TOPIC:

Rheostat aka potentiometer .. think volume control knobs - or in this case, the very old wire wound speed controls, just without anywhere to attach a servo

I don't know about the motor, it sounds up to the task - it's not exactly the sort of boat you'd expect to see hydroplaning anyway

on your first outing make sure you can reach the boat if it breaks down! shallow pond or have a mate ready in a rowing boat. i have almost lost a boat forever when sea racing without the help of a passing sailor!
for pond racing i have a rc hovercraft which i can send out and push it back home if it packs up

Yeah brain was going endfloat, hands were typing backlash (Headfull of clattery Holiday Buggy gearbox...), the left & right confusion strikes again! I was trying to say the propshaft needs to be loose enough to turn, but tight enough that it doesn't bang about &/or let water in.
What sort of wood is it? - wold it be worth stripping the paint completely & varnishing it?
Yeah, 400 series motors look almost identical to Grasshopper 380s. If you look in the vent holes (If it's got any) & count the lumps on the rotor, you'll probably find it's got 4 or 5 (4 or 5 pole motor for slow smooth running)

Thanks for all the input guys its all pretty new to me and i appreciate all the sound advice.

I love the idea of sanding it and varnishing it it would look fantastic but it has a few nail heads showing as the builder has glued and nailed it together, it is heavier than most of the boats i have seen (but thats not many). It definitely feels substantial when you pick it up though its heavy and feels strong and well put together.

I have almost all the paint removed now so will post some pics up when its primed. i need to make some top covers from balsa so ill try to do these before i prime it so i can do them all together.

I plan to run it at my local boating lake in New Brighton so it is usually full of knowledgeable old guys and one guy has a tug boat he uses to rescue any broken down boats so i should be ok on that score.

One question i have is how do i pack the propshaft with grease? do i need to use something to force the grease in to the shaft tube before putting the shaft back in?

just liberally smear the shaft with grease and refit it into the tube twisting it as you go.wipe off any excess once it is in fully. do not force grease in as to much will also bind it causing excess friction to turn it easily

re: nail heads - is there enough thickness to the wood to knock the nail heads below the surface (With a punch), then plug the surface holes with some matching wood or filler?

Eddrick i have exposed quite a few of the nail heads on the hull they sit lovely and flush with wood and to be honest im starting to like the exposed look of them they show just how much work has gone in to the hull so i may leave them like that. I m thinking of going for the varnished look on the whole boat but i may change my mind and go for a white all over look.

Im concentrating on building the upper decks that where missing at the moment from a mixture of ply and balsa and they are starting to look fantastic. I should have it finished by the end of the week so will post some pics up soon. I have manufactured a new rudder from some brass i had lying around and have greased and refitted the prop shaft so they are looking good.

I wasnt supposed to be tackling this yet as i was building my beetle project but its taken over lol. Im also building a wooden Beam engine at the moment from a wooden kit so things are a little hectic for me

Ha, yes, I know that one - was supposed to be fixing my 1/5th & finishing the TXT, but have since been distracted by an F2, a Cheetah, an Astute & now a Holiday Buggy! What's worse is in the search for parts I keep managing to buy more crap so the pile just keeps getting bigger!
Which beam engine kit is it? I've got a Cotswold Heritage McOnie casting kit sitting here (For the past 5 years) that I still haven't started! Also done a couple of scratch build engines, one of them is a TINY hit-n-miss spark ignition petrol engine. Also got one of those cardboard stirling engine kits for xmas - was gonna do a tekky build with it using coloured acrylic instaed of cardboard. Haven't started that yet either!

tamiya wrote:

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I wasnt supposed to be tackling this yet as i was building my beetle project but its taken over lol. ...

eddrick wrote:

Ha, yes, I know that one - was supposed to be fixing my 1/5th & finishing the TXT, but have since been distracted by an F2, a Cheetah, an Astute & now a Holiday Buggy! What's worse is in the search for parts I keep managing to buy more crap so the pile just keeps getting bigger!
...

Funny how that happens - the Bullhead I bought on a whim meant the Mk.1 Scorcher, Cheetah #2, a Wild Willy & the re-re FAV I got for Christmas all got left behind

Finished building the top decks for this today so thought id post some pics. The big challenge was matching the curvature of the roof sections but i managed to do this by clamping the wood on to the braces i manufactured while the glue hardened and they have taken better than i could have hoped. I fitted some trims around the edge of the front section to match the original trim that was already on it and it fits in perfectly. Im pretty chuffed with the outcome considering its my first effort. I have really enjoyed working with wood its very rewarding. I just need to wet and dry it all over now with some fine paper before painting. Thinking of going with a diamond jubilee theme on this red white and blue










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