GRAUPNER RANZOW, RANZOW 2023 Building Instructions

Graupner

Building instructions for the “RANZOW” model boat, Order No. 2023
The full-size vessel

The “Ranzow” is a multi-purpose ship designed for operations in shallow, confined waters. It can cope with
many tasks including transport of personnel, equipment and materials, the maintenance of navigation
buoys, ice-breaking missions and other tasks.
The vessel is fitted with a remotely controlled hydraulic crane for work on deck.
The mast can be folded down, and the searchlight on the bridge swung forward and down, to enable the
ship to pass under low bridges. Powerful rudders and a bow thruster provide excellent manoeuvring
capability, while extra electronic equipment allows the crew to operate and monitor all systems from two
control towers.

The model

Our model of the RANZOW has been developed from documents supplied by the Fassmer dockyard, and
is drawn up to a scale of 1 : 32. The boat is powered by two SPEED 500 motors, and is steered using two
Becker rudders and one bow thruster - just as on the full-size ve ssel.
The deck-mounted crane is included in the kit, and can be made to work in scale fashion. Additional
working systems can be installed at the builder’s discretion, including the derrick for lowering the ship’s
boat, a radio control system in the ship’s boat itself, and systems for folding the mast and lowering the
searchlight.
Most of the parts which are difficult to make, including the hull, deck, bulwark, superstructure and bridge,
are supplied in pre-fabricated form, while the many injection-moulded parts in the kit shorten the building
time considerably. However, the model is not intended for the beginner, and technical modelling
experience and manual skill are required to assemble it and apply a realistic scale colour finish.

Specification

Model Full-size
Overall length approx. 1000 mm 32 m
Overall beam approx. 270 mm 8.90 m
Draught approx. 55 mm 1.75 m
Dry weight approx. 2.0 kg –
Total displacement max. approx. 7.4 kg 250 t
Scale approx. 1 : 32 –

Important safety notes

You have purchased a kit which can be assembled to produce a fully working RC model when fitted out
with the appropriate accessories. As manufacturers, we at GRAUPNER are not in a position to influence
the way you install, operate and maintain the model, nor the other components used in connection with
the model. For this reason we are obliged to deny all liability for loss, damage or costs which are incurred
due to the incompetent or incorrect use and operation of our products, or which are connected with su ch
operation in any way. Unless otherwise prescribed by binding law, the obligation of the GRAUPNER
company to pay compensation, regardless of the legal argument employed, is excluded. This includes
personal injury, death, damage to buildings, loss of trade or turnover, interruption of business or other
indirect or direct damages which are caused by the operation of the model. Under all circumstances and in
all cases the company’s overall liability is limited to the amount which you actually paid for this model.

The model is operated at the sole risk of the operator. To avoid injury to persons and damage to
property please handle your model boat carefully and operate it conscientiously at all times.

Before you run the boat for the first time it is important to check that your private third party insurance
policy provides cover when you are operating model boats of this kind. If you are not sure, take out a
special insurance policy designed to cover the risks of RC modelling.
These safety notes are important, and must be kept in a safe place. If you ever dispose of the model, be
sure to pass them on to the new owner.

GRAUPNER GmbH & Co. KG D-73230 KIRCHHEIM/TECK GERMANY

No liability for printing errors. We reserve the right to introduce modifications. 04/2006

1

GRAUPNER GmbH & Co. KG D-73230 KIRCHHEIM/TECK GERMANY

No liability for printing errors. We reserve the right to introduce modifications. 04/2006

2

GRAUPNER GmbH & Co. KG D-73230 KIRCHHEIM/TECK GERMANY

No liability for printing errors. Technical modifications reserved. Id. No. 56375 04/2006

Guarantee conditions
The guarantee covers replacement of any parts which can be shown to exhibit manufacturing faults or
material defects within the guarantee period of 24 months from the initial date of purchase. No other
claims will be considered. Cost of transport, packing and freight are payable by the purchaser. We accept
no liability for damage in transit. When you send the product to GRAUPNER, or to the approved Service
Centre for your country, you must include a clear and concise description of the fault together with the
invoice showing the date of purchase. The guarantee is invalid if the component or model fails due to an
accident, incompetent handling or incorrect usage.

The following points are important and must be observed at all times:

• This model is not suitable for young persons under 14 years of age.

• You must NEVER operate this boat when there are persons or animals in the water, otherwise there is

a serious risk of causing injury.

• Check whether there are any persons on the bank. If you make a mistake controlling your model, or if

a fault occurs, the boat could strike the bank, slide up onto the ground and cause injury. Please make
sure any onlookers are aware of the danger, and ask them to leave the hazard zone.

• Never run your boat in a protected site, an animal or plant sanctuary or a site of special scientific

interest (SSSI). Check with your local authority that the stretch of water you wish to use is suitable for
model boats.

• Do not run the vessel in salt water.

• Never run your boat in adverse conditions, e.g. rain, storm, strong wind, choppy water or strong

currents.

• Before you run the model check that the radio control system is working reliably, and that all

connections are secure.

• If you are using dry cells as a power supply, please note that these must never be recharged. Only

batteries marked specifically as “rechargeable” can safely be recharged.

• It is important to charge the batteries before each session, and to check the range of the radio control

system. The transmitter and receiver batteries in particular must be fully charged at the start of each
run.

Ensure that the channel you intend to use is not already in use by other modellers. Never run the boat

if you are not certain that your channel is free.

• Read and observe the recommendations and instructions supplied with your radio control system and

accessories.

• Do not work on the power system unless the motor is disconnected from the drive battery.

• When the drive battery is connected, keep well clear of the area around the propellers, as this

represents the greatest risk of accident and injury. Make sure any spectators do the same.

• Do not exceed the recommended voltage of the drive battery. Increasing the voltage may cause the

motor and / or the speed controller to overheat, and the electrical leads may even melt. In the worst
case this could cause the model to go up in flames and be completely ruined.

• Check that all the drive train components work smoothly and freely. This applies in particul ar when

you are running the model, as leaves and other detritus can get caught up in the power train. If this
happens and you do not remove the obstruction, the motors, speed controller or rudder servo may be
ruined due to overloading.

• Ensure that the servos are not mechanically obstructed at any point in their travel.
Dry cells and rechargeable batteries must never be short-circuited. Do not allow them to come into

direct contact with water.

• Allow the drive motors and speed controller to cool down after each run. Don’t touch the hot surfaces!

• Remove all batteries from the model prior to transporting and storing it.

• The lead-acid battery which is the boat’s main energy source must not be stored in the discharged

state. Always charge it up before storing it, and recharge it at regular intervals if it is not to be used for
a protracted period.

• Do not subject the model to high levels of humidity, heat, cold, vibration or dirt.

• Secure the model, batteries and RC equipment carefully when transporting them. They may be

seriously damaged if they are free to slide about.

If you wish to operate the model on moving water (e.g. a river), remember that it could be washed

away downstream if the battery fails or a malfunction occurs.

GRAUPNER GmbH & Co. KG D-73230 KIRCHHEIM/TECK GERMANY

No liability for printing errors. We reserve the right to introduce modifications. 04/2006

3

•

nt such as acetone. If you neglect this,

•

selves state the letters E, F, G, which indicate the ABS sheets containing particular

laser-cut parts.

• If you have to salvage the model, take care not to risk your own life or that of others.

• Check regularly that the hull is completely watertight, as the model may sink if too much water enters

the hull. Check the boat for damage before every run, and ensure that water cannot penetrate t he hull
through the shaft or rudder openings.

• Take care to seal the model before every run, so that water cannot enter. Before running the boat,

seal the hatch cover completely by applying tape all round.

Care and maintenance

• Clean the model carefully after every run, and remove any water which penetrates the hull. If water

gets into any of the RC components, dry them out and send them to your nearest GRAUPNER
Service Centre for checking.

• Clean the model and RC components using suitable cleaning agents only. Ask your model shop for

information.

• Lubricate the propeller shafts at regular intervals.

• If the model is not to be operated for a considerable time, it is important to dismantle all the moving

parts (propeller shaft etc.), and clean and re-lubricate them.

Notes on building the model

• Before you start building the boat, please take the time to study the plan and read right through the

instructions, referring to the Parts List constantly. In general terms the instructions and parts list
reflect the sequence of assembly.

• Plan the installation of the RC components and the accessories for the auxiliary working systems

before you start building the model, as it will be more difficult or even impossible to install certain
parts when the model is complete.

• Please bear in mind that many tools can be dangerous if misused or handled carelessly.

• The vacuum-moulded parts are best cut out using scissors (our Lexan shears, Order No. 26, are

excellent for this). In many areas a sharp knife (e.g. Order No. 982) also works; simply cut along the
marked lines. It is always best to leave a little excess material, so that you can sand the parts back to
final size. Run a soft pencil along the marked lines to make them easier to see.

• It is important to compare all the wooden parts with the drawings on the plan before gluing them in

place. This is necessary because some parts have to be prepared in some way beforehand, such as
chamfering particular edges.

• The die-cut wooden parts can be separated from their sheets using a sharp balsa knife. If the cutter

has not penetrated right through the wood, use a fretsaw to cut along the stamped line. Sand all cut
edges to remove any rough areas.

• The surfaces shown hatched-in are joint areas, i.e. other parts are glued at this point.

• Before installing any wooden part, sand the surfaces smooth overall and apply several coats of

GLATTFIX sanding sealer (Order No. 207) to prevent the material absorbing water.

• The electric motors must be suppressed by fitting a 470 nF capacitor (Order No. 3588): solder the

capacitor across the motor terminals to form a bridge. Fit two additional 47 nF capacitors (Order No.

3584) between the terminals and the motor case (see the wiring diagram on the plan).

• Deploy all electrical cables neatly, without crossing them over. Take great care to avoid any bare

positive wire touching any negative wire.

• Be sure to use cable which is capable of carrying the high currents which flow when the boat is

operating.

• Deploy the receiver aerial as far away as possible from any high-current cables (at least 3 cm).

• The shaft systems must be lubricated; be sure to use a type of grease or oil which does not soil or

contaminate water (e.g. Order No. 570).
Before gluing parts together, it is important to clean the joint surfaces carefully. This is best done by
sanding lightly, followed by wiping with a non-greasy liquid detergent or methylated spirit (“meths”).
The same applies to all surfaces which are to be painted, as this improves the paint’s adhesion
considerably. Before gluing any part to the hull it is essential to roughen the surface carefully using
fine abrasive paper, and de-grease it thoroughly using a solve
you cannot expect the glued joints to “hold” in the long-term.
The part numbers of the laser-cut components are listed at the end of the building instructions. The
instructions them

GRAUPNER GmbH & Co. KG D-73230 KIRCHHEIM/TECK GERMANY

No liability for printing errors. We reserve the right to introduce modifications. 04/2006

4

Recommended adhesives for joining particular materials:

l

Stabilit express, UHU plast

ress

HU plus

ubber - metal Cyano-acrylate

nt, special safety measures are necessary. Read the instructions

upplied with these materials.

s

.

the stern tube braces (part 25).

2. two

3.

rt (part 12) are

4.

),

gned correctly. Install the reducer sleeves (part 27) between the

5.

he

the

nt can easily be removed from the model when the motors need to be serviced or

6.

pressor capacitor

7. r

rom the hull edge so that the foredeck (part 31)

the bow bulwark (part 37)

8. der

s can be glued in place together with the main deck. Take care to make

all these joints watertight.

•

Material - material Suitable adhesives
Wood - wood UHU hart, white glue
Wood - metal Stabilit express, UHU plus
Metal - meta Cyano-acrylate, UHU plus
ABS - ABS Cyano-acrylate,
ABS - GRP Cyano-acrylate
ABS - metal Cyano-acrylate, Stabilit exp
GRP - wood Cyano-acrylate, UHU plus
GRP - metal Cyano-acryl ate, U
R

Read the instructions supplied with the adhesives. Be sure to observe any special notes in the
instructions regarding particular adhesives. If you are using acetone, methylated spirits or any
other solvent as a cleaning age
s

As embly instructions

1 The hull (part 1) should first be prepared as follows:
a) Drill 6 mm Ø holes in the shaft fairings for the stern shaft tubes (part 24).
b) Drill 8 mm Ø and 3 mm Ø holes at the marked points for the Becker rudders.
c) Cut slots about 14 x 2 mm in size at the marked points for
d) Drill 6 mm Ø holes for the anchor hawse tubes (part 31).

Make the boatstand by connecting the front support (part 2) to the rear support (part 3) using
connecting pieces (part 4); glue the joints soundly. You may wish to paint the finished stand.
The next step is to assemble the transverse bulkheads (parts 5, 6, 7 and 8) and the fore-and-aft
bulkheads (part 9), and glue them together on a flat surface using “cyano” (cyano-acrylate adhesive)
or Ponal express. The bow former (part 10), the stern former (part 11) and the suppo
fitted next, along with the two hull side rails (part 13) and the rudder brace (part 16).
Working from the underside, fit the stern tube braces (part 25), the Becker rudders (part 22), the
tillers (part 23) and the stern tubes and shafts (part 24). Note that these parts should not be glued
to the hull until the assembled framework has been installed, the four-part motor bracket (part 28
the mounting plate (part 29) and the couplings have been temporarily connected to the propeller
shafts and the motor shafts, and you are confident that everything fits accurately, i.e. not before the
motors, couplings and shafts are ali
propeller shafts and the couplings.
The motor bracket (part 28) is attached to the mounting plate (part 29) using two M4 x 15 plastic
screws and two M4 nuts, so that the motors can easily be installed and removed again. Glue t
mounting plate permanently to the hull using Stabilit express, after fitting the screws from the
underside. Open up the holes on the underside to accept the countersunk screws. In this way
motor mou
replaced.
Place the bow thruster unit in the hull, and fit the extension tubes on both sides. Glue the parts
together and to the hull, taking care to make the joints watertight. Allow the glue to set hard, then cut
off the excess tube length and sand the ends back flush with the hull. Solder the sup
to the bow thruster motor, and complete the wiring as shown in the wiring diagram.
Glue the bulkheads, the bow former, the stern former and the hull side rails to the hull using cyano o
Stabilit express, then sand off any excess material f
and the main deck (part 32) can be glued in place.
Please note that you must leave 1 mm clearance at the bow and stern for
and the stern bulwark (part 40), otherwise these parts will not fit properly.
Before the decks are glued in place, install the RC plate (part 14) and console (part 15), the rud
servo and servo mount (part 18), the connecting rod (part 19) and the steering pushrod (part 20).
Glue the ABS sealing frame (part 36), the 1 mm plywood central sealing frame (part 34) and the stern
sealing frame (part 35) to the underside of the deck, as shown on the plan. Trim the companionways
(part 43) to fit and glue them in place. Cut away the two hull side rails (part 13) at the companionway
positions, so that these part

GRAUPNER GmbH & Co. KG D-73230 KIRCHHEIM/TECK GERMANY

No liability for printing errors. We reserve the right to introduce modifications. 04/2006

5

9.

ote that

10. place carefully

rd.

11. rass wire. Solder the joints as

12.

nd join them where necessary. Glue these parts to the model in the positions shown on the

immed individually to fit.

15. handle (part 48) to each of the toolbox lids (part 46). These parts are

.

17.

t

18. oft binding

winch.

20. ether by three

21.

art 59) in place. Thread the top rail (part 60)

22.

n

) and the floor plate (part 66), are and

23.

at

art 79). Glue the cleats (part 80)

24. ip’s boat stand (part 81 “G”) consists of four laser-cut parts; fit them together and glue the

25. d

26. ne house (part 85) by cutting along the marked lines, and trim

27.

d fix them to the funnel as shown on the plan; they are

28.

u

column. Glue the

swivel platform (part 91) to the base plate, with the open side facing the base.

29. base

e

vacuum-moulded outrigger component along the marked lines, as shown in the exploded drawing.

The next stage is to glue the four sealing strips (part 33) to the bulkheads (5) and (6), and to the sides
of the bow former (10), so that the superstructure frame (part 143) can be fitted on top later. N
the front sealing strip should be glued in place at a slight angle - approximately matching the
inclination of the edge of the bow bulwark (part 37) - to allow the superstructure to be lifted off.
Insert the anchor hawse tubes (part 30) as shown in the drawing; glue them in
(watertight joints), and cut off the projecting ends when the glue has set ha

The bow bulwark and the stern bulwark can now also be glued to the hull.

The bow railing (part 38) is assembled from five lengths of 1.5 mm Ø b
shown, and fit the railing in the bow bulwark as shown in the drawing.
The two-part cable hawses (part 39), the buffers (part 42), the toolboxes (part 45) and lids (46) and
the two-part buoys (part 55) are supplied as vacuum-moulded parts; cut them out along the marked
lines a
plan.

13. The bulwark stanchions (part 41 “G”) are laser-cut parts which have to be tr

14. Glue four portholes (part 44) in the machine-cut openings in the hull sides.

Fit two hinges (part 47) and one
made from 1 mm Ø brass wire.

16. The anchor winch (part 49) is assembled from several injection-moulded parts as shown on the plan

The horizontal return drum (part 50 “E”) and the vertical return drum (part 51 “E”) consist of sixteen
laser-cut parts each, which should be assembled as shown on the plan. Attach the chain pulleys (par

51.1) to the return drums using the shafts (part 51.2), which are 5 mm lengths of 2 mm Ø brass rod.
Attach the two Hall anchors (part 52) to the anchor chain (part 53) using short pieces of s
wire, and run the chain through the return drums and into the hull via the anchor

19. Glue the double bollards (part 54) to the boat deck.

The buoy stand (part 57 “G”) consists of two laser-cut parts which are held tog
connecting pieces (part 58). Attach a brass wire hoop (part 56) to each buoy.
Drill 1.5 mm Ø holes in the deck in the positions shown on the plan, keeping the drill as close to
vertical as possible, and glue the railing stanchions (p
and the lower rails (part 61) through the stanchions.
Make up the left and right hawser guides from parts 62 to 67. These are laser-cut parts from ABS
sheet “E”, which are assembled as shown on the plan. The hawser guides are able to swing ou t o
hinges (part 68), which are glued to the base plate (part 65
connected by a hinge shaft (part 69) and a loop (part 70).
The ship’s boat (part 71) and the outboard motor (part 72) each consist of two vacuum-moulded
shells. Cut out the parts along the marked lines and glue them together. Attach the propeller (part 74)
to the outboard motor using a shaft (part 73). The outboard motor itself is attached to the ship’s bo
using a bracket (part 75). Cut out the operator’s stand (part 76), glue it to the boat and install the
steering wheel (part 77), the throttle lever (part 78) and the frame (p
to the deck of the ship’s boat in the position shown in the drawing.
The sh
joints.
The derrick (part 82) is assembled from several injection-m oulded parts which can now be glue
together. Bend the hook (part 84) to the shape shown on the plan from 1.5 mm Ø brass wire.
Cut off the waste material from the cra
it to fit on the sealing frame (part 36).
Glue the funnel (part 86) on the crane house as shown on the plan, and seal the top of the funnel with
a plate (part 87) from laser-cut sheet “G”. Apply filler paste to the area between the crane house and
the funnel, as the transition needs to be rounded off. The two exhaust pipes (part 88) are supplied as
vacuum-moulded parts; glue them together an
supported by two exhaust braces (part 120).
Attach the two-part base plate (part 90) to the crane column (part 89). If you intend to fit a working
crane, it will be necessary to glue two mounting lugs to the base plate, by means of which the crane
column can be attached using two screws; this allows access to the interior when necessary. If yo
are fitting a static crane, the base plate can be glued permanently to the crane

The outrigger (part 92) consists of one vacuum-moulded part and five laser-cut components: the
plate (part 93 “E”), which seals the underside of the outrigger, a top plate (part 94 “F”) and three
sealing plates (part 95 “E”). The exact position of the sealing plates is shown on the plan. Cut out th

GRAUPNER GmbH & Co. KG D-73230 KIRCHHEIM/TECK GERMANY

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6

Glue an ABS pin (part 98) in the pulley holder (part 96), and glue the pin in the front sealing plate

(part 95). Fix the cable pulley (part 97) in the pulley holder using an M2 x 6 cheesehead screw and
M2 nut.

30. Bend the cable guides (part 99) to shape from 1 mm Ø brass wire.

31. Assemble the pulley box (part 100 “E”) from the four laser-cut parts, then glue it to the outrigger. Fix

the cable drum (part 101) in the pulley box using a shaft (part 102).

32. Assemble the two-part actuator arm (part 105) from scrap ABS material, and glue it to the outrigger;

this part is only required if you are installing a working crane.

33. Attach the hinge lugs (parts 107 “G”) to the outrigger hinge lugs using one M2 x 6 cheesehead screw

and M2 nut; glue the hinge lugs to the crane column in the position shown on the plan.

34. Attach the edge guard (part 109 “F”) and the balustrade (part 110) to the operator’s platform (part 108

“E”); glue this assembly to the side of the crane.

35. The hydraulic cylinder (part 115) consists of two brass tubes which slide inside each other. Cut a 5.4

Ø / 4.6 Ø x 10 mm reducer sleeve (part 117) from the 5.4 Ø / 4.6 Ø x 50 mm inner tube (part 116),
and glue it in the 6.4 Ø / 5.6 Ø x 60 outer tube; Now glue the two connectors (part 118) in the reducer
sleeve and the inner tube.

36. The hydraulic cylinder can now be attached to the mounting lugs (part 114 “G”) using one M2 x 8

cheesehead screw and one M2 nut each; the lugs in turn are fixed to the underside of the crane
outrigger and the crane column.

37. Parts 119 to 138 are ready-made parts (laser-cut, tube and wire) which do not require any special

explanation to complete; they are shown clearly on the plan.

38. The superstructure (part 139) is supplied as a machine-trimmed v acuum-moulded component; the

first stage in completing it is to glue the front and rear vacuum-moulded door recesses (part 140, 141)
in place. Glue the square-section ABS reinforcements (part 142) in the corners of the superstructure.

39. The superstructure frame (part 143) can now be trimmed to fit. Position the frame and the

superstructure on the deck, and check that the superstructure rests squarely on the deck all round,
without any gaps, before you glue the frame in place.

40. The next step is to glue the machine-trimmed vacuum-moulded bridge (part 144) on the

superstructure, in the position shown in the drawing.

41. Cut out the door in-fill piece (part 145), trim it to fit against the side of the bridge, and glue it in place.

42. Trim the bridge frame (part 146) to fit in the bridge by sanding the outside edges at an angle,

producing a flat surface.

43. Cut the scrap material away from the vacuum-moulded bridge roof (part 147), and sand the cantilever

edges smooth.

44. The next step is to glue the bridge roof in place, but not until the bridge glazing has been fitted; this

involves cutting strips of the smoked-tint plastic sheet supplied, and gluing them on the inside of the
bridge.

45. The front and rear windscreen wiper holders (parts 149, 150) take the form of square-section ABS

strip parts which are cut to the lengths stated in the Parts List. Attach the two-part screen wipers (part

151) to the wiper holders. The wipers should now be fitted with front and rear covers (parts 152, 153);
these are cut from ABS angle-section strip and are glued to the top edge of the windscreen wiper
holders.

46. Glue two brackets - the ladder holders (part 154) - to the front face of the bridge.

47. Bend the components of the bridge railing (part 155) to shape as shown in the drawing, bend the

ends at right-angles and solder three stanchions to the rails.

48. Fit the superstructure glazing (part 156) as described for the bridge: cut strips of smoked-tint plastic

sheet to suit, and glue them to the inside of the superstructure moulding.

49. The wall extensions (part 157 “E”) are laser-cut parts which have to be fitted with square-section ABS

reinforcements (part 158) on the inside. The extensions can then be glued to the superstructure and
the joints made good with filler paste, but please check their length first: they should reach as far as
the deck railing.

50. Cut two ventilator grilles (part 159) from the fly netting supplied, attach a frame (part 160 “G”) to each,

and glue them to the rear wall of the superstructure as shown in the drawing.

51. Parts 161 to 173 are all laser-cut parts, ready-made components or wire parts which are simply

prepared and fitted to the superstructure in the positions shown on the plan. The only parts which
have to be cut to length are the brass wire hinges and the door handles; the latter also have to be
bent to shape.

52. Prepare the small ventilator (part 174) and its frame (part 175 G), and glue them to the right-hand

(starboard) side of the superstructure.