shawn32671

Hi all....I'm just getting back into R/C boats so starting off nice and easy here....Friday I purchased a Dumas Li'l Swamp Buggy kit and have the initial framework finished. My next step is to "skin" it with the supplied kit ply bottom sheeting and Mahogany top sections then install the R/C system and electric motor. That same day, I also purchased an Integy 300W Outrunner with ESC, a 1500mAh battery pack, quick charger and a variety of different pitch and length props plus a Sullivan control rod pack. I already had on hand a new in box but several year old Futaba 2 channel system for the boat. I've been lurking here checking out other peoples builds and am pretty impressed. Well, I posted a build progress video on youtube a bit ago for anyone interested at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xss1tst-YI0& Please rate, comment and subscribe. I will post more updates as soon as I get more done.

Jeremy_H

Got all the stuff ready, good to go. keep us posted .

shawn32671

Below is my progress so far besides my youtube video...I discovered that the standard Futaba S3004 servo is too tall from the radio set I have on hand so I have to wait another week to finish the boat to buy a new shorter servo so I'm kind of bummed.

shawn32671

Here's just a quick little tip for anyone interested. For the rudder "hinge" I used a 3/4 inch pop rivet. I pulled the nail part out and inserted it into the other end of the rivet and once installed up through the rudder mount hole and into the rudder it made a perfect hinge. You can just barely see the rivet end under the rudder mount in my last picture in my post above.

Jeremy_H

Some nice fgure on the wood there. What kind of finish are you planning for it?

shawn32671

I bought a can of key lime spray paint for the hull and a can of semigloss black for the motor mount and rudder. The wood isn't as nice as it looks, it has nice looking grain yes but as others have commented, the wood looks as though it were cut in sheets using a dull chainsaw. There are deep grooves all the way across all of the mahogany sheets and I can't sand them all out without ending up with sheets that are too thin. Hopefully 3 or 4 coats of spray paint will fill in most of what I couldn't get sanded out though.

Well I woke up just now this morning and it seems my brain is working today, whereas not as much yesterday. I realized I can flip that standard servo that I'd mentioned earlier was too tall on its side and it will fit perfectly. I don't know why I hadn't thought of that yesterday. So today I should be able to finish the air boat and get a few coats of paint on it. I will post more update pictures when i get more done.

*delete M i k e u p delete*

Gentleman knows what he is doing without any info from me from what I gather..

shawn32671

Done except painting...

Jeremy_H

I like your building pace . Keep it up!

shawn32671

Thanks Jeremy, There's not much to update today. Last night I discovered that upon test fitting the electric motor that the motor mount is too short since the 7x6 prop I have hits the deck so I'm adding some extensions to the sides of the mount. Also I've decided to just paint the rudder black because admittedly I'm too lazy to mask off the boat to paint the motor mount black so the whole boat will be Key Lime with semi-gloss black rudder. More updates as soon as I get more done.

shawn32671

I finished painting my Dumas Li'l Swamp Buggy today. I sprayed 6 coats of Key Lime spray paint on the hull and 4 coats of semi-gloss black on the rudder. Although I couldn't get all of the deep wood grain filled in on the mahogany wood decking with the added coats of paint, the boat still ended up looking very nice and definitely water proofed. I plan to wait at least 24 hours to let the paint fully dry and cure and then install the radio equipment, electric motor and speed control, etc. The last picture shows the rudder and electric motor temporarily in place. I will update more as soon as I get more done.

shawn32671

I will post a video of it at the pond soon so keep watch here for updates.

shawn32671

My newest progress video on youtube of this airboat build.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZPSHMQmoeo

Jeremy_H

Wow that's green! :-)

Any Decals or other graphics going on?

shawn32671

Indeed very green lol...I'm trying to decide what else to do with it as far as graphics etc. It looks awful plain to me. I did finish the boat tonight though as far as install radio and electrics etc. and seems to have some good power to it as well. Hopefully i can get out to the local pond soon this week and get a video of it.

The prop I'm using is a 7x3 but it doesn't seem to blow as much air back at full throttle as I'd like...I really am stuck with max length of 7 inches for a prop so what pitch would be best? I assume the lower the number after the x in 7x3 means lower pitch, therefor less airflow?

shawn32671

I have some flame templates here and a can of Real Orange Rust-oleum Painters Touch spray paint that seems to match the orange prop on my air boat. What do you guys think of some orange flames at the front of the hull and a little at the rear end of the black rudder? The orange should really offset the color of the key lime nicely I think, what do you think?

shawn32671

Well, I went with some orange flames at the bow and the front of the rudder. I know the flames don't look that great but I couldn't find my templates so I tried to make some and it didn't turn out quite as I'd hoped, plus the paint seemed awful thin. So, the boat is officially finished...Despite the crappy Dumas plans and very poor quality of the wood, this was overall an enjoyable build and a good start at getting back into the hobby after several years. Thanks to those who have commented and followed my build progress....I will still post a video of it on water once can get to the pond. I plan to find another boat in the future and give a build a try again.

Jeremy_H

Cool, mission accomplished then. Looking forward to seeing it running

shawn32671

Thanks a lot.