45" Dumas Scarab

[flraptor07]

[Ken_NJ]

Thanks for following along! I'll get back to the windshield.

I want to remove these two fake hatches on the bow. They will make painting the bow more difficult so I might as well remove them. Cut them away with the Dremel. I cleaned up the openings and sanded the edges flush with the deck. Also gave the edges a slight downward sanding so I don't have such sharp edges for the Evercoat filler.

[Ken_NJ]

Cut this section of aircraft ply which will be glued under the deck. I sealed it on all sides with polyester resin and sanded it. Also sanded under the deck. Since I cannot use clamps to hold it, drilled a hole in the center of each opening. Shaped one long section of wood to match the curvature of the deck and drilled two holes, added some cleats with holes topside. I applied the G/Flex and clamped it in position and drew the nuts finger tight to hold the plywood in place. The long curved wood holds the plywood against the underside nice and tight. Removed the bolts the next day and walla!

[Ken_NJ]

Next I used the Evercoat polyester filler and layered it until it filled in the holes.

After is was filled in, I added two layers of masking tape around each opening. That gave me about 10 thousandths above the deck. Using some Gelcoat I borrowed, added some white pigment and slapped it on. I like using old credit cards and as spatulas. Using the card I smooth the Gelcoat level with the tape. With the tape removed I have an even surface to sand the Gelcoat down even with the rest of the deck. I'll let everything set a day or two and then sand it down.

[Make-a-Wake]

If you like the look thats great, and u did a good job, it just gives me a bad vibe to see a 30yr old hull changed from stock.

[flraptor07]

If you like the look thats great, and u did a good job, it just gives me a bad vibe to see a 30yr old hull changed from stock.

Yeah but it's not like he took a rare old RTR and cut it up. This one is gonna live on in the form of a vintage famous Offshore Race Boat!

[Ken_NJ]

Who's to say a stock hull from years ago cannot be improved? I'm wet sanding those areas now and I can see that once done, it will make the bow look longer, cleaner & sleeker. Once I add the graphics on the deck, you will see the improvement. OK Scorp, MaW, you have to tell me when I'm done if you still have the bad vibe about removing them.

[Ken_NJ]

I know you can't see much, but finished wet sanding, started with 220, finished with 400. I placed white paper over the patches to get an idea how it might look. I like it. Might sound silly, I close my eyes and run my fingers over the patch to feel for imperfections.

Have to start sanding the whole hull down in prep for painting.

[Make-a-Wake]

Yeah but it's not like he took a rare old RTR and cut it up. This one is gonna live on in the form of a vintage famous Offshore Race Boat!

I know, and Im sure it will look great when done, I hope ya'll didnt take me wrong, not picking at the mod to the hull, just saying how it hit me when I saw it.

Great work Ken, keep it up, cant wait to see the paint.

[flraptor07]

Ken IMO it looks much better without the hatches, a lot cleaner. Another way to feel imperfections and waves in a surface is lay a piece of silk like material on the surface and use it in between the surface and your hand. Rub back and forth to feel the surface.

[Ken_NJ]

I agree Chris. I like the idea using silk, will keep that in mind.

Back to the windshield. Bought a 12x12" sheet of black acrylic. Using the wooden mock up windshield, cut some pieces to shape. I glued four pieces of 1/4 clear acrylic to the deck with silicone to help keep the angle consistent. Using a drum sander on the drill press I beveled the edges of each side of the panels to the correct angle. Drilled four holes in each piece which will accept a locator pin. The last picture shows the forward pieces glued with Weldon 16 and held in place to setup.

[Ken_NJ]

I taped some tape to the windshield and poked holes in the tape where the pins will go. Then taped that tape to the boat and drilled each of the holes. For the front windshield, each pin was bent so they were vertical going into the deck. You can see in #4 how the pins will hold the windshield in place.

[Ken_NJ]

I tested using CA to hold the pins in on some scrap acrylic, no crazing or anything. I put some nicks in each pin for the CA to grab onto.

The process went like this, glue a pin, then positioned windshield in place, file out the hole so the windshield fits in where it should. Do the same with all the rest of the pins only doing one at a time. The windshield had to drop into place with no major resistance. That way I know there should be no stress points on the acrylic joints.

Eventually I'll use silicone to glue it to the boat. Last pic, enlarged a sample on paper what the bow will look like.

[Make-a-Wake]

Looks very nice

[Ken_NJ]

Thanks.

Monday was an unusual 70 degree day here in NJ, perfect for painting. The hull was wet sanded and given a few coats of Duplicolor white primer. Sanded again, and a few coats of Duplicolor acrylic gloss white enamel. This was all done within 2-3 hours. The hatch edges came out very crisp and no sign of the hatches I removed on the bow. Happy with the way it came out. Nice to have all the patchwork covered up and not see it anymore. Beginning to look like something now. Going to wait a week+ then sand it again. Black is next. Should have the decals and vinyl mask from Callie Graphics next week. The vinyl mask will be used to spray the bow emblem and a few other things. The rest of the decals will be sticky type decals.