Here are the lastest updates on the runabout. I've got the floors trimmed to fit and painted a neutral grey color. The cockpit sides have been covered with three coats of finish epoxy resin and have a nice "wet", smooth look to them. The rear floor wasn't glued per the instructions--have to be able to attach rudder servo. The next step is to get the subdeck glued down and trimmed to fit--can't wait to start the mahogany planking!!

Looks like excellent craftsmanship going into this one! Keep up the great work!

It has been awhile since my last update. I had some diffuculty getting the mahogany planks to glue on the sides due to the curve. This was cured by using CA accelerator. I had never used CA accelerator before, and...wow...what a difference!

I sprayed the entire side of one strip of mahogany with the accelerator and then placed some CA on the subplanking. Once I placed the strip in place it was there to stay. I then worked my way down the length of the plank adding CA to the subplanking for bonding. The accelerator worked great. I trimmed the ends of the side planking and went ahead with the planking on the transom. I have one more small section of side planking and then it is time for the deck. Here are some pictures:

Looking great! for some reason it seems like CA needs a shot of accelerator when used with mahogany... nor sure why...

Ahhh the smell of mahogany and CA accelerator... Perhaps it is time to build another Chris Craft!

Perhaps there is not enough moisture in mahogany to kick off the CA?

Half of the fore deck is planked. Pretty time consuming--making sure the ends match up with the side plank. Took me about 3.5 hours to do just the half! I am please with how it is turning out though. Lots of sanding to come in the future to level everything out, that's for sure!

Time consuming, yes, but you are doing it right! looks very crisp!

You are doing a remarkable job for a new builder!

Front Deck is now complete...time to move onto the hatch and rear deck. So far I have sanded everything by hand; which makes for a tired arm. Are the small palm sanders worth looking into? I was set on just doing everything manually, but when I am ready to sand the entire boat that's going to take some time and elbow grease! Let me know what you think...

Thanks for viewing and the comments!!

I have a small sander made by Craftsman called the "Mouse" it is light weight and intended for detail sanding, with its triangular front end- I have found it very useful on things like model boat decks, etc- one thing about it that I don't like is that the sand paper is attached to it like velcro so you are stuck buying purpose made sand paper which gets expensive and is inconvenient...

I decided to go at the sanding by hand; after about 1.5 hours worth I have the deck sanded to 150 grit. I need to get some putty to fill some small imperfections, then contiune to sand.

Is 320 grit a good stopping point? I plan to try my hand at fiberglassing; first time for everything--just hope I don't ruin it!

I also need to get my running hardware prepared because I want that installed before I get the surfaces finish-sanded. I don't want to ding it up while installing the hardware.

I would suggest going to 400 or 600. The better the foundation, the better the finish. Also, be sure you are using a flat board to sand and not using your hand. Sanding with only your hand will make ripples in the surface.

mcfly,

Your build is looking great. I stopped with 320 before staining mine and I used the water based stain supplied with the kit. I think hand sanding is the way to go. I used a finishing sander to rough sand then hand sanded with the grain to remove any swirls from the orbital sander. I used rubber sanding blocks and made my own flat sanders with sand paper rubber cemented to pieces of oak molding. On full scale Chris Crafts we stop with 80 or 100 grit to keep an open grain for the paste filler stain.

Thanks for the sanding tips! I have been using just a general sanding block--a hard foam/rubber type, with pretty good results.

I just ordered some running gear from Mack Products; can't wait to check that stuff out--may not have been necessary upgrade, but I thought what the heck?
I've been debating on the motor--between the recommend Dumas 6V motor or a "Speed" variety from Graupner. The ball bearing speed series look pretty appetizing, but I am unsure if the specs are favorable for such a set up.

Any thoughts on the motor are greatly appreciated. Time to get back to some sanding!

The motor Dumas reccomends is their "High Speed" motor, not the 6v... big difference in price! the dumas motors seem to be good for these boats- the dogbone coupler they suggest is a little noisy but, in the right frame of mind, that noise could almost sound 'engine-like'...

I think you'll be pleased with the stuff from M.A.C.K.