New Build and Few Questions

[Jeff Aylesworth]

That does look amazing!! Thanks for sharing.

 

[Hydro Junkie]

Wish I could take the credit, not this time unfortunately. It's an R/C Sportcraft lay up that was completed and originally raced by another member of R/C Unlimiteds back in 2001.

 

[Don Ferrette]

Using a stainless pin up front has worked well for me on numerous builds....

 

[Steven Kinney]

Will the nose section of your cowling be covering the motor or anything you need to get to?

 

[Steven Kinney]

Hydro Junkie do you still have the Elam boat?

 

[Hydro Junkie]

Will the nose section of your cowling be covering the motor or anything you need to get to?

Depending on how you lay out everything in the boat, the cockpit will NORMALLY cover the radio box or the fuel tank(Dumas boats are notorious for having the fuel tank under the cockpit). The engine is NORMALLY at the front of the engine cover, someplace around the base of the air scoop

Hydro Junkie do you still have the Elam boat?

It's actually sitting on a shelf in my living room, waiting for me to get time to finish repairing it after a collision last summer. Not any real serious damage but it was enough to make the boat unsafe to run

 

[Jeff Aylesworth]

Since mine will be electric I was thinking the batteries would be forward into that section as I have seen on a few boats. Don't really know where else they would go. So I think some sort of battery tray with straps would be necessary so they don't flop around.

 

[Hydro Junkie]

I forgot, you're doing an E-scale.
Most of the boats I've seen have the batteries under the deck at the CG and are held down with velcro. They also have the ESC mounted forward of the motor mount to keep the power lines as short as possible. Since I don't run electrics, I'm going to defer to Mike and the others that do to go into more details

 

[Jeff Aylesworth]

Been a bit but decided to work on the boat today. Finished shaping the cowling to match the contour of the hull then took a stab at cutting out one of the top skins. Made the hole a bit too big for the wing mount but I can fill that with some thickened epoxy.

 

[Steven Kinney]

Ya epoxy or body filler. The wings will cover that area anyway.

 

[Jeff Aylesworth]

Second side was much better had an idea to make a template and used a small ball shaped burr on my dremel. Came out near perfect.

Adding ghe second skin really makes it start looking like a hydro. Definitely a turning point in the project. Still a bit of sanding to go.

I recently watched Scott’s new vid on skinning the top and glad I did! Lots of great tips in that vid.

 

[Steven Kinney]

Looks good what are you doing for the front wing?

 

[Jeff Aylesworth]

So I have the fiberglass front wings from RC Boat Company. They fit well but one will need to be trimmed. I have them epoxied together and ready to install but not sure if I need anything beyond that.

 

[Jeff Aylesworth]

Trimmed uo the front wings and taped them into place, the fit isnt perfect on one of them so might have to build up one end with a small scrap of wood.

Any sort of checklist I should be thinking about before sealing/epoxying the skins? I have foam for flotation.

 

[Hydro Junkie]

I would verify the following to start with:

1. Since the hull is wood, that all glue joints are secure and that the hull is completely sealed
2. Verify that the motor and drive parts are securely mounted and aligned
3. Verify the battery packs can be easily installed/removed without having to remove any other parts/systems
4. Verify the cooling system is securely installed and sealed where it goes through the hull's skin
5. Verify the radio gear is securely mounted, works without binding AND will be accessible once the deck is on
6. Make sure you have drains in the hull to get any water that gets in during a run out. I've never seen a boat that is completely watertight. Three of the biggest offenders of letting water in are the tail mounts, drive shaft tube and the rudder pushrod linkages
7. Make sure you have the mounting holes and any internal hardware installed for the turn fin

This is a good place to start since it's easier to get to everything with the deck still off. If you have any questions or doubts on any of the systems, deal with them now as, once the deck is on, working on the boat gets much harder since you will no longer have access to the under-deck areas. Others may disagree or have other things they would recommend with my list and that's fine too

 

[Jeff Aylesworth]

Thanks for the thoughtful list. I might be putting the cart before the horse a bit here. I still need to buy quite a few things. Radio gear, servo and batteries (charger too). Kind of down to the expensive bits as far as I can tell.

I haven't set the motor location yet since I was thinking that would have to be done once I can start balancing things with all of the gear I don't have.

 

[Hydro Junkie]

I wouldn't say you're "putting the cart before the horse" as much as just new to building. It normally takes at least two to three builds to "get the hang of building". My first scale didn't even get to the "skinning" process before it was destroyed by another boater. In his defense, he was a decades long builder/racer that knew what he was doing and all it took to destroy the framing was a slight twist. While it hurt at the time, it probably saved me an engine, all the running and radio gear and a lot of money to replace them and replace the hull. I think of it as a cheap lesson on what not to do when building a boat
Just one note, I added another step to the list I posted above that many won't think about, including me earlier today

 

[Jeff Aylesworth]

Oh yeah!!! that is an important one... I got the hull partially built and the turn fin bracket was already installed. Just need to test fit and make sure the hardware I have will work.

I am going to be putting together a list of what "I think I need" as far as radio gear, servo, battery and charger as long as remaining hardware. Will post it here for feedback once I have the list.

 

[Jeff Aylesworth]

Ok, Been working on my shopping list for the remaining parts and equipment I need.

1. Turbine Tube (54mm) Fiberglass Airframe Tubes | Mach 1 Rocketry
2. Servo Mount: Servo Mount: Stand Up for Standard Size Servo | Offshore Electrics
3. Battery Tray: Carbon Fiber Battery Trays | Offshore Electrics
4. Receiver: Airtronics RX-471 FH4 Waterproof Receiver | rattlesnake-rc
5. Radio (would go used for the right system): https://www.amainhobbies.com/sanwa-...metry-radio-piano-black-snw101a31983a/p636291
6. ESC (no idea here but I don't think I need something fancy at this point): ZTW 2-6S 130A Waterproof ESC | rattlesnake-rc
7. Assume I need some sort of on/off switch but no idea on that
8. Charger, still not sure on this one either. Would be nice to have one both my son and I can use to maintain our batteries.
9. Batteries, still a mystery to me as well. Not sure what I will need to run this boat casually. Pretty unlikely I will be racing anytime soon.

I have been a doing a lot of reading and I am leaning towards the no radio box style since you can get some really decent waterproof electronics these days.

I already have all hardware, rudder, turn fin, strut, driveline, prop, motor/mount.

 

[Jeff Aylesworth]

Would anyone be able to offer up some opinions or comments on my remaining shopping list?