G Day all, I am trying really hard to get as much info as i can on scratch building a 1/8 hydro. After hours of searching i have got onto a guy in sydney who has the original parts trees to a dumas miss circus hull which he is mailing to me .The down side to this story is he does not have any plans or instructions. Sounds easy to fix if you dont live in australia but i am having real trouble buying plans as the exchange rates and postal times {30 to 40 days} is waay tooo long for me. I am running out of options and are asking for help from anyone who would like to put their hand up.I am hoping for a look at a set of plans even a digital photo of plans so I can get started and hopefully the picture will come clear. I would even be happy for some construction photos of a similar build.

I would appreciate anything anyone has to offer
jezza

You just happen to be in luck, as I also build 1/8th scale hydros. I've included a picture of my under construction 1/6th scale 1973 Pay N' Pak(left picture) and 1/8th scale 1999 Miss Madison Turbine, which is similar to your Circus Circus. Let me get you started in the right direction. When you get your parts, you will want to use them for templates, not for actual boat parts. The Dumas boats use 1/8th inch low grade mahogany, not good for boat building. It spinters easily and is very porous, requiring much additional work to seal the hull, inside and out.What I recommend is getting a sheet of 12X48X1/8th aircraft grade ply from either a local hobby shop or through an internet site and cut all the long frames out of it. Next, get two sheets of 12X48X1/16th aircraft ply and cut all the cross frames EXCEPT the three transoms(right and left sponsons and stern)which need to come out of a sheet 12X24X1/4. If you do this instead of using the kits "garbage wood", you will have a stronger, lighter hull and a better performing boat. More to come later

thank you sir, after reading the forum you had up with a guy with a similar issue as mine I have been trying to get that grade and size of wood but it is only available in sydney about 3000 ks away and is proving to be a logistical nightmare to get it here. is there an alternative. I dont mind doing extra work if required
jez

First off, don't call me sir, I'm not a Policeman or in the military(anymore at least) Most of the people here call me Hydro. As for getting the wood, not really. I'm not to familiar with what all is in Queensland as I've only been to Perth/Freemantle, but I'm thinking mail order through the internet may be your only option. One alternative that I've seen done is be to lay up flat sheets of fiberglass, probably in the 2 to 3 mm thick range and cut out the parts like you would using the plywood. I see the same problem getting the materials though. What I would suggest is try to get one of the hobby suppliers to ship the wood to you, along with some good, two part marine epoxy. The hobby shop variety won't hold up when you start running your finished boat, so why use it. If you do have to order the materials, order at least 3 sheets of 1/8th inch(2mm) 5 ply, 8 to 10 1/16th inch(1.5mm), and one sheet of 12X48X1/4 inch(4mm I think) so you will hav plenty of material to work with. If you have any questions I'll try to answer them the best I can as oyu go along. Just remember, no question is stupid, so don't be afraid to ask

Thanks so much for the info hydro. I have gone the logistical angle and got me some aircraft grade ply with the correct number of plys as per your other forum topics.Iget it in 2 to 3 weeks so hopefully it will arrive with the templates. how do you rekon I will go building without the construction plans. the closest I have is the example plan from newtons web site but i cant blow it up to read the fine print. the templates are from the dumas miss circus kit.
jezza

Jezza, have you considered contacting Dumas for a set of plans? Just don't tell them that their wood is "garbage". It is, but you really want to be polite. Another option would be to get a set of Roger Newton's plans for the boat you are building. Roger's plans are quite complete and include the scale color scheme as well.

Sure is nice to converse with builders for a change. ARF airplanes and ready to run boats turn me off!

I couldn't have said it better John. It IS more fun to talk to a builder, not a toy owner[sm=lol.gif]

thanks for the positive feedback guys I went down the dumas road but still no response. Have not tried newton yet but i received a set of plans via e mail of a hyrdomite micro hydroplane which has helped clear up a few grey areas.Hydro when you said all the long frames out of 1/8 do you mean to include the long sponson piece that forms the inside of the tunnel or is it just the stringers that form the ribs of the sponsons.Why are the transoms out of 1/4 is it because the hardware is attached to it.I think I am on the right track
jezza

Sorry for the double up but now i have a burning issue, Hydro how much difference is there in the structural design if I wanted to run gas as I went to a club meeting today and was impressed with the reliability and running cost and initial costs etc and the things really stepped out (all where off shore cats )instead of running nitro. Now that I have mentioned the G word should we move to the correct forum.

jezza ( even more confused than when I started )

The long pieces are called the sponson insides, and yes, they form the inside of the tunnel, as well as the inside of the sponson. The stringers are attached to the sponson inside as stiffeners and glueing surfaces, while the cross pieces are called frames. The frames are what give the boat it's shape. Yes, the 1/4 transoms are to handle the stress from the rudder and skid fin. If you had the directions, they say to use 1/8th ply for the transom and put in a 1/8th ply doubler. Considering how bad the supplied wood is, I wouldn't trust it for more than a turn or two.
As for going to a gas/petrol engine, you will need to widen the engine bay to about 17.5cm(7inches) to give enough room for the engine and exhaust. The problem with that is that the hull can't support that much weight or handle that much torque without rolling. If you want to go with a gas/petrol boat, you would be better off getting a set of plans from Newton Marine and enlarging them the 134%

Hello i have got Pic of plans if you email me on [email protected] i will send them to you im on Gold Coast Ps my name is Tony.

HEY i got pic of plans just email me i will send them to you [email protected] im on gold Coast my name is tony Jezz do you do carbon fiber????i no a Jezz that dose

1.5 mm ply is what I use. i laminate it with west system to get the thickness I require.
This is an internal ply used in houses and I get mine from Australian Timbers in OZ at around $50 for a 1200 x 2400 sheet. Makes for a very cheap boat build. I usually get three or for riggers from one sheet
Regards
Dave
www.salisburypipes.com