Model Boat Mayhem
The Shipyard ( Dry Dock ): Builds & Questions => Working Vessels => Topic started by: eternal422 on January 11, 2021, 08:53:56 am
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(Posting in here as I originally posted into Working Vessels R&D - apologies !)
Thought I’d start a build log of Danny Boy which I received as a Christmas present from my wife to keep me occupied during the various lockdowns etc. we have coming up! Also as a link to boating whilst we are not allowed to go on our share narrowboat!
This is only my second build (Riverside Models narrowboat being my first build) so I’m still feeling my way a bit, doing lots of research online and especially on this fabulous forum!
So, here are the first few pictures :
- nice looking GRP hull needing only a little bit of smoothing;
- stern fram drilled and frame positioned;
- prop shaft hole drilled and initial positioning for the MFA Torpedo 800 motor;
- and finally a work in progress electronics “deck” which I intend placing below the forward hatch to allow easy access to switches and charging socket without having to remove the main superstructure.
Still debating over the best way to mount the motor to make it easy to remove for any future prop shaft greasing (although it is according to Mountfleet a maintenance free prop shaft from Model Boat Bits) or motor alignment adjustments. Seen some fancy adjustable mounts for brushless motors but nothing really different for the MFA 800 and it’s like.
Still lots to research, figure out and doubtless lots of trial and error along the way! But the main thing is that it is enjoyable, I find myself spending ages just looking at the parts and going over possible ways to build things. This feels like it will be a lovely boat to build.
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Just a bit more work on the electronics deck tonight, bit of soldering and positioning to check cable lengths. Tested charging socket and power to distribution board. I want to get the motor and servo mounted in the hull before calibrating the ESC and testing the RC controls, so the deck will be set to one side for a bit.
Next step is opening the mooring ports and cleaning up the rest of the hull before fixing the prop shaft and stern frame.
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Day off work today, so I spent it on Danny Boy!
First off was testing the electronics out of the boat and I’m pleased to say it all worked really well first time! I’ll possibly have to swap the motor wires to get forward when I push the stick forward and astern when I pull it back on the transmitter but will be able to tell once it’s connected up to the prop and I can feel the wind when it’s spinning for forwards! The rudder servo may need to be reversed but this looks to be very easy to do in the transmitter’s menu. I will know for sure once everything is set up with the tiller arm and linkage geometry. Very pleased with the Flysky transmitter, just have to convert the aircraft-based names such as elevator, aileron, etc. to appropriate ones for boating, but no big deal.
Then it was on to filing and sanding for the stern frame until I was happy with the fit before bravely reaching for the superglue and tacking it in place to hold it whilst I turned the hull over and epoxied the internal frame and top of the frame inside the hull. Whilst at it I also epoxied the rudder tube and prop shaft support bulkhead. Very pleased with the Zap Z Poxy 30 minutes which mixes very easily and does indeed cure in 30 minutes.
I finished up making a deck for the rudder servo, which is just positioned loosely for now until I can be sure of the linkage geometry. It may need re-making in thicker ply, or else gluing braces underneath it for strength as it’s a bit too flexible at the moment.
All in all a good day and very enjoyable!
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Did a bit more on Danny Boy today, sanding the hull and removing the odd blemish, opening up the mooring ports at bow and stern then adding a bit more epoxy to the inside of the hull where the prop shaft enters and rudder tube. Good lesson to learn here : watch out for any epoxy running down the rudder tube! Luckily I caught it in time and wiped off the excess to prevent it glueing up the rudder! Squirt of WD40 and constantly moving the rudder for the full 30 minutes whilst the epoxy set so that I could be absolutely sure it wasn’t glued solid!
The last picture is of the mooring port surrounds which will fit inside on the bulwarks (and not the outside of the hull which does have some surrounding in the GRP moulding anyway - thanks to checking that out with the plan😂).
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Not much work today as I need to wait for a delivery of some bigger clamps to the ones I have to allow me to fix the main deck stringers. So I contented myself with some milliput to mould around the bottom of the stern frame; not used it before but very impressed with how easy it is to use and mould. Next job will be to sand it down to shape which I may tackle in the evenings after work.
I also built a quick make-do stand with some scrap ply, using the supplied templates for bow and stern profiles. It is meant to hold the boat at its waterline but I’m not convinced as it seems to be angled up too much towards the bow. It will do for a bit whilst I work on the next bits of the model but I really want a much nicer permanent stand.
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Evening eternal422
Good progress look forward to more photo's as you go along
Jason
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Thanks Jason! I'm sure there will be "challenges" ahead, but just taking it really slowly and carefully and so far enjoying every moment of it - hopefully that will be the case throughout and I'll end up with a lovely model :-)
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Bit more progress tonight, sanded the Milliput around the stern frame, put P40 around the prop shaft inside the hull and laid out the motor mounting, battery tray and electronics deck to check for placement of everything.
Took a lot of time to consider the motor mounting and in the end decided upon a simple plate, slightly inclined to keep the coupling straight and in line with the prop shaft, bolting the bracket onto it and will epoxy the plate onto a cross beam. I decided that with a small screwdriver bit handheld I will be able to unscrew the motor from the mounting bracket then move the motor back and off the prop shaft to allow sliding the shaft out (once propellor unscrewed) if I ever need to gain access after the boat is completed.
Ordered a 12v 9Ah SLA battery tonight (the one in the picture I’m just using to test the electronics so far) along with some more bits from The Component Shop, deciding to have a go at installing some RC controlled LED lighting. So will follow some more planning and trials to fit everything in, but at least at this stage I have full access to the hull!
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Looking good so far. If access is going to be limited it's sometimes better to fit stud bolts to the motor - much easier to fit a nut on the end of the stud than try to line up a bolt through the mount and find the threaded hole in the motor case when you can't see where it is.
Ralph
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Thanks for the suggestion Ralph, I think what I’ll do is fit the deck stringers and cross beams and before fixing the deck see what the access is like. At the moment I feel that I would be able to undo the motor bracket screws on the front of the motor as it should all be visible and accessible under the superstructure opening in the deck, but will check and adapt the mounting if needed.
Tiny bit more work tonight in shaping the rudder servo mounting plate to see that I can get the geometry lined up with the linkage and tiller. Will leave fixing until the deck can be dry fitted to check for clearances.
Day off work tomorrow so I hope to tackle the deck stringers and might have a go at making a better stand.
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Good progress today, started off making the stand as without it anything else would have been too difficult with an unsteady hull! Fairly pleased with the stand, might varnish it later but at least it will see me through the build.
Then on to fixing the main deck supports around the inside edge of the hull. First styrene strip epoxied to the hull then after completing that round I made a start with a second strip using styrene cement to glue it to the first one. Should build up into a nice ledge for the main deck (which will doubtless be a fiddly task but very important to get right!). At least I’m learning as I go and feel that my woodworking skills are getting better already and only using hand tools I can get a reasonably good line sawing through plywood with a coping saw so the deck should be within my skills to cut out.
All in all a very enjoyable day off work and a nice relaxing time “pottering” on Danny Boy😀
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Completed the main deck supports and added some milliput filler to the stern section where there is a gap between the styrene strips and the hull, to be sanded level later. Received a delivery from the Component Shop today of the battery, P44 twin RC switch, leds, resistors and some wire. Actually looking forward to building the circuits for the lighting, even though I’m sure it will be a bit fiddly.
Didn’t do much else today other than adding strips around the battery plate for the new battery and did another placement of all the electronics to check position and clearances. I’ll leave final fixing until I’m ready to fix the main deck. Also fitted the washport covers, deciding against opening up holes in the hull for them.
Next step will be the bilge keels and then cutting out the main deck.
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Got brave and cut out the main deck and fitted it today! Took most of the day as I took it really carefully and got as far as cutting out the right size hole for the superstructure. Just got forward hatch and rudder hatch to cut then I can position cross beams to allow me to finalise the position of the electronics, battery and motor plates in the hull.
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Amazing how this hobby makes time pass quickly and there’s not much to show for it some days ! I fixed the rudder servo plate, glued in the battery plate and whilst waiting for them to set so that I could remove the electronics to flip the hull over for its final prep before priming, I moved on to the main superstructure.
This was my first go at working off a plan and being confronted with a myriad of white metal castings! It’s like a 3D jigsaw puzzle but without a clear identifier of the parts at times I had to resort to matching part counts against the bag parts list! So, after lots of sanding, filing and drilling I managed to get the engine hatches completed and for good measure the porthole surrounds. Curious one of the engine skylight catches refused to superglue until I cleaned off the glue, filed it a bit and tried again. I can only think it was some grease preventing the glue from setting or adhering.
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It may not seem like much, but I was so pleased to get the Action Electronics P44 RC switch wired up and able to switch on a couple of LEDs via the RC! This is new territory for me and I was so pleased it all worked! I’ve got some more wiring to complete along with a connection to a small resistor circuit board I’m building for the superstructure to drive the navigation lights and cabin, engine room skylight, deck and wheelhouse lights. Once I’ve wired up the connector to the superstructure I will be ok to secure all of the running gear and fix the main deck (although still got ballast to sort out and delaying fixing the deck until I’m absolutely sure everything is ok).
In the meantime I’ll plod away at the fittings for the superstructure, having got them sorted out of the bag into a box of little compartments whilst I proceed with the build.
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Did a bit more work on the superstructure tonight, made and fitted the three doors and fitted the foot plates on both side walls. Really enjoying this work now and loving how the boat is starting to look the part. Next job is to cut out the grp under the wheelhouse before the whole thing becomes too delicate with the tiny fittings!
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Before adding all of the small bits you should really be looking at shaping the bottom of the superstructure to fit the deck. You have a number of gaps showing and the bottom edge looks rather uneven.
Jim
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Thanks for bringing my attention to that Jim, I’ll have a go at that next before moving on any further. I guess it’s all about learning as you go along and there is always a lot to think about at each stage!
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Another Friday off work and my original plans were to spray some primer on the hull, wanting to get that done so I can complete the fitting out inside the hull and then fix the main deck, then get on to shaping the superstructure on the fitted deck. Amazing how the build very quickly becomes a long chain of things that can’t be done until (a) is done, but (a) can’t be done until (b) is done etc.! As this is only my second build and my first building from a plan and some brief instructions (that purposely say that the detail is left to the builder) I am finding it takes me quite a while to figure things out just for the sequence of building. But all good fun and a great learning experience!
Anyway, my only place to spray would be outside and it was just too windy here today, so I spent the day instead doing some more sanding, preparing the bilge keels better (every time I look at the hull I see bits that need a bit more smoothing - I suppose that’s what it’s like and one can never get a totally perfect finish for everything, certainly not first time!).
I then spent ages figuring out how to draw the waterline, propping the hull upside down on the table after placing marks at various points where I had taken measurements from the plan from the top of the bulwarks to the waterline. In the end I found the method of attaching a pencil to a set square and moving that around the hull did the job. I used some frog tape to mark the waterline and then took Danny Boy to the test tank (bath) to see about ballast. I split about 2kg of lead shot between bow and stern, plus placing a spare 1.7kg SLA midships to get the boat down to the waterline. I know it will be a rough guess at this stage, even adding the white metal parts will not give me a totally true position, but as the bow and stern ballast need to be placed before fitting the main deck I needed to get the boat down to something like approaching the desired waterline.
I didn’t do much else other than fit a bulkhead at the bow to contain the lead shot when I finally fit that. I then had some fun painting a paint swatch of the colours I have already bought to see which ones I will use and whether I need get any other ones.
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Before adding all of the small bits you should really be looking at shaping the bottom of the superstructure to fit the deck. You have a number of gaps showing and the bottom edge looks rather uneven.
Jim
Have a look at this thread https://www.modelboatmayhem.co.uk/forum/index.php/topic,39214.msg422854.html#msg422854
Top of page 7 shows a great technique for getting the shape right - once you have the deck in place, that is. O0
Regards,
Ray.
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Thanks for that link Ray! Wow! Genius! I was thinking of sanding bits of the GRP superstructure in a trial and error way to match the deck, but this idea is so much better- and so simple (like all the best ideas!). Once I’ve got the deck fitted and move onto that stage I’ll use that trick to hopefully get a better fit than I would have done otherwise!
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Nice one - but don't forget to flatten one side of the pencil :-)
Ray.
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Quiet night spent doing some painting, trying out the new paints (Revell Aqua Color Matt acrylic) and really pleased with them, just need more practice but pleased with the overall look of the life buoys.
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Meant to say life belts - not buoys! For some reason I don’t have the modify option on my posts <:(
Although this one does have modify! Oh well, I also meant to say that the rope between the red and white segments is actually a brighter white than the white segments, but the picture incorrectly shows it as being more silvery. I had thought of painting the rope bits a light brown, but think I’ll leave them as they are.
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Doing some thinking ahead for when I need to smooth the bulwarks, having read various options on here and other forums it seems that there are a few options :
- Just sand the GRP smooth - ok if doing so leaves sufficient thickness, which I think it would, but not sure sanding will get it smooth?
- Use P38 or Top Stop filler to coat the bulwarks then sand smooth - sounds messy and difficult given the fast curing time and possibly hard to get a sharp edge between deck and bulwark?
- Line the bulwarks with thin ply veneer or styrene / plasticard - not confident I would be able to get the lining neat enough against the bulwarks, especially on the curved stern section.
Interested in other people's thoughts and experiences here?
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Cover the bulwarks with a thin smear of P38 or similar before fitting the underdeck and then sand flat or as flat as possible, when the main deck is secured in position then go around the edge with a smear of filler clean any excess with a fine sand paper and then finish off and define the sharp edge by using a sharpe blade or chisle; don't forget also to fit and finish the stem post before fitting the underdeck in its final position.
It is also advisable to fit and secure all the hull fittings in position before you contemplate painting anything. By looking at your pictures it is hard to work out just where your painted water line is however, the correct level is just above the bottom edge of the lower strake.
LB , (who is currently working on his fourth version of this hull)
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Cover the bulwarks with a thin smear of P38 or similar before fitting the underdeck and then sand flat or as flat as possible, when the main deck is secured in position then go around the edge with a smear of filler clean any excess with a fine sand paper and then finish off and define the sharp edge by using a sharpe blade or chisle; don't forget also to fit and finish the stem post before fitting the underdeck in its final position.
It is also advisable to fit and secure all the hull fittings in position before you contemplate painting anything. By looking at your pictures it is hard to work out just where your painted water line is however, the correct level is just above the bottom edge of the lower strake.
LB , (who is currently working on his fourth version of this hull)
Thanks for the advice about the bulwarks - I'll give it a go as this does seem to be the main way people use to get smooth bulwarks and the instructions do suggest this method. Thank you also for the comment about the stem post, I hadn't thought about trying the fit before fixing the underdeck, so hopefully this will save me some heartache by trying the fit before final fitting !
I had the waterline at the top edge of the green frog tape, which does put the waterline just below the lower rubbing strake. I did it fairly roughly just to get an idea for the ballast needed but will be re-doing the waterline much more accurately before doing any painting.
I had planned to paint the outside of the hull before final installation of running gear then underdeck and moving on to adding the bulwark fittings, getting all those done before painting the bulwarks - is this what you mean by securing all the hull fittings before painting?
Many thanks for your advice, I still feel very much a newbie here, this being my first grp hull (and ship for that matter, as my first model was a narrowboat which is of very different design/construction!).
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Thanks for the advice about the bulwarks - I'll give it a go as this does seem to be the main way people use to get smooth bulwarks and the instructions do suggest this method. Thank you also for the comment about the stem post, I hadn't thought about trying the fit before fixing the underdeck, so hopefully this will save me some heartache by trying the fit before final fitting !
I had the waterline at the top edge of the green frog tape, which does put the waterline just below the lower rubbing strake. I did it fairly roughly just to get an idea for the ballast needed but will be re-doing the waterline much more accurately before doing any painting.
It would be advisable to have the paint line a little above the bottom of the lower rubbing strake as this will allow you to add more ballast, which is something I would recommend if you wanted to sail in areas where it is likely to resemble real sea going conditions. All my models have sailed on Windermere with no problems for instance. However, it is your model and you should paint how you wish, it is only a genetic model, there wasn’t Danny Boy in real life, at least as far as I’m aware.
I had planned to paint the outside of the hull before final installation of running gear then underdeck and moving on to adding the bulwark fittings, getting all those done before painting the bulwarks - is this what you mean by securing all the hull fittings before painting?
Yes, this includes the bulwark capping, stanchions. cleats etc, but not the handrail stanchions. I wait until I’ve finished the hull and underdeck before painting. When I do begin, I use a rattle tin of red primer all over the hull and deck, then mark the paint line and mask off the bottom of the hull and then paint the upper half in whatever colour you desire.
Before I forget, was the hull in soapy water, don’t use washing up liquid, and as you are doing that use a fine grit wet and dry paper to give a key for the paint otherwise you may find the paint peeling off which, is really quite frustrating and gives rise to much ungentlemanly language and depression. On completion, spray a coat or two of matt varnish over the whole model.
Many thanks for your advice, I still feel very much a newbie here, this being my first grp hull (and ship for that matter, as my first model was a narrowboat which is of very different design/construction!).
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After advice from LB (thank you!) I re-tried ballasting Danny Boy in the test tank, getting the hull a bit further down into the water. After a bit of juggling of lead shot I ended up with the waterline on the lower strake and the bow about another centimetre lower in the water. The top of the rudder is just below the water and seems to be ok.
It took 1.8kg in the bow, 0.775kg in the stern and some removable ballast either side of the motor of 0.436kg each. So a total ballast of just around 3.5kg. The white metal parts I left in their box amidships as a rough estimate of their weight, but I know that I will have some room to play with using removable ballast for final trimming when the boat is built and in the real water! Currently, with a very unscientific spirit level method it does seem to be floating level and not listing to either side.
Next job will be to set the bow and stern lead shot in epoxy now that I’m happy with the distribution and weights.
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Did the P38 on the bulwarks which was much easier than I had been imagining. I managed to do it with two batches of the filler as it didn’t cure as fast as I thought it would. Sanding after about 30 minutes I managed to get everything really smooth and level. I then spent ages re-fitting the underdeck so that I had a good fit all around.
I also did some research on the stem post (pictures below) and found that it can be fitted after the deck as it should be fitted into the outside of the grp hull, cutting the hull away in the same way as I did for the stern frame. Interestingly I came across a couple of pictures of Danny Boy, one with the piece just attached to the outside of the hull which looks odd and then a review of the Osprey (another Mountfleet model which is an armed version of Danny Boy) which clearly shows the method of fitting the stem post.
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Spent a bit of time this morning on trying out fitting the propellor, in advance of fixing the motor plate with epoxy. The prop is a LH pitch so needs to spin counter-clockwise (when you are looking at the propellor) to push the boat forwards. Had to reverse the wires on the motor to match this to the stick movement on the RC controller. Seems to work ok and I can feel a nice draft when on full ahead so I know it’s going forwards. Learned something from the web, if you place your hand on one of the prop blades (whilst it’s not spinning %% ) and your fingers point downwards then it is a LH pitch, if they point up then it’s a RH pitch. Amazing how much there is to learn about boats!
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You have a LH rotation propeller [by convention looking from the stern]....when you think about it %) a propeller rotating anticlockwise, will have a tightening effect on the right hand threaded propeller shaft
We also see the propeller locknut, with is sensible insurance :-)) [size=78%] [/size]
Derek
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I also did some research on the stem post (pictures below) and found that it can be fitted after the deck as it should be fitted into the outside of the grp hull, cutting the hull away in the same way as I did for the stern frame. Interestingly I came across a couple of pictures of Danny Boy, one with the piece just attached to the outside of the hull which looks odd and then a review of the Osprey (another Mountfleet model which is an armed version of Danny Boy) which clearly shows the method of fitting the stem post.
The Osprey review in MB was mine BTW. She is in the workshop undergoing a major refit because a lot of the superglue joints are giving way and in of need of attention. The next one is there as well, this will be my own take on a similar vessel which, may or may not, be revelled in due course.
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[/size]LB
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The Osprey review in MB was mine BTW. She is in the workshop undergoing a major refit because a lot of the superglue joints are giving way and in of need of attention. The next one is there as well, this will be my own take on a similar vessel which, may or may not, be revelled in due course.
LB
I did wonder! I saw reference to New Brighton (your Liverbudgie handle) and Lake Windermere in the article! Lovely model, I hope I can get somewhere near the quality! Very useful article and helpful for me building Danny Boy already!
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A day’s work and some progress, underdeck now glued down, forward hatch opened up (I thought it may prove to be useful when fishing wires through for the mast lights), stem post and bow plate installed and bulwark cappings almost all done - remainder of starboard side to complete then some filling and sanding to tidy everything up before moving on to the bulwark fittings.
Thanks to LB’s advice on getting these steps done before going anywhere near painting as I now see that the upper edge of the hull will get some sanding when I do the bulwark cappings.
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Some pictures of the hull before fitting the deck today showing everything in place. I chickened out of epoxy-ing the lead shot ballast in the bow and stern and used some diver’s pouches instead. At least with this method I can adjust the ballast and place them in the hull through the main hatch. I’m using little plastic strips of sorting boxes for the ballast needed either side of the motor, again these can be placed, adjusted, etc. as required.
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Enjoying the February sunshine! Took Danny Boy outside for a spot of filler around the bulwark cappings and deck edge, then enjoyed a beer and wondered how much sanding would be required next!
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That's my favourite way of modelling lol {-) {-)
Seriously looks good or though. :-)) :-)) :-))
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must be hard working upside down {-) {-) {-)
Seriously its looking really good, congratulations :-))
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That's my favourite way of modelling lol {-) {-)
Seriously looks good or though. :-)) :-)) :-))
{-) Did the same today, very enjoyable!
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must be hard working upside down {-) {-) {-)
Seriously its looking really good, congratulations :-))
Thank you! I feel it’s starting to look like a boat now, looking forward to moving on to the bulwark fittings!
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Started on the inner bulwarks, cutting triangles from 0.8mm ply and trying my best to match the different angles! Hopeful that the finished result will benefit from the CA gap filling properties will mean once painted everything will look ok.
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A day off and spent my time on bulwark support manufacture and fitting, ending up with everything done all round the hull. On to coamings for superstructure and hatches tomorrow. Slowly but surely Danny Boy is taking shape and looking more and more like a boat.
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Well, that's what you might call 'a productive day off' - good going :-))
Ray.
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thats going to look fantastic, i loved my Mountfleet St Nectan build (Static)
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Might I suggest a shot of primer on things before you go too far? Usual thing is to get it looking good and smooth by finger feel and eye, then on first pass of primer you will find whereas it looked a smooth as a baby's bum -looks more like the surface of the moon!
I know it's not universally accepted to put primer on before the rest of things are glued down (some paint everything, some paint none), but in my case anyway it lets me see, and most of the primer ends up sanded back anyway -certainly more than enough for adhesives to stick, or you just cut those bit back a bit more (or apply masking tape if needed /pedantic).
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Might I suggest a shot of primer on things before you go too far? Usual thing is to get it looking good and smooth by finger feel and eye, then on first pass of primer you will find whereas it looked a smooth as a baby's bum -looks more like the surface of the moon!
I know it's not universally accepted to put primer on before the rest of things are glued down (some paint everything, some paint none), but in my case anyway it lets me see, and most of the primer ends up sanded back anyway -certainly more than enough for adhesives to stick, or you just cut those bit back a bit more (or apply masking tape if needed /pedantic).
Thanks for the suggestion :-)) [size=78%] Deciding when to start painting has always been hard for me, but I decided to get the bulwark fittings completed first, which I’ve now done. I will get the coamings done then pause work on the hull until painting, at least the primer. This will have to be done outdoors, so waiting for this wind to die down and a nice calm, dry day to tackle that! I feel that I am fast reaching the point where I will need to wait to get some painting done before progressing further.[/size]
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Well, that's what you might call 'a productive day off' - good going :-))
Ray.
Thanks Ray. Learning all the way, but thoroughly enjoying it!
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thats going to look fantastic, i loved my Mountfleet St Nectan build (Static)
Thank you! I bet the St Nectan was great fun! I was very tempted with the Boston Typhoon, but settled on Danny Boy as I haven’t got the skills (yet) to tackle such a big project, maybe one for retirement! I can see little mistakes and where things could have been better, but I’m still pleased with the overall look and progress. What’s more important, I’m enjoying it immensely and it helps take my mind off this pandemic!
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Second day off work and lots of fiddling to get the coamings just right. Still got to work on the superstructure one to match the uneven moulding. Not that the moulding is bad, just not totally square. The plans do say using shims of ply to make it a tight fit, so that will definitely be another day now!
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Managed to get the superstructure coamings sorted, with a little help from some Milliput for the curved front corners. Then, massive thanks to Ray for the link to Neil’s post on how to use a pencil stub along the deck to get a line on the superstructure to sand parallel to so that I managed to get a good fit with the deck. Maybe not 100% perfect but I’ve decided to leave well alone now as the fit is great in terms of on the coamings and along the deck. I only placed the printed deck to try it out as next step will be some painting.
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It's always a pleasure to help others, even if it's using someone else's idea %)
Passing on know-how ensures skills aren't lost :-))
Ray.
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Did a little bit of painting after debating with myself for hours over what to paint before fitting and what to fit then paint in place. Think I’m going to do the primer on the superstructure next as everything else is quite small and detailed so I feel would benefit from painting first then fixing.
Then had a play with my new toy, a laser level. Practiced marking the waterline for when I have sprayed primer on the hull. After loads of reading up on it I have decided on the following sequence which I saw someone else follow to good effect :
1. Grey primer all over hull
2. White spray band in area of waterline
3. Use Tamiya tape on the white band to be the waterline
4. Seal tape top and bottom with white spray
5. Red primer for below waterline
6. Black for above waterline
7. Remove Tamiya tape to reveal the white waterline
I know there will be loads of different methods, but thought this may be the easiest for me to do. At the worst I can always sand any errors back and re-do.
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Bit of painting today before Danny Boy goes into dry dock #2 (spare bedroom) whilst we tackle some decorating in the kitchen-diner which will force a break in the build. Managed to get the superstructure sprayed with primer, albeit a little darker grey primer than I would have liked. Then did 3 coats over the course of the day on the bulwarks. Not quite as good as I had imagined in my head, but after the third coat it’s not looking too bad. I think perhaps a final, fourth, coat will be in order.
I suppose that each model helps improve your skills and I feel I’m better on this one than I was on the narrowboat, but can still see where I could make improvements. I should have spent much longer on smoothing the bulwarks which would have resulted in a better paint finish, as well as getting a better edge between them and the deck. But at least it’s not a disaster and the overall look is still pleasing, at least to me! I guess you never stop learning!
Pleased to have found a spray paint for the exact colour I’m doing the superstructure in, as I think for such a large area that spraying is preferable to brushing in order to get a good finish. The superstructure will be very much on show and I want that to look as good as possible.
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So, decorating done, spent a cheeky while afterwards on spraying Danny Boy. Superstructure now in final coat, it will still need the clear coat when everything finished. Hull has first coats of the red. Next steps will be marking the waterline, spraying the black upper part then painting the white waterline between the two. Think I’ll do the clear coat on the hull once painting has been finished to give it some protection as I already noticed a faint mark from a fingernail on the red primer, so it must be quite soft (but will hopefully harden up overnight).
Still trying to work out the technique for the waterline, I was going to spray a band of white, put Tamiya tape where I want the waterline to be, then spray above and below with red and black, finally remove the Tamiya tape to reveal the white waterline. However, now thinking this may not be so good as getting the red primer to cover the white top coat might not be so good. Might resort to two lines of Tamiya tape now and paint the waterline in between them.
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Bit more progress on the painting. Used Tamiya masking tape for curves to mark the waterline with the help of the laser level. It seemed fairly easy despite hands that suddenly don’t seem quite so steady! Then masked over the Tamiya tape to cover the lower hull and sprayed the upper black section. Three coats later and a nice finish.
Next steps will be second Tamiya tape on the black section over the waterline one, mask the black, another coat of red primer, wait for that to dry, third Tamiya tape on the red, mask that, remove the middle Tamiya tape and spray the white waterline. Then clear coat spray the lot. Phew!
Like the colour of the red primer, but it’s finish is definitely not as good as the black top coat, in that it scuffs very easily. I guess that’s primer for you and the clear coat will protect it to stop any scuffs.
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Hull painting almost there with waterline now painted. Just a few bleeds which I can tidy up, then a clear coat spray to give some protection before I progress work.
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Managed to get the waterline bleeds sorted and sprayed a clear lacquer. Now I’m not totally sure whether the resulting eggshell finish is ok or not? Debating over whether a Matt lacquer may be better and if so whether I could just spray a coat of that over the top to dull down the sheen?
Mind you, the more I look at the result the more it’s growing on me. It’s hard to tell in the photo, but what do people think? Would it be better dulled down a bit?
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It looks pretty good. Matt lacquer usually still has a slight sheen anyway. Sometimes the satin can look a bit too shiny. It might be worth painting a test piece of plastic sheet and then spraying first with satin and then matt so you can compare it with the hull as it is at the moment. Even if you decide not to use the matt, it will still come in useful for fittings etc. (but don't spray lacquer over enamel)
Colin
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It looks pretty good. Matt lacquer usually still has a slight sheen anyway. Sometimes the satin can look a bit too shiny. It might be worth painting a test piece of plastic sheet and then spraying first with satin and then matt so you can compare it with the hull as it is at the moment. Even if you decide not to use the matt, it will still come in useful for fittings etc. (but don't spray lacquer over enamel)
Colin
Thanks For the advice Colin. I’m actually getting to like the soft sheen of the hull now so I may just leave well alone! However, I will definitely use the Matt lacquer for the superstructure and fittings as I want them matt. As you say, a test piece is definitely in order before I do anything with those as I definitely won’t be able to rub any of the superstructure back with all of its fittings!
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Not too much progress on Danny Boy (due to dealing with painting at 1:1 scale - kitchen and lounge !). Just a bit of work in building the navigation light boards and painting some of the wheelhouse components. Next bit will be fitting the LEDs in the navigation lights and getting them mounted onto the superstructure. Also added the floor to the wheelhouse, so it's slowly coming along.
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Edging forwards with the build! Initial part of building the main hatch done and it fits beautifully (measuring twice, cutting once worked lol!). More work to do on it but pleased with these first steps.
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Bit the bullet and filed down the engine skylight castings as some were badly formed, plus I couldn’t “glaze” them due to having fixed the moulding onto the superstructure and only drilled a hole for a LED, not wanting to cut at this stage of the build - I guess you live and learn!
Fitted some Graupner glazed portholes which I feel do the job well and smartened up the look, even if they are perhaps not quite the right thing for the boat. But if it looks good to me then I am happy, after all it is a generic model and not a specific actual boat.
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Progress has been a bit slow over this last week. Having a little break from the superstructure and doing the hatches which I’m finding quite enjoyable. Got the painting then hatch boards to make up next.
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Progress has been a bit slow over this last week.
... but, any progress is better than none O0 :-))
Ray.
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After a break for decorating then two weeks on holiday on our shared narrowboat (great fun with everything from gales, torrential rain, hail and then sun burnt on the last day!) back to Danny Boy. Did the steering chain and pipe along with a couple of hand rails.
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Poor Danny Boy <:( after getting an intermittent failure when switching on (no power on P112 board), and lots of examining wiring, etc. I got to the point of the ESC being totally dead. After lots of tearing my hair out, I managed to eliminate everything and isolate the fault to the ESC so I know it’s definitely that rather than anything else.
The only thing I can think that may have caused it (other than a faulty ESC in the first place) is that when testing other circuits I didn’t have the motor connected and I think the spades on the end of the motor wires accidentally touched and shorted the ESC (I know, rookie error!). It has worked after that but with an intermittent issue of sometimes not powering up, pulling the battery voltage down to around 3v which meant nothing else worked. This gradually got worse until last night I couldn’t get anything out of the ESC at all.
So, replacement ESC on its way and lesson learned. Meanwhile Danny Boy is in a bit of a state. If nothing else it has proved that I can get to everything ok through the main hatch and superstructure opening!
Just keeping my fingers crossed that the replacement ESC resolves the issue (which it must do as I have proved everything else is ok) and I can rebuild some confidence to carry on the build. Must admit this has knocked me a bit, but at least the issue has been found now and not when Danny Boy is in the middle of a lake!
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Part 2 of the electrical problems <:(
I fitted the new ESC and got it working just fine. Then switched power off and screwed everything back together. Switching the main toggle switch on again and the power didn’t come on! Off and on again and it came back on. After experimenting (with just the power distribution board connected, definitely NOT the new ESC!) I found that just waggling the lever on the toggle switch I could get the power to go off.
So maybe the switch was the cause of the blown ESC ? Or perhaps the switch fault is another problem in addition to a damaged ESC from the motor wire shorting incident some weeks back?
Whatever the cause I have now ordered a replacement switch - going for a rocker switch this time that is sold for use in cars, so should be ok switching 12v DC. I was tempted to simplify things and just connect the battery directly to the P112 power distribution board, but I kind of like having the DPDT switch to go between a charging socket and connecting the battery to the P112.
I will be SO glad when these issues have been sorted and I can get back to more enjoyable model building!
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HI You are making a cracking job with this build. The end result will be well worth it .
Stan. :-)) :-)) :-)) :-)) :-)) :-)) :-)) :-)) :-))
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HI You are making a cracking job with this build. The end result will be well worth it .
Stan. :-)) :-)) :-)) :-)) :-)) :-)) :-)) :-)) :-))
Thank you so much Stan! That means a lot to me! Inspired by what can be achieved looking at some of your wonderful models! Looking forward to continuing my build with renewed confidence and enthusiasm now :-))
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Hi hope to send you some pictures of the suspended lights on 1062. If time allows also a sketch. You have done a great job on the paintwork and the electronics look fine.
Stan.
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Thanks to a great chat with Stan, some great advice and loads of inspiration, I continued with Danny Boy today, moving my “boatyard” outdoors to make a good start with the wheelhouse and enjoying the glorious weather.
Few more bits to finish and sand before priming, but already it’s making a real difference, even just placed on top of the superstructure. Final fitting will not be until I’ve tackled the wiring for the lighting.
And just for completeness I’ve added a picture of the fixed electronics board with new switch. Hopefully everything will be ok now going forwards!
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Applied some sanding sealer then sanded the wheelhouse and applied a first coat of primer tonight. Also made the skylight just aft of the superstructure and similarly treated that so both are now ready for painting.
Oh, also tested the electronics again and very pleased to say that everything is still working well😀
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Little bit more done on Danny Boy today : deck overlay finally glued down, wheelhouse and aft skylight treated to three top coats. Still a bit more work to do on the main hatch, but couldn’t resist placing everything to see the overall effect!
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This is really coming along well, although you have done primmer what will be the the final colour. Great on the electronics, have put all mine for my fishing boat together on the bench ( I also have the sound module)........installed in the boat....guess what....grrrrrrrr.......so a little glass of Ricard (tis France) and.. opps missed a connection...oh and BTW I do steam so this new fangled radio control is a learning curve / mystery O0 O0 O0 O0
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This is really coming along well, although you have done primmer what will be the the final colour. Great on the electronics, have put all mine for my fishing boat together on the bench ( I also have the sound module)........installed in the boat....guess what....grrrrrrrr.......so a little glass of Ricard (tis France) and.. opps missed a connection...oh and BTW I do steam so this new fangled radio control is a learning curve / mystery O0 O0 O0 O0
Thank you :-)) the wheelhouse colour is an acrylic top coat so will be that colour, seems to go well with the superstructure. I will end up spraying a clear coat over all of it for protection (assuming this works ok on a test piece!).
Sante! Not had Ricard for years!
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:-))
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Some of the deck fittings now added over the weekend. Still got to finish the steering chain to tiller arm. Also spent some time tonight soldering and making the deck lights and navigation lights, pictures once they are in place and wired up O0
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Your colour scheme looks good to me and the black fittings set it off nicely :-)
Ray.
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Your colour scheme looks good to me and the black fittings set it off nicely :-)
Ray.
Thanks Ray :-)) the long steering chain pipe was originally a darkish grey, but I thought it just looked like primer so decided that black was the way to go. Pleased with the look now and keeping to the coloured scheme for the other fittings.
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Danny Boy now has working lights O0
Got to sort the light leak around the engine skylight and may swap the LEDs for that and the rear cabin to warm white, they’re too white really. But the deck lamps look great, and the fiddly navigation lights worked out ok in the end!
Trouble is, the superstructure is getting more and more intricate and difficult, but the overall look is worth the effort.
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Hi the L E D are looking great not rocket science. Well done on taking the plunge installing lighting.
Stan. :-)) :-)) :-)) :-))
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Hi the L E D are looking great not rocket science. Well done on taking the plunge installing lighting.
Stan. :-)) :-)) :-)) :-))
Thanks Stan, once I got started it wasn’t too bad. Bit fiddly, but soldering the LEDs wasn’t that bad at all.
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Not sure of the actual date of the originals vessel build, but pretty sure a Marine Surveyor would not be happy with the Navigation lights angle of illumination :o
Not intended as a criticism, just better here before any loud mouth says so at the pond
Derek
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Little bit more progress on Danny Boy. Slow going despite batching up components to paint then assemble. But managed to attach a few bits onto the superstructure tonight.
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Funnel construction and painting completed and now installed. Lots of effort in making sure it was positioned correctly. Then on to anchors, I guess I’m toying with bits and pieces now, putting off the masts and rigging for when I have more time rather than just the odd hour here and there in the evenings.
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Bit the bullet tonight and made a start on the fore mast for Danny Boy. Don’t ask me how I made the taper of the dowel 😉 but suffice to say that putting the dowel in a drill chuck and holding sandpaper along it I was able to get it tapering to match the metal hoops. Doing it slowly enough I was able to (a) not burn my hands with the friction on the sandpaper and (b) obtain an almost perfect shape to match the plan and (c) didn’t end up needing emergency medical help😂.
Now got the painting and fixing of the various hoops to do tomorrow in readiness for some rigging.
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Amazing a whole day spent on Danny Boy and it doesn’t look like much to show for it. But, nevertheless, good steady progress and the fore mast looking the part now (not fixed to deck yet). I also made the gaff which needs rigging to hold it onto the mast, so that is waiting ready for that task.
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HI will take picture on Sunday for the mast lights.
Stan.
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HI will take picture on Sunday for the mast lights.
Stan.
Thanks Stan, really appreciate your help. Starting to wonder how I’m going to transport it to a pond as it’s pretty heavy with the ballast in - must be getting close to completion if I’m starting to think about that😂
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Moved on to the mizzen mast tonight, turning the dowel into the tapered mast was quite therapeutic, even if I ended up with a croaky throat from being outside with the pollen (and sawdust!). It took a bit to sort out the parts and identify which is which, but think it’s ok and now ready to start painting them.
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Masts, gaffs and booms at various stages of building and painting. Hopefully some of these will make their way onto the boat over the weekend!
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Thanks to a chat with Stan along with his drawing, I tackled the mast lights today. Whilst close-up the LED soldering in the light housing isn’t that neat, it works, fits in the housing and ready for rigging to the mast. Following Stan’s suggestion of using epoxy in the fitting to both secure the LEDs and insulate the wires, it wasn’t that hard in the end.
I decided on using the thin wire as the lights haul rope rather than making the wires additional to the whole structure, wired in series it means one wire up to the top, wire between the two lights and then the bottom wire back to the negative return. The weight of the lights will be taken by two rigging cords so will be fine once completed.
Both masts now fitted, so not long before making a start on the rigging.
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HI this is the sketch showing how I fitted suspended lights on my minesweeper build.
Stan. :-)) :-)) :-)) :-)) :-)) :-)) :-))
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Mast lights now on rigging and wired in :-))
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To aid my memory if I ever need in the future I created a schematic drawing of Danny Boy’s electronics. Thought I’d share in case it is of interest to anyone for help or ideas. The main components, P112, P44 and P95 are from Action Electronics. I made the boards for resistors for the LEDs using veroboard (or whatever it’s called nowadays!).
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Hi that's a great asset to have for the future very useful when fault finding. On my models I use coloured cables for things like lighting and yellow /blue for motors to E S C. I have ceased using terminal blocks in favour of Wago 221 series connectors neat looking easy to use not cheap. But terminal blocks have been around along time if you are happy with these so be it. One of the pictures you will see I used blue/brown cable this is now blue /yellow. For your first model you have done a great job well done with the electrics.
Stan. :-)) :-)) :-)) :-)) :-)) :-)) :-)) :-))
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Hi that's a great asset to have for the future very useful when fault finding. On my models I use coloured cables for things like lighting and yellow /blue for motors to E S C. I have ceased using terminal blocks in favour of Wago 221 series connectors neat looking easy to use not cheap. But terminal blocks have been around along time if you are happy with these so be it. One of the pictures you will see I used blue/brown cable this is now blue /yellow. For your first model you have done a great job well done with the electrics.
Stan. :-)) :-)) :-)) :-)) :-)) :-)) :-)) :-))
Love your wiring Stan, those Wago connectors make a really neat job and your idea of different coloured wiring for the different circuits is a good idea to help identify and simplify what would otherwise look quite complicated!
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HI thank you for your comments. With a little planning and the use of items available today a tidy wiring system can easily be done. Your idea of a wiring schematic has two advantages. Would help to find any problems and if you sell on the model this would help any new owner to understand the electrics.
Stan. :-)) :-)) :-)) :-)) :-)) [size=78%] [/size]
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Danny Boy now has radio aerial, steam whistle pull and a bit of rigging on the Mizzen mast (shrouds still to do). As these were done I was able to fit the ventilators either side of the funnel as well as the handrails.
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Bit more work on Danny Boy tonight : fore mast shrouds tied off to painted cleats, mizzen mast shrouds put on with deadeyes. Not managed to get those lined up and as neat as I wanted, but first attempt at doing anything like this. Initially I cut the rigging cord too short and had to re-do them which is why the ends aren’t quite as neat as they should be. Never mind, all part of the learning experience!
Planning a visit to Great Yarmouth and hoping to get some photos of Lydia Eve there. Should have done that before starting this build, but it will be interesting to see now and compare against Danny Boy.
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Excellent result well done with this build. Would you like to build my next carrier ?
Stan. :-)) :-)) :-)) :-)) :-)) :-)) :-)) :-)) :-)) :-)) :-)) :-))
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Excellent result well done with this build. Would you like to build my next carrier ?
Stan. :-)) :-)) :-)) :-)) :-)) :-)) :-)) :-)) :-)) :-)) :-)) :-))
Thank you Stan, very kind words! Think I need a bit more practice to get to your level, but as you say, it is amazing what is possible and can be achieved.
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Danny Boy gradually starting to look the part. The “To Do” list is getting shorter but I still think it’s quite a few weeks or even a couple of months away. Maybe models are never really complete and are just varying degrees of being finished? Still great fun though!
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Decided to work on the Ship’s Boat next before doing the boom and gaff on the mizzen mast so that I’m not having to avoid knocking things when putting the boat on its chocks. Still got a few more bits to do but pleased at how it’s coming on so far.
Decided to paint the ship’s boat white as per the one on the Lydia Eva which I saw at Great Yarmouth last weekend😀. It was interesting to see just how curved the Lydia Eva’s deck is - and I thought Danny Boy was curved!
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After a bit of a break due to holidays (back on board the narrowboat😀) and work, finally back with Danny Boy tonight. Made a start with the lettering and port rail. I’ll leave touching up the paint until I’ve done the starboard rail so I can do it all in one go.
Starboard and stern lettering still to complete but that will be another night’s work.
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Stunning boat, really impressive
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Stunning boat, really impressive
Thank you! It’s a lovely boat to build.
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Danny Boy’s builder’s ladder part way through construction - handy for the sign writer😉
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Danny Boy ballasting round 3 in the test tank.
I was starting to wonder whether the initial ballasting was still ok now that I’ve almost completed the build. I found it was a little to stern heavy and listing slightly to port (the SLA is on its side and the lighter, terminal side is on the starboard which explains some of the list.
I ended up removing a bit of stern ballast and shifting one of the ballast weight from port to starboard by the motor. Ended up much better now, rudder just below water level, and no longer listing. As a bonus the water level is now pretty much on the painted waterline all the way around the hull, so my initial marking wasn’t too far out.
One thing I did realise during this process is just how delicate some of the parts are. I ended up knocking off a couple of the rail stanchions and the stove chimney on the superstructure 😢. Luckily I was able to repair everything and need just a bit of touch up painting to get it sorted.
Normally the superstructure will only need removing for battery replacement, prop shaft servicing, etc. so not all the time. The main hatch removes for access to the main switches which can be done without disturbing much on the boat.
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One thing I did realise during this process is just how delicate some of the parts are. I ended up knocking off a couple of the rail stanchions and the stove chimney on the superstructure 😢. Luckily I was able to repair everything and need just a bit of touch up painting to get it sorted.
It can be useful to make fittings like the stove chimney plug in to allow for situations like this. On my ST Cruiser the chimney at the rear has to be removeable as it is in the way of the tow rope, I made a socket in the deck and the chimney plugs in with a section of dowel.
Jim
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It can be useful to make fittings like the stove chimney plug in to allow for situations like this. On my ST Cruiser the chimney at the rear has to be removeable as it is in the way of the tow rope, I made a socket in the deck and the chimney plugs in with a section of dowel.
Jim
Good idea and I wish I had done that, especially for the mizzen mast. If it ever does break off then I’ll re-do it as you suggest. I had thought about allowing the fore mast to pivot as it does on the real boats, to make transporting the boat easier, but then all of the rigging would have to be removable as well so I ended up leaving it mounted as it is.
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Nearing the end of the Danny Boy build😢. Main hatch covering finally completed, sail attached just the furling and lashing of it to the boom now (having decided that raising and lowering will in the long term be asking for damage plus I don’t plan to be sailing it with the sail up anyway), then finally bit of rigging from the end of the boom to the stern eye bolts.
Guess I’d better work on a transport board and then plan the maiden voyage!
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Well done an excellent build you should be proud of your work. Look forward to your next project.
Stan. :-)) :-)) :-)) :-)) :-)) :-)) :-))
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Calling Danny Boy finished now, but I expect I’ll still be fiddling with bits and pieces as time goes by! But for now my second ever model, Danny Boy is in it’s new home on a shelf above my first model.
Got to sort out a transport trolley and carrier for in the car, then a launching cradle. Got some ideas so shouldn’t be long to get sorted then on to Danny Boy’s maiden voyage! Looking forward to that now!
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Wow, looks stunning
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Wow, looks stunning
Thank you!