Customizing Playmo SHIPS to be more SEAWORTHY

[Jimbo]

O.K. sailors of the Playmo sea...here are some work in progress pics.....the pics show cutting
the Playmobil hull flat, removing about 1/4 inch.  Then cutting the lower, (wooden) hull from
clear poplar.  Then fitting the lower hull and cutting the bottom hull piece from 1/2 inch birch
plywood and providing a keel or ballast slot.

[Jimbo]

More.....securing the wooden hull to the Playmobil hull using four attach points through the deck
and lower aft portion of the Playmo hull....

[Jimbo]

O.K... Next the lower hull plate and keel (ballast) is glued to the lower hull, and sanded and shaped to conform to the Playmobil hull. Then comes the float test!....

To be continued.....

[BlackPearl2006]

Beautiful work Jimbo!  (that's a 4444 ghostship? I thought you were doing it on the ghost galleon ooops)

What do you use to sculpt the hull curves?  Router?

And what do you use for sealant between the wood and the plastic hull?

So the additional hull, is solid wood?  not hollowed out?

And what metal is the ballast/keel made from?  (for that matter, what are playmobil ballasts made from?)

I would like try something like this with my 3286 if your 4444 mod works!

Thanks for pics!  more more!

[WarriorOfToys]

Epic!
Cant wait to see more.

[Andy R]

Thanks for the update.

[Jimbo]

Ahoy y'all.

BlackPearl2006, the hull was shaped for the most part with a belt/disc sander after the basic shape was cut
with a band saw.

I will use a good 2 part epoxy for the final assembly.

I hollowed out the hold portion of the 4444/5901, but more weight will be removed to lighten things up a bit.
The water line now is at the top of the wood with a small crew aboard.....(way too much ballast, me thinks.)

The keel/ballast is a piece of 1 inch cold rolled steel, 1/8 inch thick.  I want to lighten it up a little so tomorrow
I will make a keel from 3/4 inch by 1/8 inch steel strap and see if that helps.  The boat is fairley stable without
a keel...but it must have one.   I also removed the fixed rudder and incorporated a rudder shaft that works off
of the Playmo tiller.  Not sure what kind of metal Playmobil uses for ballast, but it probably isn't lead.

I am sure that this concept will work much better on a larger ship because of the larger water displacement.

Thanks for the kind remarks and encouragement everyone!

Jimbo

[playmofire]

That is odd that the most stable ship 3750 doesn't take the motor.  I was looking at the "keel" of the ship, however, and it wouldn't be hard to cut some notches in there to get it to accept the motor.  I just haven't gotten around to it yet.

When you built yours to take on 4 cannons on deck, what did you do to it exactly?   I added 6 cannons on deck on my 3940 by cutting gun port notches and adding pegs for them to snap on to.  I added 4 cannons on my 3750, but I haven't cut any notches or added any pegs on them;  they're just hot-glued in place for now. 

I'll post some pics this week.

[Jimbo]

Hi all..

These are the latest pictures of the 4444/5901 hull modification.  The new rudder and the bowsprit
addition.  The bowsprit is about 5 1/2 inches long and pins to the bow with a brass rod.

She is very steady and with 5 or 6 klickys, the water line is kept at the upper end of the black painted
portion of the hull.

It is now  ready for the rig of my choice.

Best regards,
Jimbo

[BlackPearl2006]

Freakin awesome Jimbo!  I love it! 
I wonder if you'd mod my hull on commission?  I wish I had a shoppe/shoppe tools to do such major mods.

I too have modded my 5901.  Got rid of the stock mast alltogether, replacing it with a taller mast with crowes nest and added a bowsprit and rigging.

Have yet to cut out the sails, so for now here it is with paper template sails I use for measurement.  Seems so simple, bunch of sticks and string, but it is quite a bit of detail work as you well know:

The most tedious part were the ratlines/shrouds.  I thought about rigging it with real deadeyes, but I got lazy and left the deadeyes out.  I may add them back in later, but just as facade deadeyes, versus true-rigged ones.  I like your bowsprit mounting.  Better than mine.  I actually drilled into the hull so the bowsprit pegs in.  All the rigging is fully functional, including the standing rigging for support on both masts, and adjustable rigging for the jibbs, square sail, and the spanker (which pivots left and right).