Hello everyone, I have been visiting this site for a couple of years and learning from other builds. For me this is one of the most enjoyable sites on the web. I'd like to thank everyone for their help. I would like to share my build of a Sterling Chris Craft Corvette and if some kind soul would explain how to post pictures, I will begin [KMOT where are you??] When I was in the 8th grade I built a Sterling Chris Craft Monterey 21. I always wanted one of the cool boats like the big guys had. Out side of a PT boat with a gas engine, I think this boat is it for me. I am a custom home builder and a street rodder, so you will see some techniques from both of those worlds. I'm also sure that I will be taught how to improve my next boat- a Sterling Century Sea Maid

Hey, posting images is quite easy, click the Go Advanced button below and select Manage Attachments. You can then upload your images.
Hope this helps and look forward to seeing your build.
Dave.

Originally Posted by 42Corvette

[KMOT where are you??]

Here I is!

Step 1: click on New Reply

(Do not fill in the small box that says Post Quick Reply)

Step 2: Type in your message in the window box that opened after you clicked New Reply.

Step 3: Look for the option button titled Manage Attachments, and click it.

Step 4: Inside the window box that opened, click Browse. Now go find your photo, in your own file, on your own hard drive. When you do, click Open.

Step 5: Do it again if you want to add more photos. Then click the buuton that says Upload.

Step 5: After your pictures have been accepted, click the red box to close the Manage Attachments windo box, and then click Submit Reply.

Now let's see those pics!

Here are a couple of old Polaroid's of The Sterling Chris Craft Monterey.

again, here is a photo of the Sterling Chris Craft Monterey. Apparently the file that is shown in the "attach files" has not shown up here. I've spent about 3 hours trying to figure this our and have sent an E-mail to the webmaster of this site. If Dave C. or Kmot or anyone else have any ideas, I would be willing to try them. My operating system is Vista which could be the problem. I have followed the directions you have sent me to a "t" several times and even tried to drag the photo's over with the same lack of a positive result. Thanks for your help

My guess is everyone is breathless to see if this boat will even float, considering my computer skills You can see that I bought the kit from Tower Hobbies in 95' for $99.00. I soon found out this was just a down Payment.

I used 2" stryofoam under my plans with wax paper over the plans to get the correct profile on the keel. I them used 2 hardwood blocks C-clamped on either side of the keel to build the framework. Some difficulty getting die crushed parts dislodged probably resulting in pieces that were less than perfect.
A glue technique I learned from a model airplane mgazine is to put some baking soda on the joint to be glued. It can be used to fill a slight gap or fillet a tight joint. When you hit it with fast CA it will dry in seconds and is extremely strong. I built a full size fireplace mantle out of poplar 17 years ago using this technique and painted it white and it has never opened up at any of the joints. Poplar has a reputation of moving around alot after installation.

Here are some more pictures [I'm so proud ] of the bulkhead,chines and shears going in place. Some of the bulkheads were either high or low when I sighted along their surface. You can also use a straight edge by rocking it along the surface to check for correct alignment. I trimmed the high ones and left the low ones alone. When I fiberglass the inside of the hull, I will fill the gap with fiberglass and resin [epoxy] between the low bulkheads and the hull sheeting and planking.
You can also see all the fast CA and baking soda. This trick really made it much easier to glue those curved planks in place because they held even if the fit wasn't perfect.

WOW.
Looks like your having fun now! Really moving along nice and taking shape. Will really enjoy watching your build.
Keep the pics and info comming.

What? Some pieces arn't a perfect fit? Imagine that. Ha! Looking good there 42vette. You should know that you ought to glue one piece of planking on one side and then do the same on the other side before proceeding with the first side. This will help keep your hull from twisting. Just keep eyeballing the top from the front to back as you go along and make sure she isn't starting to twist on you. If she does you need to put in a counter twist as you go with the planking on the open side to bring her back to straight. Pete

42 I just looked at your last picture again and I can now see that you are planking each side at the same time. Good show. That escaped me the first time around. Sorry. Pete

Looks like you are off to a great start. There are lots of Chris Craft admirers here, and we appreciate a good build.

Pete G.

Hi Norgale, you have a good point about planking a little on each side to keep the hull straight. I confess, I did one entire side at a time. I should know better because we had this problem on a house. We had a 2 by 12 valley board and we put about six 2 by 12 rafters on one side only and it bowed the valley board. If this was a race boat with straight lines it would certainly be more critical than a pleasure boat with all those wonderful and beautiful curves these old boats have. For me this is getting exciting because all the beautiful lines of this boat are beginning to show. Here are two more photos of progress.

As far as keeping the hull square while building: The instruction booklet says to pin the floors in place to keep the hull square while building. I used the plans to cut out the sheeting for the sides and bottom of the hull. I assumed [I Know ] that this pattern was correct. When the sheeting was tack glued in place it will also tend to hold the hull from moving too much. The hull can still be wracked, but is considerably stiffer. I did in fact do some of the twisting of the hull to get it straight before using epoxy for the final glueing. It did finally wind up with about 1/16 of an inch twist in the hull [confession].
I'm not going to tell anybody though.
One of my major concerns with modeling is strength. When I was kid my mom dusted my plastic models to death and after seeing some of the old Sterling boats from E-bay, it seems like a good idea to build really strong.
With that in mind you can see from the first picture that I have added fiberglass -2 layers of 3 oz. cloth and polyester resin [thanks to this website, I have now switched to West System Epoxy Resin ] to the entire front cabin area. I actually poured extra resin in the front part of the keel and bulkheads. Should I ever run into anything, hopefully my repair will only be cosmetic and not structural. Also I can now feel comfortable that all those individual planks that are really under some stress, are firmly epoxied and fiberglassed in place and I can begin the sanding process. Attached photos show some progress shots and the automotive bondo I'm using to fill low spots and an assortment of the sanding blocke I'm using. It's important to sand 45 degrees to the direction of the panel you are working on to avoid grooves.

I'm finally finishing a Sterling Corvette I started in the miid 50's...repairing damages from Storage and fitting it with current R/C gear. By the way, the price was 24.05 for the model & 8.95 for the fittings...does any one know if there are any 2" props available for this model...need both right & left.

Harbor Models has a selection of left and right handed props in brass and plastic. You will need to know your shaft diameter to match the props to the shafts. www.harbormodels.com

Pete G.