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Author Topic: Lesro Rapier - 60's cabin cruiser  (Read 42665 times)

zooma

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Re: Lesro Rapier ? - 60's cabin cruiser
« Reply #225 on: June 16, 2021, 11:34:39 pm »

Hi Stuw,
I think some sort of deck hatch would be a good idea.
When we get back home I will take look at it.
Stay safe!
Bob.
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Stuw

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Re: Lesro Rapier ? - 60's cabin cruiser
« Reply #226 on: June 17, 2021, 09:11:01 pm »

Access from inside is tricky. A hatch would be better. Interested to see how you make this. I would be afraid of spoiling the look but my hatch making skills aren’t up there with yours!

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2 Lesro Javelins... and that’s it. Not even close to finished!

zooma

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Re: Lesro Rapier ? - 60's cabin cruiser
« Reply #227 on: June 17, 2021, 11:14:06 pm »

Ha. I regard myself as a Bodger, so if I can do it - you certainly can! O0
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zooma

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Re: Lesro Rapier ? - 60's cabin cruiser
« Reply #228 on: June 21, 2021, 10:57:11 pm »

I took the razor saw to the foredeck of Rapier1 tonight and cut a hatch section out so that I could take a look inside - and fortunately everything looks good in there - so now I have to find a good way of fitting the cut-out section back in again  - or making a hatch that will sit over the cut-out.

The newly opened-up section of hull will get the glass fibre matting treatment just to armour it up and to proof it against any future water ingress, although there are no signs of any previous water penetration, so the wood has never got wet in the past.

If I can make this cut-out look OK when it goes back together again, I would like to take a similar look inside Rapier2 and Javelin as this is quite a big void that I would feel better about if I could access it and take a good look inside from time to time.

The newly opened-up compartment will also be a handy place to add some lead when balancing the hull - and a good place to add some buoyancy foam too!

I have cut and glued some supports to the shape of the deck curve at the front and back of the cut-out to support the removed section of deck and when they are dried I will add similar supports along the two sides as well.

Happy so far - lets hope it can be put back OK, remain removable , ..........and not look too bad when it is finished!
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Stuw

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Re: Lesro Rapier ? - 60's cabin cruiser
« Reply #229 on: June 22, 2021, 09:22:34 am »

Looking forward to some pictures of this. Sounds like a neat job as usual Bob.


The thought of cutting my deck open fills me with dread so I think that if I need to, I shall pour some z poxy resin in via bulkhead opening B2 and swill it around to find any issues although like yours it looks fine inside. I’ll be able to add ballast/foam from inside although a bit fiddly. If all goes wrong then I’ll perhaps have the option of your approach.


No progress from me yet. Feeling guilty about not getting on with it but other priorities have come into play for the moment.
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2 Lesro Javelins... and that’s it. Not even close to finished!

zooma

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Re: Lesro Rapier ? - 60's cabin cruiser
« Reply #230 on: June 22, 2021, 10:39:20 am »

So far, I have just made a hole in a perfectly good deck Stuw.

How I cover it over is something that I need to think about, but first I will add some g/f matting inside the void and pour in some of my used airgun pellets until I achieve the perfect hull balance, and then I will pour some g/f resin over them to make a perfectly shaped weight that will become an integrated part of the hull.

Getting the hole covered will become a priority - and any (good) suggestions about how to achieve this would be welcomed........... O0
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tonyH

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Re: Lesro Rapier ? - 60's cabin cruiser
« Reply #231 on: June 22, 2021, 12:13:51 pm »

Slash and (Hopefully not) Burn technique from Zooma!
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zooma

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Re: Lesro Rapier ? - 60's cabin cruiser
« Reply #232 on: June 27, 2021, 11:36:15 am »

A lip has been added to the under-edge of the deck so that the cut out part can sit back into place without falling through.

The 1.5mm thick cut out deck section has has a small frame added to it so it can drop back into the hole like a plug, and it is quite a tight fit and hopefully will prevent it from warping or twisting when in use.

Glass fibre matting and resin was added inside the new hatch and any spare resin was splashed around inside the hatch to coat the raw wood to seal it. Fortunately one of the larger pizza companies had just pushed one of their glossy leaflets through the letter box as I was about to start mixing the resin, so I taped it across the deck and cut a cross diagonally over the opening and wrapped the edges inwards to protect the deck from any splashing.

I have plenty of spent airgun pellets (the clubs pellet catchers need emptying quite often) so I will pour some into this hatch to about the same weight as the cut lengths I had laid in front of the motor as the position will work better and will also be out of sight.


The lead weight can be removed from the engine bay so that it can return to its previously un-cluttered state, but I will need to repaint the deck to tidy it back up again, although I may run the boat next week without this being done as I test the amount of weight needed in the bows - if I were to paint it first I may just end-up splashing the fresh paint with resin as I seal the pellets into place.........and I don't have any more pizza leaflets! %)
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zooma

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Re: Lesro Rapier ? - 60's cabin cruiser
« Reply #233 on: June 28, 2021, 10:24:11 am »

The bare wood has had some paint splashed on it to stop it getting wet so Rapier1 is now ready for a trip on the club lake and I will take a bag of used pellets with me to see how the weight distribution can be changed as I pour some through this new hatch (or take some back out again!).

I have also inserted a tight fitting block of foam to act as a buoyancy aid and to dampen any drumming noise to further quieten the boat.

The hatch has proven to be a very tight fit, so being in a hurry to get away later today I have fitted an M5 stainless cap head with a domed nut on it - just to give me something to be able to open the hatch with!

When I get back next week I will come up with a better solution - maybe some sort of a vent that will look better than a nut and bolt, but still give me something to help to open the hatch with..........and tidy the paintwork up a bit :embarrassed:
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Stuw

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Re: Lesro Rapier ? - 60's cabin cruiser
« Reply #234 on: June 28, 2021, 10:46:37 am »

Sounds good. All the best with the weight addition. Tidy hatch you’ve cut there!
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2 Lesro Javelins... and that’s it. Not even close to finished!

tonyH

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Re: Lesro Rapier ? - 60's cabin cruiser
« Reply #235 on: June 28, 2021, 01:50:16 pm »

Hatch with bolt on, er, bolt!
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zooma

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Re: Lesro Rapier ? - 60's cabin cruiser
« Reply #236 on: June 28, 2021, 04:00:13 pm »

My M5 bolt is not exactly to scale, but at least I can pull the hatch open.


I need to come up with a suitable deck fitting to replace it with that I can make secure enough to be able to use as a "pull" when I ned to open the hatch.
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Stuw

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Re: Lesro Rapier ? - 60's cabin cruiser
« Reply #237 on: June 29, 2021, 11:49:39 am »

It does the job for now. Am I right in that you added some “strake” style strip to the deck? Adds a bit of detail, like it.


Also like the idea of reusing those pizza etc leaflets as masking material for painting etc. Duly added some to my box of cereal boxes that popped through the letterbox just now! For when I get back to it!



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2 Lesro Javelins... and that’s it. Not even close to finished!

zooma

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Re: Lesro Rapier ? - 60's cabin cruiser
« Reply #238 on: June 29, 2021, 03:12:59 pm »

Yes I had some leftovers so I thought I would see what it looked like and also used it as a step to lock the front of the hatch under.

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zooma

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Re: Lesro Rapier ? - 60's cabin cruiser
« Reply #239 on: June 30, 2021, 06:27:58 pm »

Testing with Rapier1 went very well today.


I removed the lead weight from the engine bay and placed it in through the new front hatch to move it forwards as a starting point, and this made all the difference!


The slight “bobbing” of the nose that I had previously reported after passing over a wake has more or less disappeared, so no increase in weight has been needed to rebalance the boat.


When I get home next week I will weigh the lead that has achieved this and replace it with the same weight in used airgun pellets and cover them with some g/f resin to give a shaped weight that will not be able to move around inside the hull.
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zooma

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Re: Lesro Rapier ? - 60's cabin cruiser
« Reply #240 on: June 30, 2021, 10:20:05 pm »

Today, I also used an XT90 parallel connector to double the capacity of my LiPos.


This worked well using the Surpass motor that I recently switched to and using the stopwatch on my iPhone  I achieved 18 minutes of totally flat out running.


Running with the more usual mix of speeds I should be able to get 30 minutes - a massive improvement over the 7 minutes (best) that I could get with my Turnigy 3648-1450, so I will switch back to this powerhouse of an out runner and see what I can get out of it using with a pair of 5500mah 2C LiPo cells
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zooma

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Re: Lesro Rapier ? - 60's cabin cruiser
« Reply #241 on: July 12, 2021, 07:04:36 pm »

The stainless steel bolt that I have been using to help lever open the new front hatch has been replaced by an air scoop made from left-over oddments of plywood from the scrap box.

I am not so sure that I have done this as well as I could because the scoop looks a bit on the big side and it may need cutting down or even replacing with a more conventional looking hatch cover in time, but for now it is easy to pull the hatch open for any visible inspection etc, and at least the boat is spending plenty of time on the water and less time in the workshop(shed).

Sometime in the future (when all of the alterations and changes have been finished) Rapier1 will need to be rubbed down and given it's first decent coat of paint, but for now the wood is protected (and the brush marks cannot be seen from a couple of paces away) so the running hours will continue to build-up on this old unwanted hull that was on its way to the local tip when I was given it in February 2020 at the start of the first Covid lock-down.

I have still not glazed the windows (still waiting for that final coat of paint!), but no water has ever splashed in through the cabin windows and the boat has been driven fairly "enthusiastically" and fast in all weather conditions since it was restored 18 months ago, so Les Rowell's Rapier design has given us a model boat that runs well and stays dry - even without the window glazing!
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tonyH

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Re: Lesro Rapier ? - 60's cabin cruiser
« Reply #242 on: July 14, 2021, 11:20:37 am »

Bob reckons that the scoop is too big but for a mid-60's drag boat...................?
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derekwarner

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Re: Lesro Rapier ? - 60's cabin cruiser
« Reply #243 on: July 14, 2021, 12:14:23 pm »

haha ...she'd be a pretty wet Foscle carpet floor, in all but mirrored waters  %% <*< .................. :-X ......... Derek
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Stuw

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Re: Lesro Rapier ? - 60's cabin cruiser
« Reply #244 on: July 16, 2021, 08:17:41 am »

If it’s a dummy inlet, then as air is forced in at speed, it should help push the bow down!? %%


I don’t hate it, even though it seems a bit big. It works with the colour scheme.
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2 Lesro Javelins... and that’s it. Not even close to finished!

zooma

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Re: Lesro Rapier ? - 60's cabin cruiser
« Reply #245 on: July 16, 2021, 11:07:42 am »

Rapier1 spent more time out on the lake yesterday clocking up her total running hours since being restored and rescued from being thrown away.


The original deck section that I cut out is still under the dummy air scoop so I can reinstate it at any time, but for now I am enjoying the look of the boat with the vulgar (but quite appropriate) 1960’s style over-sized air inlet and I am beginning to like it more.


Easy access to a large section of the hull that was previously sealed is also a bonus that allows me to check this 55 year old (?) wooden hull for leaks (none yet) and makes a useful hold to carry balance weights and foam buoyancy etc.


Old wooden hulls like this one need to be checked now and again if they are to be used every week and kept in good condition and l like to be able to access as much of the hull as possible and being able to see inside this quite large section of the hull helps with this quite a lot.
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zooma

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Re: Lesro Rapier ? - 60's cabin cruiser
« Reply #246 on: July 21, 2021, 08:51:38 pm »

Rapier1 ran faultlessly again today and continues to clock up the hours, so apart from any routine maintenance or repair damage that may need some attention in the future, the next thing I will be looking at is to find some appropriate sized fittings to add and finally give it a decent coat of paint so I can get the windows glazed.


My focus now (as far as Rapiers go) will be to work on Rapier2 to get that finished and ready to sail as the styling changes will make it look a bit more “modern” without spoiling the classic Rapier lines (too much) and to give me a nice “running mate” to sail alongside Rapier1 in the future.  :-))
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madwelshman

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Re: Lesro Rapier ? - 60's cabin cruiser
« Reply #247 on: July 21, 2021, 10:38:04 pm »

Bob,


Glad to hear that Rapier1 is behaving well and that you are getting to enjoy it now after all of the hours that you have put into it. Great news  :-))


Will
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zooma

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Re: Lesro Rapier ? - 60's cabin cruiser
« Reply #248 on: July 22, 2021, 10:57:33 am »

Bob,


Glad to hear that Rapier1 is behaving well and that you are getting to enjoy it now after all of the hours that you have put into it. Great news  :-))


Will


Thanks Will,
Gaining access to the large void under the front deck has made a lot of difference.
I only shifted the same weight from the engine bay to the newly opened void and the boat balances much better now - and the nodding after crossing a wake at speed has stopped.
This is good news as I have needed very little weight to achieve this, so Rapier2 will have the same shaft length and rudder positions - and a similar opening of the same void position, but maybe not such a 60’s dragster air scoop this time!
We are still away at the moment, but we will be back sometime next week.
Bob.

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tonyH

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Re: Lesro Rapier ? - 60's cabin cruiser
« Reply #249 on: July 26, 2021, 12:24:09 pm »

Rapier at play!
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