Muscongus Bay Lobster Smack by Rcboater Bill - BlueJacket Shipcrafters - 1:8 scale - RADIO - Small

[ESF]

Bill,

 

Congratulations on getting out of the hull.  When I built my Bowdoin I didn't think I would ever get the hull buttoned up.  I learned about MH Ready Patch from Charlie at Bluejacket and found it to be a great filler although I'm not sure how it would do under water.

 

Steve

[Rcboater Bill]

Steve,

 

Thanks-- I'll check that Ready Patch product out.   For me, water exposure is not really a concern, as the hull will be getting a layer of fiberglass, sealing everything in.....

 

[Rcboater Bill]

No photos today-  but I have made great progress this weekend sanding and filling the hull.  

Steve- thanks for that tip on the MH Ready Patch- that stuff is great!

 I applied it with a nylon putty knife, almost like a thin-as-can-be skim coat on a plaster wall.  I then used my electric 1/4 sheet power sander to sand most of it away, leaving the gaps and valleys filled.

 

I still have a bit of work to do, to prep the hull for the next major step- the layer of fiberglass.

Edited July 15, 2019 by Rcboater Bill
Fixed typos

[Rcboater Bill]

Haven’t accomplished a lot, but here’s a shot of the hull after two rounds of filler and sanding. I’ve just applied the third (and final, hopefully) light coat of filler to a few spots that needed a bit more.   Next will be a final sanding to prep the hull for the fiberglass...

[Rcboater Bill]

Finally got some time to focus on the model-   Applied 2 oz. fiberglass cloth on the starboard side.  After the epoxy cured for about 90 minutes, I went back and trimmed the excess with a sharp knife.  
 

Will let it cure this week, and then hopefully do the port side next weekend...

 

Edited November 3, 2019 by Rcboater Bill

[Rcboater Bill]

Finally got the starboard side of the sailboat fiberglassed. (Portside was done back in  early November.).  I may not get much more done until spring-  next step is a thorough sanding, which means resin dust, which means it will need to be done outside.  Winter in New Hampshire is not  generally a good time for that sort of outside activity!

 

[Rcboater Bill]

This update is to let folks know the project has not been abandoned-  it just spent a year on the back burner!

 

It has been about a year since my last update, but I have done a little bit of work on the model over the summer....

 

After fiberglassing the hull, I had several rounds of sanding, filling imperfections, sanding, filling, sanding, etc. etc.   Finally, in late fall I sprayed a coat of Duplicolor fast fill primer on the hull.  Then I screwed up....

 

I left the hull in the garage, thinking I’d do one more outdoor sanding session before winter settled in, but never got around to it.    Today I thought, “I should bring the hull inside- being exposed to freezing temps may not be good for the hull.” (We had already had several days with temps in the low 20s, or -5 C.)  Turns out I was right - the hull has a couple of cracks in the finish.

 

 

My main reason for the lack of progress was that I focused my efforts this year on finishing my 1/144 scale USN Escort Carrier- the USS Guadalcanal, CVE-60.   I finished the model’s air wing  in October, and had a couple of nice sailing sessions in this fall....

 

 

Edited December 24, 2020 by Rcboater Bill
added photos

[MrBlueJacket]

Glad to see you back at it. Nice carrier, BTW

 

Nic

[Rcboater Bill]

I still haven’t abandoned the build, but it on the back burner.  A big reason for the delay is I’m in a quandry- I’m not sure how I should  complete the model.

I set out to build it as an RC boat, but I’m having second thoughts, for two reasons:

 

1. The boat isn’t really seaworthy if built to scale. It has that huge cockpit which is open to the bilges.  Put the lee rail under in a gust, and she’s swamped (or worse!).  A clubmate built one of these kits as a sailing model, but he planked over the cockpit, sealing the hull. His model sails safely, but gives up a lot of realism on the display stand…

 

2.  In order to make it a sailing model, you need to make an extended sailing keel with a lead bulb for stability and ballast.  That means making a big lead bulb, which I find a little intimidating.  Plus, lead shot is very hard to get these days.

 

I can’t go much further on the build without making up my mind…..

[MrBlueJacket]

Hi Bill,

 

I think you can still get sheets of "plumber's lead" which is about 1/8" thick and pretty easy to cut.

[Rcboater Bill]

Nic,

 

That’s a great idea- thanks!

[Andy Burkholder]

Amazon has 1 lb. lead ingots you can buy in packs of 10.  I bought them to make bulbs for several RC builds I'm working on.