16th scale Atlas Van Lines Building Instructions
Preparation
Three sheets of 3/32” X 6” X 36” firm balsa, one sheet of 6” X 12” 1/32” birch plywood,
optionally one sheet 1/64” X 6” X 36” birch ply and a few other odds and ends will build
this hull (see the material list). Cut the parts exactly to the outlines and transfer
centerlines and the other marked features to the parts (3/16” of “safety stock” is shown on
the front of the deck, but should not be needed). Make a 1” X 5” X 24” building board.
This boat is sheeted with balsa, making it light and easy to build. This is good for sport
running. For heat racing, the deck and bottom sheeting could be laminated with 1/64”
birch plywood wing-skin to toughen the hull. Use 3M-77 spray contact cement to
laminate this to the outside of the left and right deck, sponson, non-trip panels and tunnel
sump before assembly. An alternative to this is to glass the outside with 1oz cloth.
Tunnel Assembly
Bevel the 4 inside corners of the tunnel strips as shown. Lay these on the building board
so the outside edges are 5” wide. Glue the two sump standoffs on top of the inside edges
of the tunnel strips where marked. Glue cross grain balsa to the front of the sump strip.
Bevel the corners so they nest with, and fit flush with the tunnel strips. Glue the sump
strip to the standoffs. Glue the nose planks (or 3/8” aircraft leading edge) so the edge
lines up with the front of the tunnel strips. Check that the assembly is flat and the outside
edges are 5” wide, trim if needed.
Turn the tunnel assembly over and place it and the control plate on the building board
(covered with wax paper). Check that this is flat and the outside width is 5”. Glue these
together, being sure not to stick them to the building board. The control plate and rear
portion of the sump should be flat and level with each other.
Frame
With the tunnel on the building board, assemble the main stringers, bulkhead-C and the
transom without glue. Check the alignment then tack glue. Assemble the rest of the
bulkheads and see that the stringers are level with each other and that all bulkhead and
transom top edges match with the top of the stringers. When this looks good, start adding
CA while the assembly is in this position. Don’t glue the base of the sump to bulkheads B
& C (the centers of these will be removed later). Glue bulkheads A where shown.
Bevel the base of the rear non-trip panels to match the stringers and glue these between
the transom and bulkhead-C. Add the deck strips to the cutouts in the tops of the
bulkheads from front to back. Be careful to keep this curve smooth, it will determine the
top profile of the deck. Carefully slip the framework off the building board. This will be
easy if you covered it with wax paper.
Bevel the outside edges of the sponson bottoms and sides to fit in assembly without a
gap. Dampen, heat and curve the sponson bottoms to match the curve of the bulkheads
then glue in place. Add the sponson sides using the same process. Work slowly with these
parts. The closer they are to the profile of the support structure, the better. This helps to
keep the hull straight and the nose profile smooth.
Decking
Sand the top edges of the framework to a smooth profile. Trim the top of the side panels
to a smooth curve when viewed from both the top and the sides. The correct position of
the deck is with the inside edges 2.5” apart. Test fit the deck to rear non-trip fin area.
Bevel and/or notch the transition from outside edge to inside edge on the deck so it will
be smooth. Make sure that all the edges of the deck will meet with support structure
before starting to glue.
The hull may have warped while gluing the bottom sheets. Before the deck is installed,
lay the hull on a level surface. If the transom is not flat with the sponson bottoms, block it
up level, then glue the deck sides while the hull is tack glued to the building board.
Put wing skin contact cement on the tops of the bulkheads, stringers and side panels. Add
contact cement to the inside of the deck (one right, one left). Let this set up per
manufactures instructions.
This is the hard part. When using contact cement, once the parts touch together, they are
STUCK. Be sure it is right before putting them together. With the boat on the building
board, line up the deck to the center of the deck strip (at 2.5”) and carefully touch the
deck down at bulkhead C. Lay the deck down evenly along bulkhead C to the outside of
the hull. Then pull it down to meet the rest of the open structure. Add CA to all the
outside seams of the deck.
Trim the deck outside edges flush with the non-trip and side panels. Cut the centers out of
bulkheads B and C. Fill any gaps inside the hull in the seams of the deck, bulkheads,
bottom, and main stringers with thick CA so water won’t find it’s way past the exposed
areas into the sealed off sections.
If there is a warp in the hull, again, block the transom level and secure the hull to the
board while gluing the center deck sections in place. After these are on, the hull cannot be
twisted to correct for warps.
Add front deck center piece. The rear center section will go on after the antenna and
rudder push rod installation. Note, these templates are not shown on the plans. They will
be cut to fit in assembly. Test fit the transom doubler and glue in place.
Test fit the 1/32” birch plywood doubler to the rear face of the right sponson, and glue in
place. Add 1/64” birch ply over the ride pads with the front beveled to blend into the
sponsons without leaving an edge.
Sand with 180, then 320 grit. Add thin CA to the outside corners of the hull to harden the
edges then touch up with sandpaper. Brush a coat of thinned epoxy under the deck,
working it into all the hard to get spots. This will water proof the wood where the paint
won’t reach. The hull is done, if you didn’t use too much glue it should weigh 4 or 5 oz.
Cowling, Cockpit & Deck Cover
Make a removable hatch cover by either soaking 3/32” balsa in water then heat and bend
so it fits, or section, plane and sand 1/8” balsa sheets to the deck profile. Trim the edges
to fit into this area without gaps or binding. Sand the top so the curve matches the deck.
Mark the side and top profiles of the cockpit cowling on a block of foam. Use a band saw,
large scroll saw, or very sharp knife to rough cut to shape. Get the final shape by sanding
until it is smooth. Start with 180 then 240 and finally 400 grit paper. Foam will gouge
easily, be careful towards the end. Spackling paste, thinned with water makes a good
filler for this. You can toughen the foam with glass cloth and epoxy (test on a scrap of
foam before trying resin). This will be painted like the rest of the hull, but test a piece of
scrap before endangering good parts. The tail fins and a wing can be made from 3/32”
balsa covered with iron on mylar or painted.
Hardware:
Bend 1/8” OD brass drive tube to the curve on the plans. Cut and solder 5/32” OD tube
for the stuffing box and lube fitting. Cut 1/16” X ¾” brass sheet for the strut blade. Solder
this to 3/16” and 7/32” OD tubes for the strut assembly. Slip a 2” piece of 5/32” OD tube
inside this for a propeller bushing. Line this up as shown in the side view and glue the
stuffing tube in the hull at bulkhead-D. Line up the strut to position the propeller training
edge 1½” behind the transom and 5/8” below the bottom. The strut and rudder brackets
can be cut from .06” aluminum angle. Positioned the motor so the coupler lines up with
the wire drive shaft. Mount the rudder and turn fin as shown.
Finish:
Sand, fill with spackling past and sand again. Spray sanding sealer, sand and repeat until
the finish is smooth. Spray one or two coats of color, add the trim and logo, then spray a
coat of clear over everything. Add details like windscreen, driver, steering wheel and
gages as desired.
Running
This boat handles like most pickle-fork hydros. Punch the throttle hard from a standstill,
so it won’t dig the nose under (a right turn helps). Once on top of the water you can back
off and keep it on a very stable plane at quarter throttle. Full power will give you good
straight-line acceleration. Top speed, is smooth with very little spray. The boat will stay
flat and maintain good speed through a turn. Reduce power then add rudder, get back on
the throttle and play with the balance. The boat will turn very quickly if you use a light
touch. After you get use to the performance, you may find that you can hold the hammer
down for the whole heat if the water is smooth.
Specifications:
Type: Electric 1/16th scale 1977 Atlas Van Lines unlimited hydroplane
Dimensions: Length: 21.75”, Width: 10.62”, Weight: 2¼ LB., RTR
Material: Hull: balsa & birch ply
Hardware: custom aluminum & brass
Motor: 10 – 12 turn brushed or 4200 – 5500 KV brushless
Battery: 6 cell pack
Propeller: X430, to X435
Run time: 2 – 4 min. (depending on battery and state of tune)
Top speed: 30 + mph. (depending on battery and state of tune)
EST cost: $300 - $500
Materials used:
3) 3/32” X 6” X 36” firm balsa
1) 1/32” X 6” X 12” birch plywood
1) 1/64” X 6” X 36” (or 12” X 24”) birch plywood
1) 1/8, 5/32, 3/16, 7/32, & 1/4” O.D. X 12” K&S brass tube
1) 1/16” X 1” X 1” K&S brass sheet
1) 2” X 4” X 24” Dow blue insulation foam
1) Octura OC4WRM small wedge rudder
1) Octura 1/8” thrust washer set
1) Octura 1/8” prop drive dog
1) Octura X430 – X432 – X435 propeller
1) Hayes whip antenna
1) Small turn fin
Download plans here plan1, plan2
Preparation
Three sheets of 3/32” X 6” X 36” firm balsa, one sheet of 6” X 12” 1/32” birch plywood,
optionally one sheet 1/64” X 6” X 36” birch ply and a few other odds and ends will build
this hull (see the material list). Cut the parts exactly to the outlines and transfer
centerlines and the other marked features to the parts (3/16” of “safety stock” is shown on
the front of the deck, but should not be needed). Make a 1” X 5” X 24” building board.
This boat is sheeted with balsa, making it light and easy to build. This is good for sport
running. For heat racing, the deck and bottom sheeting could be laminated with 1/64”
birch plywood wing-skin to toughen the hull. Use 3M-77 spray contact cement to
laminate this to the outside of the left and right deck, sponson, non-trip panels and tunnel
sump before assembly. An alternative to this is to glass the outside with 1oz cloth.
Tunnel Assembly
Bevel the 4 inside corners of the tunnel strips as shown. Lay these on the building board
so the outside edges are 5” wide. Glue the two sump standoffs on top of the inside edges
of the tunnel strips where marked. Glue cross grain balsa to the front of the sump strip.
Bevel the corners so they nest with, and fit flush with the tunnel strips. Glue the sump
strip to the standoffs. Glue the nose planks (or 3/8” aircraft leading edge) so the edge
lines up with the front of the tunnel strips. Check that the assembly is flat and the outside
edges are 5” wide, trim if needed.
Turn the tunnel assembly over and place it and the control plate on the building board
(covered with wax paper). Check that this is flat and the outside width is 5”. Glue these
together, being sure not to stick them to the building board. The control plate and rear
portion of the sump should be flat and level with each other.
Frame
With the tunnel on the building board, assemble the main stringers, bulkhead-C and the
transom without glue. Check the alignment then tack glue. Assemble the rest of the
bulkheads and see that the stringers are level with each other and that all bulkhead and
transom top edges match with the top of the stringers. When this looks good, start adding
CA while the assembly is in this position. Don’t glue the base of the sump to bulkheads B
& C (the centers of these will be removed later). Glue bulkheads A where shown.
Bevel the base of the rear non-trip panels to match the stringers and glue these between
the transom and bulkhead-C. Add the deck strips to the cutouts in the tops of the
bulkheads from front to back. Be careful to keep this curve smooth, it will determine the
top profile of the deck. Carefully slip the framework off the building board. This will be
easy if you covered it with wax paper.
Bevel the outside edges of the sponson bottoms and sides to fit in assembly without a
gap. Dampen, heat and curve the sponson bottoms to match the curve of the bulkheads
then glue in place. Add the sponson sides using the same process. Work slowly with these
parts. The closer they are to the profile of the support structure, the better. This helps to
keep the hull straight and the nose profile smooth.
Decking
Sand the top edges of the framework to a smooth profile. Trim the top of the side panels
to a smooth curve when viewed from both the top and the sides. The correct position of
the deck is with the inside edges 2.5” apart. Test fit the deck to rear non-trip fin area.
Bevel and/or notch the transition from outside edge to inside edge on the deck so it will
be smooth. Make sure that all the edges of the deck will meet with support structure
before starting to glue.
The hull may have warped while gluing the bottom sheets. Before the deck is installed,
lay the hull on a level surface. If the transom is not flat with the sponson bottoms, block it
up level, then glue the deck sides while the hull is tack glued to the building board.
Put wing skin contact cement on the tops of the bulkheads, stringers and side panels. Add
contact cement to the inside of the deck (one right, one left). Let this set up per
manufactures instructions.
This is the hard part. When using contact cement, once the parts touch together, they are
STUCK. Be sure it is right before putting them together. With the boat on the building
board, line up the deck to the center of the deck strip (at 2.5”) and carefully touch the
deck down at bulkhead C. Lay the deck down evenly along bulkhead C to the outside of
the hull. Then pull it down to meet the rest of the open structure. Add CA to all the
outside seams of the deck.
Trim the deck outside edges flush with the non-trip and side panels. Cut the centers out of
bulkheads B and C. Fill any gaps inside the hull in the seams of the deck, bulkheads,
bottom, and main stringers with thick CA so water won’t find it’s way past the exposed
areas into the sealed off sections.
If there is a warp in the hull, again, block the transom level and secure the hull to the
board while gluing the center deck sections in place. After these are on, the hull cannot be
twisted to correct for warps.
Add front deck center piece. The rear center section will go on after the antenna and
rudder push rod installation. Note, these templates are not shown on the plans. They will
be cut to fit in assembly. Test fit the transom doubler and glue in place.
Test fit the 1/32” birch plywood doubler to the rear face of the right sponson, and glue in
place. Add 1/64” birch ply over the ride pads with the front beveled to blend into the
sponsons without leaving an edge.
Sand with 180, then 320 grit. Add thin CA to the outside corners of the hull to harden the
edges then touch up with sandpaper. Brush a coat of thinned epoxy under the deck,
working it into all the hard to get spots. This will water proof the wood where the paint
won’t reach. The hull is done, if you didn’t use too much glue it should weigh 4 or 5 oz.
Cowling, Cockpit & Deck Cover
Make a removable hatch cover by either soaking 3/32” balsa in water then heat and bend
so it fits, or section, plane and sand 1/8” balsa sheets to the deck profile. Trim the edges
to fit into this area without gaps or binding. Sand the top so the curve matches the deck.
Mark the side and top profiles of the cockpit cowling on a block of foam. Use a band saw,
large scroll saw, or very sharp knife to rough cut to shape. Get the final shape by sanding
until it is smooth. Start with 180 then 240 and finally 400 grit paper. Foam will gouge
easily, be careful towards the end. Spackling paste, thinned with water makes a good
filler for this. You can toughen the foam with glass cloth and epoxy (test on a scrap of
foam before trying resin). This will be painted like the rest of the hull, but test a piece of
scrap before endangering good parts. The tail fins and a wing can be made from 3/32”
balsa covered with iron on mylar or painted.
Hardware:
Bend 1/8” OD brass drive tube to the curve on the plans. Cut and solder 5/32” OD tube
for the stuffing box and lube fitting. Cut 1/16” X ¾” brass sheet for the strut blade. Solder
this to 3/16” and 7/32” OD tubes for the strut assembly. Slip a 2” piece of 5/32” OD tube
inside this for a propeller bushing. Line this up as shown in the side view and glue the
stuffing tube in the hull at bulkhead-D. Line up the strut to position the propeller training
edge 1½” behind the transom and 5/8” below the bottom. The strut and rudder brackets
can be cut from .06” aluminum angle. Positioned the motor so the coupler lines up with
the wire drive shaft. Mount the rudder and turn fin as shown.
Finish:
Sand, fill with spackling past and sand again. Spray sanding sealer, sand and repeat until
the finish is smooth. Spray one or two coats of color, add the trim and logo, then spray a
coat of clear over everything. Add details like windscreen, driver, steering wheel and
gages as desired.
Running
This boat handles like most pickle-fork hydros. Punch the throttle hard from a standstill,
so it won’t dig the nose under (a right turn helps). Once on top of the water you can back
off and keep it on a very stable plane at quarter throttle. Full power will give you good
straight-line acceleration. Top speed, is smooth with very little spray. The boat will stay
flat and maintain good speed through a turn. Reduce power then add rudder, get back on
the throttle and play with the balance. The boat will turn very quickly if you use a light
touch. After you get use to the performance, you may find that you can hold the hammer
down for the whole heat if the water is smooth.
Specifications:
Type: Electric 1/16th scale 1977 Atlas Van Lines unlimited hydroplane
Dimensions: Length: 21.75”, Width: 10.62”, Weight: 2¼ LB., RTR
Material: Hull: balsa & birch ply
Hardware: custom aluminum & brass
Motor: 10 – 12 turn brushed or 4200 – 5500 KV brushless
Battery: 6 cell pack
Propeller: X430, to X435
Run time: 2 – 4 min. (depending on battery and state of tune)
Top speed: 30 + mph. (depending on battery and state of tune)
EST cost: $300 - $500
Materials used:
3) 3/32” X 6” X 36” firm balsa
1) 1/32” X 6” X 12” birch plywood
1) 1/64” X 6” X 36” (or 12” X 24”) birch plywood
1) 1/8, 5/32, 3/16, 7/32, & 1/4” O.D. X 12” K&S brass tube
1) 1/16” X 1” X 1” K&S brass sheet
1) 2” X 4” X 24” Dow blue insulation foam
1) Octura OC4WRM small wedge rudder
1) Octura 1/8” thrust washer set
1) Octura 1/8” prop drive dog
1) Octura X430 – X432 – X435 propeller
1) Hayes whip antenna
1) Small turn fin
Download plans here plan1, plan2
