Hi Boatshed

Are the instructions you have for the Precedent build the same as those that were posted by Canabus/Harry?

For those interested in the history of the Huntsman 31 kits: The original kit was by Modav and was designed in the early 1970s by the late Dave Milbourn and I think was the only one to have a plan and instruction booklet.

Modav became Precedent/Balsacraft and so the kits are exactly the same but I think the drawing was dropped and just a booklet provided.

The rights to manufacture were then bought by Anglia Model Centre and parts were modified to provide tabs etc. for ease of fitting parts together and just a build booklet was provided. They ceased trading a couple of years ago.

SLEC, who are descendants of Balsacraft, have designed and now produce a 47" (scale 1:8) version which is very similar to the Precedent but has some constructional changes and a laser etched ply deck. They also have a 1:16 version that was designed by Dave.

Chris (Fairey fanatic!)

Thanks ChrisF,
I have just seen the one on Ebay, I couldn't imagine what sort of price that would go up to. Plus I know my wife wouldn't be ammused if I bought another model boat. I was talking to one of my son's on the phone today and said I had just been looking at some boats on Ebay before he phoned and his word's were, "I don't think you need another model boat do you". Trouble is hobbies like these become an addiction. I also get told I have too many fishing rods and reels aand not to mention the Vynil collection😁.

Hi Wooders,
I have just finally sorted out the build plans to the Huntsman 31. I have built 2 in the past. I have the build plans to both of them The 1st set is the original ones that are the MODAV ones. Model Avionocs. The company was only about 4 mies from where I lived and I went to their factory and purchased the kit directly from them. They didn't usually do that sort of thing as I was supposed to but it from a local model shop. But they bent their policy and sold me one. I had just turned up at their factory without an appointment and got away with it.

The second set is from the PRECEDENT KITS COMPANY. this one again I collected from their factory which again was a few miles from where I lived. They didn'y remember me. When they moved factory and renamed themselves, the second set has also got MODAV under the PRECEDENT name on the front of one of the instruction set's of pages. I only have one of the boats now and I cannot tell which one it is as they were both the same. This set is the same build instructions for both the 34" and the 46 1/2".
One thing I don't have as I cannot find it, it must have got lost sadly in all the moves I have had over the years is the large A0 full plan page.

I dont know if it will help you but if you send me a private message with your address I could copy both sets
and post them to you.

Here you go. Failing that type Fairey Boat into search.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/165143073432?hash=item26734b5298:g:4BcAAOSwYcVhcr-n

I have just come off of Ebay looking for it but I cannot find it. Can you post a link to it please.

Funnily enough there's a Modav version which was the first (same as the Precedent) on EBay at the moment complete with drawing and instruction book. You don't see them very often.

Chris

If I recall correctly (someone will say if I'm wrong, by all means do) you cut the tabs from strips of ply to match the spaces between the bulkheads. I will find my instructipon to the boat later this evening and check. If I have the full booklet , I think I have I will copy it and post it on here for you. Or you could send me an email and I could send it to you that way. You could then print it out. It's on A4 pages I think. I'll let you know later.

This is the little old boat that has a 500 series motor in it and will be used as my rescue boat. The name on it is Skippy as you can see, but I cannot remember the make of it but still have the build plans with many others from the past. I think the oldest on that I still have is the Aerokits Sea Hornet that used to have a Enya 19 in it. That motor has long gone. I built that in 1972 when I was 22 years old. But I started with model boats when I was 9 and my mum and dad bought me the Aerokits RAF Crash Tender, I don'tknow where that went. I left it at my parents house when I got married in 1970. That had a Ed Hunter 2.46 cc diesel motor in it but no R/C. It was when I built the Sea Hornet I started with R/C and that was just the McGreggor single channel for the steering.

I still have that building instruction booklet. Also have the wooden model boat, pretty old and needs a refurb, has an old 500 series electric motor, will be replaced with a brushless one. I also have just the fibre glass hull with the deck on it but no superstructure on it. I hope to build a top for it, but it will probably be totally different to the original one. I am planing to replace the IC engines in my other boats with brushles in most of them. One or two of the smaller ones that will be too over powered with brushless motors will have brushed motors that will give them the speed I want. I'm a bit of a speed freak. The only one I will keep with a resonably slow brushed motor will be my recovery boat in case it's needed.

Hi Wooders

I have the Precedent booklet as PDF which shows the keel and bulkhead sections.

harrysmith

I'm at my mother's today but when I get home I'll have a look through my Fairey drawings and see what I've got.

Trouble is they used the same drawing for both the 34" and 47" versions and it won't be at a size for the bigger one!

I did have a nice 47" version myself but sold it as found it a bit big and heavy for me so I'm building a 31", 1:12 model which matches my other Fairey builds.

Chris

Hi Chris
Thanks for your input. Yes, I have the box and I’ll check when I get home this evening.
Had a quick look at the keel but don’t remember seeing tabs or such like.
Regards
Kevin

Is it a timber hulled or GRP hulled version?

The Precedent kit passed through the hands of a number of suppliers and I think the early ones came with the small build instructions and a drawing.

The last company producing it was Anglian Models by which time I think tabs had been added to position the various parts and the drawing had been dropped and replaced with 12 page assembly instructions that had very small drawings showing how the parts go together. Are there any notches in the keel for locating the bulkheads?

Do you have the box, does it say who supplied it?

Chris

Thanks Will,
I have the 4 page guide, but it doesn’t give, on first read, the spacing for the baulkheads etc
Regards
K

Hi Kevin,

I didn't think there was a full plan as such, not one that showed all templates etc, just a 2 view, plus a build guide.

Will
▲

Hi Wooders, yes, there should definitely be a detailed plan with the kit, may I suggest that you try to obtain the plans from someone on here, who has built the kit and has no further use for the plans, or even to loan the plans to you for the duration of the build. Regards, Gary.