Thanks i just found some excellent brass port holes on the Deans website which will be a nice addition.

Hi NBT you are not alone I cannot come away from the smallest glueing job without sticky fingers.

Instant is the worst for me several times I have had to cut myself free with a knife. Also clear (bathroom) sealant.

I advocate this for sticking down electric motors, it holds them firmly absorbs some unwanted vibration and with a bit of easing you can release the motor unmarked.

Good luck with the build

Roy

Thankyou all for your input, i like the varnish approach might take some effort to get a good finish but the last time i used FG i looked like i had been tarred and feathered. Looking at the Lesro kit and the excellent build blog on here the wood looks of good quality. Moving on i am not fan of boats with stern deep down and bow pointing skywards at speed so im looking to ballast the boat to try to get to the attitude i have seen in some photos of the real thing.

Hi you should always damp proof a boat hull inside even as you are building and do not allow any spaces to be sealed off either.

If water gets into wood over a period of time it will swell up and it does nor matter what your finish is it will expose cracks and weak points in the hull.

Another thought is to balance the inner and outer surfaces so that neither one can expand or contract more than the other, varnish or the like inside will give the wood stability.

Nerys points out his method of building which is a purpose composite system and a good combination for a lightweight hull. No point in adding extra strengthening where none is needed.

I have seen Robob's hulls and they are an immaculate surface finish but which ever way you go it takes time and effort. But the finish will last and the model will live on!

Roy

As I have used fiberglass cloth mesh in most of my builds as was suggested to me when I first was introduced to the hobby.I used z- poxy finishing resin to coat the cloth but as said from others do a little at a time wrinkles in the cloth are nightmare.Others have used finishing epoxy alone inside and out this strengthened the boat.I do the fiber cloth as my preference to seal my boats.However you go about strengthening and sealing your boat take your time as water inside will give you grief.
Rick

The only time I would strengthen a boat hull with fibreglass or anything would be if I had built her extremely light for racing purposes. A normally built boat should not need it as long as the planking fits well and a bit of filler stops the ingress of water. I've never felt the need to employ a skin of anything but paint.

Nerys

Hi all, I have around me model boats and yachts that go back as far as 1960s and a restored one that must be 80 years old.

Not a sign of glass fibre on any of them. If you build in wood then a few coats of thinned varnish will toughen the surface, then just get rid of your old paints as you brush the paint on and wet and dry in between. With different colour paint layers you can see how deep you go when using wet and dry to get a good surface.

Most of my models have 10 plus coats of paint, well keyed in and have lasted well. I usually finish with an abrasive rub down of Vim (seems to have vanished from the shops) and then a couple of coats of good quality polish.

If you need strength in a hull start with thicker planking, just how strong does a hull need to be? I agree you can obtain a pristine finish but few full size boats are like that.

I also note that some go off into the realms of marquetary with deck planking. Most full size decks used teak for some very good reasons.

Over the years I may have refurbished a boat but one of my oldest has balsa planking and has survived very well.

By the way inside I sometimes use old stocking panels and varnish, just as good, also a good substitute for canvas. Many working boats from the 50s and 60s had canvass decks as well.

Regards

Roy

Hi NBT

In the past when money was tight I used some of the wife's tights.
Just push you boat down the leg and pull until the leg is tight and tie off the open end, then brush on the resin, I don't know if today's tight will work.

Fred

Hi NBT,-Dynel cloth used with epoxy will go round compound curves and has high impact resistance. Only problem is, once it is dry it is quite furry (as it's not f/glass) and requires a bit more sanding/smoothing than f/glass. It will go round tight curves without lifting off like glass cloth does. Excellent if you are not too fussed about a little more weight. You can usually use one piece to do a hull in one go, working from the center out.

JB

Hi NBT
On my Pilot Boat I used glassfibre twill cloth and epoxy resin.
Don't try to cover the hull in one piece as you will have big problems avoiding creases and it would be really unmanageable. I did mine in five stages
the last being the transom. Have a look at my Pilot Boat build blog to see how I did mine.
Rob.