1 Post
1 Follower
2 Likes
Krick Paula | Work / Crane Boat
Kit Build bought from Krick. Formerly a Robbe Kit but now known as Romarin by Krick.
72cm length with a 600 motor ( eventually!)
๐ฌ๐ง Heners2332
13 hours ago
4 Posts
5 Followers
25 Likes
Next project: 36 ft Northern Bay sport fisherman
The Northern Bay lobster and sport fishing boats are built in Qgunquit, Maine. Known as Down East boats they are semi-displacement hulls. They are very good sea boats stable in heavy seas. Compared to semi-vee hulls common to many other sport fisherman boats in the U.S. the Down East hulls tend to be wet boats. As with everything else, boat design is always a compromise.
1&2 The inspiration
3&4 Beginning steps
๐บ๐ธ Chum444
15 hours ago
1 Post
3 Followers
10 Likes
Vosper
Well, I was right, the Jolly Red Guy did give me a model boat for Christmas. Got something to do on a cold winter dayโa plastic Vosper MTB77. The hull is a single piece, and I will need to add the motors and rudders for R/C capability. Any suggestions will be helpful.
๐จ๐ฆ GARTH
1 day ago
4 Posts
2 Followers
32 Likes
GLYNN GUEST KNOCKER WHITE TUG
I mentioned in the Vic Smeed Vivacity forum I would do a few smaller builds while chugging through the Vivacity project; the first of these I have started (while waiting on certain components/materials for Vivacity), based on Glynn Guest's Knocker White tugboat plan from his book 'Small Radio Control Boats'.
The Driving force behind choosing this particular design was the fact I had just filled my Backyard Model Boating Pond for the first time and sailed a couple of small free-running boats in it.
I had already made Arcady and Bredette many years ago when they were first issued as free plans in Model Boats, so Knocker White was the next project from the book with the necessary compact dimensions to sail happily on my pond, the first of (hopefully) several small such boat projects.
Here are the first stages of the build shown in the photos;
1) Paper template traced/assembled from the book - a little 'guestimation' was required as the plan was over two pages that didn't quite align...
2)Carcass pieces (deck, bottom, bulkheads, stem) marked out on 1/4" sheet
3)Carcass pieces cut out
4 & 5) carcass glued together, care taken to get as square as possible - note extra piece placed in stern to support rudder tube, making stern slightly deeper than original
6)Power train/RC components; Specktrum 410 RX, Ali Express 20A esc, RS 280 motor (was eventually replaced with an RS260 type when I clumsily broke off one of the contacts while trying to fit the battery), 100mm prop shaft/tube assembly with 25mm 3-blade prop.
7)Power train set up & tested on the bench to ensure everything worked
8)Prop tube skeg/support added
9)Prop tube epoxied in place, sandwiched between skeg support and lower skeg piece.
10)6mm ply motor mount glued into position after checking alignment.
More pics and comments to follow soon,
Best regards to all following this,
Nick
๐ณ๐ฟ Nick Ward
1 day ago
4 Posts
4 Followers
29 Likes
Midwest/Model Expo Fireboat
Model Expo has confirmed that production will soon begin on a new Midwest kit: the Fireboat, presented at a scale of 1/2" = 1 foot.
To clarify, Model Expo has acquired the licensing rights from Midwest to produce all of their models. At the moment, they have 27 kits in production, with more on the way. I previously worked with Model Expo in customer service, answering model-building questions and handling replacement-part requests. Now, I am one of the model builders who assemble their prototypesโthe models they intend to release to the public.
With that being said, I invite all of you to follow along with this build. I introduced only a limited number of modificationsโmostly to make the vessel more suitable for radio-control operation and to enhance its realismโwhile preserving the essential character of the original design.
Many of you have probably built this classic kit before; however, this is my first time working with it. Please feel free to share your opinions and past experiences with this charming little model.
History of the Fireboats
This model represents a small fireboat equipped with twin monitors, a type of vessel historically stationed in nearly every major working harbor throughout the United States and abroad. Its configuration is based on a combination of plans and photographic references from several representative examples. Because of this, it serves as an accurate portrayal of the smaller fireboatsโmany of which are still in service in various ports today.
๐บ๐ธ chugalone100
5 days ago
1 Post
2 Followers
12 Likes
Graupner Pollux
Hi yโall..itโs been a minuet since Iโve been on here. Getting ready for Christmas, the annual NTMS Christmas party, work, etc. I havenโt been at my bench for a few weeks, so I decided to drag a simple kit out of my stash and build it upโฆthe Graupner Pollux.
This kit has been gone thru, some of the vac formed parts have been cut out but not finished, but itโs very buildable. First thing I had to do is build a stand. I pulled my trusty Ryobi scroll saw out from its hiding spot under the bench, got it set up, then the blade brokeโฆand I couldnโt remember where I put my spare blades. So I built the stand up using plasticard for the uprights which I reinforced with 1/8 in ply strip, and used dowels to connect them together. I then looked at the kit and plans.
I did not have anything similar to the Speed 180 gearbox called for, so after I trimmed and sanded the hull I made up a motor mount for a 28mm outrunner. The motor Iโm using is a little hotter than I would like, itโs 750KV, which is not a โhotโ motor in any stretch but is a little hotter than I would have likedโฆbut itโs in my stock, so I used it. The shaft was missing from the kit, so I had an 1/8 in I.D Dumas tube and shaft that I cut down to suit. I have a few 3 blade props in the right size for this boat, theyโre set up for a drive dog or pin style shaft. They are made for a 3 mm shaft, so it was easy to clean out with a 3.2 (1/8) drill bit to fit my chosen hardware. I also am using a rudder from my parts stock, which I started to mount in the original location, didnโt like that so I moved it aft a bit to give a little more clearance for prop installation. The original hole is filled from the inside by the rudder tube support, the rest of the fill will be done later. After I got every thing ready I checked fit and alignment then glued every down. I then built up a servo mount and did a Buick install and test on the linkage, after that I glued down a battery floor.
Thatโs whereโs sheโs at now, Iโm going to get the ESC and receiver mounted using Velcro, and once Iโm statisfied that I can access them via the hatch Iโll start on the deck.
Cash
๐บ๐ธ Cashrc
5 days ago
24 Posts
26 Followers
330 Likes
The VMW Marlin Cabin Cruiser by Robbob
The VMW Marlin Cabin Cruiser by Robbob
Preface.
At the time of writing, Iโve had the construction of this boat on โthe back burnerโ since July 2022. By then I had spent about two months on and off constructing the boat to a stage where I could consider applying a glassfibre cloth and epoxy finish to the hull. However I couldnโt spend any more time on the Marlin project as I had a more important project to undertake, which was to paint, decorate, refurbish and prepare our house for sale so that we could downsize and move to a new area now that our kids had all fled the nest.
Fast forward to today (mid-April 2025) and itโs taken a while to get the new house and gardens into shape and settle in, with the emphasis on converting my internal garage into a great new workshop, I can finally pick up from where I left off.
Introduction to the kit.
This new model is the latest undertaking by Vintage Model Works, now famous for their very popular models of the RAF Crash Rescue Tender and Thames River Police Boat kits which are based on old Aerokits and Veron designs.
The Marlin is a re-working of an original Veron design by the late Phil Smith in 1953. His son Colin Smith, who was also responsible for the re-design of the Thames River Police Boat, has made some changes to his fatherโs design to take advantage of more modern materials and production methods such as CNC and laser cutting.
The photograph below is of a prototype built by Colin Smith to give you an idea of how the boat looks in finished form. And there is also a review of the Marlin that appeared in Model Maker magazine, November 1953.
The size remains at 36โ and it employs the same construction method as the original. The spacious cabins of the boat makes it very easy to accommodate all the latest control hardware required, not that the original was lacking in that area even when the radio systems used valves and large batteries and the propulsion was usually IC or a large electric motor.
Even the pre-production sample the Vintage Model Works kit supplied to me is well presented with a full size drawing including a pictorial construction sequence and separate pages of building instructions.
All the required materials are supplied in quality ply, balsa, strip-wood and dowel including clear plastic sheets for the windscreens, and various white metal deck fittings. The builder is of course required to supply their own adhesives and paint of choice, as well as the propulsion, drive train and radio control gear. In the latter respect I will likely restrict control to throttle and rudder and not add any lighting or other features. That has already been done magnificently by Mike Turpin.
Construction.
As with the Thames river police boat, another Veron design, construction starts with the assembly of a box structure onto which formers and bulkheads are attached to make the basic hull shape.
I will be tackling this in the first part of my build blog which I hope you will enjoy following and I encourage you to ask questions, leave comments and hopefully some โlikesโ as I make progress.
Robbob.
๐ฌ๐ง robbob
8 days ago