Now that I have a video up of my latest project I thought it was time to share.
With my 2 tugs @ 32:1 it seemed logical to use the same scale.
I was thinking around 8ft would do but ended up at 10ft. That converts easily enough to 320ft and gave me the dimensions to look for on the net. I ended up baseing my Model on the Damen 4850 Coastal Freighter. I say based as it was to be built to a budget and in a hurry.
The shop I was using was not mine and I had only a limited time to use it.
Here are some of the early photos, more to follow later.

Your on your way.....

I have lost a bunch of photos from the laminating stage, but I'm sure you can imagine the mess from that and then the filling and fairing and filling and fairing and f...... well you get the idea

So this next set of pictures are from the early stages and the start of the superstructure.

The water ballast is pumped in with a boat/ RV presure water pump which through a sytem of valves also pumps the ballast out. The hull and fittings weighs about 40lb. the 135 AH battery is about the same and the ballast is about 500lb when fully loaded.

You have a tail gate Blazer - that helps. With the lift back type you'd lose about 2 feet of support.

I intend to fit mine into a Blazer, but I think I'll be drafting the horse trailer into service instead.


my projects

YB, Could you show me more of the pump/valve set-up. I'm thinking water ballast for the banana boat.
But I'd like an idea for starters.

I simply a 1 quart juice jug with the cap having a 1/2" fuel line in it.
Another 1/2" line in the top of the side vented to a side fitting. That jug and some ballest worked fine. The same idea would work with gallon jugs on a bigger hull.

Below is all I can lug around at 72.

JM
I thought about having manifolds and running pipeing for each tank, but in the end I went for a common line system.
You control the fore and aft trim by filling each of the 4 tanks seperatly.
The fill/ pick up line is at the back and bottom of the tank. Empty from the front first and the bow rises to ensure you drain all the ballast.
The pump runs one way only, hence the need for the first 4 valves as explained on the diagram. A reversing pump would simplify this process.

Yacht Boy, Excellent! I thinks a system like this will work for the banana boat.
I have a couple of small bilge pumps that will work.

Well soon after starting this thread I also started a new job, a pretty busy one.
Just now cathing up with things and have enough time to continue.
The 12V car battery sits on the blue sponge in the front of the engine bay.
The motor is from a 24V engine room blower on a boat. It has a set of diodes to run in one direction only so I fitted an aircraft (ahead only) speed controller and we have to use the tugs for brakes. Much like some of the real freighters.
5" Rivabo prop on home made 3/16 shaft with thrust bearings and gears from servo city. And yes I do have other gears to change out if I want too.

Looks like fun, I hope I can get up to Burnaby in August to play with it.

Originally Posted by yacht boy

well soon after starting this thread i also started a new job, a pretty busy one.
Just now cathing up with things and have enough time to continue.
The 12v car battery sits on the blue sponge in the front of the engine bay.
The motor is from a 24v engine room blower on a boat. It has a set of diodes to run in one direction only so i fitted an aircraft (ahead only) speed controller and we have to use the tugs for brakes. Much like some of the real freighters.
5" rivabo prop on home made 3/16 shaft with thrust bearings and gears from servo city. And yes i do have other gears to change out if i want too.

jesus

Like what i'm seeing. I had built an RC/ of the Edmund Fitzgerald Great Laker in HO scale (87.1) 15 years ago, which was later stolen. I'm contemplating a possible scale of the Great Lakes MV/ Stewart J. Cort, a 1000' ore carrier in HO scale, or even 1:48 scale - yeah that is big (20') but you only live once. I'm here to share ideas.

The Cort is a big boy. Hard to get it all in one photo. You could build her in her original sailing configuration without the midsection. That would make her easier to transport.

http://www.boatnerd.com/pictures/fleet/cort.htm

Yacht Boy your freighter looks good. Looking forward to seeing some towing photos.

"I now, the mast isn't straight! They are both removable for transporting."

I can see why they don't look straight by the calanders in the background with the curves on them. Just makes the mast not look straight. Looks like the inside of the clubhouse at Burnaby.

Originally Posted by yacht boy

Now that I have a video up of my latest project I thought it was time to share.

For those of you that missed this comment, here is the link.
http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1152314