Hi alessandro yes i have got a mfa 50-1 motor and i am getting 149 rpm in forward and 145 rpm in reverse i have also got a chain and sprocket drive with different sprocket wheels so i can reduce or expand the gearing i am awaiting a stainless steel rod to attach every thing to i have sorted all the wiring and added a smoke generator so its all looking good hopefully i wil get it on the water in the next couple of weeks as i am busy during the day helping my son getting a new field ready for his wifes horses

Hi Majorray, I'm glad you're moving forward with the work.
A question: so you decided to move both paddle wheels with a single motor and not to differentiate them?

I have started on the Gulnare have removed the old gear box and motor i have had to remove one side of the paddle cover because the drive rod connected to the paddels was in two peices but the new one has to be one peice going through both paddles. Because this model was built a long time ago the glue that was used is breaking down and if I so much as touch some thing it falls off so I have had to reglue all the railings and deck fittings but its coming along slowly when it finished i will upload some photos Allesandro if you read this i will pm some pictures to you ok thanks again for everybodys help

Hi Maiorraj.
Yes of course I would like to see more photos of this fantastic model.
Now I have already defined the whole setup on the bridge but I still like seeing beautiful models like this.

When choosing the gearmotor, did they recommend a ratio of 50:1 or 50 rpm?
I know you wrote 50:1 but I still have some doubts.
Establishing 50 revolutions per minute on the paddle wheel means already deciding on a final result (correct or not) and adjusting based on it.
Choosing a 50:1 ratio instead still leaves many unknowns.
In fact, the final revolutions of the paddle wheel (which will determine the speed of the steamer) depend on the revolutions of the electric motor.
If you choose a 10,000 rpm motor, with the 50:1 ratio, you would have 200 rpm on the wheel. With a 30,000 rpm electric motor, with the 50:1 ratio, you would have 600 rpm. Quite a difference between the two, but more importantly you would still have a very high speed for a paddle wheel.
With an MFA 500 como drills motor (from 4.5 to 15 Vdc) you have 7500 rpm without load and 6180 rpm at maximum efficiency (data taken from the internet). In this case with a 50:1 gearbox you would get around 124 rpm.
In one second the wheel makes two revolutions (if I haven't made a mistake in some simple calculations); Isn't that still too fast?
However, if it were too fast you could reduce the speed by acting on the remote control stick (perhaps halfway).
Maybe it's a correct end result.


Instead, 50 rpm is a cross between 40 and 60 rpm.


With the electric motor you chose and a 50:1 ratio, how many revolutions per minute will you get?

These are just reasoning (not advice), I remind you that I have no experience with paddle wheel models, but these topics stimulate me a lot and intrigue me.
If you didn't understand, don't worry, sorry, it's definitely my translation's fault.

As for two gearmotors (two motors and two gearboxes), each for each paddle wheel is a great idea for riverboats with a flat hull and no keel.
We have seen (from the recent testimonies of some modelers on this forum) that in these models the rudder has little effect (almost nothing); therefore, the only solution is to have two independent wheels that can also contribute to the rotation of the ship as well as its propulsion.
I believe that the rudder on your hull does not have this problem (at least not as prevalent).
I am not able to establish it a priori but your situation is better than the boats I have seen, however if you can put two engines and control the wheels independently (possibly one wheel forward and one backward for tacks) it is much better .

One last question, do you want to replace the motor and gearbox because they are both broken?

I will follow your work with great curiosity and interest.

Hi Alessandro the guy who built the craft passed away a few months ago and i bought it of his son if you want i can publish some more pictures in more detail i have spoken to very knoledgable chap at sussex models in worthing and he sugested using a geared motor at 50:1 he sugested a MFA como geared motor they are between 6 to 15 volts and they are not that expensive so if it still not right i might try two motors and run the paddles seperatly but i will see

IanL1thanks for the reply and the offer but i have decided to use a toothed pully whel on the motor and on the drive shaft to the paddles and these are easy to buy here in the uk or failing that mabey a quick trip no new zealand would be good im sure my wife will want to pay the fare to get rid of me for afew weeks lets hope i win the lottery

Great looking craft. Maybe consider using a series of small belt drive pulleys using O rings as the drive belts. I made up a series of pulleys on my lathe for a guy here building a navy craft where he had twin screws and it worked well. Just think outside the square. Would be happy to help if you want but will need to do it on line as I live in New Zealand. Cheers Ian 👍

Here's one, Majorray, found.

I'll put the link at the end of this message.

It was a question, very similar to yours, from dear Mike Stoney.
You can read from the message in the attached image (dating back about two months) to the following ones.
This reading will probably help you.

I believe that at online sellers you will find (with a little patience) the motor and gearbox that are right for you.
I believe you should reduce the speed to around 40 - 60 rpm.
But it's better to hear from people who are more experienced in this field, like Tomarrack and Mike Stoney.

https://model-boats.com/harbour/105103

Hi Majorray, excellent purchase.

Who built this scale model of the Gulnara? Compliment it, it's really well done.

It's the first time I've seen an RC scale model of this Italian warship.
It was a unit of the navy of the Kingdom of Sardinia and then of the Kingdom of Italy, launched in 1834 and classified as "advisory" (perhaps translatable with the term "explorer" or "warning").
It is a British design and creation.
I had studied and observed it in the past because I wanted to see how the decks of ships of that era were set up, in order to complete the design of my ship model.
All the models I saw were static models (not RC sailing).
Maybe you have a unique piece and I really love how it was made.

Coming to your question, I hope someone who is knowledgeable about paddle wheel ships will help you (there are good guys here).
For my part, I will try to find some topics on this forum where we had already discussed the topic and there had been interesting solutions.

https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gulnara_(warning)
https://www.marina.difesa.it/noi-siamo-la-marina/mezzi/mezzi-storici/Pagine/EFGHI/gulnara.aspx