Looking for . . .

[Ralph --- SSBN 598]

For more than 30 years, I have wanted to build a US B-boat. (Viper B-1, Cuttlefish B-2 or Viper B-3)

The only drawing I have found is the profile of the boat that is very poor but over the years I have worked with various scales of the drawing.
I have took measurements from these drawing and compared them to get an average number at every foot.
The hull is made with frames that are perfect circles.
Just the center line is off set at the back of the torperdo tubes.
I have made a wooden plug that follows the profile when the drwing is put on the wall and a shadow of the plug is cast on it.

I have looked for drawing other than the profile.
Actually, I have been looking for a top view to get the deck outside line correct.
I have made a drawing but I can not be sure how acturate it is.

Can someone help?
Does any one have a top view of the B-boat they would like to share?

With all this down time and waiting for parts for the Gato, my interest in the B-boat has come back.

Thanks.
Ralph

[ccontrol]

Now that you mention it, I thought you had made some progress on a B boat sometime ago, I was following that!

[Ralph --- SSBN 598]

You are correct.

I started work on the B-boat in July 2015.
I built the conning tower which currently sits on the table with my Gotland sail and tv.
I made a wooden plug
Then got side tracted.
The wooden hull plug is still in the shop.
Over time the plug cracked and started shedding the glaze compound.
I see it every day I go in the shop because it is standing next to the door.

The Gato is finished exept for installing a new servo which is somewhere in transit and final trimming.
It was trimmed when I made a change to the ballast system.
I took out the roller pump which was too slow and installed 2 air pumps and added a vet system.

The B-boat is an unfinish project.
In fact it may be a completely new project.

Or I could go back to the Alma scow schooner.

The B-boat has been somethng I have wanted to build since I fist saw it in an old magizine with the history of US subs in it.
There are old photos but no drawing.

Original plan was to make a mold.
Now, I am thinking I may do a lost foam, 1 of a kind.
I happen to have a lot of pink foam laying around from trimming several boats.

Making the wooden plug took time because I had to make 54 3/4" disks.
Then shape them.
I still have the jigs to shape the plug which could be used to shape the foam if I added 2 layers of sand paper to reduce the size to allow for the fiber glass cloth layers.

I have put this off because I have not worked with fiber glass except to reinforce hull seams with 2" tape.
I have been watching the Nautilus build over on Sub Pirates and I can do what is being done.

If I put my mind to it, I think I can make the 1" foam disks and shape the hull in a few days.
But without a deck, the boat will sit again.

I with the photos I have, I think I can piece together something very close.
I just need to find something in one of the photos, I know the length of so I can scale the rest of it.
The length is no problem, it's the width of the deck and the deck sides to the hull I need to figure out.

I was thnking I could cut the wooden plug with the dremel daimond blade to get a groove to set the deck sides in to then traces the line to the sides.
If I use plastic sheet to make the deck and sides, I can hand cut with scissors and sanding blocks.

Anyway, after years of thinking about this boat, I probably have it all worked out in my head.
I just need to start making parts.

But if someone happen to have a top view of a B-boat it would make it all much easier.
============
Now another question.
Is the US, B-boat and the British Boat the same hull and deck?
The conning towers are different.
Something to look in to tomorrow.

[Ralph --- SSBN 598]

It took very little research to determine the B-boat and the British B-boat are not the same.
The British B-boat is more than 60' longer.

So that idea is out the window.

[Ralph --- SSBN 598]

Today, I looked through all my files and found the drawing with the grid set for 3/4".
3/4" because my plug was made from wood disks.

Today, I started over and made the grid 1" for the use of 1" pink foam.
I checked my scaling of the poor drawing from Nav Source.
I scanned it at a very high dpi so I could get a better enlarged drawing. (full size of model)

The scale is 1/2" to 1' making the boat 41 1/4" long with a mximum beam of 6 1/2".

I have already made the spread sheet with the frame diameters at 1" intervals.
This gives me everything I need to start making hull sections (disks) every 1".

Once I start the rebuild, I will move it to the orignal build log.
Of course there will be photos of progress.

I am getting old (70) and it is time to finish this long wanted project while I can.
=====================
My plan is to work from disk 28/29 towards the stern.
This section of the boat has a centerline that is center of each disk.

The bow has an offset curve.
Ihave a jig that I can set the disks on to get the correct curve.
Left over from the wooden plug.

It works like a keel with the disk sitting on it to hold the curve.
With the disks on the keel board, I can glue the disks together one at a time so I can get the side to side distance evenly split.

Anyway, all this will be explained in the build log.

[salmon]

Ralph, look forward to learning more from you!