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[hama]

Looking real good Carl!
Hope to see you in February.
Hama

[carlmt]

Looking real good Carl!
Hope to see you in February.
Hama

We are working on it Hakan - will send you an email this weekend to discuss if that's OK? So looking forward to seeing a real winter from a 'different' perspective!!!!     And Flo is keen to know if she stands a chance of seeing the Aurora Borealis from out in the far reaches of the Archipelago..... It is one of her 'must see' things.........

[carlmt]

Well, today sees another milestone on the road that is Linkspan Models!!!
 
Today, I collected the first hull out of the mold for our second kit, the MV Norland, from the fabricator.  Yet again, Ian has worked his magic and produced for us a magnificent hull - clean, smooth and strong.  Took a little persuasion to release from the mold but, once it came out and was trimmed off, it was clear to see that she will be the perfect basis of a great kit:
 
 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 
And here is Flo modelling the new hull - all 1.6m of it!!!!
 

 
A few shots of the bare hull on the workbench this evening............
 

 

 

 

 
Too cold to make a start this evening, but tomorrow.........well, lets see...................

[ballastanksian]

Wow, that is a challenging hull shape what with the bulb and those side plates sticking up. Good show, now get warm and hopefully tomorrow will e productive and relatively warm in Linkspan HQ!

[dougal99]

Carl


with that hull you're definitely going to need a bigger van, Flo could probably float in it 


Here are a couple of snaps to wet her appetite, taken last year in Canada. (Only -15 C )


Doug

[ballastanksian]

Wow! Excellent shots 

[carlmt]

Happy New Year All 
 
Well, we are back from our travels around Europe and keen to get cracking on the Norland prototype.  Bit of a deadline to meet really in that we would like her practically finished by the time of the Dortmund show in early April - not much pressure there then!!!!
 
Spent the evening in the workshop starting to trim the hull and preparing it for cutting the various openings etc.
 
First job was to remove the central mold line along the keel - normal stuff as a result of the two part mold....
 

 

 
As the hull is quite a bright white, cutting the various openings and trimming the hull back is made easier by highlighting the various  'edges' etc. with a dark pen or pencil:
 

 

 
The positions of the rudder shafts, and the centres and extremities of the openings for the propshafts, were also highlighted:
 

 
The relatively complex shape of the hull sides toward the stern need careful consideration if they are to be depicted accurately.  It was found that, unfortunately, the molding process has obscured some of the 'defined' edges in this area so reference was made to the drawings for dimensions.  A dim of 65mm was clarified, up from the point where the underside of the hull meets the vertical, and a pencil line drawn in.  This will be highlighted in the instructions:
 

 
Then, with careful cutting, sanding and filing, the final shape was obtained:
 

 
The fibreglass behind this 'shape' will need to be sanded smooth as it will be visible on the finished model.
 
All this cutting and sanding is vital at this stage prior to inserting the propshafts, rudders and motors to prevent contamination by the fibreglass dust.  Will crack on with the rest of the hull tomorrow morning - hopefully it will all be ready for the motors and shafts by the evening 

[cos918]

Hi Carl
looking good


John

[Howard]

Another Great kit is born Carl, once am sorted in the garage I'll have to find room for one keep up the good work friend am watching all with great interest.


                  Regards Howard.

[Rottweiler]

Big brother is watching you!!
Well Iam anyway!
Good Luck with her my friend
Mick F.

[ballastanksian]

Is the loss of definition due to mould release wax or other unctions building up and preventing the gelcoat from taking all the detail during lay up?

It is interesting to know these points to improve GRP moulding and casting.

[raflaunches]

Hi Carl


Looking good and very impressive.
With regards to your stern moulding issue, would it be possible to include in the kit a template for the shape required?
You would only need one because (I hope and think) that both sides are identical. A cheap and easy solution that is included in the instructions much like the shape of the hull when you build up the stand sections in a Dean's Marine kit. Just a thought because too many modellers could get confused or mis-read measurements if you just show a picture.

[carlmt]

Is the loss of definition due to mould release wax or other unctions building up and preventing the gelcoat from taking all the detail during lay up?

It is interesting to know these points to improve GRP moulding and casting.

Hi Ian - The loss of definition has been caused by the fabricator smoothing off the edges of the plug to ensure that the f/g hull releases from the mould cleanly and that there are no air bubbles trapped.  It is nigh-on impossible to get sharp. 90 degree edges on fibreglass out of a mould as the finished product would be weak at that point being almost entirely gel coat and easy to chip.  When I hand over the original plug the 'defined edges' are 'sharp' but they have to be smoothed down.  Apparently, the problem is worse with a larger hull as there is more danger of the hull being broken or damaged when it is released from the mould (it is more flexible).
Not too much of a problem - so long as I clarify in the instructions and drawings where the cutting has to take place.  I like to leave a bit of 'extra' on the hull and leave it for the modeller to trim it down to the final size.  That way, we cannot be accused of supplying an undersized or badly trimmed hull (as I have seen others accused of in the past).

[carlmt]

Hi Carl


Looking good and very impressive.
With regards to your stern moulding issue, would it be possible to include in the kit a template for the shape required?
You would only need one because (I hope and think) that both sides are identical. A cheap and easy solution that is included in the instructions much like the shape of the hull when you build up the stand sections in a Dean's Marine kit. Just a thought because too many modellers could get confused or mis-read measurements if you just show a picture.

Hi Nick - Thanks for the kind comments 
I hear what you say about a template and, yes, I will look into that for this area of the hull.
It is crucial to the whole hull accuracy that this part is correct and that the bulwark above the stern door is perfectly level and true as this will then dictate the level and accuracy of the remaining bulwarks as I point out below.

[carlmt]

Another day in the workshop getting myself - and everything else - covered in a fine layer of fibreglass dust!
 
Continued with the trimming of the hull upper edges today.  It is essential to start at the stern and ensure that the bulwark above the stern loading door is at the correct height and perfectly level.  Set up the hull so that it is level fore and aft and side to side on the workbench and trim the bulwark down to the 65mm 'height line' mentioned earlier - using a spirit level to ensure accuracy:
 

 

 
Once this has been trimmed level, a final check can be made on the whole lower stern bulwark area to ensure all is level.
 
Now take one side of the hull and, ensuring that the stern bulwark is still level and the hull is stable on the workbench, measure up from the bench a distance of 218.5mm and repeat this at numerous points along the side of the hull.  This will give the line to trim the top of the hull down to:
 

 

 
Once the hull side has been trimmed down to the correct level on one side, ensure again that the stern bulwark is perfectly level and then commence trimming the other hull side down to match the previous one.  As we know that the hull is truly level side to side, regular checks can be made while trimming the second hull side to ensure that both sides also become 'level':
 

 

 

 

 
It sounds way more complicated that it is in practice, but it absolutely ensures that both hull sides are the correct height above the waterline and are level with each other.
 
The same exercise is carried out on the bow:
 

 
Regularly check that the stern bulwark is still level as this exercise is carried out as the vibration from sanding can cause the hull to move.
 
As of this evening, all the upper edges of the hull have been trimmed with the exception of the fore-peak bulwark.  Expecting the motors to arrive tomorrow - going to try a pair of Mabuchi 555's to begin with driving 40mm dia 4 blade props.  Estimated displacement is 32lbs (14.6kg) so lets see how we get on eh?
More soon!!!! 
 
 

[carlmt]

A few more of the 3D fittings arrived today.
Some, like the rudder assembly, will be used as masters for resin cast items but others - here being the stabilisers and prop shaft brackets - will be included in the kit 'as is':
 

 
All the holes where the brass shafts pass through plus the opening in the shaft brackets for the prop shafts need reaming out to clear out the residue of the 3D printing process to allow the shafts to fit snugly.
 
Tomorrow should be a day of producing the rubber mould for the rudder castings plus opening up the holes in the hull for the prop shafts.
 
 

[cos918]

Hi Carl
looks good . Thoes  stabilisers look very fragile


john

[carlmt]

Hi Carl
looks good . Thoes  stabilisers look very fragile


john

Tough as old boots John!!!!  They are designed to be operable - either by servo or manually.

[carlmt]

More cutting of holes in the hull today - firstly, the slots for the prop shafts and the holes for the rudder shafts:
 

 
Note that the rudders are set slightly inboard of the prop shafts:
 

 
Slots are cut in the time-honoured fashion:
 

 
Also made a start on marking out the openings for the windows along the hull:
 

 

 
These were again cut out by chain drilling the waste areas first and then cutting with a disc attachment on the Dremel:
 

 

 
These rectangles will be filled with the windows, laser-cut into 2mm thick styrene sheet and epoxied into place.  Any cracks or gaps around the edge of the rectangle can be filled and sanded back.  Doing it this way, it is simpler to cut even rectangles and having all the windows laser cut will ensure that they are all of equal size and evenly spaced along the hull sides.
 
More soon!!! 

[carlmt]

Evening Happy Modellers!!!
More progress on the Norland prototype.............
 
Before advancing on the hull windows, the propshafts and motor bases were fitted and lined up for smooth running:
 

 
Once all was dried and solid, the motors and shafts were removed and boxed away and the ends of the tubes sealed with masking tape to prevent sanding dust from getting in them.
 
Next, the timber deck-edge supports and hull bracing was fitted.  Firstly, a line 2mm down from the top edge of the hull was drawn in:
 

 
The timber stringers were then fitted with 2 part epoxy for a firm hold:
 

 
Once these had had 24 hours to harden, the hull cross-bracing was inserted - again using 2 part epoxy and good clamps:
 

 

 
The fibreglass hull is so 'stable' and of a decent thickness that further internal bracing or bulkheads are unnecessary.  There will be, however, further deck support cross-beams to be fitted so these will add further to the bracing.
 
Once all was dry - 48 hours were given for this - a start was made on opening up the window apertures in the hull.
 

 

 
With this kit, we have gone the route of designing it to have larger, rectangular, openings cut in the hull (easier to do) filled with laser-cut parts that contain the actual window openings:
 

 
These were going to be on 2mm styrene sheet but the first batch looked wrong - the depth of the window frame was too much - so we changed to 1.5mm thick which looks much more representative.  Doing the hull windows this way ensures that they are all evenly spaced and are the same size.  A far easier method to cut out fewer, larger openings than to have to cut out each window individually!!
 
To take a break from filing fibreglass, I made a start on constructing the funnel.  As per our Free Enterprise V kit, it is made from a skeleton of lasered styrene sheet which, when cleaned up, slots together quite well:
 

 

 

 

 
This will then be wrapped in 0.5mm lasered styrene and then topped off with a vac-formed funnel cap.

Should get most of the hull windows finished tomorrow.  Should also be placing an order for the electrical gubbins so that we can get her on the water to test before we go too much further with the build.
 
Pip pip!!! 

[ballastanksian]

I agree, the method you have gone with does look much easier to set up and fit.

[carlmt]

Pressing on with all the bits and pieces related to the hull - rudders, stabilisers etc.
Took a little figuring out as to the best method to set the rudders up properly - first task is to establish the correct skeg to hull interface angle:
 

 
Then to find a way of setting the rudder tubes vertical - firstly ensure that the hull is level in all directions:
 

 

 
Then I created a jig to hold the rudder blades steady:
 

 

 

 
Once happy that all was 'square' we could fix the tubes in place with 2 part epoxy:
 

 
The rudder skegs are in 2 halves to allow the fitting of the rudder.  Once they were cleaned up and trimmed to the correct angle, a light coat of epoxy was smeared on the mating faces and they were then clamped around the protruding rudder tube on the hull:
 

 
Just need to fair them in to the hull now:
 

 
 

[ballastanksian]

Very smart Carl. The whole thing looks very crisp.

[carlmt]

The other little task this week has been to make and fit the stabilisers.  I decided a while back now that the kit would have the stabilisers supplied and it would be up to the modeller if he wanted to have them working.  On the prototype they will be.
 
After much thought and sketching, we came up with the following - a styrene box made from 1.5mm thick sheet with the 3D printed stabiliser unit housed within operated very much like a rudder would be....ensuring that the shaft tube extends above the water line!  This was a little tricky in practice as the top of the shaft came very, very close to the side of the hull.  We got there in the end though:
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
Tomorrow's task?  Sort all the electronics!!!
 
 

[ballastanksian]

What an interesting kit Carl. I can see Arduino applications to detect the pond side or approaching boats and then retract the stabilisers being developed.