Ok...hit my first real snag in the rebuild.

[bufferoo]

I'm rebuilding a nitro viper GT. Got the hull REAL cheap. Had a few small dings in it. Glassed up the problems and you'd never know now. Added in some stringers, made a custom engine mount, redid the radio box, mad a fibreglass servo tray, set it up for an OS 12CV. All in all it's coming along nicely.

Now I have a problem. For anyone who doesn't know this is an ABS hull and the deck is pretty much impossible to remove from the hull without destroying both. I've been able to work around this limitation up to now without any real trouble. I did completely cut out the old engine mount bay and have opened the inner hull si I can mount the stringers\engine\tank and drive, but I can't get to the transom at all. I need to mount the rudder, pipe hanger, trim tabs and maybe spin fin still. I know the "original" mounting method was to just screw into the transom but that is kind of thin and ABS isn't known to be a strong material. I would LOVE to add bolts through from the inside but there is NO WAY to do it. I have tried to add a length of wood and I can get it in place but I can't get any epoxy or CA there and I have a lot of trouble getting it just where I need it.

ANY ideas out there? I'm at the point where I might have to cut a hole in the deck lit and I don;t want to do that.

HELP!!!!

Bufferoo

[bufferoo]

Yep,

One of my 6 year old daughters (I have twins) figured this out for me. I managed to get a 1/8" piece of ply in against the inside of the transom. Epoxied it in place and filled the holes. No trace left.

I guess kids do come in handy after all huh? ;)

Bufferoo

[Hydro Junkie]

What did the daughter show you so we can all upgrade, if needed?

[Ron Olson]

Smart kid you've got there! Maybe she'll build a boat for you if you ask her nicely!:D It was brave of you to tell us that. I'd hate to have my 17 year-old outsmart me on anything to do with my boats. He's not too bright but he can drive the **** out of a boat.

[bufferoo]

My daughter saw me sitting with hull on one side and LOTS of different pieces of wood on the other and a very puzzled look on my face and asked what was wrong. I explained it to her and showed her what I needed. It took her all of 3 seconds to say "why don't you take that thin piece and make it the same shape as the place you need it to go". When I explained that it wouldn't fit under the radio box because it was too long she asked me (in that oh so inocent way kids have) "well why don't you just cut it in half?".

BINGO...lights go on. Sure enough I cut a piece of 1/8" ply, shape it and saw it in half and they both slide right in and flip into place. All I needed to do then was to drill 2 small holes in the transom to add a screw to the ply to hold it and to allow me to inject some epoxy. Now I just need to fill in the holes and reprime the hull and she's ready for a trial fit of all the hardware.

I'm kind of in a quandry about the rudder though. I have the old one from my old nitro viper. Still works fine and is in nice shape but it is plastic. Seeing as my budget is a little low for this project I'm a little hesitant buy a new rudder right now but I'm not sure I want to fit in the old rudder only to replace it later on. On a bright note I did manage to get the head of the 12 CV nice and polished today. It's been raining on and off all day so no real work to do outside (oh darn ;) That lawn will have to wait). I had the engine sitting there and the head was a little scratched up and the red was chipping off so I figured I'd strip it and smooth it all out.

WARNING TO EVERYONE ELSE: CV heads are not easy to strip the colour from. :D

It spent around 2 hours sitting in brake cleaner. That stuff will strip the gravity off a black hole. Only managed to soften the paint. Was able to pick it off in chuncks with an x-acto and then clean with a wire bush on the dremel. A few stages of wet sanding and then a final polish and I can see myself in the side of the head.

My fingers hurt now. ;)

I think I need to take a break from the boats for a few days. I managed to find a an RC plane club quite nearby on saturday so it looks like I'm going to have to get at least one of the planes going as well.

Does the work never end? ;)

Bufferoo

[Ron Olson]

When you upgrade the rudder, Octura makes two of them for small boats, one with the longer rudder that you might need. Lightweight and the price isn't too bad. Part number OC4WRM. If you have the Feb. 2004 issue of RCMB, there is an actual size ad on page 7. It has the Villian EX on the cover.

[bufferoo]

Thanks Ron. I think I'll just do thaat. Seeing as I need to keep this on the cheap I may just unload some spare parts I've had hanging around and fund a new ruffer assembley. I know it's only around $20 but that's money I can spend on other things. ;)

Bufferoo