Hints andTips!

This section is dedicated to helpful hints and tips, created by model boaters, for model boaters, to make certain jobs and tasks that much easier than the instructions make out.

heres a list of all the items on here so far:-
1/ Navigation light sets.
2/ Glue - what to use to stick what to what?
3/ Boat ballast - cheap and simple
4/ Non slip decking
5/ RTR Southampton tug nav light conversion
6/ Model Boat carry Cradle


1/Navigation light layouts.here is a quite simple diagram of all boat navigation light layouts, so for those who simply want to paint on the desired lights in their proper places, here goes. For those more adventurous, why not fit real lights in the correct positions for that added "scale look" and appearance.

2/
GLUE !What sitcks what to what?Always a puzzeler, can get very confusing and if you get it wrong, things fall back apart too quickly, and usually at the wrong time and place, like in the middle of the pool [aarrgghh!].So heres a list i found which seems to cover most items you are likely to glue. My appologies for "duck freaks", but I dont have a listing for any adhesives for their atertightness abilities !

 3/
So, first tip I came up with saved me loads of time and money, trying to add ballast to my own boats. Well, obtaining Lead is difficult or very expensive these days, so coming from the garage trade, I came up with a simple and reasonably cheap solution.
I used the stick on type "wheel balance weights" as used when you have a tyre fitted to your car. they come in basically 2 weights, 5 gramme and 10 gramme, 10 pieces long, weighing in total 50grammes. they are quite thin in size, so easy to stack up on each other if required, plus environm,entally freindlier than lead!
You can obtain from your local tyre dealer or garage or from ebay for example for lost cost.

heres a picture of my Sun Tug and you can see the ballast placed around the stern tiller.
4/
Second useful tip came from a fellow modeller. I wanted to put a replica "anti slip" deck on my dusseldorf fireboat, but the thought of having to buy several sheets of "chequerplate" embossed plasticard sounded expensive, so used this option instead.
Cotton bandage !
Yep, Simply paint a think layer of paint on your boats deck, then lay over the cotton bandage, pressing the cotton fibres in to the wet paint layer untill the paint soaks through and bonds the bandage to the deck. Once the paint is dry, check all areas to ensue none of the white colour of the bandage is still visible, if so, then lightly overpaint this area. You can choose several different widths of cotton bandage, all giving different "scales" of chequerplate for a host of boat models., plus if the deck of your boat is not perfectly "level" and has a radius from side to side to allow for water to roll off, then the sheet plastic stuff may be more difficult to apply and get to adhere properly.

All that is then required is a little careful triming and edge painting to complete, the pictures show the deck applied and painted, prior to final edge painting.





















5/
 RTR Southampton Tug - Lighting conversion.

I had a member of our boat club ask if I could install some lights in his rtr Southampton tug yesterday. A request I could not refuse, i'm game for anything, especially a "challenge" considering this boat is already "built", so not able to install from day 1 so to speak.

First thing was to see how many parts i could strip the upper cabin down to. I was surprises how easily it came apart. remove 2 phillips headed screws on the underside of the upper deck and the wheelhouse hinges off, then by carefully sliding upwards, both funnel/exhaust stacks slide off too. the main mast only needed the inner ribs [or ladder steps] cutting out, leaving a nice open tube to run the wires down off the mast lights.
I used some small 3mm led's for these lights, firstly cutting out a notch in the original light fittings, the drilling 2 1mm holes for the led tags to run through in to the back of the mast, then routing the cables down the mast and through the wheelhouse and then down inside one of the exhaust stacks. soldering the resistors to the wires once inside the stack casing [more room here]. I filled the back of the mast up with hot glue once all the wiring tested and sorted to seal and make good waterproof surface for repainting black again.
The navigation lights were easy enough too. using a small 1mm drill I put 2 small holes through the nav light boards after carefully cutting awau the original coloured pieces of plastic. the slipped the wire tags down off the led, before again fixing the bulb in place with hot glue.

I then routed the cables forward to the forward cabin under the wheelhouse, added a 9v battery and an on/off switch.

Job done!

Time taken?
A mere 3 hrs, but just adds that finishing touch to a quite nice little rtr tug.
Hope you agree.
Added some pics to show fittings.

6/
BOAT CARRY CRADLE .

Heres a simple, CHEAP and easy model boat carry cradle for you.  its made from some square section timber, made in to a frame of  a suitable size to suit your own model boat, with an upright post at each corner of the frame. these posts take a webbing strap, which then acts as support to the boat hull.
if you use a jubilee clip one 2 of the web straps on one side of the frame, you can make the cradle adjustable so it can carry a variety of different sizes and depths of hulls.

It beats having to cut precise wooden profiled frames that replicate the contours of a boat hull!