Pcf Swift boat

Started by Commodore-H
38 replies 230 likes Last activity: 2 years ago
#38

Pcf Swift boat

AlessandroSPQR

Yes boat is comfortable, it's sailing in a hot tub
The sure way to succeed is, just try one more time
Liked by Len1 and jumpugly and
#37

Pcf Swift boat

LiPo 3S battery of 11.1 volts is plenty of power for this size boat.

All 5 of my large ( 4 ft long ) run scale like on a 2S ( 7.4 volt ). Both brushless and brushed motors.

My newly acquired 6.5 ft long boat will need 3S battery running 3 geared motors.

See how it runs in the water before going to higher voltage.

My opinion.


Isaac
Liked by hermank and Len1 and
#35

Pcf Swift boat

Finally put in in the water. It didn’t roll over and sink, looks ok to me, I’ll have to wait for warmer weather. The current motors, (pun) are mabuchi 555’s in direct drive, eBay. I was not well impressed at how much water they churned with 35mm props, and 11.1 V. I will change that
The sure way to succeed is, just try one more time
Liked by jumpugly and hermank and
#34

Pcf Swift boat

I must build some carry boxes. Wondered about the design and yours is the best I've seen. Doesn't need a top and it's secure for carrying.
Scratch building 7 Faireys at a scale of 1:12
Liked by Len1 and Commodore-H and
#32

Pcf Swift boat

Yessir!!! But honestly, that is a super clean incredible build! Even the carrying case is an inspiration! 😊
Liked by Len1 and AlessandroSPQR
#29

Pcf Swift boat

So, PCF Swift boat is nearly done. No model boat is ever really finished. Seems there is always one more thing to do. Currently I am waiting for a rubber gunwale rub rail to arrive. It's 1/'4 wide half round, self adhesive strip used for car fenders, should be here soon.

I haven't decided if I am going to add an engine sound maker. Right now, lights work, radar revolves and auxiliary steering wheel turns with rudder. Do I need it to make engine noises? I can just purchase one and wire it in.

While I am waiting, I decided to build its carrying tote. Boat models are seldom damaged while sitting on the shelf (yes, dust) or sailing on the pond. However, problems can arise while moving them about, so each of my models has a custom made carry box. I want to show and talk about these but I will show them in a separate post.
The sure way to succeed is, just try one more time
Liked by gunboat driver and Len1 and
#26

Pcf Swift boat

Two atoms walk into a bar. One says, “oh oh, I think I lost an electron”. The other says, “are you sure”? First atom says, “yeah, I’m positive”.
😂
The sure way to succeed is, just try one more time
Liked by gunboat driver and xtramaths and
#25

Pcf Swift boat

Hi is the cat currently doing ok hope there is positive outcome,🤣love the boat
Liked by Peejay and Commodore-H and
#24

Pcf Swift boat

With regards to grounding the cat 🐈 after being caught chewing the wires, does that mean he's now "earthed" and not such a live wire🤣🤣.
Apologies, couldn't resist it. Lovely job on the build 👏
Liked by Len1 and Peejay and
#23

Pcf Swift boat

Hi Jumpugly

Glad to hear railings were of help to you. Looking forward to Lumba Lumba Lumba.
👍👍
The sure way to succeed is, just try one more time
Liked by Peejay and jumpugly and
#22

Pcf Swift boat

Commodore! This will help me with my future USGC Utility Boat Project. Thanks for the insight and pix. BTW: The plastruct railings are going onto my Lumba this weekend. 😉
Liked by Peejay and PhilH and
#21

Pcf Swift boat

I was shocked when I caught my cat chewing on electrical wires. So I grounded him. He is doing better currently and conducting himself properly.

PCF is nearly complete , models are never totally finished.

I added the the rear deck railings. As I see it on plans and pictures. the upper rail is cable and the lower rail is solid pipe. So I needed to drill small holes in the stanchions for the cable. This is my setup for precisely drilling tiny holes. A cheap Chinese mini drill press with an X-Y table and small vise. The drill press is not too good but, it is heavy, a good thing for this kind of machine. The X-Y table is from Little Machine shop and is quite good.

The entire rail is K&S brass, 1/8" for stanchions, 1/16" for the rail. Lower rail is soldered using guide blocks I made to keep everything aligned. Upper cable is steel fishing leader I painted gray.
The sure way to succeed is, just try one more time
Liked by gunboat driver and Len1 and
#18

Pcf Swift boat

It snowed today so there is a an ice skater on the roof of the PCF

Seen in the background is my Coast Guard PWB, Ports and Waterways boat, "Sprinkles". If it works, there should be a short video of Sprinkles "in action" rotating blue light, firing water cannon on a warmer day.
The sure way to succeed is, just try one more time
Liked by Mike Stoney and PhilH and
#17

Pcf Swift boat

What a Fantastic build!!!!!! The railings alone are worth the price of admission Commodore!!!!!!!!!! 😊
Liked by Peejay and Len1 and
#16

Pcf Swift boat

Hi CommodoreH.
I confirm my appreciation for the way you paint and the attention you take to detail.
The twin-linked machine gun (.50 caliber BMG 12.7 x 99 mm NATO if I'm not mistaken) is fantastic.

Excellent working method and very intelligent solutions adopted.
I really like how you work (or rather how you have fun).


P.S.
"Work continues on my PCF build, but it's painfully slow. My lab is in the basement, heated but still cold."

I understand you.
As an alternative to the living room table, I have a wooden shed for tools but in the winter it is frozen and in the summer it is a sauna.
Liked by Doogle and Richard1 and
#15

Pcf Swift boat

Commodore -H
you don't seem to have a hobby-room but a manufacturing site when i see the seize of the "room" 👍👍👍👍👍👍
Liked by Doogle and Len1 and
#14

Pcf Swift boat

Work continues on my PCF build, but dead slow. My workshop is in the basement which is heated but still cold.

I keep adding details and the graphics ( by Callie Graphics) are now in place.

I added the internal wiring. I like to do this by building a wire harness outside the boat, testing everything and then installing it and making small adjustments.

I've put rotating radar in several models. To make it "go round" I take a cheap eBay servo apart and remove everything except gears and motor. I like to be able to keep the radar turning with the boat just sitting on a table. So I power the radar independently with just a single "c" battery. The mechanism is switched on by pulling up on a scale antenna that is attached to a hidden slide switch.

In this case I just put the whole servo on top of the mast because it resembled the actual radar enough. I like my mast to be removable when transporting the boat as they tend to be the first things damaged. I mounted a phono plug on the bottom of the mast and hidden socket on the boat so the whole thing just plugs in.
The sure way to succeed is, just try one more time
Liked by xtramaths and ChrisG and
#13

Pcf Swift boat

Ronald, thank you for kind comment

Yes, the boat in the picture is the type I am building, but I think has additional railings because it is used to give tours. Mine will have railings around the aft main deck which are already made. The railings have cable on the top rail and hard pipe on the lower rail. I won't install these until I add few more things like wiring the motors, speed controls and lights as these will be in the way.
The sure way to succeed is, just try one more time
Liked by gunboat driver and Len1 and
#12

Pcf Swift boat

Excellent job 👏, looking forward to seeing her finished and on the water 💧
Liked by Len1 and Scamp and
#10

Pcf Swift boat

Commodore amerikano

Whawwwwwwwwwww
I can‘t find the words to Express my admiration
Madre Madonna what à jewel
👍👍
Liked by Mike Stoney and AlessandroSPQR and
#8

Pcf Swift boat

Tremendous railing work Commodore! It’s an inspiration as I am having a tough time with the Lumba-Lumba railings. Keep those pix coming!
Liked by Len1 and Mike Stoney and
#7

Pcf Swift boat

Here are a few more pictures of the progress on the PCF. Mostly I added railings made by soldering and bending 3/32 K&S brass. A few more parts are now on but there is a lot more to go, windshield wipers, mooring bits, lights, horn etc. I am not much for taking pictures by I did find that I had some earlier photos of the build so I included them.

My method for a successful paint job is to do everything in primer. So...first fill sand, prime, when all the flaws show up, fill and sand again , prime and repeat until it's good enough, (when it's good enough, not perfect I quit messing with it ). When I paint that just adds the color.

The control of dual the rudders is the simplest possible set-up.
The sure way to succeed is, just try one more time
Liked by EdW and Doogle and
#5

Pcf Swift boat

Boat is looking good. Looks like you have a very large workshop .?
Lucky you.👍
Scamp
Liked by Len1 and Wildhog31
#4

Pcf Swift boat

Very nice model with clean lines great paint finish ,not east with flat colours👍
Liked by Len1 and Colin H
#2

Pcf Swift boat

Hello Commodore H.

I congratulate you on this model of yours.
It reminds me a bit of the movie "Apocalypse Now".

I really like the images you shared.
I would have also appreciated those of the processing phases.

I will follow your work with interest. Hope you provide many more details about the complete RC setup.
Liked by Len1 and gunboat driver and
#1

Pcf Swift boat

Here’s what I’ve been working on for about a year. She’s a Vietnam era gunboat known as a PCF (patrol craft fast) or Swift boat. The model is scratch built based on plans from floating drydock, scale is 1/16, which makes this 51 foot boat 30 something inches. I find that is a good size for a model. Construction is mainly of 1/8 plywood by traditional plank on frame method. There were a few interesting “challenges”. The turret was made wrapping three layers of 1/32 inch plywood around a can. The vents on the rear of the cabin were also an interesting build.

Power will be from dual 555 Mabuchi brushed motors purchased on eBay and 12v. I will see how it’s goes and decide to keep that set up or not. There is an exposed aft steering position and I will hook a servo to that wheel so it will turn when the boat turns. There will also be working lights and revolving radar.
The sure way to succeed is, just try one more time
Liked by Len1 and Mike Stoney and

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