I rescued my PT Boat from EBAY in August 2005. it was owned by a young boy in Birmingham whose Dad had built if for him. it is an original Aerokits kit Fast Patrol Boat. When I bought the boat it had a sound hull with a few damaged fittings, which I removed. Since then I have made new guns, extended the front cabin to carry the life raft to make it look like a late World War II Elco PT Boat and added other new fittings.
I have made 6 working exhausts in brass tubing, have fitted a new open prop shaft running an Octura race prop and a Merco 61 glow engine. it still needs torpedos, guard rails around the machine gun turrets and a few other fittings. The number 349 is from an original Pacific Theatre 80' Elco PT Boat whose name in Bee Bee, which I hope to add at a later date.
I have also painted it in an original Pacific Theatre camouflage from a PT Boat book which I bought for reference and to make it look like a standoff scale model. This boat was also photographed by the local Burton Upon Trent newspaper at the Fireboat day in September 2006. I ran this boat at the Burton Model Boat Club's Fireboat day in September 2006 briefly until I broke the exhaust manifold and had to retire it early.
The Sea Queen is an original Aerokits kit from the early 1960's. it was built by my Dad in the early 1960's. it was originally fitted with an ED Seaotter, next it had a Channel island Special, then a 15cc Gannett and finally fitted with the OS 80 which it still has fitted today.
I sail at King Lear Lake at Watermead County Park in Wanlip Leicestershire. it sat in my attic for 22 years and 2 years ago I dragged it out and gave it a bit of TLC and started to use it again and it has been ran most weekends for the last 2 years.
I ran this boat virtually all day of the Burton Model Boat Club's Fireboat day in September 2006. it is currently in dry dock having a full de-barnacle and repaint.
If I may suggest, a 21 size engine will be far too small and you'll be disappointed if you want it to plane, you would need something more like a 52 or even a 61 for a 46" hull. Moreover with the monotonous high pitch whine they'd also sound and therefore look pretty un-realistic. With an abundance of highly efficient brushed or brushless electric motors now on the market, electric is really now the way to go. Although initially electric propulsion is a bit more expensive to set up than I.C. electric motors are now equally as powerful as I.C.,if not more so, and there is a size to suit practically any model. They are also extremely reliable and convenient and due to environmental issues you are going to have a far greater choice of sailing locations to choose from and with the bonus that your model will always stay clean!
This boat is a model of the Judge McCombs which is the fire boat in Hamilton Ontario Canada. The model was built by Don Hodgson of the Confederation Marine Modellers of Hamilton. Scatch built with about 700 hours, has 3 water pumps run by 12 volt.
The boat started out as the tug Betty-Bess in 1947, in 1950 a small fire pump was installed driven by a separate engine, in 1972 the extra 2 monitors where installed. it will now pump a 1000 gpm. Enclosed find 3 pictures of the model and 1 picture of the real thing.
The boat has no name as yet, it is scrach bult from two photos. I found in a loft as usual. it is about 25/30 years old, she is powered by a darke horse 785 turbo with a 2.5 to 1 gearbox and two 9.6 volt 3700maH NiMH bateries and a 50mm 3 bladed prop, sailed at our local lake.
The boat is far from finished and is not to scale as you can see, but for a first time build it looks pritty fair out on the water. Just one last word, many thanks to all the members of the forum for all your help.bit of a muck here lads the photos were in the loft,the hull I bought for £30.and every thing else is scratch built.
This is a model of a sidewall hovercraft fire and rescue boat (Hovermarine HM218) built by James Ramsey.
This started its life as a broken hand vacuum cleaner. Opened up there are two squirrel cage fans. He obtained pictures, sale data, amd small GA drawings from a Hovercraft Museum and was able to scratch build.
It has twin motors operated through mixer and two ESCs, steerable fire monitors plus nav lights, deck lights, flasher, fire pump, siren, rear mast lights and serch lights operated from the transmitter via a Digiserv unit.
Barry Sullivan's fireboat, built in 1969 from the aero kit. This was his first boat and was given to his son, then brought back and refurbished. it was then given to his grandson and brought back again for refurbishment last year.
