Steam launch designed and built by me. I used a computer program called Plyboats to design it and it is a double chine ply hull. The power plant is a twin cylinder Cheddar engine, the Pelican I believe, which was a vee twin. The boiler was designed and built by me being a 3'' dia vertical firetube, gas fired.
This video was taken at Crealy in Exeter one summer evening in 2003 as a fairly new boat. She is now in need of a little TLC.
New update of my Vigilant Star in Newbrighton 29-07-09
Another modification and now running at half the power/speed.
Hope to get another video at full speed soon,with water cannon display,Great fun and thanks for watching.Gerry
gearbox fitted, tested today with 8.4v graupner, running on 19.2v nimh. GPS Data logger installed, measured at 14.63mph, sound like a jet turbine!!, and this video was the slower of the 2 props tested.
Improvements with gearbox, motor is stone cold (it is water cooled, but was still hot as direct drive) , quieter, longer run time, esc cold, now able to upgrade from 2 blade 40mm prop to 3 blade, and possibly 4 blade, amp draw much less. Video taken at Newsham Park, Liverpool. Handling is now difficult, as its going way too fast, but its great fun! and might go faster, with the motor thats been fited tonight, watch this space!!
well that was the distant memory of brushed motors!, way back when we had gas lanterns instead of LED's 😀
Unfortunately I cant remember the ratio, I think it was 2:1 from memory. it was later converted to brushless. Has not been run for two years since the bigger brother fireboat came along. I keep thinking just put a brushed motor back in it, and have plodding speed, it looks silly doing all that porpoising, and the bigger brother can give me my speed fix 😁
Maybe a little more bow weight would stop the problem , my Spearfish used to do that all I did was put lipo length ways and it stopped , but yeah if your happy with the bigger being the faster then go for it 😊
This is my boat a Seaplane Tender on its maiden voyage.
It is a deans marine kit.
In the video it is running at about half speed which is about scale speed for this boat.
This is a video clip of my Fireboat at Southport boating lake in June this year.
The idea of an on board cam was thanks to another member who submitted a video last year of their Sea Queen (see video gallery), I liked the effect so thought I'd give it a go myself. it seems to have worked?
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.
BRAVO ZULU! I CAN RELATE, MY LATE FATHER BUILT RC AIRCRAFT INB THE 60S & 70S. HiS BUDDIES COMMISSIONED HiM TO BUILD THEIR KITS BECAUSE HE HAD A GREAT HABIT OF OVERBUILDING. IF THEY MISSED THE LANDING, THE PLANES WOULD LIVE TO FLY AGAIN! MY DAD WASN'T A GOOD PILOT, SO HE HAD OTHERS FLY HiS AIRPLANES. I BUILD MY BOATS IN SIMILAR FASHION. OVERBUILD!
