Interested in builing the Dumas Prime Time Mega Yacht, and was wondering if anyone else has built this model, and how they liked it. I plan on posting construction photos if I decide to build.

Thanks for your feedback
-Chris

Hello!!!
I've never seen one, but I'll really love to see your photos and comments about the construction.
Go for it

Have a nice day
Escipion

Well, I ordered the kit, but it has been backordered because Dumas is 3 weeks behind in their fiberglass shop....

I am also thinking about purchasing some Kehrer jet drives in a twin configuration (Kehrer recommended two 28mm drives), but not sure about the whole setup. Has anyone used these drives before? Would this detract from the scale appearance of the model, or are props and rudders going to be a better choice? How are the sterring and reverse handled with these drives? Servo linkage appearance?

I am trying to make this model as scale as possible. I like the Moonraker from Graupner, but an ABS hull?...who are they kidding? No thanks.

Any tips on the propulsion would be great.

Thanks.
-Christopher Keeler

i think the moonraker though is better than the primetime. and i think graupner listed it as grp.

Well, I received the kit, and started construction on it. Wood and fiberglass hull are all first quality, though some more color photos would have been nice. Construction started with the sundeck, which is the lift-out hatch, and includes the radar arch. Dumas provides two arches just in case, but I was able to get it on the first try. The wood has to be "kerf'ed" to produce the bends on each side of it. I took it a step further that the instructions and soaked the ends in water before bending, then used a hairdryer and CA to keep the bend in place. Not bad, but the whole sundeck took almost 4 hours to complete. See photos. Next came the fun part...the superstructure! Again, patience and an X-acto mini-triangle helped with this part of it. Basically you have to glue the bulkheads to a building board, ensuring that they are 90 degrees, and then continue with the stringers and sub-decks. Dumas provides 1/8" ply for sub decks which are then laminated with 1/16" finish ply. A nice idea I think. See photos. I am now starting the forward lounge with the really cool rounded seating and pilot house, and I'll post photos soon....

Until then, keep those accessory ideas coming.

Thanks.
-Chris

PS. Looking for a way to upholster seat cushions that small...

Wicked cool!!

I wish I had the time (and patience) to build one like that.

Keep pics coming!!

Hello Chris,

My next model is also the TIME + I allready have the set. But first I must finish my SAR 33 model
which is nearly the same as the original.

Do you have original photos of the TIME ???

Are you building the upper part of your TIME in fiberglass ??

The original TIME has jet-drives using the KaMeWa System ( see photo of crane )
The 28 Kehrer-jet´s fit pefectly to scale. They are also available now with the KaMeWa System.

I build 33 Kehrer-jet´s into my SAR33 whitch I am constructing at present.
They work perfectly / It has worked well.

The Hull at the After-Deck has to be adapted for the jet-drive in the TIME, however.

In the original 2 Citroen 2CV stand / stood beside the Tender.

Ideas
The railing of the original TIME can be illuminated.
I have been send photos of the TIME from a model builder who has build in this function. It looks super.


more Ideas
upper bridge lighting, deck lighting, signal and position lights, headlights, underwater lighting

functioning shower ? functioning jacuzzi ?


Wish you a good "TIME"
Robert

My model will have a pair of 28mm Kerher jet drives which I already have, and will be powered by a pair of Aveox brushless motors (that I am stealing from my ducted fan A-10 which will never seem to get off the workbench), and Aveox controllers. I discovered this weekend that the transom needs to come out and be moved forward in order to accommodate the jets, but this will make it more like the real one anyway.

I have thought about the illuminated railings, and was thinking of using some electroluminescent wire for them, but I have never worked with this stuff before, so I am nit sure how durable it is, or how flexible. I will probably get a small amount on eBay and experiment with it. I would like it to be ridged and not some flimsy railing that doesn’t keep its shape.

Construction this weekend:
Finished up the front seating area and pilot house (see pics), as well as the top part of the superstructure called the davit vents. I did discover the Dumas uses plywood for the salon side of the boat and the paint in black to simulate the tinted windows of the salon. I am going to scrap that idea, and use some smoked polycarbonate instead. I think I will mask off the windows and paint the rest of it white. This seems like an easy modification, which will make it look a whole lot better than just painted wood. Also I can illuminate/furnish the interior salon. I like the pics of the model in the previous post, and how it had searchlights installed on the radar arch. I am not sure how to do the grillwork on the vents, Dumas suggests using black striping (yeah right), but I would like to make the vents functional with air ducts leading down into the engine room.

Accessory ideas: A Working shower? Hmmm...that would be cool, and not that difficult to make. I will keep that idea on the list. I was also thinking of an automatic bilge pump, and working anchor. Anyone have experience with a working winch/anchor setup? I was also thinking of building electrical contact into the removable hatch so I can have power run to the accessories without a wire or quick disconnect. I have some old cell phones laying around that use these that I can hack up.

I like the working Jacuzzi idea, but I think that might be too much hassle on a working boat. So, it's on to the hull construction and modifications. Now the real work comes in...

Until next "TIME"...
Happy Boating
-Chris


PS. I will keep the superstructure in wood, not fiberglass. Glass is nice, but to difficult to work with.

More photos...

I found a pic of the full size boat on the original designer's (Tom Fexas) website. Here is it. Thanks for the other pic of the stern of the full size boat. This helps with transom modification for the Kerher jets.

Nice thread guys,
Great build up pictures.
Becareful what you attempt to build into the boat.
You could end up deep on the waterline.

Lets see, Hot tub... water intake, motor cooling, hot tub, drain to bilge outlet...

[:@] Doh, Now you guys have me doing it...

Hull construction:

This weekend's project was to start on the fiberglass hull, and modify it for the Kerher jets. First step was to trim the outside edges of the hull with Dremel cut off wheel, down to the trim line. This was about a 1/4" strip that needed to come off all the way around the hull. The stern was the most difficult part to cut, as I had to make several right angle cuts without over cutting. A little patience and it came out great. Dumas also supplies a wooden keel, that needs to be attached to the out side of the hull, and I wasn't sure about the need for a keel with jet propulsion, but several replies from a post revealed that a keel would provide directional stability. So I just went ahead with it. (I can always rip it off later, if it doesn’t work out) The instructions say to cut three slots into the bottom of the hull, and set the keel through, then epoxy in with a thickened mixture. I also ran a bead down each side of the keel where is meets the hull, so it blends together nicely. With the cut off wheel, I also hacked off the transom in order to make a recess box for the Kerher jets. My plan is to make a new transom out of 1/4" ply, and fiberglass it in about 4� forward from the stern, then add sides and a top to enclose the jet drives under the hull. I purchased some 1/4" ply, and used a paper template (trial and fit) to match the inside contour of the hull, which was then dry fitted for marking. As you can see from the photos, the jets were mocked up in the hull, and positioned and marked for alignment. Once I was satisfied with the marks, I glassed the transom to the hull. While the transom was curing, I went ahead and applied filler to the inside sides of the hull. Dumas put some strips of fine cloth here, so to make the finishing more easy. This part of the hull will become the inside of the companionway and is exposed, so it needs to be smooth and finished. Once the transom had cured, I cut out the sides of the stern box from scrap plywood, and epoxied them in place. The Kerher drives seemed to extend a bit to far up the transom than I would like, so I am going to modify the hull intakes, and mount the units flush with the bottom, this should drop the output holes about 1/8�. Next week I will finish cleaning up the stern and cutting the intake holes. So far, this has been the most difficult part of the construction.

Until then…
“Time� to go boating.
-Chris

Hi Chris,

it´s good to see your "TIME" will be bigger.

Thanks for the pictures !!!

Do you have detail photos of the TIME ???


Robert

The only photos of the full size one that I know about, are the ones already posted here. I already tried a web search, and found nothing. Anyone else have photos???

Here are the jet intakes cut into the bottom the hull. Notice the markings molded into the hull for the rudders and stuffing box placement. These will be filled and smoothed, once the jets are mounted.

-Christopher Keeler

This weekend saw little build time, but I managed to clean-up the transom edges, and dry fit the jets into the hull. I plan to tack the jets in with some small dabs of epoxy, then glass them in permanently. Still trying to figure out where the jacuzzi is going to go now, since the new jet drive compartment now makes the original stern location impossible. I may have to relocate it to the bow, or sundeck.

-Chris

Those drives look HUGE, but actually look like they are the right scale.
Very kind of you to post all these images and updates.

Looking at the aerial image you posted earlier, there is a hot tub on the bow already, and the hot tub looking thing on the stern looks like it sits half a deck higher than the top of the jet drives. So it still might be possible to install the stern hot tub and make it look good. The whirlpool on the kit seems to be a bit tall, and the wood trim is definitely over scaled in width.



http://www.jcd-spotter.de/schiffe/Prime/prime.htm

That round thing you see on the bow of the full size is a circular seating area/sunbathing lounge, not a hot tub. I may retrofit that area into a circular jacuzzi though since the stern is out. The stern of the full size has an oval shaped jacuzzi that does sit halfway up, and to me looks too old school, so I just may make that rear deck flat, and put some fighting chairs, or a cooler cabinet instead.

I would rather party with the hot tub chicks on the bow anyway if it were my boat.

Later.
-Christopher Keeler

Make the Rear oval a bar.

Good Idea. With little scale bottles of Jose Cuervo all lined up! [8D]

This is an awesome project!! I can't wait to see more pics. Where did you get your jet drives? I have been considering a very similar project, and really like the way you are doing this!!

The jet drives are from Germany, made by a company called Kehrer Modellbau (Kehrer Model Boat Co.) www.jet-drive.de They are very very good quality (as most stuff from Germany is)!! A bit on the pricey side, I think I paid about $115 US for the pair, but well worth it. Includes the drive body, and your choice of outdrive with reverse bucket. I chose the KaWeMa style, as this is what the full size has on it.

I also just got some electroluminescent wire from eBay, and I am going to experiment with it as a lighted railing. I will post pics soon.

-Christopher Keeler

Chris, how is the construction coming? I tried to contact that place in Germany, but haven't heard anything from them yet. Thanks for that link. Looking forward to new pics!!

Construction has been slow for the past few weeks, as I have not had much time to work on it because of other commitments. Mostly a lot of sanding and filling on the hull, and I managed to glass in the jets. Nothing worth taking photos for, as there is really no noticeable difference.

Soon I will be joining the hull and deck, and working on the rear deck, then I will start posting photos once again.

-Christopher C. Keeler

Was able to joined the superstructure to the hull this weekend, and process went smoothly. First I had to apply masking tape the top edge of the joint, so the resin would not run through the joint. I did this along each side of the deck. Then I mixed up some polyester resin and thickened it with some microballons to about the consistency of a milkshake. With the deck clamped into the hull, I poured the resin down the seam and tilted so the resin would pool on the underside of the deck, and create a fillet on the seam.

I let the resin cure overnight, and did the other side the same way the follwoing day.

Next I taped up the bow, and poured resin into the hull with the boat standing on end. This sealed up the curved part of the bow.

Next will be filling in seams, and blending the hull and superstructure near the davit vents.

Until Next Time...
-Christopher C. Keeler