Beginners Boat Building - sfmbc.net

1 Edinburgh Model boat Club Page Iain Moffatt - Beginners boat Building TutorialBeginners boat BuildingPart 1 - Balsa Sheet Construction and Stand-off ScaleBasic advice and guidance for the absolute beginner who wants to build a boat but doesn t know where to start or how to do advanced hints and tips can be obtained from various model Building articles in Model Boats Magazine and in Marine Modelling magazine although these are usually directed at construction of specific plans are available (view only) at the tutorial and information on purchase etc. is will be more Tutorials in the Beginners series :Plank on Frame Hulls;Making your own boat Fittings; Beginners Box Kit Building ; Beginners Yacht BuildingWatch the Club Notice Board, the Web Site or read your Club Newsletters for more copy of all Tutorial Notes are available for reference in the EM-BC boat Compendium kept in the Club Model boat Club Page 1 Iain Moffatt - Beginners boat Building TutorialAnd in the Beginning.

2 Like most things in life, the IDEA is all powerful !!Unfortunately, for most people, the idea is an image of the finished object be it a boat , plane or whatever. This inevitably leads to initial disappointment when you find out how many decisions must be made and how much work must be done to realise the people have houses and garages full of unfinished projects (mine is not quite full yet!!) largely as a result of waning interest when a problem appears that cannot readily be my message to you all is ..PLAN AHEADIn model boat terms this means that a number of key decisions must be made BEFORE anything is What kind of boat do you want ?2 What are your manual skills like.

3 Good, excellent, non-existent, don t know yet?3 How long are you prepared to spend Building it ?4 How much money are you prepared to spend on it ?Remember .. motors, props, batteries, speed controllers, radio control all adds to the cost of basic Are you elderly or disabled?If so you should consider the size and weight of the model you want to build. Remember, it has to be launched and recovered (and carried in a car).6 The next thing to be considered is the issue of your manual skills, eyesight and patience up to dealing with fine detail?If so .. good for you ! If not .. consider a stand-off scale boat that stands up without too much detail but which can be enhanced if you feel up to also that detail costs money - even more if you have to buy it.

4 Fittings kits are very often more than 3 times the cost of the hull & plans. Making fittings yourself is very cost effective but ..7 Where are you going to build it ?If you have a workshop or garage in which to do the construction, then construction methods can be less of an issue. If however you have to work in the house and move (or tidy away) before meals etc. you don t want anything that has a multitude of parts and that needs a complex build strategy .. keeping it all safe and sound during many moves is not so easy!!Some advice on hull construction to help with the decisions:1 Stand off scale boats, depending on the size, can be built from balsa sheet wood that is relatively cheap to buy and easy to work with.

5 Also produces a light boat and, if constructed correctly, one that is strong and long lasting. Witness a balsa Leander class frigate built in 1975 that is still looking good and sailing to-day. Generally strength considerations limit these to a maximum of about 36 plywood + balsa can easily go up to around 60 LOA with correct Plastic Sheet (Slaters Plasticard for example) is great stuff to work with but the size of sheet produced (12 x 12 ) tends to cramp the style where larger hulls are concerned and, although capable of giving an excellent finish, can be very expensive. Always use solvent weld techniques for gluing. Always provide adequate stiffening - sheet is not stiff in its own is ideally suited to the construction of boat superstructures and ABS (moulded plastic) hulls are relatively cheap but require a fair degree of internal stiffening (bulkheads etc) and can be difficult to stick GRP (glass reinforced plastic) hulls are more expensive but much stronger.

6 Working with the hulls can be messy (lots of glass fibre dust if you have any sanding or cutting to do). You must be very careful not to inhale such dust - wear a mask .. cost pennies. Always use Araldite (epoxy) type adhesives. Car body fillers and repair tape can be Plank & Frame or Sheet & Frame hulls can be immensely strong if well built and there is no practical limit to their size. Building requires great attention to the alignment of the hull framing components and sequential application of planks or sheet plates to prevent warping of the whole structure. The resulting hull is very light but very strong. Waterproof adhesives MUST be used on Frame can produce a wonderful result but takes a LOT of care and patience even though its basically a simple technique.

7 It can also deal with compound curves (round the stern section below the waterline for example).Edinburgh Model boat Club Page 2 Iain Moffatt - Beginners boat Building TutorialSheet on Frame will NOT do compound curves easily but works well for the straight sections in the centre half of a hull for Bread & Butter Hull a days this type of construction is very costly, given the price of reasonably stable, straight and knot free timber. However if you have a ready source of off cuts of old oak or pine floor boards (the thick variety!) ..Hulls are built of many horizontal layers of pre-cut wood glued together (bit like a sliced loaf on end!)

8 The outer and inner surfaces are hand or power dressed to give the finished hull are generally heavy. Finish is entirely down to hard work and elbow grease plus lots of filling and preparation. Some beautiful results have been produced however, witness most of the ship models in of Bread & Butter ConstructionEdinburgh Model boat Club Page 3 Iain Moffatt - Beginners boat Building TutorialIllustration is for a small yacht hull built from balsa the principle is identical no matter what the hull form or what wood is is essential that a completely waterproof glue be effective sealing of both the in-side and outside surfaces of the hull is es-sential after carving has been Model boat Club Page 4 Iain Moffatt - Beginners boat Building TutorialWhere to Start ?

9 Drawings for simple sheet type hulls will normally contain hull outlines both plan and cross sectional views together with outlines of transverse bulkheads at positions along the hull length. These positions are called frame positions. There will normally be at least 2 positions and therefore 2 bulkhead outlines plus the sizes (including thicknesses) are also normally shown. For example, a standard length of balsa would be 36 x 4 . For the bottom it would have to be 1/2 thick. The transom would normally also be 1/2 thick. The deck may be of 1/4 thickness and would require the use of longitudinal stringers to add rigidity. The stringers would normally be strip hard wood.

10 If the deck is also 1/2 thick, stringers can be dispensed with. Hull side sheeting will usually be 1/8 (3mm) and when you cut, remember the grain MUST run vertically. Balsa Sheet is normally available in the following widths :- 3 ; 4 ; 6 and in either 36 or 48 lengths. Thicknesses range from 1/16 up to 1/2 in 1/16 increments. Block balsa can be obtained in sizes up to 4 x 4 .Balsa is naturally porous (likee sponge) so it MUST be well sealed (inside and outside) before painting. NEVER seal an area that has to be glued later!! Glues do not take kindly to best sealer is Sanding Sealer although Fuel Proofer coatings can be used (a high tech balsa sealer resistant to IC fuels).