Star 45 RC Sailboat Build Blog

This morning I cut out the sides and glued them on. I first clamped the 3mm Mahogany Luan sheets up to the side of the hull and traced around the edges. Then trimmed them on the bandsaw. Sanded the bow ends at an angle. Then glued them on using epoxy. I'm using WEST System 105/205. Finally I clamped the hell out of it using clothespins and large binder clips. Now just waiting for it to dry. Yes, I know what you're saying. Isn't that, um, a bit heavy? Next to Balsa, yes, it is heavy. Each side weighs 4 oz. I'm sure that a side made of Balsa wouldn't even weigh an ounce. However, here is my reasoning: 1. I don't care that much about weight as this will be the only Star 45 within 2 hours drive at least. 2. This boat will be bullet-proof and will never get holed if I ever do race it. Balsa is flimsy. Besides, if you side with Balsa you'll need to put two layers of 3 oz. glass on. With this boat I'm going to put one layer of 1.4 oz. gla...

Just got a box in the mail from Australia. It's my new RMG SmartWinch 280ES sail winch ! Oh boy! Its got loads of wires coming out of it, but the schematic looks pretty straightforward so hopefully it will set up easily. My only worry really is the connection to the battery. I'm not sure if they offer that type of connection here in the States. Off to the hobby shop this weekend to figure it all out. The round black thing on the boat is their new RMG Switch-BEC. It's supposed to handle higher torque servos and power supply and such. Whatever... it looks cool! It mounts flush to the deck and is waterproof. It looks so much better than a large toggle switch sitting on top of the deck or underneath. Peace!

So I've been very busy with the ordering over the past few days! In the past three days I've ordered my sails from Carr Sails , the mast from Ludwig RC Yachts , and a bunch of fittings from both Long Beach RC and Midwest Model Yachting . Loads of money spent, but it's worth it. Besides, the actual boat is pretty cheap... it's the outfitting that costs so much! And I already ordered an RMG Sailwinch a couple weeks ago and it should arrive soon. So I'm done with much of the big spending at this point. And I've been making a lot of progress on the Star 45 Construction Manual. And master Star 45 builder John Fisher has agreed to look at it when it's completely roughed out and help do some editing for me. He's one of the people you should thank for creating the laser-cut frames.  Not a whole lot got done on the actual boat today. But I did manage to trace out the side panels that I'll use. I'll cut them out tomorrow if I have time. It sounds he...

Yesterday I managed to complete the sheer rails by laminating the outer to the inner. Today I took some 80 grit paper and a sanding block and was able to fair out the stringers. It took about two hours and looks great! I'm very happy that I chose to use Cedar for the stringers. I'm not as concerned about weight as the pure racers are, but nonetheless the Cedar hardly weighs much at all. And it looks great! Smells good too for now. Still not happy with how the transom ended up. For some reason everything fit well except for the transom. Not sure why. I will use Cedar planking on the bottom too. Stay warm! 

It seems that I've been spending much more time on writing the Star 45 Construction Manual instead of working on my actual Star! But now I've written it up to the point where I need to make more progress on the boat so I know what I'm talking about. The manual is now roughed out with everything I know so far. But it's good to keep building and writing at the same time. I often find myself adding or editing after doing a step.  I'm using tight-grain Cedar for the stringers and for the planking. Milling it myself on the table saw. It makes lovely stringers but heavier than Balsa, though not so heavy that it will make much difference. Some images with the sun on the frames. The sheer rails still have yet to be added. Just clamped up the sheer rails on each side. I had glued on the inner sheer rail earlier today and it was dry enough to allow me to glue laminate the outer rail onto it. You can see the clothespins holding the clamped outer sheer rail...

You know how when you buy something that you have to put together, how it comes with assembly directions? You buy a bookcase or a model, or a kids bicycle, or whatever, and you get the instructions. Sometimes they are even in English. The set of instructions doesn't exist for the Star 45. Yes, I know, it's not a kit. You have to piece together all the parts and materials and figure it out for yourself. Nonetheless, I wanted an instruction manual! So I got started making an instruction manual for the Star 45, and it has slowed my work on the actual boat! Sigh... Oh well, I'm a geek and writing manuals is fun for me, so it's all good. There are a few sites out there that give advice on how to build a Star 45, but they are mostly jumbled suggestions... not a step-by-step manual. That's what I'm going to try to make so that other people can have some of their questions answered. If you have suggestions for the Star 45 Construction Manual, please let me know an...

It's begun! I finally got a proper start on my Star 45 build. Today I built a strongback for the frames, installed the alignment strips, and got the frames plugged in. Epoxy coated the limber holes and the two sheets that make up the radio tray, as well as some of the other places that will be trickier to get to with the epoxy later on. Also, I'm trying to make a Construction Manual for the Star 45 that others can use as a guide. This is my first Star 45 build and I have had loads of questions about the steps and such. I thought that if I could make the start of an instruction manual, or set of directions, that it might help others too. And hopefully I can get some of the more experienced people to help add to it and edit it. We'll see! This is going to be a loooong slow process with many fits and starts. But in the end I hope to have a great boat and perhaps a construction manual for others.  Happy seas!

It's started! I finished my T37 this afternoon and it was already too dark to take it on its maiden voyage, so I thought I'd get started on the Star. Removed all the laser cut frames from the plywood and sanded the burned bits smooth. Laser cut is so much more exact than CNC cut panels. Beautiful. It does leave a bit of toasted wood though! The T37 took seven weeks. This Star 45 will take a lot longer than that. Months I'm sure. Peace!

Got an order today from Long Beach RC . I ordered some SS shroud wire and crimps, some yellow kevlar shroud line, some nice looking metal bowsies, a wind indicator that I'll use for my T37 but might also use on the future Star, and some 35mm adjustable screws. The screws I'm using on my T37 as a boom vang and for the backstay. Cool stuff! Finish my T37 this week, so hopefully starting the Star build in a few weeks! Peace

The bulb for my future Star 45 arrived. It's big! And heavy. It alone weighs three pounds more than my entire T37, even though the Star is only 8 inches longer. The Star has a minimum weight of 12 pounds while the T37's minimum is 4.5lbs. My T37 should end up weighing about 5lbs when completed. Triangular shape Has an interesting profile shape. Not very traditional but should be fun to try. It will look good on the boat! It's from Chesapeake Performance Models and is the bulb they pour themselves for the Star 45. Supposed to be a faster shape. We'll see how true that is eventually! The overall shape and mold is fine, though loads of small gaps and such. Nothing to worry about as it will all get cleaned up and filled with epoxy once the fin is mounted to it. Looking forward to starting this build! Peace!

So I've ordered a few things for my future Star 45 build. Already had the plans and the frames, but now have a tuning guide written by a past national champion. And I've ordered a Star 45 bulb from Chesapeake Performance Models. It hasn't arrived yet though. My T37 is almost finished and I hope to have its maiden voyage in two weeks. After that I can start to think more about the S45 build. Peace !