It's been a while since I've engaged in a build, after performing an emergency restoration of my Dads fireboat last year the build bug wouldn't go away! Having stumbled across the Billing kit "Phantom" during the lockdown I thought I'd dust off the brain and have a go if I could get a kit or some plans. This time around I thought I'd try something different, as apart from my own fireboat I've typically built cabin cruiser style kits over the years and this offers a plank on frame build which has been a bit of fun so far. Photos attached of week 1 laying the keel out and locking it in to maintain straightness of the keel and planking of the bottom hull.
I decided to also install the motor mount / stern tube and rudder tube early - these would be a nightmare I suspect to install post planking and as there is no meaningful guidance on motor installation I've kept it simple albeit a tad agricultural in design.
Miserable weather in Adelaide this week so ideal for some build work.

Progressed the side planking which for the most part has been well behaved and compliant with shaping and bending. The more difficult planks being the top 3 from the deck down, these have quite a bit of resistance even post multiple test fits to induce the required bends follwoed by more soaking. But they are nearly on. I found N Gauge track pins very helpful in the planking step, using pointed nose pliers to push them through the planks into the keel frames. They seem to bite really well during gluing and are very compliant when removing. Clamps or my trusty clothes pegs on this step have been quite cumbersome to use, purely I think due to the smaller size of the keel frames.
I've decided to replace the propellor shaft strut supplied with a home made one - the supplied plastic pieces with a brass bush made me feel uneasy - might be overkill and I'd be keen to hear anyones experiences of using the Billing supplied strut assembly? The supplied brass bush was also very loose on the M4 shaft so I went ahead with trying to rectify that also as it had around 0.8 mm clearance. I had a billet of aluminium in the garage so have used this as my replacement, installing a plank across the keel to give a mounting plate so I can bolt on and if necessary remove for repair in the future.
Next steps post final fit of the strut and the side planks is to coat the inside of the hull with epoxy resin and add some fibreglass between the frames. This I hope will give a little more strength to the boat and water proof it, with the added benfit of filling some of the planking gaps prior to painting the inside white. That will give me time to ponder the rudder and tiller arm setup as space (for any future maintenance) is very tight once the deck is installed🤔
Cheers,
Chris

Planking finished last night and I was able to give the hull a more thorough sanding and shaping finally this morning. Gave the tops of the keel frames a levelling sand prior to dry fitting the deck after I got the epoxy painted in and bedded fibreglass between the keel frames. On review of the rudder setup, I've decided to add a simple block over and encompassing the rudder tube inside as this has little support other than the keel frame.
Last night I also made up a replacement "Steep" out of 25 thou brass plates, doing a final fit this morning. With some further shaping and adjustment I think the brass replacement might blend in better to the veneer rather than the plastic supplied in the kit fittings. Hopefully with a chrome paint this might look better too but I've never fitted one to a model before so a first for me. I'm thinking of adding some locating pins to the inside, simply soldering these in so I can drill and fix it to the keel post veneering.
The next few days is letting the resin cure before applying a white colour to the inside, final sanding and begin the veneering. Billing recommend using a cyno or other superglue for the veneer step rather than wood glue to mitigate any chance of staining the raw wood and to also speed up the process. A first for me so hopefully I don't end up getting myself stuck to the boat in the process 😐
Cheers,
Chris

A much more sedate few days, not much to report I'm afraid - literally watching the paint dry. However I have been thinking of the next steps (thanks Doug for the Aliphatic glue advice) and preparing for the veneering in particular by measuring out and getting a feel for the bends / angles and just how to clamp or tape particular sections which will be problematic. The bow being probably the more testing around frame 2 and 3 and the transom at frame 9.
Inside is now white and was no trouble, simply 2 coats of enamel over the resin coating.
Given my ability to somehow always get paint on myself I decided to undercoat and then put a coat of white enamel over the lower hull early. Whilst this will need finishing to the water line on the sides eventually, I feel much more comfortable that my clumsy mits have less chance of leaving a white thumb print on fresh veneer if I get too carried away! I can now also see the deeper grain and sanding marks that I've missed, so over the next few days I can eradicate these with some fill and a light sand prior to one more coat. Then its on to the veneer step 😮

Thinking further ahead I'm pondering the plastic molds supplied with the kit for the rear (engine bay) and cockpit surround. I must declare I'm not convinced I like them - they look a bit tardy to me and find myself at conflict with respecting the era and styling. I was pondering replacing the cockpit surround and dash with a wooden surround and dash board and the Tarpaulin cover maybe with a hinged hatch that is flush with deck level. I've struggled to find images of 1920's tenders/ speed boats like this but plenty from the 30's onwards - Chris Craft and the like. I don't see tarps or such wide awkward cockpit surrounds. I guess it's modellers choice ultimately but I want to respect history first (and prefer to honour that) in lieu of my own bias. Close up of the box image included with this post if anyone has a view or experience I'd appreciate hearing from you.
Many thanks,
Chris

Veneering underway and so far happy with the progress. Apart from the odd issue of planks lifting as they dry - I guess as they become moist with the resin and depending how a piece is clamped - mostly its been a quite steady and clean process. Any lifting mainly occurs on the inverse bends where planks butt together, so it is just a time and patience approach - one plank at a time.
Adjusted the bow and keel to accept the steep before I gave this a coat of primer ready for chrome painting. Added a locating pin to the inside of this and corresponding hole into the bow so I can be confident of its alignment (and a more robust fixing point when I reach that stage).
I hope to finish the first side this evening, then I'll sand back the edges flush to the deck and lower hull before I move onto the next side. I have deliberately left off the last veneer strip on the side and the transom in the event I have any veneer strip splitting as the supplied materials are a limited quantity.
Yet to complete the final sanding and paint on the bottom skins as I am considering a colour change to a deep red with a white water line. I've nearly convinced myself I'd prefer a different colour 😀
Cheers,
Chris

Hi all, has been a few days since I finally finished the veneer step and varnishing has now commenced - 2 coats down. In between I've been adjusting the steep to get a better fit with the veneer in place and forward planning the deck finish, specifically what to do with the exposed un-planked deck areas. I have enough left over veneer so I'm going use this over the deck rather than staining or painting the exposed areas. I'll lay it on an angled pattern same as the sides for consistency - its going to be a long process but I think worth it in the end.
The deck fitting is going to be a close call - the supplied 1mm deck is barely wide enough at the transom with the veneer now in place. I'll savor fitting this piece (got a feeling its gonna be a trip to the hobby shop to make a replacement ☹️).

Also carried on some further research into colours and I've decided on Symphony Red for the underside with a simple white waterline above. I also note many boats of this style and era have a spray rail (what I call it) that extends approximately 1/4 of the way along the sides from the transom forward. Not sure of the purpose of these - spray diffusion? Speed/ handling? Aesthetic? I think I'll be adding these anyhow.
I must say I've enjoyed the research into the era, there are some truly beautiful images of craft from this time to be found online and it is has been a joy to view them and to appreciate the craftsmanship. Its a hobby now as I watch the glue and varnish/paints dry with a cuppa 😊.
Next steps are to finish the marine varnishing, final sand the underside and painting, then let it rest for a few days to harden off with this cold weather. Then its running gear install and testing time.

Stay safe and healthy folks.
Chris

Hi all, finished varnishing and for the most part happy with the result. Getting enough coats on and sanding lightly in between has filled between the joins of each plank quite well and given a quite even surface finish. Despite what I thought was a thorough sanding before I started the first coat, it has been somewhat time consuming and I still have a couple of fix ups to do that refused to cooperate under the water line but after 8 further coats since my last update I had to call enough. I think it's turned out pretty even overall and I can't see or feel too much deviation along the sides. Phew!
She now has 4 coats of enamel on the underside and today I added the water line striping. I'm glad I opted for the red, I think white was going to look a bit plain against the veneer.
So she's nearly ready for the running gear and a bench test which I hope I can get at this week, then progress with the deck install, planking, hatches and cockpit build. I have enough veneer to cover the deck, however I'm trying to source alternative mahogany and lighter color veneer decking planks (of the same thickness) to make sanding the top sides hopefully simpler and ultimately to have only one level across the deck. I think this will look much better and be consistent with other craft of the era.

Hope all are well,
Chris

Hi all, some progress since my last update - running gear fitted and tested, false deck on and veneer over the top completed. I used the left over 0.7mm x 25mm hull veneer as an edge planking and found some 0.8 x 8mm strip mahogany to use for the insert pieces.
Fabricated some home made hinges and made a working hatch in the deck in lieu of the kit provided "plastic tarp" cover design for the engine bay. I've made a trim up from brass plate to sit over the gap between the hatch and the deck, painted chrome and just needs a rub down and second coat before fitting. Have to solve the sealing aspect of the hatch yet, a few blogs (on other sites) I'd read previously when researching the Phantom indicated this was an issue with the kits plastic deck pieces - whilst I'm not using these trims I recognize I'm still going to have some splash and ingress - I have some left over foam tape from my aircraft build years ago - hopefully this will be thin enough to fit around the hatch without impeding operation.
Rub rails painted and fitted, steep installed and a thin chrome (painted) strip at the transom to hide the false deck line installed.
Varnishing of the deck is nearly completed, one more sand and a final coat tomorrow and she's pretty well ready for final hull touch ups and fittings to be fabricated and installed - mast / bollards / cleats etc.
Next major task is to customize the cockpit replacing the plastic dash and surround piece provided in the kit. Making this up will be good fun and I hope rewarding - be nice to move on to something else other than the hull 😊
Apologies if my pictures are out of order - I can't quite seem to get that right!

Hope all are keeping safe and well.
Chris

Hi all, hope all are keeping well. Its been a while since I've been able to make any progress, working away over the last few weeks and have had little time to get back in the shed as a result.
However some progress, particularly the cockpit and seating arrangements. Going through the kit fittings I opted to make my own cockpit surround, dash, steering wheel, including a throttle, a simple shifter for the floor, and my own bollards. The kit supplied bollards were undersized in my opinion, so I've used them (and the short brass rod supplied) as a handrail for the rear seat.
I'm pondering making up a false glove box cover for the left side of the dashboard - the wood has a light coloring showing through that I'm not altogether happy with and I was considering a glovebox anyhow so it might work out well. Maybe a few other details - one or two false lights under the gauges might also fill out the space without being overly complex.
The mast and flag are fitted, I had a spare US flag luckily as the kit supplied version is only colored on one side - it's transparent but looks rubbish to be honest so its in the toolbox and out of my sight for now. 🤔
This weekend I hope to fabricate a new window frame, again the kit plastic pieces are fairly lame so I'm going to replace these also - I can't decide whether to use a wooden frame or make one from brass angle and paint it chrome.
I need to also make up 2 air inlets which will sit in front of the hatch, then go back to touch ups particularly inside and under the hatch, and inside the hull at the cockpit opening.

Still haven't found a seal solution as yet that I'm happy with for the hatch or cockpit, it might be a case of taking a test cruise first and see how much of an issue this is in my case as I haven't used the plastic covers / surrounds from the kit. Hopefully I've got a better seal than I think....🤞

Last job-if all goes well-is to give her a name. I'm fortunate to have a label cutting machine at home to make my own decal- Just got to decide on a name.
I'll reveal that in the next post.

Stay safe and well everyone.

Cheers,
Chris

Hi all, final blog update for the "Phantom".
I'm sure I'll tinker with things once I get her on the water finally, I'm still waiting on 4 deck cleats which were never on the plans, however I think she needs them. If they continue to be problematic to procure locally I'll make my own from aluminum stock in the shed(albeit a fiddly job).
I will post a video when I get her out for her maiden voyage.

As for her - she's called "Saoirse" - pronounced "Seer-sha". According to the boss (who hails from County Clare) she wanted to name our daughter this as she always liked the name. As an Irish girls name it has the meaning of "Freedom", a popular Irish name apparently in the 1920's era, or "Liberty" depending on which dictionary you look up. Final photos attached.

Thanks to all who have commented, liked and provided encouragement and guidance during this build. It is sincerely appreciated, thank you.

Stay safe and well, and keep on building folks.

Cheers,

Chris