When I do get around to working on one of my two Precedent 34” Huntsman 31 kits I would prefer to start with a “Sport” variant as I much prefer the shape and the style over the rear cabin type as supplied in the kit.

Once I have corrected and replaced the front cabin window with one that looks more like it should, I will have to correct the shape of the cabin roof to match it.

The cabin sides will also have to be remade (or reshaped , if possible) and a new rear cockpit will need to be made.

Basically I will need to make a new super-structure to fit onto the kit’s glass fibre hull……..just the sort of challenge that I enjoy, but I will be consulting with my two Fairey “guru’s” to make sure I get it right enough to get their approval.

Bob.

You got the description right Ed! 😁

Be interested in seeing those if you have Will. I drew mine up from a drawing in a book.

Thank you Chris and Will,

I am sure you both know that I was joking - I couldn’t be any better connected than I am with you two for anything to do with Fairey Marine.

Anything that you two don’t know about Fairey Marine is not worth knowing !

Together you are the font of all my knowledge about this magnificent boat builder of my favourite power boats 👍

Bob. 😎

I'm sure I've got aft cockpit plans on the laptop.

Like this you mean Bob? No, I don't know of anyone with drawings like that! 🤔 😀

Seriously, I have my drawings for my 1:12 Sport I started off building before changing it to an aft cabin. And I have various books showing the race boats so when the time comes we will get on the case.

Much easier modification than with our Swordsmen.

FordSport was one of the race boats, that happened to be an aft cockpit 31, so that could be one to replicate 😀

Bob, between us all, we'll have various plans for both styles 😉

Will

That’s a good idea Chris - do you happen to know anyone that may have some pictures of these two variants to share with me by any chance ?

…..or maybe even some drawings……😂

Bob.

Bob - you will have to build one as an aft cabin and if you want to replicate one of the "factory" modified race boats the other one will have to be a Sport with the full rear cockpit. 😀

I was going to modify my post as the article was quite some years ago and therefore I was thinking unlikely to have prompted your comment.

I have penned an update but embarrassingly most of the builds haven't advanced as much as they should have. I've now stopped starting new builds after the last two until at least some of them are finished!

Fairley Fanatics is a subject I thought was apt, I have not seen any of the club magazines yet 🤔

That is a nice model Chris - but it suffers from the unfortunate Precedent front cabin “hump” that is noticeably different from the real Huntsman 31.

With a lower and flatter profile front window shape and the roofline changed to suite, it would improve the model considerably.

You have removed the domed top on your own Huntsman 31 front cabin window and the roofline is automatically corrected as it in turn blends in with the more correctly shaped front cabin window shape making a much more convincing model.

It is a shame about this strangly shaped window because the rest of the President model looks OK - but if it is not corrected the front cabin roof also looks “wrong”.

I have a pair of new President Huntsman 31 kits to build (smaller 34” size with glass fibre hulls) that share the same weird dome shaped front cabin window and roofline.

When I get around to making them I will refer to photographs of the real thing and make a template for a more correctly shaped front cabin window and then change the cabin roof formers to blend in with it and match to the correct shape.

Cutting the new front window and roof formers from the new templates won’t take too long and shouldn’t cause too much of a delay to the kit build, but it will be well worth it as once the wrong shape front cabin window and matching domed roof has been “clocked” it is very hard for me not to focus on it, and this spoils an otherwise really good looking model.

There is not much else that I would want to change to improve the model and I will build it (maybe build “them” !) with a single motor drive to retain the handling characteristics that I like.

The offshore racing variants have a lot of appeal to me so I will also be trying to find as many pictures of them as I can to help me add some suitable “styling” to my model(s?) as I build it/them.

Bob.

Thanks for the link Ed. Good to see that it's ready for the water.

There was a mention in Model Boats magazine a couple of months back where someone had done work on a 47" Huntsman 31 to replicate the race boat Double Century. Probably a Precedent kit originally.

I also know someone who is also building one but is a bit of a perfectionist and wants to get all the details right. This is proving a little difficult as the boat (like many boats do) underwent a number of changes during it's lifetime and wants to portray it as it was during the offshore power boat races and detailed and clear photographs are hard to come by. I understand he has been in tough with the guy who has undertaken the restoration of the full-sized boat.

This is the one in the magazine.

Funnily enough I wrote a short article for the club magazine entitled Fairey Fanatic! 😀 Is that what your are referring to?