HI All,here,s a piccy of a recent gathering one sunny sunday afternoon at Gang Werily Fawley Hants.These are all electric powered models all original aerokits with the one closest has all original fittings only missing a few minor items but still goes well for an old girl.we have 93,94 and unumbered yet all 35" models.these are a regular sight at gang werily pond
Following a significant amount of restoration this old and original Aerokits 36" Fireboat was rebuilt from a wreck to a nice, working model. A full (new) white metal fittings kit provided all the deck clutter. Like my Sea Commander, featured elsewhere on this site, I have considerably lightened much of the internal structure. it's powerd by an 800 electric motor and runs on 12v. Performance is OK with 2 channel 27Mhz radio. Perhaps the best bit is a superb triple V12 sound unit (speaker under an additional hatch behind the wheelhouse). it sounds great on the water although someone did wonder why, having gone to all the trouble to remove the old unsilenced I/C engine and go for a quiet electric unit, why then add the noise back??. The pic of the boat underway has the battery externally in the rear compartment whilst doing sonme tests. it runs at Warminster Model Boat Club, Wiltshire.
This Sea Comander was another disaster, rescued from fleabay a couple of years ago as a 50s/60s bare shell. Whilst the hull was basically sound, the model needed considerable surgery. I resisted the temptation to cover it in modern fittings and have kept it original looking. Power is an electric 800 motor on 12 volts with 2 channel 27Mhz R/C. Performance is reasonable, particularly as I have lightened the original internal structure considerably. A big 7AH battery lasts for ages but for speed I use a small 2.5AH one. Owner sails at Warminster Model Boat Club, Wiltshire.
Interesting thought. I don't think there was a specific finish and most of the advertisements I have seen for the kits in period were of course in black and white. The only consistency in the various advertisements appears to show the boat with very light colour (white?) hull sides and the cabin roofs in the same colour. Deck, windscreen surround, handrails and cabin sides are in a light wood finish. The lower hull colour is dark and I always assumed red or blue. Not much help I'm afraid but it does look good. Peter
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.
This is my ** version of the Sea Queen. My father owns one of the originals and when one lunch time I saw one on the ** web site I knew I had to get one.
It was to be a winter build project and work started in the autumn of 2006 and it was launched in May 2007. I was very disappointed to see the all white paint finish used on the ** advertisements and decided I was going to re-create the look of the original. Cosmetically the big problem was that the original used mahogany finish ply for the cabin sides and the ** version was just plain birch. However after a bit of staining I was quite happy with the finished colour. This was contrasted against clear coated lime wood deck planking.
Also ***a€™s bag of fittings missed out on the signature life belts so I had to make my own.
One Improvement that I did make was the inclusion of a dashboard, instrument panel and throttle slide.
The graphic on the transom was a custom cut from callie-graphics.
The supplied motor was replaced with an MFA Torpedo 850 which is a direct replacement. ( Same mount, same screw fixing centres etc ).
Battery is a 12V 7A gel cell, ESC is an Mtronics Marine Viper 40A
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!
Aerokits Boats built by Christian Sheppard-Capurro
This is an Aerokits 34" built over 20 years ago and runs an Enya glow engine with Futaba 2-ch radio (upgraded from 1 ch). All fittings were built from scratch.
The second boat is also from the 34" kit, re-cut into a Hants & Dorset RAF HSL. Also powered by Enya.
The third boat used to be an Aerokits Sea Commander, converted into RAF 63ft Pinnace.Powered by an ancient diesel.
The fourth boat is an Aerokits Swordsman flat out in the Bay Of Gibraltar. Big Enya!
46 Inch Aerokits Crash Tender Restored By Paul Devlin
This was originally built circa 1960 by my Uncle, with no radio control, you set the rudder, and let it go! it was then powered by an IC engine. All the fittings, engine and electrics where removed in 1965(ish) for conversion to electric, but the project was scrapped and everything was lost.
After a number of years carrying Action-Man around the living room, it was condemned to 30 years in the loft. Restoration started 3 years ago, completed after 1 year and given back to my Father as a Xmas present.
Sadly, he never got to use it much and it's now back in my possession. After 6 months or so (see posts!) sorting a better motor/esc/battery combo, it's ready for another restoration to bring it back to former glory.
Look closely on the 3rd picture, in the background you can see Fort Perch Rock Lighthouse, a listed building which stands at the entrance to the Mersey, and the famous Liverpool Waterfront further down river. New Brighton lake is in a fabulous setting for boat enthusiasts.
