My 1st Build (SLR Missile Thunderboat ZippKit)

[Rich Jones]

Everything looking good. I love the use of tabs to lock everything square with little effort. Great feature!

 

[Chuck Mason]

A few more steps complete. It is starting to take shape.

I need to mount the front pin support for the cowling then I am going to add the 1/4 strips to the bulkheads for the deck fastening. Also I need to make a Bulkhead (extra) up fnt on the nose to support the Teak strips or there will be no CURVE to the deck center. I will post a few shots once I have the deck sorted out. I did weigh the strips and the original Deck pieces and I am adding just a little extra to the boat.

 

[Rich Jones]

A few more steps complete. It is starting to take shape.
View attachment 299902 View attachment 299903
I need to mount the front pin support for the cowling then I am going to add the 1/4 strips to the bulkheads for the deck fastening. Also I need to make a Bulkhead (extra) up fnt on the nose to support the Teak strips or there will be no CURVE to the deck center. I will post a few shots once I have the deck sorted out. I did weigh the strips and the original Deck pieces and I am adding just a little extra to the boat.

Looking good man! Don’t for get to get your floatation in before the decks go on. Get a pool noodle or 2. The kind that don’t soak up water. You can then cut and stuff.

 

[Ray Sametz]

If you cut the pool noodles, hit the cut with a torch to reseal. Will absorb water were cut!

 

[Chuck Mason]

flotation in before the decks go on.

Thank you for that for sure I will be adding flotation, I did order the 2 part sealed cell foam that Scott? uses 5M Perf.
on his Videos

torch to reseal

That sounds like a good plan for sure.
If I use the float-E noodles I will for sure.

Trying not to be over the top with my mumbling in my thread I have two items to ask about..
1. Radio Box (ITS HUGE)
2. Servo locations. . .
experience is the best teacher And you all have Much more than I.
..... I don't want to lose my servos
I am thinking putting my water-Proof servos closer to the Rudder, as well as the Servo Carb
so
do I need to put them into a radio box.
IF I DON'T,
I can save extra weight that I am using on the decking.
a super small waterproof box would save lots of weight, only receiver and batteries. ?
They are the 7.4 Volt units (w/receiver FlySky) and Spektrum Batt....

 

[Hydro Junkie]

I would put them in a box since I've found that nothing is waterproof, regardless of what the manufacturer says. Others may have had better experiences with this, but my thought is better to put in the extra protection and not need it than to take a chance on losing the boat due to a servo that isn't sealed properly.

 

[Rich Jones]

I’m assuming the box goes between the 2nd and 3rd bulkhead from the rear. Your steering servo will go toward the rear. The throttle will go toward the front. I like mounting mine on their sides using aluminum mounts. Here’s a pic or two of the Backlash box which is a similar place to where yours will be. I used a cable type setup for the throttle and I really like it. Zipp kits has them if you want to check them out. Long story short, ALL radio gear will fit in your box just fine. Do what you want, just saying.

 

[osracer]

Your doing a lot of extra work by adding the strips and extra bulkhead. These are not necessary and ad weight that is also not good. If you are planning on racing light is good. Almost all of these boats are going the same speed at the end of the straight. The guys that win are cornering faster and accelerating harder. Weight makes a difference. Your idea of a smaller box and waterproof servo’s is a good one.

 

[Chuck Mason]

planning on racing light is good

Thank You OS racer You are most assuredly heard, This, being my 1st build is all about the learning curve and the build itself. I do have plans and 2 other kits once I get a good learnin under my belt from you all. For now its for Fun and stay in a lane.

 

[osracer]

It’s all about fun if your a racer or a fun runner. Joe builds his boats for the so that they can be used for either one without any major changes. Enjoy the ride and have fun.
Bill

 

[Rob Ellis]

Hey Chuck - it's RobNHood from RCGroups. Love the build. Take your time on the deck and use the great tips posted here. Normal clamps can be used in some places but the complex curves at the front are a pain. The PVC clamps look like a great idea. I hot glued some wood cleats onto the deck so I can have to parallel surfaces so the clamps didn't move. Still had gaps. Tried cutting little dowels to tie the deck into the bulkheads below - epoxy acts like a lubricant so they slip right out - even drilling undersized.

Do a dry run before mixing epoxy to make sure you can get the down down. But it's far less important than the bottom. Because you are planking yours like I am, any imperfections on the ply deck can be fixed by sanding the high spots and filling the low spots. Using a stiff foam sanding block like the body shops use will help a ton.

Now I wanna get my butt in gear and finish mine.

Rob

 

[Chuck Mason]

Anyone who has looked at other SLR builds should have seen this one and it is quite the build IMHO.

RobNHood

is building a planked boat and has reached the deck now that the sides and transoms are Complete. His boat is from a different Forum and is a work of art, "with permission" I will post a few Pics
For me, intlwaters will always be my Go-To Forum
2 part sealed cell marine flotation Poly arrived so I have a float-abled nose. will post up the mess I made later.
Always Smiling

 

[Chuck Mason]

So far I have only used 30min epoxy can you guys explain what and how you are using
CA ? is that ? what is the most common type you all use?

 

[Rob Ellis]

Yikes - don't think my boat lives up to that high bar - but thank you and yes you can post pics of it.

I prefer to use Epoxy for structural elements - it's more shock proof than CA. I was told to not use anything less than 30min as it breaks down in water.

For the planking I use medium CA.
- I practiced on a scrap to get the hang of it. Be sure to stagger the end joints. I like a random stagger, then it doesn't have to be perfect.
- get a good Zona saw and hobby miter box to get clean square cuts
- sort plank strips by tone/color - I think it looks better with somewhat consistent tones
- I mark outline of where plank will go in pencil on the plywood deck
- trim plank as needed for good fit - the tighter the joints the better it will look.
- flow on a bead of CA on the deck only, spray the underside of the plank with kicker and carefully yet quickly position it along the long edge and to the end of the previous plank. Hold it firmly for about 5-10 secs until kicker goes off.
- have a bottle of CA debonder handy
- I use good fitting nitrile gloves - after gluing myself to the boat and facing the thunderous laughter from my wife and daughter when I asked her to get me the bottle of debonder from the garage.
- Sometimes popcicle sticks help to hold down a longer strip

There is a guy in New Jersey that sells nice plank strips in different widths and Pat Tritle on RCGroups has an amazing thread on planking that I read thru before doing mine. I'll try to find links to those and post.

Once you get the plywood deck on, it really starts to look like a boat!

Rob

 

[Rich Jones]

So far I have only used 30min epoxy can you guys explain what and how you are using
CA ? is that ? what is the most common type you all use?

I sent you a pm with a pic of what I use. CA is short for Cyanoacrylate. Commonly known as superglue. I really don’t know whose is better or worse but I’ve been using Balsa USA Gold CA for a long time. Another common one you see is Bob Smith Industries with the purple label. Many times the name of the hobby store or whoever else is on the label with this stuff. I don’t know what your hobby store situation is there but Hobby Lobby or a woodworker store like Rockler will get you by in a pinch if you need that day.

 

[Hydro Junkie]

Never heard of epoxy breaking down if it's under 30-minute. Then again, many epoxies take at least 24 hours to totally cure so that just doesn't seem right that a 15-minute epoxy, for example, won't hold up to water. Then again, I use West Systems and it's actually made for use in a marine environment, so I don't think I really need to worry about it not handling water anyway.
Rich, Rockler will do a lot more than get you by in a pinch. That place carries two brands of epoxy, CA, wood glues, clamps of all shapes and sizes and a whole lot more. The store in North Seattle is my "go to" in many cases for that very reason

 

[Rich Jones]

Never heard of epoxy breaking down if it's under 30-minute. Then again, many epoxies take at least 24 hours to totally cure so that just doesn't seem right that a 15-minute epoxy, for example, won't hold up to water. Then again, I use West Systems and it's actually made for use in a marine environment, so I don't think I really need to worry about it not handling water anyway.
Rich, Rockler will do a lot more than get you by in a pinch. That place carries two brands of epoxy, CA, wood glues, clamps of all shapes and sizes and a whole lot more. The store in North Seattle is my "go to" in many cases for that very reason

You’re definitely right about Rockler. For me it takes 45 min to drive over to the closest store so I guess I always have that in the back of my mind and for a quick hit on items like glue it’s not so quick. But if I’m in a pinch and need it today I’ll drive over and once I’m in there, it’s a solid couple hours salivating over machinery etc…

 

[Hydro Junkie]

and once I’m in there, it’s a solid couple hours salivating over machinery etc…

I know and, unfortunately, so does the wife. Every time I mention going to the "toy store", she cringes because she knows I'm talking Hobbytown USA or Rockler. Either way, they cost money. When I refer to ordering on line, she knows it's Micromark or Tower, meaning even more money. I'm looking at placing a $700+ order so guess who's going to need some serious Jack Daniel's Honey Whiskey?

 

[Rich Jones]

Yeah it’s not too difficult to tally up 700.00 over at Micromark! Been there done that!

 

[Hydro Junkie]

It doesn't help when two items total almost $550. The first is this little chop saw, only $270 each and then add a $26 fine tooth blade

And the second being a 1:350 scale model of my home away from home for two years that also runs around $270

And to think, I'd still have to order the photo-etched set at $400 to do it up right
https://www.micromark.com/KA-Models...217.526077818.1643153827-660632146.1643153827