Like the colour match you have chosen Peter, as far as power is concerned, I have a Graupner BB700 motor
with a 3 cell lipo battery 5000mah, and she goes very quick!😊

Cheers, Pete

Mine are a tight fit with quite a bit of depth. The only one I am putting a magnet on is the rear deck above the rudder (not part of the original design). The old design recommended hooks and elastic bands

Hi Peter, Mine is OK with the battery where it is. Tried in the pool this weekend (at 2 Deg C) watertight and doesn't dig in.👍👍

Hi Ian. Did you have any issues with the battery weight being forward? That is where mine sits and the boat sails with a nose down attitude. I could put lead weight in the stern to balance it or do what Colin has done and possibly locate it under the open cockpit area. 12v4amp

Just an update on my refurb. job on the Sea Commander. All done bar the forward windscreen so I put it in the water yesterday. It was a good feeling to see her underway even if i left the cabin roof off as it was not secured and quite windy. (I am going to try some magnets for that purpose - do not know what the original method is but good strong magnets should do the trick.)

The only issue is that the battery (12v 4amp) caused the stern to ride too high so i will have to make adjustments with some lead in the stern. Apart from that no issues, though i did take some water over the bow without the lid. A couple of photos attached but hope to get some better images when sorted.

Hi Colin
I managed to get into the workshop today after 2 thrilling weeks of temperatures at Max 8 Deg.
My sea commander which I am busy with you can remove the rear deck to get to the rudder. The servo is accessed through the rear cabin roof and the radio sits under the cockpit floor. The Motor and battery sits under the forward roof. The dumb previous owner used an epoxy to glue the servo in!
Trying to keep the dirty wiring away from the receiver

I re-did the forward roof as original as the supporting structure was still in usable condition, and I used the original roof panels as templates to cut new.
The other 2 roofs I built from scratch using recycled bits from my junk pile but used new 1.5mm ply for the tops.
I made templates from art card to check the fit and curves. Might not be as original but they have come out okay.
The centre deck was original and just needed to be re-varnished along with the rest of the decking.
Cheers Colin.

Hi Colin, back again.

I made one change to the roofline just ahead of the cockpit in that I made a curved roofline and not the hip roof in others. Realized just as I finished cutting the curves. I am still undecided whether to stay true to form and to cut back on the curve to make a hipped roof, though, I may still do it.

I knowwhat you mean when you are doing a new build. At least you would know that the pieces are correct and sized properly. I found with mine the original builder made one obvious error and the port side internal measurement is 3/16" shorter than the other, leaving a gap at the transom. Easily fixed.

Hi Peter, your making better progress than I did.
Mind you I find a new build a lot quicker and easier than the resurrection jobs I have been working on.
I found the forward cabin fixed roof was the easiest roof to get right using 1.5mm ply it followed the shape of the roof bearer and sides very well just leaving minor sanding to be done along the joints.
My battery is a 7ah 12v located under the open deck as there is no room for it anywhere else.
Cheers Colin.

Hi Colin, thought that was the case. I have attached some images of where I am at with the build. Working on the back deck in the morning, followed by the floor in the open area, then the windscreen and fittings and then the part I have been dreading - forming the front cabin top with the curve.

I think I will be laminating two sheets of 1/16 balsa and curving with steam to get that curve. Still waiting on my ESC to arrive.

Motor is size 700 with 320a ESC and the 12v 4.5a battery.
I put the boat into the water on Sunday, no leaks and the battery did not have much effect with how it rode in the water. All good.

The steering servo can be placed wherever you want to, I prefer the rear cabin as there is more space.
Cheers Colin.

Is it normal to have the servo under the back deck? I created a removable false floor in the cabin and was about to make a mount to place it vertically there, using a rod (tig stainless steel welding rod) to connect it to the rudder.

I guess one is as good as the other though.

Hi Ian,
That's exactly what I did for the restoration of my Sea Scout👍
Not enough room for the servo to stand up, so it lay down and took a nap!😉
Cheers, Doug 😎
https://model-boats.com/blogs/28209
Scroll down a bit to 'Aft deck Mk 2'.

Hi Colin
I am fortunate my refurb sea commander project has a removable hatch.
With sea queen, the drawings show the rear deck as fixed I got around this by making up two formers for a removable hatch and will fit model aircraft canopy magnets to hold in place.
Good Luck
Regards Ian

Thanks again, that looks like where i should be at. I am also thinking of putting another shaped section above where the deck rests on the square section, this creating a slot to locate the deck piece.

At the transom a square section however with some velcro to hold it down, although maybe a keyed spring piece (not sure what they are called but often chromed) to hold it in place. Maybe i am overthinking it. Dont know.

Thank you, basically what I was thinking with the addition of velcro.

I agree completely Nerys, that's why I have altered my Sea Commander. I will also be doing the same for the spare boat.
Good to see progress, even if it is slow.
Cheers Colin.

The pictures below show the rear deck of my two Sea Commanders, the paler one is my spare as yet to be tested.
The pictures show the steering servo position, but as mentioned if there is a problem I can't get to the rudder post.
The other pictures show what my refurb Sea Commander is like with the rear deck removed. I carefully managed to remove the rear deck, I then cut a section of timber to the shape of the transom and fitted it to the underside of deck.
As I was having problems with the old ply delaminating I decided to strengthen the rear cabin wall joints with the sides using a piece of 3mm square timber glued in place above the rear deck.
This locates the front corners of the deck and holds it in place.
I will be fitting a couple of magnets at the transom to hold it firmly in place after I've fitted the servo and water pipes.
Further updates as they happen, I will also be doing the same on the other boat.
Cheers Colin.

I think it essential that you can reach the steering servo and rudder head. I have always adapted the design to give a hatch of some sort, generally held down by a screw or something.

Cheers, Nerys

Thanks Colin, appreciated. My Wee Nip has very limited access to the rudder as it is covered and it is a regular pain if I have to fix things.

Good morning Peter,
Both of my commanders had fixed rear decks, but as the REFURB model needed to have new rudder I am going to be making it removable.
I will put pictures on here this evening, with my method.
Cheers Colin.

A quick question on the Sea Commander - is the aft deck removable or fixed? If removable it would give clear access to the rudder arm otherwise it could become a fiddly exercise if needing to remove the rudder or prop. shaft at any stage.

My ESC is due to arrive on Wednesday which is a record from Shanghai - one week standard mail. Will see what happens. In the meantime the local model shop is having an issue with obtaining a universal joint. I am building my own fitting to hold the motor, no drama there. Should be on the water in just over a week.

Thanks.

Hi Bill, unfortunately not. My boat is a rescue job from a council tip shop and is something my daughter thought i could try my hand at. My introduction to rc boating and really enjoy it.

Many years photographing yacht racing series etc as well as racing my own dinghy , now getting as much enjoyment from this side of the fence.

Good luck and hope you find something. They may be an older design but are very interesting.

Ah that's great thanks Peter, this looks like a great project. Would you have the plans and templates that Colin mentioned.

Many thanks

Bill

Thanks Ian, ESC is on order - should have it in 4 to 6 weeks. Looks good and specs sound right.

Hopefully transit times have improved, last ebay item i bought took 3 months due to Corona.......👍

Thanks Ian - I will check it out. The more I look into the ESCs the more confusing it seems to get. I thought I had found the correct unit today but when reading the fine print it was only suitable for the 550 motor, though it did have the over-rider that would also be suitable for twins. By memory it was suitable for voltage 7v to 11.9 or something similar.

Raining here but we are due for an Arctic blast later in the week.

Got a Speed 800 in Tarpon (34" Long) In the water she runs at 12 Amps happily. Locked goes up to about 40 Amps+ So I have a 20 Amp fuse in her

Greetings Peter
Bloody Freezing in SA Cold Front came through Thursday Snow on the mountains!
Using a Hobbywing Quickrun WP-1060
Here's the specs
1.1 Water-proof and dust-proof, suitable for all-weather condition races.
1.2 Small size with built-in capacitor module.
1.3 Three running modes: Fwd/Br, Fwd/Rev/Br and Fwd/Rev, fits for various vehicles (Fwd =Forward, Br=Brake, Rev=Reverse).
1.4 Great current endurance capability.
1.5 Great built-in BEC output capacity.
1.6 Automatic throttle range calibration, easy to use.
1.7 Easy to set the ESC parameters with jumpers.
1.8 Multiple protections: Low voltage cut-off protection for battery / Over-heat protection / Throttle signal loss protection

Specifications:

- 60A continous/ 360A Burst
- 2s or 3s Lipo / 5-9 NiMH
- BEC 2A/5V
Only reason is this one is easily available in SA A lot of the crawler boys use them.
This is the Second One I am installing
Regards
Ian

It worked fine, these are the assembly drawings for the kit.
The plans and templates come on a separate sheet.
Cheers Colin.

I found a set somewhere on the web a few months ago that prints to correct size. It is in PDF format and have tried uploading however it does not show up as having uploaded.
File size is only 497kb. Will post anyhow and see if it works.

The sea commander is a fine looking boat, does anyone know if the plans are available anywhere, I can only find the Aero-kits model online at a pricey 200 pounds or so + p and p.

Bill

Ian, i am putting a brushed 700 speed motor in my Sea Commander matched with the same battery as yours, i.e., 12v 4.5 a/h SLA.

Question - what ESC are you using? I am thinking of either a brushed 120A or a 320A.

Raining today, so good chance to get onto the next stage of the internals.
Cheers

Lovely restoration Colin, excellent choice of colours, really suits it.
JB

Mine is Royal Blue Hull Grey Decks and White Superstructure
Must be a trend

A shame you are on the other side of the planet. Would be great to see and would with the right media bring quite a few crowds.

Doug, I said navy blue not for anyone to think I was being pretentious, but it's as near as........ to the colour of the Royal Barge and other boats on the Royal Yacht Britannia, at least, when I last saw them in Leith. I hope we can make this rally work, it could be a lot of fun, we could have you taking the salute from the VIP podium.

All the best, Nerys

a navy blue hull Captain (and when are you going to be Commodore😉) Nerys
Oh dear oh dear!😮
MINE, of course, is ROYAL blue, as befits the Old Dear😁
My decks, and the cabin roof, are all varnished.Roof and after deck 1mm mahogany, and main deck the original ply sanded back, stained and varnished.
Gonna redo them this summer cos they're starting to craze!
Still don't know what to do with the cockpit though.
Or HOW to do it 🙄
Carry on refurbing👍 Cheers, Doug 😎

That's exactly how mine started back then Colin.
With me dashing round the lake in Radnor Park Folkestone when I was 15.
(GANGWAY - COMING THROUGH ... SPLOSH! Oops, sorry madam😁)
Only with the Taycol Target not a Jap-can!😉
She only got RC when Jessica found it in the cellar around 1990.

I much appreciate your offer of lead member of The Commander Club but I can't possibly accept it! After all my Scout is only a 'baby' Commander/Queen!
Honorary Member could be gratefully accepted.😊
If, after the current dreaded lurgy dies down, you and Nerys can organise a Sea xxx Fleet Review I'd love to hear about it and try to get over for it👍
I assume that the Fleet would be led by the Commanders and Queens, with the little Scouts and Nymphs bringing up the rear😉
MTBs riding Point of course!
Good luck with the Wavemaster, look forward to that👍
Cheers, Doug 😎

Well Nerys, I suppose we will have to support fleet, even if he's only a youngster.
I like the idea of a show that would show people of all ages that we enjoy our hobby and it does not matter if our boats aren't museum quality.
Our boats do what they were intended to do, have fun.
Most of my boats reflect their age complete with the odd ding, chip or scratch.
And that's why I love this hobby, it also gives me chance to preserve models and memories of a time gone.
Cheers Colin.

Curiously enough, my Sea Commander has a navy blue hull and white cabin tops, but my decks are varnished, the difference will be in the finish I'm sure, Colin with 60 years experience, Doug with heaven knows how many and me with a mere two. Still I'm not afraid to join in if we can get this rally running. In years gone by, just post war, there used to be a very prestigious rally for motor yachts and cruisers called the 'Pavillon d'Or', perhaps this could be the model world's version.

Cheers, Nerys

Doug, your the lead member,, your scout is far better than mine, mine is driven by a 380 and belt drive, no rc, just set the rudder and switch on and hope you can get to where it hits the shoreline.
I think it's time for updating to rc as I'm not as fast now as I was at 10 years old.
I should sort my wavemaster out as well.
Cheers Colin.

Evenin' Colin,
Does a refurbed 1966 Sea Scout qualify me as a Junior Member of your club!?😌
BTW: See why I liked the colours of your Commander!😉
😁😎

We all get better with practice, I've been practicing for 60 years and I'm beginning to get the hang of it.
Cheers Colin.

Everyone should have 1 or 2.
Cheers Colin.

Very handsome boat. You should be rightly proud. I'm still envious of the skills of this group.

Sounds like I need to make a Sea Commander so that I can join the club.😄

Thanks for that. I am trying to get it as close as possible but yes, the occasional frustration but in the main happy with the way it is going. At one stage I was thinking of not doing the superstructure and converting it to a Caribbean style open speed boat but am keeping to the style.
I also get a lot of enjoyment out of these posts and hints. Thanks. Sailing hopefully tomorrow with the one meter so a day off.

Hi Peter.
Ref:- "my build and it will not be exactly like the original"

There are no rules saying how you have to make your boat.
The important thing is you have fun making it, and at the end you have the satisfaction of making it your self and to the way you wanted it.

Martin555.

I think it would work quite well over there and the blogs on the Sea Commander have shown a lot of interest in the boat, with a lot of different motor setups etc. I would be interested to see how many there are in Aussie. Having two left thumbs I am winging a lot in my build and it will not be exactly like the original, but it is a great learning curve.

One of these days, when we all secure our demob papers, we might achieve it . There are enough Sea Commanders around and I certainly wouldn't mind travelling to a central lake, like Colin's, to take part. Perhaps it could become a permanent annual fixture, 'The Sea Commander Rally'.

Cheers, Nerys