Have you ever wanted to make a remote control boat? Perhaps you've seen the prices in the stores... and despaired of ever affording one? Here are some simple tips to help you make your own for a fraction of the cost.
Step 1
Obtain your hull, motor, servo, rechargeable battery with charger, and radio transmitter/receiver. These are the most expensive parts of the whole build. Where from you wonder and no doubt do a web search. However you might speed that up by going to http://www.modelboatmayhem.co.uk/ and looking at their directory.
Step 2
Glue (not cement - that's for building houses) the motor in the bottom rear of the boat (will be under the batteries) and set up the prop.
Step 3
Water proof the openings. Even if you sail it on a mill pond somehow water will try to get inside. There will probably be one or more openings in the deck which you will need to get into the innards for adjustment and things like battery charging. Build a wall (coaming is the technical term) around the opening about 1 inch high, making sure it is well sealed (using glue) to the deck. Then fit a hatch cover that is a good fit over the coaming. The way to do this is first cut some thin card eg from an old Xmas card and tape it round the outside of the coaming. Cut walls for the hatch and glue them to each other at the corners while fitting around the coaming. Fit a top onto the walls. When the glue is dry remove the hatch and carefully release the card if that got stuck too. That way you can get a tight fit with just a gap equal to the thin card.
Step 4
Glue a servo to the hull near the front of the boat.
Step 5
Fitting a rudder. You can buy 'rudder assemblies' which have a flat plate - the rudder- attached to a rod - the post - that passes through a tube -er 'the tube' I think - and on the other end has a little arm. Take it apart and remember exactly how it was because you are going to need to put it back together later. At the back end of the boat, on the center line, a little behind the propellor drill a hole for the rudder tube. Use a drill that is just a little bigger than the tube for example if your tube is a modern one it might be 6mm, so you could drill a 1/4 in hole which would be a bit bigger, but if you have lots of tools you might have a 6.1 mm drill which would be better.
Step 6
Put a servo horn on the top of it.
Step 7
Hold it down by a screw. Preferably not rusty and rather a lot less than 1 inch long.
Step 8
Connect a servo rod with "Z bends" at each end and an "adjustment angle" in the middle of the rod.
Step 9
Glue in the battery pack between the rudder and servo. Make certain the servo rod does not rub on it.
Step 10
Glue in the Receiver on the nose (note : some fussy people call this the bow 'cos it's made from a bit of tree) of the boat (weight distribution).
Step 11
Waterproof everything with DAP kitchen and bath silicone and you are done!
