Chop’s PT Boat

[Chop]

O.K., this is my first attempt at building a boat from a kit, and my first scale boat as well. I just wanted something that was a little different than your usual “race boat.”

The model is a Lindberg Limited Edition PT-109. I don’t know if I will keep the 109 designation – it’s probably been way overdone. Maybe I’ll do PT-73 from McHale’s Navy??? Or PT-694, the real designation of the boat used in the action shots for McHale’s Navy.

The hull and parts are plastic.

Powder for the craft will be provided by 2 M.A.C.K. Products 3150 brushed motors (12v, 4.5 amps – max.) and the ESC is a Proboat Riptide (Continuous Maximum Current: 40 amps, 4-10 cells, w/ BEC & reverse)

The Photos are the parts out of the box and the beginning stages of construction.

[Jimmy Sterling]

Can I ask where you got the kit from

Thanks
Jimmy

[Chop]

From Mack Products.

Seems like a pretty good store. You can't order on-line though, but if you call you can talk to them and ask questions. You can then order over the phone.

[Chop]

Deck

The deck of these boats were made of wood. From what I understand much of the boat was in order to save steel. The picture on the cover clearly shows this. I was not sure how I could transform the green plastic into wood without too much work. I finally settled on a wood grained shelf liner picked up at the local building supply store. I think with a good layer of polyurethane it should seal pretty well.

It doesn't look too bad either.

[lomdel]

Try adding some closely spaced deck joining lines along the length of that deck. It'll look like real teak decking. major challenge to get the lines spaced evenly. Maybe score them with a scoring tool or blunt knife and fill the small grooves with black paint and wipe off residue... Or just draw them on with a felt tipped fine liner.

[lomdel]

Also read Pat Tritle's article " How to weather model boats " in the Winter 2009 issue of RC Boat Modeller p.52 - 54 for some great ideas to get that scars-of-life look on the battleship.

[Chop]

Okay, worked on the boat today w/my son. Lots of parts put together on the deck. Did some painting as well. Some work on the deck needs to be completed.

The first picture shoes some sub assemblies (the hull, deck and hatch) put together.

Second is a shot of details on the deck and hatch.

Third is a look at the back of the boat.

[Chop]

Lots of the "detail" work is nearly complete.

[Chop]

A couple of concerns here.

1) How far should the prop’s be from the rudder and the end of the stuffing tube?

2) Is the motor location critical? I know that I need to keep the C.O.G. in mind, but as long as I keep it in the ball park I can fine tune with the battery location. This is a 29.5” mono so I should keep it at 27 (7.8") to 30% (8.7") from the transom.

3) Rudders and all connecting hardware is PLASTIC. I would think that I should have new parts made out of aluminum(?) or something else to make them more durable. The penetration through the hull is a plastic tube. If the rudder is aluminum I think that there is enough room to put a sleeve in it so there is metal on metal rather than metal on plastic.

MACHINISTS OUT THERE???

[Chop]

A couple of concerns here.

1) How far should the prop’s be from the rudder and the end of the stuffing tube?

2) Is the motor location critical? I know that I need to keep the C.O.G. in mind, but as long as I keep it in the ball park I can fine tune with the battery location. This is a 29.5” mono so I should keep it at 27 (7.8") to 30% (8.7") from the transom.

ANYONE???

I'll try to make the rudders myself with K&S parts and solder them.

Pic. shows plastic rudder at top, and what will be the new rudder(s) on the bottom.

[Chop]

Rudder

Worked on the rudder(s) today. They should be more durable than the plastic ones that came with the kit. All made out of K&S tubing. Also made it small enough that I have a brass sleeve through the hull.

[Chop]

A couple of concerns here.

1) How far should the prop’s be from the rudder and the end of the stuffing tube?

2) Is the motor location critical? I know that I need to keep the C.O.G. in mind, but as long as I keep it in the ball park I can fine tune with the battery location. This is a 29.5” mono so I should keep it at 27 (7.8") to 30% (8.7") from the transom.

Come on guy's, just lookin' for a little help here.

[Viking]

109

Hi Chop;
Nice job on the rudders, I am still running the plastic rudders that came with the boat.
This was the first project boat my sons and I built 30 years ago. It came with a 400 size motor and some plastic gears to spin both shafts.
I built stuffing tubes of brass and used 1/8" brass rod for the shafts. I put a short piece of 1/8" inside diameter tube in each end of the next size larger tube, and soldered them in place, this drastically reduced the contact area of the shafts in the stuffing tubes. I also added oiling risers so I could oil the shafts. I threaded the end of the shafts and used a counter rotating brass props. I put a nut on the shaft then the prop and another nut and jamed them against each other, this was before nylon stop nuts and locktite.
The props would be quite close to the rudders, you have the motors where I have mine, I built an aluminum bulkhead to mount the motors in and glued it where the plastic bulkhead went.
Good job so far. You can see my PT109 here www.dickieeng.com/PT-109-RC-Model.html
Viking

[Chop]

Prop location

Thanks for the info Viking.

Since no one else seems to want to help out here, I will take a guess locate the motors so that the props end up as they are shown in the attached photo, about 1/8" from the end of the stuffing tube.

[Chop]

Hi Chop;
Nice job on the rudders, I am still running the plastic rudders that came with the boat.
This was the first project boat my sons and I built 30 years ago.
Viking

If the plastic ones lasted 30 years maybe I didn't have to go through all the work to make mine.
I must say that I like the looks of mine better though.