It would be good to see video of a fleet of these in the pond and in procession.

Great job. I think there are a lot of people waiting to see her in the water. Colours look great.

Reverse is possible with a little magic from Doug. RNinMunich.
Cheers Colin

Lovely refurb Colin, nearly the same colour layout as my old Sea commander, will have to get her out for a refurb also, before I can put her in the water, she has a Graupner 700BB motor, but I have an old Taycol,
which would be nice to put in, but no reverse!😐


Cheers, Peter

Forgot to mention that the colour is Fiat Azure Blue.
Cheers Colin.

Wow Colin that looks amazing and nicely varnished a job really well done.
I'll be watching in anticipation when you start putting the electrics in thats for sure.
Neil

Brilliant job Colin.
Can’t wait to see pictures f her on the water.
Regards Bill👍👍

Lovely job, Colin, I too like the colour scheme, always think that dark blue looks impressive. Reminds me of the Royal Barge carried on the Royal Yacht Britannia.

All the beat, Nerys

Thanks for the comments, but I couldn't have done it without your help.
Next step is to fit the motor and radio gear and try to get the battery and rc gear installed. With the water cooled ESC. Utilising the original water pick up and the rear exhaust outlet.
Followed by the glazing.
Hopefully will get the paddling pool out and check how she sits in the water. As I'm not sure about where I am going to fit the battery, hoping that it will fit under cockpit deck, if it doesn't I will have get a different battery, when the shops re-open.
Will post further updates as they happen, will also be getting the companion sea commander ready for trials at the same time.
Stay safe, well and cheerful guys and gals.
Cheers Colin.

Job well done I too like the colour scheme .
Rick

Wonderful job Colin. You must be proud of the result.
Peter.👍👍

lovely job Colin, I bet you can't wait to sail her

Superb job Colin☀️☀️☀️
Love the colour scheme😉
Looking forward to seeing (and hearing) that Supermarine driving her along.
Cheers, Doug 😎

Hi Colin,
You have done a really great job on her.
I think your Dad will be looking down with a big smile on his face.
Well done.

Martin555.

This one was also ic powered originally and my dad changed it to electric back in 1968.
It was sealed internally with bitumen, and still is although painted over.
It went into storage in parent's attic about 1980 when they moved house. I retrieved it after dad died in 2008, but didn't do anything with it till 2 years ago.
When on inspection found it had major issues with delamination and almost dumped it.
But then my youngest sister asked me save it as she remembered going with dad to sail it.
So here it is, nearly ready to sail again.
When lockdown ends she wants to get the family together and show mum it back on the water.

Hi Colin
I built a Sea Queen in 1970 and fitted a ED Racer in it. (We were allowed to in those days) What with moving to South Africa this got sold off.
Building another Sea Queen now with an MFA 850 Motor
Good luck with the restoration.
Regards
Ian

Have inspected her this morning and found 2 minor pickled areas.
So have gently rubbed those areas back and given them a little coat of ezekote to seal.
Got to go to the vet with my dog now, not ill just annual booster jab.
Will re prime again later today, and hopefully top coat this evening.
Cheers Colin.

Colin,
Good to hear you are getting on ok with the refurb now.

Martin555.

After a good rub down I gave her a couple of coats of ezekote and allowed to dry for 24 hours.
Gentle rub down and primed with acrylic primer.
I will leave till tomorrow morning and see if its OK, but so far seems to be fine.
Cheers Colin.

Hi Ian, your setup is quite modern and light. I think mine will be a bit more in weight as the vintage taycol is a hefty chunk of metal, along with the 12v 7ah sla battery.
She always looked graceful on the water when my dad sailed it, not fast but what I call a nice scale speed. A steady walking pace.
Cheers Colin.

Hi Ian,
The gorilla glue that I'm referring to is the 2 pack epoxy, not the expanding foam type (which soaks up moisture like a sponge) which I would not use in a model boat, but great for general building work.
Cheers Colin.

Hi Colin
My Sea Commander has an overall mass of 5.3Kg
Battery is a 12v 4.5 amp/hour SLA Battery 1.2Kg
Motor Graupner Speed 600
See photo for layout
At the moment it is being refurbished
Some people don't realise that these are cabin cruisers and not speedboats!

Hi Nerys
I also use Gorilla Glue as it is the only marine use glue in SA. (also Gator Glue from Sika UK)
Being a polyurethane base it will gap fill.
When I use it I wear Latex Medical Gloves and look for expansion of the glue from the join. Wipe excess off with Acetone while wet
otherwise, it's sanding.

Morning Colin
Most Gorilla (USA) and Gator (Sika UK) Glues are polyurethane based and will fill gaps. If there is no gap it will leak out and can be a b*tch to remove except by sanding.
Strength to the elbow!

Morning Doug,
This is the first time I have used the gorilla epoxy, I used it for re laminating the old ply by injection into the splits and clamping.
I thought I had removed all the excess from the surface but obviously not. As wherever it had escaped the paint had pickled.
Going to rub down again, I will try a couple of coats of ezekote to seal it.
But I will get a rattle can primer tomorrow when we go shopping.
Cheers Colin.

"It was the first time I have used the gorilla epoxy. Never again. "
Hi Colin,
Try sealing it with a coat or two of EzeKote before painting.
I've never used Gorilla glue, and probably never will now!
I normally use the waterproof PVA from my local DIY store.
For extreme case I use Deluxe Materials Aliphatic Resin glue.
Grabs quicker and sets faster and harder than PVA😊
Cheers, Doug 😎

That sounds like a good plan. My friend was going to use one yesterday (from his NBN backup) for testing purposes, however believe that you can purchase smaller units, subject to amp size.

Worth investigating, they are cheap and would be reliable.

I'm using the Gorilla wood glue, perhaps that's better, I haven't had any problems so far, but painting has been minimal.

Cheers, Nerys

I have no idea what size motor it was Colin, it was supplied in the kit with all the other running gear. I have a vague idea we used a different prop but she goes like the clappers.

Cheers, Nerys

Hi Nerys,
What size motor was in your kit, it sounds like it is a good model.
Cheers Colin.

Hi Nerys, the primer I used is cellulose based, and for some reason it doesn't work over the gorilla epoxy yet no reaction to the poundland Bond Together.
It was the first time I have used the gorilla epoxy. Never again.
Cheers Colin.

I haven't put any extra ballast in my Sea Commander, didn't think she needed it. I'm using the motor as supplied in the kit and a relatively small battery. Perhaps that why she goes so fast that I leave Alice to tame the beast while I look after my nice steady barges.

Cheers, Nerys

Could it be the Gorilla glue causing you problems Colin? I hope not because I'm using it for the first time at the moment.

Cheers, Nerys

Had a bad day today, I was hoping to get the cabins painted.
I masked her up and gave her a coat of primer. Left to dry and went for a cup of tea.
When I went back to give a second coat I found the paint had a bad reaction on all the glued areas that had been stuck with the gorilla epoxy. Odd but no other areas were affected.
I've never had a problem with the car high build primer before. So I'll have to rub off and try a different primer, probably acrylic.
If anyone has any suggestions please let me know.
Cheers Colin.

Will post a photo tomorrow of my set up

Not sure how much I will need, as I'm using the vintage Taycol Supermarine.
And if it fits a 12v 7amp hour sla to power it. I have another sea commander with a 600 motor and 12volt sla which doesn't have any blast.
Balasting can depend on the layout and also the materials used in the build.
I usually look at the ballast last when doing the first sea trials. I take a few freezer bags of children's play sand with me in measured amounts from 50gms up tp 150gms in 25gms additions. This allows to get the balance right by placing where required.
Hope this will help you, cheers Colin.

Mine s ballasted with a 12v SLA battery in front of the motor. No extra ballast required!

A quick question on the Sea Commander. Do these boats require ballast? Was talking to a friend today who has several meter plus boats including tugs etc each having substantial lead ballast.

I had not considered that so comments appreciated.

Thanks, I have many unbranded crystals which were bought as pairs in 27mhz 35mhz and 40mhz and have not had problems with any setup as long as tx and rx are the same brand. And that is in AM as well as FM.
Over the last 50 years the only problems I've had was from outside interference or other rc users broadbanding due to poorly setup radio sets.
Cheers Colin.

Just a quick point, Crystals can give you problems!
Make sure that example Hitec Radio Hitec Crystal, Futaba Radio Futaba Crystal
Therefore Hitec Receiver Hitec Crystal if your using this with a Futaba Transmitter the Transmitter needs a Futaba Crystal
27Mhz Radios are very sensitive to aerial length and like Doug says horizontal and Vertical.
The only guys here in SA using 27Mhz are the cheapy cars and the signal is all over the place!
Good Luck
Ian

Don't burn your fingers.
Nice bit of kit.
Cheers Colin.

"Chaos Cave" I like it LOL!!

Nice bit of kit Doug.
Happy soldering.

Martin555.

The fog is finally clearing.
Cheers Colin

The angle isn't vital Colin, except when at extreme range!
Then you might need all the help you can give the RX👍
It's much more important with the much longer 27 and 40Meg antennas!
Most important is to have one of the RX antennas vertical.
Happy testing🤞
Cheers, Doug 😎
PS Yeeehaaah! My new soldering station just arrived.
Off to the Chaos Cave now to install it and get back into business😊
C Use Awl later.

Now that's what I call useful information Doug.
I now realise how it works, just have to see the model and it should be OK.
Didn't realise the antenna angle was that important.
Cheers Colin.

Information about the TX antenna makes a lot of sense. It is very easy to hold the TX in a horizontal position without adjusting the antenna angle. Thanks for the info.

I have put up some images of my Commander rebuild & will put up more this weekend. Image with the topdecks is the original as I first obtained it, though I had started work on sanding. I then worked out the cabin, the topdeck areas were too far gone and delaminating, so got rid of them. Tried the hull in the bathtub and it took water within 15 minutes.

Decided to strip right back - and now about 4 years later, i have spent 3 months sanding, sanding and sanding some more. Paint goes on the undersides tomorrow then I start rebuilding the topdecks. Finally.

Hi Colin,
Glad to help!
"I will have to take to my sons and try out away from home"
That's gonna be a pain in the neck if you have to do that whenever you want to test a setup☹️
Re 2.4Gigs;
" if I try to sail round the islands in the lake I will lose contact. "
That depends!😉
Alas alack at VHF (30 - 300 MHz) and above transmissions are Line of Sight (LOS).
I.e. if you can't see the model neither can your receiver 'see' the TX
Do the islands have trees and bushes? They will also absorb some 2.4Gig RF power as well.
As far as range is concerned: If you can always see the model you should be OK for several hundred metres. Take your binos with you👍
Tips for maximum range with 2.4Gig RC sets!
Most RXs have two short wire antennas, ca 12cm. Approx one wavelength in the 2.4G band.
Make sure that they are installed in the boat at 90° to each other.
That means one vertical and one horizontal, NOT both horizontal!
Why? Two antennas means 'Antenna diversity'. Vertical or horizontal polarisation.
Analogy: Waves in the sea roll into shore horizontally, how else you cry!?😁 That's Horizontal Polarisation'. But imagine if you could turn the seabed through 90° to the vertical and the waves turned with it! That would be Vertical Polarisation.

The RX constantly checks which signal from your TX (H or V) is strongest and has the least errors and uses that to control your systems.
Most 2.4Gig TXs have two antennas; one vertical sticking out the top (stub antenna) and one horizontal built into the handle. (Silly pistol grip and wheel TXs excluded)
Maximum signal from the antennas comes from the middle NOT from the end.
Same applies for any frequency BTW! Unless you use a Yagi antenna! Another story!
For the handle antenna that's not important, however you hold the TX it's still horizontal (unless you're lying down😴😁).
For the vertical antenna it is important.
DO NOT hold the TX flat and point the stub antenna at the model. That is the weakest signal, almost null.👎
Hold the TX upright so that the stub is always vertical for maximum signal to the model.👍
Cheers, Doug 😎

As I expected Doug, I'm glad you're able to help us mere mortals.
As I have at least another dozen boats to sort out and get running again I will have to take to my sons and try out away from home.
As my local private lake is even closer to the camp array than home.
Does 2.4GHz have good distance coverage as I've been told that if I try to sail round the islands in the lake I will lose contact.
Cheers Colin.

"the sas camp had just built a new aerial array about 200 yards from us"
Oh dear! That could well be the problem, being so close to you!
That may put you in the near field of some of their transmission frequencies, which is totally unpredictable. Especially if they are using VLF/HF frequencies at high power.
There is no mathematical way of predicting what happens in the near field, in contrast to the far field, i.e. significantly greater than one wavelength of the transmission frequency.
That is relatively easy😁
Can only suggest that you try your 40Meg sets at the lake further away.
Any clues from the dimensions of the antennas?
Cheers, Doug 😎

When last used, last year in April, all worked fine but that was 40 miles away from home.
I still think its outside interference, a neighbours ham radios are having problems as well, I only found out tonight when he rang me about his security camera issues to ask if mine was okay, mine are hard wired so no problems.
He said that since the sas camp had just built a new aerial array about 200 yards from us it could be them and he was going to ring the OIC tomorrow to ask about it.
Cheers Colin.