This is my second attempt at scratch building using a a grp hull. My first boat was an MTB/MGB built on a Perkasa hull as a semi-scale model. (see All things Rc - Power setups).
This time I have concentrated on keeping things lighter but it still weighs in at 2.5kg!
I have built without plans, relying on internet photos scaled etc using "Photo deluxe" and "Photo Express".
Virtually everything is built from plasticard apart from a 3mm liteply deck.
The dinghy is epoxy resin and microballoons, ths scramble nets are Lego!
Power is again courtesy of Graupner -2, Speed 600 8.4v using lh. and r.h 35mm props. Esc is one of those 50amp ones from the far east. These are far cheaper than the Viper Marine 40 used in my MGB, but slightly heavier and less sensitive at low speeds. Current drain (in the bath!) is up to 30A but this gives a superb on the water pace of an, estimated,8mph. Battery is a 4,600 mAhr NiMh.
(A true scale speed approaching 150mph plus).
I sail it on Ullswater in the Lake district and the Vosper Perkasa type hull shape is superb in the real waves that we get there, flying over the crests and taking aboard No water!
It really looks the part as my photos would show if I could learn how to load more than one! Can anybody help with this?

These two boats were refurbished by Kalamunda. The first is a Lesro Sportsman and the second a NorStar Wave Rider. The Sportsman has a Graupner 700 on 8.6v and the WaveRider a brushless motor. The on board camera was arranged by Kalamunda and other video shot by Ianed57. The water is at Crealy, Exeter, the home of Exeter and District Model Boat Club.

Just completed , not exactly origonal but not too far out. On the pond for the first time today after a rebuld, and very happy with it I am. Graupner kit, Don't know the builder, but when bought it was yellow! it just had to be put back to red. I didn't like the green deck, so it became mid-grey (gloss rubbed down to semi-mat). Powered by 3 Graupner 500 motors. Working radar and lights (worked from a key-fob, not transmitter). Sailed at inverleith Pond, Edinburgh. Home of Edinburgh Model Boat Club.

Had a full refurb but still need the window frames making when I can get round to it . Goes really well with a Graupner 700BB Neodym on 14.4 volts. Still trying to find the right prop, but pretty close now to getting it right . Aim to getting it up to 19.2 volt
Should really fly then.

Lesro Sportsman kit, wood sports fishing boat 33'' in length, weight about 8lb. MFA 850 on 12v (10 NiMHcells 3.5ah) MTroniks 40amp esc, X50 prop. Built by Ian Gardner.
March 2010. I am now using 12 cells and a Graupner speed controller. I added watercooling too and the boat goes noticeably faster- but melted a fuse holder on first outing so I need to upgrade some of the wiring. There was also a bit of prop aerating on turns so might reduce the prop size.
The last photo is with increased voltage.

I have rebuilt this from a damaged ex IC model. Borrowed a plan from a club member and managed to reconstruct the missing bits. Originally used a fast electric car type brush motor with 7.2 v nicads. Worked ok but nothing spectacular. Recently ventured into brushless and LiPo. Tried an inrunner but ran far to hot and not veryt fast. Changed to an Outrunner (mork torky apparently) and nearly took off! (it is a seaplane tender but should stay on the water!) The LiPo is 11.1v 2800MaH. I use a Graupner Ultramat 16 charger, don't use other than a dedicated LiPo charger and ESC. Battery misuse can result in pyrotechnics, so beware. initialyy tried a two blade racing prop but have changed this to a 29mm 3 blade brass prop to slow down the speed. I have also added more lead and will advise the final weight once I have tried the model on water. I sail with Crewe and District MBC at Boundary Park, Nr Knutsford in Cheshire.

Fishing cruiser built from kit by Dumas- no longer available I believe. Powered by Graupner Speed 500 on 7.2 volts with MTroniks 15 amp ESC. Travels at brisk walking pace so not exciting, but nice to watch. Has a big boat feel even though only two feet long.
There's a video of Scoter on the water.

Scoter was built from a Dumas kit ordered from America. it is a planked hard-chine boat reperesenting an East Coast fishing cruiser, She is 2 feet long with a Graupner Speed 500 motor running on 7.2 volts through an MTroniks 10A ESC. The crew are from George Turner Models, 1:12 scale resin figures.

Lesro Sportsman with Graupner Speed 700 Turbo, running on 9.6v at Youngs Park. Paignton. Devon

gearbox fitted, tested today with 8.4v graupner, running on 19.2v nimh. GPS Data logger installed, measured at 14.63mph, sound like a jet turbine!!, and this video was the slower of the 2 props tested.
Improvements with gearbox, motor is stone cold (it is water cooled, but was still hot as direct drive) , quieter, longer run time, esc cold, now able to upgrade from 2 blade 40mm prop to 3 blade, and possibly 4 blade, amp draw much less. Video taken at Newsham Park, Liverpool. Handling is now difficult, as its going way too fast, but its great fun! and might go faster, with the motor thats been fited tonight, watch this space!!

This is my Sea Hornet which was rescued from Ebay see photo 1. Gray (Froggyt996) recognised it as a Sea Hornet even with the hideous cabin attched which the prvious owner had made. Also see the propshaft angle in photo 1 - would this have ever worked? Gray again restored this for me, I wanted a mahogany boat which looked like an italian speedboat and this is what he did for me see photo 2. Photo 3 sees the Sea Hornet on the sea at Southsea just after the start of the Round Britain Race in 2008. The receiver battery failed and a very nice Lifeboat Man from Southsea happened to be watching me run the boat and rescued it when it stopped running. it was put in dry dock over this winter to be tidied up again after a couple of years constant use and photo 4 sees it with its 2 new screens, re-varnished and 2 new rubbing strake. it is powered by 2 Graupner Speed 600 motors, a Ripmax sea sprint watercooled speed controller and 2 x 3 blade prop shop props on 2 x light weight shafts. it is also filled with bouyancy foam it case the inevitable happens which makes it quite heavy. it is ran on 2 x 8.4 volts nicad sticks and gives me a running time of approx. 20 minutes with quite a good turn of speed.
Marie (alias Mrs Froggyt996)

first tests (after build started 30 yrs ago !) showed great speed and great handling too but short battery life on 12v set up and 700 series motor so now testing with 6v that gives less speed but much longer running.

Sea Hornet with Graupner 540 series motor also undergoing tests and both models have needed 40A ESC to handle current draw.