Mike, Michel, Mike
It’s because you are Swiss. The wiseast people in Europe. It meand you are 4 years older?!? But much much wiser
Regards
Your belgian friend

Hi Hermank,
78 years of life experience and I'm still learning!
Best wishes
Michel-C.

@hermank
Age does not protect you from stupidity . . . so keep learning 🤣🤣🤣🤣

Michael schönen Abend
, a good evening
I always wonder how a young men can tell so much wisdom!!!!! At such a young age!! You must be blessed

Hey guys!
Your confessions are really amazing! I must admit that I am in a similar situation.
On the one hand, my wife, who is 10 years younger than me, likes to travel in a camper van, and on the other hand, I like to ride my motorbike. And then there are the model boats...!
Like our member Murlough, my boats were stored in my son's attic. A hailstorm during the coronavirus pandemic had damaged the roof tiles, so I was asked to collect my two large military boxes.
Thank goodness for coronavirus and hail, otherwise I wouldn't have a winter hobby!
In my harbour, you can see my unfinished work, and I am sure that, like EdW, I need to get back to my workshop. And LewZ, like me, still has a lot to do...
My to-do list has gotten shorter, but it is still a bit too long. I would love to encourage my grandchildren or young people to take up this wonderful hobby, but time is changing their way of life too. It's a shame...
Nevertheless, I have set myself the goal of living to be 98 in good health, and God willing, I will certainly achieve this! The boats must be finished!
I honestly don't understand why people on this earth are at each other's throats... Look at us, they should be building model boats instead. Then the world would be a more peaceful place, but there are too many idiots!
Life is far too short, isn't it?
Your Michel-C.

Image: Gruffty Motorcycle

Murlough, I just gave you a bunch of likes to help you get motivated on posting more on this site. Keep it up. Lew

Hey Murlough66, here's a suggestion,

- when you get your older boats out from the loft, assuming that some are salvageable, pick the one that will take the least work to get running again and focus solely on that until you have successfully run it (keeping us all posted with occasional pics, of course😉).
I have found that the completion of a project and test running of it is a supreme motivator for getting onto the next one. Having several projects on the go is the norm for me (currently the boating pond + surrounding area, small tug - see pics, Vivacity as well as helping wifey with the garden whenever she requests), but I agree there are times when there is too much on at once and motivation can wane. That's when I take a step back and focus on just one as much as possible until completion, and suddenly re-discover the will to finish the others in turn.
Hope this is helpful - I know it works for me, and perhaps others.
Looking forward to hearing about your boat stash.

Best regards,

Nick

First post for ages.....I would like to reply to this. I have probably 10 boats in my loft from around 30-50 years ago when i stored them there under the eves in the days that I could crawl in there. Most are old multi racing boats still with engines and also a Swordsman with a tuned up Olsen Rice petrol engine. There is also a massive offshore racer that I never engined and sailed.
Our roof is well overdue for new sarking felt and tiles. Soooo I shall get the roofer boys to extract them for me.
Cant wait to see what condition they are in.
Apart from that I have an Agnes sailing pilot cutter in the spare bedroom that I completed well before covid and have only sailed a few time. As its upstairs and weighs 25+
kg with mast up its a pain to slide it down the stairs and get it in the estate.
Also I have a half finished plank on frame scratch built Dutch style 1890s ocean going salvage tug to be powered with a Stuart Turner Launch engine that i built 40 years ago and has been sitting on a shelf in my workshop and thanks to a premium bond win I was able to afford a boiler from Pendle boilers to run it, Chaps I need a kick up the backs side to get motivated to complete the tug and secondly I need another kick to complete my current project of the Stuart triple compound that I am beging to loose the will after just about spending 6 months making the bloody tripple throw crankshaft.

I sold my last bike a year ago - a really lovely Harley Davidson Super Glide. That was my third Harley after a long line of mostly Japanese bikes with a few British and a BMW that was a superb tourer.

The Harleys were the best of bunch, though, I just loved them, but had to sell because of the advance of osteoarthritis in my hands. Still miss it, and still haven't sold my riding gear - when that's gone, I'll truly be an ex-biker.

Put my little brother Pete's Suzuki 250k dirt bike into a tree when I was 18. Flew head first through a convenient "V" in the tree 8 feet off the ground. Never got on a bike again. Just didn't have the aptitude or the guts for it.

My brother on the other hand was an artist on a bike and he could take one apart and put back together. He got out of dirt and into super bikes and hung with some of the moto-gp crowd. He was tight with one of Matt Mladin's Suzuki wrenches. They tweaked out his Honda VFR750. It was a beauty! The speed and the size of that monster was too much for me to comprehend.

It was locked in a garage and chained to an iron post set in the cement floor. A determined team of (very strong) thieves got into the garage, cut the chains, and literally lifted it out a high window (that they had professionally removed, even left the window and trim neatly piled on the floor!) and off she went. Damn!

Pete took the insurance money and brought a Ducati; what a gorgeous and temperamental thing that was! He said it took too much effort to keep it running well. But, when it ran well it was a blast. Forgive my rambling.
C'est la guerre!
😉

That looks a bit of a beast! Mind you my Triumph 1200 Scrambler isn't too far behind! I've got three more bikes and a Lambretta, collected over the years whilst working with a view to using them more during retirement, fat chance! So with that and needing the space in my single garage some of them are having to go. ☹️

My last bike, the end of a long string.
Gave up riding and sold it when I discovered I had heart issues.

Hi Guys,

so, I've started building model boats again to give myself a break from building planes over the last few years - I have a dozen airworthy (ie can be flown tomorrow if I charge batteries etc) airframes, and seven remaining kits (I've just sold the 8th) but as for planes yet to build that I have the want/need for...I will die long before I get anywhere near...!😊

And this brings me to boats; I've fairly recently built three, but one needs a motor swap, I've so far started two new builds (Vivacity and just this week a Glynn Guest Knocker White tug), but having just filled my back garden model boating pond for the first time (still a work in progress with all the planned landscaping etc - see pic with small free runner) I've been looking at LOTS of suitable small boat plans to add to my growing flotilla - Glynn Guest and Hal Harrison designs feature heavily, as well as adaptations of EeZebilt and John Reid designs (author of 'Model Boats That Really Go'- a great book from 1990, if you can find it online) . And that's before I even start on the Lesro/Aerokits plans I have that I want, as well as the Beachcomber....😉🤞.

Yes, I believe that cartoon definitely applies to me!😁👍👍

Best regards to all of you,

Nick

Well, I'm nearly 72 and bought my last new motorbike four years ago (I felt much younger then!). I think that is going to be my last one! 😂

I am 76 years old and wish I had your self control Rob.

My same aged pal that I shoot target pistols with is also 76 years young and he is a pro standard bass player who often buys an additional new bass guitar, double bass, electric bass, Banjo, etc etc

His wife puts an additional number of years that he has to live to warrant the expenditure of each new "toy" - and so far this agreement is working well for both of them 😂

Food for thought...................maybe?

Bob.

I think my my eventual entry through the pearly gates might be rather too swift ☹️ on the basis that I only have one boat in construction right now and nothing lined up (as yet) as a new build when that's finally finished, although the current build now stands at 3 1/2 years since starting it 😮.
For my own sake I'd better think about stockpiling some kits like you guys 🤣.

100% applies to me in every way too.

I two active builds right now....
Sterling American Scout "Pacific Trader" Freighter is ready to run, just has to be rigged. Vids to follow soon?

Bluebird K-7, still sorting water tests and rudder placement, not to mention learning the finer points of brushless lipo power. Also, concerned about weight issues and scale speed.

And these are currently in the stash.
Dumas Coast Guard Utility Boat, unhappy with it's plans and directions in the stash and will sell cheap!

Vintage Robbe Freighter, Cap Valiente in the stash. The pancake build.
Vintage Robbe Topkapi Cabin Cruiser. Lovely kit. No directions but should be able to handle it.

Chinese Naxos fishing trawler. Gorgeous hull, garbage bare bones super structure. Partially built, but have grown weary of it's lack of parts. Buyer beware when purchasing kits from China. They should all be labeld as "short or partial kits."

And the Queen of my stash; Vintage Sterling Models 42' Chris Craft Corvette. A 4 foot long beast and a wonderful throwback kit. It's so pretty I almost don't want to touch it. But, it's my dream build. So she's on deck for this Winter.
😉

Don't feel so bad now!

I've got my 7 Fairey builds to finish and my water-jet project to build and that was going to be it. But now a Sprite has been added to the list! That is a fairly simple and quick build though and detailing will be minimal.

I do have 4 RTR power boats and 2 yachts but they are low maintenance only and a Tamiya Unimog to paint.

I do have other hobbies and need to do some culling there. My neighbour is into RC boats and planes and a garden railway and also had a load of Airfix kits in his loft. But reality set in and he has sold many of the Airfix kits and some of the unbuilt RC aircraft kits. Though he has bought the odd one or two new ones! 😀

Confessions:-
4 kits in their boxes.
3 model boats in advanced state of build.
5 models given to me in need of a good refurbishment.
2 bought in as decorative models already converted to sail on the water, need a small finish.
4 needing minor repair.
11 model yachts always needing TLC after sailing.
8 electric and one clockwork (with RC) all working but just general maintenance.

I think I might have a Viking funeral with boat after boat setting sail with my remains.
I would like to get my OO gauge railway running again as well.
Roy

I am not sure models are ever really finished, there always seems to be something to go back and tweak!

I guess so. At 81, I have a lot of unfinished models to work on. Adding the ones that in the "boatyard" and "drydock" probably half of my fleet is down or incomplete. Good news is that I don't have any unbuilt kits but ideas on what I would like to scratch build. A lot of work ahead.

Lew
Lew