Thread: Aquarama

Cut pilot holes in the floor to get some bearings on the prop tube instal.
Opened up the angled through holes with the small router bit on the Dremel. That left some pretty rough holes.
Used the round file to smooth out the bore. The File is almost exactly the diameter of the prop tubes.
Used the adjustable bevel set at 18 deg to maintain the file angle of attack. Straight ahead is checked on the inside surface of the floor logs, if the holes are in the middle of the logs then they are straight ahead.

111.jpg

117.jpg

Checked the fitting of the tubes against the 18 deg template I made.


119.jpg

The tubes were covered in vasaline and set in epoxy filler. The tubes are then withdrawn after the resin had set and holes checked again. If deviation was needed then re file the holes and re set he tubes. I had to do this a number of times before I was happy with the alignment of both tubes to the hull and to each other.

I have received 3 deliveries from England with seats, metal work and windscreen etc. Got two SSS 1500kva motors today. The stuff is almost too good to put on the boat. Pics to come.

I have to make the bow fender rails from Huon and cut in the chrome bow fair-lead next.

I love this job. I think I need a bigger boat!

This is an excellent read. I’ve just done it on a larger scale.

Glad someone is following my misadventures, what scale did you build Riverbuilder. Any pics?

Onto doing the upper forward fender rails.
Huon pine again, I love that stuff.

I had to make a few templates in cardboard and then ply before I took to the pine.

122.jpg

I even save all of the scraps of Huon. One side loose fitted.

123.jpg

All glued on ready for fine sanding. Very tricky to clamp these boards down.. Compound curve, tapered Th and Wdth with a twist. Sounds like a high dive!

I used spots of CA and PVA beside each other for quick assembly and strength.

129.jpg

Cutting in the bow fair-lead block and vent next.

The fair-lead is cast and chromed in three separate pieces so I will have to find a way to assemble them and keep them together while I am making a mortise into the bow to fit it. I think maybe CA with some glass spheres to thicken it.

hmmmmm?

I am sure many of us are avidly following this thread. I myself am thoroughly enjoying seeing the boat come together.

Full sized actually,I’ve uploaded a few pictures to my profile page album, but I am not proficient enough to provide a link ����♂️, have built wood models in the past they are easier because you don’t have to climb up and down a ladder or steps when you want something

Wow! Full size.

Model or the real boat?

Either way that is impressive. I would love to see it.

The bow fair-lead was delivered in three separate castings. After making the joining edges true with a stone I then glued the fiddly bits together with CA and micro spheres. A jig was made to position the pieces together for assembly.. I should have shared a photo of that as it is tricky and may help someone down the track. But I did not, slipped my mind.

The quality of the fair-lead castings from Amati" in Italy is not as nice as I wished but it is nearly impossible to get one anywhere else. I don't know what I would do if I was building a bigger scale?

Anyway the assembled fair-lead was positioned on the front of the boat and I scribed around it with a sharp knife. The bow fenders were mortised with sharp carving knives, a 1/2inch chisel and a small new file.

131.jpg

133.jpg

135.jpg

I had to relieve under the bow a bit with a block to get the fitting flush as I could.

138.jpg

The part was then fixed into place with epoxy and held in place with masking tape.

The bush fires and drought around here has been awful this month, worst on record. If you know a firefighter - thank him they are all super heroes.

A problem maybe someone can help me with?

As I progress with this project I have been running around in circles with an upcoming problem.

The original boat had Stainless Steel rubbing strips screwed to both side of the boat from the bow fair-lead to the transom. Also there is one around the spray wing around the back of the boat. It looks like from photos I have it was made from some sort of D section SS or might be concave half round. Looks like 50 to 70mm wide.

I am having trouble getting something for my project that looks and performs like the original. The suppliers of some of the metal stuff for the boat "Amati" in Italy used to supply some metal strips but no longer supply that part.

My parts suppler suggested "Evergreen" half round Styrene strips 3mm by 300mm long to be glued drilled painted and tacked to the side of the boat. I think that is tacky - excuse the pun. The styrene would have to be painted and I think would look pretty ordinary after a bit of use.

I have tried metal suppliers all round the net, have written to some and cannot come up with a suitable product.
I can get half round brass strips but the thinnest I can get is 12mm and I think I should go no bigger than 5mm wide given my project is 1:10 scale.

It would be much appreciated if anyone could come up with a viable suggestion...

Could you rout/carve a groove and insert stainless steel wire half way?

9D942961-3E17-4988-A377-5C3D838498AC.jpg

I did consider that thanks Lappa, but I don't think I have the skill to run a neat routed groove for such a distance over a complicated curve like the side of the boat. A jig would have to be made to follow the sheerline as well as the side curve of the hull hmmmm - complicated.

If I could it would be a great idea, I could use some polished alum round and that would look great. I could pre drill the alum and put some brass pins in it to simulate brass screws.

Probably beyond me, I will have to do something though. maybe if I could pass the alum rod through a tool to half round it?

Thanks again for your input.

Duke

I would not ordinarily suggest this, but without the correctly sized material being available, would you consider taking some round bar and cutting it in half longitudinally? You would probably have to have a slitting saw and rig up a fence on a drill press. I would see two potential dangers. Firstly brass is a little difficult to cut as it tends to grab so multiple small passes would be advisable (we are only talking 5mm or maybe 6mm or 7/8mm depending on the thickness of the slitting saw to allow for the loss of material in the cutting). The other would be to keep the round bar in the same plane during cutting. although this would become easier as the cut progresses. If you already have the gear or most of it, you could experiment as to the feasibility of this on a short length.

As I type, a solution to the first problem could be to glue (epoxy?) a small flat length of timber to the brass stock and cut from the other side. This timber could then easily be removed after the bar had been cut as the glue contact area would be minimal, particularly after the cut was complete.

Great build.

Regards
Paul

PS: I have said brass as you suggested, but it could be any metal once you go down this path: Aluminium, stainless etc.

Could you route a half-round slot in a piece of flat wood or MDF to hold a piece of Al wire. Glue the wire in with a soluble glue then run it through a thicknesser to bring it down to half-round. Probably easier to drill for the brass pins while it's still glued into the backing, then remove the wire by dissolving the glue.

Just a thought experiment.

I would suggest using brass and then chroming it to suit, after you have formed it up.
I (my father) did this when restoring an old plywood mouldcraft boat and it looked pretty swish.

This site in the UK sells smaller sections that might suit, might be a little narrow but it suggests similar is available.

Site for brass 1/2 round up to 3mm
Brass D Section - Half Round (Beading) - Eileens Emporium | 01531 828009
This site goes down to 9.53mm
https://www.edconsteel.com.au/buy-st...-round/brass-1

Hamilton Chrome in Newcastle or Just Chrome Parts in Tamworth might assist you with chroming.


However I think that D setion is probably more appropriate than 1/2 round, but that probably means custom extrusion or manufacture/machining.
You could enquire if a machine shop could cut down a length of 1/2" round rod (stainless or brass) lengthways to provide your required profile.
Or use square strip and route the sides to simulate the d section (probably brass only if you try it at home)

Good luck.

Thanks for the ideas me shipmates, some good suggestions there. That gives me some direction.

The links to suppliers are good but the sizes 3mm and 9.5mm I think are just shy of 5-6 I want. I am aiming for about 1:10 ratio but it is exactly the material I want.

The idea of fashioning round to half round seems feasible. My son has a milling machine and maybe he could rig up something. I could use the idea of mounting rod in wood and then giving it to him to mill. He is 1000 klms away so that is a bit difficult. He is visiting over the Christmas break so we might chuck a few ideas around then.

Good idea of chroming it after shaping the material at Newcastle, never though of that and they are just down the road.