Thanks orby
i have to say though i cannot take all the credit though i have got alot of my info on from the many build threads out in the internet world i have subscriptions to around 7-8 different forums and each has at least one type of slo-mo weather it be a scratch built one which is the most common or the kit version but i must say doing the kit version is a lot more difficult if you try to do it in the way that billings tell you to do it there are some very good build threads on the rum runners forum and other things i have picked up like the hatch cover was an amalgamation of a few projects of mine that i have done in the past.
anyhow here is the update. veneer has been applied to both sides of the boat so i can give a little play to the hatch i decided that the hatch needed to have more access at the rear of the boat for access to servos and rudder bolts and such, as you can see i have cut the hatch to within 25 mm of the aft of the boat this was done using a very sharp Stanley knife and a metal rule doing lots of cuts very lightly and cutting through the frames with my dremel.
i then added supports to the underside of the planking so the hatch can rest on top of them i will figure a way of fastening them at a later date. now since i have made the hatch larger here are the main reasons why.
Reasons for larger hatch
1. ACCESS ACCESS ACCESS - i cannot believe that billings wants you to throw in a servo inside a boat with no hope of getting to it at a latter stage (especially one as important as the rudder servo )
2. i got big hands, like many of us and fiddling around with the guts of a boat is not fun
3. increases the usable area for internals so ballasting the boat will be easier
Reasons for having smaller hatch
1. the designer wanted to go home early
also i am not going to create a hole for the driver to sit on rather i will cut the seat off at the required height and the driver so it has the illusion that he is there and it creates less weight for the boat and no bloody big hole for water to get in i will just paint this area where the hole is supposed to go black.
i am going to attach the big red fin at the back to the access hatch just fur the ease of it i think it would be a pain in the posterior any other way oh yeah the stuff on the fin was the newspaper that blew over onto the fin after i had just painted it