Really enjoyed watching your videos. It makes such a change to see some real action models other than commercially made robotic toys. Well done for controlling all that equipment, filming and keeping your cool !😉

Hi Steve, it's hit the bottom/rocks plenty of times but seems to suffer little damage (f/glassed foam is quite springy) just a bit of paint off here and there. The hull is the same shape as the originals, which were designed for shallow rivers and have a very minimal v in the bottom. draft is only 400mm at rest, 300mm moving, (at max weight)- not much for a 6000kg 10mx3m steel boat. There are videos of them actually driving over floating logs. They get a fair hiding while working.

JB

Hi JB,
Good thing the barge and tug have very little draft.
Great videos. 👍

Cheers,
Stephen.

I guess cheap is cheap😊

Hi Peter, what are you trying to say?😁 I'm afraid you will have to suffer a few more videos yet, as I need to get this towing combination sorted and do better videos. I want to re-do all my boat videos now I have better cameras, as the old vids were pretty rough. Still have the Stiletto to finish, but I want to get some use out of the boats I've built so far. as there's a lot of time and money just sitting on shelves.

I enjoy trying to get at least slightly realistic videos of the boats (keeping my mug out of them would be a start😁) but it's a challenge by yourself, as there are so many things which need to align,- weather, tides, models running 100%, good situation, no people/loose dogs to spoil the video etc.

Pretty much run out of room, even though I have the house to myself, so not sure if I'll be making too many more boats, added to the fact that it's getting more expensive now, and inflation/cost of living here is increasing drastically, (house insurance has gone up $500/yr because of the cyclone and earlier floods) Costs twice as much to build a model now as it did 5 yrs ago, as almost everything in China has more than doubled in price recently, (don't even mention LHS prices)!

I still have a big sheet of polystyrene left over from this lot, so if anything else comes to mind, I'll be using that up. Maybe a land yacht for our nice smooth 3km beach,- perfect place for one.

JB

Great videos JB. This really has been an interesting project. What’s next.😃

Thanks for the Tips, JB
I gave up long ago worrying how I Look. (And it Shows, as evidenced by my Avatar 😂🤣😂🤣)
More interested in results👍
Trev

Hi Trev, the camera clips on the handles or stands of the TXs with modified camera backpack shoulder strap clips, so you can see what you are filming, (I should use a neck strap to stop my hands dropping.) A bike helmet cam is better, as your head follows the action exactly,- just looks a bit dorky,- I do it with planes though.

JB

Hi JB
It is amazing that you can handle all of the functions and record the video as well.
The video resolution is excellent 👍👍
I do enjoy watching them!
Trev

Hi Trev, it was definitely a mission to get it all working, and possibly be the only model in the world with that system, (I like unusual boats) It's a bit of a challenge to drive as well, needing 5 different inputs and combinations of them all to make it move. Lots of fun though, keeps you thinking.

JB

Hi Len, it has to run often, as there are so many shafts, joints etc which needed sealing, it was impossible to stop all the leaks. There is a dam between the motor/jet unit and valve box behind which is the bilge pump pickup. Everything is sealed and waterproof there, so can normally handle any water ingress. Just an unfortunate necessity for the complicated system it uses.

JB

She looks and sounds Great, JB
She truly is quite an accomplishment👍👍👍👍👍
Trev

Like you said, A whole lot of spaghetti; and I have the sauce to go with it.
Looks good JB. That should solve your excess Salt Water in the Bilge Problems🤞🤞
Trev

hope you never have to use it but it sure gives you some peace of mind.

Hi Peter, it's better when the tide's in, it was a few hours out from high tide, and that estuary drains quite quickly, so you don't have much time to 'play'. Super slippery on the rocks as the silt hasn't washed away yet,- sand's like mud as well.

JB

Nice bit of navigation JB. You have to love those jet drives in the shallows. Love the engine sound too...It sounds very authentic. She works perfectly...Great job! 👍👍👍
RR

Now i know why this man is à Fleet Admiral!! Have you Seen the rocks in the Ocean and how well he‘ s sailing Around them without hitting . Hé would have been the perfect captain for the Titanic
Well done Fleet Admiral 👍👍👍

Looks great JB. Good in shallow water.
Not a bad place to sail. I am surprised that the people on the opposite bank didn’t even take a look.😃

Hi Ron,
I do like that Quote; it applies to many things in Life.👍👍
Trev

Looks great and sounds so realistic on you video, hard to see it as a model.
Cheers Colin.

Thanks Ron, I think that will be what I'll try next time, pretty much what Trev said. As was said in the article there is no set way, just whatever works for your situation, but this way seems to be the most commonly used.

JB

Regarding towing alongside, I sent an email with the article which was referred to in an earlier in this chat, to a skipper of a tugboat. Here is what he had to say.

“ Hi
It’s a good article, but a little out of our league.
Unless you have a multi million dollar tug with huge HP you basically have no control when alongside and forward. For most of the fleet it’s important to be as far back as possible, meaning your rudder needs to be behind barge.

I absolutely love the quote “slow like a pro, fast like an ass”.
Cheers

--
Marcel


For what it’s worth.

Ron 🇨🇦

Hi Phil,
camera was originally an unknown brand (pic 3),- thought it was Chinese) but with a bit of research, I found it was a US Vivitar made sport cam,- made before they closed production and sold the company. It was good till I scratched the lens and tried to clean it, now has a fuzzy spot in the center. Still works ok in good sunlight. It has touch screen, zoom, remote for group pics etc, photo timer, car, photo (max 12m and FHD vid max at 30fps. I've had it about 6 or 7 years and it was my main model cam till it got damaged. Before that I used another smaller Vivitar Hd cam (pic 4) (branded as Digitech) which wasn't too bad for its' time. Another I bought was a poor Chinese copy of it, HD more like 720 and laggy.

I now use Kaiser Baas cameras (bit like a Go Pro but 1/3 the cost),. I was so impressed with the quality that I just bought a second one a week ago on a special. They are marketed by a NZ company, who does sports equipment. They bought the company from an Australian crowd which was going under. No Doubt made in China, but seem to be one of the better ones. They have all the fruit, WiFi, timers, slow-mo, image stabilization (not as good as a Go Pro) and take up to 4k vid and 14mp photo which is not too bad quality for the price.

I have a few sports cameras I've tried over the last 12 yrs, from the small keychain cameras for attaching to planes, boats cars etc to the KB cameras, and they have all had their uses and recorded models in action which is better than you could achieve by yourself years ago. I used to have a video8 camera which was reasonable, and still have a working Ricoh super 8 movie camera from 1978,- Compared to a cheap sports cam today they were terrible but did record your life.

Only problem is, most action cams don't have a long range zoom, so mainly good for fairly close work,- things like planes turn to dots pretty quickly. Go Pros are undoubtedly the best, but you pay for the quality (although they have their problems too)

Pic 5 is a sample from the KB cam. 14mp
pic 6 is a sample from the old Vivitar on a dull day 12mp
(you have to wait for about 10 secs for the photos to load fully)

JB

Hi Jb.
I think your diagram is about right, maybe a tough more aft if necessary.
Yor idea of a bow rudder on the barge should work.
Maybe Lee Boards? Although real barges never had them.
Trev

👍👍😎😎Love it ! - Love it ! - Love it ! JB

What camera are you using ? Certainly doing great job - Keep up the good work !.

Hi Trev, thanks, sounds like a better idea,- I think I had it too far back with not enough lead (for want of a correct term) Both are 3ft long, so I guess a foot and a half - 2ft would be better? (pic) What do you reckon.? I may have to add some more bollards to the center of the barge so I can shift it forward more.

Biggest problem is the jet steering, which is not as effective as the jet unit in it's original form, as instead of the nozzle steering, you have 2 small rudders which allow water to escape top and bottom, reducing the effect. I thought of ripping it all out and adding a nozzle, but I'd lose the side ducts, which was the whole idea for building it in the first place. I'm sure it will be sorted with a bit of playing.

I thought of adding a bow rudder on the barge which would work with the boat rudder (same RX is in each) if all else fails. That's the challenge of modelling, - getting things to work the same as the real stuff.😊

JB

Hi JB,
For what it is worth, my experience in towing full sized vessels is to lash alongside the rear quarter of the vessel to be towed.
Trev

Looks really good JB. With a project, with its unique nature, you really have done well. I am sure that you will sort out the steering problem for the next run. Looks a nice spot for the trials. Those rocks would be nice obstacles under normal circumstances.😃

Hi Steve, being the first crack at it and having so many bits to control (barge, car, towboat with 3 unusual direction controls) things just had to go wrong. Probably the start of many mods to get it running right (as apposed to more left😁)

I read that full sized barges are often alongside towed backwards, to use the rear guide fins to get a bite in the water to stop crabbing, and help with steering.

Interesting reading for tug builders. -

https://towmasters.wordpress.com/2011/06/02/tugboat-how-to-towing-alongside-101/

Great result JB,
Like you said she doesn't want to turn too well.

At least everyone went home no sinkings. 😁

Cheers,
Stephen.

Just been down that road this afternoon Steve, and you would hardly know it had been flooded, (apart from debris in the fences and drains) looks like this now. A lot of dips like this all along this road, so all the water from the farms drains into them. Usually goes pretty quickly,- has about 5km to get down to the sea. Sand rebuild was a waste of money as 3ft of the height they put back went overnight. And the council wonders why they have no money- about 4 days work by the contractors wasted. $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

JB

That's a bloody lot of water JB,
Hopefully you were high and dry so to speak.
Certainly questionable driving through that water, good way to get yourself into a lot of difficulty quickly.

Stay safe,
Cheers,
Stephen.

Hi JB
I hope it didn't affect you too much.
PS I do like your weather girl 🙄
Trev

Re the latest rain event, more floods !!

vid of flooding at Dairy Flat Highway, a semi rural area about 5km away with farms each side (pic of area type - same road)

Hi Peter, re moving to Hungary, -we have fires, floods, earthquakes, volcanos erupting, plane crashes, ship sinkings, plagues of locusts, Chinese viruses, landslides, snow, sun, rain ( heavy as I type this😁), occasional psychos shooting people, nice beaches (sometimes when there aren't cyclones) - we have it all! - I couldn't handle nothing happening, I'd go mad lol.

JB

You should move to Hungary. Nothing happens here.😬