MAGIC's Craig

Thank you for those kind words, KeithAug. As I contemplate the upcoming construction of the interior joinery for the main cabin, you are setting quite a fine example of what I should strive for with your project. Whew!!

We were lucky enough to visit ARGONAUT II some years ago under a previous owner. Her Gardner is a sweet sounding engine. Also, the former Mission hospital ship, COLUMBIA III, running with a gleaming 60+ year old 8L3 Gardner, still works under the careful custodianship of Ross Campbell as a Mothership for kayak trips in the northern BC waters. I believe that Nick is currently cruising as crew with Leo Goolden on TALLY HO making the passage down the Mexican West coast to Panama. It is a surprisingly close bunch of folks who manage to keep these old girls running. TWILIGHT probably would have fit right in.

Thank you, Keith for the compliment. We are both pleased that the model came so close to representing the craft which we had hoped to own. She probably would have been at home in the Pacific Northwest waters, with that Gardner diesel quietly pushing her along.

Hi, Freeks: I used a similar idea of lowered ballast when I built the model of our schooner, MAGIC.

Hi, Freeks You are right and especially so when a vessel is down-sized into a model, giving up much stability that would have been quite adequate if full-sized. Thank you for the thoughts

John: It did that...initially. And then she flopped on her side and my heart felt the same. However, onwards we go. This was much more satisfying.

So, the initial "sea trial" in late October was an "interesting" learning experience. TWILIGHT was placed in the water from a local kayak launch ramp after we had first launched Vicky in her canoe to be the "rescue" craft in case of need. When I gave the throttle control on the transmitter a slight nudge to the first detent of forward, TWILIGHT's stern suddenly dropped down in a swirl of bubbles, the bow popped way up, the sudden torque from the prop heeled her over to port and she shot forward, wildly swerving to starboard. This little displacement trawler yacht was trying to emulate PT-109 😲 I jerked the throttle back to neutral while trying to straighten out her course and she coasted to a wobbly stop. Obviously, something was not right and so, I tried to nurse her back around to head to the launch ramp. However the pulses of power, brief as they were, set up a surging oscillation, rolling the model from side to side. I was "behind the curve" with the rudder actions and TWILIGHT ended up broaching to port onto her beam ends and began down-flooding. By the time Vicky could get to TWILIGHT and grab the cabin top, she was awash. TWILIGHT did not sink and was able to be brought to shore to be emptied out with a minimum of exterior damage. The electronics were, unsurprisingly, "toast" and all had to be discarded. It took a number of days to dry out TWILIGHT and I spent some time this discussing the odd throttle behavior with Nick Scalone, of Harbor Models. Ultimately, we were able to focus upon my failure at that time to re-calibrate the transmitter to the electronic speed control unit which governs how much juice to feed the motor. This left the ESC in a default mode and it went instantly to full throttle. (The joys of electric motors.) New replacement components were ordered, installed and, most-importantly, repeatedly bench-tested. On December 3rd, everything came back together (boat, tides, weather and our schedules) to permit Sea Trial #2. Once again, we launched Vicky in her canoe, did one more pre-launch systems check and then placed TWILIGHT in the water. This time, things went much better. (Photos courtesy of Larry Bender) Though the sea trial was shortened by a strengthening wind, I was able to verify TWILIGHT's basic running gear capabilities (and limitations) through a series of maneuvers. While she is nearly complete topsides, I plan to build out the main cabin joinery modules this winter. The future may also involve removing (2) of the (4) 12 vdc sealed lead batteries and utilizing that weight savings to place a couple of small streamlined lead ballast "pancakes" alongside the keel on the exterior of the hull to provide additional stability when turning. We'll see whether that comes to pass and, if so, whether it turns out to be useful. I must relate that I am truly looking forward to returning to the model shop to make sawdust again after these weeks of wiring and tweaking electrical widgets. Until the next update, my thanks again for checking in on our progress. Craig

Fascinating (and a bit daunting) to see the model's realistic and accurate detailing. You are showing us a fine level of work to serve as an example to shoot for in our own efforts. Well done!

Well done making that prop, Mark. FWIW, we had the 2-blade versions on our boats and they were indeed slippery when feathered. The MaxProp versions we had did require the shaft rotation to change direction in order to completely rotate the blades so that the leading edges were "facing into" the proper orientation for the boat's heading. When one shut down the motor, (and if one was moving through the water sufficiently), the props would then feather into a fore-and-aft configuration for minimum drag. However, those flat blades do give up about 10% in thrust when compared to blades with non-flat sections. Most of the time, that loss of a certain amount of thrust was not a problem. Craig

Keith: I came close to just letting that be the case by placing her up on a shelf. However, as has often been the case over our years together, Vicky came out to the shop and asked me to explain what wasn't working to prevent the prop from spinning. I rumbled off about recalcitrant R/C components refusing to do what I understood to be their individual functions as a system, (i.e. "A" plugging into "B" which was in turn to plug into "C" and permit signals to go on to the electronic speed control "D" to spin the motor "E" at the correct rpms.) Somewhere in that sequence something was interrupting it all. I had checked all of the connections and joints, re-read the instructions, freshly charged the batteries, etc, but - nada! So, it was time to give it all a rest. And, as usually happens during the night, a couple of days later, the back brain started hammering on the door to the front brain, saying something along the line of, "Hey, fool, try switching this lead to the receiver and simply delete "B" in the series" (Well, of course it can't be that simple....can it? It doesn't show that in the one-size-fits-all instructions...) But, I gave it a try. Lo and behold, we now have a smoothly functioning throttle and a prop which does not go only all out or not at all! After the upcoming Thanksgiving break, we will take TWILIGHT back over to the bay to continue her sea trials. She will no longer have the sound module making her sound like she's being pushed by a slow-turning Gardner diesel, but she should be able to move at a proper (sedate) pace under control (rather than rearing up out the water, trying to imitate PT-109). (Perhaps more than you wanted to know? 😉 Cheers, Craig

Thank you, KeithAug. Your works serve as inspirations for all of us. As it happened, the "Sea Trials" mentioned above, did not go as hoped for and the last month has been spent repairing minor damages and replacing all of the R/C components. I will be writing up a new posting over the course of the next couple of days to bring the blog up to date now that TWILIGHT is once again ready to go. A sometimes challenging hobby we pursue...

When I try to imagine what my back would feel like after a couple of hours sitting on such an upright seat, my bones ache in sympathy for those of the original pilots. Sorta... craig

What a treat to see, Rob!!

Brian: I join the others who have already posted compliments on your excellent build. Well done! And I smiled when I got to your line, "One of the drawbacks of scratch building, there are no instructions on which step comes first." yessir!! Craig

Chris: You do make it look easy...but we know better!😉 A lovely collection, as well! Craig

Great fun to watch your progression as well as admiration for the craftsmanship at this wee scale. Thanks for your frequent posting to keep the lot of us enthralled, Keith. I also quite enjoy seeing both projects together. Craig

Beautifully executed, well-photographed and frankly, absolutely stunning precision. Thank you for sharing these photos and techniques with all of us.😲 Craig

Thank you very much, John. I am somewhat surprised at how well she seems to be coming out and I am pleased that the reception TWILIGHT receives. Here is another image I forgot to include.

Thank you, Paul. I' m grateful for your support.

As always, thank you for your kind words, Keith. I am beginning to let my mind wonder about "what craft will be next?"

At this point, the topsides was substantially complete, so TWILIGHT was once again toted over to the friends' pool in order to take accurate measurements of her actual loaded waterline location. When I had first floated the model without the top hamper, she weighed 18.5 lbs. For the second (more complete) floatation test, she was again weighed and the scale settled at 23.4 lbs. The latest test demonstrated that the WL should be painted 1/2" above the initial DWL. The laser level was again utilized to connect the measured points at the bow and stern and a fresh upper line was marked. Masking tape and film were used to shield the topsides from overspray, the hull was sanded and wiped down prior to giving the bottom a fresh coat of bottom paint. The re-painting of the bottom highlighted the fact that the topsides of the hull also needed some attention to remove scratches, fingerprints and varnish/epoxy drips. Lots of additional taping and sanding were required in preparation. Once this portion had been painted, Vicky's steadier hands were again brought into play to paint the trim color on the cabin top beadings. And to complete the saga of taping, I masked around the portions of the topsides where a fresh set of TWILIGHT's name decals were to be applied over gold painted "badges". The application of the decals followed and when they were dry, a couple of light coats of clear flat acrylic were sprayed on to help seal them from the water. Finally, the layers of the cocoons were stripped away. To finish up mounting R/C switches, I built a small double-sided cabinet to fit between between the pilothouse and the main cabin. The forward face into the pilot house contains a wet foulie locker while the aft face of the cabinet incorporated bookshelves and that final switch, which controls the running lights, occupies a corner of the top. One evening, the interior lighting and the running lights were tested. (My camera had difficulties focussing with this level of light - my apologies!) Just imagine that it is the view looking aft on a slightly foggy night 😉 . Scale crew members arrived to be experimented with for placement locations. And to finish this update, here is a photo, taken a couple of days ago, with TWILIGHT posed in front of the initial Profile drawing of some years back. We are awaiting a calm break in the weather to put the model in the salt chuck for some sea trials. Assuming all goes well, she will then return to the boat shop to permit the fitting of the main cabin joinery. Thanks again for your welcome support, Cheers, Craig

October, 2025 update: The process of tidying up the wiring of the R/C system proceeded with the modification of a pre-made plastic "project box" to serve as a junction box and as the above-deck location of 3 switches and the receiver. The box was mounted atop the pilothouse directly above the vertical wiring trunk in the cabin. A cover was later built to shroud the switches from the elements. The rigging for the mast and booms required a number of blocks. These were fashioned from a length of 5/16" x 5/16" mahogany and bits of s/s seizing wire were used for bails and beckets. A scale Northill-style non-folding anchor was built up from 1/16" birch ply, with mahogany flukes and a bamboo dowel cross arm. Primer grey imparted the look of a galvanized finish and it was hooked to the anchor chain off the bow. The tender was up next. While we are not normally fans of "rubber-ducky" inflatables, past experience in Northern BC waters had shown that it made some sense for a powerboat. So an online search turned up suitable scaled drawings of a hard-bottom version. The "tubes" were cut from 7/8" diameter dowel stock, the bulkheads were cut from 1/8" th. ply and (after patterning the required pieces from card) the bottom was glued together from pieces if 1/16" ply. The thwarts were cut from AYC planking stock. Once painted, a cradle was constructed to secure the tender atop the main cabin roof and it was lashed down. Once the blocks were completed, rigging was made up for the mast and booms and a couple of small bits of hardware added to control the boat boom hoist pennants. Simulated electric winches were mounted on the mast and boom. I am going to break this update into 2 sections at this point to keep the size reasonable. More to follow. Craig

Don't forget the cat...😏

Oop! That would be an odd dinghy for certain. Oh, well, we'll send the ol' YD'r back into 'is cave. 😏

Just for the fun of taking part in this discussion, this last image teases my boat design thoughts enough to offer the idea that it looks to me to be the stem and forefoot of a (possibly) lapstrake craft, quite full in the bow, in order to be able to carry weight (See the size of the arms on that crew member) and perhaps it was simply some small craft which was scooped up inexpensively to be useful if needed. I have no more knowledge than anyone else though as to whether that was the case. Back to you, Keith.