This is my scratch built 36" RNZAF British Power Boat 64' HSL (arrived in NZ 1940). I actually went on board this vessel in 1968 when it was still in original form (the RNZAF having disposed of it in the 50s) This vessel is still around and has been recently re modelled (2nd time since early 70s) and I was lucky last year to have met the present owner and go on board (2nd time in 49yrs!)and take a few photos. The vessel was modified a number of times by the RNZAF over the years (air intakes, removal of the fore deck machine guns, wheelhouse turret etc so I sort of went in the middle. I found a few drawings of the type in an old mag which had side and top views plus the bulkheads and their positions, so I took them along to a copying shop and kept enlarging them until I had the desired proportions. This worked out quite well and using a few methods from other models I had built, managed to frame (ply) the hull and then fully strip plank it in balsa. it was then fiber glassed. The deck is ply, lined and varnish stained. The wheelhouse is varnished balsa with the top removable for access. The wheelhouse interior has detail such as controls, instrument panels, skipper, steps to wardroom etc but is not too detailed as it is not seen. The boat has full lighting by remote switch, lights are all LED.
The propulsion side has dual everything (motors, ESCs, sound units), would have had 3x but ran out of space! Motors are 28mm 2200Kv water jacketed in-runners (cooled by remotely switched pump) using 30A Chinese ESCs (have 5A BEC, Fwd and Rev). Twin sound units are 'GT Power' car units which have around 40 different sound selections, from Cosworths to diesels and are computer programmable (as well as manually on the unit ) for various functions. I am using one of the v8 sounds (8 cyls short in my application) which I think is as near as you are going to get to 3 Napier Sea Lions (for which there is obviously no sound available) They 'start' 'Idle' and are fully proportional in fwd and rev and can sound quite realistic (will attempt to put up a vid later).
Batteries are 2x 2200mah 2s 20c LiPos which will last around 2hrs at least of sailing (they also run the sound units) Still have a few small things left to do (have just made wheelhouse air intakes) but don't want to get too fiddly. Just want to keep it a practical model.
Thanks for the kind comments. Planking did take a couple of days but was not done all that neatly (just clamp and cyno) as I was glassing it later - it was all thin resin coated inside to seal it). Planking was just a hint at the original so you could just make out the planks through the glass. Have included a few more pics of the motors and interior which is not that flash but is unseen, (more for the fact that I had seen the original and was sort of putting down what I remembered from when I was 15) There is a small picture at the top left of the stairs which on the original, was a Photo from an HSL looking off the Stbd rear 1/4, to 2 64ft HSLs side by side climbing over its wake at speed
The stair set is the original from the wheelhouse to wardroom, which has been kept and used again by the present owner (down to utility room in front of engine room) and still has the original 'POWER BOAT' rubber treads (not bad nick for 79yrs old!)
This is a restoration of a launch I was given that was found in a rubbish bin on a farm here in Auckland it is an old RCM ? plan built 'Fairacre' and was pretty rotten when I received it as it is made in balsa and had been wet for quite a while. I stripped it down, re 'planked' large portions of the hull and fiber glassed it, re- built the cabin, re- marked the deck planks, fitted lights, curtains (ex Graupner Commodore bits from the 70s I had kept), stern ladder, cleats etc. it is fitted with a 540 brushed motor (originally had an old Graupner monoperm) and 70s Graupner ESC and Using 2.4 Radio gear. I still have a few things I'd like to do such as a re-wire, fitting chine spray rails, better motor and maybe some safety rails, but for now it does the job.
My dad built this over a long period of time, starting in the '80s. The hull is fibreglass and the rest is scratch built from plastic card, balsa, ply, wire and anything else he could adapt.
Although he installed the motors, props and rudders he never completed the RC installation or tested it. I inherited his boat models a few years ago and wanted to "finish the job", getting the model on the water. After installing the RC gear and batteries over the last few months, this weekend was the first sailing outside the bath at the Valley Gardens boating lake.
Happy to report that it sailed really nicely, seems to be reasonably stable although I did restrict it to calmer times when the MTBs and faster boats weren't running !
HMS Cadiz was a battle class destroyer, laid down and launched during WW2 although she didn't receive her commission until 1946 so didn't see combat with the Royal Navy, serving with the home fleet. Due to the changeover in pennant numbering she was originally allocated R09 and later, when the admiralty decided to revert to the D for Destroyer pennant numbering she was assigned D79. To reflect this my model has D79 on the starboard side and R09 on the port side.
She was sold to Pakistan in the late '50s, and renamed PNS Khaibar. She was sunk with the loss of nearly all hands in 1971 in the indo-Pakistan war.
I thought as the lake is still full of weed this would keep me sailing built from light ply fibre glassed inside & out then painted length 33" width 12"height 16" to top of the prop
70 amp esc aircraft brushless motor 11" prop
I am busy with a landing craft i thought this would be another one to beat the dreaded weed 😱
Scratched built on a fibre glass hull, home made sails with a modified star wars figure
Bought from a member of our Kingswinford Model Boat Club, Peter Ellis, who sadly passed away
Asheville Class gun boat model is 51” long weighs 22 lbs. hull covered with 2 layers of 2 oz. fiberglass cloth and resin. All plywood and balsa construction finished with fiberglass resin and Model Master paints. Working radar mast, turrets, desiel sound, whopper sound, general quarters sound, sierene. Power is MACK
Drives 12 volt system 2 x 2 6volt 3000 nimh each drive. Very fast in the water.
Boat looked great.The boat ran just fine.Not too much over scale speed.It's good to have a little more speed to avert obstacles,especially oyher boats that don't know where they are.
Model is 49” long and with ballast keel added weighs 17 lbs. hull is covered with 2 layers of 2 oz. cloth fiberglass cloth and painted with Krylon spray can paint. Hitec sail winch servo for main sail and standard servo for jib. Model has auxiliary 6 volt electric power to compincate for my sailing ability’s and wind conditions.
Sails are Mylar.
Model is 28” long weighs 7lbs. Hull covered with 2 oz. fiberglass cloth deck covered with 3/4 oz. fiberglass cloth and resin finished with spar varnish. Power is MACK 5045 motor and 2 6 volt x 3000 nimh packs.
Dunmas kit MACk 5045 motors and hardware. Two layers of 2 oz. Fiberglass cloth on hull 3/4 oz cloth on deck Klass Coat epoxy paint . Model has cabin lights and running lights. Power 2 x 7.2 packs.
Scratch built from a 1975 free plan, hull is balsa frames sheeted with basswood and covered with 3/4 oz fibreglass cloth, superstructure is styrene sheet, missile launcher from balsa block, forward bofors torpedo launcher from styrene sheet and wood dowl, photo etch ladders, white metal handrail stanchions, other fittings are brass and resin, lw-02 radar and directors are from shape ways rudders and stabilizers are balsa block, you get the idea.
A very nice execution of the old Model Boats free plan. I still have those plans (somewhat tatty after all these years) as well as the MB magazine they came with. How does she sail? Best regards, Glyn
Many thanks for your kind words, I've not sailed her yet, only test tank and had to up the water line a little bit for more stability, I also scaled up the plans to true 1/96 as the plan is around 1/100, the 1/96 fittings I bought from fleetscale were out of scale to the plan, and using the 1.1 water line length noted in the magazine article.
I built this 1/125th scale Amati kit of the Titanic over two years from 2016. it has enhanced etched brass details from Minibrass. Conversion for radio control involved making the hull waterproof with multiple layers of fibreglass cloth bonded with epoxy resin as well as the installation of a drive train and RC gear. With only a tiny rudder, steering is dependent on a mixer unit controlling the differential speed of the propellors.
Billing boats, which took me 3 years to build.Hull was planked and theh fibre glass. Boat has full functional remote with seperate port starboard control,rudder and bow thruster. full inside and mast lighting.
The stair set is the original from the wheelhouse to wardroom, which has been kept and used again by the present owner (down to utility room in front of engine room) and still has the original 'POWER BOAT' rubber treads (not bad nick for 79yrs old!)