The Dumas Boat Carol Moran project
By James Packwood
The kit is for the intermediate builder allowing you to add more to the boat than what is provided in the kit. So if you want to add more and take up a notch to an expert level kit, then you can. If you want to just build to a basic level then you can do that also. You are going to have to put a lot of work in the hull and power plant so be prepared. I found that you are going to have to use an Exacto knife a lot so please be careful. When working with the styrene you just really need to score it then bend it to separate the cut so you really don’t have to cut all the way thru with the knife.I found when gluing the styrene parts together it was easier to user thick CA glue. This allows you to adjust the parts before the glue sets. I used thin CA glue for the rub rails so I relied on the use of clamps to hold them in place for the gluing. Make sure you have CA Debonder available or finger nail polish remover. We eventually glue ourselves to our project so be prepared.
My R/C Center Carol Moran build project
You are going have to balance the boat. When your build is complete the boat will ride high out of the water and list to the lightest side of the boat. I had to add right at 2 lbs of lead to bring the boat down to the waterline and level it out. This will also insure that the prop will be totally submerged. The total weight for my boat came to 2lbs 14 oz.
For the power plant I did use the servo modification in the plans just to see how well it performed. The servo motor would work OK if you were on a pond with no wind and no debris in the water. Since it is a heavy model the servo motor just did not have the power to push it around the water. The torque is pretty weak so the battery (7.2v NiMH 1500 mHa) had only a 5 minute run time. I removed the modified servo motor and replaced it with the Dumas Boats 2021 motor with a Pro Boats ESC and a 7.2v NiMH 1000 mHa battery and it ran really well. The motor is not a speed demon for this boat and the battery lasted a little over 20 minutes.
The Dumas Boats Carol Moran is a great winter project for yourself or as a project for you and your family so be prepared to have fun.
Enjoy
