Posted by Steve Walker 1 on 07/03/2016 09:29:16:
Hello again. I built a prototype on Saturday to ensure that when I build this at Easter with my granddaughter I won't have any unexpected problems. Unlike many I can't nip to a model or hobby shop and I have just discovered that postie won't deliver balsa glue. Anyway, the hull is very thin. Will seal and sand type product harden it or do I need to add tissue. When looking at some sites I note that (aero) modellers shrink it. I imagine this would pull the tissue off the nice curve I have in the hull. What to do for best, please?

No glue posted? Interesting… What happens if you buy a tube and have it posted, as most model shops will do – here is the page from the shop I used, but pretty well anywhere has the same 'shopping cart'…? **LINK**
The balsa skin on EeZeBilts is indeed thin – 1/16" or 1.5mm – which was fine for small boats and cheap kits. You are usually encouraged to use HARD balsa for this part – soft balsa would soon pick up unsightly dents, and would probably crumble with repeated handling. So you must certainly use a hardish balsa for the skin, and support it well from the inside…
For the larger 50+ series, and certainly if you are going to 'double-up' the size (as a number of people do) it's a good idea to consider 1.5mm ply for the skin. But that harder-to-cut wood makes the boat less suitable for an outright beginner or child.
I find hard balsa with several sanding-sealer coatings produces a reasonably robust finish (though an all-balsa boat will always suffer from knocks with a hard object!). However, many people swear that a covering improves things immensely, and that advice is frequently found in modelling books – I have a comment on it in the web site here : **LINK**
I have tried to use this technique before a number of times, but I don't seen to get on with it. The tissue never lies flat for me, it ridges and lifts, ruining a perfectly good surface! But for many people, it is the best way to produce a smooth base to paint on. You can also make a much more robust surface, skinning with fibreglass and resin, or various epoxy skinning products. Nylon stockings can be used as covering… but, given my incompetence in this field, I have stayed away from experimenting with these on a newly-finished hull.
I am sure that a host of people will now join in, explaining their own personal preference for skinning, and explaining what I am doing wrong. Many will be much more skilled and experienced than I – so it will be worth listening to what they have to say…