Sun Tug XXVII [ MK24] version.

8/9/10

Wheelhouse.

I have decided that due to the number of windows in the wheelhouse and radio shack, to install an interior. So from just installing a ships wheel and nothing else, I’m going to put as much of the original equipment in as possible. This includes the ships wheel, with direct drive link to the upper steering position, compass and platform, engine telegraphs,decca radar screen viewer,telephone,dials & gauges and of course the radio equipmenet, charger panel and map desk. The decca radar and map desk will be equipped with minature led’s to give a “red glow” from the map table and a “green glow” from the view piece of the decca radar viewer. this I believe will give a more realistic “light glow” from the wheelhouse, rather than just install a white light, which would be false, as in the real world, you would not be able to see out of the wheelhouse windows due to the light glare. You will also see the electric convector heater, fixed to the read wall of the wheelhouse. this was created from a small piece of balsa wood, then by pressing a screwdriver blade on to the to sloping surface, the grille lines were formed prior to painting and highlighting the vent slots.

16/6/10

Right, appologies for another delay in posts, but I have been updating my other blogs and unfortunately, this one has taken third place to them, so plenty to update certain boats.

The rudder is complete and installed, along with the propeller shaft, as basically all these items have to be installed at the same time, due to them both being part and parcel of the wooden propeller support and rudder mount plate. I had to add some additional rounded wooden bits to the propeller exit, to give it some support and also to create the rear bearing hub for the shaft. All was bonded in place with epoxy resin and once dry, a further pouring of same applied over the top on the inside of the hull to give better watertightness. [see pic gallery].

20/4/10

Appologies for delay in an update, but have been busy doing a few jobs on the Tug, but untill a “stage” is complete, its difficult to update the blog untill I have all the details and pictures, otherwise the build will seem a little jerky.

Anyway, to continue. I have discarded the original rudder, this in kit form was contsructed of several pieces of wood and bonded together. this may be ok for occaisional use or display purposes, but if I do get to put the boat out as many times as I am intending too, I need something thats going to last and not just simpy rot from the inside, out. So I decided to use a rudder side piece as a rough template and to scratchbuild a replacement one out of plasticard.

I made an internal “box” section 1, to give additional strength and secondly to form the guide for the brass tube which acts as both pivot and also as strengthener. the normal rudder runs on a 4mm brass rod, operated by the rudder arm & servo, but I wanted to make the rudder removable/replaceable [if ness], so thats why i decided upon this idea. I had an old/worn huco coupling laying about, so detatched one brass end, drilled it out to accept the brass “rudder” tube and soldered the two together. This then gave me a “grub screw” with which to secure the rudder to the rudder shaft and of course, my “removeable” option. I changed the rudder arm from the original one to a graupner one, firstly because it sat lower in the hull, especially as there is little spare “height” in the stern area and secondly because it gace me an allen key screw to secure with, rather than a slotted head screw, as nine times out of ten, you can’t get a level attack to tighten a screw up!

With the rudder complete [bar painting] I could continue with making the stern/rudder capping. I used the original one from the kit, but modified the front face to allow my rudder operating mechanism to swing through the front face. This I will cover over with a small wooden addition to the stern capping shortly, but wanted to ensure “full rudder operations” before closing up. I have covered the stern cap with planking, to simulate planks I used some “cup stirrer’s” obtained from a coffee stall [nice coffee too!], these is bonded to the deck and once dry, stained/varnished with some “teak stain” varnish, mentioning no names but Ron seals the deal !

One other thing I did do, was at the bottom of the rudder pivot, the instructions said to simply let the brass shaft pivot in a hole drilled in the wood. ok if kept dry, but what happens to wood when it gets wet? Yep, you’re right, it draws in water and swells, possibly causing the wood to grab on the rudder shaft and you end up with a siezed rudder, not a good idea if you cant get to paddle out to retrieve your boat if the waters too deep, or its going down river at a rate of knots!. So I inserted a small plastic bush, this is bonded in to the bottom hole and the remaining exposed wood, doubly coated with varnish to seal it good and proper and prevent water ingress.

13/4/10

I’ve started work on some of the upper deck stuff. Well being as all the boat kit, from the deck upwards is wood construction, it’s not as quick to construct as modern plastic/fibreglass versions, but once complete and fully dry [glue wise] is tremendously robust and well capable of withstanding a few knocks along the way.

Right, I’ve started by glueing together the inner framework for the main deck/cabin area, this has an outer thinner ply skin attached later, once the inner frame is fully dry. I have also taken the opportunity to paint the inner walls before attaching the outer skin, so when the holes for the porthole are drilled, you will see “painted walls” inside and not bare wood. I will also add some led bulbs to some of the cabin spaces before the outer skin goes on, so they can be wired up later on.

I have also looked at the wheelhouse bridge and after studying the kit plans and some original plans, found the rear cutouts are incorrect in position as they need to be cut further forward than precut in the kit version, So ive now reshaped these, prior to soaking the wooden section in some warm water, before fully bending/shaping it around the deck base and glueing. this also then applies to the red/green navigation lights, the kit says “glue to side of deck bridge”, the original pictures show these inset in to the bridge sides. I will cut these out once it is glued to the base, as way to flexible at present to cut properly and it’s not somewhere you can easily fill and hide a mistake.

This is my newest kit build. It will become a later version of the Sun Tug XXI [21], to include upper works with fire monitors. Well the experience of renovating my RObbe Düsseldorf has encouraged me to add a water system to another boat , so rather than build just the basic kit version and it be almost identical to others, I’ll experiment a little and set this one apart [again].