Stunning weather most model boaters would be jealous of. Warm, but not hot! Very gentle breeze. No rain! But not many showed up. Wait 'till the summer comes" No complaints about it being too hot for model boats!

Anyway, I wanted to get back to my trawler with another video. This time on board with my old GoPro. Had some issues with the battery packs slipping inside the hull. I'm going to remove the one for the lighting as I don't use them anyway. Then I will add some fixed ballast in the bottom. The video with the camera (and waterproof housing) on the top of the pilot house made the boat heel quite a bit. Going to try for some more on board videos in the near future on my other boats.

Got the 4 minute YouTube link here:
I hope you enjoy it!

Lew

Ahoy Maties! it's been a long time since my last posting. Happy 2019! I just completed my new scratch-built boat "Electric Barbarella". I tried to recreate (with some liberties) one of my favorite boats of all time, the 30-footer Chris Craft Sportsman built during the 1970s. it measures 24 X 8.5 inches. it is powered with a 9.6 NiMH 4200 mAh battery "nunchuck" pack (like the one used for paintball guns), brushless motor attached to a 30A Mtroniks Hydra controller and a 30mm M4 3-bladed brass propeller. The hull (my own on-the-go design) was made out of Balsa wood which later I fiberglassed. For the superstructure I utilized 2mm ABS plastic sheet material. To my surprise the boat turned to be a very stable and forgiving platform. I really feel a very close connection to this vessel as it is my first own hull design.😁

Dave W
I hope this helps if not let me know & I will take more pictures
i was able to put a high deck in because of the size of the hull
it might be difficult to do this with the smaller hull take a look on SLEC they do the River Police Launch (last picture)it appears to to be risen at the front to take the motor etc

The Vintage Model Boat range are now being produced by SLEC Ltd. All our kits come with all parts cut by CNC router or laser, plus all the necesary strip wood is included, along with building instructions and plan.

The River Police Launch has been based on the old Veron Kit from the 1960's that we all loved at that time. The model is not a scale model but embraces the boat design of that era. The kit is now fully laser cut so all parts are pre-cut and most of the parts are now made out of high quality ply, so obtaining a good finish is easier to achieve. The model can be powered by a 7.2 volts standard buggy battery pack or ic power of .5-1.5 cc engines which is not in the kit, also we have not included any running fittings as we feel a lot of modellers will have or would like to choose for themselves, but we can supply these fittings if required.

Found this Dense block of foam, floating in local Ashton Canal, whilst sailing other boats with my brother, whilst rescue a stuck boat from the reeds, in 1996 was temporarily on the dole at the time, struck by her Landing craft shape on turning it over plus realised I could carve it like wood, later using my bits box, after carving a couple of box shaped groves, for battery, motors and rc equipment, literal rammed a prop shaft, and rudder shaft through hull, and fashioned some balsa sheet into superstructure suitable camouflaged , I had a "US Army Vietnamese River Craft" of sorts and with its 1 1/2 to 2" thick Hull virtually unsinkable, hence its name :-). Here she is in 2000 sailing at Ethrow Park. May in the future alter her superstructure, she makes a handy towing barge for both mine and my brothers Tug Boats, and if rc left connected can even act as rescue boat if they pack up or get weeded up :-) - Have delete this from You Tube and replaced with slightly clearer version, but it seems to be still working here mysteriously, may cease working eventually, new version above :-)

My own design deep "V" hull with upper-works loosely to 1:15 scale replica of the Mitchell 31 boats previously used by various Hampshire constabularies in and around the Solent. The intention is to fit this model with a working, rotating, radar scanner using the servo motor and gearbox from an old video camera lens system; working lights including flashing blue police lights and a sound-alike "wee-wah" siren - just for the hell of it (and because I can)! Technical details: Hull length: 867mm. Construction: GRP layup with 1.5 and 3mm ply and balsa deck, cabin etc. Motor: MFA Torpedo 850. Propeller: X50mm plastic. Battery: 2 x three cell LiPo pack in parallel. Speed controller: Mtroniks Viper 25Amp. Radio: Hobby King 2.4GHz.

I hate leaving models as standard, the Southampton Tug a RTR model, needed to be more manoeuvrable, so removed original 27Mhz receiver and fitted Two Electronic speed controllers one for each motor, and a 2.4Ghz receiver. The model will now turn in its own length and has become very good for controlling in small spaces. Will change the standard motors next for something with a little more pulling and pushing power. it runs all morning on a 1 x 6 cell AA Nimh 2700Mah battery pack.

HI Fellow Enthusiasts
These pictures show my scratch built RAF Air Sea Rescue launch 2507. it was built using my own scaled up planes over the period July 2006 to August 2008. its approx. 4 feet long by 11 inch wide and stands 24 inch high.
The boat has twin Johnson brushed electric drives via 2.5/1 reduction gearboxes with three bladed 40 mm brass props. The speed controllers being 15 amp Electronize supplied from 4.5 amp D cells made into a 12 volt battery pack.
The boat sound system consists of a Diesel sound generator and machine guns being fired by an electronic ring counter circuit that allows the guns to fire individually or together depending on their selection via a diode network. The unit is switched on and off via a Electonize switch unit that also switches the boats lighting system on and off.
All the special fixtures required for this model being self made this includes the figures found on and in the boat. The basic figures are usually obtained from car boot sales or the local ÂA£ shop for next to nothing and then modified to the model boats requirements.
Launch 2507 was commanded by F/O W. Garret who reputedly made the most northerly pick up on the 26th June 1944 for the crew of a downed Catalina, for this action he was awarded a M.B.E. The Catalina pilot F/Lt. Horner R.C.A.F. died of exposure and was awarded a posthumous V.C.
I hope you enjoyed the pics and information.
Regards
GreyWolf

34" Fireboat
I tried out my new motor arrangement, ( Graupner speed 600 8.4v motor with a single 9.6v battery pack as recommended by dbninja ) in my Fireboat today. A bit choppy but all went very well at just above half throttle then I began to get braver and added on the power to be met by clouds of smoke and a truly blown ESC. ( See FORUM under Hong Kong ESC ) The new Fire Monitors by Peter HS93 also worked fine using a Vauxhall Astra washer pump, I'd hope to get pics but the sudden halt intervened!

Regards Chris

I tried out my new motor arrangement, ( Graupner speed 600 8.4v motor with a single 9.6v battery pack as recommended by dbninja ) in my 34" Fireboat today. All went very well at just above half throttle then I began to get braver and added on the power to be met by clouds of smoke and a truly blown ESC.
( See FORUM under Hong Kong ESC )
The Fire Monitors also worked Fine using a Vauxhall Astra washer pump, I'd hope to get pics but the sudden halt intervened!
Regards
Chris

Happy new year to you all.
The weather having turned a balmy but gusty 9 degrees here in the sunny south. I thought I'd try my 34" boat again today.
Now somewhat lightened and with a new speed 600 motor and 9.6v Ni-Cad battery pack. she ran considerably better but is still somewhat bow heavy. As I have only restored her from an ebay purchase I'm not fully aware what might be causing the weight in the bow area but perhaps will try some weight further aft before attempting frontal surgery. Any ideas welcome.
Best Wishes
Chriis

First outing in 51 years for my 1/16th scale Seaplane tender, built originally by my father in 1953 and believed to be an Adamcraft Kit, found with a damaged hull and virtually no superstructure in the loft of their house after my mother had moved to a residential home several years ago. I had moved to Lyme Regis in Dorset where several of these craft were based and which was my fathers inspiration for building this initially, so I thought it time to try and restore her.
I had some difficulty finding plans of the ST and eventually bought and built the Deans Marine 1/24th version of this craft, which I then scaled up to rebuild the original.
Power is by a 600 motor with 2 channel radio and seems to work
well on a 7.2 v battery pack.
I've now joined Exeter & District MBC as it appears to be one of the nearest to us in Lyme and the pics show the ST on the Dragonfly Lake at Crealy.
I would be interested in any info. anyone might have as to Adamcraft as my searches have turned up very little. I believe they specified a Tacol electric or Mills 1.3 petrol engine at the time, but my memory might well be flawed as I was only around 10years old at the time.