Big day today... I cut the Corbie 5 IOM hull off of the alignment jig! Phew... First I sanded the third coat of epoxy that I added yesterday. Then I used my waterline marking jig to mark the waterline. The waterline should be perfectly horizontal if you've used the frames properly. The manual indicates that it start 15mm aft of the back of the bumper, and run to 3mm forward of the stern. My tool holds a pen at an angle, and when it gets to flat areas like the stern it doesn't do as well as on more vertical surfaces. So I started at 15mm from the bow frame and ran it aft. It ended up about 14mm fwd of the stern, but that is due to my jig. I'll adjust slightly before I paint it on. In this first picture you can see how it doesn't work as well. Yes, the cap is on... I'm not actually marking it yet.  Here you can see where it works much better and more accurately. Then it was time to remove the hull! TA DA! This is after I cleaned up the insides. I did...

Well after a couple months of considering, 3D modeling, and pondering, I've finally started to plank my Corbie 5 IOM. I'm using western red cedar that I milled myself to 8mm x 3mm x 1100mm. There's an accent strip just below the gunwale of Alaskan yellow cedar. My biggest unknown is how I'm going to taper the planks. The manual suggests that I use a small plane, but I've never had much luck with them. My go-to has usually been my stationary sander. So for these first three planks, I simply ran each set of two planks over the sander many times until I had what felt to be a decent taper. To be sure, I'll have to monitor and adjust how it's going, so fingers crossed! The manual also suggests that I use carpenter's glue. While I like Titebond, it's working time isn't long enough, and it's not as waterproof as I'd like, so I'm using epoxy (WEST System 105/205) instead. Epoxy has a much longer working time, it's completely waterpr...

This morning, after I sanded the second coat almost completely off, I still had a few low spots that just weren't filled enough. Soooo... will do a third coat and tomorrow I'll sand that one off too. However, to ensure that I will truly fill the low spots, I did some spot filling on just those areas that needed it. Then a few hours later, I added a third coat to the entire hull. I also added some additional thickened epoxy to the fillet at the full/fin joint. Here is how it looked after the sanding and the spot filling: Here it is after the third coat has been added... Tomorrow, I'll sand it for, hopefully, a last time, and then I may be able to cut it free from the strongback. Aloha!

Wow... it's always an amazing experience to see how the hull colors come out when you fiberglass the cedar! Today was a huge day for the new Sun Wind II. I finished, faired, and fiberglassed all day! I added the final planks this morning, and let them cure. Then I faired the hull, and now I've added the fiberglass. Phew... Here's the hull after fairing and sanding... Make sure it's well wiped off. Then drape the fiberglass over the hull. I made a slit so that the cloth would slip over the fin. Trim the fiberglass cloth so that there is only about an inch or so of excess cloth below the sheer line. Then also make a slit at the bow. Smooth the cloth over the hull and see how it easily conforms to the hull shape. Make sure  you like how it sits, as it's hard to move it once it's wetted out with epoxy. Then gather your fiberglassing tools. I really only use a small, very flexible yellow epoxy squeegee thing. I've used it for kayaks and R...

In my previous boats, I've always used an aluminum mast (and a carbon fiber one on the Tippecanoe T37). For this Vintage Marblehead High Flyer Sun Wind II though, in keeping with the tradition of the 1940's/1950's, I thought it would be fun to attempt a wooden mast. This is my first try! People on the innertubes seem to agree that spruce is the best. So I went to my local lumber yard (NOT a big box place either... but one that knows wood better), and bought two sticks of what they said was spruce. However, once I started milling it, I'm now not totally sure what I bought. I think that it probably is spruce, but after reading online about the differences, it may actually be pine. Even if it is pine, at least one smart guy online says that he prefers it for his mast anyway. So... whatever! I'm calling it spruce. It has some very small knots in it, and is very whitish. The pine I've used in the past has been a bit more yellow. I milled out 8' strips that ...

Making very slow, steady progress on the planking. Can really only add one plank per side, per day. Sigh... Epoxy takes too long to cure. Peace!

Big step today! I assembled and epoxied the frames for the Sun Wind II RC sailboat! First, I drilled out the rudder tube hole with a 5/32" bit. The gap that is designed into the aft rudder tube keel assembly easily guided the bit through the slot and simply widened the sides a tad. You can now see that the rectangular opening is now a circular hole. The 5/32" brass rudder tube will easily epoxy into it later on.  Then started on the frame assembly by epoxying the frames down onto the strongback. Then added epoxy to all the slots on both the frames and on the fin and keel assemblies. They all slipped together pretty well after a little adjusting and persuasion. Here is how it all looks while it cures. In this image you can see a rubber band holding up the half-frame (Frame 4.5), otherwise it would slip out. The planks clamped to the sides are to keep Frame 4.5 aligned with the other frames. In this image you can see the first use on this boat of the rubber ...

Tonight I only had to finish the aft rudder tube keel assembly, and then add Frame 0 to the forward keel piece. Easy jobs. In the picture below, you can barely see the hole for the rudder tube. The idea in this assembly is that the rudder tube fits in a gap created between "Keel piece #2" and "Keel piece #3". That gap is held open by two side pieces that are perfectly aligned by running 1/8" stock through the two alignment holes in back of the gap, and the three holes in front of the gap. In the picture below, you can see the stock protruding from the front alignment holes. Then frame 9 will slip into the slot you can see just in front of the assembly.  When planked, this rudder tube assembly will be extremely strong and yet relatively light. Much better than trying to carve a solid piece of wood and fit it to the bottom and then accurately drill a hole through it. Ugh... been there. This way, the hole is perfectly aligned, and perfectly straight. Tomorro...

This weekend I was able to get several small, but necessary, steps done on the full build of the Sun Wind II RC sailboat. The three double-frames are all laminated, and the remaining frames are clear-coated with epoxy. The fin was entirely laminated, shaped and fiberglassed. The rudder was laminated but still needs to be shaped. The aft rudder tube keel assembly was laminated. The three aft pieces are held in perfect alignment by two alignment holes that you stick 1/8" stock through and epoxy in place. I'll later sand them flush. The idea is that the keel piece that is just forward of this assembly will align to the forward three alignment holes and leave a 5/32" gap for the future rudder tube to go through. It's upside down on the table so that the flat top edges can be used to help keep it in alignment while it cures. Next, I still need to finish the aft keel glue-up, as well as gluing frame 0 to the forward keel piece. But then ...

A NOTE ABOUT GLUE: If you read some of my earlier posts regarding my mock-up test hull, you'll know that I often used Titebond II to glue things instead of epoxy. That was because that boat was never going to see water. This time I am almost exclusively using epoxy. This is the real deal boat and will be sailed, so a waterproof adhesive is required. Specifically I'm using WEST System 105/205. Read more about it here .    ------------------------------------------------------------------ I started to laminate the fin tonight. Just the inner core made from 1/8" plywood, and then the first side of ply #2 made out of 1/16" plywood. You need to take extra caution on the first three or four ply's so that it remains really flat. The last few ply's you can stop using the 3/4" MDF form, but use it for the first several. Use the excess epoxy: Then use the extra epoxy to clear coat some of the frames. Between laminating the fin and rudder, you can easily ...

I am using WEST System® epoxy for this boat, but I’ve also had great experiences with System Three®. Whatever brand you use, be sure to stick with it. Never mix and match resins from one company and hardener from another. Stick to one brand and follow their instructions. Specifically, I am using WEST System® Group ‘A’ size cans of 105 resin with their 205 hardener. This epoxy uses a 5:1 ratio of resin to hardener; therefore, you’ll buy a quart of 105 resin and a much smaller tin of 205 hardener. They are usually sold together. Using the WEST System® Mini Pumps: (They still actually put out a lot of epoxy!) I use their ‘ Mini Pump ’ kit which includes measuring pumps for each can. They are easy to set up and use, and will dispense the proper 5:1 ratio. CAUTION : System Three uses a 2:1 ratio, and some brands use a 3:1 ratio. Furthermore, each brand has its own ratios and you must follow them carefully! READ the directions closely for your brand. I assume you are using WEST Syst...

The planking was finished this morning, and by this afternoon I was able to sand it and add some 1.4 oz. fiberglass. This is a mock-up, half-built hull to check for fit and fairness. I purposely didn't fiberglass the entire half hull so that it could serve as a demonstration for my school. Should be fun to look at! Will trim the excess glass this evening, and then tomorrow will cut it off of the base and take it to school. Tomorrow I will attempt to turn some wood that I glued up on a lathe. Hoping to make a male mold for the lead bulb. Not sure how that will go as I'm crappy at turning. Fingers crossed! Peace! Thanks for visiting RC Model Yachts. This site focuses on the art of building radio control wooden sailboats. See the links to my other wood radio controlled sailboat pages for more resources, model yacht groups, rules, suppliers, and more.