This is a kit I've had my eye on for years, and really enjoyed following the build threads that have appeared here in the past. When the oppertunity to build one came up, the only thing to do was to jump right in.

The assembly procces began with the basic hull frame. As with most Dumas kit, even the early ones, parts fit is really very good, and the assembly went together without a hitch.

Having built several Dumas Runabouts over the years, I do know that they build a bit on the heavy side. Since this will be a running model, I desided to replace the ply subplanking with 1/16 Sintra (expanded PCV plastic) sheets. The ply parts were used as patterns to make up the new sections. The parts were then weighed, and discovered that the Sintra weighed less then half what the ply did. The bottom was done first, and when dry, the clamps removed, then shaved and sanded flush with the chines. A wood workers plain was used for the majority of the trimming process.

The sides were glued in place and trimmed in the same fashion as the bottom. The bow blocks were glued in place and sanded to shape. The hull assembly was removed from the board and the sub-planking trimmed and sanded flush with the sheer.

With the sub-planking in place and sanded, the gaps between the individual panels were filled with a slurry of West Systems epoxy and micro ballons. The hull was turned over and a small bead of the epoxy mix was applied along the edges of all the frames and keel to securely attach the planking to the main hull frame.

The sides were done first. The planks were soaked in water and the curve steamed into the bow section using a Mono Coat iron turned up to "smells terible", to form the planks in place on the hull during the fitting/glueing process.
BTW, a happy side effect from using the Sintra sub-planking is that the Cya used to attach the planks sticks to the Sintra more quickly then it does with play.
The bottom was done next, using the recomended proceedure in the instructions, again steaming the planks up front. I also use a plank bending tool where the cures was just too extreme to do it with steam alone.
Then with all the planking in place, the transome venere was glued in place and the edges sanded flush at the deck sheers, chines and transom.

With the planking in place and rough sanded, the hull was turned over and the interior side panels glued in place. These for panels had been scribed, sanded, stained and sealed with a coat of West Systems resin previousely. Once sanded to shape, the ply sub-deck was glued in place. I would have used Sintra up here too, but unfortunately all the scrap had been used, and a new sheet would have been more expensive then the kit when purchased one sheet at a time.

Now comes my favotite part of the project -- palnking the deck! This is where the "grunt work" stops and the fun part begins.

PAT

Looks GREAT Pat!!! The Sintra mod you did was a great idea- The weight of my Utility is a love-hate thing- Feels like a substantial model which is nice but I might prefer the enhanced performance if it was lighter. (Please don't get me wrong, this is a fun boat on the water!) Looking forward to your running report to see if there are any differences! Are you planning to use the Dumas reccomended running gear or something else?

Pat;

The utility is looking great,how do you work so fast? I'm going to be building the 24' runabout sometime soon and was thinking of doing the same as you as far as the expanded pvc for the side and bottom planking.Where is a good source for this material?
I read somewhere a while ago that weight was also an issue with this model and the person had drilled out large holes in some of the bulkheads that don't show,every bit helps! Thanks, Harry

Aero, My ONLY complaint about the older Dumas CC Runabout designs is the finished weight. You can't argue with the looks of the finished models, but if they were 20% lighter they'd definitely run better.

Harry, Sintra is available from most good plastic supply shops. Our local shop offers it in a whole rainbow of colors, but as a commercial supplier, our local shop really doesn't like dealing in small quantities, and it's reflected in the price. If you don't have something available locally, it might not be a bad idea to contact dumas and see if they could supply you with smaller quantities.

PAT

It all starts with fitting, aligning, and gluing the dye cut mahogany sideboards in place. From there, the plastic "caulk strips" are glued in along the inside edge of the sideboards, followed by the center plank. From there, the plastic strips and planks are laid alternately, all the way out to the side boards.
I find this part of the build a bit tedious and repititious, but it's worth the time it takes to work at getting a good fit with the planks along the sideboards. When gluing the planks in place, it's a good idea to use planks cut from the same stick on both sides of the center plank to insure symetry. It's also a good idea to take a measurement after every other plank or so, and make adjustments if necessary to be sure the finished deck does remain symetrical.
With the planking all in place, a Dremmel drum sander was used to clean up the edges, which were then hand sanded to clean up the cockpit openings.
From here, it's time to level up all the planking, then the fiberglass can be added.

PAT

Pat's the only guy who could build this boat in 12 hours!

Sintra is available from most good plastic supply shops. Our local shop offers it in a whole rainbow of colors, but as a commercial supplier, our local shop really doesn't like dealing in small quantities, and it's reflected in the price. If you don't have something available locally, it might not be a bad idea to contact dumas and see if they could supply you with smaller quantities.

PAT[/QUOTE]

Hi all I deal with this product all the time in my day to day, Pat refers to it as Sintra, and we know it as Foam PVC generally obtained in 2mm or 3mm thicknesses. I generate plenty of off cuts which are suitable sizes for boat use.
I am happy to supply material within reason for the cost of postage.
Otherwise I could get a sheet and divvy it up for cost + postage if anyone needed bigger pieces.

However I am in Australia though so post may be a few dollars, pounds, euros, yen or dinar.

Cheers,

Anton

[QUOTE=Kmot]Pat's the only guy who could build this boat in 12 hours![/QUOTE]

K, Thanks, you're too kind . Actually, the build started about a month ago, but with having to finish several other projects at the same time this one was going together I was afraid it would get lost in the shuffle. So, I waited till there was significant progress, and, an open road ahead for finishing it before I posted.

Having built several CC Runabouts now, the resent builds are going faster then the first couple for sure, but the secret to good visable progress is longer individual building sesions. I find it very difficult to work for an hour or so and make any real progress, except of course in those areas where it only takes 20 minutes to paint yourself into a corner -- like fiber glassing the hull. If I could only work an hour or so a day, a 35 hour build would turn into 50 in a hurry, and go from a couple weeks to a couple months to actually finish.

Knowing that, I can definitely sympathize with a modeler who's job and other daily responsibilities cut so deeply into their hobby time. In a normal day, I usually spend 7 - 8 hours at he workbench building, or on the computer working on plans -- or a combination of both.

PAT

Pat,

Thanks for sharing your builds. I love reading them.

Oliver

I always learn something new, reading Pat's threads- Thanks again for sharing, Pat!!!