whilst being off work with cancer have spent three months building my polar trawler which I had to remake a lot of superstructure with plasticard due to the old ply delaminated. it has twin screws powered by two 400 motors and 40 amp esc and 6v sla. I think she looks quite good

HI to all you Fire Boaters,
I have decided to finally bring my Fireboat out of the closet and up for inspection.
This is the first of my many boats I am showing, I will probably show others in the future.
I started to build her back in 2006 after being off work and having a shoulder operation. She was not going to be a R/C boat, just a bit of something to do whilst on recovery.

I have a 34" still in the box unmade, purchased back in 1994 from Aerokits.
I drew round all the parts and then shrunk them on my scanner. She is 27" long I think that's
just fraction over 1/20th scale . She is almost all balsa except the 2 under skins that are balsa laminated with 1/64th ply. The hand rails are 1/4" balsa blocks I cut from a strip and the rail is ally tubing.
The mast is made from plastic strip from packets from the model shop.

When I returned to work she was put into the shed and left unfinished.
I stumbled across the Fireboat website and registered in 2009 when I was off work once again. This then made me think more about working on her again and I decide to turn her into an R/C model. So out she came and I fitted an Electomax Delta 480bb motor and a M3sonik esc.
I also purchased a couple of Robbe fire monitors, put them together shortening the nozzles and cutting the bottom of the base of to try to look a bit moreto scale. I know they are not the correct type but if I want to go down the road of getting them working then these ones will.

Then off I went to Wilkinson's and bought some paint. Then set out to paint her, as I brushed on the paint it seemed to be drying almost as quick as I was painting her. Dragging the paint I had just put on with next brush stroke. What a TOTAL DISASTER !!. I gave up on her and back into the shed she went.

2010 arrived I started again rubbed the paint down a bit and bought some Tamiya spray acrylic and started spraying, underside red, it seemed look all right. I used a nice new roll of low tack masking tape, taped up the underside and the decking and sprayed on the black on the sides. I thought that look all right. Took off the masking tape, which also took off the red paint and the dope from the decks. Another DISASTER. Back in the shed she went once again.

A couple of months went by and I was up in Norfolk on my own boat and watching the workers in the boatyard, ideas came to me and when we returned home, out she came and I repainted the sides
and then with red oxide paint I painted her undersides to make it look like antI foul paint. I used some white stripe to cover the join of the two different paint colours.
I had bought some roundels in Anglia Model Shop in Gorleston and some lettering in a shop in Norwich and after painting put these on.
Not looking fantastic but passable I was a little happier with her, but still not satisfied, back in the shed she went again.

Now after so much nagging from my brother out she has come, I've started again. He talked me into changing and trying a brushless motor and a smaller esc he had in his tool box from his helicopter he was shelving as its rota head was damaged beyond repair.
I have now fitted them and if they work I will change the esc to a forward/ reverse esc in the future at some point.

Sea trials are still away off more than likely in the spring, because the decking has yet to be painted. That will be the next job.

I think that's all for now, as I have probably bored you all to tears. I hope update as I progress further.
Just to let you know I'm Tom (alias BOATSHED).

A quick ( 3 weeks) rough 35" balsa MaiamI powered by Turrnigy 28/30 outrunner , 3cell LiPo and 30A ESC made for my son who wasn't that interested so I am adding a bit more to it and 'playing' with it myself .
Vic Smeed plan Thornycroft took about 20yrs (on and off) to complete and has an Electronize 43HX 24v 15A controller, 2x 400 sized 6-12v brushed motors 4cell 3000MAh LiPo for main power with seperate 3 cell LiPo running a computer fan for cooling (fan is linear and sucks air through the boat from the front hatches and blows it out through the rear hatches) There are also seperate 3 and 4 cell AA NmH packs for nav and interior lighting.
Boat runs 28mm 3 blade props and runs at a realistic scale speed and attitude. Radio gear is 2.4 and I have modified one TX for twin throttles and at present am running both these boats simultaniously on the one TX.
Have bought twin car ESCs, batts, RXs and BECs for the PT and the (36") British Power Boat 64ft HSL I am building (modelled on the RNZAFs 64ft HSL- the only one sold in the southern hemisphere - in 1940) Went on board as a teenager before she was ruined by being turned into a pleasure launch so it was a help with the building. Still remember the wonderful alloy 'Power Boat' stair treads down to the ward room. Will get some pics up of the HSL as well.

HI Fellow Enthusiasts
These pictures show my scratch built RAF Air Sea Rescue launch 2507. it was built using my own scaled up planes over the period July 2006 to August 2008. its approx. 4 feet long by 11 inch wide and stands 24 inch high.
The boat has twin Johnson brushed electric drives via 2.5/1 reduction gearboxes with three bladed 40 mm brass props. The speed controllers being 15 amp Electronize supplied from 4.5 amp D cells made into a 12 volt battery pack.
The boat sound system consists of a Diesel sound generator and machine guns being fired by an electronic ring counter circuit that allows the guns to fire individually or together depending on their selection via a diode network. The unit is switched on and off via a Electonize switch unit that also switches the boats lighting system on and off.
All the special fixtures required for this model being self made this includes the figures found on and in the boat. The basic figures are usually obtained from car boot sales or the local ÂA£ shop for next to nothing and then modified to the model boats requirements.
Launch 2507 was commanded by F/O W. Garret who reputedly made the most northerly pick up on the 26th June 1944 for the crew of a downed Catalina, for this action he was awarded a M.B.E. The Catalina pilot F/Lt. Horner R.C.A.F. died of exposure and was awarded a posthumous V.C.
I hope you enjoyed the pics and information.
Regards
GreyWolf

I have admired this design for many years, along with a lot of Vic Smeed's drawings.
This model is enlarged by 1.7 giving a length of 36'' and a scale of 1:16. The finished boat weighs about 15 1/2lbs and is powered by an MFA 919D 540 with 2.5:1 reduction, using an Mtroniks ESC and Planet 2.4ghz radio.
The hull was planked in obeche on 6mm ply keel and frames with mahogany blocks at bow and stern. The photos were taken on her maiden voyage at Crealy in Exeter.

Here is my restoration (conversion) of a US Coastguard vessel into the RNLI Waveney Class Lifeboat. I think you will agree that it looks better in its new livery. Have put in two jp power 400 motors along with mtroniks auto tune 20 amp esc and am using 7.4V lipo batteries. First try out went very well, but that was the bath, will try her out on water in couple of days

First trials of freshly restored 1970s Aerokits Swordsman rescued as a wreck from ebay (I was the only bidder it looked so bad....!) earlier this year. Was diesel powered and had loads of lead ballest glassed into hull which had to be cut out and replaced with new ply with the rest of the structure lightened and stiffended with new ply. Now fitted with Turnigy 600 Typhoon Brushless and 90A Seawing ESC and 55 min Graupner prop. Handling is excellent and turns really well using a small size Graupner rudder with fast acting large angle Hobbywing servo. Joined my collection of 34 and 46 Fireboats, Sea Hornet, Sea Queen and Commander, all restored over the past 3 years. Aerokits have come into their own with clean and quiet brushless power we could not dream of in the 1960s

Aerokit Fireboat 34"
Boat was given to me in poor condition approx 30 years ago, no running gear and most fittings missing or broken, originally powered with IC motor.
I have installed a 43A 700KV Outrunner Brushless motor, Model No : XYH42-50 and a Hobbywing Seaking 60W / Reverse Program Brushless ESC bought from Giantcod, powered by a 3 cell 2200 mAh Lipo battery runtime 15 to 18min, the prop is a 42.5mm 2 blade racing prop. I am well pleased with the performance of the boat.
I belong and sail at the Hartsholme Electric Model Boat Club, Lincoln.

Another project as I found a model RIB at our local car boot sale ( probably for action man or simular ) and thought it might be worth modifying.
it floats in the bath and now has a Mtronics Vision 500 motor and ESC, and servo steering via a rudder mounted in the dummy outboard.
More after sea trials!
Regards
Chris

Two Yeoman / HMM boats- both salvaged from e-bay and thought to be at least 55 years old. each having had most of internal structure removed. no drawings available so had to guess where 'bits' were needed. The smaller 'Minx' is powered by a brushless Turnigy Aerodrive SK286. The 'Wavemaster' has a brushless KD Thumrun 2387/18 and an EZ Run 18a ESC - supplied by Giantcod. First runs at Crealy - 29th July.
Thanks to Ian for the photos.

Now up and running again, with new 25A M'tronics ESC and smaller 35mm S prop she went well yesterday at Crealy.
I managed to get these pics of the monitors in action
( a bit limited as I was alone and operating the TX and camera together! )
Regards
Chris

This is my work in progress plus some nice angles of my boat. Colour scheme obviously not conventional but I like it. its some way off its maiden launch and this isn't the intended motor- that is still in the post! it will be fitted with a Graupner 600 8.4v and a Viper 20A ESC.This is an ebay purchase and came with some original brass items and an IC engine - hence the modification to the motor mount.The boat will probably sail initially at Blackheath.