Halsey

Hi Rob,

Sorry to have slightly hijacked your topic - hopefully you will be able to catch your build in time to resolve this issue relatively easily.

I'm not sure the ballast placement is critical so long as it's forward of the cabin and as low in the hull as possible - apart from the new hatch my only other issue might be to move the battery.

Have fun.............

J

All good - that will be easier as access to the most forward compartment is difficult so gel on top will work best

I tried the principle out in the bath yesterday with shot in plastic sealed bags 500g each and it worked well 2-2.5kg will be needed but getting it low down has reduced the twitchy aspects and it doesn't seem matter too much where its placed so long as it definitely forward of the battery which this new hatch is - the hatch will be disguised with the air vents and the kit has a substantial winch set up which will sit on the rear (brown) section which will have a planked effect

EDIT - replaced deck photo as I did the winch today, not quite finished but very pleased with it

I'll stop hijacking Robs topic now 🤫.............

Thanks 

J

Thanks for all this - the shame for me is the realisation that I will need to cut a hole in the decks to access the right area to place the ballast - obviously this can be disguised as a set of fish/catch storage tanks so its not a big issue 

I have started this "sub topic" so others can find it and realise the mods that need to be done during the build which would be much easier.

2kg of lead shot now ordered (£17) and gorilla epoxy - QUESTION - I will try to make a "container" amongst the hull frames do I place the shot and then dribble glue on top or do I make a "soup" and then pour that in?

I have contacted Billings about this and they have acknowledged the issue.

I will wait until I'm in the right mood to do this!

Cheers

J

BALLASTING???

Anyone got experience of ballasting one of these ships??

I have just put her into the bath for the first time and have two observations 

• She is VERY unstable (particularly when compared to the Occre Ulises)
• She seems to need app 2KG of ballast to even start to get her sitting correctly in relation to the indicated waterline

What materials do people use for this level of ballasting, it feels quite intimidating and poses a number of access problems at this build stage even to the point that it might need an access hatch cutting into my deck work to get it in the right place as clearly as she is so twitchy it needs to sit on the keel?

What about externally ballasting the keel with lead strip??

I cant find any ref to this problem after a quick "trawl" (sorry 😀) of the net.

Looking forward to reading the replies

Cheers

J

This thread/topic has been really useful as I had no prior knowledge of Vallejo Paints but now all I can say is WOW - under £3 delivered next day from Amazon (other retailers are available) and 2 pots was enough to apply a generous coat to the model - the coverage is great and the "density" covers everything  - "leather red" makes a great anti-foul/red oxide equivalent.

Highly recommended. 

Thanks again

On 12/30/2023 at 2:32 PM, robdurant said:

Somehow I found myself doing two builds where the instructions were much more basic than my previous models, and it does mean that more of my energy is spent on convincing myself to keep plugging away than it was on the builds I did before. I do find I get satisfaction from working out my own solutions, so it's just part of the process. Definitely a word to the wise for those setting out, though. There are various stages where the Nordkap simply leaves you to work it all out for yourself.

I'll second that, it is VERY VERY basic and whilst you may not be an experienced boat builder (I'm not) its not for those without an aptitude for modelling and problem solving - I model Railways and RC planes and have some years of modelling under my belt esp since I early retired nearly 10 years ago.

It is a great model though and well worth it just be prepared for a number of dry runs to get it right and take your time.

UPDATE - I have just applied EzeKote without matting and even on the first coat it looks like its going to work well - shame it is such a high gloss as that precludes using it as a general sealer (on the decks as an example) but I'm going to overpaint it, also it doesn't "smooth"out as it dries, as would be the case with a true resin, so it has left a slightly disappointing brush mark finish but on the plus side it is very easy to work with and very quick drying.

J

58 minutes ago, robdurant said:

Hi Halsey

 

Welcome to the forum. It's a great place to get encouragement, support and advice, and you'll find that opinions vary about whether glassing is necessary for an RC boat to be reliably watertight.

 

Having used Eze kote I can confirm that it's lovely to use. It sets up good and hard, cleans up easily and leaves a relatively smooth finish. A little sanding would take out the final brush strokes, but as you say on a model such as this a few marks do not necessarily take away from the working boat feel.

 

My small experience so far suggests that the hull is comfortably watertight enough for occasional sailing. I won't be on the water every weekend, so I don't feel the need to make the finish as robust as others may? My tests in the bath tub have been very encouraging with no sign of water ingress at all.

 

I haven't noticed any scratching or marks in the eze kote finish, and the vallejo acrylics have taken well over the top, with no sign of weak adhesion. 

 

Until I've finished the boat and sailed for a season that's about as much as I can tell you, but early signs are very promising.

 

You are doing a find job with your model. I hope you will start a build log so I can learn from you as well

 

Any other questions, do ask away.

 

All the best, and a very Happy Christmas to you.

 

Rob

Hi 

I have now ordered some Eze-Kote to use on its own.

I will put a couple of coats on and see how it goes.

I'm very happy with dilute PVA for the internals as that has never let me down, I don't actually dilute PVA, I use builders "surface sealer" bought in 5l container which will last forever - it waterproofs the hull very well and can be liberally applied into all those internal nooks you don't even see and it dries to look like like varnish.

Hi there (Rob),

I've just joined the forum as I discovered this topic/thread whilst researching coatings (eg Eze-Kote).

Not in any way wanting to "hi-jack" this VERY helpful topic but here are a couple of pics of my efforts - only my second planked boat ever, the first was a Occre Ulises Tug.

My question is about coatings the hull has been extensively sanded (not much filler) sealed internally with dilute PVA and painted externally with Acrylic primer/undercoat.

I finished the aforementioned Tug with fibreglass matting and was never happy with it nor did I enjoy the process at all.

Is Eze-Kote truly the solution - I note you did it at pretty much the same stage I'm at, were you happy to further glue rubbing strakes and fender rails etc and subsequently paint the finished hull after the Eze-Kote or did this take you down a route of expensive finishes/paints and more specialised glue, everything so far has been DIY and aliphatic resin glue.

Also to what degree does Eze-Kote smooth the surface (esp with repeated coats?) - I'm not looking for perfection as IMHO hulls should be battered and I'm not expecting to go much further with sanding except in the very obvious areas still not there like the bow, below the water line isn't a concern.

Thanks for your indulgence in reading this.