Harbour directory
Original LesRo Sprite
Specifications
- Boat Length
- 22" (55.88 cm)
- Motor Type
- Brushless
- Drive Type
- Direct
- Props
- Single
- Max Amps
- 100A
- Battery Type
- LiPo
- Battery mAh
- 2.2Ah (2,200 mAh)
- Prop Type
- 2 Blade
- Prop Size
- 45mm
- Run Time
- 20 min
- Model Speed
- 20 km/h (12.4mph)
Photos
About this boat
More Like a Swamp Buggy?
I bought this model in fairly rough condition on eBay as it was the first LesRo Sprite that I had seen for sale since I became interested in them after I started to build the 30" Sprite Plus model from the excellent scaled-up drawings from Chris.
Looking more like a swamp buggy with its pusher glow plug engine fitted, the plan is to remove the glow motor and its mount (whilst causing as little damage as possible) and convert what is left into a model that looks a little more like LesRo intended it to be.
Bob.
I bought this model in fairly rough condition on eBay as it was the first LesRo Sprite that I had seen for sale since I became interested in them after I started to build the 30" Sprite Plus model from the excellent scaled-up drawings from Chris.
Looking more like a swamp buggy with its pusher glow plug engine fitted, the plan is to remove the glow motor and its mount (whilst causing as little damage as possible) and convert what is left into a model that looks a little more like LesRo intended it to be.
Bob.
Liked by
Loading…
Comments
Sign in to comment.
Bob.
Excellent restoration !
Very fine looking model !
The length of the boat is actually 23” long, but I only had the choice of 22“ or 24” so I ticked the smaller length.
I plan to fit a 90AMP SeaKing ESC, but the closest tick box for AMP size will be selected.
The information chart will be ‘adjusted” when the model is being run to finalise the actual details as they could change - but they are reasonable “targets” that are likely to be achieved.
Bob.
Not, being the best idea.
The Plus design improvements do add to the original Sprite design, without detracting from the simple original in any way.
Two sizes of Sprite Plus are really good to have available for anyone that is able to build from your excellent well detailed drawings.
Maybe the name could be changed to save any problems, but with the design and construction changes that have been made already, it is not exactly the same model, but rather one that complements the original.
Over the years, many modellers have built bigger (and possibly smaller) versions of some of the best models that have come from the pens of the classic design masters such as Vic Smeed and Les Rowell and they have never come to any harm for doing so.
No doubt (when they were both still with us) Vic and Les would have been quite pleased to see their designs being re-scaled and adopted to suite any particular users requirements, and could possibly be seen as quite a complement to the originals.
I am certainly looking forward to the day when my original Sprite has been restored and seeing it alongside the same size Mini Sprite Plus…..with big brother Sprite Plus too!
Such a simple “powered punt” idea has spawned into something rather interesting that has inspired some of us to draw and make modified version of it to build and enjoy.
Bob.
Perhaps SLEC should have re-released the Sprite kit with it's unusual looks and easy to build. Perhaps we should market the Sprite Plus!! Only joking!
Until recently, the LesRo Sprite has been a rarely seen model, but now they appear to be coming out of hiding.
Yet another Sprite is currently for sale on eBay today, it has some very old servos in it and an even older wiper board speed controller, but they are about right for the age of the boat.
At £120 it is a bit expensive given that the wiper board and most of the electrics could probably do with a refresh, and the boat would benefit from a clean-up and a repaint too.
……but it is a Sprite, and the one that I saw on eBay last week looked a bit rough and expensive, but it appears to have been sold, so their scarcity seems to command a higher price than I thought they were worth.
Bob.
Thanks Chris, a "Mini Sprite Plus" at 23" long would be absolutely superb, and much better looking than the original Sprite IMHO.
The integrated construction with a fixed superstructure would also be far superior to the original kit, and the split windscreen that we have on the Sprite Plus is a major styling upgrade as well.
Original LesRo kit drawings never show any of the bulkhead or transom shapes to deliberately make it more difficult for their designs to be copied (or repaired!).
Aerokits plans were exactly the same - only the parts that are drawn on the side elevation (such as the keel and cabin sides) or the "plan" elevation can be directly taken and copied from the kit plans.
The Sprite only has three bulkheads and the transom shape that need to be worked-out for anyone wanting to build a replicate of the original Sprite, or if needed to restore or repair a damaged original.
Bob.
I've had a look at the original 23 inch Sprite drawing and as thought it doesn't show the bulkheads.
He may well have owned the kit for several years before he built it...or maybe he really was lucky and found a new "old stock" kit somewhere..?
I never knew that Keil Kraft or LesRo produced a second run of the Sprite kit - maybe they did (?) - but I doubt they would have changed the size if they did.
With some drawings, it should be a nice simple and quick little model to build (at its original size and shape), and I have a "hovercraft" style of fan assembly to fit on it to have a play with.
My own "ex-swamp buggy" Sprite has lots of holed drilled in the bulkheads, so I would like to replace them (if I can)......or at least cover them with some thin ply skins.........
.........probably a lot easier to build another one !
Bob.
By the way, some Google searches have said that there was a Mk. 2 Sprite at 23" with the original at 19" but then this is contradicted elsewhere, so this looks to be incorrect? Can't find anything concrete on there being a 19" version.
But I did find this during a search referring to this forum! Unfortunately the link doesn't work, unsurprisingly, that is mentioned in the post.
https://model-boats.com/forum/73203
I'm guessing the same size just a better kit, maybe laser cut?
Chris
Hi Chris,
Here is the actual narrative (below) from the outboard Sprite builder dated 27th August 2023 on Facebook, and is why I thought it was built two years earlier from a “poor quality” kit as he stated:-
“I am mainly into rc model airplane building, but built this little Sprite two years ago, kit was of poor quality so had to change quite a bit. The outboard is a classical K&B Atwood 049 from my collection. An electric help motor was added in case the Atwood does stall. Named after the magnificent French movie, starring that great actor Louis de Funés....”
Here is a picture that he shared of his new kit being built, and a view inside the hull that’s shows that he also built in an electric motor and prop shaft (as per kit) so that he could recover the boat if his outboard motor should stop running.
Bob.
Soon we will have two sizes of Sprite out on the water with at least three different methods of propulsion.
The conventional and original prop shaft driven version has already been supplemented by an outboard motor driven variant, and my own fan driven example could well be given a twist with a new build electric fan powered variant.
We only need a jet powered Sprite to make things really interesting………let’s see how long it takes for AI to pick-up on a Jet Powered SpriteModel Boat ?
Bob.
Apparently that outboard powered Sprite was built from a new kit in 2021.
I didn’t realise that new Sprite kits were still available as recently as that.
I see what you mean about the references to the Sprite Plus.
AI has trawled everywhere that the Sprite Plus has been mentioned.
Quite scary - but AI can save us all a lot of searching time!
Bob.
The Internet is a great resource but you have to be really careful about what information you post. I always have been since an Internet search threw up a photo of myself and wife on a motorcycle trip I'd posted on a forum. I'm even more careful now.
If you do a Fairey search it throws up the odd photo of some of my builds shown on another forum. None from this site but it's still using this site for data gathering and answering questions.
Good but also scary!
I am not too keen on leaving the front corners of the bows square as they will be a bit prone to being easily “dinged” - especially if the builder has used balsa wood (as per kit) to make them from!
If anything, your Sprite Plus suits the outboard motor that you have chosen even better and will make a superb model.
The Sprite design is really well suited to being paired with an outboard motor.
It is also interesting to know that Google AI is already aware of our Sprite Plus……before it is even built!
Bob.
But it also mentioned an outboard Sprite! Link took me to a Facebook post of a few years ago. Boat was fitted with an old Atwood IC motor with an electric backup motor.
Bob.
Will
The underside of the hull looks to be in good condition and the prop shaft supporting skeg is still present…..although it has no propshaft.
The inside of the hull clearly shows where the prop shaft would enter the hull - if one had ever been fitted.
With this internal slot and the external skeg to work with the position of the new prop shaft is pre-determined.
The front of the bow has a “ding” in the balsa wood nose - something that I suspect this design will be quite prone to acquiring…..and my new Plus has already suffered the same when I hit it against my mini bench-top mill/drill!
At one stage I had considered carving the bows from a piece of hardwood that I had cut to size for this purpose, but I ended up making it from balsa wood - just like the kit built Sprite.
Bob.
The sudden “stop” where the deck edge stringers end does not look good, so they will be “blended-in” better when the boat is restored to look nicer.
Also, the pointed roof section can be clearly seen in this picture - along with the flat fronted cabin.
I am considering making a complete new “plug-in” cabin with a two part cabin front (like the Plus) with a rounded cabin roof (like the Mk2 Sprite) as a “styling option” after I have restored the hull.
Another consideration is to make this alternative (better looking) cabin as an integrated part of the hull to improve the weather-proofing when the boat is running in choppy weather.
A lift-off cabin can never be as water-tight as an integrated one because any ‘deck-wash” will find its way into the hull. Calm sailing days should not reveal this problem (unless the cabin fit to the deck is very poor) but sailing in choppy or rough water will - sooner or later.
Our club lake is close to the sea front and benefits from the “on-shore” wind sometimes by producing some nice choppy water to drive over.
My smaller 16” Aerokits Patrol Launch has an integrated cabin construction, so it should work OK on this model that is slightly bigger and has a larger sized cabin.
This would necessitate a “lift-off” roof, so I will need to check and see if this would leave enough access for me to be able to remove and replace the motor if needed.
The battery would probably be placed under the rear deck (and be easier to access) but until I get a bit further on and work out the best ‘balance point” for the boat, I will not know if this will work.
Lots of ideas and thoughts are in my mind about this little model as I sit here away from home thinking about it………
Bob.
When placed alongside the 30” long Sprite Plus, is is quite surpassing to see just how much bigger the larger model is than the Sprite.
The Sprite Plus is also a better looking model IMHO.
The flat front cabin window is very utilitarian and does go with the square shaped bow, but the revised cabin front on the Sprite Plus looks much nicer and more refined.
I also introduced some camber across the front decking before I skinned it, and I think that also looks nicer too.
The original Sprite is a Mk1 and has a pointed cabin roof. The Mk2 has a rounded roof section, which I think looks better than my original Sprite does.
When I design a cabin roof for the Plus, I will probably make it with a rounded section roof and maybe with some “aero-section” from front to back (like I did on the Kopy Kommander) rather than leaving it with a flat side profile.
I do like the covered rear area of this Sprite. The Sprite Plus is designed to have an “open” rear deck area, so that is another option to consider as I get a bit further on with the new build.
The deck edging stringer ends with a “step” at the bows on the Sprite, whereas I have chosen to taper them where they end on the Plus.
When I rebuild the Sprite, I think I will taper these deck edge stringers at the front where they end rather than leaving them with such an abrupt ending as I think they will look better when they are “faired-in”.
Bob.
Each model is programmed-in with it’s own name, and every model has its own adjustments such as servo or motor revers and end-points etc.
I just “call-up” the name of whatever boatI am going to drive before switching the model on.
Much better than carrying a transmitter for each model…….although I do have a spare transmitter “hidden away” that is also fully programmed with every model power boat in it, so I have some “cover” if my transmitter should ever fail.
Bob.
It has zero value when it is in this condition - even if it worked.
I was on a mission to used the limited time that I had at home last night to get this Sprite “cleaned-out” and prepared ready for the next stage while I had the chance.
Anything of use or value such as the lovely little vintage rudder was saved……can’t think of anything else in the hull that was worth salvaging..
Bob.
The other side of the equation is that with so few people using the old gear now, the reception at most ponds is going to be a lot better! And, the gear is practically free (though the new stuff is amazingly inexpensive for what you get).
With the aero-platform removed, the cabin and rear deck cover were put back on the hull and it now looks more like a LesRo Spite again!
Bob.
After a couple of hours work, the hull had been cleaned-out ready be tidied-up and restored.
The small vintage rudder was freed and eventually removed to be salvaged and used again. If it had been fitted "upright". I would have left it in place, but it was not, so it was carefully removed and will be re-fitted.
Bob.
The two glow plug motors were also stripped of any accessories and put aside for cleaning at some time in the future. They were with coated with dried-on fuel (caster oil) with the small ENYA being particularly well coated!
The motor accessories (tubes/propellers etc) were also very sticky and grubby and were thrown away.
Bob.
I have a load of old 27Mhz Acoms gear still from my rc cars days, and I used to use it in my Perkasa too. Like many others, I moved over to 2.4Ghz when I got back into aircraft flying again.
No one seems to want the old 27Mhz stuff, so It's hard to know what to do with it.
Looking forward to seeing what you uncover with this one, and following it's progress to getting it's bottom wet again.
Will
That is quite a restoration project, Zooma!
It looks like you've got your work cut out for you, but I really enjoy seeing an old model being brought back rather than simply discarded.
That Enya engine certainly brings back some memories. And that original 27 MHz ACOMS radio is quite a piece of modeling history in itself. I can imagine there is going to be a lot of careful stripping and rebuilding before you get to the point where you can start putting things back together.
I'm especially interested in seeing what you discover as you get further into the restoration.
Old models like this can tell you a lot about how these kits were originally built and how they were modified over the years.
I've actually been involved in a discussion recently about one of the old Midwest/Dumas-era boats and the history surrounding these kits. It would be interesting to compare notes as you uncover more of the original construction on yours.
Keep the pictures coming,
Bob. I'm definitely following this one!
Stripping any old model (especially one that has been modified like this one) to make it ready for restoration is a complex blend of applied brute force whilst trying to preserve as much of the original model as possible.
The first job with this model started just a few minutes after it arrived in the post this evening.
The old radio system and its mounts etc was removed and thrown away, and the metal support for the platform that carried the motor was cut away.
Bob.