Hey guys, pulled another old Dumas kit from the pile. This is my first large scale mahogany planked boat build. Hope I can get through it without to much trouble. Going with a 2s battery, 550 brushed motor and speed control from traxxas. Got all the framework and some planking done. I will update this blog as I go. Thanks to all who have helped me...Dave

Finished the bottom sub planking. Have a couple small spots to fill towards the bow. We are going on vacation for a couple weeks 😀 so no work on the boat 😔. I will update asap. Dave

Well I had 1 more full day of working before the vaca... Got the birch plywood planking on the hull done. Got quite a bit of the upper structure and engine bay finished. What is the best sealer to use on the inside hull before I plank the fo'c'sle deck? Epoxy? Resin? Sanding sealer? Thanks, Dave

Well I got the first later of planking finished up. Got the hatch covers started . The build is going good so far. Has anyone seen this Taiwan marking on a Dumas kit...its a first for me. The die cuts are sloppy. I wonder why an American company would do this. Is it a fake?😔

Finished fitting hatches today. I deviated from the kit mounting procedure for the engine hatch. Using 3mm x 6mm neo magnets. I saw this on a friends boat and it works perfect. Drilled the correct size hole and pressed them in with a drop of cya. Ha! Ha! Had one in upside down and it kept pushing 1 corner up. Once my brain registered I fixed it. The cover snaps in hard! I like it. So watch out for that if you try this. More updates coming . Thanks. Dave

Slow but sure... As we are having beautiful weather its hard to stay in the shop. I got the bottom of the hull done. Working on sides later. Fingers are kind of sore from the cya glue. Anybody else have this problem? Dave

Hello All, Still having fantastic weather so haven't had much build time lately. I have the hull planking well on its way. One block sanding session went very well. I have been testing stains on the scraps of mahogany. Still haven't decided on natural or stained. I prefer the red oak over the red mahogany as it isn't quite as red. Test piece came out nice. Any input? Working on the focsle deck and hatches asap. I will update progress. Dave

Hey guys, just a small update. Finished engine and access hatch planking. This is my first chris craft boat build and I now have a new appreciation for you guys that build these boats. Also the first time I have used this much cya glue. I glued myself a few times. Its some nasty stuff and quite expensive. Trying to keep everything tight so little or no wood filler. I have some small imperfections. What is a good filler to use on mahogany? I plan to stain it. Thanks to all that have helped me on this site, you all are Awesome! Dave

Saturdays work came out pretty good cockpit combing done...got the. Bow deck planked. Dashboard fitted. Gave most of the boat another good sanding. Instrument panel drilled for lighted gauges. Floorboards fitted. More updates coming. Thanks Dave

Hey guys, Gave the whole boat another good sanding with 180 grit. Got the stuffing tube hole and rudder hole cut in. Ready for stain. That's where I haven't made my mind up. Strongly leaning towards brown mahogany filler stain. But I also read that the powder stain that comes with the kit is really good stuff. Has anyone used this stain? Appears to be red/ orange color? Will coats of varnish change it? I think the pre war vessels were more brown. This looks red. Thanks for taking time to answer. Dave