schooner

19. Pilot House and Masts The frame for the pilothouse consists of laser cut base and roof outline, joined by 3 pieces of 1/4” square stock. I added some scrap decking material to the floor. The 2 aft support columns show thru the window and door so I painted part of them black to make them less obvious. Although the instructions call for 1/4” square stock the plans show 1/8” square stock - I’m glad I went with the 1/4” , it is very sturdy which helped when it came time to bend the sheathing around the frame while glueing. To shape the 2 laminated pieces I found a spray can with the same radius as the front of the pilot house. After soaking them in hot water and ammonia I rubber- banded them in place and left them overnight: The steering wheel is britannia metal, its stand is made up of strip wood per the plans. The plans show a chart table and bench, I added a voice tube and engine order telegraph: Here is the furniture in place: And here is the completed pilothouse with the roof (and rooster) in place: As it turned out, almost all the interior details are not visible. It’s pretty dark in there and the sight lines thru the windows block everything but the top of the steering wheel, the voice tube and the bench. This would be a perfect place for putting acetate in the windows but I left them out for the sake of consistency - I had to forgo glazing the doors and windows on the lower deckhouse so that the heat from the motor and ESC would have a way to vent. The masts have been tapered and the metal work attached: The instructions call for attaching the foremast by glueing the bottom to the deck which would work fine for a static model but since this deckhouse needs to be removable I changed the attachment point to a spacer that is glued to the front of the deckhouse and will sit on the deck between the water barrel and the ice box - the mast will be glued and pinned to the spacer which is set at a width that will place the mast at the designed rake: The aft mast needs a little help securing it. The instructions call for glueing it to the hole in the roof but even for a static model that will not provide much strength when it’s time to tension the rigging since the bottom of the mast is just hanging in the air inside the deckhouse. I put a framework on the underside of the deck that will provide a good glueing surface and that also sets the mast plumb and with the proper rake:

Nice rigging work! I'm at a loss figuring out what purpose the preventer serves, although the photo below shows one on each side. Any idea? BTW, if you ever get down to Maryland and DC the Maine's damaged foremast is on the seawall on the grounds of the Naval Academy in Annapolis and the main mast is at Arlington National Cemetery. Photos of both are easily Googled. Keep up the good work, I've enjoyed watching this come together.

18. Steering Gear & Deck Furniture The push rod between the servo and the rudder needs small brass rod at the ends to fit into the small holes on both arms but such thin rod may bend under pressure so I used an idea I found on a RC website and used a wooden dowel for the majority of it. This model is a little unusual in that the pushrod will remain above the deck but it will not be visible since it will be inside a 3-sided box, 2 of which sat on the fantail of the real SEGUIN to protect the steering ropes. The box hiding the pushrod and the fantail grating will be spot glued with white glue so I can remove them if needed. The deck furniture is done, with the exception of the boat. The fore and aft bitts, the ice chest, the stack and the skylight are per the plans. The kit provides a resin piece for the water barrel but I’ve had several wooden ones from Model Expo in my stash since my first build, as it turns out they are a perfect match for the plans so I used one. Next up will be the Pilothouse.

This is an impressive project - more a scratch build than a kit one. Your Charles Notam is one of the most amazing builds I've seen on this site - which has plenty of models that just leave me speechless.

Hi Ian, Yes it is a mini-servo on the rudder, I got a pack of 10 of them online for about $20, hopefully it will work because a larger one I have won't fit in that spot. If it does burn out after a while at least I have plenty of spares. As far as the motor goes I don't know if it is brushed (I threw the box out and I'm a total RC newbie), it is geared. The Washburn does look like a nice kit, there is a decent build log for it over at https://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?1558895-Building-the-George-W-Washburn

17. Installing Ballast and the RC Gear Bedford posted a reply a little ways back recommending that I ballast down the model to its waterline and let it float in the tub for a few hours to make sure there are no leaks. It was a good suggestion so I followed it. I went to my local Bass Pro outlet and bought a selection of different sizes of lead fishing weights. I ended up using about 3/4 lb of the weights, all of them in the aft 1/3 of the hull since there is a pronounced “squat” on this hull - the waterline and the keel are no where near parallel. Just like on modern tugs, they wanted to get the prop as deep as possible to generate thrust, not bubbles. I ended up with just under 1/2 lb of weight in the aftermost section near the rudder tube and the rest went under where the motor will sit. I could only fit one of the two NiMh battery packs I ordered but even if there was room for the second pack there is not enough reserve buoyancy to support it - just one pack took care of bringing the bow and midships area down to the waterline. The bathtub test worked fine - thank goodness. With that out of the way it’s time to start installing the RC gear. The first thing I had to do was something I did not want to do. The biggest threat to running this model on my lake will not be wakes from real boats but one of these guys (the fish not the geezer - that's not me BTW): There are a ton of Largemouth Bass in my lake, including a few big ones under my dock. They weigh 3-5 lbs, move fast and strike vertically at prey on the surface, including baby ducks (all together now “Oh No!! Not baby ducks!!) One of the most effective lures for catching them (bass, not ducks) uses brass blades that rotate as you retrieve it so it looks almost identical to what this beauty would look like while running: So after sanding off the protective coating and adding spray paint my prop is now a boring black: The motor was mounted to its pad with screws. Aligning the motor shaft with the prop shaft was easy to do visually athwartship but vertically took a combination of a small mirror and my finger to check for alignment as I turned the screw. The battery pack is velcroed to its pad so it can be removed if needed but I plan on recharging it in place. The ESC is also velcroed so it can be removed if I need to remove the battery pack (for a relatively large model there really isn’t all the much space to work with inside the hull). Since the rudder servo will also experience torque it’s mounted with screws. The servo is placed so that its arm and the arm on the rudder stock align fore and aft. The last item to add was the receiver - I placed it as far forward as possible to minimize electro-magnetic interference from the motor and ESC. Placing it there also allows the 3 inch antenna to project vertically up into the deck house for (hopefully) better reception. Next up will be installing the pushrod between the servo and the rudder.

Thanks for all the kind words everyone - it has been "a real trip" to use a term from my youth. Double-planking would be a good idea.

16. Lower Deckhouse (cont) The instructions call for removing the tops of frames 2 and 3 but I left them on to avoid any spring back from affecting the hull seams - I think I can work around them installing the RC gear. The instructions also call for installing a coaming around the deck opening “3/8” wide out of 1/16” basswood”. I did not understand why they needed to be so large so I made mine about 1/4” high with about 1/8” above the deck: The pieces of the deck house went together without a problem. In addition to the 1/4” square stock added to the aft corners to brace them I also added them to the forward corners. 1/16” by 1/4” stiffeners have been added to the top edges, they also serve to increase the glueing area for attaching the roof. I marked where the door opening will be have to cut out on the starboard (far) side for the stairwell: The waterway along the edge of the roof is a piece of laser-cut thin wood. The roof attached to the deckhouse without any need of soaking - despite the sheer of the deckhouse. The instructions call for making the stairs out of strip wood fitted into slots. That would look great but I don’t have the tools or the skills to pull that off so I used a piece of 3/8” by 5/8” strip wood cut into lengths, each 1/4” longer that the previous one and then glued the them in a stack and used the scribed decking material to make the sides of the stairwell: When I fitted the completed deckhouse to the deck the coaming provided a snug fit fore and aft but there was little contact on the sides so I tried various thicknesses of strip wood to increase the width of the coamings until I got a good fit all around - good enough that when I turn the hull upside down the deckhouse stays in place. I was pleasantly surprised at how well the laser cut sides match the sheer of the deck - it is a great fit that does not need any additional strips along the bottom to hide any gaps.

The photo showing the boiler front with the fire doors right under a cabin floor goes a long way to explaining why those boats were such fire traps! This build is coming along nicely, keep up your typically good work!

Post 15 Lower Deckhouse The kit provides laser cut sides, rear bulkhead and roof. The semi-circular front is made up of strip wood covered with 2 laminate pieces. There are 12 windows in the deckhouse and the kit provides 20 window frames. Since the 2 forward windows do not get frames that leaves enough for 2 frames per window, which is good, because if 2 of them are stacked they look better when surrounded by the scribed sheeting. A minor point that could be easily missed: There is a door on each side of the curved front piece, both at the aft edges. The only way to know that is to notice the door knobs on the plans. I added door knobs to all the doors using the heads of some brass finishing nails. The frame for the front went together well but I had trouble bending the inner piece - not so much bending it as getting the bend to remain after the soaked wood had dried out - it returned to a basically flat condition. I think the problem was due to the wood provided being plywood so I used it as a template to make another piece out of 1/32” sheet basswood. The basswood bent easily and retained its shape after soaking. The top piece bent without a problem. The instructions call for assembling the deckhouse sides into a box and then adding the scribed wood sheeting and brass (shielding near the coaling scuttles) but I thought it would be easier to measure and fit those while the pieces were laying flat. The built-in curvature to the top and bottom of the sides in order to fit the shape of the deck is readily apparent (and welcome). The brass does not look good in a photo but in “real life” it looks fine:

Your photo reminds me of something unexpected I recently learned - the MinWax stains you show in the lower right of your photo match what I've encountered coming straight out of the can but if I stirred them (not shaken) the colors change dramatically, e.g the Ipswich Pine goes from the light transparent yellow to a solid dark-medium brown. The can directions make no mention of either stirring or not stirring it prior to use. I've decided to leave well enough alone- that way I know that I'll get something that looks like the color on the label. Keep up the good (and fast) work - she is coming along great!

Looks "bigger than the average bear" as Yogi would say. Glad you didn't decide to take the trash out early that morning or this could have ended up being a very short build log.

Thanks Bedford, Appreciate all the insight into glassing and epoxy. I will take onboard your suggestion to ballast her down in the tub and leave it there for several hours.

Post 14: Rudder and Transom Grating A lot of outside distractions have kept me away from the build for a while but I finally got back to it. The rudder is a laser cut piece. I scribed the plank seams with an awl. Then instructions call for making the gudgeons and pintles out of brass strip cut from a supplied sheet. Since I had some Brittania strip material on hand of the right size I just used that. Gotcha note: The photo of the rudder in the instructions is wrong - although I can never keep straight which are the gudgeons and which are the pintles that doesn’t matter, the ones attached to the rudder go above (on top of) the ones attached to the hull - the photo has them backwards but the plans are correct. I ended up buying a rudder arm from Dumas, P/N 3504, which will fit over a 1/8” O.D. tube, which in turn fits snugly over the kit supplied 3/32” brass rod used for the rudder post. The arm is secured with a set screw. Up next was fabricating the grating that covers the transom area. I traced the shape from the plans which was a fairly close fit for my transom. The strip wood was then assembled on top of the tracing: Then it was just a matter of a little sanding around the edges, test the fit, and repeat until it fit. This is just dry fit, I’ll probably secure it with double-sided tape so it can be removed for access to the rudder arm. Next up will be starting the deck house.

13. Rub Rails The upper and lower rub rails are made from 3/32” square stock. I thought the lower rails would be a problem since they had to be glued to a painted surface so I ran a test on the underpart of the transom where it would be out of sight. It was a problem - 5 minutes after glueing a small piece with CA it came off easily. I tried again and left it for an hour - still not a firm hold. The 3rd time I left it for about 5 hours - success. Although the instructions don’t mention it, the plans show that the upper rail rests on a slightly wider (1/8”) piece of thin wood with both bottom edges aligned, it serves a useful purpose in that it covers the seam between the hull and bulwark planks. I used some 1/8 x 1/32 strip for the underlay. Here the first piece has been attached near the stern: After the upper rail was added everything that has been added since the hull was painted was given a coat of wipe-on poly, it doesn’t make much difference in the appearance of the basswood decking or planking but it does make the mahogany stand out: Next up will be the rudder and rudder post.

12. Caprails Before adding the caprails I decided to add the “cleats” which run inboard of the frame extensions and serve as a tie-off point for fenders and dock lines: The caprails are 1/4” wide. Since the curve around the fantail is fairly tight the kit recommends using 4 1/16” pieces of strip wood, edge-glued after bending. After 4 attempts to bend the 1/16” mahogany strips 3 of them cracked, despite using hot water, ammonia, steam and heat. I found some 1/16” square strips of basswood in my spares box and and after some experimentation with some exterior stain I had for a fence, I was able to get a good match with the color of the mahogany and was able to bend them: The cap rails forward of the fantail are made up of 2 1/8” mahogany strips, edge-glued and like the fantail pieces, mounted so that there is a 1/16” outboard overhang. Here the outboard piece has been added on the port side: The Buffalo Rail sits on top of the caprail around the fantail. It is 1/8 x 1/16 mahogany and unlike the smaller pieces I had no problem bending it after soaking: Near the bow the Log Rails sit on the caprails. The stem was shortened to be flush with the top of the log rails and the Forepost was made from 1/4” square stock and added aft of the stem. Next will be the rub rails

I just found this. Very nice build. When I was stationed at Naval Amphibious Base Little Creek VA 1988-90 the Navy brought 2 ATFs out of mothballs and recommissioned them into our salvage squadron - I always like the look of them.

11. Bulwarks and Fantail The bulwarks went on pretty easily. After pre-staining them I edge glued the 1/8 x 1/16 strips, working about 3-4 inches at a time. After they were in place their aft ends were trimmed even with the aft edge of bulkhead #5 and the frame extensions were trimmed flush with the top of the bulwark planks. The “fake” frame extensions were added every 1/2”. The plans call for 80 of them but I needed 1 extra on each side between the stem and Frame#1 for a total of 82. They are 3/16” square mahogany. They were pre-stained, cut a little long, glued in place and when all were done their tops were sanded flush with the top of the bulwark planking. The fantail frame was fabricated from 3 laser cut pieces, identical to those provided for the waterways. They are glued together and then glued to 3 3/16” posts cut so that the top of the laser pieces will be flush with the top of the bulwarks. Once the fantail is in place it is just a matter of placing vertical 1/8 x 1/16 planks around it. If you are meticulous you could trim all the planks so that they fit perfectly. Since the aft-most strips will be covered by a name board I did not do that - I just alternated sides as I attached the planks so that the met at the aft centerline.

Grant, I've seen some amazing work here on MSW, particularly over on the scratch builds, but this kit and your handling of it takes the cake. Amazing workmanship!

Wonderful work!! Your non-painted wood looks better than painted!

10. Laying the Deck and Waterways So far I have spent a lot effort during this build trying not to break off the bulkhead extensions that stick above the deck. As can been seen below, the extensions vary in dimensions and, most importantly, in the spacing between their outboard edges and the inboard edges of the top hull plank - they should be flush. After trimming and shimming I still did not like the results, I decided to cut them all off, except for the last pair on Bulkhead #5. These 8 extensions will be joined by 80-plus pieces of mahogany 3/32” square stock that will simulate the other frames after the bulwark planks are installed. In order to get these 8 properly placed, and looking just like their future neighbors, I replaced them with 3/32” Mahogany. They are pinned to the deck with brass rod for extra strength: Once that was taken care of I pre-stained the scribed decking with Old Masters Gel Stain (Fruitwood color). I’ve used it before for scribed decking and liked it. While not too impressive when it first goes on (looking like a light tan paint) it has the advantage of not blotching, which many stains can do on basswood, and then it darkens nicely over the next 24 hours and the deck seams really pop. The only recommendation I have for this step is be careful with the wood glue - I had a bad experience on another build where I used too much and the water in the glue caused the the decking to swell and buckle at the seams. This time I put a bead around the edges and then put a “chickenpox” scattering of dots around the interior. Although with some sanding of the joint between the 2 forward pieces I was able to get the seam to coincide with a plank seam and to get the seams to line up between the fore and aft pieces I could not get an invisible transverse seam between the main pieces and the 2 smaller ones that sit aft on the transom so I just covered it with strip wood - it will be pretty much out of sight under a grating. The waterways took a little longer than I thought they would. The instructions call for fitting 3 laser cut pieces around the transom and 1/8 x 1/16 strip wood between the frame extensions (there is a diagram in the instructions but the one on the plans make it much clearer). For the transom pieces I removed wood from the decking as need to get the laser cut pieces to fit flush with the inner edge of the hull planking - I did not alter the laser pieces because they need to match an identical set that will sit above them, forming the frame for the vertical transom planking. For the waterways forward of the transom I took a different approach and left the edges of the scribed decking alone since any variations to its smooth run would be really obvious. So instead I trimmed the waterways where needed to get them to fit and added to their outboard edges if necessary to avoid a gap between the waterway and the bulwark planking. Each piece of waterway was a little different. Next up will be fitting the bulwarks.

I fully agree with you Grant. BTW, I just noticed the link to your shipyard diorama - what a project! I'm going to have to budget several hours to slowly work my way thru the build log. Tim

Post 9: Waterproofing the Hull I started this process knowing one thing - I did not want to mess with fiberglass, and not knowing something else - anything about epoxy. I started my education on epoxy by looking at various websites associated with RC models, they were of some help but short on specifics of what to actually buy. The best find was right here on MSW: Bob Cleek’s reply on Riotvan99’s “Fiberglass a boat hull” post which I quote below: ————————————————- Fiberglass can be a "strong, hard wearing surface," but it's a real bugger to work with, particularly on small scale pieces and it sure isn't "easy to sand smooth for painting. It will add thickness to your hull and weight, neither are advantageous. It can be tricky to work with and if something goes wrong, it could ruin the model completely. It's about as strong as an eggshell, so until it gets around 3/16ths of an inch thick, it's going to crack like an eggshell if it gets whacked. At least, that's my story and I'm sticking to it. If your hull is properly put together, it should not need any strengthening and if you operate the model prudently, it should not require a "strong hard wearing surface." If it were me, and I realize it ain't, I would sand the hull fair and apply a liberal coat of Smith and Co,.'s Clear Penetrating Epoxy Sealer. ("CPES")(See:http://www.smithandcompany.org/ for technical information) This will penetrate the wood surface and cure, turning the surface of the wood into rock hard wood impregnated with cured epoxy resin. (CPES is not just "thinned epoxy," it contains special solvents which cause the resin to permeate the wood fibers. Before the CPES cures completely (less than 2 or 3 days... read Smith's instructions... this will create a molecular, rather than just a mechanical bond between the CPES and WEST epoxies,), I would apply a thin coating of WEST System G/flex 650 epoxy resin mixed with WEST System 407 Low-Density or 410 Microlight fairing additive. The additive will make the cured epoxy very easily sand-able to a very finely smooth surface. It will also fill any cracks or divots on the surface. Then sand the surface fair (without sanding the epoxy off down to bare wood. If that happens, apply more CPES to the bare spot(s.)) Then paint with a good quality marine enamel primer and topcoat paint. WEST G/flex epoxy resin cures to a hard, but slightly flexible epoxy that should not crack with slight wood movement. The CPES will provide a decent water barrier and the West G/flex will add to that. A good marine enamel will complete what should be a matrix that isn't going to leak in your lifetime, nor, probably, the lifetimes of your grandchildren. It won't add noticeable thickness to your hull and won't weigh down your model with unnecessary weight. You could also add WEST System 422 Barrier Coat Additive, which will increase the moisture resistance of the G/flex epoxy resin, but it's overkill for this application. You've also got the option of using WEST's kevlar additive if you want your bottom to be bulletproof, but that's a story for another night. Amazingly versatile stuff, epoxy. Fiberglassing small, irregular surfaces is tricky business and the glass cloth or mat is nasty to work with, too. (Tiny bits of glass fibers become airborne and land on your skin, quickly working their way into the skin like fine cactus needles, resulting in painful itching. I don't ever want to begin to think what they do when you inhale them, but I've done my share of fiberglass work on boats in the days before hazmat suits and filtered air-supply masks and I'm still here, so... Anyway, that's how I'd do it. —————————————————————————————————- So, I followed Bob’s advice and did the following 1) Ordered the Smith Co.’s CPES sealer from their website. It is a 2-part product, mixed in equal amounts. They sell warm and cold weather versions, I used the cold since I was working in Mar. It goes on easily with a brush and is cured within 24 hours. It has the added advantage that what you don’t use on the model you can use around the house to stop wood rot. Here is the product: And here is the hull after it was applied: 2) After 24 hours I then added the 2-part resin and hardener from West systems, mixed with some of their 407 Fairing Filler powder. Here is the epoxy bottle and the 401, both ordered from Amazon: The epoxy is pretty thick, and while it looks relatively smooth while applying it, after spraying it with primer the surface is pitted, much like the skin of an orange. In the quote above Bob mentions the possibility of adding West Systems 422 Barrier Coat Additive to the mix (it’s a powder) but when I tried it on some test pieces of wood it was very difficult to apply and left a very uneven but tough surface that would have been difficult to sand smooth so I did not use the 422. It took a fair amount of time sanding, adding wood filler, sanding, spraying with primer to check the finish - and repeat, and repeat - more time than it took to get a smooth finish on the hull planking. I submitted the hull to the dreaded bathtub test. It failed. There were several seams in the amidships area that leaked. So I added more epoxy to the affected areas and tried another test. Although the repaired seams held several others were now leaking. I had to ask my self “What the heck is going on here?” (or words to that effect). After thinking about it I realized that in order to submerge the hull to its design waterline I had to exert a fair amount of downward pressure and, as good old Archimedes told us, that same pressure was being exerted by the water upwards on the hull. The basic problem is that the few and far between bulkheads in the amidships area do not provide enough support to keep the planks from flexing, thereby cracking the epoxy seal. I added more epoxy to the outside of the hull in the affected areas and then applied a really THICK coat inside the hull to support and stiffen the planks. You can see it here: So . . . I think I was unwise to rule out using fiberglass without at least giving it a test - it might have prevented some of my problems. The cloth and resin you can get in hobby stores is not too expensive and you can try it out on scrap wood with some square stock nailed to it so simulate the keel and other corners - if it works for you then you have a good option for waterproofing the hull. Fortunately the 3rd bathtub test was a success and I could move on to painting the hull. I did NOT use marine spray paint, mainly because it is really expensive. I used spray paint from Rustoleum since it is designed for exterior use. Hopefully I won’t regret that decision. I used semi-gloss for the white paint since the water in my lake is not exactly from “The land of sky blue waters” (if you are old enough to remember that slogan/jingle) and it should be easier to keep clean. Adding the deck planking is next.

8. Hull Planking This is not an easy planking job. The wide spacing of the frames make it hard to avoid bumps and dips. The large garboard planks make for an odd shape between the garboards and the deck edge - the fore and aft parts of the hull planks have to be tapered to fit. I still had to add some bastardized stealer planks of some odd shapes to get everything covered. If you have no interest in making this an RC build then you may want to consider adding some balsa wood blocks between the frames and then sanding them fair with the frames - that will give you more glueing area and probably a smoother planking job. I recommend that you put an un-tapered plank along the deck edge and another up against the garboard and then taper the remaining planks as needed, working from the deck edge towards the keel so that any stealers and odd shapes are at least inside the area that will get the “below the waterline” paint covering and ideally below the curve of the bilge so they will not be visible (or at least obvious). When I bought this kit I had hopes of leaving the hull planking above the waterline in a natural color like the photo in the catalog and on the box but when I tested the epoxy I’m going to use on the hull I had to change my plans - the epoxy dries into a semi-opaque reddish color. This allowed me to be more expedient than elegant in my planking since it will all be under a tough plastic-like coating and then painted. I did not have to soak the hull planks since there was almost no edge bending needed, the bow curve is gentle and the “twist” to get the aft end of the planks to lay on bulkhead #5 is nothing that can’t be handled with CA. After some filler and sanding it’s good to go: I deviated from the instructions in that I planked the stern area now because I want to get all the work below the main deck finished before I add the bulwarks. The stern planking was pretty easy, I did have to trim the 2 laser cut pieces that attach to the aft face of bulkhead #5 so that the stern plank butts would be flush with the hull plank butts.

7. RC Test Run While waiting for the wood sealer and epoxy to be delivered I took the opportunity to figure out how all the RC stuff connects together and to give it an op test. Back in Post #2 I listed all the RC items I had ordered for this build. At that time I called the Electronic Speed Control (ESC) the “receiver” - that was incorrect. While examining the box that the control box arrived in I discovered a small item with 5 ports for cable connections and a short antenna - that is what is known as “the receiver, and important part of the RC rig. Here are all the parts hooked up, except for the batteries. Note that the shaft/stuffing tube shown here is the too-large one I originally ordered, the newer, smaller one is already installed in the hull: Here is everything with the addition of the batteries (1 of 2 shown): For the sake of anyone who buys the same RC stuff I did I’ll explain how the receiver is hooked up, hopefully saving you a lot of online research and trial and error. First of all this particular receiver is designed for RC aircraft so it has more slots than a boat will need The male connectors leading from the ESC and the Rudder Servo are not “keyed” i.e. they can fit into the receiver slots the right way, or the wrong way. All connectors like this have a black or brown wire, that is the negative or ground wire, and the connector must be inserted so that the ground wire is AWAY from the printed part of the receiver, i.e. near the edge. The ESC connector goes into the slot labeled “throttle” The Rudder Servo connector goes into bottom slot labeled “AIL” (for airlion), that will allow the rudder to return to the amidships position when the control toggle on the control box is released (otherwise you would never be sure where the rudder is and would have to make constant corrections). After connecting everything up, and charging the batteries I turned on the control box and then the on/off switch that will be on the model. After the ESC beeped for about 5 seconds (referred to as "pairing") I had throttle control of the shaft (fore and aft) and control of the rudder. The only issue was that when moving the throttle toggle in the forward direction on the control box the shaft went in the reverse direction (for a left hand prop like I have) but the control box has a reverse switch for each function that easily fixed that.