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!

Got the keel braces epoxied in. They butt up against the fin to transfer the load of the fin onto the frames and hull planking. The entire 10 lbs. of the fin bulb will put a lot of leverage on the top of the fin, which only extends into the hull less than 2". What the braces do is to lock the top of the fin at the edges of the slots so that the top of the fin is completely anchored to the frames. There is little chance of the top of the fin now breaking from the frames. I'm hoping that the three doubled frames with additional keel braces is enough to transfer that load. In the bilge, frame 5 is now 1/2" thick! And frames 4, 4.5, and 6 are all 3/8" thick. At this point, I'm actually quite confident that this arrangement will work. It also leaves the interior wide open, except for the mast support column, for the servo tray and lines. The keel braces added about 2 oz. but I feel that they are worth it. Now off to shape and fiberglass the rudder. P...

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.

I found a great way to clamp planks while making my Star 45's and Vintage Marblehead's. My building boards are 8" wide. I hammer in strong thumbtacks into the side of the building board. You could also use nails or brads. (See pictures below) The idea is that you can loop rubber bands over the hull, or through the hull, or around specific planks as needed to keep pressure where you want it. The rubber bands simply hook onto the tacks. See my pictures below. The pictures below are from a Star 45 that I built a few years back. Used the same technique then too. Good luck on your build! Peace!

Well I just hit the R/C Sailboat jackpot! Rod Carr, of Carr Sails in Redmond, WA, and the second ever member of the AMYA, just gifted me a Marblehead "Rip Tide" hull and many of the parts and templates to finish it! Thank you Rod! I'm not sure when I'll be able to work on this, but hopefully it will turn into a fantastic vintage Marblehead. The gentleman who started it did a fantastic job. He was a true artist and I will do my best to get as close as I can to his workmanship but it will be a challenge. Here are some pictures... He even cast his own bulb and the mold came with the hull! I could probably start making my own fleet of Rip Tides as he also gave me many of the templates and such. I will only need to pin and epoxy the bulb to the fin and fair it smooth. It will be easy to do. The frames look and feel like he hand cut them on a scroll saw, but they are very close to perfect. He used thicker plywood than I may have but they are very sturdy. The ...