1/8th Scale U-95 Hydro.

[785boats]

Thanks Scott.
But I've got no where to put it. I've got to sell some boats. There's no room to move in the workshop anymore. And there's precious little room on the workbench to build.
All the best.
Paul.

[785boats]

Well I hope you all had a Merry Christmas. Now it's just the New Years festivities to get through safely.

Last night I did what I'd been dreading every time I thought of it.
I had to cut the nose & the tail off the cowling so they could be fixed to the hull.
Surprisingly, all went well & the resulting joins look OK.

So they were epoxied on to the hull & the underside nose piece was also installed.
Then all the dings, scratches & chips were filled with Auto blade putty and sanded ready for sealing.
Here's a couple of pics.

Cheers.
Paul.

[Scott T]

Thanks Scott.
But I've got no where to put it. I've got to sell some boats. There's no room to move in the workshop anymore. And there's precious little room on the workbench to build.
All the best.
Paul.

That's why we have dining tables and kitchen benches!

[785boats]

So that's what they're for Scott.
I always had a feeling that it was an urban myth about them being used for food & social gatherings. A whole new world opens up now that you've shown me the light.

[785boats]

Just a quick catchup on the last few days. Not much really.
Firstly, I've given the whole boat a coat of Epoxy sealer.
I've added some 1/32 ply stiffeners to the ends of the cowl sections. Then a tongue was added the front of the cowl to locate it to the fixed section. And then a tongue was added to the rear fixed section to support & locate the rear of the cowl.
A fastener will be needed there, also either side of the air intakes. So I ordered some of these. Nice & streamline & won't spoil the scale look.

http://www.dzusfasteners.net/products/Steel-Buttons-with-springs.html

Then I made up the tail fin brace from some 440 threaded rod, a couple of aircraft clevises and some aliminium tubing over the rod for the bling factor. The brace sits in a slot at the top of the centre fin & will be glued into place after the hull is painted. The clevises are fixed to the transom with screws.

A couple of brackets were made to fix the ends of the wing to the side fins, & the wing is screwed down into the centre fin with 40mm screws. The wing is adjustable to both positive & negative by a few degrees each way.

Old mate Trev at our club gave me a turn fin from a 36" Whiplash kit to try so I made up a bracket for that & temporarily fitted it. Looks about right to me. I'll have to pay him for it when he lets me know the cost.

The only other thing I've done is set up & dry fit the rudder.
Once I set up the servo bracket & servo I can strip it all down & glue in the strut & start painting.

Oops. I just remembered, I'll have to drill the holes for the safety loop & the water outlets first. I hate drilling into a finished painted hull.

So here's a few pics to make it all clear.
Have a safe New Year.
Paul.

[785boats]

Can any one offer a picture of the dashboard or gauge layout for this, or a similar hull, of the era.

I've searched the web to the best of my ability, which is pretty limited, & can't find anything. I've also contacted the Hydroplane & Raceboat Museum. They've helped me out on a couple of things but not this one yet.

Any help would be appreciated.

Cheers.
Paul.

[CornelP]

Try this:

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/s...0864&showall=1

Very long read, but it has images like the one below...

[785boats]

Thanks for that CP.
What a great site.
I've had a quick partial glance through. Some fantastic photos & links on that site. Plenty of shots of the dashboard on vintage wooden boats & shovel nose hydros.
Haven't found anything on the one I'm looking for yet. But I'll keep looking through.

[785boats]

It's been a while since posted anything but that's because I haven't done anything for a few weeks. I hate it when 'real life' gets in the way of building model boats.

Firstly, the Dzus fasteners arrived & they were much bigger than I remember them from years ago. Too big to look right. So I opted for some wooden blocks with a 3/16" nylock nut recessed into the underside & then the blocks recessed into the hull with the splash guards sitting flush. Then a mushroom head bolt was used to fasten the cowlng down. That was for the front. The rear was the same principal but the wooden block was glued to the underside of the rear fixed cowl.

I've also added the 8mm safety loop connectors , as required for racing in Australia.
I'm trying out a set of these.

http://www.espritmodel.com/jeti-afc-anti-spark-connectors-8mm-300a.aspx

The two water outlets have been added & they exit the hull behind the left sponson.

The last thing I've done is to add some foam under the exhaust outlets & carved out the openings. I'll add some fiber glassin there & then carve most of the foam away. The holes will also be blocked off inside the cowl.

The whole thing has also had a couple of coats of primer/filler & sanded back almost ready for paint.

The weather has not been good for painting for a while now. Either too windy, too humid, or too wet (as in floods).

Here's a few pics

[785boats]

Due to some good weather & some time off work I've finally managed to rattle some cans & paint the bottom of this boat. Also did the cowl too.
A guy by the name of Pete at the Hydroplane & Raceboat Museum sent me over a pic of the original dashboard. Love it.
I've also found a driver to replicate Leif Borgensen.
More painting today if the wind stays down.

Happy Easter.
Paul.

[785boats]

Just finished the paint on the top deck . Came out all right.

I forgot to say in the previous post that my sister created some decals of the dashboard for me.
Here's some pics.

[Hydro111]

Looking great Paul, can't wait to see it run.

[nobbiworld]

Paul, looking good. I have been painting my U-4 and Artie's shovel today. Both are looking good for a run in mid May. Will be great fun and quite a spectial on our track. Steve

[785boats]

Thanks guys.

I can't wait either Chris.

There's quite a fleet now Steve. At least 6 that I can think of.
I've got this week off & I'm aiming to have it on the water at this Sundays' practice day. Hopefully. All depends on how far I get with the detailing.

[Scott T]

Coming along really nicely Paul!!

What type of paint did you use? The finish looks quite good.