21" hull restoration, help needed!
 

So all this interest in my previous hobbies, plus wanting to start up a small hobby venture in reselling some good hobby gear in my area, I decided to find my old boats and cars that haven't been sold.

Unfortunately, i have sold 99% of my previous vehicles and stuff, but I do still have at least 1 decent thing left. A full balsa hull, not sure if it was a kit, factory built or scratchbuilt but we received it from a family friend in 1981, through the decades it has received alot of punishment by me as a child, as well as the damage of bad storage for that time and suffering from 3 poor paint jobs given by me when I was 8 or 9.

I dug it up again today, when the boat was in its prime, it sort of resembled an old steam cruiser, quite attractive in a simplistic way, powered by an unknown motor about 540 size, probably salvaged from something and 2-4 C-size batteries, speed was scale, no ESC or MSC, just a flick switch for go and stop (inside the boat mind you). Though the rudder was controlled by a servo.

I want to give it a new life and rebuild it as a keepsake for times in my life that were more simple. It doesn't have to be perfect but I'd like it to look decent.

Damage: lots of battle scars on the hull, chips, bits missing on edges, damage inside to some of the balsa, as well as a REALLY large amount of wood putty that was placed over a dent when I was 7... (sigh, kids what can you do, i know, hide paint and putty from them)

Repairs so far; I have sanded the hull down a slight amount, only taking it past a few layers of paint, down near the balsa. At this time I used what i know from the automotive world, a guide coat of paint that I can use to make the body level and smooth. Instead of using paint, I thinned down some wood putty to a milk/yoghurt consistancy, which i have started to paint onto the body. it provides a GREAT smooth surface that also allows me to see all the defects that need to be repaired.

I have to give it another few coats of the putty mix. big question, what type of ship would take a hull that looks like this? my father thinks and older battle cruiser, but i really only think an old steam cruising boat would be suitable. whats your opinion? regards, chris.<br type="_moz" />

RE: 21
 

Looks like a old sterling kit but not sure. I don't know what it could be possibly a trawler or something like that. Anyway you can make it into anything really if you put your mind to it.

RE: 21
 

Well, at the moment my container ship has some planking drying on it and I gave this hull another coat of the filler mixture I thinned. In the mean time I put one of my project motorbikes back together in the humid weather and nearly sweat my entire body weight off. After that the hull was ready to sand and it came up near perfect except for the bigger dents, which have just been filled with a thicker mixture of filler. Just has to be sanded back when dry, another coat of filler mixture and a final sanding before its ready to prime.

I'll have a look at some pictures of ships that would suit it, but I would love an classic fishing boat. either way the hull will either be airbrushed if its metal, or veneered in strips if its a wood hull.