Been playing with this (won't say her 😁) for a while now, but have finally got it working reasonably consistently. Made the skis from laminated 1mm ply, (each piece bent with boiling water and clamped,- pic) the fins from sheet brass,- tapped through the top plate M3, and adjustable. Separated the skis with a plate of 1mm PETG sheet. Tried without the plate initially, but she wasn't stable. Tried skis about 40% wider and longer, but while slightly better, wasn't successful either. Tried 1oz shaped sinkers on the fins first, but they were too heavy, so have now fitted 10G mag wheel weights which are spot on. Makes her float just right for the 'take-off' position. Her feet are tapped M3 and bolted to the skis, which have a row of holes for adjustment.

The life jacket is made from EPA foam sheet, which helps hold her at the right angle and height in the water. All of her joints have been filled with hotmelt glue, to hold her in position, and stop her filling with water and sinking, I've tried to make her look as natural as possible, without the usual wire frames etc, which tend to spoil the effect on some I've seen. Bit hard to do with an inanimate object.

The tow set-up is 20lb nylon fishing line which connects to the boat, and attaches in the center of the PETG plate. The 'main' tow rope is connected to a rubber band at the boat end, which allows it to stretch as the change of attitude occurs at take-off, otherwise it would pull the skier over. It's just there for looks, as all the work is done by the nylon.

Most of the initial testing was done at the pond, using my 12ft surf casting rod (thanks to Martins' suggestion,- hadn't even thought of that 😐) which worked spot on. Most of the time was spent testing, adjusting, and modifying with a few runs behind the boat, which were ok, but not great. Now she's up and away once settled and lined up, and the only problem now is to stop her falling over occasionally on the wash while turning at certain speeds. I'm getting used to adjusting the speeds now to keep her upright.

She could do with another foot or so of line, to keep her out of the wash triangle, which would help stop her falling over the wave and putting a ski under. I'm fitting another piece of PETG which will come up to the ski tips, to stop the water going over the plate when this occurs.

A couple of vid links from todays ski outing, ( one from land and one from on board,- the on board one is a bit long, but picks up speed after 6:40) Quality's not too good as usual😐

(testing with rod)

Thought it was about time I did a bit more on the runabout trailer, seeing that I had finished the Russian towboat model. Been a while, (1 year,- seems like a few months!) but I managed to make the support pads and upstands in an evening. Upstands are 6x6mm brass, soldered onto 6x1mm mounting plates, attached with 3mm machine screws. Still have the f/glass guards, front crossbar/support and bow post etc to make.

Support pads are 6x10mm basswood and will be 'carpeted' with felt. They are plugged into the upstands using dowels to enable them to be adjusted to suit the hull.

I have the mould for the guards I made for the Hartley trailer, (pic 7) so these will be the same. Trailer will be black. Start of the trailer project is down this blog a few posts.

JB

Done a bit more on the trailer the last few days, - added a front crossbar for the bow V support, varnish stained the main support rests and padded them with synthetic felt. Still have the bow snub block set-up to make, and glass guards when the weather warms up a bit (having storms again) Might try adding lights to this trailer later as well. Unfortunately LEDs don't like being encapsulated in resin, so waterproofing them might be a challenge. Might have to mount them up on the guide poles out of the way. I'll worry about that later though.

JB

Finished the bow support. Side dowels go right through to support the V, and are cyano'd in, as are the 3mm studs. Snub block/winch frame next.

JB

Made the bow snub block post yesterday,- another job done. Tried the towing height on the Amphitruck to check the balance on the dual axle. Still have the tow tongue to set up. Whole combination is 5ft long. Also had a play with tie down methods. Might make some tubular jamming cleats to make it tidier (some smaller diam rope as well.) Photos aren't great, main cameras' lens auto focus has died, so had to use my sports cam-(no flash.)

JB

I've started on the f/glass guards for the trailer, and have on almost done. I am using the same male mould as I used for the Hartley cabin boat trailer, (pics 1, 2, 3) which is wood, painted with acrylic lacquer. To mould the guards, I coat the mould with release wax, then use cling film drawn tight around the mould and secured to the bottom with masking tape. Polyester resin is applied generously to the 6oz glass cloth laid directly on the cling film, being moulded as much as possible round the mould (Dynel cloth is better for compound curves).

Once the first layer is done and sanded back roughly, another layer of cloth is applied doing one side at a time (setting in between), then sanded to the shape again, and another layer laid on the top of the mould and draped over the edges. The whole thing is sanded down again (a belt sander is good for this,- carefully, holding the sander in one hand and applying the job to the sander, not the other way round) A table sander (disc/belt) is better if you have one.

Any hollows can be filled with more resin and bits of cloth and sanded back, rather than with filler which can crack if the job flexes. A thin film of filler can be used as a final finish, along with a thick auto primer and a bit of sanding. A bit of a time consuming way of doing things, as 2 x 1/2 moulds and joining later would be easier, but requires a better set of moulds and a fiddle to join the halves.

I was thinking of trying to make air setting female clay moulds which worked well for the fittings on the runabout, and can be disposable if needs be, and can be reproduced in any number. I just made impressions in the clay with male moulds coated in release wax. Very easy to do.

Once the guards are finished,(painted and wheel cut-outs done) they can be mounted to the trailer frame with L brackets. (pic 3)

JB

First guard moulding done, needs final filling, sanding, wheel cutouts and painting. A bit tight on the mould and a bit thin on the front and rear edges, (over sanded) but easily fixed by taping the outside and using a few layers of cloth on the inside to thicken them up for final sanding.

Now for the next one. After this I'm going to experiment with female clay moulds for another set of guards for the Stiletto trailer (when I get round to finishing the Stiletto)

JB

Two guards moulded now and the wheel cut-outs done in one to see if the pattern looks better like that, as apposed to a straight line at the top of the cut-out. Guards are made with 3 layers of 6oz cloth with another layer on the inside after they are off the mould and trimmed a bit. A bit more fine shaping and sanding to do, (other shell to cut out and trim as well) then I can make the brackets, get them fitted and start painting the shells.

Dolly wheel jack to make yet, might try making it the same as a real one, ie internally threaded tube inside a tube etc. Been a bit slow due to more storms lately (as you can see out the window (about 3pm,-dark,-rain)- not good for drying resin.

JB

Managed to get the guards finished, despite the big storms lately (heaters, heat guns, halogen work lamps) to warm things up. Painted the frame wheels and guards to see how it would look, and it came out ok despite the damp cold weather. Temporarily bolted things on to have a look at it. Still have a bit more to add yet though.

JB

Added some guide post rollers to the trailer. Made with brass tube over brass rod and covered with 3 layers of heat shrink tubing. Rollers turn on the rods which are threaded on the bottom ends and bolt to the frame. In the process of making the dolly wheel jack.

JB