My Fleet!

[tfbowen]

here is some of my boats,thought i would show off a bit.the one in consturction is a lord nelson victory tug more pics as i go along.sorry about the bad quality of the pics but i had to resize them and lost focus.they do all run!!

[h00t74]

Very nice mate. My fav of the group has to be #6 , last one second row.

[zach54880]

They ALL run?? You're doin' way better than I am! LOL

[Kmot]

Love those old cabin cruisers!

[jeepers1940]

Amen, Kmot. One o' these days -

[jeepers1940]

tf-, Really beautiful work, there. I have seen numerous Sterling Catalina cabin cruiser models, primarily on eBay, some on display at model boat regattas. Yours appears to be the nicest (of a good many) that I have seen; your workmanship seems flawless. Your railing at the rear of the upper deck is an especially nice touch. I had thought that when mine nears completion, I would add one to it as you have done. Without one, the rear area of that upper deck would be a dangerous place when the boat is underway(on the prototype, that is).
I'm gonna make copies of your pictures of your Catalina to inspire me when I resume work on mine.
I'm considering: working interior light(s), working navigation lights, twin shafts/props/rudders(CGBob has kindly made suggestions here), adding the Super Deluxe Sun Deck aft to differentiate it from other Catalina models.
Good of you to share your excellent work -
Bill

[Aerominded]

TF, the boat on the trailor, is that a Dumas Trojan? I like the flying bridge!

Nice collection you have!

:)

[Ghost 2501]

pics 7 and 8 are the ones i like, :)

[tfbowen]

thanks guys for all the nice compliments on my boats ,makes all the work worth will.yes thats the dumas trojan 31.the unfinished one wil be the lord nelson victory tug.thanks again . tom

[empirebuilder]

Wow, those are amazing! I am a newbie just getting into the hobby with a yet unstarted Dumas Trojan Cruiser kit. If you don't mind me asking, what paint/varnish did you use for finishing? Did you scratch build the extra detail parts or obtain them somewhere?

[jeepers1940]

Hello empirebuilder, Welcome to the hobby and welcome to these threads. You will find some very talented boat builders here who are very generous with their advice, based upon years of experience in the field. Good luck with your build and keep us posted as to how it's going.

[tfbowen]

hi empirebuilder,tom here i built that boat about 15 years ago and it has been moved all over the country when i get my victory tug done i'm going to take it apatr and redoe it.the paint is and aut grade spray paint .the varnish i seal it with several coats then sand it good and put on several coats of spray poly. it seems to hold up real well.for your first boat you picked a good one ,it's fairly easy with out planking.good luck any questions please ask.yes allthe other parts are scratch built except for the dingy.thak you for looking, tom

[Jeff G]

tfbowen, what is that Chriscraft with the fin? I love it. Tell me more!!!

[tfbowen]

hi tom here,that c.c. with the fin is the cobra by dumas models.i was looking thru ebay and saw a couple kits on there for sale.thank you tom

[empirebuilder]

Thanks Tom and Jeepers, I am definitely inspired by all the great work posted on this forum.

So automotive spray paint from an auto store I can find.

When you say you varnish it then seal it then poly it, is that like a wood stain first? What do you seal with? Why add a polyeurethane coat over everything if it is already sealed?

Sorry for the novice questions. I can figure out the boat building from the kit instructions, but not much is said in relation to finishing...

Thanks again.

[tfbowen]

hi empirebuilder, tom here what i do is stain the wood first then you use a sanding sealer from your local hardware store then you sand that lightly to get the ust off,then put one more coat of sanding sealer on ,sand that lightly, then you put on the poly as a finish coat.i useually put on 3 or 4 coats of the poly and and lightly between coats.i also highly recommend minwax sealer and poly.hope the helps. tom

[lonjack3]

Tom-

Stunning group of boats.

Your 31' Trojan brings back a lot of fond memories. Restored the 1:1 scale version a few years ago. Have toyed with the idea of converting a Dumas model and your pic's just put me over the edge.

Just found out about this board and glad I did.

Lon

[wingnut163]

Lon,
hell your way ahead of us. doing the 1:1 gives you the upper hand.
go for it man, you have nothing to loose and a great model to gain.

[Kmot]

Yeah, talk about having scale documentation!! :D

[Jeff_Churill]

Wow :D Now that's slick!

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