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Great suggestions!!!!
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Cutting the slits in the bottom sheet.
You have to cut two slits in the bottom sheet to allow the front to curve up and conform to the frames. To do this you draw a line behind frame # 4 (Already done if you outlined the frames in the previous step.)
This line is the end point for the slits. Next, take a straight edge and line it up with the square 4.25” wide edge of the nose section and draw a line for each slit. Measure the lines to make sure that they are parallel. Using a sharp razor and your straight edge cut the slits to the line you scribed. See picture for details.Comment
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I third the notion of having the batteries WAY up front! You'll need it.
Here's my quick right-up. I helped the guy build my boat. I didn't do all of the actual work.
http://forums.offshoreelectrics.com/...ead.php?t=6756My prop hasn't been wet in a while.
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Nice looking boat calcagno. How does she perform?Comment
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I glued the bottom sheet to the frame today. It is drying as I type. I used a plastic syringe to lay a bead of z-poxy in the outline of the framework I sketched. This worked brilliantly. Almost no excess epoxy squeezed out, and it was a snap lining everything up.
My batteries arrived yesterday. I decided to go with the XPS 2S 5000mah 30c packs. As you can see in the first picture, I glued a piece of plywood in each sponson to prevent the packs from sliding outward. I intend to place the motor, esc, servo, etc in a location that allows me to achieve a center of gravity of 1 inch behind the sponsons with the batteries in this position.
In addition to this location, I also took the advice of others and cut a wider hole in the front bulkhead to allow for a more forward battery placement if need be. Because of the size of these batteries, I did not have to cut the upper or lower bulkhead support... just widen the existing hole some. Pic below. BTW. I couldn't slide them all the way forward at the moment because the nose template is temporarily glued there to hold the nose shape.Comment
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The bottom sheeting is done. I removed the nose "template" by cutting it down the middle with a cut off disk and popped both halves free. It wasn't as difficult to remove as I had expected.
With the nose forming template removed, I test fit the lipos in the forward most position and they fit perfectly. I like having two battery placement options.Comment
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Sheeting the bottom sponson
I have now finished sheeting the bottom of one sponson. At first, it seemed a bit daunting, but it went together pretty well. There are 4 pieces of sheeting that make up the bottom sponson. I have labeled them below for easy reference. Also, I strongly recommend sealing all of the frame wood in the sponson before sheeting the bottom. If you don’t do this before gluing the sheets in place you will find it extremely difficult to reach some areas.
The sheets need to be glued in sequence. The first sheet that gets glued in place is the “outside” sponson sheet. I test fit this piece several times while using a sanding block on the frames to ensure that all joint edges where resting flat against the sheet. As a reference point, I lined up the back of the sheet with the back of the sponson and kept it centered on the frame lengthwise. I should note that I DID NOT trim this piece prior to gluing, as I wasn’t sure how much wood to remove. I used 6 small spring clamps to hold everything together while I applied the CA.
The second sheet to glue in place is the sponson ride pad. I was very careful not to sand too much off of the frames that this piece lies on, as I did not want to change the pad angle. Most of the sanding was done to the outside sheet to get it level and parallel with the pad frames. The width of this sheet was pretty much dead on. I only had to trim the length. The directions stress the following… “DO NOT round any edges on the sponsons. You want the edges to be as sharp as possible”… So I left the edges square and sharp.
The third piece of skin to put on is the inside air release sheet. This piece fit perfectly and didn't require any trimming or sanding. Your mileage may vary.
The fourth and final piece of skin to put on is the recovery pad. It took quite a bit of sanding on the outside sheet and frames to get the recovery pad to fit flat on all edges. My advice is to take your time and go slow. As the saying goes, “Measure twice, cut once.” I used 2hr epoxy on this this sheet, with lots of spring clamps to hold it in place.Comment
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Sealing and fiberglassing the inside sponson
With the bottom of one sponson sheeted, I decided to seal and reinforce it before starting the next one. I used Z-poxy finishing resin to seal the wood and to lay glass reinforcement inside the sponson framework. Z-poxy Finishing Resin is fairly thin, spreads well, and has NO odor. Plus, you have about 1 hr before it starts to thicken up.
I cut small strips of 1.5 oz fiberglass and laid them in each joint to reinforce the sheeting. I intend to use the same process for sealing and reinforcing the rest of the boat as well.
For those of you who are interested in glass reinforcing your hull, I STRONGLY recommend using one of these cutting pads and rotary tools for cutting glass. They work fantastically. They are sold in the fabric isle of most kmart/walmart stores.Comment
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My turn fin arrived today so I'll be installing that next.
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Yesterday I received my Virginia Craftsman Sport 20 turn fin.Comment
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