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Author Topic: Building a Dumas Chris Craft Runabout kit  (Read 44539 times)

StudioJohn

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Re: Building a Dumas Chris Craft Runabout kit
« Reply #50 on: September 26, 2014, 01:23:56 pm »

My humblest apologies for not clearing the bench. I will make sure that I clean everything before I attempt another photo.  :embarrassed: 


You have produced a great finish on your hull and I hope mine comes out at least half as nice as yours. I haven't  been able to start final sanding and stuff yet but should be able to get on with it in the next couple of weeks. Is there any particular brand of yacht varnish to use or avoid for that matter?


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SailorGreg

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Re: Building a Dumas Chris Craft Runabout kit
« Reply #51 on: September 26, 2014, 06:21:15 pm »

Apology accepted.  We like to keep things shipshape around here.   %) %)

Varnish - I use this -



I would avoid anything made for interior use or anything that seems remarkably cheap - you normally get what you pay for.  There are some extremely good and extremely pricey varnishes around (such as this) which will do a grand job if you want to go that way.  There are the more normal marine varnishes (such as this) but you probably need to go to a chandlers to find it.  I have used the Ronseal varnish on model boats and it seems to be fine.  I aim to get around half a dozen coats on (with a gentle rub down between coats to remove dust and any dribbles) and then leave it for a week or two to harden properly.  Then I go at it with 400, 600, 800, 1000, 1200 (and maybe 1500) wet and dry before polishing with a car polishing compound to get a nice deep, lustrous shine.  Well, that's the plan anyway!

Good luck

Greg

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Re: Building a Dumas Chris Craft Runabout kit
« Reply #52 on: October 07, 2014, 11:44:17 pm »

Another progress report just to show I haven’t ground to a complete stop.  Firstly, I have put in the plumbing for the water cooling.



As you can see, the inlet goes through my little pump and straight to the outlet.  I have a copper tube coil to go round the motor but haven’t got it in place at the moment.  Haven’t tested it as the boat hasn’t been anywhere near water yet.

Other than that I have been turning my mind to displaying the finished model.  I saw a very attractive “wave” display stand here and thought it looked so effective I decided to try and copy the idea (thanks to Pat Matthews for his clever design!).  My boat is rather bigger than the one Pat’s stand supports, so my design is a little different.  Here it is.



The two supporting rails were made from a single thick piece of timber then sliced in half on the band saw to give two identical parts. Here are a few shots of the hull sitting on the stand.







I have to admit to including the last one because it shows the shiny hull!  :} I will probably paint the stand a light green-blue rather than varnish it.  I am sure it would look lovely varnished but I think it might be too similar to the hull if I did that.  The stand needs a little fine tuning to fit the hull properly and I will need to add some padding along the rails when it is painted.

The weather here has finally decided it’s autumn (wet and windy)  {:-{ so it’s back inside for painting and varnishing, which tends to slow me down. What, even slower? Is that possible without going backwards in time??   {-)

Happy modelling

Greg

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Re: Building a Dumas Chris Craft Runabout kit
« Reply #53 on: October 08, 2014, 11:21:21 am »

Greg,
What a truly magnificent job of the re-furb, how I admire the skills that you have, comparable to the late Mick Brown (PATTERNMAKER )

Working with timber and trying to get a good finish is beyond me, I just don't have the patience to wait for paint and varnish to dry, plus my workshop is set up for butchering metal and saw dust doesn't go well with machinery.

Well done I look forward to the completed model.

What batteries are you going to use ?

George.
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Vintage

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Re: Building a Dumas Chris Craft Runabout kit
« Reply #54 on: October 08, 2014, 11:53:58 am »

Greg - it's looking fabulous!

The stand looks superb, what a great idea to incorporate a wave design.  I'd be tempted to try a blue wood stain and then varnish it so that you retain the organic natural wood grain look.

Can't wait to see the finished boat.

Mark
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SailorGreg

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Re: Building a Dumas Chris Craft Runabout kit
« Reply #55 on: October 08, 2014, 06:31:23 pm »

Thanks George and Mark, glad you are enjoying this.  As I said, I can't take credit for the stand design,  but I do think it sets off the boat rather well.   :}  The hull finish is just a matter of patience rather than skill.  Don't believe what you read on the tin - it takes a lot more than 2 or 3 coats to get a nice smooth finish whatever make of paint or varnish you are using.  7, 8, 9 or more are really needed, and an acceptance that any significant blemish needs a rub down and another coat.

As for colour - it's quite a dark wood and I'm not sure a light blue stain would work - I will have a go on some scrap because I agree keeping the wood grain would be nice. 

I will start off with a standard 7.2v NiMH battery, as I have some of them.  I'll see how that goes and push up the voltage if the performance is a little pedestrian.  I also have a brushless outrunner that I plan to try at some point, and that might need something with a little more ooomph - but that will be a bit of an experiment for later.

And George - calling what you do "butchering metal" is a very poor description of your fine skills!

Greg

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Re: Building a Dumas Chris Craft Runabout kit
« Reply #56 on: October 18, 2014, 11:24:40 pm »

Time for another update on progress – and something of a milestone.  She floats!  Tried her in the bathroom test tank and everything seems fine.   :}



I connected up everything temporarily and it all works.  Here’s my cooling system running with the pump –



Not sure why these pictures haven’t focussed properly – sorry, but they are the genuine records of first contact with water, so are of historical significance!  :D   The prop really stirs the bath water with the motor running on a 2S LiPo, so a few more volts will probably see her take off.  %%

I then fitted out the “engine room” so that nothing was flopping around loose.  The switch marked “ON” is for the speed controller which is velcroed to the hull side – it (Mtroniks Viper) is waterproof, but I still prefer the electronics to sit out of any dribbles that find their way into the hull.  You can also just see the end of the toggle switch in the bottom left of the picture which turns the water pump on and off.



I have finished varnishing the decks and hatches but haven’t polished them yet.  I have also fitted out the dashboard.



It is not glued in place just yet as I want to polish the cockpit insides without this in the way.  I scrapped the kit’s instrument panel as it had too rough a finish for me.  This one is just a piece of plasticard sprayed chrome and with vinyl instrument stickers and bezels from BECC stuck in place.  The knobs are dolls house brass door knobs filed flat and sprayed chrome.  I know this isn’t a true Chris Craft dashboard layout, but I like it.  I thought the gear stick looked a little strange just sticking out of a slot in the floor so I added the gaiter from a short piece of heat shrink with just the top shrunk onto the stick.  Overall, at this point this is what I had –



Next I moved on to painting the hull.  I am going to try and make the varnished topsides, the boot topping and the bottom paint all the same level so there are no ridges where one is applied on top of the other.  I started this process by wet-rubbing down the topsides with 400 grit.  I then taped a piece of twine along the top of the boot topping.  As the hull is essentially slab-sided, this provides a good, fair line from bow to stern.



I laid 6mm Tamiya masking tape along this line and across the transom.



then varnished the topsides down to the masking tape.  The very last coat of varnish – I hope!  Once this is dry, I will mask off the topsides and spray the bottom paint.  When that is dry, I will put masking tape each side of the boot topping tape, then peel that off.  Spray the boot topping on between the two new lines of masking tape and I end up with all the paint at roughly the same level ready for final cutting back and polishing.  Well ,that’s the theory.  Watch this space!   :-))

Happy modelling

Greg

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Re: Building a Dumas Chris Craft Runabout kit
« Reply #57 on: October 19, 2014, 11:54:57 pm »

Greg,
Great job of the boat , may I ask why do you need a cooling water pump electrically operated when the boat is stationary ?
In all the fast electric boats that I have seen, including my small K7 , none have had water cooling when the boat is stationary, or am I missing something?

George.
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essex2visuvesi

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Re: Building a Dumas Chris Craft Runabout kit
« Reply #58 on: October 20, 2014, 12:25:02 am »

Greg,
Great job of the boat , may I ask why do you need a cooling water pump electrically operated when the boat is stationary ?
In all the fast electric boats that I have seen, including my small K7 , none have had water cooling when the boat is stationary, or am I missing something?

George.


I have a similar setup on my brushless huntsman, as the flow at low speeds was inadequate. Also it looks realistic as the boat would have water flowing from the outlets at idle..... I was looking at having mine pulse for added realism
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SailorGreg

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Re: Building a Dumas Chris Craft Runabout kit
« Reply #59 on: October 20, 2014, 09:00:09 am »

Yes, the main reason for the pump is a touch of realism.  The water flow carries on when the boat slows or stops in the water. A small conceit on my part.  :}  I am not entirely convinced I even need the cooling, but it is a heck of a lot easier to fit it during the build than discover after I have finished that I need to cut into my lovely freshly painted and varnished hull to put the plumbing in.   %% 

I bought a nice metallic copper for the hull bottom but have just realised that this paint probably won't take cutting and polishing very well. I will go and buy a standard colour to make sure I only have to paint the bottom once.  O0.  I am also wondering if I have chosen the wrong upholstery colour.  I might change that as well.  We'll see.

Greg

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Re: Building a Dumas Chris Craft Runabout kit
« Reply #60 on: November 01, 2014, 04:32:13 pm »

Firstly, I decided to leave the seat colour alone.  I still plan to make some soft seats to replace the kit’s plastic moulded ones, so I can make a colour change then if I want to.  Way back in March the late Patternmaker posted a picture of his build of this kit, and he had a similar colour for his upholstery.  If it's good enough for Mick....  O0

On to the painting.  Here is the bottom getting its red paint –



And here is everything except the waterline boot topping masked off, waterline sprayed on. I did this as I described previously, masking each area in turn to try and keep all the paint and varnish at the same level.



I was a little too keen to pull the masking tape off and some of the waterline paint came away with it.  However, some touching up will fix that before I cut back and polish everything.  Here’s how the boat looks at the moment.





As I had a fully functioning boat, albeit without fittings, I couldn’t resist the lovely weather we are enjoying to pop down to the lake with her and try a first run.  A few posts ago, George (ooyah2) asked what batteries I was going to use.  I said 7.2v NiMH but since then I have splashed out on a 3s LiPo to give something close to the 12v nominal voltage of my CEM 750 motor without loading the boat down with battery weight.  I also fitted a shiny 35mm Prop Shop propeller, so of I went.  I have to say I was delighted with how she ran, up on the plane in a trice, a good turn of speed, nice carving turns and everything looking superb.   :} :} :}   OK, I hear you say, where’s the photos, where’s the video?

Well…..

I had my camera with me, all nicely charged and ready to go.   :-))   But you know that locking nut you are supposed to tighten against the propeller to make sure it doesn’t unscrew when you go into reverse?  It seems it should have been a little tighter than I actually did it. I think I probably only did it finger tight, and that, it transpires, isn’t quite enough.  I tried a couple of astern manoeuvres to see how she handles astern steering (very well, actually) and then all motive power seemed to vanish.  I thought at first that one of my connections between motor and shaft was slipping, but when I recovered the boat there was no shiny Prop Shop propeller any more.  <:( <:( So no piccies, no video.  Sorry folks.

I do have a spare prop and I will use something more than finger tips to tighten the nut next time.  But now I know she will perform, I plan to finish her properly before trying again.  Hopefully within the next month or so we will all see a proper maiden voyage captured on film (well, electronic film) for all to see.  Watch this space.

Greg

StudioJohn

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Re: Building a Dumas Chris Craft Runabout kit
« Reply #61 on: November 06, 2014, 10:03:43 am »

Greg


Love the pictures of the finished scheme. Looks fantastic on the stylised mount. Regrettably I haven't been able to do anything on my boat lately but I hope to get back to it next week. I am in the process of deciding what motor and batteries I need and it looks like you are very pleased with your choices. I might well follow suit unless you have any particular reservations. Look forward to the video when you sort out the new prop.


regards
John
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SailorGreg

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Re: Building a Dumas Chris Craft Runabout kit
« Reply #62 on: November 06, 2014, 04:59:03 pm »

I might well follow suit unless you have any particular reservations. Look forward to the video when you sort out the new prop.


No John, no reservations at the moment - based on a full 5 minutes running!  But as I said, she ran very well and I have no plans to change anything for the proper maiden voyage.  Other than a new prop of course  O0

Glad you can get back to your build - that magic slow transformation of a bundle of timber into a graceful and shiny boat is a hugely satisfying  process.  Enjoy!

Greg

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Re: Building a Dumas Chris Craft Runabout kit
« Reply #63 on: November 07, 2014, 06:34:40 pm »

Hi Greg, what a beautiful job you have done on her, a real credit to you, and will no doubt look even better with all her fittings in place, I expect these include a steering wheel, what type dose she have, I've seen them with the more modern ivory colour two spoke wheel and the twenties style sprung rod spokes,  :-)) :-))
Joe
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Re: Building a Dumas Chris Craft Runabout kit
« Reply #64 on: June 30, 2015, 04:09:02 pm »

 Well, it’s been a while.  Despite appearances to the contrary, neither I nor the Chris Craft have vanished down that hole in the workshop floor (you know the one, it’s invisible but it’s a portal to the 6th dimension and swallows small fittings, little screws and any other important piece you drop on the floor).  Other things have got in the way this year (including starting another build) but recently I applied myself to getting all the final details finished.


Picking up from my last post, I finished off the wet sanding and polishing the hull (including having to re-mask and re-paint the waterline), then set about adding the fittings.  Despite my lingering dissatisfaction with the quality of the Dumas fittings, I went ahead with them, and in the end they didn’t look too bad.  I used a mixture of epoxy glue and CA to fix them in place, and learnt quickly that even when placed on a relatively flat surface, the ones glued with epoxy needed some tape to keep them in place – the polished varnish is a very slippery surface!





The one really tricky bit was fitting the windscreen supports.  This requires the carefully finished cockpit sides to be cut away to recess these supports flush, and needless to say I made a bit of a mess of that.  You also need to ensure that these supports are upright, parallel (fore and aft) and exactly the same height to make sure the windscreen fits properly between them.  When you are also trying to protect your shiny finish, you (meaning ME) are bound to end up with gaps, scratches and a grumpy disposition.  With hindsight, I should have cut these housings before adding any finish, and then I could have made good any small defects without having to refinish parts I had already completed.  Grrrr!





(The other side was much worse than this one!)


Other than that, it was pretty much a case of just measuring carefully, drilling any locating holes needed and sticking in place.  The two places where I went my own way were the chromed rubbing strips along the sides and the metal surround for the hatch.  For the strips I used this, and am very happy with it (although I still need to touch up the cut ends with some chrome paint).  For the hatch surround I scavenged some metal strips from windscreen wipers – if you pull the rubber out of the frame, there is a springy strip the length of the rubber moulding which was pretty much the right width and which looks much better (to my eyes at least) than the sticky aluminium foil provided.



 









Well, that’s about it. There are STILL a couple of details, like the bow light, which need finishing off, but I am pretty much done with this one.  I hope for a proper maiden voyage of the finished boat in a couple of weeks, so might even get some video!
 
Happy modelling

Greg

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Re: Building a Dumas Chris Craft Runabout kit
« Reply #65 on: June 30, 2015, 04:24:27 pm »

Ooops!  Just scanned back and realised I never answered Joe's quesions about the steering wheel from eight (!) months ago.  You can't really see it in the photos, so here it is -



Sorry it took so long Joe, but perhaps you'll see it in the flesh soon!

Greg

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Re: Building a Dumas Chris Craft Runabout kit
« Reply #66 on: June 30, 2015, 05:21:30 pm »

Yes that's the wheel I had in mind, Your surely not thinking of putting that beautiful craft in our grubby lake,  %% bring a mop and bucket with you, {-) {-) {-)
see you at the lake :-))
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Re: Building a Dumas Chris Craft Runabout kit
« Reply #67 on: June 30, 2015, 07:49:32 pm »

I just discovered your build and it's fantastic,
A great boat and a great result !

I hope to see that video soon
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Have a great day !!!

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Re: Building a Dumas Chris Craft Runabout kit
« Reply #68 on: July 17, 2017, 06:42:38 pm »

When I wrote this log, I hosted most of the pictures on Photobucket and they were displayed here via that site.  Photobucket have now decided they will not allow that unless I pay them $400 a year.  I am not about to do that, so I can only apologise for the lack of pictures.  If there is a particular aspect of this build you want to follow up, PM me and I will try and send you the relevant pictures.

Sorry - and steer clear of Photobucket!

Greg

samc

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Re: Building a Dumas Chris Craft Runabout kit
« Reply #69 on: July 27, 2017, 06:21:02 pm »

HI
 BUILDING The same boat. problems with the dashboard, and location,
also the shelf that glues to it.
do you have any pictures of dash?
could used someones help, dumas has not answer this question.
samc
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SailorGreg

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Re: Building a Dumas Chris Craft Runabout kit
« Reply #70 on: July 28, 2017, 11:45:13 pm »

Sorry for the delay. I have got some photos and can take a few more.  Watch this space! (I might need a little while to resize them to post here so bear with me. Tomorrow or Sunday should see me getting off my  ;D  and sorting it out.)


Love to see a few pictures of your build if you fancy showing off  :-))


Greg

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Re: Building a Dumas Chris Craft Runabout kit
« Reply #71 on: July 29, 2017, 03:27:11 pm »

OK, let's see if this works.

For reasons I can't explain, I never actually glued my dashboard into place, it was just a push fit in place.  This is handy because it means I can take it out and photograph it.  So here are some shots of the dashboard separate from the boat, a photo of the location in the boat (doesn't that look messy!) and a couple of the dashboard in place.  I hope these help.

If there are still specific issues you want clarified, just shout (and if anyone else who has built this model wants to chip in, then feel free  :-)) )

Happy building

Greg

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Re: Building a Dumas Chris Craft Runabout kit
« Reply #72 on: July 29, 2017, 03:38:42 pm »

Gosh, this picture resizing is a doddle isn't it?  Once you know how to do it!  %)

(I use IrfanView, free to download.  When viewing the picture you want to resize, click "Image", "Resize/Resample", select "640x480", "OK" then save the image.  Seems to work for me.)

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Re: Building a Dumas Chris Craft Runabout kit
« Reply #73 on: July 31, 2017, 01:22:40 am »

OK, let's see if this works.

For reasons I can't explain, I never actually glued my dashboard into place, it was just a push fit in place.  This is handy because it means I can take it out and photograph it.  So here are some shots of the dashboard separate from the boat, a photo of the location in the boat (doesn't that look messy!) and a couple of the dashboard in place.  I hope these help.

If there are still specific issues you want clarified, just shout (and if anyone else who has built this model wants to chip in, then feel free  :-)) )

Happy building

Greg
OK, let's see if this works.

For reasons I can't explain, I never actually glued my dashboard into place, it was just a push fit in place.  This is handy because it means I can take it out and photograph it.  So here are some shots of the dashboard separate from the boat, a photo of the location in the boat (doesn't that look messy!) and a couple of the dashboard in place.  I hope these help.

If there are still specific issues you want clarified, just shout (and if anyone else who has built this model wants to chip in, then feel free  :-)) )

Happy building

Greg

THANK YOU
now i know what it should look like.
i had the shelf backwards and nothing seem to fit, looked all wrong.
was not sure where or how high it should be. also.
thank you, now on to the next step
 trying to do the hatch covers.
seems like they are another problem.
do you have any pictures of them.??? and the side pieces that
they mate to...???
not sure how much overlay i should leave...
i know i will figure it out some time,,, but if i got someone
who has all ready been thru this, let me pit you brain.... if you would....
thank you again for the pic....
samc
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Re: Building a Dumas Chris Craft Runabout kit
« Reply #74 on: July 31, 2017, 06:26:13 pm »

Yes, I have some pictures of the hatches.  Here we go -

I assume you have reached the stage of the hatch framing shown in the first picture.  You then laminate two pieces of the birch ply over the jigs provided in the kit to make the two hatches, picture 2.  The centre hatch piece then needs to be cut to provide the hatch surround pieces, pictures 3 and 4.  These are then glued to the framing to provide a neat border to the remaining hatch piece, picture 5, and are covered with the mahogany pieces supplied in the kit, picture 6.  My hatch was a little twisted and "sprung back" when I took it off the jig, so I put some bracing under it to make it the correct shape, picture 7.  I also did not use the Dumas fixings for the hatch, but used small magnets at each end as shown in picture 8.  This has proved to be simple and effective.

As I am running out of picture space on this post, I'll say a bit about the aft hatch in the next post....
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