I have been looking forward to starting this build for some time. It looks like this will be an interesting model to build but mainly I look forward to setting up the 16 channels required to give full function to all of the special features. The Dusseldorf is one of three identical boats built for use in the Ruhr area of Germany. The boats are equipped for disaster situations, (they must have known I was going to build it). They can be used for ship fires, oil leaks or as a port facility at risk of explosion. The fire monitors, radar, boat crane, lighting and anchor winch will all be working if I can sort out the controls. The fire monitors are of particular interest because if I get things right, they will swivel, lift and lower and shoot water. We will see. As stated in the instructions, I read most of them to see how things looked. I got bored at page six so forgot that bit. The next stage was to check the contents against the bill of materials. There must be 1000 pieces. I checked the large pieces and gave the rest a miss also. Not a good start I hear you cry. You will get used to it. I proceeded to remove the stand parts and lightly sanded off the connection remains. I assembled it using super glue but I will strengthen the inner corners with Epoxy later. I stuck some draft excluder tape to all of the edges which contact the hull for safety. Next stage was to trim off the excess material at deck level of the Hull. With 1.5mm thick ABS this is quite a job especially considering that the boat measures around 2.8 Metres all around. I used a Stanley knife to remove the bulk of the material followed by different sized files to trim to size. This process takes a lot of care so that not too much material is removed. The hull has a rather crude sort of line to work to but I think I will put more reliance on my eye and a two foot steel rule. I still have a little filing of the edges to do before I will be completely happy as this edge will be visible on the completed model. According to the instructions my next stage is to fit the rudders, motors and prop shafts. A job for next week.

01 Introduction Again after the finishing of the Vintage Model Works Police Boat I decided to have a go at their latest offering which is a 36 inch Marlin Cabin Cruiser This model was originally an important model release for Vernon, being the first of its kits that was really large enough to take the bulky radio control gear of the day. It appeared in 1953 at 72s/11d (£94 today) and was reviewed in the November Model Maker who found the design, with its rounded cabin and open front cockpit, the 'nicest looking power boat yet kitted'. It was for 1cc to 5cc diesel power or a large electric motor such as the 12V Taycol Super marine.

Wind farms in early stages in waters south of Martha’s Vineyard in Massachusetts. Seemed appropriate to make a guess about work vessels they might use.Blount Boatyard in Warren, Rhode Island has contracted with Vineyard Wind for construction of two CTVs. Not sure that one will be of what I am building but pressing ahead anyway. First photo is of the vessel I am generally constructing. It is a cat while mine is a blunt bowed workboat. Otherwise I will use it for overall reference using Blount’s GA drawing.

This is the story of Albert, a pond yacht made by an uncle in 1926 and given to me in 1959. The photos show how she looks now, and how it was in 2018 when I started a major restoration and rebuild. You can imagine the language when suddenly my yacht morphed from a hull to a few bits of firewood. In coming posts I will describe and show the history of Albert. Keep watching.....

Just having a play with an idea for a model of a early Russian KS 100D general purpose work boat. These were used for river work towing logs etc in shallow rivers . The water jet is unusual, as it has a rear shute with twin rudder type deflectors, and rear hull side ports for reverse (independent controls for each port). Someone on the site mentioned a steam powered water pump driven ship from the 1800s ? a while back on the site which used a similar principal. The boats were made by the Yaroslavl shipyard, and were very common in the late 50s till (I think) the 70s. Not much info on them but a few guys have rebuilt old ones for pleasure boats. They have a speed of around 16-18knts and used a Yamz 170hp V8 diesel. I've contacted (YT) a guy who has rebuilt one of these boats, and he has fitted the V6 version of this engine. My attempt is not like the original, as there is no info on the complicated internal deflector system, so I've gone with the next best thing using modified electrical conduit fittings with flap valves. Seems to work ok, but not sealed yet so leaks like a sieve. I'd use a 26mm jet unit for the pump in front of the unit. I'll have to reduce the diameter of the side outlets to get more force behind the jets. Might have to fit the unit in a waterproof tray with a bilge pump. as I think, even though it will be sealed, it will still leak slightly round the 3 shafts. https://youtu.be/7Lgb7hH6ln8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=altwiMdZlIA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yWSI8moMeZg&t=33s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=87PsJVdPNhE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CQ3U7XmeG1A (similar later model showing manoeuvrability) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hblw4_44FB8 The big lid on the jet is for clearing weed or similar which might get into the unit.

Two or three years ago an older modeler passed on and left his tools, parts and pieces behind. As is often the case, the son had little interest in the hobby so advertised the items for sale. I don't remember where I even saw the ad, but responded more out of curiosity than anything else. The son and I corresponded via email a few times with him sending images of box-lots of what was available, Towards the end of our correspondence he mentioned there was a boat hull that he knew nothing about, but apparently had not generated any interest and I could have it for a few dollars and shipping. I didn't need another hull and particularly didn't need a 'glass lapstrake boat, but thought it might be worth something down-stream as trading material, or someone may want it. The alternative was it would end up in a New Jersey landfill. ️ I received it about a week later, checked it out, and shelved it in the "stash" group. A while ago I was idly thumbing through a book with page after page of study plans and blew by a launch-type hull that was carvel planked. A couple of days later the plan resurfaced in my mind's eye and I looked it up again and thought the 'glass hull in a 1:8 scale would be close enough to loosely emulate these lines. The inspiration drawings were drawn by a fellow named Nelson Zimmer out of the greater Detroit MI area. My apologies to Mr. Zimmer as I've taken some subtle liberties with his drawing, all the while keeping the basic profile of his design. His title for the boat was "Utility Launch" at 23'3" and the hull I have is 35". Close enough for my purposes. In this opening "chapter' I have drilled the shaft log hole, determined the log angle, and built a platform for the motor and drive pulley. Given enough room I like the timing belt method of propulsion as they're not real particular about alignment, (that's not to say some care isn't necessary to set up the drive,) they just seem to be quieter, plus one can experiment with different pulleys to come to a good efficient RPM for the propeller. Photos: 1. A cursory general beginning. 2. determining that everything is "on the level." (This of course starts with the bench the build is on) 3. The propulsion will be a six volt system. One larger battery didn't fit well anywhere in the hull given the open midships area, so I tried two smaller batts in the ends which will be hooked up in parallel. There was some ballast required anyway, so doing a tub test proved this a viable solution. 4, 5, & 6. The forward and main bulkheads. After the time invested in these, I decided both need some modifications. Once the forward deck is in place retrieving the forward battery can be done through the hatch, but it would have been tight with the middle open cockpit benches, flooring, and "stuff". Keeping in mind this was only a 23' launch the 1:1 main bulkhead was originally designed with the bi-fold doors as shown which was a help to access the engine. I'm thinking of reconfiguring this arrangement as well. I'd name this "Knot Likely", but it's knot a speed likely boat...

As I can't build at the moment due to the recent surgery I have had on my right hand but as I can type with two fingers. One on the left hand and one on my right hand I thought I would start a new blog on the Bob-About and show what I had achieved just prior to my surgery. As a beginner to RC boats, apart from boats with motors I wanted to try my hand (if you pardon the pun) at RC sailing. Not in competition but as a leisure pursuit. It was recommended to me that I might like to build the Footy and/or the Wee Nip so I purchased both. I decided to start with the Footy because being small I thought that it would be easy to build as a first sailboat for a person who, although had experience of building static display ships and had just finished building Aeronaut's cabin cruiser Diva, had no knowledge of sailboats and the sailing terminology. I was wrong. On receiving the kit I found the instructions which were on both sides of an A4 size piece of paper very limited for the novice and also poorly written. The plans that also came with the kit were comprehensive but not aimed at the beginner. I did point this out to SLEC and asked if they had other details and perhaps more photographs than were printed on the instruction sheet that they could email. Their reply was that the plans and written details were all they had been given when they took on the selling rights. The copyright of the plans were given in 2002 some 20 odd years ago. So I felt that an update was long overdue. When I commenced the build the first problem I encountered was building the hull which I eventually overcame with the help of forum members but as I progressed I could see that with my lack of understanding and the very poor instructions added to my frustrations and I was in danger of giving up and throwing the thing out the window! Well, with further discussions with SLEC they answered my queries and sent me some photographs that they had taken to help me which I was very grateful. I was now able to complete the building of the hull. Install the rudder tube and the tube to take the mast. Once the adhesive had cured I gave the hull three coats of sander sealer. When that was dry I installed the angled tube at the stern to take the cable and cord to control the sails and the servos were fitted in place. The boat now sits waiting for me to start fitting the rigging and sails when I can use my right hand. That in turn will be the next challenge as I have no clue what to do! Hopefully, in the first couple of weeks of April my hand will be healed enough for me to start again. Greg

Hi All, just thought I'd share a few picks of my current build. The kit is the M.V. Dante by Deans Marine. The kit is a representation of a fire/rescue boat serving the Euro-Holland port. Interesting first for me is using the guts of two standard servos as the motors for the props.

I decided as an interesting subject to purchase the MOD Police Launch kit which measures only 400mm long. The kit was inexpensive and I thought as a beginner it would be a nice motor driven model to add to the Aeronaut cabin cruiser Diva I had finished building. Like the Bob-About that I have today started a build blog on I started this kit just prior to having surgery on my right hand. When I kit was delivered I was pleased at the contents of the box. Everything was there and the parts were nicely cut ready to be removed from the ply sheets. One thing I have to say is that the instruction booklet although well laid out with stage completion tick boxes I did not think that the drawings were very clear and helpful. So unfortunately I made a mistake when constructing the hull putting the transom at the wrong angle. I realized that I had a problem when I came to fit the radio tray. The part appeared to be too small and would not fit correctly. My added problem was that I did not know what I had done wrong. I contacted WMBC by email and explained my problem. I backed that up with photographs of the hull frames that I had so far put together. The person who replied said that they did not think they could help but said that they would send me another part so I could make a larger part from the one I had and the being sent that would fit. When the part arrived I made the part and fitted it and moved on only to find that the next part was also too small and would not fit. I contact WMBC again but they were not helpful. Now all this time this was going on I did not know that I had made a mistake. I believed the kit parts to be at fault. Following the lack of help I posted my problem on the forum with the photographs I had sent to WMBC. Fortunately dave976 came to my rescue pointing out that he could see from the same pictures I had sent to WMBC that I had fitted the transom incorrectly. Having found out my mistake I was able to order another part to replace the one I had altered on advice from WMBC. I am now waiting for the part to be delivered, and like the Footy, when my hand is useable again I can continue with the build so there will be more to follow in the future. Greg

My shed developed a small leak that damaged my Sea Commander. The water delaminated the ply used for the cabin sides. Fortunately just forrard of the cockpit so I was able to just cut out and replace both sides. So far I have removed the sides and the sprung veneer planks on one side of the front roof. I also need to replace some planks on the other two roofs hopefully by just removing and replacing the sprung planks. I am using two sheets of 1/16 ply for the sides as this will allow me to recess the windows by cutting the apertures wider on the cabin insides. Next job is to mark out the windows and cut to size. I can then use the inner apertures to mark and cut the new clear acrylic sheet. The wood glue I had has not stored well since I last managed to do any building so I am awaiting a delivery from Amazon with fresh supplies. Pics of progress to date. I will add to the post as I complete further. dave976

Hi One and All Now that I have finished the Wacht am Rhein I need a new project, I have the MMM Lady "T" that I have had so long that Nelson had both eye's when I got her, but I fell that some thing that will not take me a year or two to finish is needed, so I have decided to start on the Guardsman, again this will not be a step by step build just me rambling along doing my thing. Fred

I am building a Graupner Adolph Bermpohl does anyone have one as I need some help with the mechanism for the rear opening stern.

Hi all... A while back I was given two Atlantic "Tugs" (by separate people). One was in very good condition (but with the old FM radio) which I passed on to another member and the other is the subject for this post. These Atlantic "tugs" [sic] have a very toy like design, especially the hull's gunwale (curve) when viewed from the side. That being said, I would like to restore it, probably to another type boat as I don't want to start cutting the gunwale. to flatten it some. Now the condition of everything is fair and the hull is pretty solid. (The hole in the bow area is a chop job done by the previous owner to install a bow thruster.) Everything is dirty bun ca be cleaned up. It is missing the wheelhouse. I would like to re-use (modify?) the superstructure. So, here's where all of you come in. Given the shape of the hull and structure, do any of you have any ideas what this could be made into based on a real boat's looks? (If there are any real tugs in the style/looks, could you pass that info on to me?) Thanks, Lew

Originally scratch built in 1:50 scale using plans drawn from photographs. Obtained copy of Constructors Drawings to verify dimensions and details (dated 1959) and completed 4 more display models (scratch built). Rescaled all my drawings and plans to 1:32 scale. Computer Designed and 3D Resin printed all fittings (winch, portholes, anchors etc.) verifying accuracy against photographs and drawing supplied by current restorers of actual vessel (Villiersdorp Vintage Tractor and Engine Club). Designed and produced 2 1:32 Scale Model Kits (including hull, laser cut structural elements, all fittings etc.). I've just completed a "proof build" on one of the kits to verify accuracy and fit of all components.

Well, here goes part one of my build blog on constructing the the Cabin Cruiser Diva. As this is my first ever build blog if I'm doing something wrong please let me know. I am 74 years old and have been building period static display ships, other models and model railways for some time. A few weeks before the end of 2022 I decided that before it was too late I would like to build a RC boat and a RC powered glider. I contacted Cornwall Model Boats who I have used for some time now and they recommended the Diva as a good model to start with as a novice. When I received the kit I first found that the components in the box did not match up with instructions. The kit is made by the German company Aeronaut and is distributed in the UK by Caldercraft. Because the original instructions are in German Caldercraft provide in the box a set of instructions translated into English. I said above that the components in the box were not matching up to the instructions. What I did not know until I contacted Caldercraft that Aeronaut had changed many of the parts and had produced a new set of instructions to match and had not told Caldercraft. Caldercraft sent me the new translation as a PDF file and all was well. So if anyone purchases this kit in the future check what instructions you have in the box. Although Caldercraft sent me the file they did say that the new instructions can be found online. The instructions are a Google translation which I have found in the past is not always so good but I found the translated instructions fairly easy to understand with some having to be read a few times to understand what was meant. I did get stuck on one of the instructions which I put down to old age because I just could not get it to formulate in my brain. Having said that, I was very lucky have made contact with the forum member Martin555 who took a look at the instructions and gave me a very good explanation of what I had to do. So if anyone else wants to build this model and gets to instruction number 11 and gets stuck send me a message and I'll happily help you out (or past you on to Martin ) I have found the build so far interesting and rewarding. The frames or bulkheads were easy to assemble as there is a jig provided with the kit to hold the frames whilst glue dries and other parts are added. Once a certain stage has been reached the jig is discarded and the build continues whilst the hull is support on the stand provided which also has to be assembled. You will see from the photographs the some of the various stages I have completed. I installed the motor and the propeller and shaft the other day. The motor has be purchased separately to the kit. The motor is held in place by two screws and the shaft is positioned from beneath the hull. I did find that I had to adjust by filing the entry whole in the underside of the hull to get the correct angle so the shaft and motor were in a straight line. Once that was done the shaft is fixed in place using Epoxy Resin glue. When the glue had cured which was about 16 hours I removed the motor from it's housing and then applied two coats of sander sealer to the inside of the hull to waterproof it as per the instructions. My next job over the next few days is to reinstall the motor and fit the support parts for the remaining electrics and the rudder housing. Once they are done I will let you know how I got on. Greg

I know this is not the normal build on this site but I thought if y'all want to see it I will keep posting. This is a replica of a boat that raced here locally (Louisville, KY). I grew up on the Ohio river about an hour from the Madison Indiana Regatta (unlimited hydros). So not only did we have drag boats but the big boys too! A lot of sport boating, a few sailing yachts, cabin cruisers and of course House boats ( have one in the works soon). As a young man I got to ride in all of them. But I was so impressed with these old flat bottoms . ( Talk about brass balls) I have had this Idea of a real V-drive setup in my head so I'ma try to work that out. Found this transfer case from a 1/8 monster truck. I think I can make it work. Working in 1/6 scale. I sourced a Hemi engine. 4074 brushless 6s setup? Thanks to all on this site for being friendly and helpful. I really love the diverse subjects. Thanks, Dave (RR)

I have had an interest in Dunkirk Little Ships since assisting a very good friend to move his from Cookham nr Maidenhead down the Thames through the City of London to Sheerness and out into the North Sea and up to Lowestoft and into Oulton. The trip which took several days is one of the most memorable of my life. When looking for a new project and with 1/24 plans available for Bluebird of Chelsea which is also a Dunkirk Little Ship I decided to attempt this as my next build. She was built in the early 1930`s for Malcolm Campbell the holder of many speed records on land and water and was 52ft long 11ft 4in beam 4ft 6in draught and displacement of 23.4 tons, powered by twin Perkins diesels. She was restored after a busy life including sterling work off the Dunkirk beaches during the WW11. If I can do the model justice she should be an absolute beauty to build. I have made a start in the usual way by cutting the frames and starting the old favourite plank on frame. Lots to do but the right time to get started. Regards ChrisG

This is a well known kit and there are plenty of examples to be found via a search of the internet. This kit was acquired via a friend from a person who had bought it but it was never started. The original purchaser had also obtained two servos and had kindly printed off the English version of the instructions. The pictures show the progress so far, more can be found @ https://building-katie.blogspot.com/2023/02/

Update March 3rd

Picked up a free hull it was a Dumas Boat SKDADDLE- Too was a high-speed racing model boat The model was designed for a gas motor & outrigger prop. I'm not a real fan of high-speed model boats so decided to make an old-style runabout So removed 2 inches down the center to make hull width 9 in. down from a width of 11 in. Next gluing two parts together & raising the sides a couple of inches higher. I know some will thing I should have kept it as SKDADDLE- Too but you got to do what you feel is a better model.

Hi y’all. I was lucky enough to sell a few kits I decided not to build, I got them over the past couple of years doing trades with my local club members. This allowed me to buy a few things for myself for Christmas without touching the family budget, and we could splurge a bit more on family and friends. Of course, there’s no surprise, but then again its easier on my wife…she jumped thru hoops one year to get me a PAW diesel when I was still flying. She said it was an “adventure”.. Anyway, once everything was said and done I had an Aeronaut Kalle under the tree. I resisted the temptation to look at the kit before Christmas morning, and told myself I’d start on it later in the new year. Yep, 3 days after Christmas I had her on the bench. I’m an addict… The Kalle is a nice kit. There’s some decent fittings, the wood is good, the hull, deck, part of the superstructure and deck are molded well from abs. It really and truly looks like a beginners kit, but there’s more to meet the eye with the Kalle. First thing I did was to cut the superstructure and bulwarks away from the molding. They are molded as one u it, and Aeronaut has very specific instructions on this procedure so the builder doesn’t cut off what looks like scrap. I rough trimmed the plastic parts for the time being. The next step was to laminate and glue up the keel…and this is where I start to deviate from the instructions. You see, this kit is an original Kalle, which has been superseded by the Kalle II. The plans on my kit show a captured rudder, where the KalleII has a removable shoe. I decided to mod my keel to the later variant. I made that decision AFTER gluing the keel to the hull. It would have been easier to effect this change if the keel want glued on, but I have a Dremel…..I turned out better than I had hoped. With the shoe cut out I built up the rudder and did a kind of hybrid install between my kit and the new variant. I also countersunk the screw holes I drilled for the shoe attach screws. Once I had everything jigged up I went ahead and installed the rudder tube. The rudder is wood, I think I’m going to glass it for a better, sturdier finish. I then turned my attention to the tube and motor mount. This is where it get interesting, the plans show a box frame installed in the hull, and a geared brushed motor bolted down to a lower plate. The newer kit includes a bulkhead mount for mounting either a brushed motor or brushless outrunner. The wood parts in my kit included that mount. There’s no mention of this part in either th instructions or plans, and in the call out illustration that part is not shown in the frame sheet…but it’s there. So..I went that route. The motor I’m using is the same one I used in my Taucher, a Zippkits 650KV 36 mm outrunner. This is a good motor, pleanty of power without the usual higher RPM one usually sees in motors this size.I built up the frame with the bulkhead mount, and used the motor to jig up the stuffing box. Once I was satisfied with the alignment I epoxied everything down, then built a servo mount on the side of the frame for the rudder servo. The receiver and esc will be Velcro mounted to opposite sides. I then uninstalled the electronics so I could give the wood parts a coat of waterproof finish. That’s where I’m at now, next go-around I’ll reinstall my electrics then start the deck install, then I have to plank the deck. Cash

I was going to put this on the project shelf and look at it later in the year, but it has proven difficult not to pick it up, plot and scheme so it looks like this one will join the Eventide and Crash Tender on the bench. I found this advertised on a Facebook group for sale as a project and liked the look of it and thought the waterjet might be something different to play with. Also there is a bit of a family connection as my father served in RAF Gan where the sister ship 2748 was based, so at one point was thinking this one would be model of 2748 in the white tropical paint scheme. The hull has been built well, and most of the superstructure is complete, there’s a box full of bits and pieces so I think everything is there to finish the boat, if not I have now have a load of timber in stock left over from other projects. Turns out that the original RTTL 2748 has been restored, though currently has no interior and is about 4 miles away from me. She was also based at RAF Mount Batten (not far from where is is currently in Plymouth) in the 1950s, so a both local and family connection As the Kitshack 28" RTTL was very similar, if not identical to the Veron kit so I made contact with Phil Smith's son who has the archive of the Phil Smith designs including the boats he produced for Veron. I now have the full set of plans, templates and build instructions. So, the plan is to now build the model to be 2748 from the mid 1950s before the addition of the centre roof, as she would have been when towing targets from Plymouth. Many thanks to those responding to my thread on the forum about the boat, particularly to RichardH and dave976 for letting me have lots of information on RTTLs. Having spent the last few days immersed in the research phase I can't wait to get started. The first job has to be to remove the waterjet and make good the hull so I can fit the propshaft, rudder and keel.

started the building a few months ago. The after cabin with the heli pad is almost finished.Origanaly there no lamps fitted on the pad. I also found an helicopter at the same scale 1/32 which fits quite nicely. The mast is completely luminated and the tw radars are functional as well as thefirefighting hose. The bowthruster is installed as well as the 3 motors. linked to two ESC. The little boat is almost finished and in the stage that it needs to be painted. Pictures will folloxw as the building progresses.

I will, most likely, have to rename this Blog, at some point. In the mean time...please do not expect much for a while as she is in her very early stages. First a disclosure: This hull was built for me by another gentleman. It was delivered in a not quite completed state. Therefore I have spent the last two month working on it to get to it's present state. So.. what is it? She is one of four ships in a class that was later enlarged to around eight maybe ten members of the class. Her main armament was eight 5"/38 caliber twin turrets. She and her class namesake sister were both lost during the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal. This ship is most noted due to the loss of an entire generation of one family, five brothers. This should be enough for identification. She is being built in my preferred scale, 1/48th or 1/4"=1'. This ship was used for numerous camouflage scheme experiments and, sadly, there is little definitive documentation to pinpoint her second to last and last schemes carried. That said, my plan, subject to change without notice or reason, is to present her as she appeared following her New York Navy Yard overhaul, or perhaps as she may have appeared after repainting in Placentia Bay NewFoundland, 1942. She measures out to 11' 3" and her power plant is to be two 24 volt Buehler motors. Pictures of her and the build to follow. Wish me luck please, she will not fit in my van....

Saw this on eBay I thought it might be a fun thing to build in my spare time and for £6 you can't go wrong. The kit was supplied with laser cut parts, a set of of plastic gears and a small brushed motor. The power comes from a 3.7v 25c 380mAh battery (this isn't part of the kit though ) It took me around 4 hours to build and after the glue had set the whole of the boat had a coat of Eze-Kote resin to make it waterproof. Sailing the boat was fun although it made a mess with the paddle throwing water everywhere.

I have been asked by Mike (on this forum) on how I made the fish net for my trawler, so I decided to enter this in a build blog for anyone else to view. Building a trawler was not one of my priorities in building RC scale model boats. However I came across a deal I could not pass up and this partially built boat (33-inch long Artesania Latina “Helen”) was part of the package. Despite the tall masts and netting, this is a very good sailing boat, forward and backward. I renamed the boat “Elena” with “H-103” as the registry number simulating that it would be out of Hull Harbor, U.K. When I decided to continue the build (after some de-construction) from the deck up, I also looked into similar real boats off the east coast of the U.K. I downloaded photos and information on how these drag trawlers operated and the type of nets and equipment on board. (I am not a commercial fisherman so I’m sure someone will correct me here.) It looked like this type of trawler is called a “beam trawler” where the boom holds the horizontal “beam” that spreads the net apart. The net is open on the front end with the top edge strung with floats (here, beads) and the bottom edge with weights (here small fishing line sinkers). The top edge is pretty much aligned with the beam and the bottom edge is longer so it allows the net to open. My understanding is that this type of trawler would lower the net in shallow water and drag the net along the bottom. I started with using wedding veil material for the net. Probably should have used a darker color but my choice was limited, so we have a “new” net. As the net would be scrunched up on the deck it made no sense to make it too long. The bottom end is just folded and the sides are hand stitched. Supporting lines were added to the top and bottom leading edges to “strengthen” the net as well as hold the floats and weights. All the rigging is different with emphasis on making this look like a working boat. This includes numerous blocks and tackle. A few markers (floats, photo 7) are on the deck as they were commonly used. The three man crew (Tamiya 1/20 scale pit crew) seems to be handling everything well. The fish are a combination of plastic fish (photo 6) supplemented by some that I printed on my color printer and laminated with a little filler in-between to give the depth. For anyone interested I have a 2015 "on board" video on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qxh6vW4SbOc . Lew

This boat was made from the first batch of models in the 1960 it's well built and along the way has lost a few white metal parts and middle floor section and the odd dinged from storage.the boat was never finished as its maker went on to other projects I got as far as testing it in bath doesn't leak so now we will start on its rebuild Neil very kindly me sent me the plans for the boat and i have acquired set of scaled down 43 inch plans to 34 so that helps a bit

Time for a new scratch built boat. A couple of years ago I built 'Scullduggery' a scratch built rowing boat manned by Bionic Bill and Ben. https://model-boats.com/blogs/68795 Scullduggery is always well received when Bill and Ben are out rowing on the lake, so I've decided to have a go at building something similar, this time a kayak. After a bit of research, I came across a book by Nick Schade which describes in great detail how to build a full sized wooden strip kayak. There are several instructional videos by Nick on YouTube. There is also a company in Cumbria (https://www.fyneboatkits.co.uk/ ) who offer kits to build full sized kayaks based on the designs in the book. The photo of the full sized kayak is from their website. The book includes tables of offsets for three different kayak designs. Using these offsets it is possible to draw up a set of plans. Entering all the figures from these offset tables into a spreadsheet makes it relatively easy to change the scale of the plans, but what scale to use? The scale for Scullduggery was determined by the scale of the readily available Action man figures used for the crew i.e. 1/6th scale. Why not use the same scale for the kayak? One concern is the load carrying capacity of the model kayak as well as it's stability on the water. The full sized kayak has a maximum loaded all up weight specification of 160kgs. This equates to only 740g for a 1/6th scale model. Not very much for the complete model including the paddler and radio gear, servos, battery, etc. Using a larger scale of 1/5th for the model improves the all up weight target to 1.28kg which may be more achievable. At 1/5th scale, the completed model will be 39" (986mm) long with a beam of 4.8" (120mm). Using a 1/6th scale figure as the paddler should not look out of place. As I did with the rowing boat, before starting construction of the hull, I want to be confident that I can build a mechanism that will drive the kayak, provide realistic looking paddle movement, fit inside the hull, and not weigh too much. So that is the next step.

This is a model originally produced by Robbe but has now been reintroduced by Krick. I have read the instructions from start to finish. I will repeat that for those dis-believers. I have read the instructions from start to finish. It appears to be a relatively easy build with a little interest in the handrails. I am sure there will be plenty to stumble on along the way. I wanted a model that was completely different to Dusseldorf which is highly technical using 16 channels to operate. This model only uses two. I might add a couple as I go to add a little more interest. The model looks of a high standard of quality. My model came complete with the brushless motor and cooling coil. I cannot find this anywhere else on the web. The motor is enormous. If it performs like it looks, I think I had better add a pair of wings to the boat. I have made a start on the model by making the stand. In true form, Krick had produced quite a nice stand but had no chance of surviving the build without falling apart. It is made up of two nicely vac formed ends with plywood glued to each side. I constructed the stand as instructed and when the glue had dried, I drilled additional holes in each corner and added SS nuts bolts and washers. It looks and feels a lot stronger now. I probably will not do much on this one for a few weeks as I want to finish the Police Launch and progress the Dusseldorf to a point where the majority of the painting is complete before the good weather disappears.

It has been a bit from my last build(s) …and after a short break of building other kits non-RC and not boat related I have thrown myself into another build after my efforts on the RC conversion of Lindbergh’s Blue Devil Destroyer, a Fletcher class and odd scale are proving to require much more thought to get it to run to a satisfactory to my liking …it is a very narrow hull and much to top heavy to the point where my last outing with her bring her in was more akin to beaching a fish she laid on her side …. Enough on that ,I was able to get an Italeri S-38 kit from my local hobby shop , and looking through my reference book on schnellboots , S91 caught my eye . This is a S38 type refitted with an armored kalotte. I am disappointed in Italeri on two reasons, the first is my fault in not understanding how to get or buy extra and or replacement parts for their kits ….I am at a loss as to how to work through their system ? …second is that the S38 does not have the standard armament of the mid ship Zwillingssockel of twin MG’s for aircraft defense, but they do include the later bow tube gun …Luckily, ICM does have a 1/35 scale of this mount as a kit , very detailed , at at the very limits of my ability due to my disability and lack of feeling in my hands . …I close with a few pictures and will answer why I am building the S91 as I am …much is due to the experience I gained in the long build of my S100…