Along the side of the superstructure, at the upper edge of the bulkheads, a small 1/16" square stringer is run to support the edge of the side deck.
The model requires some 1/16" and 1/8" strips - these are not shown specifically on the plans, but it should be obvious where they are needed. The original KK Eezebilt instructions used to say "Make up strips of balsa from spare wood...".
As usual, we start by making the sub-deck by joining the two halves together. For this boat, the sub-deck actually is part of the main deck, and it's a good idea to sand, seal and paint it at this stage, because it will be rather inaccessible later...
The keel can go on next, which includes the bow hook. This shot shows where the sub-deck has been grooved and bent up at the bow to match the keel.
The thin balsa struts that hold the roof will need re-inforcing. I used birch coffee-stirring sticks.They add a lot of strength.
Here is the underneath of the prop-shaft. The lower triangular bulkheads which support the bottom skin can now be added if you wish. They are placed in line with the upper bulkhead slots, but have no key slot of their own.
We have now cut the superstructure sides out, and grooved them at the points that they will be bent...
A shot of the balsa sheets being cut. The CNC cutter was simply assembled from parts bought at Amber Spyglass.
Note the need for a 1m cutting base length to accomodate a complete balsa sheet, the thin router bits and the small 12v motor, which is all you need for cutting a soft material like balsa. I have cut 1/8" aluminium sheet on this, but with a bigger router...
The two front bulkheads are added. You can also make up the battery box now, though I did not glue it in because I was still experimenting...
The motor can be mounted at this point, together with the prop-shaft. It is important to keep the motor low, and some sub-deck may need to be cut away, depending on your mount.
This shot shows a brushless motor - the final example used a smaller brushed can motor, with a much thinner connector, which is strongly recommended! There are a set of notes about motor, prop-shaft and prop in the plans which should be read...
Several years ago I was asked by an American reader if I could draw up a set of plans for a boat he had seen on the Hudson. He sent me a few pictures (here), and I drew up some plans. It was a New England Lobster Boat, converted into a Water Taxi.
A little while later I built a CNC cutting tool, and used the Water Taxi plans to test it. Recently, I thought that others might like the boat as well, so here it is as an EeZeBilt kit.
The original build was purely a testing one, so the photos are not comprehensive, and the finish is very scrappy! But it's an interesting shape, and could look good if made up by a more skilled builder than I...
The two superstructure sides go on, and the small side bulkheads go into their matching slots. These bulkheads also provide the support for the internal seating.
You can see some of the parts for the captain/driver's position at the front already made up for installing. See the plans for an exploded diagram.
A closer shot of the front. I guess that the enclosed compartment is a WC for the benefit of the passengers. Later, I cut into bulkhead 2 to make a door and allow it to be used to hide something - perhaps an R/C receiver or loudspeaker? There is very little room to conceal equipment in this model, and I needed ballast at the bow, which went here.
Here you can see the curved supports for the bow deck...
