great  shes also pretty strong surprisingly .im so pleased with her,i wish id done the vosper with wood as thats what im good with .i will do a vosper next year im thinking of using a strimmer engine in one!!.by the way your boat looked awesome too i saw a few pics of her on the water !!.
Title: Re: higgins boat scratch build!!
Post by: martno1fan on November 11, 2006, 11:02:25 am
hi guys, well shes coming along nicely now and i only have a few bits to add to her to get her finnished.ive painted the hull although i need to add the teeth to the stem under the chines hence why the red goes up at the bow along the chines.i havent had a chance to post pics for a while so pleas excuse me if it appears that ive jumped on a bit in the build!!.i hope you all like what ive done ,comments are welcome.
Title: Re: higgins boat scratch build!!
Post by: 2772e on November 11, 2006, 05:21:54 pm
Hey Mart,

Coming on well, the build seems to be really quick.

Have you had her on the water yet, real little flier!

Regards

Simon
Title: Re: higgins boat scratch build!!
Post by: martno1fan on November 11, 2006, 11:38:16 pm
ive had her in the bath simon and thats all,i still need to put the rudder in as i needed the parts to make it so went ahead with the build but it shouldnt be a problem.i did try the motor out in the bath and yes i think it will fly hehe.my son will love it and i reckon it will give his wind speed boat a good run for its money lol.i havent done any building to the boat for two weeks till this week but yes its coming along quick.once i get going i cant stop but i need this done before xmas .by the way i just bought a nice strimmer engine on ebay this week for 15 pounds its 28 cc im either thinking another larger one of these or a shhh(speed boat). ;D
Title: Re: higgins boat scratch build!!
Post by: martno1fan on December 09, 2006, 10:42:39 am
hi well i havent been able to get the boat totally finnished there are still some details to add such as windscreen and such later but i think its going to please my son and looks quite nice as it is so this is how he will see it on christmas day the electrics are all added.she was tested in the bath and wow she has quite a bit of power i was pleasantly surprised she almost climbed out of the bath at half throtle so im sure she will be well above sacale speed at full power which is nice!!.heres the pics of her i hope you like what ive done and feel free to add coments thanks.(http://)
Title: Re: higgins boat scratch build!!
Post by: martno1fan on December 09, 2006, 10:52:09 am
few more !!
Title: Re: higgins boat scratch build!!
Post by: durhambargeman on December 11, 2006, 03:07:43 pm
 
 Hi, Congratulations on a really great looking model. Can I ask what kind of epoxy coating you used? Was it used in conjunction with fibreglass or just the epoxy? Did you just brush it on, and if so, did you do it inside the hull also. Cheers. Ray
Title: Re: higgins boat scratch build!!
Post by: martno1fan on December 11, 2006, 04:19:14 pm

 Hi, Congratulations on a really great looking model. Can I ask what kind of epoxy coating you used? Was it used in conjunction with fibreglass or just the epoxy? Did you just brush it on, and if so, did you do it inside the hull also. Cheers. Ray
hi mate i just used two part epoxy on the outside i used a credit card(old) to spread it over the hull i sanded it between coats and gave it 3 coats.its plenty strong too.i left the inside apart from the aft end where the rudder is as i was epoxying in the rudder tube and prop tube i brushed some round the hull there but i feel its not really needed but it wont hurt to do inside as well.im glad you like her im very happy with her i made every thing, all the guns and torps are made from scrap balsa and gun barrels are wooded skewers we had left from a barbeque  ;)the only things i didnt make were a cpl of  life belts and some cleats.
Title: Re: higgins boat scratch build!!
Post by: martno1fan on December 27, 2006, 02:30:04 pm
here are some pics of the inside !! i made a thicker heat sinc out of thicker alluminium and it seems to work well.also heres a link to its maiden voyage!!http://http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S5WPQneDh7o
Title: Re: higgins boat scratch build!!
Post by: g7tmu on March 03, 2007, 09:11:56 am
Was this built from the Model Boats free plan (08/2004)? You have encouraged me to have a go at building one, now I have finished my PT-15!

I see that there is a supplier on eBay of 1:32 PT boat fittings, which look quite good and a full range including torpedo tubes and turrets etc., but they are somewhat expensive! Anyone tried them I wonder?

I have built balsa hulls before and found that Jap tissue gives the best surface onto the hull and by the time you have several coats of dope under the tissue and again on to the Jap tissue, you end up with a very good smooth surface, ready for painting.

Victor (g7tmu)
Title: Re: higgins boat scratch build!!
Post by: martno1fan on March 03, 2007, 11:41:37 am
They were free plans yes but not sure what issue they were in i sourced them from a guy who also built the boat.I have all the plans and build instructions i can email them to you if you wish?.The epoxy is a great way to cover a balsa boat as it adds strength to the hull or should i say makes it more impact resistant.I cant help you with parts as i made all the guns and torps myself  they worked out pretty good ,the boat still isnt finnished but my son loves taking her out. We have since ditched the 7.2 v nicad for a 7.2 v nimmh and wow this thing is twice as fast now so i have been installing water cooling as the motor gets pretty warm,i havent tested it out yet though .speed is now well above scale at full throttle which he seems to like and runtimes are about 15 mins or more  with the higher mah(3,300mah).
Title: Re: higgins boat scratch build!!
Post by: Martin [Admin] on March 03, 2007, 06:24:43 pm
martno1fan sent me this Info on the original - http://web.ukonline.co.uk/alan.shipman/boats/PT305history.htm (http://web.ukonline.co.uk/alan.shipman/boats/PT305history.htm)

Credit where credit due  ::)
Title: Re: higgins boat scratch build!!
Post by: bigfella on March 08, 2007, 02:55:23 am
Hi All

I am currently in the process of making this model and I am up to the electrics stage. I fibreglassed the hull and resined the deck. I had ordered some fittings from the USA (40mm boffors, depth charges and other parts) but have had to cancell the order as i have waited 4 months and no sign.

g7tmu I have some of the fittings from monstervan from ebay and they are of a good standard, I went for torpedo tubes instead of the roll off torpedoes, the life raft is good as is the 20mm cannon, hatches and other parts. Will post a photo when finished.

Regards Bigfella
Title: Re: higgins boat scratch build!!
Post by: martno1fan on March 08, 2007, 08:53:54 am
Why didnt you post a build thread? ,i made my life raft using balsa and wrapped a silicon tube round it and used zip ties as straps looks pretty good and makes it look like shes strapped down to the deck.cost err nowt lol as were all my guns and torps which i made from scrap i had laying around from other builds  ;D.one day ill get round to finnishing the thing if i can stop my son playing with it long enough that is.by the way stay tuned for anew video of this boat since we changed from nicad to nimmh WOW what a diff it made this thing really moves!!. :o
Title: Re: higgins boat scratch build!!
Post by: bigfella on March 08, 2007, 11:54:54 am
Hi martino1fan

Sorry for jumping in like that. I only have a few photos that would not do for a build. By the way yours looks like a great build, I have seen the video and she really goes well, looks realistic in the water. I had to buy fittings due to the fact that I suffer from arthritis in the hands and that restricts me a little.... What type of motor did you end up using??? I am thinking of using a Johnson 540 and 6v sealed lead acid battery, do you think that would give as good a performance as yours??

Kind regards Bigfella
Title: Re: higgins boat scratch build!!
Post by: martno1fan on March 08, 2007, 05:27:25 pm
the lead battery will be a bit heavy if i were you id get a nimmh pack of 7.2 volts and mines 3,300 mah which gives great speed and decent runtimes.i used the motor out of an old tamiya car its a 540 motor and i bough another which is a spare for 1 quid off ebay unused.try the jouhnson if you like it might be ok.i used a mechanical speed controll as i had it  allready and they are bullet proof.that video by the way is the old battery now its super fast .quite a lot faster whcih was a surprise i couldnt beleive the diff between the nimmh and the nicad pack.they are both 7.2 volts but the nimmh giives far more power.i use the standard nicad wall charger for the nimmh as its only  250 ma and was told as long as you use a low ma charger nimmhs are fine and no memmory unlike nicads.so you can top them up an hr or so before you go boating unlike with nicads.
Title: Re: higgins boat scratch build!!
Post by: bigfella on March 09, 2007, 09:17:50 am
Hi martino1

I just bought 3 of those Tamiya/Johnson motors from ebay and 5 Johnson 540 motors also on ebay. The Tamiya are used and the Johnson are new so I think I will put one of the Johnson motors in the PT Boat I have a speed controller (Tekin 610) that is made for a car but will do for the boat, it has reverse as well and has a 200 amp capacity, so it should go a bit.

Regards Bigfella
Title: Re: higgins boat scratch build!!
Post by: martno1fan on March 09, 2007, 09:36:44 am
try the tamya ones first as i know the johnsons rev very high and tend to over heat ive seen a boat go on fire before that way.also water cool the motor use a coil.mine has reverse too be carefull though as the couplings can come loose in reverse  so make sure its on tight .
Title: Re: higgins boat scratch build!!
Post by: bigfella on March 09, 2007, 11:05:22 pm
Hi

Thanks for the advice, I will give the Tamiya a go and see how she goes. I will have to put a water pickup on her.

Regards Bigfella
Title: Re: higgins boat scratch build!!
Post by: martno1fan on March 10, 2007, 12:58:19 am
you will love this boat it handles brilliantly and is very good at speed ,just dont hit any bouys as i did cos she will take off and land upside down like mine hehe but she never leaked a drop lol.mind you wading waist deep in mud and water in feb isnt much fun lol. :'( were taking her for a spin tomorrow so hopefully ill have a new vid of her for you soon.