There are some beautiful stretches of water out there, here just north of London there are a few lakes. Some left over from gravel extraction tend to have steep sides but most of them occupied by fisherman.

Near me there is a beautiful well tended lake but it all is part of a fishing club, last time I heard fees were £600p.a. It is used for competition only, poor little fishes!

To be fair they did offer us the use of another lake but there was only 10% access around the lake due to trees right into the water, we declined.

In the park at St. Albans we have 2 lakes called boating lakes. However they do not like us sailing our boats there! The council neglect the lakes and the small one was roped off as hazardous a couple of years back after a lot of dry weather.
However there is a small stream/river adjacent and with use of the sluices it could have been kept in use, but these had also been neglected and they refused to use them.
Also unseen houses (very expensive) are around the park have forced the council to restrict the number of events in the park, noise levels!!! It is very quiet there. The restrictions suggest that they like their gardens but do not wish to use the park. There has been a recent political change in the Council and I hope it will improve things.

I belong to a mainly loco club but they have a small rectangular pond which is just right for sailing so that is where you can find me.

I, and a few others are busy converting them, but they are a nice lot and host a toy boat regatta twice a year.
If anyone takes Model Boats magazine the article on Adamcraft kits (September 2023) stemmed from me taking photos there and passing them on to an email friend who writes the Flotsam & Jetsom articles. I introduced the owner of the Adamcraft items and the article followed.

I think the lakes and sailing areas posted in this thread are lovely but look lonely, I suppose I have swapped this for meeting friends each week when sailing.

From a historical point of view the lakes I spoke of in St. Albans were created by the Jarrow Marchers in the early 1930's on their journey to London. On the basis of food for work they changed 3 streams into one and created the lakes and improved the park.

There are remains of Roman walls and a Hypercaust and a near deserted museum showing off the artifacts. Some things are found but nothing recently.
English Heritage forbid any spikes or stakes going into the ground in case you damage anything.

The joke is that the spoil from the lakes was put around the edges of the lakes and any 'remains' must be a good 10 feet underground.
REgards
Roy

Update on scale model boat operations in west central Florida:

Some of you might have read about us suspending operations for several months (April through mid-July) then convincing another municipality to all scale model boat in their pond. Well, we are back to our original site (since well before 1974).

After the county told me that they will let nature take its course they decided to lower the pond and clear it out. (The pond is about 100m in diameter.) Most likely had to override nature.

Attached are 3 photos, May, June and finally Aug 20, 2023.

Lew
Florida, USA

Hi Rod, just used GE pics/street view. Have my own somewhere but couldn't find them. Usually kayaks and paddle boarders on nice days in the estuary when the tide's in (covers all the sand you see) Estuary leads out to our main beach,- surf club sometimes row their surf boats up the estuary for training.
The 2 pics taken off my videos (from the boat ramp in the previous pics), are the jetty which is smothered with kids jumping in summer, main road behind, and estuary almost full tide. I live along the hill about 300m on the top right in pic 1, so quite lucky to have a boat ramp with sea access so close. The jetty has just been totally re-piled and rebuilt this year (pic's from last year).

JB

RodC
Thanks once more for the info.👍😎

Lovely locations ! I'm surprised no standup paddle boarders or kayakers in your pictures. Were any of them taken by a drone-born camera??

I'm envious as all Hell !!

Guess I'm lucky here, hardly anyone builds model boats any more, so I have free range in lots of locations,-ie large estuary 300m down the road Pics 1+2,- large pond 11 km away on the peninsula pics 3+4, or nice pond in a reserve about 20 mins away down the motorway on the way to the city Pics 5+6 The peninsula pond is used by the rc yacht club, but as long as they aren't racing the pond is free to use, (there are no rules, but I just keep out of their way so as not to upset them, as they take racing far too seriously,- worse than full size)

A previous power/sail/scale/ tethered hydro club I was in years ago (70s),(ponds PIC 7+8) -about 50mins drive away, was destroyed by rc yachters who were always complaining, when the day the were allotted wasn't to their liking, and demanding to have the powerboat day if it was nicer. Everyone got fed up and the club split up. It was a pity as the club had about 50 members and an active powerboat racing section. Now turned into a mostly sailing club (what happens when you complain long enough.

Another factor was, a woman who bought a newly built house in a tiny subdivision at the end of the pond, (see how far away they are,-pic7) constantly complained to the council about the noise (maybe 1 day a month when races were on) - club had been there for many years previous to that with no complaints from the houses all round the ponds (ex sewage settling ponds then stormwater collection) The council put noise restrictions on, just because of 1 constant moaner (probably to get rid of her)
Also, the original 70s badge (Northern Maritime Modellers society and the new one- Northern Maritime Model society,- model not modellers and no power boats any more.

Same thing happened to our Western Springs international speedway track, which was pretty much destroyed by 'trendy' new residents moving into old established areas round it and immediately complaining. The track had been running since 1939 with no problems, with many international drivers and riders competing. Big concerts there as well,- Guns n Roses, David Bowie, Alice Cooper, ELO, Pink Floyd, Rolling stones etc, also the WWE wrestle mania show, etc. Now just a shadow of what it was due to restrictions caused by 3 or 4 moaners.

This guy, Fred Martin, just lived round the corner from me when I was young, (his daughter was one of our group in the 60s/70s ). He was one of the originators of Marblehead yacht racing in NZ, and designed and built many boats for people.

https://www.wattlefarmsailing.nz/Auckland%20Star.jpeg

https://www.wattlefarmsailing.nz/Fred%20Martin.jpeg

https://www.wattlefarmsailing.nz/1989%20Freds%20Workshop.jpeg

https://www.wattlefarmsailing.nz/index.html

Just read the notice it only mentioned "electric powered speed boats".

For me that does not include scale model ships or say you can't have steam power either.

I wonder who enforces the rules? If you launched a non-speed boat but electric powered will you be stopped?

I would try the slow boats first and then try launches but not the fast ones and see how things go.

Roy

Chugalone100: ANTENNA...it's tiny for 2.4 GHz. Just keep it above the waterline. I put my rcvrs high in the hull or even in the superstructure. Certainly more convenient than those long wires we used for 75 MHz.

FIGURINES: I suspect those are 1:24 (a very popular dollhouse scale) or 1:25, cast resin or 3D printed. I dont know as it was a used vessel & they were already aboard upon delivery...indentured servants so to speak. Try AMAZON, there are a tremendous # there. I recently bought 1:12 dollhouse scale figures from MELODY JANE (on AMAZON). Not inexpensive but painted & very well executed. Here is one, seated position, wearing glasses, cat on lap. Doesnt look too out-of-place aboard my ZIPPKITS tug (kit from Florida).

GREY PAINT on the tug is a self-priming acrylic porch & floor paint manufactured by our Canadian flagship hardware chain HOME HARDWARE. PEARL GREY, I hav used it on a 'real' boat that didnt sit in the water except when in use.

Thanks for asking!!

WOW!!! - thanks to all of you that responded.

I think the RC sail boaters are the ones that influenced the city officials to post the "sailboats only" sign. (I agree with them about the noise and speed problems associated with RC speedboats.)

Dave B (and all interested) - good sign, gets to the point. I am attaching the sign currently at this potential new site for us. As per this sign (and the city's own ordinances that allow toy and unmanned boats) it seems apparent that powered (not "speed") are allowed, but one can't use the dock to safely launch and retrieve powered scale model boats. [I am posting a picture of that sign so you can see what I am up against.]

Conflict between the RC scale and sail boaters should not be a problem. I'm willing to work that out with the sail boaters.

As we can not use our current (weed choked, smelly) location I sent them a link to a video [also linked here] so they can see for themselves what we are about.

This video was created by professionals contracted by a local TV station. If you want to see a feel good video on scale RC boats want to see please check it out.

Lew
Florida, USA

https://www.wfla.com/news/suncoast-scale-model-boat-club/

RodC, thank you for those pictures and all the information you provided me.
I’m saving your pictures and text to go by when I start building my tug.
At the moment I’m in the process of selling my home and purchasing another one, so all of my model projects are in the back burner.
But mean while I’m watching and learning from all of you great model makers.
I have two questions.
Your antenna does not goes out any farther than that?
Stays like that (short) after you cover it?
Where can I purchase figures like that?
Than You
Jul