Following a significant amount of restoration this old and original Aerokits 36" Fireboat was rebuilt from a wreck to a nice, working model. A full (new) white metal fittings kit provided all the deck clutter. Like my Sea Commander, featured elsewhere on this site, I have considerably lightened much of the internal structure. it's powerd by an 800 electric motor and runs on 12v. Performance is OK with 2 channel 27Mhz radio. Perhaps the best bit is a superb triple V12 sound unit (speaker under an additional hatch behind the wheelhouse). it sounds great on the water although someone did wonder why, having gone to all the trouble to remove the old unsilenced I/C engine and go for a quiet electric unit, why then add the noise back??. The pic of the boat underway has the battery externally in the rear compartment whilst doing sonme tests. it runs at Warminster Model Boat Club, Wiltshire.

This Sea Comander was another disaster, rescued from fleabay a couple of years ago as a 50s/60s bare shell. Whilst the hull was basically sound, the model needed considerable surgery. I resisted the temptation to cover it in modern fittings and have kept it original looking. Power is an electric 800 motor on 12 volts with 2 channel 27Mhz R/C. Performance is reasonable, particularly as I have lightened the original internal structure considerably. A big 7AH battery lasts for ages but for speed I use a small 2.5AH one. Owner sails at Warminster Model Boat Club, Wiltshire.

Here is a video of our boat (Vigilant star) sailing at New Brighton boat lake on the wirral every Wednesday.

The boat is a semiscale (Coast Guard Cutter), designed by Hal-Harrison in Marine Modelling. I have doubled its size and put two 540/1 Mfa motors in, driving quanta 45mm props. She is 36" length 8" Bow, runs of one 12 volt 7Ah SLA battery.

It is made from Balsa/Fibreglass resin. Runs well no leaks to date. Gerry.

This is a video of my re-make of the Aerokits Sea Queen. Build commenced in the autumn of 2006 and it was to be a winter build project for when the weather was too bad to fly R/C elec planes. The boat was finished mid 2007 and was launched in May.

My closest water to sail on is Lake St Clair, but one slip up and the boat's next stop would be Canada. its seen here sailing in the confines on an ornamental pond in Wahby Park, St Clair Shores, Mi, USA. The music has been added to cover up the sound of fountain just out of picture to the right.

The supplied motor has been replaced with an MFA Torpedo 850 which has substantially more power and 3x the RPM.

A week before the video was taken I lost the prop and its seen here running on a temporary prop while I awaited a replacement. The performance on the video is a little more sedate than normal.

More info & pics in the photo gallery

Six months on and the boat has been completely refurbished and is seen here operating the fire monitor at Branston Water Park.

The video clip was taken on the Fireboat Funday where many of these models were on display together with other Aerokit models.

This is one of the Aerokits models, however it has recently been stripped down to the wood to apply a fibreglass coating.

These video clips show the boat undergoing trials before being completly re-fitted.

this boat has twin shafts two 777 motors twin mfa
esc twin rudders and two 7.2v buggy packs yet to
be tryed on lake as it is drained for cleaning

These are the two experimental Vosper FF. No.80 was steel and the un-numbered one aluminium.

fire boat found on flea market in very bad condiction re stored by me to what you see in photo .I am a retierd shipwright living in the wirral chesire

this model was made by me from scratch of the london tug Ionia 56 inches long 12inch beam she has a bow thuster fitted to help the steering nav lights and cat diesel sound generator and its very heavy thats why its not in the water very often I getting to old to lift it in at 73 its a young man boat the hull is fibraglass but it looks so well in the water .

Built using the Aerokits plans and information from the original Air Ministry build spec.

Boat is 1/16th scale - twin motors with a mixer.

My Dad built this Fireboat 40 years ago, following the Practical Electronics magazine article. I watched as he built the plywood boat then built the discrete electronics; it was full of batteries but was great fun. I later fitted the 2-channel radio and then dad repainted it blue? its now time to give it some TLC and get it back as it should be.