I bought a used hull of the Ayton Cross and look all over the internet for some plans but found none.
I did find a lot of images though.
I bought most if not all of the fittings and since have decided that the way to go is to make what you can from what I can get hold of.
So all other model boats are and will be scratch made.
I have two on the burner at the moment.
Anyway some of the Ayton Cross looks right some of it does not.
But I can always do it again as I hopefully get a little better.
This one again is awaiting Ballast and it will be ready to go.
I fitted two Engel 12 volt motors and made the mounts in grp then Laminated them into position..
Everything has been hand painted and slightly aged .
The bow thruster was made using some household plumbing pipe a small propshaft Again home made and it works very well.
Something to play with as I build hopefully better.
If you research who the original builders were, then the plans would be most likely be available from the archives of the builders. in most cases where vessels were built in Scotland for instance, the plans, if available would be held either by the Glasgow University Archives or the Scottish Archives. Although there are costs involved in obtaining copies of the originals, it is well worth it in the long run so that the details is correct. The model looks great.
I have just completed my Puffer and am quite pleased with the outcome. The components are quite good but do need a bit of fettling but this is what our hobby is about. This is my third Caldercraft build so I am used to their quality and sparse instructions. As usual for Caldercraft you need to have your thinking cap on as the A0 plan and the 'instruction book' do not match up but of course they do expect you to have a little bit of experience in model building. it has taken me about 6 months to build working on and off over this time. it has a large hull which is easy to house the motor, ESC, RC and batteries, etc. (I installed 2 lead acid 6 volt batteries, one on each side amidships) which gives stability and ballast. Being a large deep hull it needs a lot of ballast, even in its short length.I have only tested her in the big white nautical test facility at home so do not know how it will perform on our lake but hope to try it out on Sunday if the weather is set fair. Tried her out Wednesday and she sailed really well - maybe a little more ballast in the bow but not too concerned.
Enjoyed making this superb kit from model slipway. Having to cut out the polystyrene sheets proved to be no problem. With 2 motors and bow thruster, thought it would be good for the steering competitions, but its a bit wide in the beam for our rather tight course. Working searchlight and rotating radar.
Wahine was a car passenger ferry of the Union Steamship Co. of New Zealand, and completed by Fairfields in 1966. She was lost in a major storm in the Cook Strait in 1968 with the death of 53 people. The model is substantially scratch-built with some fittings purchased. it is driven by two Graupner Speed 500 motors powered from two 6.6V 3200mAh LiFe batteries. it is fitted with twin stern and a single bow rudders, and bow and stern thrusters as on the original. The smoke effect is provided by a Steam Master Unit.
I bought this ready to sail kit from Howes Models on my return to model boating after a break of 25 years.
My longtime friend Chris and I made the video as a bit of fun and to celebrate our return.
Watch out for the green dragon on the starboard bow!
This is a small lake at County Hall, Worcester, the HQ of Worcestershire County Council and now the Sunday morning venue of Droitwich Spa Model Boat Club, of which I am a member.
Yes, the club is well supported and barring ice, there is attendance every Sunday throughout the year.
Coincidentally, this was my sailing venue 25years ago.
HMT Confident built by my late father, Scratch built over two and half years. Twin 65mm props driven via a scratch built gearbox by one 800 size motor. Original 2 channel Sanwa radio fitted and working fine. Lights, working radar, water canon, winch, horn and bow thruster all of the 2 channel by using the trims and micro switches.
This boat looks the biz when its going full tilt , The bow wave looks awesome !!! Twin motors independently controlled ,turning circles pretty good for her size . Saying that , I do need to transport her by a sack cart ....lol
HI , sorry for the late reply , life keeps getting in the way ...lol. She has 12v system installed (she needs a lot of ballast so a 12v battery helps). she is running on 2x MFA motors at 6:1 ratio and 2 x viper marine 20's each running separately.I haven't got round to fitting a bow thruster, A nice boat to build and you can do a little or alot to her , I have seen some with operating cargo doors and cranes,(a bit to involved for me )
She does weigh alot when finished, I purchased a sack cart and manufactured a cradle to transport her.
It would be nice if you open a blog so we can see the build ........Take care..............................................Les
Based on a 72nd scale Airfix Plastic kit, original needed 20volts worth of batteries to get it up to speed, but change of motors, tweaking strakes near bow, and moving batteries aft, now get same or better performance from 7.2volt pack' Since these videos have added 4 torpedo tubes, well rocket launching tubes found on field when walking dog last year day after the 5th Nov, with carved torpedo's poking out,us scratch builders will use anything. ;-)
Saw the plans of 'Farmont' and could not resist the challange of this model. First problem was where and how to creat a removable cabin and decided on having the whole top removable other than the forward and aft decks. I also realised that the plans were simplified so a bit of research on Google revealed pictures of the real things for sale and some indepth pics of the boats being constructed. They omitted the bow breaker for ease of modelling but short cuts are not in my vocabulary. it is also difficult to visulise where all the stair cases go, so going online helped clarify this. I opted for a plank on frame construction covering the hull with a single layer of fibreglass and using lite ply and plasticard for the cabins. The deck planking was marked out with pencil before varnishing. I also wanted the boat to be fully lit and both radars to be operational and counter rotating (looks better from a spectators point of view). Completion date sometime in 2015, watch this space!
This is the fifth of the six sisters of the isle of Man Steam Packet Company, entered service in 1952 and scrapped in 1980. it is built on a Metcalf Models hull, and the superstructure is scratch-built from styrene. Fittings are a mix of scratch and purchased. it is powered by 2 Electronize motors with 2 ESC's by EA Electronics, has a smoke unit from Harbor Models controlled by a Viper ESC, a sound system from Model Sounds inc of Ontario, and powered by NiMH batteries. it is also fitted with a working bow rudder and lights, all controlled from a Robbe F14 Navy radio fitted with 2 twin sticks. Preferred sailing location is Lake Lisgar in Tillsonburg, Ontario.
Hi! Bob
ScaleHobbies of Skelmersdale also do a hull plus a load of fittings for the IOM boats;
order online from web site www.scalehobbies.net
UNIT 20. SANDY LANE SKELMERSDALE WN8 8LQ
phone 01695 732800.
FROM MONDAY 9th MARCH WE WILL ONLY BE OPEN FRIDAY & SATURDAY. OPENING ...
Cheers
Max (4clubs)
Roy
thanks for the info I usually buy my Iom sail material & fittings from peter wiles @pj sails it is all good to find new outlets as a lot of hobby shops are closing down
Happy sailing
Bob 👋
built this one after the first one was stolen which has turned out for the better. Has working fire monitors,anchor,bow thruster,sounds,searchlight,lightsand a bloke on the back having a wee, which in turn acts as a bilge pump to tell me there is water in the boat
Hi I am just starting to build a Vosper fire tender using Robbe fire moniotrs. I already nixed the vertical motion but is there any other recommendations you would make before I go any further?
The model looks authentic. Any chance of on water shots
Dave