what paint to use

[Adrian SpencerParticipant @adrianspencer49589]

Hi All,

Im new to building boats and need some advise, im currently building a speed boat that will be RC, now the hull is built and im just putting on some clear varnish to seal it, but i want to know how many coats of varnish i should use and what i should use as the final coat, basically i want it to be white, but was advised that varnish would ensure it is sealed and water tight.

 

this is what i have so far.

thanks in advance

adie

[ashley needhamParticipant @ashleyneedham69188]

Adie. Nice shape to that boat, should look great when finished. There are as many views on how to paint hulls as there are model boaters. PERSONALLY, I use sanding sealer to seal the grain of the wood and harden it, then after a good rub down undercoat/topcoat in the normal way. I use common or garden undercoat for this, and either Humbrol enamel or a drop of Dulux to finish with. I like Dulux (any polyurethane paint) as it provides a very tough glossy appearance. Varnish is only clear paint, and so I dont see the benefit of varnishing before painting,any thinned down undercoat will seal wood. Larger surfaces benefit from being sprayed to get a good smooth finish without a lot of rubbing down, but the finish can be harder and more brittle (especially if using car type paints). A matt or semi matt finish can be obtained by mixing in talcum powder in with the paint. I generally paint the inside of my boats with sanding sealer to waterproop then against errant water ingress, but there again some like to keep the wood unvarnished in order not to trap any water in joints/small cracks etc etc. Yer takes yer choice on this one… Ashley

[Adrian SpencerParticipant @adrianspencer49589]

thanks fot the info ashley, the hull has now had 5 coats of ultra tough ronseal clear varnish, that is going to get a sand down later and then i will give it a coat if undercoat and then some enamel paint, i got told today that humbrol dont exist anymore, they apparently went bust(rumour from local hardware store).

 thanks

adie

[Tony HadleyParticipant @tonyhadley]

Adrian,

Revell’s Aqua colour range of paints are excellent. As an added bonus they don’t smell the house out, upsetting the boss, when used.

Tony.

[fireflyParticipant @firefly]

hi, have you thought about priming with a white primer and then spraying on yuor white top coat,i use acrylic paints from a car shop,as you have already varnished the hull,the other paints will seal it ,and the finnish looks great,but that is just  a suggestion my friend ok,hope this may help.good luck

[Adrian SpencerParticipant @adrianspencer49589]

hi all went routing through the shed last night and have found a tin of brilliant white undercoat which seems to be ok, so when this varnish is totally dry i will sand and coat with that before doing my top coat, local hardware store have some new acrylics in that replaced humbrol, so going to see what colours they have today, i want red for the bottom and the sides are going to be white, white a thin line of the red showing, its how it was done in the magazine i got the plan from and i think it looks good.

 i will post more pictures when i have the hull fully painted.

thanks adie

[Paul TParticipant @pault84577]

Hello Adrian

Just a word of caution….before you go mixing different paint bases (acrylic, oil, spirit) on your pride and joy it would be advisable to do a separate test piece of ply just to check that all of these different paint types are compatible.

Paul

[Adrian SpencerParticipant @adrianspencer49589]

i have done, he undercoat has taken well from what i can tell and is just drying now.

im just getting impatient now and want to go try it on the water.  but i know i have to wait until everything is dry, i guess thats the problem with the first build, have nothing to play around with while this one is being built.

anyway thanks for all the advice.

thanks adie

[Paul TParticipant @pault84577]

Nice one Adrian

Sounds great so far and the model looks first class…..we are all looking forward to seeing some photos "on the water"

When do you expect to complete the work and get sailing?

Paul

[Adrian SpencerParticipant @adrianspencer49589]

the first water test will be tonight in the bath to check that the hull is water tight and to check if any balast will be needed to balance it.

then if that is ok then i need to complete the deck plate and hatches before i let it loose on canal, but hopefully sunday will be the big test date when i can let it have a good run.

 my main concern for the canal is i only have 1 battery pack and due to the size of the boat the biggest battery i have manged to get in is a tornado professional 1500mah, and im really not sure how much time i will get out of that.

thanks

adie

[Paul TParticipant @pault84577]

Hello Adrian

When I sail on the Bridgewater I take a short fishing rod with me, its fitted with a strong line and lead weight just in case I loose a model.

Its easy enough to cast across the canal and land the weight on the lost model and then slowly reel in to recover.

Paul

[Adrian SpencerParticipant @adrianspencer49589]

i have a 7m fishing pole for that, am going to see about a small telescopic fishing rod though

[ashley needhamParticipant @ashleyneedham69188]

I carry around a telescopic fishing pole, I got it at a car boot for next to nothing, its only about 4 foot tall telescoped down, You can get some really long ones now that are also really light, I tape a wire hook on the end.   Really.   Ashley

[Adrian SpencerParticipant @adrianspencer49589]

well ive just been upstairs and done the first test in the bath before the final coats of enamel and she floats with no leaks. gave the propeller a few spins to make sure water wasnt coming in through the shaft and it seems ok and the motor end is above waterline at the minute, but i think im going to get some silicone grease and remove shaft and grease it to be sure, so sunday morning i will be doing final coat and making the deck plate and hatches so that it can go in canal.

[ashley needhamParticipant @ashleyneedham69188]

Dont overdo the grease! there was a long running thread on this contentious subject. Just adjust the shaft fasteners (whatever sort they are, generally a nut and thrust washer at the prop end for instance) to make sure the is the very smallest amount of end float, or play, and this should be sufficient. Failing that, keep a sponge handy!    Ashley

[Adrian SpencerParticipant @adrianspencer49589]

hi all,

i promise i will get more photos soon, but the hull is getting the enamel coats now, the last of which will be tomorrow then i will take photo for you all.

 have to admit that i went spending at the weekend and brought myself an airbrush kit, it makes painting the hull so much easier and quicker.

cheers, adie

[Adrian SpencerParticipant @adrianspencer49589]

well as promised here are a couple more pics of the boat with the hull getting its colour.

cheers adie

[Adrian SpencerParticipant @adrianspencer49589]

Hi All,

 Sorry i havent posted in a while, been real busy but here are some photos of the nearly finished model and some shots from the water test.

 

 cheers

adie

[ashley needhamParticipant @ashleyneedham69188]

Adi  .    Nice, very nice. You cant go wrong on a "classic" boat like that with a nice varnished wood top, white sides   (at least i assume you intend to keep the top wood colour?) and a nice red bottom. Ashley

PS Are you going to have some crew persons driving this boat ?? i always think it looks a bit odd, an open top speedbaot rushing around with no driver/pilot/captain/wag/whatever.  

BUT other think differently, or dont care.

OUT of interest, what motor/prop combination are you using and what are the dimensions of this craft?

[Adrian SpencerParticipant @adrianspencer49589]

yes once the seats are all finished and i have added some details liek stearing wheel and throttle i will look to get some people the right scale.

 the motor i used was a size 400 flight motor, connected using a universal joing to the prop shaft, then i now have a 35mm 2 blade propeller.

The boat is about 21" long and 7" wide and 3" tall, so quite small.

thanks

adie

[Adrian SpencerParticipant @adrianspencer49589]

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