Before I build, I need . . . what?

[Mike Rook]

Decided I need to build a boat to figure some of this all out. You know, get my fingers stuck together, realize that if I'd only done "this" it would be better next time and all that. Plus, I need more than one to get some practice going round and round. I think I've settled on a boat; a Zippkit Tunnel as it 'seems' fairly easy for a first timer AND I just found a thread from 2021 when it was developed with the idea of getting new folks involved. BINGO! Here I am . . .

I've started meeting lots of folks in my area/district that have graciously offered plenty of help/support along the way. However, before I even get started are there some basics that I need in this endeavor? I read a lot about a FLAT surface to build on, this need to be square, that needs to be taped, clamp this, and .... well, you get the idea. Is there a source/thread (I've not found one) to use OR can you give me some basic ideas of tools/equipment I should have to get started? Or . . . I can open the box, read the instructions (3X because that's what I do) and figure out the tool thing as I go. And that would work too I suppose.

What makes a good building table? I've heard everything from plywood, MDF, a butcher block, doors, and pool table slates . . . but not a kitchen table. I do have a 6' kitchen counter/cabinents in my garage; not sure how flat it is but would that do the trick? Are there some basic tools . . . clamps, (I see a lot of those paper clips used!), squares, saws, etc.

I'm going to be out of town a few weeks and I'd like to get a 'shopping list' together while I'm gone so I can hit the ground running when I get back and get this show on the road with setting up a space and getting some fingers stuck together for the first time! (I suspect the finger thing is a given at some point knowing me)

Thank you . . .

 

[Mark Bullard]

Simple inside doors work very well, but don't clamp them down. Set them on a table with some 1" foam under it. This will keep the door straight. Now your counter will work if you check it. You will need a couple of good straight edges to check it. First one should be about 4' long. The another one would need to be about 6" less than the width of the counter top. Take the long one and stand it up on it's edge on the counter and look for low spots under the edge. If good turn it at an angle stopping short about 3 " from the back splash and 3" from the egge. The reason to stay away from the sides is there is a radis at the back splash and the front edge. Look for any low spots like before. Turn the other way and do the same thing. Now use the short one and check the width in many places looking for low spots. If the counter is not twisted in anyway to show low spots you should be good to go. If needed you can take the counter top lose and shim under it in the places that showed low. It just takes a little time.

 

[John Beardslee]

FYI, if you don’t have long straight edges a great tool to use is a floresent light bulb. They are some of the straightest and cheapest. Just roll it over the surface with a light source behind so you can see the gaps.

 

[Mike Hughes]

Some cheap clamps that I use all the time is the black paper clips. The ones that have the fold over handles on them. I have 2 sizes. Cheap and easy to get a box of them from office max.
https://www.officedepot.com/a/products/561339/Office-Depot-Brand-Binder-Clips-Medium/
Some where on this forum there is a thread on using PVC pipe to make large C style clamps.
https://www.intlwaters.com/threads/...-thunderboat-zippkit.82157/page-2#post-807742
Good sanding block. Since I am cheap, I use what I have available. A 1.5"x1.5"x6" block of wood. I get the sticky back 80 grit sanding disks and stick them to that.
https://www.amazon.com/POWERTEC-455...sticky+back+sand+discs&qid=1661900107&sr=8-22
A cheap set of 90 degree angles is helpful.
https://www.amazon.com/Boomgood-Mac...98657&sprefix=90+degree+sqaure,aps,134&sr=8-8
Some cheap weights. I have use bricks before and are cheap. Or CMU blocks. My favorite is lead shot in 6x6 zip loc bag. I double bag using 4mil bags to make sure I dont lose any.. Bought 50lbs years ago and broke it up into ten 5 bls bags. Work great to hold things down. Price kind of crazy for 50 bls these days thou. As is every thing.

Epoxy mixing cup - reuse tuna cans after you clean them out. They work awesome for small batches like we need for boat building. Buy yourself a small scale and do your mixing by weight. With a 3 to 1 ratio, I pour the hardener first and them multiply by 4. Then fill till you get that weight. So for a 5 to 1 would be 6x multipler. Here a link to the one I use.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00IZ1YHZK/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Some of the most used tools in my shop are my bandsaw and tabletop belt sander. Well worth it for investment.
Mike

 

[Mark Anderson]

Joe wrote very good instructions for that boat. Minimal tools will be required. I have built several of them through the development. I do use different materials and methods, but if you follow the instructions you will end up with a great boat. If you run into any questions, feel free to reach out.

 

[Mike Rook]

Joe wrote very good instructions for that boat. Minimal tools will be required. I have built several of them through the development. I do use different materials and methods, but if you follow the instructions you will end up with a great boat. If you run into any questions, feel free to reach

Why yes Mark . . . your comments in that now 24pg thread (I'm working on reading all 24) helped me decide that it would be a great introduction to model boat building as was one of the thoughts behind that development. I know there are lots of theories but I'm going to give it my best shot to be successful and not be 'that guy'.

 

[Mike Cathey]

Perhaps the first step might be to connect with your local club and ask around who the best constructors are (ie, the people who are building boats that have a good performance envelope) that live near you and hook up with them, check out their shops, building techniques and the vendors and products they use. I find that people are mostly helpful to newcomers and are willing to help them out. Your best source of help, knowledge and experience is going to come from the guys you race with.

One trap for new builders is the tendency to overbuild by using too many or too heavy of materials and excess epoxy (wipe up all excess epoxy, it's easier than sanding if off). Unless you are constructing battleships there isn't anything a model race boat (or for that matter plane, car, helicopter, ect.) won't do better the lighter it is. Acceleration, creeping slowly to the starting line, cornering and top speed are all affected by the weight of the boat.

I also see a lot of guys get bogged down building boats and lose interest. While you are building a new boat it can keep your mojo up if you get something used (that's a known quantity, not some eBay POS, and decent and not someone else's headache) and get out on the water having fun. By the time you bounce a used boat off of buoys and the beach learning to drive then hopefully your new construction won't have to go through that particular trauma.

 

[Hydro Junkie]

I wouldn't worry about being "that guy" as we all have been "that guy" at some point.
What I would worry about is building the boat straight/square and not twisted. Mark and both Mikes have given really good advice. Like Mike H, I have my "go to" tools:

• 14" band saw
• Dremel tools
• Ridgid horizontal belt/spindle sander

I'm sure, in time, you'll find tools that you go to first as well. The big thing to remember is that what works for me may not work for you. Same goes for my tools, I like one but someone else might hate it. That's just the way it goes

 

[Rich Jones]

All good advice here. Don’t forget to get yourself some wax paper, or you will glue your boat to your building surface. It doesn’t matter how careful you are, it will happen, especially with thin ca. Also, as mentioned by Mike Hughes, you can’t have enough clamps. You will find the use for all types and sizes, including things like the paper clips he mentioned. Harbor Freight is your friend if you have one close. The homemade pvc clamps are a godsend in certain situations too. I made mine off of a length of 3” pvc pipe, and cut them approx 1/4” thick. I wound up using my mitre saw outside because it makes an absolute mess. Some will use a band saw but I couldn’t get mine to cut straight. Cut a v shaped notch out of each ring you cut. Best of luck man!

 

[Grimracer]

My frame up bench is a sold core door. The door is screwed to the table and 5/8 sheet rock placed on top. Use a straight edge and paper shims to level the rock. take your time and make it dead flat. Once you have that the rest of your fixturing and tools will just fall into place.

Why sheetrock? You can cut on it.. paint it.. draw on it.. and for 20 bucks slap a new piece on as needed.

Pics are of 5 year old WELL USED rock on my frameup table.
https://michaelzaborowski.smugmug.com/Sig-Kougar/Grim

Is this rock ready to toss.. not yet.. filler, re-tape the edges and paint..

 

[Mike Rook]

Thanks so much for your generous thoughts, experiences and suggestions! I'm realizing just how generous everyone in this hobby is with their time and knowledge. I'm looking forward to continuing the journey and learning as I go. I have some great ideas to get me started and off the ground. I tend to over think things but as I read between the lines several of you are saying "stop! It's all good". Mike . . . I've been watching that SLR thread and never noticed (Iack of experience) the PVC clamps, and Grim . . . sheet rock? Both budget genius (my opinion). I'm putting my list together and will checking it twice so I can hit the ground running when I get back home in a few weeks!

 

[Mike Rook]

Don’t forget to get yourself some wax paper, or you will glue your boat to your building surface.

You know me all too well . . . . and I received some tips to have a fighting chance to unstick fingers without skin removal!

 

[Ray Sametz]

Pic of PVC clamps, 4 inch pipe. Make any size you need. I have at least 100 in different sizes, cheap too.

 

[Hydro Junkie]

Glued together fingers, been there and done that
What I found over the years is that if you do a neat build and don't over-apply the CA or epoxy, you normally won't have that problem. As someone said earlier, wipe off excess glue as soon as possible and refrain from slathering it on like BBQ sauce and you will find your boat will be lighter and you won't have skin stuck to it. It will also save you time and money since you won't be wasting time or sandpaper with unneeded sanding to remove the excess(Thank You Mr Cathey) and, what no one has said yet, epoxy isn't something you are going to want to waste. I use West Systems and, for a gallon sized can of just resin, it's $120 while the hardeners run roughly $70 for a quart sized can. These are prices listed on the Rockler Woodworking website, along with smaller sizes and accessories to make mixing and using epoxy easier. They also have MAS and System 3 adhesives in stock.

 

[bzubee]

All good advice here. Don’t forget to get yourself some wax paper, or you will glue your boat to your building surface. It doesn’t matter how careful you are, it will happen, especially with thin ca. Also, as mentioned by Mike Hughes, you can’t have enough clamps. You will find the use for all types and sizes, including things like the paper clips he mentioned. Harbor Freight is your friend if you have one close. The homemade pvc clamps are a godsend in certain situations too. I made mine off of a length of 3” pvc pipe, and cut them approx 1/4” thick. I wound up using my mitre saw outside because it makes an absolute mess. Some will use a band saw but I couldn’t get mine to cut straight. Cut a v shaped notch out of each ring you cut. Best of luck man!

Parchment paper works much better than wax paper

 

[Tom Foley]

And then you watch a video like this and wonder how important all that straight and square is lol. around the 1 minute mark , flex is real ! I like all my stuff to be straight as well .

 

[Mike Hughes]

You know me all too well . . . . and I received some tips to have a fighting chance to unstick fingers without skin removal!

ONE WORD.........ACETONE

 

[Ray Sametz]

And then you watch a video like this and wonder how important all that straight and square is lol. around the 1 minute mark , flex is real ! I like all my stuff to be straight as well .

Gluing your fingers together is one thing, but keep your toes, wear shoes.

 

[Samuel Hagan JR]

May not be a tool but patience. Do it right the first time. Don’t rush.

 

[J.J. Horvath]

If you are going to build more in the future, these two tools save huge amounts of time trimming sheeting.