Model kit that floats on water

Happy new year to everyone
coming to this party a lil late, but a couple of things I did.
I used BB’s ( used with toy air guns ) they’re small with good weight. They fit anywhere and can balance your boat easily. Once balanced, pour in 2 part epoxy, enough to submerge them to hold them in place. Make sure to place them in the lowest part of the hull.
I used 3/4 oz fibreglass to wrap the hull with 2 part epoxy for water proofing.

Neptune, very nicely finished boat !
Thank you for the nice comments,
Best regards John,
 
Be careful what foam you use, some state that they are not recommended for buoyancy,
Best regards John,
marine supply stores have the right stuff to use..

one model i could suggest for a bathtub fleet would be this one... built it long long ago in teh old package say 1992


took me 10 hours to do except paint as a little kid. Im somewhat scared some folks claimed to need 100 hours to do it.
 

 


In the late 1990s in my CAD class i remember running across someone that had done a british 2 decker as RC control, Neptune i think..

Also look on youtube dutch guy named Gelders... but he did his Prins Willem as some sort of electric trolling motor hanging from the keel
 

its a biggggg one. 100 pounds of lead to get down to waterline. Apparently he has a VICTORY that takes 200 pounds..

Yet ironically some frigates that we model, only tossed about 250 pounds in a single broadside... ironic?
 
From the responses to your inquiry you should have a good idea about how to prep a ship model to float. Two principles: one is weight in the lowest portion of the model along the keel to create the balance needed. Another is adequate water proofing of the hull. If you want a kit that directly leads to water safe then research the RC model ship kits. These are designed for floating whether you use the RC gear or not. Good luck and let us know what you end up doing!
 
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its done, its expensive.. even seen over the years 3 deckers done to sail on a pond or indoor pool. It may perhaps be better to find one of those older generation, and lower cost plastic ship kits airfix and revell used to do. Build one, then fit in a plastic tub compartment for controllers if you want to rc it, then fill the rest in with foam in a can..
I hate to disagree but we found that foam is not a good idea. Unless you are really, really lucky you will get water inside the boat Skill has nothing to do with this. Water will find a way.. If there is foam in there it's very difficult(impossible) to get it out, not to mention trying to fix the leak. You can't fix a leak unless you can see where it's leaking. The best way is to wire a small computer fan to some batteries and stick it inside the boat when you take it out of the water.
 
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