Finish on a maghogany Chris-Craft EP speed boat

Ron:

The Dumas mahogang Chris-Craft will be sensational but ONLY the finish is done to perfection.

Sometime a craftsman is his own worst critic.     

SD

http://www.penofin.com/products_marine.shtml

Hi Dave, I don't have much experience here, but have always marveled at the Chris-Craft model boats. Are you building the "Cobra" by chance?

I did some web searching and found that some modelers are using a product called "Klass Kote". There is a supplier in Missouri. http://www.klasskotemo.com/

If you haven't already; I would check out the "Fine Scale Modeler" website for articles. http://www.finescale.com/

Just some thoughts.. It was stated that a high-gloss finish can make a model look "toy-like"... because on a full-size subject, this is only noticeable "close up". So may want to test varying degrees of semi-gloss to see how they look in comparison.

Some modelers prep their work area, by lightly misting the floor with water.. to control dust before painting. That sounded like a good idea to me.

This is a Chris-Craft "Carina"... I love the presentation.

Solid information, Roddie.

Thank you.

Although Z-poxy was recommended to me it cures too fast for my liking.  I tried mixing the two-part resin with lesser concentrations of the hardener but it still set-up too fast.  I was appling it by brush rather than with spray equipment.

I've always been reluctatant to apply catalyized resin by spray because it  sets up too
fast it will clog the spray equiment and that IS a mess to clean-up!     

Don't ask how I know this!    

SD

BTW, my mahogany Chris-Craft (by Dumas) is 1940 "Barrel-back" EP/28" LOA.

Thanks for your suggestions!

SD

Dave, I also read that the application of 2-part resins in "lower temperatures" slows the cure rate. Some place unused mixes in fridge temporarily, which retards curing. Warm sunlight from a window, can/will speed curing.

The Barrel-back is a beautiful design!!!

(I edited my 1st post and inserted a pic. of a CC Carina)

Roddie:

The "Cobra" is of a more modernistic design than the ones I remember, but could NEVER afford, when I was much younger. In part I selected the "Barrel-back" as an appeal to the nostalgia in me.

The older I become, the more I see things that way at age 76.  I cherish my memories more than you can ever imagine.

It's part of the fun in aging.     

SD

Hey Dave, I'm hoping you'll be running your model... so  I thought I'd give you an idea on a "caddy" that I built for my smaller "built-up" Dumas Deep Vee 10 (also known as "Short Stuff") This is an onion-crate that I got from the Super Dave market..   

I added 4 vertical furring-braces with cup-hooks to attach sm. bungee cords to, for a cradle. Heavy rubber-bands would be better.. and with some foam-rubber padding around the cup-hooks. (to avoid possibility of scratching)

I built this model back in the early 90's. The hdwe./running gear is all Graupner (from Hobby Lobby) It ran at a speed of about 15 mph with the stock 540 "can" motor and a 6 cell NiCd pack that I had to custom-build, with 3 cells on each side, straddling the motor.. with a jumper-wire connecting them. A "brushless/LiPo" conversion would do wonders.. because it's a pretty heavy little boat for being only 18" long and having a 6" beam.

S Dave sounds like its electric and Mahogany so I assume you want a durable and nice Clear finish that does not need to be Hot Fuel proof

Might I suggest traditional finishes such as Danish oil and floor wax. I do a lot of wood building and I use Tung oil, or Danish oil let them soak in and set for a few days hardening inside the wood then finish off with several light coats of Johnson floor wax for a nice deep rich no color change finish

You might also consider the very good quality from MinWax spray poly urethane products ...I can't lay these worth a damn by sponge or brush but the rattle cans are real good.... I use 400  grit between first few coats  and then 000 steel wool before the final coat then polishing compound it all out to mirror finish

That all said I like the ease of the hardening oils with paste wax best as they take much less effort for nearly the same durable finish

Fred:

"S Dave sounds like its electric and Mahogany so I assume you want a durable and nice Clear finish that does not need to be Hot Fuel proof"  - Fred

Correct.

Doing some reading on finishes for the speedboat I'm looking for a semi-gloss finish.  Gloss makes them look like a toy Ive been told by a scale modeler.

SuperDave (SD)

SuperDave wrote:At long last I can see this project coming to completion!

Now deciding on the finish is the question.  I've had poor results using Z-poxy clear finishing resin.  It does NOT want to "flow-out" smoothly on some samples I've tried.

SD

Super Dave, I know how you feel.  I had a couple of Footys that I built last summer for my boy and me, and tried the Z-Poxy finishing resin on them.  Was not at all happy with the way it came out.  The local hobby shop recommended it, so I tried it.  Wish I had gone another route. I would have been better just varnishing the wood.

I'd go over to the Scale Boats section of RCG and ask (http://www.rcgroups.com/scale-boats-55/).  You'd probably get a lot of great info there.

The Un-Happy Mark

Lots of input on my OP.  Thanks Lads.

I've conclucluded that I'm going to sample a spray can of SEMI-gloss (NOT crystal-clear) "Lustrecoate" on some samples of mahogangy scraps to evaluate the finish it will produce for me.  Anything that is catalyized and brushed on is out of the question.

My experience with Z-poxy clear finishing resin proved to be a disaster and the work sanding it off caused me to set the "Chris" aside for several years.  (Z-poxy has lousy customer support).

Stay tuned for the result.,

SD

I love scale runabouts.. always have! Some years ago when I was building my Dumus boat for RC, I thought how cool it would be, to try to make a water skier to tow behind it. Simple enough to put a scale-size figurine on a buoyant ski with a weighted keel... but I wanted to take it a step further and run an extra servo with two strings out the stern to allow the skier to "slalom"!! The control strings would have to attach to the "ski" for it to work though..

I never tried it, but still would like to.

Would love to see photos when done

I have a bucket list item that I will probably have to do as a model since none of the water near me is worthy of the effort to build full size

A 50s style Mahogany and Teak small runabout like this:



I built several small sail boats years ago in NewPort News Virginia and got a lot of help from local wood ship craftsmen

If we lived near or on a lake it would already have been done

Fred:

Well I DO live near water and lots of it both salt and fresh though I would NOT want to expose my Chris to the salt for fear of corrosion.  Our son has a lake place less a half-hour distant that would be perfect for the Chris.

Isn't the Chris shown in the picture from Dumas?  These boats have always had an allure for me.     

SD

Roddie:

Neat idea! What's stopping you?

SD

S Dave...two times stationed at Ft Lewis, married a Port Townsend girl as first of two wives, this one lasted thirty years so far

My father's family tree in USA is from Central Oregon up through Marysville Washington so I get up there semi frequently

I miss having that much water so close but I do not miss the drizzle/rain frequency. We have considered buying property in Washington state a few times but this Cen Tex works as her family is West Virginia and our children and grandchildren are Texans

I am partial to the other side of the mountains like Wenachee or Ellensburg, Yakima, Tri cities, Omak/Okanogan

I am very familiar with the region from Marysville down to Chehalis

Fred:

The drizzle in Western WA isn't as bad as the heavy (an expensive) snows in much of the US.

At least the rain keeps Western Washington green.     We like the mountainous area around Packwood, WA.

SD

Think I have been through that area on south side of Rainier, yes very nice area

I was on a Search and Rescue (SAR) team out of Ft Lewis for several years, mostly we recovered dumb soldiers out on (or under) the water--- and a few times a year we had to rappel out of helicopter on Rainier to rescue the all too frequent dummies that are not prepared for the fast shifting weather

IIRC one of the rescues we brought down and met the ambulance in Packwood...been a long time ago in the 70s so I seem to only remember the area but not the village/town/wide spot

Sorry to hijack your Mahogany Boat thread

I have a large collection of Chris-Craft brochures from 1953, they sold full size kit boats. Also have a large fold out brochure of there complete boats from row boats right up the large cruisers.

Crank:

Immediately following WWII there was rage of interest in boating many of whom were made of plywood. Chris-Craft kit boats were very popular with the DIY bunch. That, along with reliable outboard motors available after the war spawed and entire new industry.

SD

Further hijack

My dad returned from Viet Nam and was posted to the Presidio of San Francisco...lots of water in the Bay area

He got a 21 foot cabin cruiser kit from Chris Craft and we built it in 5 months in front of the garage of grandmas house in Oakland. Inboard out board, Eaton out-drive mated to a water cooled Chevy V8.

The next three seasons we went Salmon fishing and to this day I do not like salmon. But I did learn to be a rather good pilot and navigator with just maps, watch, and compass...got real good at getting us lined up for inbound from the sea dead center of Golden Gate bridge in the fog a bunch of times

Amazing the memories we each can resurrect form something like finishing a model boat

Thanks Dave and Crank

Sand boat with 180 grit , 5 coats polyester resin sprayed , sand between each coat , on the 5th coat sand with 400 wet and dry paper . Then 2 coats of clear imron . Wait 3 days and wet sand with 1000 grit wet and dry paper and buff with maguires no#12 ultracut compound and wax . mirror finish , beautiful!