Crane story continued.. once the swash plate was connected via servo arms to the jib, I had to develop an arm to control them from a servo - pics attached. Once the bracket was attached to the servo, it allowed the jib to move up and down, whilst the turret rotated. I then had to work out how to rotate the turret! More photos to follow..

So, the crane story. Here are pics of the crane in it's original guise - essentially the jib raised and lowered and the turret rotated. I decided to add extensions to the jib internally, and then use servo arms to send them through the deck (inside the turret) such that a servo could raise and lower them from below deck. The issue was trying to get a mechanism that would allow the arm to raise/lower, whilst being able to rotate from inboard to outboard! Solution - a helicopter swash plate from a crashed Blade! The connection joints had to be moved around the swash plate (refixed with superglue) to make it symetrical. More photos to follow..

Here's a video of the crane in operation on the lake

Here's a video of the inner workings of the crane - video of operation on the water to follow...

Here's a heavily modified Seaport Workboat - Toby. Videos to follow - the crane now works in three axis, and it has sound courtesy of a Technobots sound module. The searchlight works, as do the radar, running lights and nav lights.

This is a video of my little Toby Tug (a seaport workboat in a previous life) very generously given to me by Bob Hutton from Stourbridge Model Boat club. it's shown at Bournville Tug Day yesterday (5th June 2016) on a Tug Tow of a 10 ft tanker - two small tugs giving it a try, when calamity - the front Tug got swamped by another (not very well-behaved) passerby and capsized - leaving Toby to pull both boats back to shore.. Enjoy!

Lovely size model to transport about,sails very well on water,lots of interest from the public when I displayed it on the LBES stand at warwick,even the compare was shocked when talking about individual lifeboats,he said I cannot give you any information as I don't know who's boat it is and I will have to speak to the owner as I'm stumped(the crowd laughed)

Police (Scotland) 1.12 scale. made from a Semi-Kit by Models by Design, built 2014.
This is modelled from the interceptor42 range by Safehaven Marine. This is my first full build of a model, having only done restorations previously.
Model length is some 42 inch, beam of 12 inch. (106cm x 31cm)
Power is by twin E-Max BL2826 Brushless motors and 1, 80amp speed controller running on 2 NiMH 7.2 volts.
Fitted with Action electronics Police siren, and with detailed rotating blue lights and searchlights.
I sail this at Cold Knap Lake Barry Vale of Glamorgan, and I am the Founding member of the Vale Of Glamorgan Model Boat Club.
Also included is my Portland Pilot interceptor 42 which was the original prototype from Models by Design which I purchased and added lighting etc, this runs on Brushless motor running on 12Volt lead acid.
Visit our website at http://vgmbc.org/

This model took me 3 years. Copper plated the hull panel by panel. Even found a crew for her, then added an RC and took her to the lake.
She sailed well, but my enthusiasm to leave the gun ports open cost me dear. The water got in the hull and knocked out the RC, leaving her listing and drifting some way from shore.
Salvation came in the shape of a 10 year son of a friend, who strip to his underwear and swam out to rescue her!
Now she sits retired in a glass case.

Northsider built from a Tyne Model kit
History M.T. Northsider & M.T. Ironsider:
Completed April 1967, at Richard bunston Hessle for the Lawson
Batey Tug Co. Ltd., at a cost of £106,500. Then chartered to the Tyne & Wear Tug Co. Ltd., working on the Tyne for harbour towage. Also visiting other UK and European ports during many coastal tows. After a long and eventful service on the Tyne, sold in 1996 to BaltagI Pilots in Bahrain and renamed 'BaltagI 6' there it remains in service today. M.T. Ironsider Completed September 1967, a sister ship to the Northsider, also chartered to the Tyne Wear Tug Co. Ltd., until 1992. Then sold to Proodos Maritime Co., Piraeus and renamed 'MegaloharI 12' still in service today.
Both tugs are similar to Alexandra Towings Tug, 'Sauria' which, was based at Felixstowe, UK. .

Aquired as response to grandsons'Can't we have one like that' request on seeing other club members ' Hooligan boat'.
Cheap second hand commercial speed boat steered by shutting down port or starboard motors and only on/off on pretend transmitter.
Now modified with proper ESC, 2.4 radio with servo operated rudder and upgraded to take 8.4v NiCad.
Length: 30 inches_ Not yet sailed in modified form !

My sport boat Kika, see elsewhere on the site now has a friend! I've created a Skier (Chopped & Shaped Soldier figure ) put him on skis and got a passable attempt at model water ski-ing.
Doesn't much like going astern though!
Chris