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Smit Rotterdam by FrozenRabbit471 - Billing Boats - 1:75


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Smit Rotterdam The Purchase.jpg

"It's better to have it and not want it, than to need it and not have it"

      Tommy Lee Jones as Col. Agustus McCrea in Lonesome Dove"

 

"Long may your big jib draw" 

      An old greeting between sailors, of best wishes and the hope for good wind . 

 

Oh, the rollin' of the sea is beckonin' to me

       Powerful first line of a song that best describs me.

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Hello everyone,

 

I come from Newfoundland Labrador, Canada which is surrounded by water. Unfortunately, living in the western region of Canada I'm in, Lloydminster, Alberta, Canada, (the vast prairies), water is very scarce.

 

Ironically, my new passion for model watercraft will move ahead regardless. I have no interest in speed boat style vessels, but rather, the larger tug boats, fishing boats and eventually, tall ships. Ive done a lot of research, and it makes more sejse to reach for the mountain before the sky. So for my first build, I've chosen the Smit Rotterdam, by Billing Boats. I also intend to install RC components. This model is expert level for that group/style of vessel.

 

Some say I am, "ambitious". We will see. So far, I am loving it.

An entry level exploration tall ship is my next target. But, if it takes another boat, such as a fishing trawler, well, I will get my tall ship in good time.

 

"Long may you big jib draw"

20170424_070308.jpg

"It's better to have it and not want it, than to need it and not have it"

      Tommy Lee Jones as Col. Agustus McCrea in Lonesome Dove"

 

"Long may your big jib draw" 

      An old greeting between sailors, of best wishes and the hope for good wind . 

 

Oh, the rollin' of the sea is beckonin' to me

       Powerful first line of a song that best describs me.

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Woohoo! Welcome aboard! 

please don your life preservers as our hull is not yet completed and we are likely to spring a leak:dancetl6:

"It's better to have it and not want it, than to need it and not have it"

      Tommy Lee Jones as Col. Agustus McCrea in Lonesome Dove"

 

"Long may your big jib draw" 

      An old greeting between sailors, of best wishes and the hope for good wind . 

 

Oh, the rollin' of the sea is beckonin' to me

       Powerful first line of a song that best describs me.

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I've converted my tool chest to serve as crafting tools cabinet. This will serve as a starting point. I think its pretty neat.

Tool Chest on Day 1.jpg

"It's better to have it and not want it, than to need it and not have it"

      Tommy Lee Jones as Col. Agustus McCrea in Lonesome Dove"

 

"Long may your big jib draw" 

      An old greeting between sailors, of best wishes and the hope for good wind . 

 

Oh, the rollin' of the sea is beckonin' to me

       Powerful first line of a song that best describs me.

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Here, Ive highlighted each part number after I pencilled in the numbers on or next to each piece on the sheeted plywood templates in the kit. The laser etched wooden parts on the plywood sheets "are not numbered" 

So for any builders following me in preparation to build this kit, be aware of that.

20170424_105023.jpg

20170423_081758.jpg

"It's better to have it and not want it, than to need it and not have it"

      Tommy Lee Jones as Col. Agustus McCrea in Lonesome Dove"

 

"Long may your big jib draw" 

      An old greeting between sailors, of best wishes and the hope for good wind . 

 

Oh, the rollin' of the sea is beckonin' to me

       Powerful first line of a song that best describs me.

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Up to this stage I was using CA glue (super glue) with a high viscosity (very fast curing /drying time). Another, more experienced builder advised me to discontinue that glue for various reasons. The primary being, not enough time to work with and it was a very unforgiving bond. It is very runny, gets over everything and once you put your wooden pieces in place, bang, thats it.

It was suggested to use a good quality carpenter's / wood glue. Use of clamps and pins to let dry properly.

Slow down, relax, use great care and finesse. 

So I used a medium viscosity of the same glue instead of adhearing to the advise given. I found out pretty quick, the advise was valid. As much as I was convinced things were going great, as I went along, I discovered a misaligned piece 5 moves ago, messed up my current plans. research before you make your next move. pay attention to the advice. If you're uncomfortable with the advice, ask around.:rolleyes:

IMG_0362.jpg

IMG_0364.jpg

"It's better to have it and not want it, than to need it and not have it"

      Tommy Lee Jones as Col. Agustus McCrea in Lonesome Dove"

 

"Long may your big jib draw" 

      An old greeting between sailors, of best wishes and the hope for good wind . 

 

Oh, the rollin' of the sea is beckonin' to me

       Powerful first line of a song that best describs me.

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Hello Terry,

 

Anja was saying to me that there was a build log of the Smit Rotterdam.

Found it !

In my early days of building , I have build it myself.

And because we are living close to Rotterdam and I have seen that tug boat many times in real life, I will take a seat and will watch the birth of this beauty !

Do your best and if there are any questions......just ask !

And now I'm here , it is tradition that I place a popcorn machine.

So I see a free corner.

If you don't like it, please tell me and I will remove it.

 

Sjors

 

nootjes_en_popcorn_18.gif

 

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Like Sjors, I have built this boat. The drawings look quite different, not surprisingly though, I built her over 30 yrs ago. I will look forward to see your endeavours take form !!

Carl

"Desperate affairs require desperate measures." Lord Nelson
Search and you might find a log ...

 

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I started off laying the keel on a bare surface, then inserting the the ribs with super glue. For measurement, I used a simple 90° triangle from a protractor set.

 

This, as I learned from trial and error, was a huge mistake. I should have known the difference as I had read about this during my research. You have to secure the keel "true" to measure, that is place it into a tight and straight grove or something tbat will keep it straight. Add two ribs at a time at the most until "wood glue", not "super glue" is dry. You must ensure your ribs are true to measure and square. Measure the heck out of it to be sure. Patience!! and time!! 

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20170425_174129.jpg

"It's better to have it and not want it, than to need it and not have it"

      Tommy Lee Jones as Col. Agustus McCrea in Lonesome Dove"

 

"Long may your big jib draw" 

      An old greeting between sailors, of best wishes and the hope for good wind . 

 

Oh, the rollin' of the sea is beckonin' to me

       Powerful first line of a song that best describs me.

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45 minutes ago, Sjors said:

Hello Terry,

 

Anja was saying to me that there was a build log of the Smit Rotterdam.

Found it !

In my early days of building , I have build it myself.

And because we are living close to Rotterdam and I have seen that tug boat many times in real life, I will take a seat and will watch the birth of this beauty !

Do your best and if there are any questions......just ask !

And now I'm here , it is tradition that I place a popcorn machine.

So I see a free corner.

If you don't like it, please tell me and I will remove it.

 

Sjors

 

nootjes_en_popcorn_18.gif

 

The popcorn machine stays Sjors! Thanks for popping in. That seat will be reserved by you. The photos I am posting are of what I have done so far, with some added notes worded toward any amateurs that might look for information in the future. Don't be afraid to voice your opinion on my entries, good or bad, as that only helps the next deckhand.

"It's better to have it and not want it, than to need it and not have it"

      Tommy Lee Jones as Col. Agustus McCrea in Lonesome Dove"

 

"Long may your big jib draw" 

      An old greeting between sailors, of best wishes and the hope for good wind . 

 

Oh, the rollin' of the sea is beckonin' to me

       Powerful first line of a song that best describs me.

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45 minutes ago, cog said:

Like Sjors, I have built this boat. The drawings look quite different, not surprisingly though, I built her over 30 yrs ago. I will look forward to see your endeavours take form !!

Hey Carl, Glad you're on board too. As I mentioned to Sjors, by all means, if you read something that you have different opinions on, make sure you say so. That only strengthens the community. :rolleyes:

"It's better to have it and not want it, than to need it and not have it"

      Tommy Lee Jones as Col. Agustus McCrea in Lonesome Dove"

 

"Long may your big jib draw" 

      An old greeting between sailors, of best wishes and the hope for good wind . 

 

Oh, the rollin' of the sea is beckonin' to me

       Powerful first line of a song that best describs me.

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Regarding the addition of the keel floor, it installed pretty easy.... Until I moved up to the bow section. The plywood floor has to bend or be bent as to take shape of the bow. It doesnt bend easy. You can soak the narrowing half of the floor planks as to give you some playability, but remember, it's NOT balsa plank, its plywood... and plywood has a memory. Once the bow-ward halves are plyable, secure them in their proper place. Always check for frame anomalies before major work.

 

I bent mine by hand and just applied thumb tacks and clamps. What I didn't look at, due to inexperience, was what the plywood was doing between the ribs. It was fighting to spring back. So now, I had a wave effect. I never realized this until the "super glue" and plywood floor was dry and all my tacks and clamps were off. And beleive me, those waves between the ribs we not moving.

 

I found out after the fact, some builders use zip ties, sometimes joining 2 or 3 ties together and span them around the hull floor from starboard to port (right to left... i think) so that the tie would tighten down the wave between the ribs. Thats just one idea.

 

Seen, here, between the blue clamps, on the right side, the plywood wanted to spring back up because I never helped the clamps and tacks keep it down.

20170427_100056.jpg

20170427_100127.jpg

"It's better to have it and not want it, than to need it and not have it"

      Tommy Lee Jones as Col. Agustus McCrea in Lonesome Dove"

 

"Long may your big jib draw" 

      An old greeting between sailors, of best wishes and the hope for good wind . 

 

Oh, the rollin' of the sea is beckonin' to me

       Powerful first line of a song that best describs me.

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I continued on, without any change to my wavy bow floor, thinking, "i will deal with it when i get to the planking". I also got ambitious and added the outer bow walls. (plywood) remember, plywood has a memory!

IMG_0375.jpg

20170501_105151.jpg

"It's better to have it and not want it, than to need it and not have it"

      Tommy Lee Jones as Col. Agustus McCrea in Lonesome Dove"

 

"Long may your big jib draw" 

      An old greeting between sailors, of best wishes and the hope for good wind . 

 

Oh, the rollin' of the sea is beckonin' to me

       Powerful first line of a song that best describs me.

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Welcome to my learning curve. As you can see from my pics here, when i dry-fitted my bow floor (and at the time i had no idea it was called dry-fitting) , to my horror, the bow floor and the outer bow walls never lined up!

The factors that lead to this was not ensuring the keel length and the ribs were true. The super glue in big amounts applied, can and did draw the structures one way or the other and instantly dried the pieces in place. 

This would normally drive an amateur to walk away and the kit thrown under some piece of furniture.

Nope, not me. I never blinked. I wasn't going any further until it was fixed.

20170501_154538.jpg

20170501_154601.jpg

20170501_154606.jpg

"It's better to have it and not want it, than to need it and not have it"

      Tommy Lee Jones as Col. Agustus McCrea in Lonesome Dove"

 

"Long may your big jib draw" 

      An old greeting between sailors, of best wishes and the hope for good wind . 

 

Oh, the rollin' of the sea is beckonin' to me

       Powerful first line of a song that best describs me.

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Well there is a HUGHE difference ... Not so much plywood on the hull in my version, just the hull above, and on the decks ... I had to plank the entire hull. If you install the bow thruster, you should do it before you close the hull. Take care you install it so you still can reach it to attach the electric motor!!!

Carl

"Desperate affairs require desperate measures." Lord Nelson
Search and you might find a log ...

 

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So, I very gently removed the outer bow walls, minimal damage, then scraped and sanded the leftovers off the ribs. I stared it down, gently moved and twisted the entire boat. The twisting and moving is not easy, its very strong. That's when I found where the problem was. You can see in the photos, the front 3 or 4 ribs turn right. 

 

What to do....? I figured the floor had to come off. By now, I had a few  layers of filler applied to the floor. turn yer stomach.

I gently started to lift the floor off at the bow end. At the second rib she cracked, but not too bad. I cut away at the glue on the next rib (3rd from the front) and the front of the bow snapped to the center. That's where the problem was. I dry-fitted the bow walls and bow floor.... almost perfect!

 

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"It's better to have it and not want it, than to need it and not have it"

      Tommy Lee Jones as Col. Agustus McCrea in Lonesome Dove"

 

"Long may your big jib draw" 

      An old greeting between sailors, of best wishes and the hope for good wind . 

 

Oh, the rollin' of the sea is beckonin' to me

       Powerful first line of a song that best describs me.

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Hey cog and CDW. I happy to read your posts. cog I already have my hull completed on 1 side and over 3/4 done on the other. I hope i can still get the bow thruster installed. Im not closing in the top at all, untill the thruster and the rest of the rc components installed.

 

Hey Craig, I was told by several builders NOT to take on the Rotterdam for my 1st boat build. Thaey said i was too ambitious. Well, I had confidence and never did listen very well, thats just boring! I dont know what your experience is, but yes, a amateur can build this. But you have to do a lot of research, get involved with a ton of facebook groups, web forums like this one, you tube videos and what ever else you think of. Ask a ton of questions. Be open to criticism. 

I love the web forums for boats (there are not many) They are serious about having fun. Theres no BS allowed and there are a lot of experienced builders. 

 

Go buy your favorite canoe, slow and steady!

"It's better to have it and not want it, than to need it and not have it"

      Tommy Lee Jones as Col. Agustus McCrea in Lonesome Dove"

 

"Long may your big jib draw" 

      An old greeting between sailors, of best wishes and the hope for good wind . 

 

Oh, the rollin' of the sea is beckonin' to me

       Powerful first line of a song that best describs me.

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Both the outer bow wall and bow deck are dry-fitted and matches great. I now have all decks dry-fitted and will remain so until the bow has been filled, sanded, clothed, epoxied. I'll be applying epoxy and maybe cloth inside before outside.

20170505_082550.jpg

"It's better to have it and not want it, than to need it and not have it"

      Tommy Lee Jones as Col. Agustus McCrea in Lonesome Dove"

 

"Long may your big jib draw" 

      An old greeting between sailors, of best wishes and the hope for good wind . 

 

Oh, the rollin' of the sea is beckonin' to me

       Powerful first line of a song that best describs me.

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ALL WOOD GLUE FROM NOW ON! Save the super glue for the tiny parts above the deck, the superstructure

Just a couple progress pics of progress.

20170508_120458.jpg

20170509_122153.jpg

20170509_113609.jpg

"It's better to have it and not want it, than to need it and not have it"

      Tommy Lee Jones as Col. Agustus McCrea in Lonesome Dove"

 

"Long may your big jib draw" 

      An old greeting between sailors, of best wishes and the hope for good wind . 

 

Oh, the rollin' of the sea is beckonin' to me

       Powerful first line of a song that best describs me.

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I should be shot! Using this lexan reamer on anything other than "lexan" (RC truck plastic body), is sacrilegious in the RC world.
But what the heck. It worked perfect for reaming a 20mm hole on each side for my bow thruster. 

149460790703067980446.jpg

14946079739251574501284.jpg

IMG_20170512_104323_398-1280x720.jpg

"It's better to have it and not want it, than to need it and not have it"

      Tommy Lee Jones as Col. Agustus McCrea in Lonesome Dove"

 

"Long may your big jib draw" 

      An old greeting between sailors, of best wishes and the hope for good wind . 

 

Oh, the rollin' of the sea is beckonin' to me

       Powerful first line of a song that best describs me.

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Hi Terry,

 

I just have to echo Cog about the kit.

When I build her it was totally different!

I see that you have a lot of sanding to do on the hull when you want a smooth hull.

Use filler and use a lot.

 

Sjors

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hello there!   my first build was the Nordkap,  so I feel your pain.   it wasn't laser cut either.   I can agree with Carl about those hull panels.......I'd plank it too ;)   I think you should remove all the punch outs on the deck though......before they get cemented in place,  or before they fall inside.  nothing like ending up with a floatable maraca.    they are nice kits though.......one of these days,  I may get this one.   I'm watching with great interest :) 

I yam wot I yam!

finished builds:
Billings Nordkap 476 / Billings Cux 87 / Billings Mary Ann / Billings AmericA - reissue
Billings Regina - bashed into the Susan A / Andrea Gail 1:20 - semi scratch w/ Billing instructions
M&M Fun Ship - semi scratch build / Gundalow - scratch build / Jeanne D'Arc - Heller
Phylly C & Denny-Zen - the Lobsie twins - bashed & semi scratch dual build

Billing T78 Norden

 

in dry dock:
Billing's Gothenborg 1:100 / Billing's Boulogne Etaples 1:20
Billing's Half Moon 1:40 - some scratch required
Revell U.S.S. United States 1:96 - plastic/ wood modified / Academy Titanic 1:400
Trawler Syborn - semi scratch / Holiday Harbor dual build - semi scratch

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Sjors, Popeye and Passer, thank you very much for dropping by my warf!

 

I agree I have alot of sanding to do. I think I'll pick up a mini mouse or palm sander and sand it gently with that, then obviously by hand after filling some valleys. Before I start all that I intend to epoxy the inner hull with strips of glass cloth as best I can. 

 

The deck is only lightly tacked on and will be taken off tomorrow morning after the last few hull planks are dry.

 

All your input is genuinely appreciated. Stick around. Lots of fun left yet.:D

"It's better to have it and not want it, than to need it and not have it"

      Tommy Lee Jones as Col. Agustus McCrea in Lonesome Dove"

 

"Long may your big jib draw" 

      An old greeting between sailors, of best wishes and the hope for good wind . 

 

Oh, the rollin' of the sea is beckonin' to me

       Powerful first line of a song that best describs me.

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Hi frozen, with the fiber glass resin I would suggest once the hull is sanded and smooth the give the outer hull a couple of light coats of resin first. Let dry properly and a light sand in between coats, this will make the hull nice a solid and then resin the inside of the hull. This is how I build my large RC ship hulls. Also when the hull is done and you lay the decks down again give these a coat of resin also especially at the joins with the hull. The resin will ensure better chance of the deck and hull not parting after years of use on the water as well as ensuring its waterproof. If you're patient you don't need to use cloth just a few light layers of resin. Below is a photo of my 1:72 Australian AWD HMAS Brisbane and my 1:72 Arleigh Burke class DDG in progress.

IMG_1111.JPG

IMG_1194.JPG

Anton T

 

Current build

1/78 Sovereign of the Seas - Sergal - kit bashed

1/72 Arleigh Burke class DDG flight iia/iii - Sratch built RC - no log

 

Waiting for further inspiration

STS Leeuwin II 1/56 scratch built (90% completed)

 

Previous builds - completed

1/72 HMAS Brisbane, Airwarfare Destroyer 2014 -Scratch built RC - completed

1/64 HMS Diana 1796 - caldercraft kit - completed

1/75 Friesland 1668- mamoli kit - completed

1/96 HMAS Newcastle FFG 2011- scratch built RC - completed

1/75 Vasa - Billing Boats - completed

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Ahoythumbup.gif 

I have a few pics here. You will all throw pie in my face on these pics. Keep in mind, I am a perfectionist, for real!

I majorly messed up on the starboard side planking. In comparison, you can see I did quite well on port.
Before you all make me walk the plank, just know, I'm am still not discouraged in the least. I worked a hard a possible to compensate fir the horrible placement and lack of keeping true. 
My wife came in the room, as she often does to show interest and cheer me on. When she seen it, she give me "a look".
The jig was up. I stood up, stepped back and briefly lost all confidence.... briefly.

I strongly considered no posting them as it would have been easy to just post the port side etc. Then I thought about it and concluded that this is a forum to help everyone. I another builder is searching for how not to do planking, well I have toes pictures posted here.

So have a look and Post your honest opinions and reviews, for me, and future builders.

IMG_20170512_194221-1024x1024.jpg

IMG_20170512_194434-1280x1280.jpg

IMG_20170512_194725-1024x1024.jpg

"It's better to have it and not want it, than to need it and not have it"

      Tommy Lee Jones as Col. Agustus McCrea in Lonesome Dove"

 

"Long may your big jib draw" 

      An old greeting between sailors, of best wishes and the hope for good wind . 

 

Oh, the rollin' of the sea is beckonin' to me

       Powerful first line of a song that best describs me.

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