Corky's Build

[aerokirk]

Corky ... You're welcome! And thanks for alerting me to the starter drain hole issue! It really helps when you can get two or more builders together who are building similar rigs to help each other solve problems. Since I finished my boat first I guess that put me on the "bleeding edge" when it came to finding problems . Thanks Papee for starting the site so this communication can occur!

Ted

[Corky]

Well, a few more days and the rudder red stripes will be dry enough so I can move onto the stars...In the meantime I'll keep moving along with other items...
I wanted to give the Circle S redrive a fluff and buff using a marine grade polish/protectant to keep the aluminum looking somewhat new...But what happened was the redrive came to life with just a hand polishing !!! I was amazed at just how precise the parts are manufactured and how a little effort had big results on the clean up...Check it out...
With the engine and redrive bright work cleaned up comes the last step on the redrive..I pulled the idler arm assembly and coated the pivot points with a quality grease then reassembled it...I also greased the other fitting for the main shaft bearing with a high quality grease...
I can't stress enough the quality and tolerances of the machining on this unit...I'm still impressed...

And lastely for the day the Whirlwind prop gets installed on it's final resting place !!!! A great day for sure..

[Corky]

And finally another{final} round of mapping the stars this time on the rudders...They are a mirror image of each other...The Mini Airboat Association script will be on the outside of each rudder so the inside{facing each other} will be pretty much as painted during this next session...I reused some hand picked star stencils I had previously used on the hull so it was just a matter of pick and placement...After cutting the masking film and removing the backround area I used a scotchbrite pad to scuff the remaining areas around the stars for the dark blue coat adhesion...A long and tedious process with the stencils in place being careful not to pull up the points....I'm spraying these rudders outside so they'll wait until tomorrow morning when the temps and humidity are in range for a nice job...

[Papee]

OK Corky, the gig is up. You are building this boat to give to me right? ��

[Corky]

..Well Papee, you might get it to take to your meetings and fine tune it if you want...A polished turbo sure would look good on it !!...I'm excited to see how your latest upgrades go...

Ted, it's starting to sink in that I'm pretty much done with this boat !! I need to modify the trailer next so I can load/unload this thing in the water....

I did get the upper rudders painted this morning...Perfect weather for it...Unmasking everything is so tedious...It needs to be done at just the right time for a crisp paint line...Not too wet,not too dry...About a half hour{after spraying} is when I start...I shot the dark blue over the whole area then used a lighter shade of blue to highlight the center wave just as the rendering was when I designed them...About the only drawback from adding the wave highlights is I'll need to custom mix any touch-up paint if it needs any scratch repairs...
Anyhow, here's the rudders !!!

[Corky]

Now the rudders will dry for a few more days...And lastely the rudder sides facing outward will be prepped for the Mini Airboat Association logo...For the sake of getting this boat done I'm going to have a decal made up for the rudders...I just don't want to spend another month airbrushing the logo on the rudders so the decal is the easy way out and will look exactly as my designs...But what I do need to do is add the white "explosion" backround so the logo is highlighted on the rudders...Here's the comparison pics of what I have adapted to the real scale of the rudders to where I'm going so nobody needs to scroll back through to see it again...

[Papee]

I'm interested to see how the decal will last. I'm having problems with the last two colored decals I had made. They just don't last, I hate to even ship any out. I need a new supplier. The vinyl one are fine but the printed ones just don't last.

[Corky]

Papee, I talked to Fastsigns before when we were getting pricing on a vehicle wrap...There's different grades of printing material and some can even get a clear UV coating...Some of the business owners I know have vehicles wrapped for 5+ years with no evidence of fading...I was going to go with a better grade of materials but also have them keep a file in case I need more made...

[Corky]

And now for some technical insight into painting in general...The last phase of the rudder painting is for the backround of the rudder's logo...In my trial designs the stars and stripes backround was too "busy" making the logo hard to read when it was applied directly to the rudder...So the white backround was added to give a uniform foundation making the logo stand out and easier to read in the process...

Now for the technical difficulties...Using a basecoat/clearcoat system I can fade,mist, and add small details that will stay intact because a layer of clear will cover the details essentially trapping them...Over the course of time nothing will change...You can wet sand,buff, scrub etc... Over the years and it will look the same no matter what you do... But this build is using an enamel color coat...Typically the enamel will fade over time but will come back to life with a simple buff...And that's where the trouble will come into play...I can easily replicate the fading backround with the HVLP gun that's not the problem..The trouble lies in the limitations of the enamel paint in general...If in the future I need to polish the paint the outer edges of the "misted" layer will end up coming off leaving an ugly,tattered mess of a backround on the outer edges of that layer of paint...
The solution to that problem is to apply the paint thick enough to take a polish/buff and still stay intact for years...And that's what I ended up doing...It's still in the theme of the fading backround but with a little more coverage to hold up to the cleaning process for years and I still retain the ability for an easy touch-up on the enamel if need be...

Anyhow here's the backround in it's final form I'm sure it will look awesome with the logo in place...

[Corky]

The logos are made from the same material that comercial vehicles use to get wrapped...A high quality outdoor grade vinyl covered with a clear UV blocking laminate..Projected life is 7 years...I've got the logo on a flash drive so if in the future I need to have another made up it will be an easy task..The image I provided the manufacturer was actually bigger than needed for the rudder art...I did'nt want to end up with a grainy,pixel limited image I wanted them to size it without the worry of any quality issues...

The procedure was pretty straight forward...
Mark the rudder where the decal is centered..Peel the backer off the decal...Use a spray bottle{with water} and mist the rudder and decal adhesive...Install the decal and slide it around until it's where you need it to be...Then use a squeegie{I use a new body filler spreader} starting in the center and work the water out from under the decal..The transfer paper on the front of the decal was thick and made working the spreader and easy task without the fear of scratching the decal...When you're happy with the results peel the transfer from the front of the decal and use a clean cloth to dry the work off...

A note on the water under the decal...In this case the decal was thick and did'nt hold any water bubbles under it...I've applied various automotive stripes and graphics over the years and depending on the contour and/or thickness of the vinyl you may get small water bubbles that are trapped under the decal...DON'T USE A PIN TO PUNCTURE THE VINYL !!!!!....The water will dissipate under the vinyl with time..A good, hot day in the sun will usually do the job...

So here's the pics of the logo detail and a few of the now finished boat rudders...I'm very happy how the rudders turned out !!!

[Rollbar]

Awesome!

[kent]

Corky,
That looks great. You have done a wonderful job in making your "once-in-a-lifetime" toy !!!
So when is the "grand showing" ? I will charge the DSLR's batteries and bring a bag full of lenses....
kent

[Corky]

Thanks guys.. I need to get the registration for the boat and get the HIN and Pa numbers on the hull...The river is still low and if that does'nt change soon I may just leave the boat in the shop for the winter..

[Papee]

You will get a temp registration right away. Just bring that thing up here and you can follow me around to get some stick time and shake down time. I won't take you anywhere that you'll dent or scratch it. Or you could just let me romp on it. Lol.

[dr.peck76]

Corky,
I've been following your build since you un-crated your engine and I'd just like to express my admiration of your fabulous workmanship, patience, and attention to detail. I consider myself a competent individual but your build truly humbles me. And inspires me. Hats Off to you sir.

Dale

[Corky]

I have a few odds and ends to tie up on the build but it's done for the most part... I'll have an update by the weekend...I'm going to start a different thread for the boat trailer...And I won't be dragging that one out hopefully...

Kent, when I load the boat on the trailer I'll give you a call for the outside photoshoot...

So Papee I want to get the boat on the trailer for the first fire-up and see how it goes...But I need to get the bunks on that trailer first...Then I'll be ready to get some stick time...It would probably be a good idea to have you to run with so we can see what adjustments needs to be done..

Dale, thanks for the compliments I'm glad to be finally wrapping the build up..I hope you're out there having fun with your boat this summer..

[Corky]

The last major component added to the build is the deck mounted pedistal seat...I chose the screw in pedistal style they seem more sturdy than the push lock system IMO.. Combine this with another attwood Quick seat disconnect and I've got the perfect set-up...When it's time to fish simply move the seat from the platform to the deck !!! Does'nt get any easier than that !!! Here's the finished pedistal base...

[aerokirk]

Corky,
I've been away from the site for awhile and just now starting to catch up on the posts. Fantastic job on your rudders! They really compliment the rest of your exquisite build. Hope you can get your trailer ready before the end of the season as it would be a shame not to give it a maiden voyage before Fall turns into Winter. I'm assuming that you've fired it up by now and I'm curious as to how quiet the mufflers are. Mine have been working great but when I ran it without the prop when I was waiting for my blades to come back I was amazed how loud it was...kind of sounded like a race car.

Anyway, fantastic job! Hope we can get together some time and ride.

Ted

[Corky]

HI Ted...Thanks again for the compliments...I have'nt fired it up yet !! I've been busy with winterizing some other toys and I should probably go ahead and fire it up soon..I wanted to get it on the trailer and outside for the initial fire-up... I did'nt want a tornado in the shop blowing all the posters,rags, and dirt around the building.....But yes I'm interested on how it sounds myself I have no idea what to expect...I still have the mufflers original packing so if it's out of line I can add the fiberglass back in there to help with the noise...

[Corky]

Finishing up some details with the build...The Circle S reduction's starter solenoid wire got some attention...For those that are running this starter the correct plastic locking solenoid connector can be gotten from any late 80s to early 90s chrysler minivan...Every one I looked at had the connector I needed so I snagged it off one that was easy to get to...Now the wire has a positive lock to hold it in place...A little dielectric grease to waterproof the connection and it's ready for service..