Hi Gary. Dont know about planking the fore and aft decks, as the ply overlays are already on, and that would make the deck that much thicker, which imho would look rough. However...i might try to scribe the planking lines in place, that and a good finish sanding might do the trick. I'll look into it.
Cash

Hi y’all. Tried to simulate planking on the for and aft decks, did not like the result so I sanded the heck out of them…actually was able to get rid of most of the reddish stain I used, then went back with “Golden Pecan”…not perfect but better. Then I tackled the winch. The winch is built up from castings and rod on a wooden base. I prepainted all the parts, and assembled it. Sounds easy, but it took some finagling to get it somewhat right, but I’m pleased with the results. I did a test drill on the hull for the winch’s overboard line. It’s supposed to come thru a boss on the side of the hull, but my deck is just about 3/32 or so too high, so I filled the hole and re-drilled. After that was sorted out I built up the companionway. Didn’t like the wood used to sheet the pre carved wood block, so I used thin plasticard, but used the wood for the doors. I think I’m going to get the front deck area mostly fitted out, then back deck and radio install, then the hatch/ships boat, then lastly the mast and rigging. She might see water middle of next month.
Cash

Hi y’all. First off thanks for the compliments. I’m lucky to have a family that gives me time in the shop, and good friends both locally and on line. Sometimes I get something done, I think I could have done better, but y’all keep me on an even keel. That’s a big help!!
Anyway I slept in for the first time in a while. We didn’t make church, so I did a couple of chores (somehow, at some point I became the litter box custodian. Think I was snookered) watched a little Starblazers 2199, then went in the garage and knocked out the companionway/closet/whatever on the fwd port side of the boat. On both structures I elected to sheet the wooden blocks with plasticard vs the supplied printed wood, but I did use the wood for the doors. I then reattached the anchor davit (?) that I’ve broken off twice, and did up the anchor chain anchor and supporting parts. The dual pulley for the davit is supposed to be a “molded wood” part, I couldn’t find them in the kit to save my life, so I used a spare from another build that was in my stash. I keep spare parts.😂
Anyway, that’s all for now, I’m hoping to have all the forward deck details done this week, then I’ll start finishing up the aft deck and some of the radio install.
Cash

Hi y’all. Had a little time after work so I finished up some other details. Vent, cleats, some sort of deck vent, galley exhaust, etc. most of these are metal fittings, the vent is built up of fittings and a dowel, the galley chimney is a fitting and tubing. Couldn’t find the galley chimney base, think it hit the floor at some point and went who knows where, so I improvised. Need to do some touch up and then it’s off to the rudder servo and linkage, and aft deck details😀
Cash

I noticed looking at the pics that the winch was not quite straight. I don't mind if its a little off center to one side or another, but not pointing 10-15 degrees to port. Luckily, i didn't use a lot of glue to set it in place, so i took a long, thin Xacto blade and was able to get underneath the base and loosen it without marring anything up, then i reglued it. I feel better now.🤣

Hi y’all. Did the rudder chains and associated parts and the railings for the back deck today.
The rudder chains were first. I didn’t have enough chain to complete the job, but I looked in my stash and had a short piece of the same size, so I used fine wire to attach the 2 pieces and we were in business. There a faux rudder horn that slips over the rudder post and is glued to the deck. Once I measured the chain into 2 halves and all the paint was dry, I assembled my chain system. I checked fit, realized my port chain was too long, and glued everything together, and realized my port chain was now a quarter inch too short, and the final pulley was already glued to the chain. I went ahead and used it. I know it’s there, but it’s not that noticeable, unlike my port drifting winch, which was obvious. So, I finished up the rudder chains as it sits. In the future I might get a wild hair and break the pulley loose, lengthen the chain by 2 links and redo it, but not right now.
I made up the aft railing. I wanted to use brass wire vs the kit supplied mild steel, but I only had enough brass to do the top railing. So once my holes were drilled, I set up the stanchions and glued the top rail in place once I was satisfied with the fit. I pre bent a slight bend into the mild steel, fed it thru the holes and once it looked okay I glued it in place. I then removed the assembly for painting and installed on the boat. The rudder servo is mounted too.
So, I have a few more minor details to do aft, but those will wait till im almost done. Next up is the main hatch, then the mast and associated rigging.
Cash

Hi y’all. I was able to fabricate a decent looking hatch for the Puffer over the past few days. I’ve put a lot of detail into this boat, but the hatch/hold is where I skimped a bit, at least for now. The kit is supposed to come with a molded plastic hatch that the builder adds details to, but this kit, although never started, was used, and the only thing missing was the hatch. Sooo……I built it up out of plastic sheet, then added the kit wood pieces to make it look like a simple hold. This is the one part of the boat that will be removed and reinstalled on a regular basis, so I kept it simple. Now, the radio gear IS under the deckhouse, but once everything is wired in and hooked up, there should be no reason whatsoever to access that except in the case of a malfunction, so once that checks out I’ll use small “L” brackets to mount the deckhouse to the deck…if something does go tango uniform I’ll be able to take out 2-3 screws and access the radio components. So, my next step is the mast and boom. Don’t know if I’m going to mount the boom in the stock location or raise it up a bit. I just need to get it built to the point to where I can install and remove a battery and make sure I have enough clearance to remove the hatch without breaking anything.
Cash

Hi y’all. Didn’t get a lot done last weekend, but this past week and today saw the mast installed, boom installed and rigging done. Well, mostly. First thing you might notice is the lack of rigging for the lamp on the side of the mast. I decided to modify the fittings as I noticed some later Puffers didn’t have that as they have electric lamps, so no need to have a pulley system to raise and lower the lamp to light, douse or refill it. There’s a couple of things I didn’t do, as the plans and instructions were kind of vague, but I got the majority done. It looks okay, I think I MIGHT have done better, but it looks good from a few feet away.
I also got the Control Hobbies (Graupner) SXM installed. This is a electronic latching switch that will run 4 banks of lights on one 3 position switch. I’ve used them before, they work great!! I decided instead of having a second connector coming of my battery lead to power the switch, I’ll use a small 1500-2200 mah 2 cell lipo to power it. I’ll ballast the boat with the main battery installed, but not the smaller battery. Most runs are in the morning, so I’ll not have need of the lights, but I can install the smaller pack when I want to do a dusk run, and it’s small and light enough the effect on the boats waterline will be negligible.
Cash

Hi y’all. The Puffer maidened this past weekend. Everything works like it should, she looks good in the water, but….I have a leak. Not huge, but annoying. I took on a bit of water in the tub test, double checked her and added more epoxy at the aft end of the boat where the tube exits, and ran ca thru a hole in the forward bulkhead and let it settle in the forward part of the bow. Ran her, still took on about a 1/4-1/2 cup down in the bilges after a 1.5 to 2 hour run. Didn’t phase the boat one bit, so it is a minor issue. I’m thinking it’s coming up the tube, tried a static test today in the tub with a cut down mixing cup under the tube end in the boat, a few drops of water were in the cup, but about a couple of tablespoons in the hull after 45 minutes or so. Tube felt a little wet on its bottom, so my theory might be correct, but at this stage I think I’ll do what I can just to slow the water ingress down a bit and live with it.
The other thing I plan to do in the not so distant future is to replace the railings with another unit made with brass stanchions versus the kits white metal units. Other than that, she’s a keeper, and looked good on the water.
Cash

I made a vid of our run last Sunday and posted it in the club lakes section. Here's the bit with the Puffer...
Cash