Skip to main content

Keelson laid on Star 45x

Well... I'm committed now. I epoxied down the keelson this afternoon so there's no turning back. The first Star 45x RC Sailboat is under construction!

I started today with epoxying in some supports between the two radio tray sheets. This is so the sheets won't be squished together when I screw the servo in later. I milled a piece of oak to 1/8" x 3/8" and cut sections to fit. I'd have preferred mahogany but I couldn't find any in my shop. Instead I found a piece of oak instead. Not sure where it came from and normally can't stand oak. But these pieces will be mostly hidden and I needed a hardwood for the other supports so this will have to do.

In the picture below you can just make out the two support pieces that frame the servo opening between the two radio tray sheets.

Star 45x RC Sailboat radio tray and keelson

Then I added other supports. There is one that runs near the sheer-line that the stays will eventually bolt through. I doubled these up by epoxying a second piece on top of (which is actually "below" the support when the boat is eventually flipped over). In the end, these supports for the stays will be tripled up when I add a third piece to the top of them after the boat is rolled over. Also added the piece that runs between frame 4 & 5 near the bottom between the two radio sheets. There are cutouts for all of these and it should be pretty obvious where the support pieces go. Clear coat them with epoxy and slip them in place. Be careful not to break the frames.

Then I clear coated a piece of 1/8" x 3/4" cedar that I milled last night and epoxied it down as the keelson. Using only frames through frame 8 makes for a very gentle curve and much flatter bottom than the original frames. I hope it looks OK later on! Fingers crossed.

Star 45x RC Sailboat radio tray and keelson

I'll let that dry completely and then the next step is to add the side stringers, chine logs, and then the half-frames.


Peace!

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Introducing the Salish 475 RC Sailboat

Yes, it's the same boat, but with a new name all its own... the Salish 475 RC Sailboat . Perhaps it should be formally known as the Coast Salish 475 in homage to the First Nations Coast Salish peoples of the Pacific Northwest and to better define it as being from the PNW coast. Some might object to it being named after a people though, so in that case it will be simply the Salish 475 as in the Salish Sea. Although I have taken 9 credits at the University of Washington from Bill Holm on Northwest Coast Native American art, I do not have adequate talents yet to incorporate NW Coast art onto the boat. Perhaps in a future boat! A number of ideas were floated on the RC Groups discussion , but the final vote was my wife's. I like it! By the way... it's pronounced "Say lish". The Coast Salish 475 : LOA: 47.5" Beam: 11.375" Weight: 14.5 lbs, 9 of it in the bulb (Yes, it could easily be build lighter... this was the prototype) Kiln-dried cedar

Moving to a new RC Sailboat blog! Check it out...

Since I've now sold the T37 , and have completed these two Star 45's (well... one Star 45 and one Salish 475), I thought it would be a good time to end these two blogs and focus on one generic RC Sailboat blog where I could post any new RC sailboat projects. Please check out my new blog at http://www.rcmodelyachts.com/ . Or you can use my older address of http://rcsailboats.blogspot.com/ . If interested in the Star 45 Construction Manual , you have two options: 1. An electronic PDF version for $20. Email me for details and payment. You will send a PayPal payment to my account and then I will email you the PDF. 2. For a full-color, printed copy (they're coil bound so they will stay open to any page!), go to Lulu Press . They are $35 and only take a week or so to get to you. So with that, I'm officially signing off! Peace!

Salish 475 pictures

More pictures of the new Salish 475 RC (radio control) Sailboat... Hope you like it! Also see the posting on RC Groups under Sailboats . See what else I'm working on at my other blog: http://www.rcmodelyachts.com.  Until I develop a logo/icon/symbol thing for the Salish 475 I'll just use the numbers on the sail. You can see them in the picture below using the font Slugfest. The logo/icon thing will need to be in the Northwest Native American art style and reflective of the Coast Salish people (or maybe some of the people's a bit to the north... Haida, etc... they also have amazingly beautiful art!) Aloha!  _/) Fine art radio control sailboat. Wooden radio controlled sailboat. classic wooden radio control sailboat. Star 45 RC Sailboat. Salish 475 RC sailboat. R/C Wooden Salish 475 RC Sailboat radio control sailboats Star 45Radio Control. Radio Sailing. Classic wood sailboat. Cedar hull planking. Cedar sailboat bottom. Wooden sail