All Day Dan

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After I had the hull framed up but not planked I taped the parts for the cabin together to see how it mounted and to see if it fit. It's a good thing I did that because it didn't fit and it missed by a lot. I had some Idea what was wrong but I could not tell for sure. At that time I did not realize how bad the parts fit is so I could not make any changes with any degree of certainty. Now, I know a little better and you will begin to see the differences in the build from the illustrations with the manual.

There will be no portholes installed for water integrity.
The catwalks do not fit and new ones will be cut as soon as the cabin gets assembled. They have to match.
The inside transom sheet H15 was replaced with one that fit cut from 1/32 birch ply.
H13B and the floors are being omitted.
The side walls will go in later when I figure out what is needed.
Parts of the inner transom supports were cut out.

rblubaugh

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Wow.  I had to do some page flipping and research a little to be sure of what I was going to say but eliminating H13B is the rear, or aft if you want,  part of an enclosed cabin areaaft of the helm control.  So you may want to rethink that idea.

The port holes can be installed and then covered/sealed on the interior for water integrity and painted white on the exterior thus appearing to have curtains over them.  Or omitted as you like.

Lots of parts probably aren't going to fit, as you're finding out.  Sort of like a Dumas kit; they either don't fit or aren't any good and have to be replaced or re-engineered.

Your foredeck looks great!  The wood grain looks nice so a stain would look good.  I like veneer, but that's me. 

Bob

rblubaugh

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Dan,

I've seen your airplane before, perhaps over on the Dauntless forum?  That's a nice looking pusher.  I've lost interest in planes, mostly because of cost and because it's been so long since I've flown I's need to start all over again.  I have thought about going the electric route though.

Bob

All Day Dan

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Bob, how did my pusher wind up in the Dauntless forum? I flew it for the first time a few weeks ago. While were on the subject, I'm 73 and getting older real fast. I can tell that I'm losing my flying skills, so flying more tame planes is coming up soon along with other interests. I even tried to get back into control line. Got too dizzy though. Did you bond your own veneer on to the woods you were using? How did you do this? I have a pile of mahogany veneer somewhere. I'm removing parts in the hull that can be discarded in preparation for installing the drives. H13B supported the rear deck. The rear deck is removable. It is not attached to the hull or the cabin. I may attach it to the cabin or use screws to attach it to the hull. I'll add some blocks and blind nuts on the frames H13 and H14 to do this. By the way, you can see that H14 and parts of the transom structure were also removed. In order to help me redo the cabin structure, I had to add the rear catwalk on to the transom. Dan.

All Day Dan

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With Bob's insistance and me with some extra time, I made the cutouts for the port holes. They came out much better than I expected and do add a nice touch. Thanks, Bob. I included some images of a boat stand that I made for my PT boats. I do have to carry them around and they weigh a little over 20 to 23 pounds. The stands are sturdy and have handles on them. A trial fit on to the Corvette hull shows that the end plates will have to be modified a little bit to match the contours of this hull. Dan.

rblubaugh

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Dan, 

I'm going to be curious to see your redo to the cabin structure.  I definitely wasn't thinking about the aft cabin area being part of the removable structure.  I really should have known better since the whole of the area aft of the fore deck on the Dumas Commander is removable as one unit.  Sometimes I don't know where my mind goes; must be thinking about too many things. 

Was only guessing about seeing you pusher over on the Dauntless site, I spend a lot of time following Rich do some really interesting thinkgs to his Dauntless and a few other Captains are also following suite with theirs.  I also check other forums and your unique pusher may have shown up in one or another of those.

I think those port holes do look really nice.  You could paint the "plug" for the interior before gluing in on and "maybe" keep the brass OR maybe not, what ever floats your boat, so to speak. 

Your PT boat looks nice and I note the non-scuff finish on the bottom of the boat stand.  Nice touch!  That brings me back to an earlier comment about launching your boats, with a line hooked to the bow and stern then lowering them down the bank.  I immediately thought about the rudders and screws wondering how you escaped damaging either of them in the process? 

The pond where I usually run my boats has the same problem, a two to four foot steep bank to the water.  I generally find the shallower of the areas near the parking lot and slowly walk to the water line.  Then I have to get the boat into the water without falling or walking into the pond.  So far so good but I haven't tried it with my Dauntless yet as it's not ready to run, not my Commander, it's a long way from being ready.  Bothe will be much heavier than the Atlantic Tug I usually take to the pond.

Any way, I'm interested in your launch method and how you avoid damage to the baot.

Bob

All Day Dan

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Bob, here are some images of the hooks I have on my PT boats and the wire hooks I use to place them in the water. All it takes is a little bending at the knees. The cabin sides are assembled from two pieces and butt glued together. The joint has no strength. I tried backing that up on the inside but it looks bad. I'll trace the side on to a single piece of 3/32 birch ply. Dan.

All Day Dan

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I installed two MACKS rudder stuffing boxes. They are supported in a block of 3/4 inch maple. A Forstner bit provided a nice snug fit. Q-tips are used to keep the stuffing box clean. The stuffing boxes got a good scuffing with 100 grit sandpaper and epoxy was used for all the bonding. They had a rudder that was a close match to the one that Sterling had so I went with those also. I'll match the setup that I have on my PT boats. Dan.

rblubaugh

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Now I understand how you are launching your boat(s).  For some reason I had it in my head you were "sliding" the boats down the embanckment, guiding it with the wires and unhooking them once in the water.  [X(]  I've seen similar using two 1" pieces of webbing with lead weights sewn in at the half way point to make them sink below the boat.  Either way, it's a lot of weight to hold up.

BTW, have you ever tried working with Sintra?  it's a PVC Foam board and glues very well with CA glue.   It comes in 1, 2, 3 and 6 mm thicknesses and is flexible enough to work with around curves.  I've used it once and like it well enough to use it on some other projects.

I like Mack products.  Pricy but well worth it. Q-tips, why didn't I think of that?  I just used twisted up paper towel.  Learn something new every day.

Bob

All Day Dan

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Bob, I dig wood but I'm always on the look out for something new, Thanks. I stopped working on the Corvette to put together a stand. 1/2 inch plywood was used. The V shaped for and aft supports just make contact with the hull at the keel and chines. Sheet metal screws and epoxy hold the stand together. I used lots of Z-poxy and micro balloons to make up the difference. I get a perfect shape every time. Don't forget to protect the hull with wax paper, or else. The wax paper makes intimate contact with the hull using removable two sided tape. Dan.

All Day Dan

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Here are the images. Dan.

All Day Dan

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When the stand was completed, I tested it out on the wagon I will use to move it around at the lake. Dan.

dauntlessfan

Pretty neat boat-tote. I like it!

rblubaugh

My Feedback: (5)

Dan,

I really like your idea for making the boat stand.  Real easy and an exact fit every time.  I agree with DF about the 'Boat-tote', really neat.  I see the tube down the middle for holding your launching cables and the side stop to prevent side to side movement.  Very ingenious setup.  Do you have a "tie down" strap to hold the boat on?

You can check out Sintra on the web or maybe find some more cheaply from a sign shop in your area.  I've been using mainly 2mm but have a large tug that need the superstructure rebuilt and I believe I'll use 3mm for most of that rebuild.  I'll be able to cut it on one big piece and bend it around a form or possible free hand with warm (hot) water to soften it a little.  I'm still learning some of the tricks used to work with it.  But for straight or slightly curved it's a snap.

The Corvette hull looks really nice sitting on the wagon, especially with the port holes.

Bob

rblubaugh

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What are the small casters on the top of your wagon used for?  And, just out of curiosity, what is the wagons length?

All Day Dan

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Thanks Bob and Dauntless, “necessity is the mother of invention� somebody once said. I needed the wagon to get my 20+ pound PT boats around. It started out as a Radio Flyer wagon that I stripped down and used the running gear only. I had a previous one and the metal wagon corroded in a very short period of time. I had a plastic shop cut me a piece of 3/8 inch Plexiglas and mounted the wheels to it. It measures 15 by 34. The pieces of wood captivate the boat stand and the other small piece of wood is where I hang my transmitter. The caster wheels on top allow be to roll the wagon in to the back of my Suburban without me breaking my back trying to reach in. The white tube holds the launching rods. The only thing missing is something to hold the boat on to the stand. I tried bungee cords but they did not work. I have to go up a little hill and the boat would slip back when everything is wet. Now I just pull on the handle and reach over to hold the boat. I’m still working on a decent design for the cabin side so I can continue with the assembly. Dan.

Apismelifera

Nice boat stand, that's a keeper for sure. Perfect fit every time. I like how it can be used mobile, or stationary. Ingenious!

All Day Dan

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Ingenious! Thanks John. Dan.

Rich404

Hi dan,
The Corvette is looking goodso farand the converted wagon carrier is absolutely sweet!!

-Rich

All Day Dan

My Feedback: (5)

Thanks Rich. It will be a few days until I get back to it. The cabin sides just are not fitting at all. Dan.

All Day Dan

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Progress has been made. Screw hooks were modified and installed in the hard points under the deck I previously glued in. I traced one of the cabin sides on to a long piece of paper and had Kinko's scan it in to a TIFF data base. I brought this in to AutoCad and designed my own. It was cut from 3/32 plywood and fit in the hull very well. Some 1/4 inch spruce was added to support the center deck and cabin cross pieces because none of the tabs and notches lined up. I sanded off all the tabs and then some to get a good dry fit. As soon as I am satisfied with the fit, I'll epoxy the center pieces in with the assembly on the hull to make sure that nothing shifts around. It's beginning to look like a Corvette.

All Day Dan

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I had to renforce all the cabin frames because they bowed when I did the dry assembly. It's a good thing I saw this. The cabin was assembled while on the hull. Plenty of three hour epoxy was used at all the joints. It took some time to get the alignment right. Luckily none of the epoxy got to where it should not be and the assembly lifted out easily this morning. It also went back in just as easy. You can see that I took advantage of the bow that was in the 3/32 ply sheet I used for the cabin sides to follow the curvature of the hull. Dan.

All Day Dan

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The rear cockpit deck was epoxied to the rear cabin cross piece with the side inner walls as a support. The instructions had the walls bonded to the hull and the deck was loose. I wanted the deck to be removeable with the cabin. Once again, this was all done with the cabin on the hull to make sure there was a good fit from the cabin to the hull. The rear cabin door was left ajar for a some added realism. Dan.

All Day Dan

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The five cabin formers were CAd in place. The instructions tell you to mark the cabin sides in accordance with the full size plans to locate the formers. Wrong. The positions on the plans don't line up with the slots in the center cabin piece supporting the formers. A Zona saw was used the enlarge the slots. By the time the front former is in place the sides have been pulled in a half an inch and were ready to break loose from the formers since the only thing holding the sides in was a small end of the formers and some CA. I added a good sized piece of 1/4 inch liteply to keep the cabin sides from pranging out. Dan.

Kmot

My Feedback: (24)

Hi Dan,

Wow! You sure do build fast! Is that cuz you're getting old fast?

What lake do you run your boats on?