Rich404

Thanx Don & Butch!

Butch, I knew that if I could do a great job at really messing something up, it would be trying to tackle the lettering on my own. Being that I am no artist, it was better off to let the pro’s do it.

Every detail in the lettering was done EXACTLY to my specifications so they were "on the money" on getting it right. The lettering was pricey @ $40.00 USD for the sheet. Was it worth 40 bucks?, well soon see.

I have 4 try's to get it right, so hopefully it will be done right on the first shot!

Dauntless’s lettering was done here: [link]http://www.bedlamcreations.com[/link]

Good luck on obtaining the patent! It is cool that you are bringing your boat to that level. Let me know how it goes!

-Rich.

Rich404

Dauntless captains,

On another note, the top of the hull & rub rails were painted grey, and sometime this week, the lettering will be applied.

-Rich.

WhiteWolf McBride

My Feedback: (3)

Rich:

If you get it right the first (or even second) time, would you be willing to sell off the remaining decals? Might be a way to make some $ back on the ones you aren't going to use. Personally, I'd keep one spare, just in case, but I'd happily buy one for $10 and postage. Barring that, as the maker now has a 'pattern' so to speak, anyone want to split a sheet with me? 2 decals each? Or do we need your ok to order it from him? (as its your 'pattern', so to speak)

I finished soldering the antenna mast today. YES , soldering, with my cute little Iroda butane torch. I made the main mast from brass rod instead of dowel so I could possibly add a motorization feature to the radar array if I can find some scrap gears small enough to hide up top. Even a gear riding on a rubber wheel for grab would be ok. It also meant most of the mast is rather sturdy, being soldered and all... and the only real epoxy/CA monding is the ledge halfway up, and the top assembly, which I may make as a drop-fit into/onto the hollow top of the mast tube. I also added collars at the bottom of the 'legs' and the mast itself so the mast can sit into holes in the deck, but be removed for transport (too many details get damaged if they aren't removable)

I'm still working on the planking - the bow may end up being mostly balsa forward of frame 1, as the damned ply is fracturing when I try to flex it. I've also considered getting a few scraps of foam insulation (blue or pink XPS 'Extruded', not white-bead EPS 'Expanded' crap) to 'fill' the nose, and then plank in balsa over that. The foam would help me get the curve even port/starboard w/o guesswork, and also add a slight measure of a flotation cell. If I have to buy a sizable sheet, I could line other areas as well, to help silence the boat's internal gear. Then whatever audio effects I might add aren't overwhelm'd by NAEP (noise, assorted extraneous peripheral)

The central strip at the keel will probably be done with balsa as well, as trimming the ply to fit between the strips will be too time consuming, and trimming balsa is EASY. Besides, once its epoxied, no-one will know the difference. NOW I know why you are supposed to START there, and work outward! Ah well, no real harm done.

WhiteWolf

Rich404

Hi Whitewolf and captains,

I would rather not accept cash, but would rather give away the remaining lettering for free![sm=idea.gif]

Hold on! Don’t PM me yet guys!

Before anyone goes ahead and order lettering on your own, let me put together a little something that will be fair to give each of you a chance to obtain the ones that I don't use on my sheet. I am still putting together the details so hopefully it will be fun & inspire you to finish your Dauntless...hint hint. There won’t be enough for everyone, but at least each of you will have a fair shot on getting it for free.

Once I finish putting together the info, I will post it here.[sm=shades_smile.gif]

**Also, I don't have any issues with anyone ordering the lettering from Bedlam. I will send them an e-mail letting them know to save the specs for possible future orders.

Whitewolf,

On another note, On the mahogany ply, to bend it, I boiled water on my stove, took a hot sponge with a set of BBQ tongs and wet the wood as it sat across the pot. the idea was to moisten the wood and steam it. It bent a lot easier that way. That is how I got that bottom planking to conform to the bow.

If you have one, you can also use an electric steam activated wallpaper remover.

And last but not least, if you don't want to get burned, soak the wood overnight in ammonia or windex with ammonia. It is easy enough to wet it real good in amonia and wrap it shut in aluminum foil, just to dampen the nasty smell a bit & leave it overnight. The Mahogany ply will then bend easy. (Possibly the best and safest bet)

-Rich.

Rich404

Update,

A bunch of things were recently done behind the scenes.

The blue was done over, again and finally. After that mishap with the custom blue and the Krylon primer, my world was turned upside down. I have never had problems with automotive paint adhering to Krylon primer. Besides, that is how the hull was originally painted. It was Krylon primer and Cadillac Champagne pearl paint. It looked great and lasted 10 years,when I decided to change the color to the “Dauntless” blue color scheme. Special thanks to Krylon for changing their formula and not indicating it on the can!!

The guy in the paint store was spot on that the rustoleum paint would fix the mishap. But, the boat looked like a piece of shiny blue glass. Gorgeous for a racing boat, but did not cut it for a scale boat. Sanding it & using a compatible clear coat was a pain in the arse and I did not like the way it looked. There were too many inconsistencies. Finally, after wanting to strangle the paint guy, I happened to find Krylon Fusion Satin Navy Blue in another store. I went back to the store with the “paint specialist” and he agreed that it would work over the Ruso paint. I went back to the other store, bought the Satin blue and a can of Krylon Satin clear coat as well. The clear coat is only for covering the transom only after the decal was applied. Again, I made sure it was compatible before buying.

I went home, removed the white pinstripe, taped the hull and painted it Satin Navy Blue. It is gorgeous compared to the other Rustoleum job seen above.

That night, after it was dry, (it dries 15 minutes or less) I gave it a few hours, I removed the tape, re-taped and sprayed on the Satin grey. Now things were getting interesting. What a difference the grey makes, I couldn't have picked a better grey!, especially with the rub rail is also painted grey contrasting the blue. The boat now looks like a million bucks! I am too much of a perfectionist to leave it the other way, so I felt I had to do it and am glad I did.

I applied the lettering 2 days ago. I let it set 24 hrs and applied the clear coat as directed over the lettering. It too came out perfect. I am going to lightly sand the transom with 1000 grit sandpaper and give it another coat or 2 followed by compound & wax. This is just to make it mirror perfect.

I was thinking about the pinstripe boot stripe. I have come too far to just pinstripe it. Rather, I will pinstripe again, but only as a guide. I will use painters tape to tape above and below the pinstripe, remove the pinstripe, lightly sand, clean and shoot it with white paint, remove tape. Then the boot stripe will really be done.

Last night I worked on 2 things.

1) I began replacing the molding between the hull and the cabin side. I did not think the 1/8X1/8 looked natural and after seeing an old picture of Dauntless I found that there was a molding there as previously mentioned. I though it was stained, but after digging further, I found it was painted after all. Once I saw the wood size and thickness used on the original yacht, it dawned on me that I have that same type of wood in my endless stockpile of wood strips. It is something like 1/16” wide X 2/16” tall or 2/16 X 3/16”, something like that. I fit it on the side of the boat, compared it to the picture and I had a match. Then, I placed Cling wrap down on the hull, put the cabins on, and then epoxied the wood strips in place. So far I did 3 out of 4 wood strips. I had to correct a small flaw found near one of the the galley windows, so the epoxy had to set & dry. That will be where the 4th strip will go.

Next I will lightly coat the outer wood with epoxy and sand smooth. The top part of the wood strip will be painted white, the sides, which is the bulk of it will be painted grey to match the hull. The wood strip on the full sized Dauntless was actually a two part piece. Mentioned above is the first part. Then there was a smaller strip that was tapered against it. I decided not to epoxy this strip to the main strip, but rather the hull. Then it will be lightly coated with epoxy, sanded & painted grey. Then, it will match her big sister. For the model, this will also make it more difficult for water to seep in.

2)The second thing I did last night was begin making the sliding unit for over the owner’s cabin. This will be for the sliding hatches. I will go more into detail with that at a later time.

Well, that is all for now, but lots more to come.

BTW: Edit: I changed a word with a better one...

-Rich.

WhiteWolf McBride

My Feedback: (3)

Rich:

The only place I have to soak the wood is my bathtub, and salvaging the ammona-solution afterward would be a pain. What I may try is running the panel through my Dremel to 'score' the inner surface to get it to flex better... though doing on a table saw would be best. I may see if I can find a small table saw at the local pawn shop, now that I have some dinero to spare. Then again, I may try just soaking it in regular water first, to see if I can get enough flex to it. I ~really~ don't want to rip it into strips like the A/B/C planks on the forward lower bow...

I've also decided to spring for a 4' x8' x 1" thick piece of 'Cladmate XL' blue dense-pac foam sheeting. I can use a goodly portion in my apoartment window above the AC unit, another few bits in the Dauntless nose for shape fwd of former #1, another for my Doodlebug nose, and possibly use the rest as flotation-cell and sound-dampening material in the two 4-footer hulls. I can even slice some to 1/2" w/ my home-made hot-wire machine. At just over 3.65 a sq.ft. (if used at 1" thick, up to half that at half thickness) its worth the expenditure.

I'm doing a little bit each day... she won't see the water before the pond freezes, but should be water-ready for the spring thaw. The club often has winter runs at variuous member's apartment building pools, though I'm not counting on that.

Will try to take her out for some pics before the weather gets too cool, but won't promise. I'm still trying to find the pics I took before... damned hard drive. And they aren't still on the camera memory card. This is what I get for erasing the card... *sigh*

WhiteWolf

Rich404

Hi Whitewolf,

The amonia solution doesn't need to be something to salvage afterwards, just pour it down the drain when you are done. If you fill your tub with it, your whole place will stink to high hell. Just use some aluminum foil to make up a makeshift holder for the wood. Curve up the foil so that it does not spill out. You don't need much, just a small puddle or enough to soak the wood. Then wrap it up in the foil and leave overnight. Then the wood should be ready for bending.

I hope this helps.

-Rich.

Rich404

Hi Captains,

I spoke to the gentleman at Bedlam. He keeps a copy of the specs of all the decals he makes up for customers. If you decide to order the lettering, just refer to the decal made up for Richard's yacht Dauntless, that says: "Dauntless of Tarrytown."

They charge a one time set up fee on all new orders, but because the lettering is now existing, the set up fee will be waived, saving you some money! If you decide to change up the lettering, then a set up fee will be applied, which is like $5.00 or something like that.

The general sizing of the lettering & text was based on the full sized Dauntless's lettering. If you want, you can keep the sizing, but change the port of call to your own home town if you want to personalize it. Also, the text can be changed as well to script, calligraphy, or anything you want. Personally, I think gold calligraphy would look beautiful across the stern. Also, the color combination can be anything you want, I had them duplicate the exact gold color found on the Commuter Aphrodite because it looked so darned good, and because gold lettering was commonly used on commuters. The sky is the limit as far as modifying it goes, so have fun with it, the back of your yacht will look awesome!

There are a few of you building Dauntless's, so the first captain to get his/her boat launch ready will get a decal from me for free. All I ask is that you update us with your progresses, post a picture of your build from time to time, and post pictures and updates of the yacht being sailed thereafter. But, if you decide to customize your own lettering for Dauntless, by all means, go for it.

-Rich.

Rich404

For your reading edification,

This is property where Dauntless’s owner Laurance was raised and lived when Dauntless was built. This property stretches 3400 acres from Pocantico hills, Sleepy Hollow and into Tarrytown. When Dauntless was built, Laurance lived in a resident mansion on the Tarrytown side of the property, hence her port of call. It is also likely that Dauntless was docked on part of the property near or on the Hudson. The property is still owned by the Rockefeller family today & this place is simply amazing. It is called KYKUIT, if you want to look into it some more.

The best pictures are posted on Flikr.

[link]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kykuit[/link]

-Rich.

WhiteWolf McBride

My Feedback: (3)

Rich:

Neat info, and for others, I recommend Bing Maps, as it can give you a nice birds'eye view of the place. Took me back to a trip I made to Franklin NH years back, that spooked me in quite a few ways. The worst was knowing where the hospital in Burlington Vt was, and the back way out to 89 around the airport, and I'd NEVER been to Burlington before.

But about Dauntless things... Do I read the canopy plans right and there is supposed to be a support post in the middle of the aft deck, about 2/3 back from the aft cabin to the transom? (measurements say 4 & 1/4") That seems supremely odd... but I'll hold off on it until the last moment. I have some piano wire here, and think I'll use it for the two exposed main-canoppy cross-members, using a small tube of brass to accept the end soldered to the side-crossbar, and may even use it for the uprights too. It would also make it much easier to dismantle the canopy supports, but leave it less likely to bend when erected. Thoughts?

And does anyone have any ideas about motorizing the radar array atop the mast? I've made mine from brass tube instead of dowel, just in case I can rig something. The pivot-point of the array is off-center in the 1/2" round piece set forward, so I'll have to use a shaft/gear assembly. Hiding this in that small piece may be a challenge, but with hollow rod, I can always just have the initial dummy one sit with a piece that slips into the tube end.

Most of the cabin roof-parts are assembled, and the central seams are filled and awaiting sanding. Then I can mark where the mast goes on the aft cabin roof for its mounts, and the cabin doors can be marked. I don't think I'll cut 'em out, just make some 'doors' over the side-areas to match the hatches on the roof. Anything in the plans showing those Rich? Or perhaps estate photos taken on the boat? That would be an immense help. Oh, and need to mark where the forward cabin railing posts go, and the other relevant bits.

Slowly but surely...

Rich404

Hi Whitewolf,

That is an interesting story! I like that sort of stuff.

For the Canopy Support, I don’t think it went to the middle of the deck. It was more likely fixed to the transom, but for the model it would make sense to have it somewhere on the deck so that there is no disassembling each time the cabins are removed. Perhaps on the deck against the transom wall would be a better place for it.

The doors & hatches will be a nice addition, even if they are static. On the model and even in the dumas blue prints there are hints. There is an indication on the wall where the hatch and door was placed going into the owner’s cabin. The sliding hatch was on the roof. Dumas has you put 2 wood strips going parallel, the length of the owner’s cabin which was an indicator of the sliding hatch track. I think they also instruct you to cut wood scrap and glue for the static sliding hatches. I believe they actually got the measurements right on those.

The door going into the owner’s cabin from the bridge deck were double swung louvered doors. They swung out toward the bridge deck. The door on the cockpit aft was a single door that swung inwards. Both can be made static.

As far as the radar mast goes, I have some ideas. This is not on the Dumas instruction, but there was a detail at the base of the mast which could give you a place to hide the motor. Check out the Dauntless side profile from the write up I sent you and posted here a few weeks ago and look at the mast.

At the foot of the mast there was what looks like a small cruise ship funnel thingy at the base of the mast. It actually was used to draw air into the engine room. It was not round, but more horse-collar shaped. That could be a good place to house the motor if you want to go the extra mile.

If you don’t want to do that, “Pusar” had a working radar on his Dauntless in the early pages here. His suggestion seems practical.

Here is his Radar detail.

[link]http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/m_4688536/mpage_7/key_/tm.htm[/link]

Edit: I like editing!
-Rich.

12skipper

Hello Whitewolf,
My solution to the radar drive was to use an old servo which I took apart and bypassed the potentiometer. I mounted the servo under the owners cabin roof and used a piece of control inner push rod up through the brass tube used as the front leg of the radar tower. I hope this helps.
Chuck

Rich404

Hi Chuck,

Cool job on the radar drive! Show us more!

Chuck & all...

Today I was able to work on Dauntless for the first time this week. I spent the day playing around with the boot stripe. Between pinstriping, fussing with the chine transition, taping the top and botton of the stripe and prepping the entire yacht for paint, it took all day.


I didn't take too many pictures with each step, but my wife took some pictures of me painting it this evening.

And here is a picture of the Lettering and a little of the grey deck! More to come soon!

Enjoy!

-Rich.

WhiteWolf McBride

My Feedback: (3)

Rich:

You dun look all that old... then again, I don't look my 44+ years either, but thats due to the meds, not good clean living.

I'm going oit tomorrow to get supplies (food & otherwise) and gonna get some fresh CA, and the dunk-ammonia too.

I thought of using a wallpaper dunk tank, but the longest I find online is 22", and the panels are 33". Then I thought of just folding a scrap of dropsheet plastic I've got, and heat-seal either end to make an open-top envelope (I use the old food-sealer, ziploc's are cheaper for food) And presto, I can 'marinate' my two side-planks in as little ammonia as possible. And yea, someone reminded me, DON'T toss it down the toilet if ya got a bleach-flusher, you'll gas yourself. I'll probably pour the used stuff into a second bottle to re-use, or down the tub drain, just for safety sake. I ~do have some blue window-cleaner concentrate, but its probably better to use store-bought 'ammonia', as its less likely to have other 'added' ingredients (aka detergents/anti-streak agents) and 2 litres is only a few bucks.

I'm pretty sure the glue I was using was Titebond II, but as the label pealed off, and I hate sticky bottles (wiped it clean w/ a bit of lighter fluid - its a great cleaner) I'm not 100% sure. I might have bought the Canadian Tire store-brand equivalent to save a few bucks. It won't matter in the long run, as once I get the first layer of epoxy-sealant on the hull, it'll be bonded well enough I could pull all the formers out without fear. I did that to lighten my Dumas PT-109 kit, but in retrospect, I should have planked it w/ balsa instead.

I'll take some pics of my makeshift dunk-tank when I do it, so others might remember the idea later. I'm also going to begin on the canopy rails, and the forecabin handrails, and both items will be removable. I'll use thin tube instead of rod for the handrail shafts, will mean I can use a cottor-pin shaped loop inserted in the top of it to take the hand-line, and use a pin on the deck to accept the tube lower end. Will also take some pics of the mostly-assembled mast on its cabin-section.

WhiteWolf

joe31hat

My Feedback: (5)

Whitewolf! Great idea using the 'food saver'. I'll remember that one!! Let us know how it works.

joe

BTW Thanks Rich for all the updates and it's nice to be able to put a face to the name!!

werdonmorris

My Feedback: (7)

Hey Rich

Boat is looking great!
My old High School, American Legion, HHV, and Veterans had placed me in the running, for the USA Honor Society. And today I was called into the administration office, and was handed a Certificate of Recognition, and placed in the society, for my naval back ground, and service.
I was speechless, and then I found out my wife, and two kids appointed me to be in the running as well.
Also, if you type in the search bar-2009 veterans national creative arts festival, then scroll down to art gallery. Some pictures will pop up, at the bottom click ' more ', and you will see the tow truck that won me first place.

Butch

WhiteWolf McBride

My Feedback: (3)

Joe (and everyone else):

I had a look at the dropsheet plastic I had, and decided it was too thin to be useful. The sealer even in seal mode (as opposed to cut) would still have cut through it. The stuff is even thinner than normal Ziploc/Glad bags you get for sandwiches these days. Really pathetic. I'd not trust it as a ~floor~ drop sheet, possibly as a temporary dust/paint cover though.

So... I used some tin-foil (roll's been around for a year plus, so is fair game) and folded the 12" width to make a 6" deep pocket. I pulled off enough to fold the ends over in a seal (like a rolled cuff on a pants leg) Then I put the two wood sheets in, and sealed most of the top the same way, and poured in the ammonia, and sealed the rest of the seam. When I have to bend the transom, i'll be able to use a kitchen ziploc, its small enough. I was tempted to cut the sheets to fit into a bag, but thought it wouldn't be worth the hassle.

Now... how long do I let it soak? A day? Two? And for anyone thats done this with dumas wood... is the stuff prone to de-laminate while I'm flexing it? I did buy a sheet of 1/16 basswood ply; 12" x 48" set me back $30 (the 24" length was $20, and I thought what the heck, I'll use it up) I can cut the two forecabin pieces from a 4" strip off one edge, with very little wastage, and have lots left over.

Should I put the D1/2/3 pieces on before I put the hull sides on? I know the plans say AFTER, but you know Dumas... and remember, my sheers are ~balsa~... they may not have the strength, without the D1/2/3 pieces there as well (I counted on the balsa to hold the frames until I got the D-strips in place.

I knew I should have waited before pulling the frame cross-members out for the superstructure. To hold the sheets in place to 'form' on the hull, I'll have to strap 'em on, and I'm afraid to put pressure on the frames now after having one delaminate on me (have repaired it with a sandwich of strips sliced from the frame cutouts) I can hold the forward edge on with clamps, and the aft edge has the solid #12 frame for support, but in the middle, almost nada. Think there is one crosspiece left... but I may be able to put temporary braces in there made from scrap. I have one idea, but its unusual and last resort: let the lower edge of the sheet overhang the chine-strips, and then drill a hole in the exposed edge to tie it off to the opposite side across the bottom. The top can be clamped to the upper edges... if I've put the D-strips on first, and I could do that w/ the cabins in place... hmmm?

Thoughts & Creative Ideas? I'm fresh out at this point...
- awaiting a reasonably warm afternoon on Tuesday to pull my A/C unit so I don't have a draft again this winter,
- and deciding to save over the winter for a used car so I can cart the Dauntless and AE about... a pair of 4-footers is a bit much for a bicycle!

WhiteWolf

PS: Congrats Butch!

Rich404

Hi Whitewolf,

When it comes to frame and hull assembly, follow Dumas’s plans EXACTLY the way they describe them. Read the instructions for each part a couple of times to let it sink in real good and go for it.
D-1 and D-2 should be put on before the hull sides as Dumas’s suggestion Also, do everything you can to make sure all planks are secured to each frame.

If you are soaking Dumas’s mahogany ply, up to 24 hrs should be more than plenty of time to have it bend ready.. If you soak it overnight, try to lightly bend it the next morning and see if it is ready. If not, let it soak longer. The Dumas mahogany ply will not delaminate after you soak it.
I haven’t used Balsa anywhere on my boat so I’m not sure how long it would take to soak it. For Balsa, treat it the same way as other wood, soak it overnight and check it in the morning & soak as necessary until it bends. Basswood is a good wood for soaking & bending!

So, cutting off the cross members wasn’t the best idea this early in the game, but could you carefully go on without them? As long as you are careful not to break the frames they should be ok. This is of coarse assuming that you are using the supplied mahogany and not balsa replacements.
If not, The only thing I can think of is, as you mentioned is re bracing them. There should be plenty of Dumas mahogany scrap to pull this off. Try to cut off ¼” strip by X amount of inches long to cover the length of the frame. Then epoxy the cross member back to the frame and cut them off after the hull is built. You might be able to use the original cross members, just epoxy them back with a little piece of mahogany scrap bridging the cross member to the frame. 2 pieces of scrap on each side should do the trick.

Well, I hope that helps a bit!

Werdon:

Congrats on your Tow Truck, I checked it out today, great job!

-Rich.

WhiteWolf McBride

My Feedback: (3)

Rich:

It actually says to put the sides on first, THEN the deck plates. The paragraph about adding the aft-side panels is ~just before~ the D1/D2 assembly & fitting. But stuff that, I'm gonna place the deck pieces on first, as I want the added strength due to the use of the balsa chines (I was missing a few of mine, remember?) Between those, and putting the cabins in place momentarily, It should be enough without needing to replace the cross-beams.

I'm not soaking any balsa, but with the 1/16 stuff I have, it wouldn't need much water-soaking to flex enough for even the bow. Its fairly flexible to start with at that thickness (or thin-ness...) And by the time I get to it tomorrow afternoon, the side-panels will have been soaking a good 48h, so I shouldn't need to re-dunk them. I'll hold off on dumping/ditching the foil sleeve until i'm sure though, just in case.

Yes, I ~think~ I can do things w/o the cross-members in place.. The other reason I wanted to put the D deck pieces down first - it will tie the frames together much more securely than the balsa chines do.

Yes, I've been running a generous bead of glue to inside of both edge of the frames where they meet the hull planking. Thats a given, no brainer. And all the frames are originals, but in spite of that, I still damaged one (around frame 8 I think) It was an easy repair though - 1/2-inch strips ripped from the bulkhead pieces that were cutouts, and glued to either side of the damaged frame, clamped, and left to dry. The 'braces' run from the chine strip up to the bottom of the balsa sheers. As its not a stress point while bending the sides, it should be ok.

Been looking at how to assemble the canopy frames simply, have them easily removable, but secure when in place. I may even be able to make the canopy material removable from the frames...

Provided i don't have another sick-attack, oversleep, or put my back out takin the a/c out the window, or just plain forget, I'll try to have some pics up tomorrow, er, later today I guess it is now.

WhiteWolf

PS: Anyone wanna split a set of decals w/ me? I won't be one of the first finishers, count on it.

WhiteWolf McBride

My Feedback: (3)

Aw ~Ach-E-Double-El~

I goofed, but I can think of one neat way to CMA.

Firstly, Two ~critical~ notes for anyone reading who hasn't started building yet:

ONE: Leave all the frames intact, upper crossmembers and inserts/cutouts, in place until you've fully planked and deck'd the hull. You'll need the structural strength. Taping the internal cutouts to keep 'em in place if you have to. WHY? Because of the cheap ply Dumas uses. You can easily fracture a frame rib if you don't.

TWO: Read the build instructions all the way through until you think ya got 'em memorised, then do it AGAIN before each step. Why? Because you'll always forget something critical if you don't (unless ya got eidetic/photographic memory)

The Goof: Remember that ~little~ item you can miss in the build write-up, but has a neat diagram in the plans for; that fragmentary 1/20" thickness shim thats meant cant the D1/D2 panels outward, so water tends to sheet off? Well, I forgot it. Not that it'd have helped me any (but I ~do~ have it) I think it'd have flex'd the balsa down instead of the ply up. One fatal point to using the balsa sheers. Question is - do I forget it, or try my remedy...

The Possible Remedy: Remember the 4' sheet of 1/16 basswood ply? I over-plank the D1/D2 w/ the bass ply, and use the shim between the D-deck and the Basswood. Or I could go cheap, and use the 1/16 Balsa to over-plank w/ the shim...

Honestly, I don't think I should bother. Opinions?

Rich404

Hey Whitewolf,

If you are able to get the shims in, surely do it, if you can’t, then don’t. Below I may have an easy solution just implemented on my boat over the last few days that may help.

When I originally built the yacht, I have made similar mistakes building the hull that in some cases it would be too much work even for me to fix. I made the mistake of not using the 1/20 shims, but 1/8” instead. I contemplated shaving it all level, but I decided to leave it, giving the boat a little extra water runoff. [sm=confused_smile.gif]

Now that I am attempting to make a replica, (who whoudda thunk) I have thought of revisiting it a couple of times during the rebuild, but it would be way too much of a hassle to fix, reverberating the importance of following Dumas’s instructions.

This may inspire me to build a new hull in the future, but I would substitute the wood exterior planks for aluminum and transfer everything from this hull to that one.. I will call it: Dauntless overhaul X treme, the final chapter.

Busy season at work is over so I resumed on the boat. The water line is done, but still needs minor touch ups on the red and the blue at the waterline. Then I will show it off here.

In the meantime, I have been working on a way to keep water from entering the inside of the yacht via the seam between the cabin and hull. This will be of interest to you Whitewolf, and all others for that matter.

I mentioned earlier that Dauntless had a single molding or shim resting on the cabin lower corner and the hull. It would be considered a one piece molding. Dumas instructs us to use 1/8” strips in that area. I think the strips I used ended up being something like 1/20” there, hmm I wonder where those came from…

Anyway, after those were installed, I epoxied 1/8” wood strips right against it, but to the hull, not the cabin. I used very thin cling wrap seperating them to keep the glue from adhering to the cabin. After that was done, I used a smaller wood strip. I have to find out the size, but it is really thin basswood that now rests ON TOP of the 1/8” strip, but is actually epoxied to the 1/20” strip on the cabin side. So, I put clingwrap on the 1/8" molding to keep glue from adhering to it.

This is a 3 piece molding that is perfectly tapered and looks like a single piece when the cabins are on the hull. All I have to do now is paint it grey, except for the small top part of the cabin molding which will be painted white. This molding system should do a good job at keeping water out of the hull and still look good. This unit is a little wider that Dumas's suggestion, and extends out a bit further than the one on the full sized Dauntless, but it has a special job to do: To keep water out of the hull. [sm=stupid.gif]

I am also going to create something on the other side of the sill as a plan B, but I have a feeling that the out side molding should be suffice.

-Rich.

WhiteWolf McBride

My Feedback: (3)

Rich:

I was already thinking of using the 1/8" lip idea, putting it on the deck instead of the cabin. Already pulled the similar piece off my AE cabin when I stripped her down to do just that. Combine that with a small seam of that kiddy-craft fun-foam on the bottom of the cabin edge to act like a pressure seal, and presto, no reason to re-slope the deck.

Then there is another easy option - put the shim in place on the inner deck edge, use some thinned putty and use a putty knife to lay it onto the deck, with the outer deck edge and inner shim as height guides. Basically you end up w/ a deck of sloped putty. Opinions on the putty idea? If so, how to thin the putty (or alternate materials for similar use?)

- Mebbe lay the wet putty down generously, cover it with clear packing tape (or Saran wrap/whatever) and roll it to get it flat between the guides, peel the tape/whatever when its dry?
- Or use tissue-wrapping-paper over the filler, then roll (would breathe and let filler dry easier)

To be honest, to ~get~ the slope, the putty solution may be easiest, and would hide the seam at D1/D2 as well... right? And I can ~still~ use the 1/8" sq. piece on the deck idea.

Everyone? I'll have time to consider options while I finish the bottom of the hull... so everyone, speak up! ( please? )

Rich404

Hi Whitewolf,

Personally, I wouldn’t bother adding the slope because it was not on the original yacht. I don’t think it is worth all the extra re work.

If you decide to implement the 3 part molding, water entering the hull should not be an issue. Another thing that may be beneficial is filling in the gap between the hull and the cabin. Once the hull is built you will see what I mean. There are places where there is a gap between the cabins and the hull. I used wood coffee stirrers to fill those gaps. On some places, I had to go 2-3 stirrers deep to fill it. I also used some mighty putty to further fill some seams as well. That, along with the 1/8” interlocking molding should keep out water. I documented the hull/cabin gap filling on the earlier pages of the rebuild. (See post 316 on page 13, 16th post down) on this forum for pictures.

Tonight, I will empty my camera here so you will see what I mean. This should give you good visuals on the process. This will also work on AE and many other builds that feature removable cabins.

I am not totally done with mine yet. The process took a few days to do so far. Patience is key because it is important to have the hull molding tightly fitted to the cabin moldings to get it to look like a single piece and work. The slightest gap between moldings can potentially let water in, so take your time and get it tight.

The results will be worth it.

-Rich.

werdonmorris

My Feedback: (7)

Some of the aspects of filling certain gaps that required them tight, water-proof, and sandable. I used a automotive bondo, with fiberglass in it, and it is stainable, as well as paintable.
It proved to be easy to work with, with a one minute window before un-manage ability. Very strong, easy to shape, and bonds to wood.
But, I would listen to someone like Rich, that has been there, done that knowledge!

By the way WhiteWolf, the saw should be well on it's way to you.

Butch

WhiteWolf McBride

My Feedback: (3)

Thanks Rich:

Knowing the original dinna have the shim'd slope mades the decision: let it be as is. Makes me feel better knowing my goof actually made it more accurate. Would like to see how ya made pics of the seam though.

Thanks for the data Butch, will let ya know when it arrives.

Now I gotta crash. Been up too long, gotta fall-down, go-boom, lotsa-ZZZ

WhiteWolf