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- Page 1 Z I P P M A N U F A C T U R I N G Tugster Tug Boat Competition or Sport Tug Kit A Zippkits R/C Boat Building Instructions 2014 JMP Hobby Group – St. Paul, Indiana 47272 www.zippkits.com Toll Free (866) 922-ZIPP...
- Page 2 The Zippkits Tugster was developed from the very popular Springer class models. One of the best things to do with your Tugster is to play water polo. Use a mini soccer ball and our optional Push Knee kit. Set up simple goals and try to capture the ball and get it through the opponents goal.
- Page 3 Tools and supplies needed to build Sanding blocks with 80 and 150 grit paper Drill with 1/16, 3/32, 1/8 and 5/32 bits Flat file Round (1/8) file FLAT Workbench Flat work surface Medium CA glue and accelerator ...
- Page 4 Standard size servo (Zipp 5003 ) Ballast (BB’s or lead) Battery- 2S LiPo The following parts required are included in the optional Tugster Hardware Set 1/8 inch drive shaft 5/32 Brass shaft tube 1/8 to 1/8 coupler ...
- Page 5 Let’s identify the parts so that we can easily find them when needed. Mark the parts with light pencil.
- Page 6 Do an inventory of all the parts, to be sure that everything is there. If anything is missing or damaged, contact us as soon as possible, so that we can get replacements to you quickly. You can use any type of water proof glue you want. This includes Titebond, Gorilla glue, CA, epoxy, etc. We used medium CA for the entire build.
- Page 7 Hull The hull sides are laminated from 2 pieces of ply. The inner piece has the slots for the bulkheads. The inner piece is also shorter than the outer. This allows you to glue the end pieces (marked “outer”) into a strong joint. We used medium CA glue for all assembly.
- Page 8 Glue the rest of the bulkheads in place using the square provided. Be sure that all bulkheads are fully seated and again check that all are square to the hull side. Turn your square 90 degrees and check that all bulkheads are square to the bench.
- Page 9 Bottom The hull bottom is 2 sheets of 1/16 plywood, installed cross grain. The aft bottom is longer and they both meet at BH3. You can wet the aft bottom if you want (outside only) but you don’t have to. Sand the hull bottom so that no bulkheads are sticking up and the ply has a smooth surface to attach to.
- Page 10 When cured, sand the bottom all around. You may round the corners slightly, but not much. This is really starting to look like something now! Take this time to seal the inside of the hull with 2 coats of sealer. This can be epoxy, lacquer, polyurethane, shellac or just about any oil based paint or sealer.
- Page 11 Glue the other keel side over the inner keels, again matching the outline. Allow to cure. Drill out the slot with a 5/32 drill bit. Run the drill in and out of the keel a few times to make a nice round slot. Deck The deck has 5 parts.
- Page 12 The hatch is assembled from 5 pieces. 4 of them form the lip that goes over the deck that you made earlier. Glue the 2 long strips on top of the hatch. Note that all strips are glued to the top of the hatch, not the side.
- Page 13 Add the other side. What are you going to use? Your square! When cured, glue the top front in place. Glue this so that it is all the way down to the “corner” formed by the upper and lower front. The lower front (without windows) must be sanded to a bevel to match the upper front.
- Page 14 If you have not done so, apply a second coat of sealer to all parts and allow to cure. Shaft Tube We need to drill a 5/32 hole through the bottom for the shaft tube. To do this, use a drill bit by hand and drill from inside the hull.
- Page 15 easily. You may find that as you push the keel against the hull, the shaft will start to bind. To fix this, use a small round file to open up the hole in the bottom until it doesn’t bind. If all is okay, remove the keel and tube. Rough up the outside of the shaft tube with 80 grit paper and glue it into the keel so that about 1/16 inch is protruding from the rear.
- Page 16 Allow to cure. Remove the steel shaft and drill a 3/32 inch hole into the shaft tube from the oiler block for oil. Run the steel shaft in and out a few times to break the little burr from drilling. Glue a 1-5/8 long 5/32 brass tube into the top of the oiler block.
- Page 17 If you do not, the rudder will not line up with its lower support. Glue the 2 small squares together. Glue these just at their edges as shown. This leaves a little “notch” that we can use as a drill guide. Sand the tops of the bulkheads and glue the radio tray in place.
- Page 18 The keel shoe needs some work before we can install it. The first thing we need to do is install the bushing for the rudder. This is simply a piece of plastic tube that gets glued in place. Grab the small piece of white plastic tubing and check the fit in the shoe.
- Page 19 Once you have the shoe fitted, its time to screw it down. Before we mount the shoe, we need to countersink the 3 holes for our flat head screws. You can use a countersink if you have one, or you can use a ¼ inch drill bit to carefully countersink all 3 holes.
- Page 20 Prop Shaft The prop shaft is 1/8 stainless steel, and the plastic prop simply pushes on the end. Don’t worry about the prop slipping. There is not enough torque to make it slip. Clean the prop shaft with any solvent as it is manufactured with a protective coating.
- Page 21 Install the EZ connector onto your servo arm. Put the .050 music wire “Z” bend into the rudder steering arm and slip the other end into the EZ connector. Don’t tighten anything yet. Use two sided tape to attach the ESC (Electronic Speed Control) to the radio tray on the starboard side.
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Page 22: Exhaust Stack
We used a 5000 mah hard case RC car pack. Use 2 rubber bands on each holder to retain the battery. Exhaust Stack The supplied stack is pre-beveled dowel. Glue together as shown. If you are painting your Tugster, don’t glue the stack or wheelhouse yet. - Page 23 Ballast Put your tug in the bathtub. Add weight (a lot) until the hull sits at the designed water line as shown on last page. Note that the transom is in the water, but the nose is out. This gives a slightly nose up ride, and helps keep the bow wave from coming over the deck.
- Page 24 Apply paint and allow to dry Determine where you want to position the wheelhouse and glue it in place. We like to use an automotive clear coat for maximum protection from our buddies… Good luck and happy boating!
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