Greetings community

[RossParticipant @ross]

Hi everyone, I hope today finds you all well.

If you don't mind, I would like to take a moment to introduce myself and then draw upon your wealth of experience to answer a few questions for me.

I'm Ross, living in beautiful " tho very rainy " Perthshire, Scotland. And I first got into modeling about five years ago when a motorcycle accident left me ….. ((lets just say …. left me with plenty of time on my hands to indulge in a new hobby!))

I purchased my first A.R.T.Run, 1/10 nitro touring/rally car and then I guess you could say I was kinda hooked. As time went on…. And several similar kit builds later, I found myself moving away from nitro to electric power. With the change of power base, I found a new range of vehicles open to me such as the tamiya high lifts, axial scx10, etc, The scalers / crawlers, Which I find myself far more suited to, And which also got me into scratch building with styrene / metal alloys.

So, why am I posting in a model boat forum?…….

Well, After a few years of wanting to…. I finally purchased a set of plans ….. ( Am I allowed to say where from? …. That place in Cornwall, That sells model boat stuff ) The plans arrived and although they are in very good detail, And all measurements can be taken from the plans, I guess I was expecting a little more by way of instruction to build. "Begginers mistake No.1" ……. Oh!…. The boat!…. She is "The Orca" (from The film, Jaws) In 1/12 (MAR2463) Yes, I am a 70's child. The lack of instructions however, is not the problem….. as I said, the plans are very well detailed and easy to take measurements from.

But before I start this build, I have many, many….. ….. many questions. …… But do not worry, I wont post them all in one go….. I hope to pick your brains on numerouse occasions throughout the build.

I have already done a little research into the basics of building, And i don't see myself having any major issues with the tools/methods used to build….( I am the king of trial and error. )

So…… To start with……

It is my intention to build The Orca as a fully functional R/C and a working fishing boat …"enter cheesy clishe here" ….. Although, what better way to combine two pastimes! With this in mind, I'm looking at the 1/12 scale plans in 2D …. once fully built, She will be much larger in 3D form, Than my trusty tape measure and imagination initially suggested.

Length = 900mm

Beam = 200mm

Height = 645mm (keel to top of mast)

Which makes me wonder…Firstly…. About materials…….

It was stated on purchase of plans, That the build could be completed in ply and balsa …. However, my thinking ahead, As I will be using her to fish with, she will be grounded as often as she can catch, And from what I know about timber, Ply and balsa are soft woods And considering the completed build size / weight…. Not wanting to damage her with grounding, Should I maybe consider a harder, more durable timber for the construction of the keel / hull Or could this particular problem be easily solved by say … A brass strip running the length of the keel? ( on a ply/balsa build. )

Secondly, Power & Propulsion.

Again, I would like to stick with a power source I am familiar with, this being the case, I would opt for 7.2v nicad stick pack powering a 540 brushed motor, I already have several of these varying from 15-55 turns. I don't expect speed boat performance,…. But a little bit of " whoosh " would be nice. And again, With the size / weight, Would this power set up give me some mild performance, Or should I consider a twin screw, twin motor setup ….. I can say for sure I wouldn't want to go lipo-brushless, …. Quite frankly, the prices scare me…. And people put these things in water…..CRAZY! With regards to the size of fish…. I rarely catch anything more than 2 pounds…. so I don't need masses of power there.

I would very much appreciate your thoughts and suggestions.

Thankyou.

[RossParticipant @ross]

[Paul TParticipant @pault84577]

Hello Ross

Welcome to the forum.

You have many questions and the first answer is recommending that you use plywood throughout the construction, 6 or 8mm keel, 6mm frames and 1.5mm (aircraft grade) skin.

Ask as many questions as you like…..you might even get an answer from some of the old fogies.

Paul

[Bob Abell 2Participant @bobabell2]

See you…..Jimmy!……….Sorry about that, Ross……Just couldn't control myself

Welcome to our happy go lucky forum!

Now let me get this straight……

Have I read it right?…….You are using the model to go full size fishing?

"Aye" ye say?

"2 lb fish"……. ye say too?

Sounds like you need a bigger boat than that!………Try a Vintage Gentleman's Cruiser?……….5'-0" of man sized muscle and brawn!

What about the fish?,,,,,,,,,,"troot"………Yep!……You need a biggun right enough!

We pause at this stage, to get in a pre emotive apology, for my light hearted cheekiness

Take a look at my Vintage Gentleman's Cruiser…..and also……..Ralph's too

They are big boats, but for your requirement, you wouldn't need the fancy superstructure

It sounds a very interesting novel challenge?…….Fishing with a model boat…..What ever next?

All the best, Ross

Bob Abell

[Ralph PinchParticipant @ralphpinch41762]

Hi Ross,

Welcome to the forum, some very knowledgeable people on this forum always willing to help, I'm new to modeling only starting last November and they have been a great help. The Orca is on my to do list and makes a great model, how do you fish with a model boat? The Orca has a high superstructure so don't make the same mistake as me on my first build, be careful not to make the boat top heavy, make the superstructure as light as possible. Bob as I do like the bigger models, having said that 1/12 will look great, but fishing with a model? "Ya gonna need a bigger boat" there had to be the first to get that out lol. Ralph. Sorry for no paragraphs but my tablet is playing up and won't let me today

[ashley needhamParticipant @ashleyneedham69188]

Ross. An ambitious build!

Even fish of 2 pounds are going to be very powerful…I would be worried that a boat like the Orca would not have sufficient stability to counter a straining fish. A tug or something that big would be much deeper and heavier and stand a better chance.

Obviously its an Orca you want to build so I would ensure that the superstructure and so on are fully watertight, and any fishing attachments are as low on the deck as poss to lessen the leverage effect (rather than having a line on a rod or gantry high above the deck)

A 540 is a bit small for a boat this size, a pair would certainly propel it along, but you need a bit of oophm to pull a catch it. If you want to use 540`s I might suggest some hot ones and geared drives…so you can have a decent size prop on the end generating lots of static thrust. Will it be one or two props???

A person whos name I cant recall had an Orca of a good size and he used a geared 2.5:1 MFA 850 motor driving I recall an 80mm prop (or thereabouts) and that would have some stonking thrust!

Ashley

[RossParticipant @ross]

Thankyou gentlemen for your warm welcome and prompt responses.

Your advice has already got the wheels turning…… Now I'm thinking to myself…… I fear I may have already made quite a mistake…… When Paul made his recommendation for timber…… I noticed something…… He used the word "skin" (Please forgive my ignorance) …… I think back to the small amount of research I have done….. mainly … (youtube-model boat building) And now I glance at my plans….. I cant belive this escaped my attention!!

All my research up until now has been based upon the method of planking to the bulkheads…… Thinking this would be the method I would use to construct the hull. Thinking back to the youtube vids….. All of them had a nice, shapely curve to the bulkheads…. On my plans however, My bulkheads are practically vertical, with an angle cutting in to meet the keel. ….. So, When Paul mentions " A skin " Is his meaning …. A layer of planking, or larger sections of ply to form a skin??

I had a wee lookie at your fleet Bob, and others ….. Kudos to you all for some truly fantastic builds.

I'm sorry to say Ralph, But I'm not the first genius to think of combining a fishing pole with an rc boat, search youtube for "rc fishing" and you will find many different examples……. Some just tie some line to the back of there boat…. Quite crude, But if it works for them! Others attach a spinning reel to there boat, and a motor to reel in and out line. ….. This would be my intended method, And I would conceal the spinning reel and motor below deck, Then have the line exit through the rear deck "where the fishing chair would be", Through an end section of fishing rod,…… Well…… thats my theory anyhow …. Though, I am aware that with this method, That there would have to be a tiny 1mm hole in the deck for the line to pass through. But we will cross the bridge when it comes! It is certainly worth checking out anyway, I was actually very surprised to see… that a small boat can bring in a surprisingly large fish.

And thankyou Ashley, you have just confirmed what I suspected, In this instance, I will go for the twin screw, twin motor,twin prop set up, I will stick with the 540 motors for the moment, As I mentioned, I have several of these laying around, So, I could always experiment with different turns / 2/3 blade props once I'm at that stage, And if needs be, I could always upscale to larger motors.

Once again, Thankyou,

Ross

[Bob Abell 2Participant @bobabell2]

Ross

I am a little confused here?

Is your main intention to catch fish……Or build a pretty model?

I don't think the combination is logical, Captain

Beam me up, Scotty!

Bob

[RossParticipant @ross]

Posted by Bob Abell on 23/07/2015 04:58:15:

Ross

I am a little confused here?

Is your main intention to catch fish……Or build a pretty model?

I don't think the combination is logical, Captain

Beam me up, Scotty!

Bob

Firstly and most importantly Bob……(Forget about the whole fishing thing for the moment).

I am building a model r/c boat, Since this is my first boat build, She will not be built as a direct replica, but more of a resemblance….. Tho I will try to keep her as scale and original as possible,

Ultimately, Build quality is foremost to me. I would love to finish this build, And to end up with a model I can be proud of, A model I could take to a pond, And have someone like yourself say…. " You made a good job of that…well done"

The fact that I wish to add some fishing gear to the build, This is a secondary requirement, And is not an essential part of the build, I just thought it would be easier to integrate the fishing equipment during construction, Other than it being an after thought.

Thankyou

Ross

[ashley needhamParticipant @ashleyneedham69188]

Ross. Indeed. No reason not to build a nice model. A boat like Orca is most suitable for fishing with and mods for this should be planned in at the construction stage or it may be difficult later on.

Ashley

[Paul TParticipant @pault84577]

Ross

Building a boat with the ultimate aim of using it to fish with isn't much different to building a tug that you intend to tow with. Both are perfectly feasible providing extra strength is built into the frame that will spread the imposed load throughout the hull.

It might sound daunting but in reality it is just a case of beefing up some parts of the frame and adding a few stiffeners / load spreaders, just decide where the point load will be placed…..or in your case where the fishing line will be attached to the boat and work outwards from there.

Paul

ps have you spotted any old fogies yet?

 

Edited By Paul T on 23/07/2015 16:35:23

[Colin BishopModerator @colinbishop34627]

There could be stability issues though, a fish could capsize the boat if it is pulled sideways. Full size tugs have been lost that way.

Colin

[Paul TParticipant @pault84577]

Hi Colin

Yes its perfectly possible especially given the unknown quantities re: the weight and unpredictable nature of the fish.

The designer can only predict so much but a 900mm long boat could engineered to have extra mass.

Paul

[RossParticipant @ross]

Again gents, Thanyou for your input, If I could just roll back the conversation slightly to the begining of my second post. >>>>>>>

Your advice has already got the wheels turning…… Now I'm thinking to myself…… I fear I may have already made quite a mistake…… When Paul made his recommendation for timber…… I noticed something…… He used the word "skin" (Please forgive my ignorance) …… I think back to the small amount of research I have done….. mainly … (youtube-model boat building) And now I glance at my plans….. I cant belive this escaped my attention!!

All my research up until now has been based upon the method of planking to the bulkheads…… Thinking this would be the method I would use to construct the hull. Thinking back to the youtube vids….. All of them had a nice, shapely curve to the bulkheads…. On my plans however, My bulkheads are practically vertical, with an angle cutting in to meet the keel. ….. So, When Paul mentions " A skin " Is his meaning …. A layer of planking, or larger sections of ply to form a skin? <<<<<<<

Thankyou.

[Paul TParticipant @pault84577]

Ross

When talking about skin I am usually referring to the hull covering (shell of the boats hull) and I would have expected the bulkheads to be vertical as the Orca has a very square sided hull.

Paul

[Ralph PinchParticipant @ralphpinch41762]

Hi Ross,

Looking at the Orca's hull profile it's very much like Paul T's VGC design but without the flamboyant bow section, so you can use ply sections as did Bob, or planking as I did,

Planking is very rewarding but much slower and has the added problem of multi seams to keep watertight.

Orca is a work boat so has a painted hull, it's a bit of a downer to spend many hours planking just to then cover all your work with paint…………believe me I know.

Bob did warn me of this at the start………….but me being clever chose to ignore, that's not to say I would not do the same again because as stated it is rewarding.

Keep us apprised of your build.

Ralph

[Kimosubby ShipyardsParticipant @kimosubbyshipyards]

It's me, the confuser with sword at the ready.

Like Bob I thought 'model boat' to catch fish, 2lb fish, at sea – first thoughts were I'll check on you-telly. Sure enough, there's videos of model boats catching fish, some with video cameras on the r/c boat so you see the action, and the boats do not capsize.

I mean, check this out **LINK**

Actually, you get sea sick watching it.

Kimmo

[Colin BishopModerator @colinbishop34627]

Yes, does make you feel queasy!

Colin

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