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[zooma]

After a bit of a break from cutting wood I thought that I would take another look at Rapier 2 last night and tackle the repair work that is needed to restore the cabin that was broken when I bought it.

One side of the front cabin was broken and part of the side was delaminated so I cut both sides of the front cabin off completely and drew-up a replacement shape and cut a pair from 4mm plywood.

I took the opportunity to slightly change the shape of these replacement cab sides to make them look a little sleeker in the hope that it will look a little different to Rapier 1. I am playing around with the windows shapes so I have not cut these out yet.

The main central cabin (wheelhouse) sides have been repaired (rather than replaced) and I have cut a new window "mask" from 3mm ply to give a similar window shape to Rapier 1 as I still much prefer this look rather than using the original kit shape windows.

A decision was finally made to fit the "moon-eyes" rear window that I had previously made when restoring Rapier 1 to the wheelhouse so this has also been glued in place along with the front window "mask" and so the wheelhouse now feels a lot more sturdy.

Rapier 2 (like Rapier 1) came with a non-removable single piece of curved plywood glued in place as a roof cover for the wheelhouse and this was removed almost straight away so I could access the cab sides to repair them.

I made a removable wheelhouse roof on Rapier 1 that has worked well as a single lift-off panel that is held in place with magnets. This time I have extended the wheelhouse sides and so I plan to make a fixed front and rear section roof with a lift-out central section so I have started to make some suitably curved cross braces and glued some into place and left them to dry overnight.

Some more curved braces will be needed to complete this roof and the lift-out section. As the sides of the boat taper inwards from the wheelhouse windscreen towards the stern I will have to adjust the width of them making each one a little narrower from the front screen back - but maintaining the same curvature.

Some of the wood that I am cutting was left over from the complete superstructure  that I cut off Rapier1 and the rest has been taken from the scrap box so I am re-cycling when ever possible.......and I still think that some (certainly not all) of the old kit plywood was much better quality than the stuff we can buy today!

[Andy M]

Good to hear of some recycling going on 😁

[madwelshman]

Glad to read you've made some more progress Bob 

[zooma]

I wonder what it would look like with an open rear cockpit ?   

[madwelshman]

I wonder what it would look like with an open rear cockpit ?   

Carboard mock-up to get an idea before resorting to timber maybe 

[tonyH]

Why use cardboard when wood wood do Oh, and alternative cabin

[madwelshman]

Bob, I like the idea and design, but am finding that the light and dark of the original and new wood on the cabin make it quite hard to properly gauge.
To me, the light wood contrast to the dark makes the overhang look quite long.


Will
P.s, excuse the very rough painting, touchpad on the laptop isn't god for accuracy.

[Stuw]

Looks good Bob and that helps me visualise it as well Will.

[Stuw]

Hi Stuw,

You make a very interesting point about the sound of a glow engine drowning-out any other sounds that could be coming from the hull itself.

Another of the reasons for having a removable motor mounting plate and battery tray etc in my current restorations because this is the same hull as the Javelin (and of course Rapier 2) so at least I can get to the bottom skins if the resonation/vibration is coming from them as (like you) I suspect this could be the case.

The motor and shaft have been carefully aligned using a solid coupling during the build so I know that this area (the most likely cause of excess vibration) is done as well as it can be. I have also tried various propellers and sizes and this has made no difference either!

The engine mounting plate has been securely bonded into the hull and has recently been reinforced, so when combined with the foam and additional engine bay bracing I am hoping that I have solved the problem.

I am aware that Rapier 1 never had the glass fibre chopped matting added to the inside of the hull, and that is something that my more recent restoration models have received and this on its own may help to reduce the resonance or vibration induced sounds?

Harry's friend had a noisy Spearfish, and he solved this problem for him by sticking a couple of long strips of wood lengthwise inside the hull to dampen the vibrations - and this worked, so this is the final option that I will keep in mind if the work I have done so far fails to kill the excess noise.

The truth is that I actually like the sound of Rapier 1 as it reminds me of the pleasure that I enjoyed when running my glow powered powerboats and this boat is at least as fast as they ever were, but I would like to make it run a little quieter if I can as it has become a challenge  to identify the cause and resolve it.

Enjoy your weekend!

Bob.

Some interesting ideas on this R and D thread that may help with reducing resonance or not?


https://www.modelboatmayhem.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=66517.new#new

[zooma]

Will
P.s, excuse the very rough painting, touchpad on the laptop isn't god for accuracy.

That colouring is at least as good as my best painting Will 

[zooma]

Bob, I like the idea and design, but am finding that the light and dark of the original and new wood on the cabin make it quite hard to properly gauge.
To me, the light wood contrast to the dark makes the overhang look quite long.
Will

Hi Will,

I take it that you are referring to the picture of my new "cabin" that Tony has so kindly added to this thread for me?

There is no new wood used in the making of my new cabin - its all made from a couple of old pallets - apart from the corners that were made from some left-over fencing post.

The light and the dark contrast is because the wood used on the pallets was dirty - but I was aiming for the "shabby sheik" look - but I only got the "shabby" bit right!

It has been lined with a thick gauge KingSpan boarding and the floor has been covered with rubber workshop flooring - so I should be quite happy in there  - and it not much smaller than the one I am using now!

The roof overhang is not very long - but it will help to keep the rain out......until I make a porch for it.

Stay safe!

Bob.

[zooma]

The central roof section for the extended length wheelhouse roof on Rapier 2 was finally finished yesterday - and thankfully it fitted well enough between the fixed front and rear sections.

The roof curvature blends in OK (final sanding needed) and the joints between it and the two fixed sections are nice and tight - too tight - so I have sanded them back slightly to make enough space for the paint!

This has been a good exercise as I still intend making the Super Rapier that I have drawn up.  The pictures for this are shown at the bottom of page 5 on the Javelin thread as I was considering changing this model from an off-shore style of powerboat to a posh looking cabin cruiser (Tony called it a "Gin Palace")  but after cutting the cabin sides I could see that it would have to be a "new build" as there was too much to change to make it as a conversion of an existing boat.

One of the features of the Super Rapier (I was gong to call it The Blade) was the extended wheelhouse roof, and although I cannot blend it in to this Rapier makeover anything like as convincingly, it does give me the opportunity to test out a few ideas to find out the best way of making them etc.

If I can make some other changes to the front and the rear cabin shapes it may not look too bad and I will have been able test some ideas out before starting the new build.  If it works this could be a progressive step between the classic Rapier and the planned Super Rapier  - the sort of thing full size manufacturers do as they tart-up and modernise their existing designs as a stepping-stone before releasing the next generation designs.

So far I have learnt that making the wheelhouse roof in three separate sections (with a lift-out central section) is not the easiest way to go.  A one piece cabin top would be easiest and a two part one would be easier than a three piece.  Keeping the roof curvatures constant is a problem with a three section construction and needs more cross members than the two simpler alternatives so I will consider this when I make the final drawing for the Super Rapier.

My next job is to replace the damaged front cabin (that I cut off at deck level) with one that has a slightly steeper shape that will hopefully look OK with the new wheelhouse.....and I am still considering removing the rear cabin and re-making is as an open cockpit as it may suite the new wheelhouse design a little better?

Happy Easter everyone - lets hope we can safely get back on the water again soon!

Bob.

[tonyH]

Old roof and the replacement.....

[zooma]

The windows have now been cut out of the revised front cabin sides and they have been glued into place.

A new front screen has been cut to follow the more angular front line and needs the window to be cut out so that can be fitted tomorrow.

A different front cabin roof will be needed and the roof-line will have to be blended into the curved wheelhouse windscreen shape - not sure how I am going to do that yet..................

[tonyH]

Front cabin update....

[zooma]

The Rapier 2 fore cabin is now beginning to take shape and I think the small changes to the profile will look OK. I still want the boat to be recognisable as a member of the Rapier family, but a "stepping stone" model between the original and the new Super Rapier that will follow in due course.

As it will be seen and used alongside my restored Rapier it will be easy to compare it with the original shape so I need to try and make it look "good enough" to avoid too many fits of laughter at my amateur attempt to re-style it 

The deck rubbing strips were also removed as the fronts of both around the bows were missing and the fit to the deck was not that good either so new 1/8 x 1/4 obechie strips will be fitted to replace them. The original adhesive did not put up too much of a fight when I pulled them off and helped to reinforce the worry that I always have when working on old boats about the strength of the bonds in the places that I cannot see!

Adhesives that were used 50 years ago may not have been as good as those that we take for granted these days........and they are unlikely to be as strong now after half a century of holding things together than they were when they were first applied.

I have made the cabin top base from new 4mm plywood - but as is so often the case these days the wood was not flat when it was delivered, so after cutting out the shape I nailed it flat onto the bench and it will stay there for a few days after I have made and fitted some extra internal bracing strips before I remove it and fit the roof skin.

This is slow but steady progress on a boat that I hope to be sailing before the end of this year.

[zooma]

The cold and wet weather found me seeking refuge inside the shed (workshop) for a little longer than expected today so I took a look to see if I was now able to get some work done on the hull - something I would usually do before starting any work on the superstructure.

The superstructure repair was needed first on Rapier 2 to add some strength to it as it was not strong enough to hold the weight of the boat without collapsing if I inverted it to repair the hull and fit the shaft etc.

Now that the cabin structure is strong enough I removed the chine rubbing strip and replaced it and the deck rubbing strip with some new 1/8 x 14 obechie stripping.

Six strakes were cut and then fitted to the bottom skins so the main work on the outside of the hull has now been completed so when everything is dry tomorrow I will see if I can find some time to fit the prop shaft and drill the holes for the rudder and the water pick-up scoop to complete the external hull work.

[Stuw]

More progress Bob! Your Lesro fleet is coming together. I imagine the Rapier’s tall wheelhouse makes flipping it over to work on a bit trickier than my low profile Javelin?


Unlike some models it isn’t detachable I believe. My work is on hold again as I try to assist my kids with GCSE and A Level Maths and Physics revision. Gets the grey cells working again!

[zooma]

You guess correctly Stuw, the wheelhouse is fixed and when flipping it over to work on the hull the boat is balanced on the wheelhouse.  Some folded towels at either end takes away some of the wobble but it is not very stable.

I was going to make a special "inverted" stand for use when working on the underside of a Rapier style of boat to support the front and rear deck solidly and leaving the wheelhouse hanging unsupported in the middle, but I didnt have any suitable wood to make it with so I did the hull work using the folded towel method !

Something that will interest you Stuw.  I had finished fixing the 3 strakes onto one side of the hull and I had already fitted the inner strake on the second side when I fitted the next strake to the wrong side of the pencil marks I had drawn on the hull (!) - so the spacing was the width of the strake narrower then it should have been.

Panic ensued as I reached for the chisel to remove it.

The bit that will interest you is that the thin KCR super-glue had penetrated the strake and the ply skin extremely well, and although the bond was very "young" (I had only just finished sticking down the end when I stood back and noticed my mistake!)   it was like chiselling through a piece of solid wood!

The one good thing to come out of this "lapse of concentration" on my part (it must be an age thing) is that I no longer have any fears about the strength of this adhesive for holding the strakes on the bottom skin without using any brass nails to reinforce the joint.

"A" level GCSE  physics and maths revision ?  That is most definitely at the "serious" end of home tutoring, and I am sure that you will be enjoying recalling the time when you had to do it for yourself.  It will either help you to feel "young" again and recall your youth.... or just plain exhausted 

[Stuw]

Good news regarding the glue for the strakes! Thanks for testing it out 


My brain hurts from study help! Should be back to the boat end of next week maybe....

[tonyH]

Woody sticks added etc...

[Stuw]

Looks great! Did you use the KCR adhesive for the rubbing strips?

[zooma]

Looks great! Did you use the KCR adhesive for the rubbing strips?

Yes - I did 

A 36" rubbing strip made from 1/8 x 1/4  obechie does not go all the way around a 39" hull - so I made the joins for the extension pieces using the KCR adhesive too!

I need to scrape the old paint off of the sides but first I want to finish all of the upside-down work and fit the prop shaft, rudder and water scoop....and plug the holes that will be left as I move the rudder and scoop positions further forwards.

[zooma]

A little more progress was made this evening.

The M5 prop shaft had already been fitted last night using 24hr Araldite and that had dried OK,  so the skeg was fared-in with P38 so it will be ready for sanding to shape tomorrow.

The rudder and water-scoop have been fitted in the revised forward position, and the old rudder hole has been plugged with a suitable tight fitting piece of dowel. 

There was no water-scoop hole to plug as the previous owner of the boat only used a low powered Johnson 6 volt motor and no radio control, so I am thinking that is was probably used as a slow pond boat with a ratchet on the rudder to fix the direction of travel before launching.

When I was fitting the strakes, I did notice that one side of the bottom skin did not quite meet the transom (!), so this will need some attention.  It is secure now as the strakes are holding it in position against the transom, so when I start to fit-out the inside I will take care to reinforce this position before covering it with g/f resin and chopped mat.

The boat must have leaked like a sieve with this small letter-box slot running across the back of the hull!

When I stepped out of the shed (workshop) tonight I was amazed to be standing in 4" of snow!  It was nice and dry when I went in and I had been working outside all day, so it came as a bit of a shock.   

[madwelshman]

Making good progress there Bob. Definitely starting to take shape now.


That area at the transom that didn't quite reach is an odd one. As you say, it must have leaked like sieve.  A strange one that. I'm sure you will sort it and make it completely water tight.


Will