Hi Ronald,
What a beautiful video! I watched it several times, and I think you chose the perfect time of day to film her.
The sunset in the background, the calm water, and the silhouette of the sailboat create such a peaceful and realistic scene that, at times, it almost looks like a full-sized yacht instead of a model.
Many of us spend countless hours building our models, but you also reminded us that presenting them is an art in itself.
The lighting, the reflections on the water, and the gentle wake behind the boat all came together perfectly.
Congratulations on a wonderful build and an equally wonderful video.
Thank you for sharing it with all of us. It was a pleasure to watch, and it has inspired me to think more about photographing my own models in natural light once they're finished.
It is quite a question whether the propellers will be built correctly. The speed is too high on my small model. We will see about that during the water tests.
Just a few photos of the Three Musketeers sailing on Sunday 19th July. We seem to be the only three that turn up on a regular basis. Just so happened there was a young lady photographer (Inga Zaiat) taking pictures around the lake. She asked if she could take some of us and the boats. From left to right Myself, Arthur & Ian. Arthur picked up the Victoria for a song at Model Boat Mayhem and after a bit of tinkering we had it up and sailing. Considering the sails are in poor condition it sails very well. Ian's boat is a second hand DF65 and mine (Red one) is built from plans out of the Model Boats magazine but does have a purchased DF65 rig. All good fun. PS. I uploaded the photos in low res as they take up less space and load faster.
Laminate, sanding, laminate, sanding... And the crew is getting older..
I had to diversify the endless grinding and laminating with the helmsman and the waiting crew. (Unfortunately, neither of them has any idea that they will have many more months in port ahead of them.)
Good Morning Gang:
Thought you'd like this as it made me think of my (still to be be fully completed) freighter "Pacific Trader."
I found this large and very nice piece on the floor in a nice little antique store yesterday. We don't often see freighters depicted in such a fashion; it's an original too. It depicts the MS Finnforest.
So did a bit of research and found out that she was completed: in 1963 by the Emden, Rheinstahl Nordseewerke G.m.b.H. Shipyard
Weights and dimensions: 9 674 / 7 610 DWT, 6 500 BHP, 139.72 x 18.74 x 8.34 / 7.29 m.
Her tabular records are listed as...
1963.6.28: FINNFOREST, homeport Kotka. Enso-Gutzeit Oy, Kotka (Finnlines). Finland - USEC service. 1968.8.23: lengthening completed by Rheinstahl Nordseewerke: 11 510 / 8 190 DWT, 152.32 x 18.74 x 8.58 / 7.11. 1973: Chartered to Atlantic Gulf Service Ab Göteborg. 1976.12 Charted completed.
1978.9.6: BRADEVERETT, Everett-Orient Line Inc (Everett Steamship Corp S.A. Tokyo), Monrovia.
1988.5.24: demolished Kaohsiung, China
I built my Emma C. Berry over 50 years ago. It was only in the water (pool in a mall) once, just after I finished building it. Yes, Roy, sides of the hull were planked with odd shaped 1/8 inch Balsa plate pieces rather than straight planking. I believe the bulkheads were also 1/8 Balsa as well. I fiberglassed my haul with anticipation of actually sailing it in the pond. The Berry is promently displayed in my game room, I just took the photo a few minutes ago.
A friend also sailed his Emma frequently at the same park we still use, but 50 years ago. I remember seeing the real Emma at Mystic Seaport about 70 years ago. That's why I bought the Sterling kit. I probably still have the plans.
Curious, do you have a weighted keel on the bottom?
I bought this model of the Emma C. Berry from the estate of a deceased member of our club (San Diego Argonauts, San Diego, California). It was built around 50 years ago, as I understand it. It needed a lot of work in order to prepare it for sailing in the club pond, including adding a false keel for balance.
The length of the hull is 32 inches O.A, with an additional 10.5 inch bowsprit. I can't find any kits for sale on the internet with those dimensions, so I don't know anything about how it was built.
The Wiesel is Back: Sea Trial at Lake Seminole Park (Florida, USA)
Had a nice run with the Schnellboot Wiesel at the June 21,2026 meet of the Suncoast Scale Model Boat Club. First time back in the water after 15+ years in my display case. I was hoping for a little more speed but the boat ran well and looked good cutting the water. But then, don't all of the Schnellboot look good? Only issue was me letting it drift into some weeds while setting up my camera on the tripod. Most of the video was recorded at about 30 meters away but the decent zoom on the camera brought the boat in close. I hope you enjoy the video.
What a beautiful video! I watched it several times, and I think you chose the perfect time of day to film her.
The sunset in the background, the calm water, and the silhouette of the sailboat create such a peaceful and realistic scene that, at times, it almost looks like a full-sized yacht instead of a model.
Many of us spend countless hours building our models, but you also reminded us that presenting them is an art in itself.
The lighting, the reflections on the water, and the gentle wake behind the boat all came together perfectly.
Congratulations on a wonderful build and an equally wonderful video.
Thank you for sharing it with all of us. It was a pleasure to watch, and it has inspired me to think more about photographing my own models in natural light once they're finished.
Best regards,
Julian (chugalone)