I have just completed my Puffer and am quite pleased with the outcome. The components are quite good but do need a bit of fettling but this is what our hobby is about. This is my third Caldercraft build so I am used to their quality and sparse instructions. As usual for Caldercraft you need to have your thinking cap on as the A0 plan and the 'instruction book' do not match up but of course they do expect you to have a little bit of experience in model building. it has taken me about 6 months to build working on and off over this time. it has a large hull which is easy to house the motor, ESC, RC and batteries, etc. (I installed 2 lead acid 6 volt batteries, one on each side amidships) which gives stability and ballast. Being a large deep hull it needs a lot of ballast, even in its short length.I have only tested her in the big white nautical test facility at home so do not know how it will perform on our lake but hope to try it out on Sunday if the weather is set fair. Tried her out Wednesday and she sailed really well - maybe a little more ballast in the bow but not too concerned.
Hi Brian
The hull is very similar to the Tarpon produced in the 1960's, especially the four portholes on the raised deck.
The cabin is different but this could be a later addition/modification.
I did think it may have been a Dumas kit but I have scant knowledge of their range and was hoping one of our American friends would comment.
It certainly looks the part and I hope you have many hours of happy sailing.
Hi,
I know this was a long time ago but only just saw this, and you may have found the answer by now. It is a design by John L Langford called Margaret and was published in a book of drawings from Brown, Son and Ferguson in Glasgow. I think the drawings are still available and I bought a set years ago- never got built!
The hull was 48" long. Lovely boat.
All the best,
Ian
Purchased from an old collector. Not sure how old, I was wondering on how do I clean this ship without damaging it. Quite a nice model. I was also wondering if anyone had any ideas of what kind of ship this maybe.
Nov.1 2016 weather great for Nov. here in Burlington Ontario at Spencer's boat pond . I'v posted a build log on this Midwest model but never showed it on water
Back in the early/mid '70's I took a pilgrimage aboard Manxman from Llandudno to Douglas on a day trip. I took a number of on-board photos which these are some. I intended to make a model of her but so far have not succeeded! but that is nothing new. I enjoy the planning and thinking about it! Anyway, if you would like more, please let me know.
Edward
Recently built from an Aeronaut kit, this is a 1/24th scale Pilot Boat based on a German design. Powered by two 540 brushed motors with 3 bladed brass props it attains something like scale speed. The colour is Volkswagen Bright Orange, courtesy of Halfords and the non-slip deck is acrylic green mixed with silver sand then covered with a silk finish varnish.
The boat was filmed at an illuminated regatta staged by Bournville Model Yacht and Power Boat Club on their lake in Bournville, Birmingham
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Hi Colin
Yes, I did brush paint the deck with an inexpensive acrylic.
The sand mix was trial and error. I started off with a thin mix and gradually added more sand, testing it on scraps of plastic, until I was happy.
A brushed coat of satin varnish waterproofed and added to the realism.
Best of luck.
Steve
She weighs in at 21 lbs
L.O.A. is 30"
Beam is 12"
Draft is 3" 5/8"
Her Engine Room Consist of:
Two MFA 919D 540 Type Motors with Single Ratio Metal Gearbox 2.5:1 Reduction
Two Mtroniks Viper Marine PNP 15
One Action Electronics Throttle & Rudder Mixer
Two 6 Volt SLA Batteries in series
Running time is estimated at 2 hrs
Return to building model boats after 45 years and first with R/C.
Fine kit by Mountfleet, though white metal castings getting a bit tired. Don't take it out sailing very often as it takes a lot of lead which I load each time. Quite a handful to launch. Sails well though.
Well thank you. For what it was worth it got model of the year from my model ship club, but there was only one other entry. Looking for the time to do some building blogs on some of my other boats incase they might be of use to other builders.
