Billings Boulogne Etaples BB534

Arrived today for unboxing  Thank you Cornwall Model Boats and DPD 

hi ,

it looks like a well detailed kit with well explained  plan, and all the parts look good quality. hope you enjoy your build. 


david

Thanks I will for sure. It is actually not so well explained..... but as little as she is still in the EXPERT category  I guess this is due mainly to plank on frame perhaps but the very category name gives Billings a get out because the builder is expected to be able to work it out.

I will be glass clothing the finished planking but I will still be doing a neat job as I'm not a big fan of filler. 

The fun will be those personal details and choice of colours

hi, 

plank on frame is the best part to me, i have built seven lifeboats from scratch plank on frame, and enjoyed every bit. plus another 6 or so other boats. take your time you may find that you can only do 2 planks per day using pva clamping is the hardest part, butting the planks as some will need bending.

happy days david

Yes I'm ok with planking having done the Rotterdam 

Might be a while before the prop shaft arrives so cannot proceed in the normal fashion.
I've taken out material from the bulkheads to make them more battery & equipment friendly and fitted those that I can for now with main deck dry fitted to align them.

I was wrong about bulkhead 2 but I've managed to free it and adjust 


Micro servo for rudder will be more than adequate




VIDEO
No vibration perfect line 
https://photos.smugmug.com/Billing-Boulogne-Etaples/i-pP7nq7H/0/3ba9c2ea/1280/IMG_3412-1280.mp4

Andy - where did you get the servo mounts?

Barrie

Hi Barrie. I had to think hard about that. Short answer out of my bits drawer 

Long answer I think I bought them on eBay over 3yrs ago beyond my purchase history archive. I've had a good look this morning and cannot find any  . I suspect they were a one man band cottage industry 

They did both sizes 

Thanks for looking!

Barrie

I started the day by fixing the main deck in place


Then sanded most of the frames ready for planking.
At the bow I created a groove to help hold the ply skin 








Time also spent making the winding drum 





Some more work on the trawl frame 

No modelling today due to an anniversary 

It seems the Turnigy Trackstar ESC I used in my Lobster boat has become very scare but I found an identical spec and appearance unit under another brand
So I'll be using this
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Hobbywing-QUICRUN-30A-16BL30-WP-SL-Brushless-ESC-1-16-1-18-RC-Car-On-Road-Drift/223427409398?_trkparms=aid%3D111001%26algo%3DREC.SEED%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D20160908103841%26meid%3De2622e0981c84450a2dd0cb8eeac1ce0%26pid%3D100227%26rk%3D1%26rkt%3D14%26sd%3D223427409398%26itm%3D223427409398%26pmt%3D1%26noa%3D1%26pg%3D2053904%26brand%3DHobbywing&_trksid=p2053904.c100227.m3827


Sorry but I've no idea why the link takes up so much width 

Very neat planking Andy.  I think Billings must have improved the quality of their timber since my last Billings kit.

Barrie

Thank you Barrie.  Yes the Obeche is certainly machined smoother, it's all to be filled and covered on glass cloth on the outside so only really to be seen on the inside.
 It's a steel hulled boat in the real world.

This afternoon catching some vitamin D and waiting for the resin to dry inside outside  





Later I resined the outside inside 












Next will be to fill any low spots before glass clothing

Good looking boat, bring back memory’s of doing a similar hull, one of my early days while I was still learning... leaked like a god damn siv, even after drying it and attempting to seal with epoxy... now consigned to grandparents front window I believe... good luck with your matting, always hate that job :P

Yes a lovely shape indeed Aron. Just seeing someone else building one pushed me over the shall I/shan't I edge 

I'm fine with matting having the experience of double coating my Balsa skinned Lobster boat but I'm surprised Billings haven't done a plastic hull version of this. I think planking puts a lot of potential modellers off. 

Before anything else today I'm going to look at making the rudder shoe removable because once the keel is made ridging with glass it will no longer bend aside.

Thanks

Good job spilling those planks!  Turned out nicely!

Thank you 
Started today by applying far TOO MUCH filler to spend hours sanding, I love sanding  NOT


So a few beers later 


I've used 1 oz cloth and only 1 coat is sufficient.
Tacked in place with dots of CA 


Another day final sanding tomorrow. Then I can add all the rubbing strakes 

Still enjoying this 





I've seen other modellers getting this area wrong, clearly not studied the plan view drawing.

Ballasting to find total displacement.
I was concerned about battery capacity but absolutely unfounded.

Firstly some billings failures


Pre drilled plinth  





At great personal expense  



Supplied brass fittings and dowel considerably different diameter for top section. Solution 2mm carbon rod 



Spot light recess is 6mm and does not fit the lense, drilled out to 6.5mm 

Turning out to be a really nice looking boat! Impressed with the quality I’m seeing, billings kits tend to be pvc hulls but this, very Nice indeed, great work so far!

Andy - I am accused of building too quickly, but I think you take the record  It certainly looks as though Billings have greatly improved the quality of their kits.

Barrie

Well I only have experience of Billings since 2017 in recent history but in years gone by I started a Norske Love around 1986 and I don't recall any problems with it other than with a growing family I never got further than planking the hull. I also wondered why the heck I bought it as its a static build  so wasted time and money.
I can only imagine that some individual models were better than others? most likely.
No problems to shout about with this unlike some far more expensive kits 
Cornwall models are far cheaper than anyone else on Billings and every penny saved is certainly ploughed back in in paint etc if you want a good quality result.

I really needed a break from the intensity of another model I'm building for something I planned to be around four weeks instead as a breath of fresh air.

As for speed I'm not fast but I use many hours at leisure. I have the time and the wife has her own hobby so nothing competes for our time.

I have a Hoga tug kit I bought off a club mate and a Nordkap to start as well as my Rotterdam to finish  
Billings Facebook builders group is very friendly and of course brand specific, I'm enjoying participating there and they're extremely appreciative. Another builder called Carsten started the Boulogne a while ago and it was his posts that lead to me buying the kit. I am of course well in front of him now but I'm sure he is thankful  
19 days so far and I can almost see the end but I can't sail her  

I must admit I have tended to buy old kits off ebay. The wood quality has been pretty terrible, and of course no laser cutting. I wanted to build the small Andrea Gail, but it seems to have gone out of production

I certainly agree you can't beat CMB on price or service.

Barrie