Zoom 1 (Interceptor) Mono boat.
Built from a Glassfibre hull, brought on Ebay for £35 the hull is a slim mono racing type with a self-righting side cabin it runs a 1400W 14V 2958 4200KV Brushless Motor and 29-S Water Cooling Jacket with additional air cooling fan.
I did not want to use a flexi drive as high maintenance and prone to failure so the shaft runs via two universal joint one at each end. the propeller is a 38mm copper alloy
The ESC is a 200W and water cooled the twin rudders supply separate water one for the motor and one for the ESC.
The rudder are positioned to reduce prop-walk and are hinged to prevent damage if you hit a object in the water and also for ride adjustment.
Turn fins and trim tabs for ride adjustment were provided by a spares kit for another boat. also foamed and added an inner sealed hatch, a rubber bump strip and safety loop.
It certainly looks like we are having notification problems again, First it was very few getting through and now we get 14 YES that is fourteen of the same.
PT 109 was one of the hundreds of motor torpedo boats (PT) of the PT 103 class completed between 1942 and 1945 by Elco Naval Division of Electric Boat Company at Bayonne, New Jersey. The Elco boats were the largest in size of the three types of PT boats built for U.S. use during World War II. Wooden-hulled, 80 feet long with a 20-foot, 8-inch beam, the Elco PT boats had three 12-cylinder Packard gasoline engines generating a total of 4,500 horsepower for a designed speed of 41 knots. With accommodations for 3 officers and 14 men, the crew varied from 12 to 14. its full-load displacement was 56 tons. Early Elco boats had two 20mm guns, four .50-caliber machine guns, and two or four 21-inch torpedo tubes. Some of them carried depth charges or mine racks. Later boats mounted one 40mm gun and four torpedo launching racks. Many boats received ad-hoc refits at advanced bases, mounting such light guns as Army Air Forces 37mm aircraft guns and even Japanese 23mm guns. Some PTs later received rocket launchers.
This Proboat PT 109 model was brought in 2013 for £100 these boats are rare now, This one had a few faults with the propshafts they were bent and noisy both were replaced, with quality 4mm shafts, motors twin 600s were also replaced by Graupner versions along with mounts and couplings, basically all the running gear, also two ESCs by Aquapower were added and a 2.4G RC system.
A favourite model boat there must have been hundreds if not thousands made.
When I brought mine there was a choice between two sizes 36in (90cm) or 48in (120cm) and then you could choose between a wooden hull or a fibreglass hull. I went for the smaller boat with the fibreglass hull. this was back in the 1980s.
Background of the boat
The boats Perkasa class consisted of three motor torpedo boats built by Vosper (UK) for the Malaysian Navy as follows:-
Perkasa 150
Penula 151
Handalan 152
This model has 3 motors, port & starboard are Graupner 600s and one 700 type in the centre runs 3 ESCs front and rear guns operate via servos, with flashing LEDs down the barrels.
The Model is scratch built from Photos and profiles of the internet it is around 52 inches long and currently runs on two Graupner 700 turbo motors (14.4v) and dual Mtroniks 25A ESC (12v) running twin contra rotating 45mm props, this model can spin on its own axis like the real boat but does not use waterjets due to cost. Completed in 2017.
Whats a CB90
Its a Command Boat 90 originally built by Docstar in sweden and later also built in the USA under licence.
The boat has a multi role capability and has be used by the Army, Police, Coast Guard and Ambalence Service
Originally a Military craft for coastal waters and rivers with a shallow draft and powered by twin water jets this 15 ton Aluminum boat can deliver half a platoon directly on to beach heads via its landing craft type single man door at the bow.
This craft has excellent manoveraility and can crash stop ( go into full reverse and stop) in 1.5 x its length. No-wonder the american's wanted this boat.
Lovely Police Launch. Well done you. I am building my first boat - Billings kit ‘Wills Everard’ - doing it slowly and carefully. Thoroughly enjoying though.
As requested I have obtained some pics from Brian Clewes's Hovercraft.
The motors are 900 Kv with 80 amp Escs the lift fan is a 7 blade ducted fan, the thrust prop is a 12in x7in cut down to 10in.
Battery is 14.8v 5000Ma.
One of our members used a couple of old drone bits to make a twin prop version with steerable nozzles. Worked OK but very twitch as only a small craft like yours and the motors were powerful.
Somebody was either disillusioned with model boats or impecunious to the Nth degree because he let me have this BRAND NEW Ripmax Tomkat complete with Motor, ESC, brand new steering servo,action man driver,decals and instructions for a brownie with a bluey postage.
Not my usual type of model but will make a fun change down at our 'postage stamp' lake (?)
Mobile Marine do a Skimmer hulls that you can use to build your own skimmer. This is the larger version and they also do a smaller version.
I have used a 2208 brushless with a chopped down 10" prop, cheap 10amp ESC and 11.1v 2200Ma Lipo.
Good when the weed gets too bad!
Just fresh off the shipyard, this is my version of an American made Uniflite (firm died several years ago) "Salty Dog" 28. its name is a Puerto Rican slang for escapade. From the same firm who designed and made the legendary Vietnam War Patrol River Boat (PBR), this boat was part of Uniflite's recreational boats line. For this one, I utilized a fibreglass hull I found on Ebay and did the rest with Ethylene 2mm plastic sheets. it runs a 9.6v NiHm battery, a 30A Mtroniks controller, a 3-bladed 35mm M4 bronze propeller.
Westbourne is a Port of London Authority steam Tug from the Caldercraft Mini-Fleet Range - it is 1:48 scale. This model was discontinued a few years ago but I did manage to purchase a brand new boxed one via ebay a couple of years ago.
During her time Westbourne was hired by the Royal Navy as a rescue tug. She saw service with them between October 1916 and July 1919 in the HM Dockyard. Prior to that she was on general towing service duties on the Thames.
She can be found mentioned in “SHIPS OF THE ROYAL NAVY, 1914-1919 - by TYPE & CLASS
Section 3. SUPPORT and HARBOUR VESSELS”
Following the first world war ‘Westbourne’ was one of three tugs attached to the Port of London Authority (PLA) Dredging Service, they were the "Westbourne", "Thorney" and "Brent", they were all fitted with a drag and under running gear.In 1940 during the Battle of Britain. ‘Westbourne’ and many other tugs were used in assisting the berthing of these large ships that entered the Thames.
The photos show from box to construction plus her on the water.
Nicely finished model of this now discontinued kit.
I like the details about the tug and her career, sadly our river scenes no longer feature the tugs that were an essential part of the docks and shipping of the time.
