Inspired by the speedboats that one sees in the good old James Bond movies, I've started scratchbuilding a new model.

Balsa / Japonica / 2mm Ply / Foam Board build.

OAL : 950 mm
Beam : 250 mm
Estimated AUW : 1800 grams
Motor : Speed 550 DC Brushed
Direct Drive with universal joint
Single Propeller: 3 blade 55 mm dia
ESC : 30 A Turnigy (Overkill?)
Power : 3 S LiPo
Power reversal via DPDT switch (servo controlled)

Model will feature open cockpit with working lights. Hopefully, this build will give me confidence to start the much bigger Aquarama Riva someday.

Girish, thanks for the servos!

Posting a few pics that I am loosely following for the build.

Cool! Will be following with great interest

Thank you Sire! All started with a Graupner boat that I had as a kid. Many years later a senior gentleman from Gurgaon procured beautifully laser cut parts for the Aquarama Riva. A little practice will help me do justice to that beauty when I do build it.

Build started on 27th. Oct. Using an existing keel and modifying it - lot of surgery involved. Bulkheads have to be repositioned and completely redesigned to arrive at the desired shape. Motor has been wired to the DPDT switch and tested - works fine. Stuffing tube is a brass pipe that has been lengthened with the addition of ball point pen skeletons. The greasing funnel on the tube is from the tip of a ball point pen.

Target completion date is set at 30th. Nov. 2013 

So, this madness is the fault of that "senior gentleman from Gurgaon?" Ban him, hang him, bake him in pies!!!!

Would have loved to have indulged in the last alternative suggested by you, however, I am a vegetarian in my food habits. Unfortunately...........

That will be great boat. Will be following this post. :-).

The only large water body here to run this SPEED boat is the Brahmaputra, I suppose. Bhorolu is out of question! Veterinary pond will be small if you want to test its speed. Have you thought about it? Guwahati outskirts?

  Didn't think of that.......

Where did you source the propeller from?

I have seen that most boat scratchbuilders here use DPDT switches controlled by servos to get reversible brushed motor controllers. Is there no affordable reversible brushed esc available?

1. Prop was sourced from RCD

2. You are the champ - why don't you design one for us? Seriously.

I had sourced 2 reversible ESC's from a forum member (possibly came out of a cars) and installed them on my earlier builds - Mermaid and RAF FIRE Boat. This is my first attempt with a DPDT.

Cheers!

Deck finalised and side sheeting planks have been cut. Hull sheeting has also started.

Hull planking almost completed. 3mm balsa cut into strips 50mm wide and stuck with CA to the formers. Hull base from 1.5 mm sheet. Bow section to be done next. All excess will be trimmed away and gaps filled.

Used a heavy book to allow the adhesives on the pre bow curves to set. All joints reinforced with Bond Tite WOOD Adhesive after the CA has dried.

Will be reinforced with layers of Belco automotive putty after the hull has been sanded to shape.

Tedious and time consuming process, however, the results will nullify all that. Hopefully.

Does the angle of the prop cause difference in speed? I had read somewhere that speedboats have the props at a shallower angle than normal boats. "Surface drive" props?

Yes it does affect the speed/performance. The prop should ideally be parallel to the hull for best efficiency. The steeper the angle of the prop, the worse the efficiency as it will generate a down thrust into the water and cause the hull to rise. The shallower the angle, the more water it will push to the rear of the boat with increased efficiency and speed.

Nice... very nice...
I wish I will be able to get the neatness of your builds in my builds

Really apperciate you build VC sir very excellent boat Great build

Running out of adjectives. Wish I could have the same level of dedication that you have. 

That is one beautiful boat taking shape. Eagerly waiting….

Thank you gentlemen. The bow is the always the most difficult to shape and I am about to start on it now.

Amazing scratch build, VC bhai.

HobbbyKing 45A Xcar ESC (brushed) for 750 rupees, shipped. Ordered 2 weeks ago, now waiting patiently.

Anjan, link please. This one?

http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/__32025__HobbyKing_X_Car_45A_Brushed_Car_ESC.html

VC bhai, yes that one.
Check this site for product buddy codes for discount-- http://hk.rc-international.info/swarm
I got mine for around $11 inclusive of shipping.

Sidewalls completed. Excess wood trimmed away. I don't have those fancy clamps so I had to 'modify' my pliers to aid the adhesives on the curves. 

Beginning to look like what she is intended to replicate.

Really  greati will be following this thread happily

Put a BIG motor on this please

Not only the motor, but the prop will be much bigger (as compared to my other builds) - 3 blader with a 55 mm dia. Consequently, I am ramping up the ESC to 30A.

Received some heavy duty servos from Girish. They should be adequate for flicking the DPDT switch and handling the huge rudder. By the way, Adiboy is arranging to bring in reversible brushed ESC's soon. Snap them up while you can.

Wembley's Quickfix and sawdust mixture is an excellent option for filling gaps in balsa/wood constructions.

The keel of the boat was made by you ? What is it made of?

The original keel comprises 3 sections of 10mm Japonica. I wanted re make it out of hard ply but couldn't source the required scrap pieces from my local carpenter.

What is a date for launching ceremony?

Maiden scheduled for 1st. Dec.

Major problem. Hull waterproofed and first coats of varnish applied. She is sitting too high on the water. Not scale. Tried adding weights - still not happy. She looks top heavy. What do I do?

Some lead weight at keel level??

Is this happening with full rc set up?

Please re-consider the power setup.
3 blade 55mm prop on 30A ESC will be huge load on ESC. even 36 size motor running 55mm prop will be hot setup. I would suggest 40 size low KV motor may be 1000/1500 kv running 4S lipo will give it scale speed and will sound better. It will be great to see this model cruising around.    

Please note that I am using a BRUSHED setup. They run much much cooler on boats and cars when compared with brushless motors.

Yes Krunal, unfortunately. I am left with two options - sail her the way she is or do massive surgery. I will post a picture of what I would have to do shortly.

If I want to preserve the scale appearance, this is what I may have to resort to.

The entire area shaded black will have to be cut away. Huge job if one considers hull integrity, strengthening the bulkheads - not to mention refinishing everything all over again. Or do I just go ahead and finish her the way she is and compromise my own expectations?

That's a call only I can take.

If I do muster the guts and conviction to go in for this surgery then we will arrive at this.

Btw, How's that for photohopping/ airbrushing achieved in under 15 mins?

Difficult call. I would go ahead with it though in order to preserve the scale look, else it will keep nagging you whenever she sails. But, sorry for the obvious question, is this the only solution? (Did you try Sanjay sir's suggestion ? )

Rohit bhai, as I explained to Rai Saheb earlier yesterday - I loaded the hull with all electronics + 50% extra weight in lead bars. Still not happy with the way she sits on the water.

I know nothing about boats. But what I know is you have worked very zealously with meticulous planning. But if don't preserve the scale appearance, there's every possibility that you'll later regret not making it PERFECT.

After working so hard on this boat, I don't think you should compromise on ANYTHING, even if its the appearance. Its your call though.

You have the luxury of additional weight - avoid surgery and use the
extra weight in batteries - do not use lipo - use round cells in series/parallel
arrangement - cheaper and more hardy. You can even use a lead acid battery
if your boat is big enough.

That prop is going to put heavy load on your esc

Saikat is correct

1. Use a Pb Acid battery, the type used in lanterns. Weighs about 500 grams +
2. Put a fibreglass coat on the hull

Take the benefit of the lower weight and beautify it further

Making it heavy will decrease the agility. Plus such a low transom might make it unstable.. Can you not take it out for a test run to see how it goes when you have some speed built up?

I was looking at the pictures on the first post, and it got me thinking. You might make it appear a bit lower by using some pieces of trim(Like the black bit in the picture where the boat is shown from the back). Or do some clever paint scheme. A two tone paintjob maybe? Black on the underside to make it appear as if more of it is submerged?

You can use barring balls. Make a small pouch of it filled with wet sand and try.

First coat of wood stain applied. At least 5 more coats to follow over the next week. Each coat will have to be sanded down, with 400 grit paper,  prior to the application of the next coat.

Looks beautiful! How much does the empty hull weigh?

Vahh! Kya boat hai

superb sir
running out of words for your built

Choose from here http://deshoda.com/words/100-most-beautiful-words-in-the-english-language/ 

Relax Guys. She is not as beautiful as you make her out to be. Lot of blemishes that need to be worked out. 3rd. coat of varnish is drying now - still a long way to go.

What happened to this?

Found this on ebay...
http://www.ebay.com/itm/221414448841

similar isnt it?

Mothballed and waiting for me to be inspired once again.

Yes, they are similar and there is a long story behind that fact.

Mr. VC,
Was very busy past couple of months.

Seriously speechless..
What a beautiful build, completely refreshing on this hot summer day!

 

waiting to see the performance of astha , VC bhei

Aww... can you give it to me (if possible)   >
I'll try and make amend and use it 

I wish I was that selfless Topalle. In any case, 95% of the work has been done and to crate it with protective packing and send it would cost more than all the components put together. Why don't you build one out scratch yourself? Tell me how I may help you and I will be there. If you need plans for the bulkheads, let me know.

What all equipment will i need to start making boats from plywood? Will a hacksaw be enough to start?

Hacksaw and the thinnest commercial ply. It is actually 2.5mm thick, but the carpenters call it 4mm ply.

Can we make work easier by making a vibrating/actuating/oscillating up and down hacksaw DIY for table top? ( actually i dont know what its called)

]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LmEHuTgtcvw&list=PL7pgj8SgwT30Ip_tYquGtK0Gr9Y6OIU5R&index=2[/url]

]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lef88zSjvPY[/url]

 

remove https:// to auto embed

topalle     thanks

Thanks for that...

Can we give this wooden finish to a fibreglass hull?