"Land" Ships

Amphibious vehicles are an interesting idea, I've been hoping to eventually 3D print an Amphicar. The pond where I usually run doubles as a skating rink in the winter so it has some ramps that can work as boat ramps in the summer. I already use it for boat trailers but an Amphicar, LARC, DUKW, schwimmwagen, etc can just drive up. A LCAC would be a fun project too that can also work with the RC tank club The initial point of this concept is to have a waterline model boat that can display as a waterline model but feel like sailing on dry land vs driving an amphibious car on land

12 minutes ago by 🇨🇦 JSS4 ( Master Seaman)

Hobby Chit Chat

Huntsman

Nice looking Huntsman that PhilH, and wouldn't take someone much to finish it off, and get it back on the water. Although Fairey models are my favourite, I already have a Huntsman or 4 🙄. I hope it finds a good home, where someone can get it finished and enjoy using it. Will

2 hours ago by 🇬🇧 Madwelshman ( Lieutenant)

For Sale/Wanted

Modello RC scala 1/60, di piroscafo armato a goletta, liberamente ispirato alle cannoniere classe US

Alessandro, il tuo modello è un pezzo da museo e dimostra la tua maestria e abilità artigianale. 😎

2 hours ago by 🇺🇸 chugalone100 ( Captain)

RC & Electrics

Anyone tried Solar Powered RC boat?

I hope you build that little fishing boat Ron, I found its story quite inspiring. I think the solar array would need to be something like 600mm x 300mm in size to make it worthwhile. With enough interest there could be solar boat races and solar vs sailing boat races, where the solar boat would make up lost ground during the upwind part of the course. Different classes could be defined based on power generated or size of solar array etc. Yabbie1

6 hours ago by 🇦🇺 Yabbie1 ( Able Seaman)

Hobby Chit Chat

Transmitter brake down

Bob, Zebra was developed in South Africa in the 1960s and based on Controlair. This is a 10 channel reed set giving you 5 servos. The only reason that this set is not used is that it requires a unique battery setup based on DEACs that are no longer available. This is a picture of the receiver and two servos.

7 hours ago by 🇬🇧 EdW ( Captain)

Hobby Chit Chat

Question of the Day?

13 hours ago by 🇬🇧 BOATSHED ( Commander)

Website Related

Antique compass for a ship from the second half of the 18th century.

Thank you so much Phil, your words make me very happy.

18 hours ago by 🇮🇹 AlessandroSPQR ( Fleet Admiral)

Building Related

Programming a seaking brushless ESC challenges..

Sea King ESC. To date I have been very pleased with the power delivery of my various types of Sea King ESC. The power delivery is very smooth and strong, right from when I first set off, until when it "shuts down" to protect the LiPo battery. The "get you home" feature of returning enough power to allow me to slowly creep the boat back to shore safely after a few seconds following the low power shut-down works perfectly too. Other ESC that I have (and still use) are not as good at either delivering the power as smoothly (with no "cogging") or at running with full power right until the LiPo protecting "shut down" is activated. None of various types and sizes of Sea King "Forwards Only" ESC that I have can be connected to any of my many different types of Hobby Wing programme cards, but now I have discovered how to add the reverse function to my 120amp Sea King, I will see if I can use the same method to activate a reverse on all my others. A reverse function added to my Sea King "Forwards Only" ESC further enhances their use, but I need to make sure that I can reduce the power delivery when I reverse as a full-blooded power delivery when could cause some serious problems! I should be able to achieve this easily enough with a restricted movement of the throttle "end point" in the reverse direction that can be easily programmed into the transmitter without affecting the superb forwards power delivery in any way. With this in mind, I may well be removing my 120amp Surpass fan cooled ESC from my Kopy Kommander and replace it with a Sea King of similar power rating...although I do have a SHARK water-cooled ESC that I also want to test first to see if it can match the power delivery of the Sea Kings. Bob.

1 day ago by 🇬🇧 zooma ( Vice Admiral)

RC & Electrics

App

Forums tend to be website or Facebook based, I don't know of any that use an app? But I'm not expert!

1 day ago by 🇬🇧 ChrisF ( Vice Admiral)

Website Related

VIPER Navy supply ship

I love the James-Bondy-look of the boat. And the dark windows help with this sinister image! The functional and constructional aspects also sound like Q had a hand at the design. What a refreshing alternative to a vac-formed plastic model off the shelf - nothing against those; they also have their worshippers. Ian

2 days ago by 🇨🇭 IGinBasel ( Master Seaman)

Building Related

1990 era Traxxas XL-1 electronic speed controller

The first of the RC tx's just turned the 27Mhtz carrier wave on and off, there was no modulation as that required a stable carrier frequency. My Fleet 4 Ch pre-proportional set had a blue crystal soldered in place to stabilise the oscillations. That was the first time I ever saw a crystal in use. That would be around 50 years ago now. In those days a servo was an electric motor powered escapement. I had a rudder servo that drove a screwed rod with a travelling 'nut' which was for the rudder movement. This needed 2 switch controls one left and one right, the rudder would move end points and then the end microswitch would cut the current and when you released the Tx switch it would centralise the rudder again. Very sophisticated! Back then for speed which was from dry batteries I had a sequenced pair of relays that would run the batteries in either parallel or series with stop in between. Still got them! I never did use i/c always electric. Roy

3 days ago by 🇬🇧 roycv ( Fleet Admiral)

Hobby Chit Chat

Artesnia Latina "Helen" trawler

I used the "grain of wheat" bulbs that came with the package deal that included the trawler. I should have known better. Perhaps back then the LEDs might not have been small enough for the fixtures. Can't remember. Anyway, I never used the lights except for the initial test. So my plans are to toss the "C" cells idea, and switch the NImh battery with a li-ion pack thus saving weight and devote the weight reduction to ballast low in the hold. Attached are some of the "night" photos with the lights on. Lew

3 days ago by 🇺🇸 LewZ ( Vice Admiral)

Building Related

Royal Navy Type 45

This is an easy to build RC model, especially HMS Dragon as it is basically a static model as it does not really have to go anywhere 🤣

3 days ago by 🇬🇧 EdW ( Captain)

Non-Hobby Chat

Dutch sailing barge

Andy, What a magnificent model—she looks absolutely great and very elegant out on the water. All your effort has really paid off; she sails beautifully. A real pleasure to see. 😎

5 days ago by 🇺🇸 chugalone100 ( Captain)

General Resources

Sequin

“ RMS Segwun is the oldest operating steam driven vessel in North America, built in 1887 as Nipissing to cruise the Muskoka Lakes in the Muskoka, Ontario, Canada, a resort area with many lakes and rivers. Early in the 20th century, Muskoka was poorly served by roads. Vacationers were transported to lodges, or private cottages, via a fleet of steamships. Segwun is the oldest of only three ships in the world still carrying the status of Royal Mail Ship, and the only steamer.” Wikipedia “Muskoka’s steamship heritage is older than Canada. The first ship steamed Lake Muskoka in 1866. In 2017, we marked the amazing RMS Segwun’s 130 year history. She is North America’s oldest operating mail steamship. Wenonah II, a modern interpretation of a traditional steamship, is named in honour of Wenonah, the first steamship to sail Lake Muskoka“ https://realmuskoka.com/muskoka-steamships/schedule-tickets/

5 days ago by 🇨🇦 Ronald ( Fleet Admiral)

Hobby Chit Chat

Stingray plans

Try this guy he’s in the USA but is very helpful bob@rc-sub.com They call him Bob Martin he can also be found on YouTube as the RC-Sub Guy Regards Pete

6 days ago by 🇬🇧 Ticker ( Recruit)

For Sale/Wanted

Final Paint Finishes

I don’t have anything to add about the paint, but as far as retirement…I may now have a little more money but time seems to move at light speed.

6 days ago by 🇺🇸 cjanik001 ( Warrant Officer)

Building Related

Southampton Tug Boat

Remove all deck fittings, vents, hydrants, bollards and bits, as screws are concealed under these, carefully save all screws and remember to replace and tighten them in a uniform order ! The boat deck and hull are sealed together with a rubber seal and grease gently go around the join with a flat tool like a putty knife and gently ease the two apart equally. Watch out for grease, can be messy !😠

6 days ago by 🇬🇧 Ballast ( Chief Petty Officer 1st Class)

Hobby Chit Chat

S.H.G Black tornado

Hi Patrick, Your Tornado is looking really slick. Have you ever clocked or calculated its top speed? I’d be curious to know what she can do out on the water. ⚓ 😎

7 days ago by 🇺🇸 chugalone100 ( Captain)

Hobby Chit Chat

Sterling boat models

Hh, note that these are not my boats, but belong to my friend Jim. He gets the credit and I will pass that on to him. Lew

7 days ago by 🇺🇸 LewZ ( Vice Admiral)

Hobby Chit Chat

Wanted Pulley

Hi, I can recommend a reliable company for the selection of various pulleys and accessories https://www.rbmodel.com/ and https://abermodels.com/ Tom

7 days ago by 🇨🇿 tomarack ( Sub-Lieutenant)

For Sale/Wanted

3D Printings...

Jump, I have a few pics of the "Emma" in my harbor. If you want more I can post them. Thanks for the comments. Also, I saw the "Emma" along side the whaler Charles Morgan some 70 years ago. Lew

8 days ago by 🇺🇸 LewZ ( Vice Admiral)

Hobby Chit Chat

Pats QOD 21/08/25

Hi Pat, I'll let you know how things are going. Unfortunately, it won't be turned into a museum. It will be given to Indonesia as you predicted, but it won't be sold as you were hoping. It will be given away for free.

8 days ago by 🇮🇹 AlessandroSPQR ( Fleet Admiral)

Hobby Chit Chat

Dumas Products closing down!!!

As I said, it's a real shame. It's difficult to recover from a loss of quality and experience in many fields, but even more so in ship modeling. I was deeply saddened by the fate of the German brands "Robbe" and "Graupner." Sadness. I hope the Italian companies that still make quality ship modeling will endure for a long time to come. Currently, the world-renowned Italian ship modeling companies are: "Amati" of Turin; "Mantua Model" from the province of Mantua (which has absorbed the products of the "Sergal" and "Panart" brands); "Corel" from Milan. Then there are two niche brands, small, hyper-specialized companies: one makes only high-performance dynamic boats (electric and internal combustion), "Tempest RC Boats" [a tempting subject for Jumpugly], and the other makes only RC sailboats and submarines, "AMON (Nonsolovele)". I could also add "Italeri," which also makes plastic model kits of ships that can be made RC. I've analyzed some aspects, and (at least for now) there are many reasons and assumptions that give me hope. 1) First of all, the quality is generally very high and the selection is very wide; but this factor alone would not be enough for survival, as has unfortunately been seen in many cases. 2) The quality-price ratio is very favorable. 3) These companies offer a wide range of products. There are complete kits, drawings and plans only, and individual materials for the modeler who doesn't follow kits (wood, metals, plastics, and all types of accessories). What's important to keep in mind is that the dynamic part of the product range is a minority, so competition in this area doesn't threaten the company's entire distribution. Static materials and kits still face no competition from Chinese companies, and there are no real alternatives online to the products offered by these historic companies, neither in terms of quantity, quality, nor cost. Even a beginner modeler like me doesn't put these companies at risk because I turn exclusively to them (this type of company) for many materials and accessories. Unfortunately, companies that focus solely or primarily on dynamic RC models face strong competition. It's easy to understand why: you can find cheap electric motors, ESCs, servos, drive shafts, propellers, joints, etc. online. Furthermore, these models have a plastic hull that's easily reproduced with 3D printers, even by companies that aren't very specialized or high-quality. I try to buy from model shops in my city; for the static side of this hobby, there's still affordability and quality, but for RC and electronics, the internet offers more options at much lower prices. P.S. A separate mention goes to the Milanese company "Mamoli," which had a beautiful and extensive catalog. Unfortunately, a devastating fire there in 2014 caused the company's collapse.

8 days ago by 🇮🇹 AlessandroSPQR ( Fleet Admiral)

Hobby Chit Chat

8 Channel Transmitter

I'll cast another vote for the flysky i6x, for the price it's really hard to beat. There are 2 ways to adjust for throttle centring. The obvious way is to actually install a spring, which takes a few minutes and requires disassembling the radio and not letting the tiny spring fly away (serrated tweezers really help) The other way is to use the throttle curve function, map it to a switch and set UP to 50-100 and DOWN to 50-0. I think of this like the gas pedal and gearshift in an automatic car. Throttle stick down is zero, up is full and the switch determines direction. This could work if one still wanted to use the transmitter for aircraft as well Radiomaster is my go-to at the moment, very powerful for the price but the learning curve for edgetx/opentx is a cliff. The newer radios have an externally accessible grubscrew to adjust the ginbal springs. My Tx16s mk1 didn't have that so it got a new gimbal from a mk2 so I can switch between boats/trucks and aircraft with a 1.5mm hex

8 days ago by 🇨🇦 JSS4 ( Master Seaman)

RC & Electrics

Is this site running slow?

Why do i not get any question of the day emails or any other model boat website emails now. ????????

9 days ago by 🇬🇧 BOATSHED ( Commander)

General Resources

Dumas Closing

Luckily I still have hiding in my unbuilt stash a Dumas 1/20 Myrtle Corey paddle wheeler kit with a whopping 38” long hull… well, at least I’ve got one giant paddle wheeler safely in reserve! 😎

10 days ago by 🇺🇸 chugalone100 ( Captain)

General Resources

Points system

Not an expert on this site but I do see that you posted photos to your harbor and blogs. You get points for those, but not the photos within those. I believe the "posts" photos get the "photos" points. Lew

10 days ago by 🇺🇸 LewZ ( Vice Admiral)

Website Related

Wood glues

Waterproof PVA works well for me but do apply weights to the decking to compress the joint.This increases the bond strength and pushes surplus glue into the joints between the planks. Its cheap and effective. I then varnish the deck to make the planks and joints between the planks waterproof

14 days ago by 🇬🇧 GrantH ( Recruit)

Building Related

LesRo Javelin (2).

Thank you Mike, I actually prefer restoring old Classic Model Powerboats to building new ones as it’s usually more of a challenge with lots of new and different problems to try to resolve. Bob.

15 days ago by 🇬🇧 zooma ( Vice Admiral)

Website Related