THE KIT
This kit comes with die-cut plywood framework, mahogany exterior planking, plastic seats, metal deck fittings, a windshield, flags, a prop, driveline components and decals. All that's needed for RC operation is a motor, a speed control, a radio and a battery. The parts are all of good quality except for the mahogany: it's excellent. The included printed material consists of dozens of photos, three sheets of plans and a book of step-by-step instructions. A list of construction tools and materials is provided and includes such details as drill bit sizes, types of paint and glue. Everything needed to build a masterpiece is there. This is a kit for average to advanced builders or beginners who have a good work ethic.

CONSTRUCTION
The keel and frames are anchored to a building board and are assembled upside-down as a unit that doubles as an assembly fixture. This keeps everything straight and correctly positioned throughout the initial construction phase. I popped this off the building board ahead of time to get better access for gluing the inside joints, then I tack-glued it back to keep the hull straight when I added the plywood sub-planking.

The birch-ply sub-planks are laid at a 45-degree angle to the centerline. This takes a little time, but it's good practice for the method used later to lay down the mahogany. I was careful to then fill and sand the sub-planking and to compare them with the supplied templates to be sure the basic shape was right.

I then covered the sub-planking with 3/8- and 1/4-inch-wide strips of 1/16-inch mahogany. I sorted the mahogany to find strips whose grain and color matched so there wouldn't be any difference in the seams from one plank to the next. Some strips have a little curve in them, and these were used in the bow, where they fit better. A little extra time and effort during this step goes a long way.

The mahogany should be applied one plank at a time using slow, thick CA, working in 6- to 10-inch increments. I started on the bottom because it's easier and because mistakes here are covered later with a solid color. It was a challenge at first, but in no time, I was having fun admiring the look of that rich, colorful wood as it went on. This was the most rewarding part of the project (aside from that first run at the pond!).

Since a cradle isn't supplied, my father (a collector of exotic woods) built one out of 3/8-inch gnarly walnut. He cut two uprights to the profiles of frames 2 and 7 and joined them to a 6x16-inch base. I added aircraft-wing-seating tape to the uprights where they meet the boat. If you prefer an acrylic display, Dumas offers a nice-looking one separately.

I removed the hull from the building board to install the interior structure and the sub-deck. At this point, I had a feel for the mahogany-planking process, and that's good, because it's most visible at the top. I test-fit several pieces of mahogany and used the styrene inlay to simulate the caulking between planks.