Great Lakes Freighter.

[785boats]

So.
It's time to start another build thread of a scale model.
This time it's the Dumas kit of a Great Lakes Freighter. I've always liked the look of those ships. Made famous by that ballad from Gordon Lightfoot about the Edmond Fitzgerald in 1976.
So here's a blast from the past for the young ones who have never heard of it, & us oldies who remember it. So Sad.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K6DUFPNILvM&feature=emb_rel_end

The kit was on special with free postage to Australia from the States. That makes a huge difference in the cost of a kit here in AU Dollars.

This kit is a bit of a break from the norm, in that a lot of the construction is in the form of polystyrene sheeting. Surprisingly easy to work with, considering that all my previous scale models have been constructed with plywood, balsa, birch, mahogany, and various other timbers over the years.
The lazer cutting, and die cut parts, are all extremely accurate.

The kit comes with a full size drawing, a 36 page instruction book with 330 odd assembly steps which is both extremely informative and at times quite humorous. Well, I got a few giggles out of it.

There is also a booklet of sub assembly drawings cross referenced to the instruction book.
I believe that anyone with a few construction skills can easily build this boat.

The specs are:
1:96 scale, making the full size boat at 360'
Length 45", Beam 6"
Adding a 14" section in the middle of this boat will give you the Edmond Fitzgerald. More on that later.

The first thing to do is start popping out and trimming the bulkheads & the sheets for the bottom, sides, & deck for the hull.
Next, add some greasproof cooking paper to the building board. This whole thing is stuck together with Medium CA glue. We don't want to stick it to the building board, do we?

After pinning the bottom of the hull to the building board the stuffing tube blocks are added, and then the outside strips are added. The bulkheads are added, & bow pieces are built up, as is the stern framework.

It was at this point (photo #1) that I felt it was just too short to be indicative of these ships.
So I found a seller locally that sold A4 size sheets of polystyrene . That's when I took my trusty scalpel & cut the thing in half.
Not long enough for the Edmund Fitzgerald, but I didn't want to model that one. It's been done too many times. I'll find a name for her later.

So now she is 57" long. Gonna need a bow thruster to turn & dock this one.:biggrin:

I added in the bottom section and the side strips of styren. Made an extra bulkhead for the join. Then added a 1/4"sq bass wood stringer on top of the side strips, spanning the joints and continuing on to bulkheads 2 & 5 for strength & rigidity.
Was it required? probably not once the sides are glued on. But I feel better for it.:smile:
I also added a 1/4"sq bass stringer either side of the bulkheads where the joins of the bottom sheeting are. Again to make me feel better. Feeling so good, I also added a piece to all the other bulkheads too.

Bear in mind that she is going to need the weight of about 3 house bricks to sink her to the waterline.

Here's a few pics.

Base & bulkheads at 45" long.
169367

The stern with the stuffing tube & blocks.
169368

The bow section.
169369

Cut that thing in half. Looks like a shipwreck already.
169370

Bottom section added, with basswood stringers spanning the joints, and the extra bulkhead added.
169371

Cheers.
Paul.

[785boats]

What happened next was the addition of the side framing for the hull with 1/4"sq basswood.
169383

Then the deck frame was formed up inside the framework with pieces of the grease proof paper at the joints to prevent it all sticking together.
169382

After that, the deck was glued to the frame. Both the original kit piece, and the extra piece at the front.
Again, a piece of 1/4"sq wood at the join for strength.
169381

The removable deck, in place
169380

The anchor wells were formed up, ready to be attached to the inside of the bow skins.
169379

That's about where I'm up to with the hull.

[T.S.Davis]

Love it. Not sure why I never tried something like this. Fascinated by all things great lakes.

[785boats]

Hi Terry.
I've been wanting to build one of these for years. Now seems like a good time to do it.

While building the hull, I also started on the sub assemblies. They are mostly simple boxes with bits added on to them.
All the parts are just removed from the laser cut sheets & assembled with CA glue.
I have started with the rear crew cabin.

As I said, basically a simple box, with a smaller one added to the front. The portholes are already laser cut through the ply.
The roof was simply popped out of the styrene sheet and glued on. The front weather shield was then glued on and the 1/8" styrene strip was added around the roof edge.
The holes for the ventilators & rigging eyelets were drilled as per the drawings. The doors were popped out & glued on. Then the lifeboat cradles and tiedown eyelets added to the roof.
169403

Here's a view from underneath showing 1/4" bass wood in the corners and I also added some scrap 1/8" styrene strips to strengthen the mounting area of the ventilators & mast.
1/16" styrene sheet just seemed a bit flimsy.
169404

The two halves of the smoke stack were then cut out and assembled. Two intake vents were made from the 1/16" brass rod provided and attached with eyelets.
The relief valve was made from a piece of 1/18" dowel with the provided metal fitting glued on top and then the whole thing glued to the rear of the stack.
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The rear view of the relief valve. Two nylon washers on top complete the stack.
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The auxiliary steering cabin is again, a simple box with the styrene roof added.
A 1/8" strip around the edge, and the door glued on, completes the basic structure.
169407

[785boats]

The oil storage tank is simply a piece of 7/8"dowel with 3 feet added.
I'll probably add a filler cap & breather to it later.
169401

The 4 ventilators were made from styrene tube with the metal fittings provided, glued in.
Here's a pic with the basic structure all assembled loosely. Nothing glued together yet. I'll paint everything first.
169402

[T.S.Davis]

I never thought about it before. You don't have to build these like your dropping them off a building like we do with race boats. No impact risks.

My grandfather was a merchant mariner on the great lakes. He passed on a number of books to me. Multiple on the stories of shipwrecks. My first boat ride was with him on the St. Clair river. I was 3 months old apparently.

[785boats]

Looks like it is incumbent upon you to build one as an homage to your grandfather then.:smile:

[785boats]

Well I've built up the forward cabin along with a few other bits & bobs.
A box with curved sides this time. Then a small box is added to the rear. The roof was glued on, followed by the ply weather shields.
Then the 1/8" strip was added around the roof edge. Lastly the doors were glued on and a hole drilled into the roof for the mast.

The completed cabin.
169411

A view of the underside.
169412

[785boats]

The next bit of superstructure that I built up was the Wheelhouse.

A few bits of laser cut ply for the frame, & some die cut styrene pieces for the sides.
The roof is a moulded piece of styrene which is easily cut out and trimmed to shape and then glued on to the structure.
A door and a little platform on each side, completes the main structure.
Then holes were drilled into the roof for the search lights, radar, and the rigging eyelet.

The radar & searchlights were made up from the tube, rod, & fittings supplied with the kit. Too easy.

I know that there are some serious scale modelers out there that will say that this model is begging for a spinning radar & working lights throughout, including the searchlights. And you are correct.
But as far as extra electronics go, I will probably only put a diesel sound card, a bow thruster, & possibly a smoker unit, if it will fit under the crews quarters.
Our club president, Jim, makes & sells the most exquisite smoke units. And our club treasurer, Grant, makes sound cards, & bow thrusters to suit just about anything that floats. We are blessed.

The wheelhouse.
169445

An underside view.
169446

The radar & search lights in their raw state.
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Sitting in place for a look.
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[785boats]

So the locker & stack assemblies have now been made up.
Firstly the front locker box was assembled and the roof added. Then the rear locker was added. The stacks were installed & the metal stack caps glued on top.
The addition of a couple of doors, & the oil storage tank, similar to the rear tank, completes the basic structure.
This little structure will be glued to the front of the main deck later, and will come away from the hull with the main deck.
A few other details to add later.
One of which is an I beam between the stacks. Unfortunately it wasn't in the kit anywhere, as it should have been. I'll make one up out of some scrap ply or styrene later.
Then all the bits for the mast were gathered together and assembled.

The lockers & stacks.
169460

The front side.
169461

The mast.
169462

All parts of the bridge area sitting in place
169463

[Stillwet]

this is quite an endeavor. i wish they had a like button on this forum.
can't wait to see this float.

[785boats]

Thanks for the compliment.
Luckily these kits are pretty easy to build up.
It's adding all the extra bits & pieces of scale items from drawings & photos that become the endeavor.
It can be as hard, or as easy as you like.

For example. All these hatchlocks, 13 hatches, about 54 per hatch, around 700 total.
Am I going to make all of them? Probably not.

169491

[785boats]

For the last few evenings, I've been making the hatches for the main deck.
Nine 1/4 " styrene blocks and 1/16" lids are supplied. But as I extended the hull, I had to make up 4 more out of styrene sheet.The reinforcing strips around the edges are cut from styrene strips provided.
The plans show them attached on their edges. But I had completed 4 hatches before I realised my error. But looking at photos, there are some ships that had them on their flat. Some have none at all. So it's all good.

One thing I did find out when making the extra hatches, is that the styrene planes as easily as wood, with an ordinary wood plane.

Original hatches made, with the parts for the extra ones in the foreground.
169496

All 13 hatches made up.
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All sitting roughly on the deck
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Just a closer view.
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[Stillwet]

throughout some builds i find that the directions are subjective and i'll proceed at my own risk, it happens, some kit MFG's are better with plans than others,
had to contact Traxxas recently about a gear shaft, pin, and spring pin, gear assembly, exploded Trani view shows a dotted line direction when in fact Traxxas returned with a reply and explained the spring pin gets removed and then the gear and reinstall the spring pin (a way too super tight fit to boot) being this was a non kit Slash dragster build.
when i get stumped i always set aside start something else and let my mind meld:confused1: :laugh:

That there are a few hatches.
i made pop corn so i'll be watching and learning, so i can build a 1:1 in the street too keep traffic at bay and in case the world floods again:laugh:

[785boats]

when i get stumped i always set aside start something else and let my mind meld

I'm with you on that one, mate.

I still haven't thought of a way to make those hatch clamps quickly & easily yet.

[785boats]

I've now glued on the sides & added the vertical strips around the stern.
In the kit it shows the vertical strips being attached in a straight line between the deck & the keel.
That doesn't look right. So I added a stringer & a ply former midway between the deck & keel section to give the whole stern area some curve to it, as per the full size ships. It's probably not exact but it looks more pleasing to my eye.
The pics will explain it a bit better.
Cheers.

The extra former between the deck & keel.
169650

The side skins added & the vertical strips begun.
169651

Here you can see the curve of the strips in relation to the straight line of the bulkhead below them.
169652

The vertical planking completed.
169653

Side view.
169654

[785boats]

I added the bow thruster tubes and the front panels last night.
I drilled the portholes into the panels first. I thought it would be easier that way.
The tubes for the bow thrusters are just a piece of 13mm plastic tube with a 90 degree bend up in the bow to exit out through the hull.

Tubes pass through bulkhead from the bow to the main hull area where the thruster units will be fitted.
169664

Front panels added. The thruster outlets just needs to be sealed & trimmed flush with the hull.
I also painted the main deck hatch with red oxide to see what the colour looks like. It might be a bit too brownish.
169665

[785boats]

Lathered on some 'butter' to fill all the gaps & imperfections. Now for the sanding .

I've never used this product before so I thought I'd give it a try. Has anyone else used it before?

Agnew's Water Putty.

https://www.google.com.au/shopping/product/502150916359000625?lsf=seller:100794174,store:5664 752183798236147,lsfqd:0&prds=oid:16198482717692720420&q=wall-patching+compounds+%26+plaster&hl=en&ei=EgLrXs2UGMr2rAGmtpaoAw&lsft=gclid:EAIaIQobChMI0vf9gteK6gIV2zUrCh31ogzvEAQ YBCABEgKpevD_BwE,gclsrc:aw.ds

It's a powder that's mixed with water. It can be mixed to a self levelling slurry, a medium filler or a thick putty type filler.

169701

[Stillwet]

Rock Hard putty or MH Ready patch is all i use when needed but for home repairs, for my RC boats,West Systems, Z Epoxy with Micro Balloons and JB Weld, Gorilla adhesive, & RTV Black silicone gasket maker.
you have been very busy.
i have a bunch of N & Z Scale containers, i need to find a freighter of those scales.
keep up the great work.
it looks grand.

[785boats]

Thanks man.
Speaking of Gorilla adhesives. This whole boat is held together at every joint with Gorilla CA glue. I'm impressed with it.
I usually use Bob Smith Industries CA Glue for all my wooden Boats. Even my racing 1/8th scale Hydroplanes that are hitting 70mph. But I ran out, & Hobbyking,who sells it here in Australia, had none in stock.
I'll have to try some of their other task specific adhesives too.
And yes, JB Weld for high stress joints like engine mounts & driveline stuffing tubes etc.
Cheers.
Paul.

[785boats]

I'ts been a long time since I visited this thread.
We've been crazy at work over the last few months. Lots of changing from dayshift & night shift, & afternoon shift, Saturdays & Sundays, & with lots of overtime.
good for the bank balance, but it just leaves me wasted.

Finally had a day off yesterday where I felt like actually working on a boat.

So I soldered on all the connectors for the motor, main ESC, & the small ESC for the bow thruster.

Finished installing the bow thruster too.
I Made up a motor mount from some 3mm angleand epoxied that into the hull.
I used a solid hex flex connector onto the shaft to keep the motor lined up with the prop shaft as the epoxy set.

Then I installed the rudder, servo, and linkage.

Time to get into the painting now.

Cheers.

That basically deals with all the electrical & mechanical setup for the model.

The bowthruster pump setup.
170728

A 775 brushed motor with it's ESC, and a 10A reversing ESC for the bowthruster. Also the motor mount.
170729

Motor & mount installed with the hex flex coupler. Runs smooth & quiet.
170730

Rudder & 4 blade prop.
The prop will need sharpening becasuse each blade presents about a 1/4 mm flat surface on the leading edge. Even though it will only spinning at around 5000 revs, a good sharpenning can't hurt.
170731

Cheers.

[fweasel]

I need a boat with bow thrusters in my life. :bounce: That's not how I would have expected the internals of that particular feature to look. Pretty cool.

[785boats]

Yes. Usually the pump goes between the two outlets in the bow of the boat.
But the bow is sealed off & inaccessible so I mounted the pump in the main area with the pipes heading forward through the bulkhead & then out through the sides of the hull.
Post #17 has a couple of pics that show it a bit more clearly.
Cheers.

[Stillwet]

Heavy Duty.
keep at it, i'll be back with popcorn

[785boats]

FINALLY !!
I've just managed to glue the last few fittings in place & finish off the paintwork this afternoon.
Over the last few weeks I've managed to steal some time from the 'time bank' & get the bulk of the painting done, and assemble all the different bits'n pieces to make it look like a ship.

Here's a synopsis of what has happened.

All the filling and sanding was completed & the hull, decks & all superstructures were given a coat of primer.
The decks were painted in a soft matt grey.
The superstructures were painted in a matt white.
The hull below the waterline was painted in matt black.
Above the waterline was painted in the same matt grey as the decks

Then all the cabins & superstructures were glued into place

Todays effort was as follows.
Install & rig the masts.
Install & rig the lifeboats.
Install the smoke stack.
Install the anchors, and then cable winches, & fuel drums, on the rear deck.
The auxiliary ships wheel, on the crew quaters.
The vents on the main deck.
Install the access ladders.
Paint the radar, sonars, & searchlights in silver.
Take some pictures of the finished product.

Maiden should be next weekend if I'm not on night shift again.
I've really enjoyed this project.

Cheers.
Paul.

The finished model
171143

The crews quaters.
171144

The pilot house.
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A view of the stern.
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A view of the bow.
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[785boats]

A couple more pics.

Another angle of the stern section.
171148

Ply added across the bulkheads to spread the weight of the lead bricks onto the bulkheads.
171149

Just a view of the engine room & looking at the rear of the ship.
171150

Cheers.

[fweasel]

It turned out amazing, as usual.

[785boats]

Hey there mate.
Thanks for the compliment.
I'm quite pleased with the way it turned out too.
Especially since it was mostly made from polystyrene sheeting. Which I'd never used before.
I'm a bit of a fan of it now.

Some years ago I archived this tutorial on paint chipping & rust streaking.
I might apply some of his techniques to make this ol' ship look a bit used and battle weary. After all, these boats are over 50 years old.
He has some other brilliant tutorials on youtube too.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pMncvt0BpbI

A bit of a change from where we like to keep our nice new fast boats looking as pristine as possible, for as long as possible, eh.:smile:

[Jesse J]

Wow Paul, great work as usual! You made a beauty of a beast; yes weathering would be a great add.
And a day before her 45 anniversary!!

How much ballast you gonna need to replicate 25,400 tons of iron ore? I suspect 20-30lbs ... Don’t forget flotation!

[785boats]

Thanks Jesse.
I've made up 3 lead bricks weighing a total of about 8kg. Plus I have some smaller ones for final trimming.
I'll just have to wait & see on the sea trials.
I don't think there will be enough room for enough foam to hold up the weight of the boat should it capsize or fill with water.
But it will never come to that. I hope.

[TRUCKPULL]

Check the size of this one??
https://www.clickondetroit.com/news/local/2020/11/10/local-artist-creates-replica-of-ss-edmund-fitzgerald/?fbclid=IwAR3zJWI_5IK-FVvsOVGyUI3Hcjnv5PAkinEutOr_v8scCz76AnH-aqb2HaE
Larry

[785boats]

Hi Larry.
That is a big one.
It must be fun to ride around inside a model boat.

[785boats]

Took the boat to our club today for her maiden Voyage & sea trials.
She needed the full 8kg of lead plus another 1kg block to trim her down to the waterline.
The 40mm prop was way too big so I swapped it out for a 35mm 4 blade prop.
So here's a funny thing.
You will recall that most of the hull is made from polystyrene sheet. As is the main removable deck.
Well, the hull is in the cool water, but the deck is in the blaring sun. The laws of thermodynamics being what they are, allowet the deck to expand in length by over 1/8", causing it to bow up in the middle.
I had to cut 1/8" off the length of it so it would remain flat when it expands.
Unfortunately it seems the bowthruster has sucked up some weed & clogged the impeller, so I will have to pull the pump apart to clear it out.

Apart from those minor setbacks, today's outing was a grand success.

Here are a few pics & a video. Thanks Trev.

171240

171241

171242

171243

171244


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jy3Xz66YL8A

[srislash]

Great project Paul. My uncles neighbour was big into the scale ships. There is a club somewhat near me and I try to get out every couple years and see what’s new. One day one will intrigue me , thanks for the great intro too. Such a good song

[785boats]

thanks man.
Yes, it was a great project. both to build and to sail. The fact that it was mostly made from polystyrene sheet made it very interesting.
The song certainly evokes a lot of feelings. Especially, I would say, for those of us that were aware of the whole thing at the time. That wailing guitar still stands the hairs up on the back of my neck.

[Stillwet]

Ship Ahoy!
Arrrr! Mate most excellent.
have you had it out to sea as of late?
Now you need a lil' crew on there.

[785boats]

Hi there mate.
Yep. She's been out on a few voyages now.
I agree. some little 1:96 sailors would be great. I am looking.
Cheers.

[Stillwet]

OSE needs like buttons on here like at the Tamiya Club has :rockon2:
How do you haul that ship around? Truck bed? car trunk? or strap to the roof rack?
Yes i had purchased HO scale for my USS Blue Fish, not too many to be had but have quite a sailor crew, shore crew and a Admiral & Captain.

[785boats]

I have a good old Ford Falcon station wagon for my boats.
She fits in the back quite easily, with the back seat folded down. I usually take 3 or 4 boats to the club for a days sailing.

[sciesielka]

Paul, that looks great! I wish I could point you to some 1:96 scale figures. Closest is HO scale train figures at 1:87 scale. The next size down is N scale, but that's too small at 1:148.
One place you could try is Loyalhanna Dockyard (https://www.loyalhannadockyard.com/) I had purchased some detail parts for my Runabout from them a while ago. They do have scale figures and I think they have some 1:96 scale ones too. The site is still active, so hopefully they're still in business :smile:

[785boats]

Thanks for the info sciesielka.
I'll check them out when I get home from work.
Cheers.