This model was scratch built from US Coast Guard plans. The boat is constructed of balsa wood and the hull coated with fiberglass resin. All the deck gear is scratchbuilt from brass, the propellers, led's and figures are the only commercial parts. Scaled at 3/4=1 foot the model measures 42 inches in length.
It's powered by a Pittman 12 volt motor and controlled by a 4 channel radio. Working features are running and spot light, siren with flashing blue light, sweeping radar antenna and deck lights. Built in 1985 the model the lifeboat is accurate in appearence for that time period.(The prototype has been modified since).
The actual lifeboat is attached the the Coast Guard's Motor Lifeboat School at Cape Disappointment and is one of four boats of this class.

In 1963/64 my father built a 34" Fireboat for me. Being only about 12 the job was a little above my knowledge or expertise. Another chap in my class at school had the same boat but rigged as a Fireboat. So I wanted something different.My boat was painted Red.White and Black. When I migrated to Australia I sold the boat about 1970.Earlier this year I had an article published in a Melbourne newspaper saying I was looking to repurchase the boat I had sold 40 years ago. Although I was unable to get my boat, someone had a fireboat that had been sitting around for years.After purchasing the boat, I restored it to the same colours etc that I had had 40 years ago. Thereby naming it Phoenix.

This is a 40" long model of a gas powered Berkley Company kit of a US Air Force crash boat from 1955. The plank on frame kit was in production for about 10 years and was meant to be powered by a model airplane gas motor with a single shaft. it depicts an experimental 50 knot rescue boat (painted in a peace time color scheme) during service with the USAF. if successfull it would have been put into production designed to be a replacement rescue craft for all Air Force 65' crash boats. Unfortunately for the crash boat program the Air Force lost interest as helicopters were become a reliable way of rescueing downed pilots along the coast. The prototype and a sister boat were scrapped, as was the entire program.
The model was given to me to be restored(top picture) for the son of a retired USAF veteran that was a crash boat crewman. The model was built in 1957 and had been run a few times on a tether line, R/C was pretty expensive back in the day. I stripped the hull, filled in all the cracks and rebuilt the mast. I added a small boat, davit, liferaft, coxswain station, spray shield and deck hardware among other things. Actually all the owner wanted was a paint job, he was very happy with it's new appearencep! Although I fiberglassed the wooden hull and made it watertight, the owner doesn't plan to run it, just a memorial to his dad's service. I really enjoyed working on this "rare bird".

Owing it's origin to the RNLI lifeboats of the 19th century, the US Coast Guard 36'MLB saw service from 1900 to 1987. The USCG built over 300 boats of this class in various "mods" spanning it's life history. Constructed of wood and fitted with a bronze keel it was powered by a 4 cylinder engine later modified with a diesel motor. Early powered 36' boats carried oars and sails as auxillary power. My 36500 model was based on the famous Chatham Lifeboat Station in Massachusetts, USA. On Febuary 18, 1952 the CG 36500 rescued the 32 survivors of the tanker PENDLETON during a night time nor'easter storm. Without radio or radar the Coast Guardsmen found the stricken T-2 tanker in the blizzard, taking the crew off one at a time. With each pass of the lifeboat a tanker crewman climbed down a rope ladder and "fell" into the lifeboat. With all on board, the 36500 found it's way back to Chatham harbor much to the delight of the towns people and the Coast Guard! The most amazing fact regarding this rescue was that the 36 footers were only designed to carry 19 people, including the 3 man CG crew, without capsizing.
The model was scratchbuilt of balsa strips and aircraft plywood, using official USCG blueprints. Powered by a 6 volt motor and a 2 channel radio, the Chatham lifeboat is pleasure to run in my local pond.

Built this year 2012 by Colin Burrows as a static model. Bought from him to make RC on 2.4. and currently fitted with a 600 motor that is too powerful, advise that was received from a fellow modeller, I am awaiting for a smaller unit to arrive to make it more authentic as it resembles a power boat rather than a trawler. Am also building a speed boat but have put out a request for wiring information as I have already blown up one speed controller!! lol.
I belong to a recently formed club sailing on the lake a Queens Park, Mablethorpe, Lincolnshire. New members would be most welcomed.

HI everybody

Another ebay purchase, a Fire Tender which I think is from the 50's. it is fitted with a very unusual old motor with sprung loaded brushes, capacitors, and a fan.... seems to run happily on 12v, which I plan to reinstall. Does anybody recognise it? it was fitted with a 'spring' universal joint. I am fitting a conventional UJ. There is also a circular switch attached to the motor. This appears to be wired to switch in up to 3 battery supplies! but I think I will fit a modern controller with modern nicads.

I sail at the Maldon and Blackwater Model Boat Club at Heybridge.
Regards Frank Burgess

Well this is the latest Ebay purchase arrived from the seller today. I ask my self am I mad or just mad on old Retro boats from my teens, this one is complete with a lovely big Taycol Supermarine motor, but will it work with modern RC I ask my self, or would it just be better to restore the boat using modern Electrics, we will see. I will post again when the work is underway. I find that building and restoring, fills my retirement days.

Hi, I'm sorry if these pictures are on here already, I did search through and couldn't see any.... I'm after a few peoples opinion on colours etc 💭 As the pictures are all black and white (grey scale) it is difficult to get the colours correct. A lot of model boats seem to be grey on the deck with white roofs, some with wooden decking, some just white and any number of variations. I'm trying to rebuild mine to be as close to the real thing as possible. in my opinion it looks like the top is all in white (as it matches the shade of the "FIRE" sign). The handrails appear to be brass ends with wooden rails?? Most of the other fittings seem to be either white to match the boat or silver for the tie-offs. The spot light seems to be darker than the monitors so I'm not sure if that is a dark silver or maybe black? Any thoughts??? 😉

This model was originally scratch built in 1964 by my Dad as a 15th birthday present for me,the length over all is 60.5" with a beam of 17.5" and a theoretical draught of 3.5",not sure as to the actual design but it is meant to be 1/12th scale, it was originally powered by a 12 Volt windscreen wiper motor out of an old Mercedes car, and the radio gear was a home made system as well, but both are now well beyond repair and I am fitting an MFA 800 Motor with a Fusion Aquapower ESC rated at 125amp. run by a new 2.4 Ghz radio system.
When I get to sea trials stage I will send Update and possible video footage.This boat along with the rest of my harbour, will be on view at the Abbergavenny Steam Rally this weekend June 3rd and 4th(Sunday Monday) in the model section marquee.

HI Fellow Modellers,
Another model from the RADMC fleet at the fleetshaven workshop and boat yard in Ponthir.This model was built from a Caldercraft Kit, This model came into my possession for the price of 20p, a raffle prize at Bryn Bach Model Clubs OPen Day 2010, when it was built is unknown. The item being made for display use and not finished off, no internal electronic fixtures. Did have a prop shaft and prop that had not been fitted correctly. 50% of all the fixtures had to be removed and refitted before they fell off, some didn't stay in place from the show back home. The model was finised off using a photo of the Milford star on the internet. The fish boxes and figures being obtained off DON one of the Society members who had a mould to make them in white metal, only required cleaning up and finishing off. A graupner 6 volt steam unit is fitted in the funnel and to make the boat a little more realistic on the water,a maplin steam sound system has been used to generate the sound of the engine. A simple mod allows the revs to be linked to the engine voltage. The drive motor is a 550 with the lowest revs I had in MJB's this was married up to a 2.5/1 gearbox I also had in stock. The main motor and steam unit are supplied from a 7.2 volt nicad racing pack. This model has had meny fishing trips on Cwmbran Boating Lake and at shows the Society visit. Hope you enjoy the pictures, Regards GreyWolf.

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).

Purchased from ebay and as you can see the boat has many problems paint peeling middle roof missing engine seized rudder Broken, but on the plus side the wood is undamaged. The boat comes from the original owner who built from a kit in 1964 And kept in his loft for years, I will post more pictures as rebuild progresses.