Response

Re: Vosper

Be glad to assist.

1 hour ago by Ronald

Blog

Vosper

Well, I was right, the Jolly Red Guy did give me a model boat for Christmas. Got something to do on a cold winter day—a plastic Vosper MTB77. The hull is a single piece, and I will need to add the motors and rudders for R/C capability. Any suggestions will be helpful.

1 hour ago by GARTH

Forum

My Christmas present

My wife after an ebay win. 🤣🤣🤣

2 hours ago by jumpugly

Forum

My Christmas present

Just won this "Wiesel Schnellboot" on eBay, I’m very happy.

7 hours ago by EdW

Blog

KNOCKER WHITE LEADING UP TO CHRISTMAS DAY 'OFFICIAL' MAIDEN VOYAGE

Further progress... 33) 03-08 Dec, hull painted matt black upper, brick red lower, white bulwark tops. Actually, there were a few 'test' voyages for the hull prior to the xmas day sailing... . After sealing/painting the hull, I thought I would try out how she floated just with the running gear. I was initially worried that the forward position of the 5-cell AA drive pack would cause her to be nose heavy, but was pleasantly surprised to find she sat quite evenly in the water. There was about an extra centimetre of freeboard below the intended waterline, so clearly lead ballast was required, yet I couldn't resist having a dabble with the throttle in this state; my neat looking little tugboat surged forward and rose up on the plane when the throttle was fully opened - quite hilarious to see her half out of the water, as agile as a small runabout! (It has inspired me to look into a simple runabout build for the pond in the future...😉). Anyways, enough of that! 34)13Dec - After drying her off I traced the hull planform onto squared paper and calculated she required about 300grams of ballast, 210 of which was added with roofing lead scraps. 35)22Dec - The remaining weight was to be provided with a 2-cell AA battery pack intended for LED lights, which proved to be a bit of a squeeze into the rear compartment; I had experimented with cutting down some cheap xmas LEDs to light up the inside of the superstructure, but also intended to use red/green LEDs for the navigation lights and white LEDs for head/tail lights - I thought these might add interest to future twilight backyard pond sailing sessions. 36/37/38 23Dec - After further hull tests, I found that while the hull was lower in the water, the double AA pack actually sank the rear a little too much, as well as being difficult to stuff into the rear compartment. As a result of this, I opted to buy some cheap(ish) AAA rechargeables, as these were both lighter and more compact for fitting. A further hull test proved this combination was just about right, and the video clip included in this episode shows a very satisfactory performance. 39 & 40)While all the hull testing was going on, the superstructure rear engine compartment housing was added, the tiller cover was made up from card, and the funnel from a plastic pill bottle was sourced. These were all subsequently sealed and painted with enamels following suggested colours from Glynn Guest's book. The inside of the superstructure was given a coat of gloss white enamel to reflect the LED light from inside once lit up. 41) The video clip of the official 'maiden voyage' on Xmas morning, taken by my wife on our recently completed back yard pond. Although having achieved the aim of sailing by xmas day, I will post again once I have completed further details such as final superstructure painting/glazing/fittings/LEDs etc. These often take longer than the basic build... Merry Christmas to you all and all the best for 2026, Nick

5 hours ago by Nick Ward

Blog

GLYNN GUEST KNOCKER WHITE TUG

I mentioned in the Vic Smeed Vivacity forum I would do a few smaller builds while chugging through the Vivacity project; the first of these I have started (while waiting on certain components/materials for Vivacity), based on Glynn Guest's Knocker White tugboat plan from his book 'Small Radio Control Boats'. The Driving force behind choosing this particular design was the fact I had just filled my Backyard Model Boating Pond for the first time and sailed a couple of small free-running boats in it. I had already made Arcady and Bredette many years ago when they were first issued as free plans in Model Boats, so Knocker White was the next project from the book with the necessary compact dimensions to sail happily on my pond, the first of (hopefully) several small such boat projects. Here are the first stages of the build shown in the photos; 1) Paper template traced/assembled from the book - a little 'guestimation' was required as the plan was over two pages that didn't quite align... 2)Carcass pieces (deck, bottom, bulkheads, stem) marked out on 1/4" sheet 3)Carcass pieces cut out 4 & 5) carcass glued together, care taken to get as square as possible - note extra piece placed in stern to support rudder tube, making stern slightly deeper than original 6)Power train/RC components; Specktrum 410 RX, Ali Express 20A esc, RS 280 motor (was eventually replaced with an RS260 type when I clumsily broke off one of the contacts while trying to fit the battery), 100mm prop shaft/tube assembly with 25mm 3-blade prop. 7)Power train set up & tested on the bench to ensure everything worked 8)Prop tube skeg/support added 9)Prop tube epoxied in place, sandwiched between skeg support and lower skeg piece. 10)6mm ply motor mount glued into position after checking alignment. More pics and comments to follow soon, Best regards to all following this, Nick

2 months ago by Nick Ward

Forum

My Christmas present

As my wife says WON? Bought it don’t hide it!

5 hours ago by Hhager2

Forum

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year Friends

Merry Christmas

6 hours ago by RogerA1

Forum

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year Friends

Tis a season for family gatherings and with friends to celebrate, reflect, share, encourage and support. Thank you admin and Stephen for maintaining this wonderful site which many people turn to each morning over their coffee, and throughout the year, it is truly a global community. I have met and connected with people from around the world who enjoy building and sharing their experiences with others. People share their knowledge, frustrations, give support, and encouragement. Good Day to All of you! Respectfully, Ronald in 🇨🇦

13 hours ago by Ronald

Forum

Holiday greetings from the seaside

Merry Christmas to all ship modelers, especially Colin and his family.

6 hours ago by AlessandroSPQR

Forum

Holiday greetings from the seaside

No matter which holiday you celebrate I wish you joy & good health. May the New Year meet all of your expectations.

8 days ago by Chum444

Forum

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year Friends

The same to you Ronald Ed

7 hours ago by EdW

Forum

Holiday greetings from the seaside

Stephan, another Christmas, the gifting for the kids is done, and our family is now getting together. I just wanted to take a moment to tell you thanks for keeping this site running for the model boats "FAMILY". Sincerely, Lew

9 hours ago by LewZ

Forum

Holiday greetings from the seaside

Best wishes to everyone on this fantastic site and therefore I would like to send special good wishes to Stephen for looking after this great site. Merry Christmas every⛄❄️🎉🌲

10 hours ago by DuncanP

Blog

Massing study

Since the hull I use is not an exact match of the hull of the 1:1 I typically end up with a non-standard scale rather than 1/12, 1/24, etc. My builds therefore involve a lot of TLAR. So I typically like to do a massing study to determine if the odd scale components I’m working with Looks About Right & are in the right position. If you look really close you can see I’ve modified the shear line.

1 day ago by Chum444

Forum

Next project

Merry Christmas Gang!!!!! Enjoy and let's build our boats like never before in 2026!!! 👍😀

13 hours ago by jumpugly

Forum

Next project

Just wanted to wish the Model Boat website members a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year . Hope we all got a nice new model boat and maybe some socks.I'm not sure but the jolly fat guy dropped off something that looks a lot like a model boat box no hints but I'm hoping . Stay safe and we'll be giving an update another day.

1 day ago by GARTH

Forum

Holiday greetings from the seaside

Happy Christmas Colin, wishing you and your family all the best.

14 hours ago by Doogle

Forum

Holiday greetings from the seaside

Colin i wish you and all your loved ones a merry xmas

16 hours ago by hermank

Forum

Question of the Day?

Same here sailed dinghys a bit an more big ones, but never heard of the phrase, so chose the longest answer. Roy

16 hours ago by roycv

Forum

Question of the Day?

Hi All, Given that it's always popular in December (and I've now figured out a way to get multiple-choice quiz questions very easily), how many of you would enjoy a non-competition based fun question of the day, each day? In a similar way to December's one, it'll be on the home screen each day, with four possible answers to choose from. Maybe a rolling leader board and linked forum thread to discuss questions (but not reveal answers until the following day). I know we're talking about at least 365 nautical/shipping/maritime/sailing/boating quiz questions here! But I now believe its possible to put together with little effort 😉 perhaps useful to onboard a volunteer researcher mind, to double check questions and answers before they're made live. So if anyone would like to do that, let me know too. Thoughts on having a Question of the Day? Stephen

3 years ago by fireboat

Forum

Holiday greetings from the seaside

Have a merry Christmas everyone, I hope you all get your wishes granted . Cheers for Christmas, Colin and Caroline.

16 hours ago by Colin H

Forum

Question of the Day?

Having completely failed at R/C sailing, I took the easy way out today and selected the longest answer. Seemed to work!

17 hours ago by Oxford-Dave

Forum

Holiday greetings from the seaside

Merry Christmas everyone! 🎄 Wishing all members and their families a happy and peaceful Christmas. Thank you for making this such a friendly and informative place to share the hobby. Here’s hoping the New Year brings good health, calm conditions, and many successful builds and sailings for us all. Stephen

17 hours ago by fireboat

Forum

Question of the Day?

Longest answer won! Merry Chrimbo folks!😀😀😀

18 hours ago by Nickthesteam

Forum

Next project

Merry Christmas to you all. Colin

18 hours ago by ColinJ2

Forum

Question of the Day?

D is the best answer but not entirely correct. Merry Christmas all Ed

18 hours ago by EdW

Response

Re: Classic Model Power Boats

Hi Madwelshman, I would say that seing that the Veron Thames Police Launch was an old boat originaly then YES definitly it to me would be clased as a Classic Model Power Boat. They plane very well when they are set up correctly, and they were used to chase if needed to on the Thames. Wonderful little Model Classic Power Boat. 🚤🚤👍

19 hours ago by BOATSHED

Forum

Question of the Day?

I used the longest awnser theory. Merry Christmas everyone

20 hours ago by Bryan-the-pirate

Forum

Next project

Merry Christmas to all Rick

22 hours ago by Newby7

Forum

Next project

Merry Christmas y’all. Hope everyone of you find peace and happiness now and in the future, and maybe a new boat kit or two also😀. G’nite. Cash

22 hours ago by Cashrc

Forum

Next project

Merry Christmas to all, there are so many friends out there. I hope everyone has the Christmas they want and the company they love. Roy

1 day ago by roycv

Forum

Next project

Garth May your dreams come true!

1 day ago by Ronald

Blog

Next project: 36 ft Northern Bay sport fisherman

The Northern Bay lobster and sport fishing boats are built in Qgunquit, Maine. Known as Down East boats they are semi-displacement hulls. They are very good sea boats stable in heavy seas. Compared to semi-vee hulls common to many other sport fisherman boats in the U.S. the Down East hulls tend to be wet boats. As with everything else, boat design is always a compromise. 1&2 The inspiration 3&4 Beginning steps

3 days ago by Chum444

Response

Re: Classic Model Power Boats

Hi roycv, I have a Super Marine and a Double Special. I saw the Super Marine on a Norfolk boot fair, i picked it up and looked at it and then walked on. I went back twice more and then the man said to me several others have looked at it and put it down. I dont know what it is. I asked how much is it he said as you have been back and looked at it a few times you can just take it. I didn't argue, but as it was it didn't turn over at all it was seiced up. I was away on holiday up there at the time. Anyway I took it apart and got it sorted out and I have had it for about 5 years now and it runs great. After I had got it running and the smell from it, I can remember the smell from when my brother had a Taycol Standard in his Crash Tender and when that sparked as well. I was 11 at the time and he had the old type accumulator battery in his boat, we didn't have a charger and my dad used to send me to the local model shop and they used to charge it for us. I think they used to charge us about 1/-, one shilling. That was back in 1961. His Crash Tender was copied from my Aerokits Crash Tender. His was built maily from old tea chests and orange boxes, except from the chine strips and the skins, my dad bought the proper ply for that. I had a ED Hunter 3.46cc diesel engine in mine but niether of us had R/C, that was way out of my parents affordabillity back then. It's funny how the smell comes back to you. I am planing to try one of those two motor's on my Aerokit's Sea Queen when I get around to restoring her.

1 day ago by BOATSHED

Response

Re: Classic Model Power Boats

I'd say so Will. I've disregarded my Faun as it's hardly a "power" boat and not well known so not a classic. Same for the Fisherman, which in addition to low power has sails. For me, as well as good performance and age they have to be built in sufficient numbers to be deemed as classics. That criteria also excludes my Huntress Long Cabin with stern-drive. Chris

1 day ago by ChrisF

Response

Re: Classic Model Power Boats

I think the Veron Police boat at 26 inches rates as a classic. You have hurt my spirit with your disregard for electric motors!!😭😭 Have you never smelt the lure of a running Taycol motor? The spark is hidden in an i/c motor, whereas with Taycol motors the spark is on the outside! Then for the filthy rich there was the Bassett-lowke Marine motor the spark was there but more sophisticated and subdued. Even a 'Kako' motor was OK. Roy

1 day ago by roycv

Response

Re: Finishing the Deck

Yes, that's the way with model boat building, sometimes you can spend a lot of time and not look as though you have made much progress and other times, as with building the superstructure it can come on in leaps and bounds.

1 day ago by ChrisF

Forum

Movie rust and aging...

Someone really knows how to weather a model boat. Excellent!

2 days ago by Hsailer

Forum

Movie rust and aging...

I have some friends that work at Peter Jackson's WETA workshop and loved this photo from the model shop of the freighter from King Kong. As you know I am a huge fan of dirtying up a kit. 😉

11 days ago by jumpugly

Blog

Finishing the Deck

After a 6 month layoff I finally got back in the mood to do something on the boat. I trimmed the edges of the deck and added the rubbing strips and stern re-enforcement using basswood that I'll paint black shortly. I also added framing to 2 of the 3 openings to keep the removable covers from moving around too much. Finally I added the spurn water strips using some leftover deck planking ripped down the centre and cut to size. It took some inventive use of the vices that I bought to build the keel on to get the curved section towards the bow glued up. This all felt like a lot of work for not very much visual difference, but it was good to get back building again after so long away from it.

2 days ago by peterbro

Forum

Mary Ann 472

I’ve added coaming around the hatch ways and created a center battery support in the hull. A 7.2v NiMH will just fit through the hatch and sit on a shelf inside the hull. I was showing PeterD an ESC that I bought on Amazon and he liked that it had various options which included being able to set it to perform without a pause between forward and reverse, a common problem with rc crawler esc. I liked that it had Dean’s connectors on it as all my batteries are setup with this connection.

2 days ago by Ronald

Forum

Mary Ann 472

You may recall I bought this ready built hull from an estate, it was intended to be a static model. Since purchasing it, a rudder has been made, installation of the rudder tube & a control arm secured. The stuffing box and grease tube installed, a motor mount and now the model is in the laundry tub. I am conducting a 15 min gentle walking pace run to determine if the motor will run hot using the 3 bladed brass prop?

9 days ago by Ronald

Blog

1/24 RAF 68Ft Vosper RTTL

This will be my first boat build at this scale, so who knows how it will turn out. I got a set of Vic Smeed's plans from Sarik Hobbies along with their wood packs for the model - I thought having some laser cut parts might be helpful. I grew up in Alness, so if the build goes well I'll probably paint it as 2757 which was based at 1100 MCU Alness/Invergordon in the late 1950's to early 1960's.

11 months ago by peterbro

Blog

Deck Planking

I did this way back in July, but work and life got in the way and I stopped the build before posting an update. I decided to plank the hull with 1.5mm x 6mm mahogany strips. Cornwall Model Boats didn't stock teak strips, which the deck would have been made of on the real thing, so the deck will end up a bit redder that it should be, but I thought it would still be better than using a lighter wood and a stain. I used full length strips, rather than scale length planks so that I wouldn't have to add any extra supports, and used scoring to give some indication of planks joining every 16', which seemed like a reasonably good standard length of timber. I offset the scoring for every other plank, but in the end that didn't look all that great. If there's a next time, I'll use 3 offsets with I think would look better. I don't think it's the end of the world, I just won't shade any of the score marks to make them stand out. I laid the first planks along the outside edges of the raised engine room walls, which I hoped (and as it turned out did) give me a straight and symmetrically aligned deck. The centre plank only needed light sanding to get it to fit in at the end, so that also worked out nicely. The finished deck isn't completely smooth, and as you can probably see from the pictures I haven't sanded, or trimmed all the ends at this point, but I'm pleased with it overall so far.

2 days ago by peterbro

Forum

Question of the Day?

Good morning everyone and Happy Christmas Eve. Who among you has ever sailed as captain or crew member (sheets) on a cutter? I haven't. I've come across a few (much less than the very common and widespread sloops) but I've never had the opportunity to climb aboard one. Yet I thought the reasoning was similar to that of the sloop. So once I translated the terms correctly (there's a word that's the key to everything), the answer was quite easy, especially if you've seen it in person.

2 days ago by AlessandroSPQR

Response

Re: Classic Model Power Boats

Does this still class as a model power boat? The Thames Police Launch is one of my favourite boats, following closely behind most things Fairey. I have both the smaller 26", and larger 34" versions, both needing some work (shock horror when it comes to my model boats) This 26" version has no electronics or motor, then same with the larger scale version too. One day 🙄

2 days ago by Madwelshman

Forum

Question of the Day?

Hi all, interesting question, as I thought about this when I altered a sailing boat to have a flying jib on a bowsprit in a gaff rig. At that size my yacht is/was it was sufficient to have the fore jib on a bridle but have a standard servo pull it in according to the wind pressure. You can see the effect on the wing slot as it directs the air through. Roy

2 days ago by roycv

Forum

Holiday greetings from the seaside

Likewise Lew, Wishing everyone on this site a very Happy and blessed Christmas 🎄 🙏 . All the best for the New Year and hopefully I'll be able to participate more then.😀

2 days ago by Doogle

Forum

Question of the Day?

Hi Steve, I know what you're talking about. It's happened to me once or twice.

2 days ago by AlessandroSPQR