HI fellow model leers.this is my latest model.Built in 1926' for the Ffyfe(bananas) family. Originally it was run on steam,but in 1939 converted to diesel,this was kept until 1957 when all the staterooms were replaced by cargo holds . She was then made into a feeder bringing eleven thousand boxes from Rotterdam to Southampton. She was scrapped in the seventies.my model of her was from 1926 the scale is approx 1/30th her length is 48 inches including bowsprit, and has a beam of 10 inch amidships. She is totally scratch built, plank on frame, all the decks are individually planked with black card in between , wheel house and all other parts are mahogany. She runs on a decaperm geared motor @ 6 volts, and the lighting system consists of 10 accommodation lights, port and starboard , wheelhouse, and both mast headlights,the large saloon skylight is also lit up with a set of disco lights on a separate circuit. The funnel houses a heavy duty smoke unit switched on by switching unit.

First stage of building the Cossack. I plan to build the hull out of fibreglass, the mould has been carved out of extruded foam. Then the foam will be covered in packing tape, then covered in fibreglass. Once the fibreglass has set the foam will then be removed from the fibreglass hull.

7 September, hull has been completed, started to build the superstructure

Built out of house guttering to a scale equivalent to model railways HO the layout is approx. 4 x 3 ft. Mounted in a wooden frame and provided with a protective see through cover it fits into the car and can go anywhere. it has been an on-going project to build RC boats to suit. Those used at present are commercial products (loa 5" (125mm)) with simple two channel two prop drives - not proportional but with forward and reverse and by operating one or both props plus reverse steering is OK. Battery life limited to 6-8 minutes with similar recharge time. Built largely from scrap and odds and ends the project cost well under £80. The idea is/was to have several units and link them together to make a large layout!

Standard wood drills (as in this photograph) work well for cutting neat, point centralised plastic-card port holes, as good as they do for wood or MFD etc. (instead of high-speed steel drills, which can end up a mess).

For clear plastic glazing to match these ports. I use circular punch's which cut neat clear round plastic glazing to fit, also for cutting round plastic-card for circular objects etc. I have found that it works better if punched with a hard hammer tap onto a flat hard-wood backing.

Photo examples and tools. These tools are both available on-line in sets between 3mm and 8mm.

This boat is currently being cleaned and minor repairs to be carried out. Twin electric motors are going into hull and will be a r/c conversion. Super detailed interior.

Although not strictly speaking a boat it is a yacht and fun when you can't get to the pond but fancy a sail!

Built from magazine free plans mainly of balsa, carbon mast and drafting film it is just as challenging as normal RC sailing.

Operated on a 2CH Rc is has front wheel steering. The wheels are model aircraft wheels. The rear outrigger wheels and mast can easily be dsmantled for transportation. The outrigger is also ballasted to Improve handling.

This model was built from a model slipway Tamar kit. it was modified substantially.all rails are soldered brass. info was from the website of Peterhead R.N.L.I. Station were there are excellent photos. The models engines are thumper motors 4240' at 900kv and run on three cell lipos @ 5000ma. Which give me at least an hour. With a speed of at least 10 mph, which lifts her bow out of the water,way passed the bow thruster , which is a graupner 400. Radar works through an old servo . Flashing blue light on mast. Running and accommodation lights. These boats are normally red below waterline however Scarborough life boats have always been white below the waterline. The crew are star war figures modified with plastic putty and a sharp knife. Not an easy build but very enjoyable. Eric Plaxton was the chairman of plaxtons coaches, and platoons building services. He left 9 million pounds to the boro of Scarborough, and 3 million to scarborough R.N.L.I., for a new boat .

Scratch built in 2004 from my own plan. Two layers of planks on ply frames, ply deck planked with 3/8 1/16 strips. Length of hull 50" by 13" breath. No motor sail only, winch for main & mizzen, sail arm for fore sails. Featuers a centre plate lowered by gravity and raized be a drum winch, also an expanding rudder, this has two servos to opperate. sails can be reefed or removed depending on weather conditions. Very good sailer Just goes in my car with the top mast & gaff boom lowered.

Original kit refurbished from a car boot purchase. 2 CH RC. Tried to retain orignal type features only with few extra fittings.

Taycol Meteor motor contemporary with boat controlled by servo operated resistance with sweeper arm on servo to reverse polarity at approx. midpoint.

Motor not powerful enough and max. speed disappointing so am planning to upgrade wiht more modern gear.

Well, it took 24 years of "on again-off again" building but now its finished. I started the model the day we put the CAMPBELL in commission(I'm a plankowner) in 1988.The model measures 6 feet in length and is scaled at 1:48. The entire model is scratchbuilt from wood (hull, superstructure, deck) and few commercial parts were used. it's powered by two Dumas 12 volt motors as a direct drive system. I had hopes of adding working features such as lights, rotating radar antennas, articulating gun, working anchor but I was just happy to get it finished! it will probably make at least one run at the lake come springtime but the models ultimate "homeport" will be a museum, at 6 feet in length(and 40 pounds of ballast) it's a bear to handle just to get it into the car for transport. Still, I'm happy with the results, it was a model of a lifetime(but I'd never build another one like it)! 😉

Owing it's origin to the RNLI lifeboats of the 19th century, the US Coast Guard 36'MLB saw service from 1900 to 1987. The USCG built over 300 boats of this class in various "mods" spanning it's life history. Constructed of wood and fitted with a bronze keel it was powered by a 4 cylinder engine later modified with a diesel motor. Early powered 36' boats carried oars and sails as auxillary power. My 36500 model was based on the famous Chatham Lifeboat Station in Massachusetts, USA. On Febuary 18, 1952 the CG 36500 rescued the 32 survivors of the tanker PENDLETON during a night time nor'easter storm. Without radio or radar the Coast Guardsmen found the stricken T-2 tanker in the blizzard, taking the crew off one at a time. With each pass of the lifeboat a tanker crewman climbed down a rope ladder and "fell" into the lifeboat. With all on board, the 36500 found it's way back to Chatham harbor much to the delight of the towns people and the Coast Guard! The most amazing fact regarding this rescue was that the 36 footers were only designed to carry 19 people, including the 3 man CG crew, without capsizing.
The model was scratchbuilt of balsa strips and aircraft plywood, using official USCG blueprints. Powered by a 6 volt motor and a 2 channel radio, the Chatham lifeboat is pleasure to run in my local pond.

East coast Dory powered by oars controlled by 4 servos and a computer chip.
A kit about 8yrs old from Harbor Models.