Having built a number of boats in different styles and getting on in years I have given this some thought as well.

I have some partially built ones I would like to get started on soon. One of them is the rebuild of the FLB Dusseldorf which is extended to be 54 inches long. Most of the are much smaller.

However, if sacrificing size and weight for a future build perhaps additional functions might be a solution. I have lost excitement for a boat that goes left and right, forward and backward, and fast and slow. This is where smoke, sound and active devices such as radar, lights, and even a crane. There are some neat looking work boats out there that are based on simple barge like hulls.

Easy to build, inexpensive, and fun to operate is the "Springer" tug. It is also to deviate from the above deck pieces to the point where one can replicate a real "truckable pushboat". At 18 inches long it will fit anywhere and is easy to transport. I boult four and always take at least one to a model boat meet.

Good luck,
Lew

There’s a lot of that going around Pat. I have a special affinity for the 43” Buddy Davis BLANK CHECK; one of the best running boats I have. Plus I ran the real boat on an offshore tuna fishing trip.
Svitzer FERRIBY is a tug I saw working in Southampton. For this one, about 40” long, I would switch the twin Schottel drives to steerable Kort nozzles. Not so attached to it.
Both boats simply too large & too heavy for me to handle. I now build in the 18” - 28” range, tops 30”.
As someone once said, “Getting old ain’t for sissies.

Understood Pat because oh brother...this one is a war moving it about. 55 inches and 19 pounds now.
😉

Thanks for the advice guys much appreciated

As a matter of interest, I often regret selling all of my coastal command boats as they were all quite easy to carry, not too heavy and usually less than 3ft in length, so they could be of some interest to you ( and a better choice than the German E boat ....in my opinion!)

Hi Pat,

The Maggie M is a VERY heavy boat for its size due to the large amount of lead needed to ballast it - and is the reason why I sold mine - it was too heavy for me to lift in and out of the car - and putting it into the Southport club lake very nearly saw me follow it into the water on more than one occasion!

The models of all the other types that you have mentioned should be much easier for you to carry and transport.

Hope this helps,

Bob.

Yes, that's why I sold my 47" Fairey Huntsman 31. As well as the weight it was the awkwardness of moving it around the house and up and down stairs never mind getting it to the lake and launching and recovering it. Fellow club member I sold it to has now moved it on for the same reason.

My biggest model is now my Fairey Swordsman 33 and that is getting quite heavy as I build it! At least they don't have lots of detail on them which can be damaged.

Chris