aydingocer

Build Day 38. 

3 hours.

Thanks a lot for the nice words, folks. I can't wait to finish the entire varnishing sequence to see the shiny look

Build Day 33-37. 

5 hours in 5 days.

End of Build Day 32. 

4 hours today.

Ventilations for the front "bedroom" beneath the deck. It is also possible to just paint the surface black in order to simulate a hole, but I went the extra mile and drilled real holes. It looks cool when you put on a light in the bedroom.

The metal blind dry-fitted:

Several holes of diameter 2,5mm should be drilled here and there on the deck to accomodate the following metal parts:

They will be pushed when installed. This is just a dry fit to check that the holes are good enough to fit them:

Build day 32 - More deck components

Today I continued with installing sax boards, drilling several holes for metal ornaments and a little bit of trial fit of the upholstery. 

Saxboards, 2 each side, 2 pieces each. The upper saxboard component is actually wider than the one below and forms a slot between the deck and the upper saxboard:

End of Build Day 31. 

3 hours today.

Moulding of bridge (#230 and #231). Their edges are visible hence I had to file and sand the edges in order to get rid of the burn marks caused by laser cuts. These edges will also have to be rounded. Here is the process:

The moulds need to be bent, too. For example as it stands, the bigger piece looks like this:

Bent:

Dry fit after bending:

.. and finally glued in place.

Here is a demonstration of filing away the burn marks. This is the smaller piece:

Before:

In progress:

After rounding the edges:

Both parts glued in place:

Dashboard section:

The two pieces on either side look and are identical, however they will need to be trimmed to different shapes to fit on the deck, since left and right side of the dashboard have different heights. 

But first, there is some extensive bending to be done for these pieces. Wetting and using plank bender is almost a must to accomplish it without breaking the pieces:

I used a pair of clamps to let them dry in shape:

... and in place:

Deck components 236 and 221. Sanded, rounded (#236) and glued in place.

Next: Fenders on both sides using 5x5mm mahongay strip.

Cut to size:

Shape the edges

Glue in place. There is a significant color difference with these strips compared to the hull but most of it will be painted in white therefore I don't worry about it too much.

Build day 31 - Sanding and more deck components

I continue with fine sanding and then the plan is to assemble more mahogany deck components. The reason why I did not include them to the sanding process is that I thought it would be better to sand them individually and glue afterwards since they form bumps and bulge over the flat surface, otherwise would make sanding process more painful.

For 240 grade sanding of the deck I use this sanding sealer:

Sanding sealer brushed and waiting to dry:

After waiting for about 30-40 mins (as instructed) I sanded the deck using 240 grade.

I found Git Rot at a hard ware shop It is used for repairing rotten wood on windows etc 

I will try and find some where I am as I am not home in RI at the moment If I find some soon I can send it to you. as regular postage from the states is not to bad 

Andy

Thank you in advance. That'd be great. I will look into local shops and see if there is it or any equivalent, before bothering you.

Build day 30 - Sanding. 

2 hours today.

Hi

A great build I have been following from the bridge on the power boat I now drive.  I use to drive a Riva Super Aquarama When I was the Mate on a 115 foot motor boat called Henry Morgan after the pirate. We TOWED it around the Mediterranean, Spain Italy France It was called "Bananas" if the weather was bad we just did not go any where saved use from hours of bad weather.

 Anyhow When I built a model that was going in water I used a product called "GIT ROT" a very thin liquid that socked right through the wood layers and sealed them all together forming a solid hard water proof smooth finish, that was easily painted below the water line and could be varnish above the water line Added very little weight and there is no risk of horrible fiberglass ruining your hard work

Best

Andy

Hi Andy,

So you have the front seat experience of an Aquarama! Cool!

I have checked the online stores for this GIT ROT but it is available only in US shops which either do not ship to Finland or at ridiculous shipping rates. I will ask the marine shops around if they have that or soething equivalent.

/A.

Build day 29 - Sanding. 

2 hours today.

Today I spent around 2 hours for consecutive filling of the gaps. Nothing much to show. Just for the record.. and of course for the honour of 100th hour . 

Build day 28 - Sanding. 

3 hours today.

Aydin,

That decking is looking fantastic, I hope you used epoxy for laying the strips. Or are you to cover the deck with fiber-glass as well?

I am concerned you will have issues with the water otherwise. It would be such a shame if you get problems.

Have you done any interior water protection at all?

I hope you have as you have put down the deck already.

Everything needs to be protected, sadly to say but necessary since you are to RC her.

First of all, thanks everyone for the encouraging comments.

Hi Per,

Yes, deck will be covered with fiber-glass / epoxy solution just like the entire hull. I will also put Hempel yacht sealer in the cockpit and the engine area from inside. And then, paint where required (yes, unfortunately some part of this beautiful mahogany will have to be covered with paint, especially below the waterline) . So, that's the plan. 

Below I am adding a series of photos showing the final planking process and the current status before starting smoothing work. I will try to post some photos during sanding when I can. Thank you for watching and see you later!

Aydin

Build day 26 & 27. 

2nd planking complete.

5 hours in both days.

Enjoying this build immensely. One question though - those strips for the deck seem to be mahogany? The real boat appears to have contrasting wood to mahogany. 

 

4939580_0_311219691600_1.jpg

There are several models of this boat (1965, 1972 etc), probably the difference is because of that. The kit (which is claimed to be museum quality by the manufacturer) is supplied with mahogany/lime for this purpose. I think it is the 1965 model.

Anyway, a quick search in Google returned this Riva Collection museum in Italy: http://collection.bellininautica.it/en/museum/collection/

There are Aquarama boats in that museum with similar planking as in this kit.

/Aydin

Build day 25

5 hours today.

Today I had more spare time with my Riva. I glued the upper deck plank sheets and was even able to proceed on the front deck planking strips. After today it looks like my Riva has started to reveal its beauty, though slowly, but surely

Deck 2nd planking. Most of it is uses 1mm thick mahogany sheets. Rest will be done using 1x1mm lime and 1x3mm mahogany strips.

The parts:

Before:

After dry-fit:

Now I see what you meant. Between the stich rows/lines you've got 6mm, not between the stiches. Hmm, I know it's very hard to get an accurate stich in faux leather, even with a good needle. Your second image does look better than the first. It seems as if the tension of the thread in the first image is higher than in the second, which leaves an ugly hole. So you've made some very nice upholstery

Actually the second photo above does not have the faux leather on yet. They are just pure plastic seats right out of the box. That's why I will still give a try how they would look after I cover them with my leather sheets. Chances are I just give up the idea if it won't look good and just use them like that instead. I may also use some paint to color the sides to turquoise like in the upper photo.