1949 Chris-Craft 19' Racing Runabout by gjdale - FINISHED -Dumas - 1:8 Scale - RADIO

[gjdale]

Thanks guys,

 

Mobbsie - I get what you're saying, but I don't think it will be possible without spoiling the overall appearance. I'll just have to drive carefully and avoid the shallows and snags (famous last words!)

 

Gerard - overall length is 28 inches.

 

Mark - yeah, crap happens, but at least the broken die was only a $20 piece of crap! The replacement in HSS cost me three times that. The upside is that my home-made die holder worked exactly as planned.

Edited May 29, 2016 by gjdale

[mtaylor]

Ouch...  

[Gerhardvienna]

Hi Grant

 

Thank you for the info!

I`m just thinking about building a Baby Bootlegger beneath my historic projects, would be very interesting for me!

 

Regards

Gerhard

[popeye the sailor]

have never done anything with R/C...........this is very interesting       nicely done!

[gjdale]

Thanks for all the kind comments and the 'likes' folks.  At last, I have a bit of an update...

 

Side Underplanking

 

The last couple of weekends have been spent doing battle with the underplanking on the sides of the hull. Similar to the bottom, the side underplanking uses four sheets of Sintra (expanded core PVC). There are two sheets per side, with one sheet running from Frame 4 aft, and the other from Frame 4 forward. The aft sheets are installed first, and then the forward sheets. The forward sheets need a little shaping to fit snugly in the overhang of the bottom sheet, and they also overlap at the stem. The instructions say to use CA glue to attach these four sheets, beginning with the aft sheet on each side. They offer no further advice about coping with the compound curves in each direction. Even Pat Matthews’ excellent book offers little further advice, although I was relieved to read that even he found installing these panels “just a bit awkward”.

 

CA glue and I just don’t seem to get along. I have become sensitised to it, and it doesn’t take much exposure to give me flu-like symptoms for the next three days,  even with the so-called ‘odourless’ varieties. When I do use it, I wear an appropriate mask to try and prevent the symptoms. Add to that, I must be the only person in the world who has trouble getting CA glue to hold. On my first attempt to glue one of the aft panels, it just popped right off again, even after using a liberal amount of ‘kicker’. So, I decided to do this job using 5-minute epoxy instead.

 

The next issue was trying to clamp the pieces in place while the glue set and cured. There are so many compound curves on the hull, finding a way to clamp successfully takes a lot of thought and much trial and error. I ended up gluing just along the bottom edge and allowing that to fully cure before bending it to shape around the hull and gluing the top edge, sometimes in two or more sections. I even managed to snap one of the aft panels using this method, but a bit of extra epoxy and some additional sanding later on recovered that oops.

 

The front panels were even more fun and clamping all but impossible. However, I persevered and found a way. Just as I thought I was done, the epoxy gave way and the last front panel sprang away again. After much cursing, I was chatting on Skype with Mobbsie and he asked me if I could clamp the piece in place without glue and then apply heat to relieve the stress in the plastic and hence prevent it from trying to spring back. Doh! The obvious solution was right under my nose, but until I had that conversation, it hadn’t occurred to me. So, I did exactly that. I clamped the piece in place and gently applied hot air from my heat gun. In no time at all the piece had taken the basic shape and I was able to glue it up again without it trying to fight me all the way. Thanks Mobbsie!

 

But the fun wasn’t over yet. As I was sanding the excess plastic and glue, both forward panels separated again at the bow. A few more rude words, a quick application from the heat gun, and yet more epoxy, and we were back in business.

 

Once the glue had cured, I finished removing most of the excess plastic using a sanding drum in the Dremel rotary tool, and then finishing with a hand sanding block to achieve a flush upper surface, a sharp chine, and a reasonable looking stem. A couple of balsa filler blocks are required at the lower end of the stem, and these are easily sanded to shape when cleaning up the rest. There a few 'divots' in the plastic sheeting from where I was a little over-zealous with the sanding drum, but these will be filled and sanded again before the outer planking is applied.

 

In conclusion, the job would have been a whole lot easier if I had thought of using the heat gun to assist the shaping in the first instance. It would have been nice if the instructions had included that hint, but perhaps there was an assumption of knowledge there.

 

Not much to show for two weekends worth of work, but here are a couple of pictures to bring the log up to date.

 

 

 

 

The next task will be to run some tubing for the wiring for the lights, and then give the interior a coat of Finish Resin as a sealer.  That may be a little while coming as I have a pretty busy week and weekend ahead.

 

[mtaylor]

In spite of the problems, it looks super nice, Grant.   It's funny that we reach for heat with wood and don't even think about it for plastics.   

[Gerhardvienna]

Hi Grant

 

Lookin good! But there is a scratch at starboardside to the bow I would fill a bit with wood and filler. To see in Pic "49 Side underplanking 2" in the right low corner. You will have less trouble with the visible planks then!

 

Regards

Gerhard

[gjdale]

Thanks Mark, you're absolutely right - had it been wood, it would have been a no-brainer. Not being used to working with plastic, the mind just wasn't clutched in to the same wavelength.

 

Gerhard - there are more scratches and 'divots' than you can see in the photos. The whole hull will receive a skim coat of auto body filler, which will also address all of those little imperfections (and the not-so-little ones as well) The aim will be to have a near-perfect smooth and faired hull before planking proper begins.

[thomaslambo]

Really nice work Grant....fairing and smoothing is always tedious but pays great dividends in the end 

[TBlack]

Grant,

I was thinking about Mobbsie's comment on the exposed prop. Can the rudder post be made longer so that the rudder hangs down below the prop?

[gjdale]

Thanks Thomas,

 

Tom - thanks for stopping by. Yes, there is a little room for adjustment and the photo might not show it very well, but the aim is to have the rudder as a continuation of the line of the prop shaft. In the end, I think the aft lower edge of the rudder will be just below the prop blades. I'll still be trying to avoid any form of grounding or collision! As the saying goes, a collision at sea can ruin your entire day!

[Rustyj]

Hi Grant.

Great job on a very perplexing part of the build. Great advice from Mobbsie. Where was he when I was cussing and having the same problems?

Keep up the good work mate.

[popeye the sailor]

she's looking great Grant.......I tried hull sheeting on a Midwest kit for the first time....and failed miserably,  I might add     ya did a super job!

[gjdale]

Thanks everyone for looking in, your kind words, and valued advice. I have been super busy with work the last couple of weeks, so not much time in the shipyard until this weekend.

 

Once I was happy that all the glue joints were going to hold, I painted the whole of the interior with a coat of epoxy finishing resin, thinned to the consistency of paint with Methylated Spirits (denatured alcohol for my American friends).  Several days later, a coat of red oxide primer was sprayed over the entire interior, giving the whole boat an immediate face-lift:

 

 

Steering Column

 

The next job was to finalise the design and construction of the steering column. Because of the set-up I am using to make the steering wheel turn when the rudder is turned, it will be necessary to install this equipment before closing up the hull. However, if I installed the steering column as a single piece, I could see it causing problems during the remainder of the build. I needed to come up with a design that would see the lower half of the steering column permanently mounted, while the upper half would be removable. It would also have to engage in such a way that the turning moment was transferred from lower half to upper half.

 

My solution was to make use of the fact that brass tubing is manufactured in such a way that each size telescopes inside the next size up. Both halves of the steering column are made from 1/8” diameter rod (brass on the lower half and stainless steel on the upper half). I then soldered a 1/8” square section brass tube, 10mm long to the ends to be joined. I then took a piece of 5/32” square section brass tube, 20mm long and soldered this over the lower half, such that the previously soldered 1/8” section fitted inside for half the length. This then created a mating “socket" for the upper half.

 

The top end of the upper half was then threaded (using my newly acquired, oh so expensive 5-40 HSS Die, and my home-made die holder). This then screws into the Steering wheel, which had a 5-40 thread tapped through the centre. This is a temporary arrangement as I plan to remake the steering wheel in brass later on, but is sufficient to prove the concept of the removable steering shaft. The upper half of the steering column also has an outer sleeve of polished chrome (kit supplied).

 

 

 

Here is a shot of all the components (minus the drive gear, which will be fiited on mounting permanently):

 

 

And here is a shot of how it all goes together:

 

 

And finally, a shot of it test-mounted in the boat:

 

 

I have also installed some plastic tubing to help with electrical cable runs (no pics yet). The next job will be to complete the dashboard as I need to work out the lighting and run the wiring for it. I plan to make the dashboard removable as well, in case a light fitting needs replacing.

[Gerhardvienna]

Hi Grant

 

She`s taking more and more shape, I like her!

When it comes to the dashboard instruments, could you take some close up pics please? Would help me (and others!) to create them for the Bootlegger.........

 

Regards

Gerhard

[mobbsie]

Hello Grant,

 

She's really coming along very nicely my friend.

 

Spraying the interior has made everything stand out very well and your below deck layout looks extremely functional, an awful lot of thought has gone into where you are now and it shows. 

 

Wheel assembly looks well engineered but obviously is not yet complete and I look forward to seeing the drive gear fitted. No pressure mate.

 

I think you are now over the biggest hurdle and your progress is now just a stroll in the park   :D         . 

 

Be Good My Friend

 

mobbsie

[gjdale]

Thanks again everyone for the kind comments and all of the 'likes'.

 

Steering Column Mk 2

 

The best laid plans…..

 

When I did a test fit with the dashboard in place, it became obvious that my brilliant feat of engineering was not going to work. The joined section of square tubing was going to be too long to fit in the space available and shortening the joined section provided too much play in the joint. Back to the drawing board.

 

After sleeping on the problem I decided on a different approach – one that I cannot take any credit for as I simply modified slightly an approach I’d seen taken by someone else. In the end, it was far simpler and took far less time, and best of all –  it works!

 

I started by making a couple of small jigs to hold the two sections of steering shaft rod. I did this by tack-gluing two pieces of scrap wood together and then drilling a 1/8” hole directly down the centre, along the join line. I then separated the pieces, glued the two shaft sections in place with CA glue, and filed a 20mm section half-way through each.

 

 

The two shaft sections were then removed from the jig and cleaned up of glue residue:

 

 

These two pieces are then able to interlock within the steering column tube, shown here with the joint just poking out for illustration.

 

 

The lower half was then positioned in the boat, and held in place with a wheel collar.

 

 

The removable dashboard (more about that later) was then fitted, the chrome steering column tube slipped in place, and the top steering shaft section inserted and mated.

 

 

Finally, the steering wheel was screwed into place (remember that this is only for test purposes – a new wheel assembly will be made in due course).

 

 

Once I was satisfied with the assembly, it was disassembled and the lower shaft was fitted with its sprocket and chain to the servo. This won’t be coming out again now!

 

 

Continued next post...

 

[gjdale]

Dashboard and Lighting

 

Having decided that I wanted to light the dashboard, I decided it would be a good idea to make it removable in case a light needed to be replaced down track. Rather than using screws or pins to hold the dash in place, I decided to use some rare earth magnets. Making up a light box was fairly simple, using some scrap pieces of ply and a cardboard backing. The light box was painted white and given a gloss finish to help reflect the light. Two 3v lights will be used as shown here. I also made the light box itself removable, although I did elect to use screws to secure this one. In the picture below, you can see the light box in place, and on either edge of the photo is a spacer block with a rare earth magnet epoxied in place. There is a matching pair on the mating face of the dashboard.

 

I decided to replace the kit-supplied walnut dashboard with one made from some Redheart that I had left over from a previous build. This is to match the cockpit sides that will likewise be made from Redheart planks instead of the kit supplied plywood. I used the kit piece as a template to get the overall shape. I also used the supplied dashboard decal to locate the positions of the gauges and knobs/switches – although I added a couple of extra knobs based on some photos of the real boat. I have already made new instrument bezels (way back in January last year), and I have acquired some nice looking knobs/switches from MACK products. Here is a picture of the (empty) dashboard in place. It will be finished when the cockpit sides etc are done, but was needed now to ensure that the steering and light fittings would all work as planned.

 

 

I have also installed all of the deck frames in preparation for closing up the decks with more Sintra sheeting. Here are a few shots of overall progress, including a couple showing the electronics housings temporarily in place. I’m still thinking about making these removable to make connections/replacements easier down track.

 

 

 

 

 

Next up, the cockpit sides.....

 

[mobbsie]

Excellant progress Grant,

 

I like your solution to the steering colunm problem, simple yet very effective.

 

Light box is very neat as is your dashboard mate.

 

All in all she's coming on really well.

 

Be Good

 

mobbsie

[mtaylor]

Grant,

 

I too like the steering solution.  Great idea.  She's looking very shipshape and Bristol Fashion to these eyes.

[ggrieco]

Looking good Grant,

 

You and Gerhard and definitely getting me interested in RC!!

[gjdale]

Thanks Mobbsie, Mark and Glenn for your kind words, and also to all of the 'likes'. A minor update this week:

 

Cockpit and Engine Hatch

 

As mentioned previously, I decided to replace all of the cockpit woodwork with Redheart. I used the kit-supplied parts as templates and cut new pieces. I also decided to follow the lead of another builder and make small glove boxes in the front cockpit sides. I cut the holes in the side panels and made up some boxes to sit behind them. The insides of the boxes have been painted with an off-white (Valejo Ivory). Once satisfied with the fit of the panels, I began applying a finish using Feast Watson Spar Marine Varnish. In the picture below, the parts have just had their third coat of varnish, but already the beauty of the timber is coming through and I think will be a nice improvement over the stained plywood from the kit. I plan on doing at least four and probably six coats of varnish on these.

 

 

Here is a close up of the dash panel:

 

 

I have also been continuing to plod away at the wiring. I have cut the conduit on the starboard side and epoxied the ends to the cockpit floor. This will allow some excess wiring to be pulled through under the cockpit floor. I have also run some extra conduit on the port side to take the wiring from the dashboard lights through into the bow compartments, and then down the port side, under and behind the battery, and back over to the starboard side where it will connect to the terminal post. This will ensure that the wiring for the dashboard lights is kept well away from the steering gear in the cockpit and bow compartments. I also made up the framework for the engine hatch as per the instructions. This sees the hatch as a single piece that is removable. I plan on making another hatch, in two pieces that will be hinged on the sides, as per the real boat. More on that later….

 

 

The hatch is built up in place to ensure a snug fit. Once the pieces are glued together, the completed assembly is removable.

 

 

A short break now while I visit the LHS to get some more wiring, and other supplies before continuing with alternate hatch configuration. The kit-supplied hatch will remain as a 'stand-by' option. And of course, more varnishing.........

[mobbsie]

Hi Grant,

 

Wow, the colour on those panels really do stand out mate, having used Redheart and varnished it I have been unable to get the same finish.

 

Your hatch framework is coming together nicely and it will be interesting to see how you make the hinges, are they likely to be seperate or will you have a piano hinge on each of the covers.

 

All in all some very good progress mate.

 

Looking forward to future updates my friend.

 

Be Good

 

Mobbsie

[gjdale]

Thanks Mobbsie,

 

I have some miniature piano hinge for the alternate hatch covers.

[popeye the sailor]

really coming along Grant..........love the color of the interior parts.  the mechanical aspects are so cool too!

[Moonbug]

Ok Grant... if I'm being completely honest here, this build seriously bums me out.

 

It totally makes me want to go back, take apart my Cirs Craft and completely re-do it.  *Laff*!

 

Beautiful work my friend, love the added value elements.

 

- Bug

[gjdale]

Thanks very much Mobbsie, Popeye and Bug, and to all who hit the 'Like' button.  Some more progress this week, and a major milestone achieved (I think).

 

As mentioned previously, I have decided to attempt a two-piece hinged engine hatch. I started by re-designing the hatch framing using TurboCAD and then cut and assembled the new pieces. It needed to be slightly smaller in each dimension to allow for the hinges and for some trim at a later stage. In the photo below, the original kit-supplied hatch is on the left, and the new hatch on the right. It has been built as one piece initially and will be separated into two pieces after the planking has been done.

 

 

I then moved back to completing the dashboard by installing the gauges and switches. The gauge bezels are the ones that I turned Aluminium at the start of the build. The gauge faces are decals provided by a fellow modeller, glued onto a clear plastic backing. Gauge glasses are made from “googly eyes”. The knobs and switches are from MACK products. It’s not perfect, but I think it looks a heck of a lot better than the simple decal dash provided in the kit.

 

 

The next job was to test the lighting for the dash. The two 3-volt lights in the light box were temporarily connected up to the power and tested – successfully!

 

Lights off:

 

 

Lights on:

 

 

And with the dashboard in place:

 

 

I also fitted the cockpit woodwork and floors. The floors are plastic (Sintra) and the kit instructions say to paint them grey to represent the non-skid flooring. I decided to use some wet and dry sandpaper to give a textured surface. It has been coated with a waterproof matt varnish. Here’s a couple of pics of the two cockpits.

 

 

 

I think that I am at last ready to install the sub-decking and close this baby up in preparation for planking!

[mobbsie]

Wow, I almost lost for words mate, what an absolute bute she's turning out to be.

 

The cabin woodwork looks wonderful and the flooring is really neatly done and a nice innovation.

 

What can I say about the dashboard, now let me think, nope, run out of superlative's.

 

All I can say is, carry on mate, your doing an alright job.

 

Be Good

 

mobbsie

[mtaylor]

 Just "Wow!!!!!!!!", Grant.   She's an eyecatcher.

[rafine]

That dashboard is fantastic ( the rest of the build isn't bad either  ).

 

Bob