Amsterdam (with a few changes)

[Olscuzbut]

Started my Amsterdam tug last week. Going quite well as most of the wood is laser cut. Have already changed a few things like the towline resting span, I installed a couple "strakes" (I think thats what they are called) down the curved bottom of the hull to reduce the rolling effect, and plan on adding a few things as work progresses. Paint colour on the box doesn't turn me on, so that will change.

[Kmot]

Nice, nice, nice! Nice shop too! :)

[more coffee]

That laser cut looks nice ...I thought Latina dropped the Amsterdam ? ...

Very nice build ..

Whats in it for a power train ...

[Prins Willem]

Your doing a great job. The "strakes" are called bilge keels. One of our club members has been running a Amsterdam for many years and he has been happy with it. The hull is deep and wide so rolling isn't really much of an issue.

Another club member(and forum member boater_dave) is building out the hull with a big Graupner Z drive unit in it, and a bow thruster.

[Olscuzbut]

Thanks Kmot.

More coffee, I don't know whether Latina has quit producing the kit or not, but the local hobby shop got two in and they were both gone in a week. The actual plywood in the kit is a lot nicer than what the pictures show in the build instructions. The power will be a Johnson 6390. I tried it on a 6v gell cell and it sure had lots of torque. Should work out I hope. Got some others to try if its not torquey enough.

[Olscuzbut]

Thanks for the pics Willem. Nice to see a finished product in the pond. Very nicely built.

[awvs]

Hi Willem,

nice work. I did built an Amsterdam just about a year ago and it is one of my favourite tugs. Roll is no problem as long as you have enough ballast at the lowest point. Steering is a different story, especially in reverse. In my humble opinion you need a bow thruster.

Regards
Wilhelm

[Prins Willem]

The rig boater dave is doing will eliminate all maneuvering issues. He is primarily a blow boter so moving in directions other than straight ahead he can use the extra help (just kidding Dave ;) ).

olscuzbut from the photos you can see how deep she will ride. The bilge keels will still look good while she is on display, breaking up allot of empty hull. As awvs said ballasting is the key.

[Olscuzbut]

WOW! Thanks guys for the neat pics. I can see my Amsterdam budget going sky high. Guess I better start planning before I get too much farther.

[Kmot]

That is a perfectly magnificent version of the Amsterdam, awvs.

You should consider doing a separate thread on the build of yours, and post all the pictures so I can save them in my Amsterdam research folder. :D

[awvs]

Hi olscuzbut,

sorry for the mix-up, but my posting was mend for you and not Willem. Of course, the drive in the pictures posted by Willem will address most of the steering problems with the Amsterdam. By the way, I am using a Graupner 720BB motor (high torque) and a 60 mm brass prop.

Regards
Wilhelm

[awvs]

Hi Kmot,
thanks for your comment. I don't know whether there are more modelers interested in additional pictures. Nevertheless, I can forward my other pics via a pm direct to you.

Regards
Wilhelm

[Kmot]

Yes there are. We all love pictures because none of us can read! :p

[boater_dave]

Lots of pics please. I love the lighting, so make sure you provide details on that, too.
I have had my Amsterdam on the bench for way too long. The Graupner bow thruster is far too small/weak for this boat. I am thinking of building one with an actual propellor in the tube. Anybody got some ideas?

Dave

[awvs]

Hi Dave,
I use a bow thruster made by raboesch and it is doing a fine job. The robbe thruster with two propellers in my "Happy Hunter" sounds like a circular saw. My Amsterdam is equipped with working lights (as you can see), a horn sound module by RAM, rotating radars and working fire monitors. The first drive motor was a robbe EF76II with a 3:1 gear but it was very noisy. I did replace it with a 720BB which has enough torque and runs smooth as silk. With two 12V 7Ah gel cells it runs forever. An additional 6V 7Ah gel cell supplies the Rx, radars and the lights. Some of the lights are LED's. The two yellow caution lights near the boom are flashing. The total weight of the boat is 32 lbs.
Here are a few more pictures as requested.

Regards
Wilhelm

[norgale]

That is one really nice model. Love the lighting. pete

[Prins Willem]

awvs like the others said a fantastic job, and the lighting is perfect. Some years ago our LHS had a bunch of Amsterdam kits on sale at a bargain price. Now I wish I had bought one even though I'm not a fan of European tug styling (no offense meant just personal preference). If I could have built one as nice as yours I'd have been well pleased.

olscuzbut, awvs has set a high mark and I'm sure given you plenty of inspiration. Keep the progress reports coming.

[Kmot]

The lighting is fantastic. Thanks for the extra pics. :)

[Ashbrooke]

Hi Willem,

nice work. I did built an Amsterdam just about a year ago and it is one of my favourite tugs. Roll is no problem as long as you have enough ballast at the lowest point. Steering is a different story, especially in reverse. In my humble opinion you need a bow thruster.

Regards
Wilhelm

We had two Amsterdams in our club. As built one had a large space between the prop and rudder. Moving the prop closer to the rudder helped. The other extended the prop shaft and fitted a Kort nozzle, really helped it steered as well backwards as forwards.

[Flying Barry]

Hi all,

If anyone is Interested in a new in the box Amsterdam Tugboat I am selling one on eBay Australia, If buyers are interested then you must organise your own shipping for this Item from Sydney, Australia.

"NEW" AMSTERDAM TUGBOAT TUG BOAT 1060 MM LONG (http://cgi.ebay.com.au/NEW-AMSTERDAM-TUGBOAT-TUG-BOAT-1060-MM-LONG_W0QQitemZ220496198106QQcmdZViewItemQQptZAU_To ys_Hobbies_Radio_Controlled_Vehicles?hash=item3356 98f9da)

Barry

[rhinefreighter]

Like it too

[BGThomas]

Rhine, would you post pics of, or a schematic of how you are controlling the fire monitors/pump. What transmitter, electronic switch, etc.

[rhinefreighter]

Rhine, would you post pics of, or a schematic of how you are controlling the fire monitors/pump. What transmitter, electronic switch, etc.
Graupner 12V pump, controlled by Robbe Duoswitch. Only on/off function. The other channel is for the lights. I will change some things, like the position of the batterys and the transmitter of the bow thruster. This boat needs 12 kg ballast and a low balance point!

[Dave W]

Hi Willem,

nice work. I did built an Amsterdam just about a year ago and it is one of my favourite tugs. Roll is no problem as long as you have enough ballast at the lowest point. Steering is a different story, especially in reverse. In my humble opinion you need a bow thruster.

Regards
Wilhelm

How much ballest is required?

[awvs]

Hi Dave W,
including drive and batteries you add approximately 10 kg's depending on your waterline markings. I put the boat into the bath tub and added lead ballast until she hit the markers. Some of the ballast (lead strips from a printing company) is underneath the large plank in the centre of the hull and more lead to the left and right of the prop shaft. Considering the total weight of the boat you could also use removable bags stuffed with lead.

Regards
Wilhelm

[awvs]

Hi rhinefreighter,

your boat looks great in the water! :) :)

Regards
Wilhelm

[rhinefreighter]

Hello Wilhelm,
thanks, i start to build them 3 years ago. Our boats have a lot of similar details!
I found this Amsterdam "Hamburg" on the Internet. It´s a perfect build.

[awvs]

Hi rhinefreighter,
I have seen the pictures of the Hamburg before. Interesting that the Amsterdam, at the time called Hamburg, was actually built 1971 in Hamburg at the Johan Alkers shipyard, but you probably knew that already.

Regards
Wilhelm

[Olscuzbut]

Down to the mini steady hand work. Some times its hard to determine how far you can go before you do some priming. I like to glue wood to wood, instead of on top of primer.

[Kmot]

Looking good Ol'!

Every thread I have read about building the Amsterdam, the builders have commented on how much filling and sanding the superstructure requires. I guess it's just the nature of the beast. When I build mine, I am going to look into maybe laminating super thin styrene sheet over the plywood.

[Olscuzbut]

Tom
Actually, the wood used on this build, is a lot smoother than what is shown in the pics for construction instructions. Most of the filling and sanding is in the joints where the tabs of one section fits into a slot of another section. The wood itself is very fine grained and would probably get by with priming.

[Kmot]

Oh, good to know. Thanks! :)

[Olscuzbut]

Well, as mentioned in my thread header, "with a few changes", decided that a tug boat without a tow winch just didn't look right. The hoaky tow hook supplied in the kit just didn't cut it for me. So I scratched up a tow winch. I know it doesn't conform to the real thing, but its my tug!!! Found that the kit didn't supply nearly enough wire for the railings. Another trip to the LHS.

[Kmot]

It's lookin' pretty awesome! I like the winch. :D

[Brian Gabbott]

Great looking models. Built my Amsterdam ten years ago will try and get some pics uploaded and wanting to install fire monitors. Already installed a water pump but unable to access the monitors on this side of the world. Anyone got any designs for some.

[Olscuzbut]

Still plugging away. Added a ladder to the left exhaust stack, as there was an access hole on the upper structure but no ladder to get to it. Also ended up using the "hoaky" tow hook just in case I ever tow anything. Spiced it up a bit with an old tape deck idler spindle instead of just bolting to the deck as the kit calls for. Just the upper railings and the piddly things to put on then priming. And sanding. And filling. And sanding. And so on and so on--you know the drill!

[Kmot]

Spiced it up a bit with an old tape deck idler spindle

Perfect. Exactly the reason I am a packrat too! :p

[TugFan]

Who makes this kit?

[Olscuzbut]

Who makes this kit?

Artesania Latina. Made in Spain I think.

[Kmot]

http://www.artesanialatina.net/

[TugFan]

Why did Artesania Latina discontinue this kit?

[Olscuzbut]

Why did Artesania Latina discontinue this kit?

Wasn't aware that they had. I purchased mine at a hobby shop just after they got 2 kits in. Both went pretty quick.

[TugFan]

Wasn't aware that they had. I purchased mine at a hobby shop just after they got 2 kits in. Both went pretty quick.

Scroll down at these links, both say discontinued. Several other websites say the same thing. Anyone know who carries them?

http://www.rocousa.com/artesanialatina.htm

http://www.naturecoast.com/rc.htm

[der kapitan]

Scroll down at these links, both say discontinued. Several other websites say the same thing. Anyone know who carries them?

I have seen these kits around for years, but never paid too much attention to them, probably because the only finished model of the Amsterdam I ever saw was one that looked like it was built by an impatient kid, and painted with a dirty broom---.:eek:

A far cry from the excellent workmanship shown on this thread---.;)

Well done, Olscuzbut, it'll be a looker when finished---.:D

[Olscuzbut]

Got a few beefs with this kit. First off, the cast pot metal railing stanchions and other pot metal cast impliments, fire monitors radar antenna are so brittle, that they broke very easily. One of the radar antenna and one of the fire monitors were broken in the kit. Suggest if you can get any of the Billing type brass railing stanchions, use them instead of the cast one. Also use the strait brass railing instead of the rolled up coils in the kit as it is a b**** trying to get it strait with no wrinkles. The brass rail can be soldered to the stanchions instead of ca'ed to the cast. (won't take solder) Any side pressure on the cast stuff and it snaps off. IF you use the cast stanchions, most of them don't have the notched shape for the top rail. And they are not all the same length. Just a few of the things I have picked up on so far. Almost ready for priming.

[Kmot]

Just about ready for priming
Heck, it looks finished and weathered! Isn't that an overall cream color paint job? That has rusted a lot? :D

[Olscuzbut]

Nope!! Fraid not.

[ken_nj]

Hey awvs. What did you use for lighting? Are those high intensity LED's?

[awvs]

Hi ken_nj,
it is a mixture of regular bulbs and high intensity led's. By the way, I am running the led's only with 2mA.
Regards
Wilhelm

[Olscuzbut]

Well--- finally got busy on the priming. Could not find the same color of primer for wood and plastic, so ended up with gray for the upper structure and white for the hull. Installed a 12v winshield washer pump in the bow. Will swing the water monitor with a servo. Not sure if I will put lights in it as I have put them in my other boats and have never done any night sailing yet. If the time comes, will do it then. Relaced the "hoaky" inflatable life raft with my own inflatable. Since it is now in the -20 degree range, decided to build my "inside" paint shop. Used a bathroom ceiling fan with a flex hose out the window. A furnace filter helps stop the paint overspray going into the fan. Gets rid of the fumes.

[Olscuzbut]

Had a bit of trouble uploading all the pics

[Kmot]

She's lookin' really good!

[Olscuzbut]

And so the painting goes on, and on, and on. Is there any drugs out there that can keep my old hands steady enought to paint a strait line? Some places are just too tight to get masking tape into. Have to do the best I can. Broke one of the blades off the prop just tightening the backing nut. It is a brittle plastic. Would like to pick up a 4 blade brass prop. Merry christmas to all and a happy new year

[Kmot]

Is there any drugs out there that can keep my old hands steady enought to paint a strait line?

I can recommend a few ounces of this. :D

Your Amsterdam is looking superb, BTW.

[Olscuzbut]

More painting and touch ups. Tried connecting up the ESC and all controls. I see what some of the readers mean by using a ProBoat ESC. Sure doesn't idle down like my Mtroniks ESC. Just hope that with the size of the boat and the battery balast I have in her, will keep the speed down when slow running.

[Cold Duck]

Beautiful work. I hope to see more pictures. As mentioned by others, she rides low in the water so rolling is not a problem. But be smarter than I was when I built the same kit---make your ballast removable!! It takes 2 men and a boy to get mine in and out of the water, and she's come close to winning the battle and pulling me in a couple of times. I added outboards to the work boats. Carved basswood and thin brass sheet to make props. Beautiful lighting system in your thread makes me want to start over with my rinky-dink lights. Please keep the thread going.

[Olscuzbut]

Like your outboard motors on the work boats. I was toying with puting an inboard in them since I already have the outboard on my scratch inflatable. Got all the superstructure cables and riggings on the the crew is all aboard ready for "bath tub trials" All the ponds around here are a little hard right now. Managed to snap off one of the blades on the prop, so will have to order one on line. Have a 12ah 6v battery to run the motor, and another 6v
5ah battery connected in series to give me the 12v to run the water pump. Won't be running the fire monitor all that much to drain down the main batt. As you mentioned Duck, it gets pretty heavy with all the ballast in the hull. Will try this carry cradle for launching and retreiving.

[Olscuzbut]

A few more touch ups, a few more tweeks, and ready to go-----Almost! Tweeked my prop a little to much and broke it. Two more on the way. (a 3 blade and a 4 blade) Still experimenting with a switch set up to operate my water pump. Just have to pick up another servo. Thanks to the wife for the bumper construction. Keep telling her she should sell them on line.

[Olscuzbut]

Well--for now I think I'm finished. But as Guard Officer says,' your never really finished". Still waiting for my props. Tried the bathtub test checking for leaks. So far so good. Got a servo to operate my pump switch. Pump works great and monitor swings back and forth through a 90 deg arc. Still come up with little add-ons.

[Kmot]

Looks really fantastic! Great job! :)

[Olscuzbut]

Thanks Tom,

Was hoping my props would be here today, but no luck. picked up about 16 lbs of lead weights for ballast. Along with the 10 I already have and the battery weight, I should be getting it close to the waterline. May need a Hi Ab to get it into the water. Havn't heard any reports on your Amsterdam build Tom. Have you started it yet?

[Kmot]

Oh, no. It's NIB on the rafters. Just waiting its turn. :)

[Olscuzbut]

Got my props. Tried them both on the boat. Thought that the 4 blade might be the stronger "push". No water test yet, but the movement of air behind the prop was way more with the 3 blade than with the 4. Much steeper pitch. The water test will determine which one I use. Don't want it to be planeing accross the water, but definately the 3 blade will have more power.

[Andrey225]

Curious... a few years ago I built the Artesania Latina H96 Hellen and recently, after upgrading the motor I lost one of my prop blades too, had to buy a new brass one almost identical to your 3 blade prop :)
Now I think I have the most pointlessly overpowered fishing trawler ever made. It almost planes and I'm fairly sure that it will capsize at full throttle. Still, I once got a floating sweater propwrapped at about half throttle. The prop was completely fine :D

[Olscuzbut]

Hi Andrey,
Did you find that the Artesiania prop was very brittle? Not sure what it is made of, but sure has no bending or flexing to it. They are all 60mm props and the 4 blade is a Graupner. The three blade is a Rivabo. I'm hoping that I will have enough weight and ballast in the hull to keep the speed down. If not, the 4 blade has a lot less pitch to it.

[Andrey225]

Hi,
It looks like you had the same 3 blade 60mm black prop as I had in Hellen. I'm not too sure what its made of but I have to agree that it is very brittle. In Hellen I used the three blade 60mm prop (I presume that its Rivabo), a Mabuchi 550 motor with a 4:1 gearbox and a 12V SLA battery for power. My boat weighs about 6.5kg but I will have to replace the 12V SLA with a 6V one because I do just get too much power. The Amsterdam looks a lot more heavy and stable than Hellen so it should not have problems with excessive power with either prop. I'd try both and see which is more efficient in terms of thrust vs. current for your motor.

[Olscuzbut]

Yup, I agree with you're 6 v option. I went with 6v for the very same reason. I do have another 6v in there in series, but that just runs my water pump for the fire monitor. It won't be used all that much, so shouldn't cause any running problems.

[Andrey225]

Sounds good. I'm looking forward to seeing it sailing!

[Olscuzbut]

Bathtub trials turned out fine. With two SLA batts and some lead weight totaling 12 lbs, was able to get her sitting right on the waterline. Pics are with and without flash. Had to be very fast taking pics of fire monitor, as it was spraying all over the bathroom off the tub walls. Tried full throttle with the 3blade brass prop. The way it stirred up the water in the tub, I may have to enter this thread in the "fast electric" section. ::D

[Kmot]

I can just hear your wife now......... :p

How soon (or long) till you get some soft water outside?

[Olscuzbut]

First of all, we have to get the temps above 0c and then get some of that rain you guys have been hording down in California. Going down to Victoria BC next week for a couple of months with the 5th wheel so will take my tug and Calypso with me. They have the soft water down there.