I’m new to Model Boats and would appreciate some advice…

[Andy Sephton 2Participant @andysephton2]

I’m an experienced Aeromodeller with a model boat kit (Aerokits Sea Rover) in my stash that’s been waiting for the right moment since it’s purchase in thé 1970s. That moment has arrived, so I’ve joined the Forum as thé best place to get constructive advice. Here’s the first few questions that come to mind:

– what is the best adhesive to use in the construction of the kit?

– Does one still use brass nails to pin the skin to the frame?

– Where do I find the location of my nearest Model Boat Club? I live in Sandy, Bedfordshire.

– What paint is preferred for finishing the model?

– if applicable, what is the preferred varnish?

Many thanks in advance ,

Andy Sephton

[Andy Sephton 2Participant @andysephton2]

Advice needed

[Ray Wood 3Participant @raywood3]

Hi Andy,

Welcome to the forum, to say your an experienced Aeromodeller is the understatement of the century !! and your experience's of fullsize aviation are second to non

Yes you will get many sorts of advice here, mostly good but ………..

Sea Rover Aerokit is a classic well worth the build.

I find Gorilla Woodworking glue is fine, epoxy for stern tubes and the like.

I still use brass pins, but pre drill say number 70 drill first saves a lot of bent pins.

Pass on the clubs. I'm in Kent

Sanding sealer, Halfords primer, Humbrol Enamel, or similar

Yacht varnish is good for the job.

We have communicated on The Facebook Keilkraft in the past with my sticks and tissue efforts, keep up the good work with the BMFA quite few flyers on here.

Have a look at my album "Rays Boats" i have got rather carried away over the last 5 years

Regards Ray

Edited By Ray Wood 2 on 10/10/2021 11:34:26

[Andy Sephton 2Participant @andysephton2]

Many thanks for the kind words and useful comments Ken, it's much appreciated. I've always had a liking for boats, probably because my family built canal boats until the early part of the 20th Century. I had three as a kid, a yacht (that still rests on the model room windowsill), a cabin cruiser and a small balsa and ply thing I built from a kit. All were sailed without RC on Nauls Mill Park boating lake in Coventry. The main issue was that the batteries cost a relative fortune (one or two weeks pocket money for each unit) and all they did was allow one pass across the lake. The cabin cruiser was sold in 1963 together with my Mecano set and the income used to buy a Frog 150 for my first control liner …and the rest, as they say is History.

I hired a full-size cabin cruiser for a holiday on the Thames in the 70s and realised that a model boat would be a useful distraction in the evenings. Accordingly, the Sea Rover kit was procured from Henry J Nichols on the Holloway Road (my then partner lived in North East London). I had a look at the kit but lost interest after noticing the inaccurate parts.

Two good friends are into boats, so it's time for me to take the plunge (pun intended!) and get the Sea Rover built. I see that SLEC have a modern version of the kit, and I've read the review on this site. SLEC also supply a number of the extra parts I'll need (motor, ESC, propshaft, connector, screw, etc), so an order has been sent in. It'll be a winter build, I've started a thread here: https://www.modelboats.co.uk/forums/postings.asp?th=175027

[Richard SimpsonParticipant @richardsimpson88330]

Hi Andy and welcome to the forum. As Ray says there is plenty of advice to be had but, to be honest, an awful lot is simply down to personal preferences and, quite frequently, there simply isn't a definitive 'best' way. What I like to use may well not be what Ray likes to use but, at the end of the day we may well both be happy with the results and they may well be just as durable and resilient.

There are one or two well known pitfalls to avoid such as incompatible combinations of paints etc however I strongly suspect that if you are an experienced modeller already you will be aware of a lot of them. I remain completely convinced that many paint incompatibilities announced by modellers are mostly as a result of simply not waiting for the first layer to completely harden rather than a chemical reaction.

I'm with Ray on Halfords acrylic primer and Humbrol enamels but I tend to use a polyurethane varnish as I really like the smooth forgiving finish and I find it more resilient than any water based equivalent.

As for glue it is usually a white PVA for most materials as the strength nowadays is more often than not more than the things it is joining and, as with most, two part epoxy for any sort of metal such as rudder tubes, stern tubes, deck fittings etc. Just be aware that the rapid variety is generally not as water resistant as the traditional type although with a good coat of paint over it it doesn't really matter. I always roughen up the surface when applying epoxy to give a good strong key.

One little hint that I always recommend is the care to be taken with drilling. I measure up everything with a vernier and use exactly the correct size clearance drill for the hole. I have a number of sets of pin drills and an extended length set of sharp wood drills. There is nothing that stands out more than fittings, especially handrails that are not vertical!

[David Marks 2Participant @davidmarks2]

Andy – Regarding the wood glue I use Aliphatic which is a type rather than a trade name. My current one is by Titebond, the waterproof version with a blue label. I also use (where appropriate) a glue called Super Phatic (which is a trade name) by a company called Deluxe Materials. It allows you to dry assemble a joint and the apply the adhesive which is a lot thinner/runnier than the normal aliphatic and the glue then "wicks" into the joint. It can also be used for joining dis-similar materials for example for one of my fellow club members I placed a wooded strip around the lip of a GRP hull to allow the deck to be fitted.

Regarding a local club, some of my fellow members belong to the Model Power Boat Association (MPBA) and a qick look at there website came up with the Alpha MBC with a contact address at Stevington MK43. They do not have a club water but it is somewhere to start.

[Andy Sephton 2Participant @andysephton2]

Many thanks Richard and David, that's useful info. I've used most of the products mentioned when aeromodelling, the only exception being gorilla glue. It looks like I have all I need already on my shelf. I also like the comment on getting everything square.

Thanks for the heads-up on local Clubs David. I've had a look at the MPBA site and there are two Clubs that operate on Nene Park where I fly free flight model aircraft. It's a 40 mile road trip, but that's not an issue (provided I can get fuel )

[David Marks 2Participant @davidmarks2]

Andy – As far as I am aware not all clubs are listed on the MPBA website. I was a member of the Dolphin Model Boat Club (DMBC) in Orpington and there were two club members that also had MPBA membership but DMBC did not appear on the list. I think that MPBA have a minimum number before a club is listed. I believe the advantage of MPBA membership is that if you visit another club to sail then MPBA cover you regarding Public Liability Insurance.

[Ray Wood 3Participant @raywood3]

Hi All,

The MPBA list of affiliated clubs on the website has a great little map at the bottom of the page with a lot of club locations shown who are not on the affiliated list , my own club Chanty MBC location is indicated as is Dolphin @ Orpington

With the small number of clubs allowing IC boats I don't know how relevant the public liability insurance is these days ?

One of the reasons I'm a member of the BMFA is for the model flying insurance.

Regards Ray

[Dave Cooper 6Participant @davecooper6]

That goes for me too – perhaps someone can enlighten us ?

Dave

[Andy Sephton 2Participant @andysephton2]

Again, many thanks for the info. Please keep it coming, I’m learning a lot here!

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