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[Le Ken]

Morning all,
This is my first post so please forgive me if it's in the wrong place.


Anyway, I have recently acquired a 'new' old Zeeland Tug kit which Im in the process of starting to build.
I have come to the part where the rudder assembly needs to be drilled and attached to the keel. The hull is plastic and the rudder assembly is wood and to my extremely untrained and uninformed eye, the wooden part looks as though it could do with a bit of  strengthening and , of course, sealing. Does anyone have a recommended product or procedure for achieving both these objectives?


Le Ken

[TailUK]

I'm not really familiar with the Zeeland so this is just general advice.  Start by fixing the rudder assembly as well as you can with thick superglue or epoxy.  Make sure there a minimum amount of gap around the fittings and use plenty of glue.  Ensure the rudder shaft moves freely after gluing.  Most kits will have a certain amount of "scrap" or excess wood to use as strengtheners.  Build up around the rudder assembly with some "scrap" timber to ensure its secure and keep checking your not interfering with the rudder movement or servo rods.  Most of this won't be seen so if it's not really pretty it doesn't matter but that will depend a lot on how much effort you put into it.  Most kit models are designed to use some ballast so although this strengthening won't weigh a lot it shouldn't affect the trim.  Have a look in the various builds on Mayhem or the model websites and magazines to get some idea about how to approach this.
 There is no wrong or right way to do this as with most processes.  Work carefully and neatly and it should be OK.

[tonyH]

If it's the Billings one, there was an review in the July 2002 Model Boats which may be gettable. Also, since the rudder supports surround the prop, you could re-make in metal and this will certainly be strong enough.

[Le Ken]

Thank you both for the info anf the fast response. It certainly helps/


Le Ken