Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length.

[bikerdude999]

A couple of months ago I decided I'd build a boat, using my 3D printer for as much of it as possible. I found a designer online with a few models I was interested in, and decided to go for the Fletcher class. The cost of the files at the time was $42 which I think worked out around £31, and includes designs for every part needed except the prop shafts and rudder post.


It took me just over a week to print each section for the hull, 11 separate pieces in total, and then I printed all the superstructure and guns. The hull was glued together, and the superstructure was loosely fixed together so I could see how it would look when finished. I'll attach some photos below of the various stages, I always mean to take more photos but end up cracking on with building and forgetting photos.


I've not got any photos of the individual parts, but you can see the lines in the hull here where each join is, superstructure and guns are loosely placed on:











I wasn't happy with the gun turrets done on the FDM printer, too many layer lines, so I reprinted them on the SLA printer and they came out much better:





I've now spent a few days filling and sanding the joins, and spraying with filler primer to get it as smooth as I can, still needs a little work, but it's getting there:














I got the props and shafts from prop-shop as well as some bushes to put in the A-frames/shafts supports, with the supports themselves being printed. The bushes were easy to fit, being slightly over-sized for the holes in the supports, I placed them on, and used a soldering iron to heat them melting the support around them and now they've cooled the bushes are held firmly in place. Supports are now being glued in place and will be set by tomorrow, then time to fill around them and sand smooth.







And then just a few photos of some of the smallest parts I've printed, there are some mushroom vents, the side for some cable reels, and the last photo is a searchlight, very hard to take a photo as they are so small, can't get the camera to focus on the part properly:











Overnight the shafts, supports and rudder post will fully set, meaning tomorrows job is to fill in around the shafts to make it smooth, and seal the inside with epoxy resin, hopefully meaning I can check it in a paddling pool sometime this week to check for any leaks. I think most of the big parts are now printed and just waiting to be assembled and with a little luck I hope to have it built to the point I can test it at the lake in a month or two. The hardest part now is access is very tight to fit out the inside.

[Akira]

Very nicely done!Having built two 1/48th Fletchers, I can attest to the difficulties of installing and accessing the internal components. My advise, for what it is worth, is to spend some time designing your internals so that they can be accessed, even with difficulty, in the event of needed repairs, which will eventually be needed.DD's were referred to as the race horses of the seas, with good reason. But, they were tight!

[bikerdude999]

Thanks, yes I am trying to take my time to decide where everything will go. It's generally well designed, to the point it has been designed to take 2 Nimh stick packs, and the space between the prop shafts has been shaped to hold the battery packs in place (I'll get a photo later). But the main issue for me is that the motors will be installed in the part with the narrow deck access, and the printed motor mounts are to be glued in, but once they are in place, I can't see any way you will ever be able to access the bolts holding the motors to the mounts. So I'm going to try and use standard motor mounts, on a wooden platform and have a bit that hooks over the top of the motor mount on the outside (the side closest to the side of the hull) and then held down with 2 screws or bolts on the inside side of the mounts. Probably explained that very badly but will hopefully work when done.


The wiring will be extended to have the ESCs, mixer and receiver up the front where access is a little easier, and the smoke unit should just about drop in straight through the gap in the deck.




No photos of current progress, all I've done is paint the red on the bottom of the hull, I was surprised how many cans it took, I bought 5 expecting to get 2 boats done, but have used all 5 on the destroyer, and really I could use another on it.


I've printed a tool to draw a straight waterline along the hull, I just need to make the stand to sit the hull on so I can then draw the waterline, and also need to try and figure out where exactly the waterline should be.


Work on the superstructure has halted, it all needs painting now, but I need to make up some sort of booth with extraction so I don't cover everything in the garage in a mist of grey (like I seem to have done with the red).


With this boat still a long way from finished, I'm already looking at the next project, a 1/144th KGV.

[bikerdude999]

A little progress this weekend, though the weather hampered my attempts a bit. Having started to spray the bottom of the hull red during the week in the garage, and covering most things in there with a light dusting of red, I decided that I would do the rest outdoors. Unfortunately the weather hasn't been great for that. The paint was blooming when I did a few more coats of red, so I ended having to spray it then quickly move the hull in to the garage and sit it near a fan heater. Then when it came to doing the grey it started off fine, then the wind picked up so I held the can a little closer and got a few runs in the pain so will need flatting back and giving another coat when the weather is better.


I did however manage to decide where all the electrics will be placed. The 2 Nimh stick packs will sit between the prop shafts as designed, the rudder is mounted in the centre of the hull behind the batteries. The motors sit forward of the batteries. I was planning on fitting a smoke unit to work with the 2 funnels, but I can't get it to sit in the right place to feed both, so have decided to have a smoker for each funnel. However this means 1 will have to sit right between the prop shaft/motor couplings, with very little clearance. I've spoken to the supplier and they can alter the unit to be 4mm narrower which should give me enough clearance to fit it. The other smoker will sit forward of the motors.


I'm struggling a little with the motor mounts. Ideally to be inline with the prop shafts the motor mounts need to be sitting pretty much on the bottom of the hull, but I need to install some sort of platform under them to allow the motor complete with mount to be removed if needed as there isn't enough access to get to the acres on the front of the mount to remove the motor. I'm now thinking a very thin platform glued to the hull bottom, with some studs epoxied to it that the motors bolt down to.


I used a simple online program called tinkercad to draw up the shelf for the ESCs, mixer and receiver. It took a couple of attempts as my 1st idea didn't work so needed to move things around a little, but it's now just about perfect. Each item has its own box that it sits in, I may add some velcro or something to hold it in tight but it all fits fairly snugly in its space. You have the 2 ESCs either side, with a W-Tail mixer between and the receiver behind, with a small piece to put the aerial from the receiver to keep it secure. There are 2 square holes behind the ESC places so the wires can go down through, motor wires going under the shelf and along either side of the hull to the relevant motor. The wires to the mixer go under the shelf and forward to meet the connections for the mixer, and the ESC on/off switch pushes into a small cut out, I just need to find some small screws to use to hold the switches in place.  I will glue in a couple of battens for the shelf to sit on and screw to.


The stand is 3D printed so it matched the profile of the hull, and then uses 2 shower rails to hold them together. Hopefully this will prove stronger than the suggested wooden dowels as I plan on fitting straps to carry it on the stand and use it to launch it.


Photos attached below, general views showing paint runs, the shafts/props from prop shop fitted, and then the electronics/internal layout:

[Umi_Ryuzuki]

Well done. She's looking sleek. 
Who's files did you purchase?

[6705russell]

Excellent work Derrick, looking to purchase a printer at some stage to do smaller fittings…


Russ

[bikerdude999]

Well done. She's looking sleek. 
Who's files did you purchase?

The photos were purchased through CGTrader, and the designer is Bensworx. There is currently a sale on, his files are normally $50 but currently only $35. So far I've used about £100 of material to print all the hull and superstructure.

[/size]Excellent work Derrick, looking to purchase a printer at some stage to do smaller fittings…Russ

For smaller fittings you'll want resin. I've got a tray full of small parts I've printed for this that I haven't got around to doing anything with yet. I'll try and get some photos in the next couple of days.

[bikerdude999]

Very little progress the last couple of weeks. A mistake with some foam padding on the boat stand necessitated a full repaint of the hull. This has been done and its had a brief float in the 'test tank' (a large kids paddling pool). After around 2 hours in the water there was a small amount of water in the hull, not entirely sure where its coming from, but I will be coating the inside of the hull in epoxy to hopefully seal it fully. I'm still struggling with motor mounts that will allow later removal of the motors for servicing. I think I may end up having to try and find hex head bolts to secure the motors in the mounts so I can use a flexi ratchet to remove them if needed.

[6705russell]

Hi Derrick


Can you not use the clamp method on the motors, epoxy two nuts in situ and strap a half mount over the top of the motor?

[6705russell]

Used these before now in tight hulls


https://howesmodels.co.uk/product/universal-motor-mount-for-280-380-385-400-motors-dc/?gad_source=1&gbraid=0AAAAADnynUdL0-biwFYv3JF_XHlQUEbPt&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI7cCJ64zkiQMVJIpQBh0-EzftEAQYASABEgIacPD_BwE

[bikerdude999]

Used these before now in tight hulls


https://howesmodels.co.uk/product/universal-motor-mount-for-280-380-385-400-motors-dc/?gad_source=1&gbraid=0AAAAADnynUdL0-biwFYv3JF_XHlQUEbPt&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI7cCJ64zkiQMVJIpQBh0-EzftEAQYASABEgIacPD_BwE

They look a great idea but the motors I'm using are 555's or something like that so wouldn't fit. However, now I've seen the idea, I'm sure I can draw something up and print it. Are the motors just held in by friction against the mount?

[6705russell]

No, if you look closely they have a rubber shroud in there for grip, other option is you could use a pipe clamp, same idea really, see if I can get a picture of one for you..

[bikerdude999]

No, if you look closely they have a rubber shroud in there for grip, other option is you could use a pipe clamp, same idea really, see if I can get a picture of one for you..

That's a couple of ideas now, I've got some old inner tubes I could use for gripping, or some thicker rubber strips from so giant rubber bands. Alternatively your mention of pipe clamps, made me think of jubilee clips or similar, I could easily print out some fairly flat mounts, with slots in to put a jubilee clips through and then tighten on to the motor. This would also mean the bolt head could be pointing into the centre of the hull giving easier access.


I'll have a play around with the supplied files for the motor mounts and see what I come up with.

[6705russell]

Ok Derrick, sure you can sort it..

[bikerdude999]

I drew up some flat motor mounts last night, with some slots for jubilee clips to hold the motors down and printed them over night. They didn't come out too well, don't think they'd work well or be strong enough. So I've had another go at drawing something up. If it prints ok I should be able to glue the mount in to the bottom of the hull, then the motor should push into the mount, with some rubber to pack it out and grip it. Then the holes in the top of the mount are for a couple of M4 bolts to tighten the clamp against the sides of the motor. With a bit of luck they'll come out ok or only need minor adjustments and so the motors could be in by the weekend, then I can seal the inside of the hull with epoxy.

[6705russell]

Is that Tinkercad you are using?


Started using Fusion 360, blooming difficult to say the least.

[bikerdude999]

Is that Tinkercad you are using?


Started using Fusion 360, blooming difficult to say the least.

Yes it is, tinkercad is about all I can cope with and it does well enough for the simple things I need to draw. I too tried fusion 360, I followed a YouTube tutorial to make a customisable stamp. I managed to do it, but as soon as I'd finished 1 step, I'd completely forgotten how to do it again. I just don't have the time to properly sit down and concentrate on learning it all. Plus, there are so many good designers out there, I can often find what I want already designed somewhere.

[bikerdude999]

I've had very little time the last couple of months, and when I have had time it's been too cold in the garage to spend long out there. I've now fitted a diesel powered heater out there which takes the edge off so can once again continue with this build.


The 2nd design of motor mounts look like they should be ok, I just need to get some shorter bolts and some wing nuts so I can loosen/tighten them once the mounts are glued into the hull. I've not tightened the bolts particularly tight, but the rubber seems to get a firm grip of the motor and should also provide a bit of heat insulation between the motor and the printed mount. I will need to go back and tweak the design a little as I seem to have left a gap between parts so it's not printed as a solid part, but the height seems about right, and the curved bottom fits the hull well. If the motors need to come out sometime I can just loosen off the bolts and slide the motor out of the mount.


Just a few photos of the mounts:

[Akira]

Very nicely done! It is a tight squeeze for your motors.
I have used  a cleat and clamp method for motors that have limited access. The motors mount onto a platform, thin ply or the like. The inaccessible end of the platform slips under a cleat glued into the hull. The accessible end of the motor and platform drop into a frame glued into the hull and a very simple lever clamp holds the platform into place. The platform, with motor attached, can not move side to side, nor fore and aft. Nor can it move vertically. This has worked with Johnson 970 motors and larger as well.The only possible issue I see that you might run into is tightening the clamp bolt, but I am sure that you will manage.
I loved your comment about your next build...a KGV. Soo, the hull should take about 2 years to print? 

[bikerdude999]

The bolts will be threaded through the opposite way to how they are in the photo, so the nut will be in the middle. I'll either use wing nuts if I can get my fingers in to do them, or just a standard nut and then use a ratchet/socket to tighten them.


The KGV is 1/144 scale, which puts it at a little over 5 feet long. The software estimates the print time for all parts should be just under 7 days, but that would be if I start a print as soon as another has finished, and it says it should use around 2.5kg of material, so hopefully the cost of the hull would be about £60.

[bikerdude999]

I had a little more time today and so decided to get the motor mounts and motors fitted, so I can then seal the inside of the hull with resin. I reprinted the motor mounts as I wasn't quite happy with the others, just a slight adjustment so they were solid and had a curve on the bottom to fit the shape of the hull better. I then replaced the brass nuts and bolts, and cut them down to size. When I placed both motors in the hull I realised just how little room there was between them, and so there was no point in getting wing nuts. The mounts are now in, just waiting for the epoxy glue to set. The black part in the middle is a safety knife, the mounts kept sliding down towards each other due to the shape of the hull inside, so the knife is there just to hold them in the right place until the glue sets fully.


I'm not waiting for a dry and warm day to be able to paint the rest of the parts, or possibly make a small spray booth so I can do it in the garage or shed.

[6705russell]

Nice job Derrick, looking the part now.

[bikerdude999]

I decided that it would be silly to carry on building, get it all finished and then find that it leaks like a sieve or something, so on Friday I spent a few hours in the garage fitting all the electronics and testing it all on the bench. The first job was to make some long fused leads to go from the batteries towards the back, to the ESC's up the front.



I put some heat shrink on afterwards to hold the cable sleeving in place and stop it fraying.





I then took it to the lake on Sunday (had to wait until my wife got home so I could borrow her car, it's far too big to fit in mine). I had to take a box of lead sheet with me to ballast it there as it's too big for the bath and I didn't fancy trying to dig out the paddling pool. It didn't take much ballast, less than I'd expected, I still need to tweak it a little to get the stern to sit a little lower.


It sailed well, water stayed on the right side of the hull, with only a couple of small drops inside after an hour of sailing around, the motors weren't even warm to touch either, despite being at full power most of the time. It's a little lacking in power on 7.2v nimh stick packs, I'd say at full speed it's slightly under scale and I'd always like to have some extra at hand for evasive manoeuvres when my kids are with me. So I will either buy some 9.6v stick packs, or more likely, will test it out with a couple of 11.1v lipo packs I've got. It's using 2x Mtroniks viper 15 ESC's and an Mtroniks W-Tail mixer which seems to work well. I'll try with different batteries in the next couple of weeks and then concentrate on getting it fully finished before taking it to lake again.


A short video, not sure what YouTube has done to the quality: https://youtu.be/8Rvzs6uH4SY?si=A9nxYoz-LTdtHRIJ