_SalD_

Sanding the Hull I sanded the hull using my favorite palm sander with 220-grit sandpaper. I know that might seem a bit aggressive, but with a light touch, it works very well. For the stern, I chose not to use the thin wooden veneer sheet provided in the kit to wrap around the aft bulwarks, as I couldn’t get it to form a smooth, even curve. Since the aft bulwarks will eventually be covered by the pilothouse structure, I decided instead to fill the space between them with balsa wood blocking, then sanded it down to match the shape of the stern.

"Planking is complete; now I just need to fill the gaps and start sanding. The stern still needs a bit of work."

Thanks Yves I appreciate the comments. And thanks for the likes.

Planking the hull is ongoing—I'm a little more than halfway through. I'm approaching the stern planking a bit differently than shown in the instructions. Instead of wrapping the planks around the stern as shown, I'm running them continuously from the keel up to the three bulwark planks I installed earlier. It seemed easier to shape the planks this way, and it feels like a cleaner fit overall—if that makes sense.

Thanks Rob, Right now I'm only doing two planks a day so it might take me a while to finish the hull. Maybe I can step it up a bit and do 4 a day. And thanks for all the likes.

Planking the Hull Just a quick update on progress. I’ve started planking the hull, beginning with the three planks above the deck line. The instructional diagram was a bit misleading—it suggests these three planks cover the entire hull area above the deck, but in reality, there's a large uncovered section at the bow. After that, I began planking from the keel upward. I’m treating the planking process much like I would on any plank-on-bulkhead (POB) model, though I'm not too concerned with the precise plank layout. Since the hull will eventually be sealed to make it watertight, the planking won’t be visible in the final build.

Deck, Tiller, and Drive Shaft After the glue had fully dried on the bulkheads, I proceeded to glue the deck into place. To secure it, I used clamps around the access hatch and planking nails for the rest of the deck. I got the idea for using nails from @robdurant’s build log—thanks for the tip! Once the glue set, I installed the pieces framing the access hatch. I assume these parts are designed to help position the cabin above the hatch. I also cut in the access hatch for the tiller. Next, I took a crack at drilling the hole in the keel frame for the tiller. It may have been a bit of overkill, but I used my mini drill press to ensure the hole was vertical and plumb. Now, one thing I’ve learned from Billing Boats is that they assume you know something about RC boats. They don’t provide any instructions on which parts to use for the tiller. After a bit of rummaging through the parts bag, I think I found the right pieces. I wasn’t fond of the cross arm they provided due to the slotted holes—it just seemed like there’d be too much slop in the movement. So, I decided to make my own. After that, I carefully cut out the keel for the propeller shaft. This part was a little nerve-wracking since it was the first time I'd had to cut the keel apart in one of my builds, but it all went smoothly. With everything cut and fitted, the shaft and tiller fit very well. Cutting the stuffing tube and shaft to the right length was pretty straight forward. I also installed the tiller servo and temporarily set the motor in place to check for fit. I wanted to do all of this before planking the hull, as I thought it would give me better control over getting the propeller shaft to fit correctly and ensure the motor was in the right spot. I did a test run and everything worked well. Thanks for all the likes.

Rob, I have to say I've never heard that one before. Sounds great. And please don't hesitate to offer any suggestions I do appreciate them.

Bulkhead Frames All the bulkhead frames and cross pieces were removed from the wooden sheets. At this point, I deviated from the instructions by gluing the cross pieces to the bulkheads before installing the bulkheads onto the keel. To help keep the keel straight and vertical during assembly, I built a support jig using aluminum angle pieces. After reading numerous Nordkap build logs, I noticed a common issue: those who followed the dimensions provided in the instructions often struggled with bulkhead alignment at the deck level. To avoid this problem, I used the deck itself as a template when installing the bulkheads. This ensured proper spacing and alignment. Once the bulkheads were in place, I found an answer to my earlier question about motor placement. The access cutout in the deck only extends as far back as bulkhead #7. Placing the motor at bulkhead #8 would make it inaccessible, so this confirmed that the motor needs to be positioned near the #6 bulkhead. And thank you for all the likes.

Stem, Stern, and Keel Construction I began by gluing the two keel strips to the stem and stern post assemblies. Once the glue had fully dried, I added the additional pieces to both the stern and stem. I believe these form the rabbet for the planking. A quick note: the instructional diagram show two small parts (#31) meant to be attached to the top of the stem. I may have missed them—old eyes—but I couldn’t find these parts on any of the sheets. So, I simply fabricated them using leftover material from the sheet the other parts came from. Now that the keel is laid, I decided to do some preliminary planning for the propeller shaft and motor layout. The stuffing tube is 8 mm in diameter and approximately 9 inches long, though it can be cut to any length as needed. Initially, I was planning to shorten the shaft to about 5 inches, which would position the motor just above the #6 bulkhead. This configuration is shown in the first photo below. The black marks on the tape indicate the top edge of the bulkheads at the ship’s centerline. However, I’m now considering using the full 9-inch shaft without cutting it. In that case, the motor would sit above the #8 bulkhead, as shown in the second photo. The only concern I have with the longer shaft is the potential for increased vibration. I’d appreciate any advice or suggestions on which setup might be better—especially in terms of stability, performance, and vibration. Or if there's another option I should consider. Thanks and thanks for the likes.

@yvesvidal welcome aboard and thanks for following. @robdurant welcome and thank you for all your help. Quick Update: No major progress on the ship build yet, but I did receive some key parts to begin motorizing the model. I picked up a 40mm 3-blade brass prop, a Torpedo motor with mount, a 4mm shaft and stuffing tube, a universal joint coupler, and a 15-amp ESC — all from Harbor Models. Big thanks to Nick, the owner, who was very helpful. I also got some great gear from my brother (mentioned in the first post), including a Spektrum DX6 transmitter, Spektrum AR635 receiver, Spektrum A6000 servo, and a battery charger. All I need now is a battery, and I’ll be ready to start testing things out. Just a reminder — this is my first R/C boat model, so I’m still learning the ropes. Any tips, advice, or constructive criticism would be greatly appreciated!

Hello everyone, Welcome to my new build log for the Nordkap 476 by Billing Boats. I chose this model as my first venture into remote-controlled ships; something I’ve wanted to try for a while. My only previous R/C experience is with an electric plane I built for my brother a few years ago, so this will be my first foray into R/C boating. I’ve been fortunate to connect with 'robdurant', who has a detailed Nordkap build log here on MSW. He’s been incredibly helpful in guiding me through the process and pointing out the key components needed to fully motorize the vessel. A few particulars: Built In 1970 in England, Tonnage 185 gross register tonnage, Length overall 40.0 m, Beam 9.30 m, Motor 1000 HP diesel, Engine speed 12-14 knots, Crew 7-8 men, Fishing tackle Drag net (trawl), Fishing area Around Iceland and Greenland, Haul Herrings, cod and trash fish. Length of model 81.5 cm (32"), Beam of model 19.5 cm (7.68"), Height of model 43.0 cm (17") I guess I was fortunate, because unbeknownst to me when I ordered the kit, it came with a cap and some free extras—a fishing net and even some fish!! Looking forward to sharing this journey with you all!

Hi everyone, I’ve just received the Billing Boats Nordkap 476 and I’m really excited to get started. Before I begin however, I’d like to plan ahead and get a better understanding of what’s involved in motorizing it for remote control—as this will affect how I approach certain parts of the construction. I’m relatively new to RC setups and would really appreciate some guidance on what components are needed to make the Nordkap fully operable via remote control. Specifically, I’d like to know: • What type of motor would be suitable for this size/model • A compatible ESC (electronic speed controller) - reversible? • What kind of battery (type, voltage, capacity) would be appropriate • Recommendations for a transmitter/receiver combo • What servo to use for the rudder • I’m also looking to replace the stock propeller and propeller shaft that came with the kit—any advice on aftermarket options that would offer better performance and durability would be great. I've read robdurant’s build log for the Nordkap and really like the propeller and shaft he got from George Sitek, but they are somewhere in the UK and it would cost me roughly $50.00 for the propeller and shaft, which seems a little excessive (maybe not). • Any other essentials like motor mounts and universal couplings, or even sound modules (not essential, but interesting to consider). The model when finished will be roughly 32" in length x 8" beam x 17" in height. Any advice or links where to purchase the above parts would be incredibly helpful. I’d love to go into this build with a solid plan. Thanks in advance for your help!

Azzoun, thank you for the nice compliment and reading my build log, it's much appreciated.

Thanks, druxey. It took a bit longer than I expected, but it was definitely worth the wait.