Well in-between the recycling project and HMS Nelson, I've been toying with the idea of Noah's Ark. Initially I'd created one out of cardboard and coffee stirrers according to the biblical dimensions and when building in N gauge worked out to be approximately 1m or 3'in old money. The idea at the time was for the door to open and for an elephant to be on the inside. The main "house"would lift off and offer an inside view of holding pens etc and underneath that would be the rc. So anyway, I decided to make a start. Firstly a suitable donor was required. Decided that a scratch built aircraft carrier that I no longer sail was ideal. As you can see, the size is comparable - a little longer than required but this can be cut back and reshaped. Hull to deck level on both vessels is roughly the same. Many different descriptions of the Ark are out there, I'm with a little "artistic licence "going to curve in both ends as this appears to be a somewhat favoured view. The propulsion method is via two motors which were fixed to the underside of the original aircraft carrier. When I did sail this, it created very little wake which is ideal as of course Noah's Ark had no propulsion of any kind. However, that sort of defeats the object for using at the club. It's a bit of fun, so I'll see how it goes.

Scratch build the ship I was on in 1965-67. I purchased a hill from scale shop yard in California. Covid held up making it n delivery. I have it and it’s perfect. I’ll publish bits as I do them. I gathered all data from my past n all online. I’m building it as it left upgrading at Charlestown ship yards in Boston. I have a hull so first thing is put in formers n stiffen the hull so I can install the deck. First thing done was do a fast sand to get the top of the walls flat. I’m adding carbon fiber cross frames and added rear torpedo ports. These ports were to allow the ship to torpedo without turning around. Never got used as far as I knew. I also made formers from fiberglass sheets left over from my gyrocopter where I added a body shell. I was advised by manufacturer that expansion rates in the sun could cause cracking of joints. So carbon fiber n fiberglass are similar to the hull. Once formers epoxied in I will start the deck with its opening for equipment. Here is pic of real ship rear n the model. I used hatches from Polaris missile plastic sub kit. I also will start on the stand for the ship to rest on. I used cardboard to make patterns fir formers and stand. I’ll post more

I thought I would put together a video on this title. It follows the concept of making something travel a linear distance with limit stops on both ends. The belt and pulleys are from an old HP inkjet printer. (Lots of usable parts in these discarded printers.) This Springer is based on a real boat using four photographs. Enjoy! Lew Florida, USA https://youtu.be/ny1ukVCP4Gc?si=VifrtoZ9wqx6hixZ

Hey guys, I finally got a good start on my Dumas Typhoon in 1/10 scale. This kit builds up in 2 halves which is kind of different. Although I had my doubts about alignment it came together nicely. I will update when I can, I am going to take my time on this one. I plan to use a 3660 2200KV brushless motor and 60A esc (I have on the shelf). Is water cooling absolutely necessary? I have a fan for the esc and a heat sink for the motor. Any input is helpful. Thanks RR

Hi After sorting out the rudders I fitted the rear deck, I then moved on and fitted the for-deck, now we all know about saying measure and measure again then cut, well I did just that and yes I had made the cutout in the for-deck too small by 1/2 an inch in length, I only found this out when I started to make the for-deck housing. I had to do the for-deck housing so the I could work out just were to fit the smoke stack housing as I have no plans for this boat, so all measurement's are taken from all the old deck's and deck housings. All the best Fred

My first official job, when I was 16, was working on the construction of the Baltimore Clipper schooner Pride of Baltimore. On my 21st birthday I reported on board as a member of the crew. After that I acquired the plans from Thomas Gilmer who designed the vessel, with the intent to build an RC model. After a false start then, I changed the scale and started again in September of 2010. The model represents the boat as she was when I was crewing aboard her in September-October 1981. I had a certification from the National Park Service to handle black powder cannon, so I was put in charge of Pride's guns which was handy when we went to the bicentennial of the Siege of Yorktown, what it really meant is I slept with 25pds of black powder at the foot on my bunk. I cooked right along with construction while also working on Constellation and starting a third model, until July of 2012. She was basically a static display model since then, with an attempt to work out her controls that didn't work out in 2015. Trying to set up her steering uncovered a design flaw that I resolved by moving the rudder servo forward. Life has a habit of getting in the way of my hobbies, and several changes in jobs and homes put a damper on all three models. She's pretty much just sat till now, going on display a few times, getting floated in a pool in 2019 and capsizing, which was a bit eerie considering the fate of the original. The model is 1:20 scale making her Hull length: 54" (137.16cm) Length on deck: 48" (121.9cm) Length on waterline w/o rudder: 46.75" (118.75cm) Length over the rig: 81.5" (207cm) Beam: 13.625" (34.6cm) Draft without ballast keel: 5.875" (14.9cm) Total height (top of jack-yard to bottom of keel): 61.6" (156.5cm) Total Sail area: 2,049.13 square inches in 7 sails as shown above, 2,205.13 with the flying jib. Her keel is plywood and she was planked with white pine strips over plywood forms, which were removed. The hull has a layer of 4oz glass cloth and poly resin outside, and several coats of just resin inside. As mentions she capsized in the pool when a slight gust caught her, despite being weighted to the waterline. She's designed to have a removable fin with a lead bulb making up most of her ballast, but that hasn't been made yet, so it wasn't fitted in the pool that day. Her lower masts are white pin made with the "birds-mouth" method so they're hollow and weigh next to nothing, but are strong. Sails are made of a Dupont cloth called Supplex which is a polyester that makes excellent sails. All lines will be nylon or polyester Dacron walked up from thread acquired from a sail-maker's supplier. All the sails have bolt-ropes hand-sewn on. There's no stitching to represent seams because I think it looks like crap, and it's a lot of work to do to ruin your sails. The seam lines on Pride are drawn on on with an .005 permanent marker. Originally her controls were going to be a Mega-arm sail servo and a winch servo, with the winch driving a loop. That was changed to two arm servo controlling my Semaphore-Sheeting system used successfully in Constellation for the over-lapping heads'ls. That wasn't going to work on Pride mostly because space limitations (vertically inside the hull). A friend recently launched his four foot schooner in which he used two winch-driven loops to control the sails. It's success, especially with the over-lapping jib, got me re-thinking Pride controls and reverting to the loop-sail-control system, with changes. So I'm working on the model again, this time removing everything inside the hull. I removed the motor and my homemade 1 inch prop because there's no way that little prop can over-power all that sail in the lightest of wind. The rudder servo will be moved aft of where the motor was and be accessible through the cabin hatch. One winch will be mounted where the motor was, under the engine hatch, just aft of the mainmast, and another winch will be mounted just aft of the foremast and be accessible through the main hatch. This is where things stand at the moment (June 25 2022). The pic with the gun is a 3D printed test of a gun for my Macedonian model (1:36 scale) which seems to be just right for the 1:20 scale Pride, which will benefit from 3D printing with guns, gunport lids, a much crisper name board on her stern, along with the Baltimore emblem that was back there. The last pic is the actual boat in the Pacific in 1982. I edited in the main tops'l to show the rig I plan to set. She also had a ringtail, stuns'ls, and a main topmast stays'l, none of which I plan to use. Hopefully, this approach to her controls will work out and I can actually get her sailing at last.

As I promised here is where I am with the build of my Veron Titan Tug

Hi Guys, I am building a Clyde Puffer (electrically powered) and am wondering if anyone that has built this model knows of a suitable sound system that could reproduce the original steam engine sound. Cheers, Ian

Started to scratch build a police boat back in March, build so far. Have now started on the superstructure, so more pictures to follow.

Hi y’all. I’ve temporarily put the Antje aside for reasons that I stated in the build blog and started on a Billings Banckert. I originally bought the kit for a very good price off EBay ( yes that still happens!!), then added it to my stash. I haven’t had it long when one of my “trading partners”, Fred, started eyeballing it. Long story short he had it about a year, decided to thin out his stash, and brought the Banckert along with 2 other kits I had traded him and made a trade back for a kit I had in my possession….so I decided to start her before she got traded again!! Now…it’s a Billings kit. Good quality parts, nice laser cutting, good brass, slightly confusing instructions with hardly any measurements or written details. It’s like my Taucher, you just have to think a few steps ahead. Unlike the Taucher, the kits parts are marked with drill holes and the like, so each step, from what I can tell, Billings wants you to dry fit the parts and see how they fit in relation to each other..which you should do anyway, but their kits seem to be engineered to encourage this. Now, there is no suggestions on power, battery, etc..there is a box fwd of the fwd bulkhead for the receiver. That’s it. Also, no useable tiller nor is there mention of one. So here goes The first thing I did was to cut out the hull and deck, making careful note of what to leave via the pics in the manual. I then added the floor, 2 bulkheads, and the stuffing box support. I then tackled the stuffing box and the rudder/ Kort nozzle setup. The Kort nozzle is suppose to be held in place with 1 screw and the bottom shoe. The rudders are May of ply halves that you’re supposed to grind away enough material to allow room for the rudder shaft. I did mine out of layered balsa, sanded and lightly glassed them. I then decided, fatefully, to build the whole assembly up and bond every thing in place..this necessitated having the prop installed, as it will be a real pain to replace with the whole works glued together…however, if I damage that prop it’ll probably mean the Kort nozzles toast too, so there that. I decided to use an old Hitec HS81mg for the helm, as it has enough torque for the job and has metal gears too. It’s also in a semi bad place, but where it sits I have a straight shot to the tiller, and works perfectly. Power is being handled by a HobbyWing 30 amp brushless esc and a 28 mm 880kv motor. I made a ply/plastic mount out of scrap. I’ll have good access to the motor, tiller, and electronics, the servo will likely be a little hard to get to but not impossible, and the prop/Kort/rudders have “no user serviceable parts” Thats where I’m at now. I have to make sure I get my battery setup just right as the fwd hatch is narrow, so my choice of battery might be a little limited, but I have options. After that’s all completed, and if I feel I have enough room to easily ballast the boat with the deck on, then my next step is to secure the deck to the hull. Cash

Many of us have seen or heard of the "Springer" push boat (a.k.a., tug, truckable boat, etc.). Most of them are not scale models but still built to the enjoyment of the owner. This blog deals with how I build "Springers" to look like a scale model of some real boats. I will deal with some of the issues as well as ideas for searching for you own "scale model Springer". Follow this blog as I build my latest "Springer", a US Army Corps of Engineers truckable push boat working at the Little Goose Dam in Washington State where it moves river debris to the "stoplog" gates. Lew Florida, USA Here is the introduction video: https://youtu.be/bZZJOWAsU0Y

After weeks of waiting for the kit to be delivered from Italy I re-ordered instead from Cornwall Model Boats and received it next day. The box was smaller than the one for my Riva but at a quick glance all the parts seem to be there. Now that I have received the kit for this motor sailor I can start to plan how to attach a detachable keel and a detachable extension to the rudder. There is an optional motorisation pack available which uses one motor but drives two props through a gear system. Myself and Roycv are thinking of using 2 separate motors but I'll check space available. Not sure whether with potentially 3 sails we can get away with one winch because it looks like space is at a premium. I must say the Amati Italian Runabout kit had very much clearer build instructions than this kit with lots of photos of various stages. Before I can start building this I need to resolve a problem with my newly fitted fireboat's fire monitors! Hopefully my blog will help to fill in missing information. It might be a slow build log because I'm limited with pains in my hands how much I can do at a time - so to those followers please be patient! Some photos of the box content:-

Hello all.... I have started a new project!! progress so far... she will be 32 " LOA and twin screw.

Having about a couple of weeks in which I put aside my Schnellboot I started first one then the second of Italeri’ Vosper kits the 77 and the St Nazaire 74 boats …I have worked them to the point of subassemblies for painting…and will soon configure a brushless motor and ESC . After the all the issues with the Schnellboot build …in part to many starts and stops over the last few years I will keep these simple to a single motor and rudder.

TRUMPETÈER 1/200 Well a couple of photos of the progress so far. Prop shafts and rudder now installed motors which at present are 340 brushed lined up and dry running seems OK. Bit of vibration from the motor mounts at present, this was my first attempt at making a mount and probably require some more adjustment. Started on main superstructure now plus cutter boats and funnel. Great fun NOT with the brass pe fittings/definitely need glasses . Hopefully do some more tomorrow and during the week, whilst waiting for DVLA to respond

I'm looking for a copy of the Veron Titan Tug drawing. It is more a building guide and a top and side elevation that a drawing. My late father build it in the 1960's and it survived until 2012 when he passed away. It then disappeared.

This model is a kit of some sort it has a few issues with putting it on the water the top comes off in one bit so I have put the build as follows 1/ The hull is minus every thing inside I am not sure if I need to add more compartments its float test was not good its top heavy 2/ Props

Started the latest project. Spotted these nice 105mm rubber tyred wheels in the big hardware store, and thought they deserved having something to be attached to,- hence the new project. Scratch building using my 'cut it and see' method Started with a 20x20mm ally angle frame (main V from one piece angle cut and bent with bent and bolted rear cross bar) Rear axle is 10x1mm ally tube, with stub axles (from 10mm bright steel) turned down to fit inside and turned down for a 6mm securing Nyloc nut, and a rear shoulder for the wheels. Stub axles and tube are drilled through 3mm and secured with 3mm machine screws. Front axle is 6mm rod from an old sponge mop, and is bent and angled for a bit of reverse castor. 50x3mm ally strip added to the front of the frame for reinforcing and to mount 'stuff' to. The front steering head bush is 10mm bright steel drilled 6mm to be attached to? Tune in next time for another thrilling instalment JB

Update March 3rd

Painted the bow, really happy

A slight deviation for the moment from HMS Nelson. With so many cartons/containers and waste plastic around, I thought I'd have a go at a Steam Punk submarine. Not sure which route I'll take wether it'll be static or rc. Any name suggestions?

This is going to be a long project, never attempted anything smaller than 1:30, so a 1:48 project is going to be fun. It all started with me finding a copy of Eric Minett's book 'The Coast is Clear: The Story of the BYMS' in a local charity shop. I'd never heard of the British Yard Minesweeper (BYMS) but on reading the book found it very interesting, especially the mine sweeping ahead of the D-Day landings. I posted about the book on here and nickthesteam very kindly offered me a Sirmar hull, all the plans and some fittings. I've just finished my last large build, the RAF Crash Tender (just waiting for the last few fittings to arrive then I'll get some pics and video of her afloat), so the BYMS came to the top of the project list. I'd contacted Barry at Sirmar and bought some more fittings and spent a while collecting props, shafts, motors, rudders etc. I've also been doing a fair bit of research into the BYMS and decided I want to build one that has some sort of local connection. As I'm originally from the East Coast of the UK with family links to the Lowestoft area I found that Minesweeping Flotilla 163 was based at Lowestoft and Great Yarmouth in 1943 and the ships of this flotilla were BYMS 2036, 2040, 2057, 2079, 2080, 2161, 2167, 2194. Additionally 2079 was one of the first ships in the D-Day Landings and has a very interesting history, so the decision was made to build a model of 2079. The first stage of model building is complete, knowing what will be built! My purchases included a set of three plans 1 x 1:48 detailed drawing of BYMS 2172 (previously designated as J972 and YMS 172)/BYMS 2253 (previously designated as known YMS 253) 2 x non-scale drawings of the YMS 419. These are very detailed and heavily annotated. In theory there should be little difference between the American YMS and the BYMS as they were all made in the same shipyards, however I have discovered an issue in both the drawings and the hull moulding. All the drawings show the topsides end some distance before the transom and that the topsides for BYMS 2253 finish further forward than for other vessels. The hull moulding has the top sides ending before the transom, however various photographs of the majesty of BYMS show the topsides continuing to the transom (including those of BYMS 2079). I suspect the America BYS had the topsides stopping before the transom, BYMS 2253 has them set further forward but the majority of BYMS had the topsides continue to the transom. The Simar moulding would be fine I was to build a model of BYMS 2172 or BYMS 2253, but as this will be 2079 some additional material will be required. So, a little bit of topside lengthening is required before the first major job of cutting the scuppers. I'll fit the rudders, shafts and motors first. Can't seeing this being a quick build but I'll update as and when progress is made.

Sea plane tenders have always attracted me. There is something very pleasing about the shape, and the jizz when on the water is wonderful. Here is the story of SPT 409. After purchasing a Deans kit for SPT 441 I decided to make a facsimile (which I later called SPT 409). The first job was to prepare plans. Picture 1 shows one of the initial plans I drew up, using measurements from the Deans plans and hull, and from other sources. Picture 2 then shows tracings spot glued to balsa ready for cutting out. Having a template for each frame or bulkhead enabled me to juggle them around to make best use of the balsa sheet. Picture 3 then shows the frames cut out. This was quite a tricky operation which involved a lot of pin pricking through the templates onto the balsa, then cutting. After a number of false starts I found a sharp thin blade to be best, and experience was needed to achieve cuts at 90 degrees to the surface.

Well I’ve had the huntsman about 2 weeks now and with the help I’ve received up to now I don’t think Ive done too bad , old parts taken off and new rear flagpole for now new grab rails almost finished and test fitted today with the new rear cabin hatch ,and a old bit of plastic off an old blind box to mock up for new windscreen with a little help from a certain good help off here would be still sat wondering how to fit but think for now she’s looking miles better than it was when I first got it

So, I have been in the market for a Dumas 44' MLB, I know, not hard to obtain, but I have so many projects, it has been on the back burner for some time. I purchased the plans from Dumas, scaled the frames, and it was like fifth in line to be completed. SO yesterday, I was trolling FB Market Place, and found what I describe as the Abomination. It was reasonably priced, but 130 miles away, having free time and some overtime cash I decided to make the trek. I was in the USCG for 24 years and served a tour at a Station that ran 30'. 44' and 52' life boats. so I am familiar with the type. Here are some pictures. It would seem the builder was skilled, used the Dumas plan, but took quite a few liberties we can all agree. It is the correct width, and for the most part length is correct as well. There are some interesting things. I will be able to use the chair, and it actually had a working magnetic compass. It is in the yards now stripped of all the mahogany and deck fittings. Much surgery is required. All but the very fwd Deck, and aft deck need to be removed. No easy task when it was built with 1/4" ply decks. We will have her shipshape in Bristol fashion in no time. She will be the 44356 Yaquina Bay Station to go with my 36503 from the same station. The bow needs to be shaved, they were stubby, but not that stubby. Deck at pilot house needs to be lifted 4 mm, well deck lowered 30mm. The portholes were a nice touch, but I will fill them. Two 500 motors, and looks like the shafts are workable. Rudders are in the correct position. Cheers! Kevin

After sitting on the shelf for about a year I decided to start my build of the E.F.S. Surveyor kit by Deans Marine. She is a 1/20 scale representation of a fisheries research vessel, measuring 780mm in length with a beam of 250mm, she's wide and should be pretty stable on the water. First step was to trim the hull and apply a layer of Bondo putty to smooth out the fibreglass that will be above the deck. Next the twin stuffing tubes needed to be carefully aligned and again Bondo, the a layer of fibreglass on top for added strength. Once all that was satisfactory I cut out the freeing ports, then installed the deck supports and motor mounts. Then it was time to install the rudder shafts and I ran into my fist problem, the brass tubes for the rudders supplied were the wrong size, about .04” to big, fortunately I had some scrap tube that was a perfect snug fit. With a bit of grease I should be able to keep the water out, next I noted that the kit did not include a way to support the tubes but did indicate I could solder a scale a brass to the tube and epoxy it to the hull. I elected to cut up blocks of wood to insert the tubes through and epoxy them in place, before carefully drilling my holes for the tubes. After this was completed I installed the two skegs adding an extra sheet of plastic to make them each three sheets about 5mm wide and again used Bondo to take up the gapes created by a badly designed cutouts. Last I installed the bow thruster and bondo and sanded it all smooth. After a quick leak check in the tub I will fibreglass the hull along ware the skeg pins are located and cove the interior part of the bow thruster in marine sealant. That is it for this week, cheers

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.

Evening Gents. HMS Verulam was a V Class Destroyer launched 22nd April 1943. She served in various theatres including the Arctic,Normandy,Malaya,and Burma. Following her wartime service she was laid up. Verulam was then converted between 1951/1952 to a Type 15 Anti submarine frigate. She was decommissioned and sold in 1972 and finally broken up in 1973. I purchased and built a kit in 1989 and had many years of fun sailing. Over the years she had a few little incidents (as you do) but she survived well. Just before lockdown she nearly sank when she threw a propeller and the entire prop shaft when a coupling broke down. I just managed to get her back to dry land on the other shaft.I was extremely lucky as she was filling with water quickly. That resultant water did a lot of damage to the entire interior and after remedial cleaning I laid her up. Now is the time to bring her back to life. Externally she doesn’t look too bad,but internally I am starting from basically scratch. What do I hope to achieve. Replace the 27Mhz with one of my 2.4 sets. Have as many of the main armament rotating as possible. I may try to get the torpedo tubes to rotate. Fit a funnel sized smoke generator. Try to have the radar working. Some slight weathering. Work done today. Remove all removable superstructures where possible. Remove main engines. Test the engines and ensure that bearings were sound and lightly oil.I will need to make a new base plate for the motors in due course. Remove ESC and rudder servo. ESC working well. Rudder Servo was very hesitant and unhappy so I will be replacing with a new one. I then removed the drive couplings and shafts. The port shaft was a replacement for the one I lost and had a little corrosion near the propeller so some careful attention was given there. I also removed the rudder and cleaned the post.There was no wear there so I am happy that it will give good service for many years. You will see in the pictures that the deck started to separate from the hull after it’s near sinking so a lot of work to do there as well. Hoping the photographs show my progress. Take care all. Regards Bill.

Hello, I purchased this kit for myself for Fathers Day this past June. This is actually my first commercial kit to construct, as all others in my harbor were scratch built. Since retiring my Beaver Tug boat some time ago, actually, it got sent to the scrap heap, my harbor has been looking for a replacement. At 24" long, this fits well with the other models I have made. Also, my Admiral (wife) won't allow anything larger. The kit comes with all the wood for the vessel, railing, metal stanchions, other cast metal details like horn, lights etc. What it does not include are the running gear parts including stuffing tubes, props shafts and rudders. I held off purchasing this additional kit because I had been gifted a Dumas Trojan some years ago. While the Trojan was not very well built, I was able to remove many of the running gear parts from it before sending it to the scrap heap. As you can see from the pictures, I have already constructed the hull skeleton. The pieces are removed with ease from the die cutting. I did have to use a hobby knife on some of the more thinner frame pieces to avoid breaking them, but for the most part everything came out clean and with minimum cleanup. As far as instructions, they seem to be lacking. There is a 33 step, 2 sheet written instruction sheet, a parts I.D. sheet, along with a full size drawing of the boat exterior showing locations of the hull and superstructure details. There isn't a lot of visual details, so you must read the instruction text, and figure it out for yourself. To Dumas' credit, they did make this disclaimer in their write-up that instructions are minimal, and recommended for more advanced modelers. I am at the stage now, where I need to plank the hull. The planking comes in 4 - 1/16" plywood sheets cut to fit the curvature of the hull on each side. I have never planked a hull with plywood before, only with strip wood. The ply seems to be sort of stiff, and will not conform to the hull without some serious bending and clamping. I need to ask this question, or maybe search other build blogs as to how to best accomplish this task. Can thin plywood be wetted, (or soaked) in water so that it becomes more plyable and easier to clamp while being glued? or will this just warp the hull once it dries back out! Hopefully, I will find my answer after searching the blogs, or a fellow follower will provide the answer. That's all for now, hope you enjoy reading the blog.

2x2300 kv , 27mm dual blades 2x 35A opto 1x 850-1300mah 2s/3s lipo Balsa wood deck, pvc + balsa composite hull, aluminum motor mount. It's my first ever wooden work,so i wasn't expecting a lot. Star, a 19" sportyacht