I have a Robbe "Dusseldorf" Fireboat, for my sins, bougth it a couple of weeks ago, secondhand and am in the process of undergoing a refit/rebuild. its had a fair life, but its been in storage somewhere and a few thing have been misplaced, broken off or generally "tired" so to speak. but its a challenge for my first attempt in radio controlled boats, please see my boat blog, to see how its progressing, but thats enough said about mine.

ive finally managed to get my head round the programming side of my futaba 2.4 system, it was an aero/helI set so had to remove the ratchet on the throttle stick and replace with a spring and lever, to give the centre off position. but easy enough to do and spares readily available to fit and do.

best of luck and hope santa brings you all you want.

Thanks for the tip, I've been dropping hints about 2.4ghz radios but so far they've fallen on deaf ears - my birthday came and went so I'll have to start a campaign for Christmas! (Not too hopeful, a few years ago I asked for a Led Zep at the Beeb CD and got, wait for it, a kettle!)

What size is your boat? I've bought a spare boat for a tenner on ebay to practise on so I might be starting it soon.

To cut down on size and also weight, use a 2.4 ghz radio set, the reciever is very small, almost only large enough to accept the servo plugs!, so a good weight loss and wont take up much room in the hull.
ive just installed 2.4ghz in my boat and I keep loosing the reciever its that small [ha ha].

HI Dave

Thanks for the help. The original battery pack is a 6V 4 cell job clipped to the top of the prop shafts. You must have been pretty tough on yours, mine is my original and has never sunk! I kept it out of sentiment and am now into RC sailing (IOM's) and when I 'rediscovered' it in the loft.........

I do indeed intend keeping the original brass props but the rudders will have to change. I figured the best solution to the access problem is to cut away the stern well deck floor leaving a small lip and making a copy that can seal in it's place. Space really is of the premium as the rudders are up against the transom and close to the side of the hull so the amount of turn is limited.

I will probably have to build a watertight bulkhead to seal the area, just in case. There are small gaps in the roof joins and the roof behind the wheelhouse has warped slightly. The removable decking between the 2 cabins is going to be a sealing issue to deal with too. All problems to solve.

As and when I get on to it I'll post some photos. I'm feeling the temptation of building a lifeboat, but perhaps I should cut my teeth on a larger one of these!

HI Smiggy
Had one of these many years ago. The motor is the mighty midget and ran I believe off a 4.5 volt flat battery. I Imagine that after 50 years the plastic will be rather brittle and not really suited to much modification. However two 380 size motors, one to each prop would possibly work. Size will be a problem so small speed controller, rudder servo and receiver. The battery may be a problem as the suggested motors draw several amps, assuming you use the original nice brass props (if my memory serves me correctly). You could try a 7.2v Nicad/NiMh. I can't remember if you can access the rudder area but the original ones will need to be replaced so that you can attach a lever. if you can't use the originals then stainless steel rod in a brass tube (close fit) should suffice with cranked levers linked together and one to your servo. You will need to add support inside the hull to hold the tubes. Hope this helps but be aware it is a small model and mine used to sink in all but the calmest conditions. Good luck
Dave