Media

Mowe 2

I hadn't built a model of any sort since I was 15 years old and that was a control line with a glow worm engine. 45 years later and regressing nicely back to my teenage years, my wife bought me (reluctantly!) a RC Boat Kit - Mowe 2. I had been wanting to build again for many years, but children and family and home situation did not allow. So, over the cold Autumn and Winter Months I carefully put my spare nights to good use, rather than watching night after night TV box sets and re-watching the entire James Bond movies, not once but 2 or 3 times.... Anyhow after 3 months...the finished product. I should have started a blog but didn't know of this site until a few weeks ago. Not a brilliant finished job, but a satisfying one, and it sails nicely on Bushy Park boating lake in Kingston-upon-Thames. Now o nto bigger and more complicated things...a Fairey Huntsman 31. This time I'll do a blog....👍

5 years ago by StuartE

Forum

Emma C. Berry

The width of the keel bulb is not that relevant but you do need to make the front and back of both the bulb and the fin pointy. The back is as important as the front because the water behind the bulb will form a vortex and produce drag. Everything you see on an wing is equally true for you keel. Steve

5 years ago by steve-d

Response

Fast Patrol Boat

Hi BOATSHED, The wooden block is screwed and araldited ti the keel and supports an Aluminium bracket designed for holding a Brushless motor in an , use what’s available I always say. The coupling is Silicon tube fitted to brass universal coupling fittings and because the way brushless run is very quiet compared to a normal Unversal Joint assembly. Will post it running shortly. Thanks for you interest. Graham

5 years ago by jelley_baby

Response

HMS BRAVE BORDERER

HI a chap in our club sails a Vosper mtb ,quite fast on a single screw , planes easily even on its brushed motor . every time he tries to turn at speed the boat dives bow going under water . we think the rudder , when the boat banks is taking on a horizontal conponent like an elevator . we seem to use rudder sizes much larger in comparison to full size boats which wont help Cheers Ian

5 years ago by TOWN3810

Forum

Veron Vosper F.P.B. 52''

The Veron F.P.B does appear to be a very rare model and I feel £300 would be a reasonable price especially when you take into consideration how much a modern day manufacturer would want. Just look at prices for Deans Marine models, mainly their Vosper M.T.B. which is a lot smaller. Also Veron kits seem to have been overlooked and the only model that is easy to obtain is the Slec version of their 26inch River Police Launch. Phil Smith was a great designer of boats and aircraft . I sold my Veron RTTL in the mid 1990s and my fleet today consists of one original Sea Commander, one 34 inch Crash Tender , both of which I restored, an italeri PT109 and two RTR fast electrics. TOP TIP for anyone who buys your F.T.B- trace around the parts and use them to build the model while keeping the kit intact. I do this with my Keil Kraft control line s. B😁😎oaty

6 years ago by boaty

Forum

Old outboard motor...

I remember convetting the Elmic Sprite in the model shop window, but it was five bob more than the Mabbuchi! For those wondering why I put an outboard on an , I mean't Vic Smeed's Skipper. His Flipper was a plane!

6 years ago by Nonsuch

Forum

propellor sizeing

hi chaps it seems that prop sizeing is either a dark art or complete guesswork. Or is it, the flyboys have a formula weight / thrust to the motor output then to calculate the prop size for the . I dont suppose this will keep me awake at night but am still curious.

6 years ago by jimdogge

Forum

Got the bits, now what?...

Hi martin, yeah stuff comming from places far and wide are a pain in the stern. Bullet connections (the type they use on cars) are ok not sure if used on greater current and amps they wont melt. I built more s with electric power trains and l found that if l stayed with one or two types of connections it was much easier to keep a little collection of spares. EC3 and EC5 are the Blue coloured plastic/brass bullet plugs you can buy. have a look on Hobbyking web site at lipo batteries it will show you all the connections that are out there. jim dogge

6 years ago by jimdogge

Forum

Darby One Design hydro...

Dave , I made it. I found plans in a 1954 copy of the Motor Boat Annual I borrowed from the National Powerboat Museum at Pitsea, before the stupid bastards on the council threw it away in preference for mud huts for snotty nosed brats to go mad in. Only today I finally got some pictures from the Oulton Broad club with pics of the Darby boasts I hadn't seen, which show that the top cowling was always built a little higher than the plans show, so I shall be making some slight changes to the fixed portions. The photos show the fixed sections to be done with stringers and fabric, a la fuselage. You can't buy decent older powerboats as kits or ready mades. Nobody gives a toss about speedboat models in this country, alas. Even though we had a very busy world of inboard race boats at one time. Now, all is boring outboards. The 1500 cc inboard classes gave us a lot of great racing just pre and post-War. Here are three in one race. "WHO'S DARBY?", Dawn, a Whippet class and Miss Windermere, another One design, like the Oulton Broad One design, all three are 1500 cc class boats. There wqere also boats of under 950cc and even a Singer Cadet class with a Singer Le Mans 1100 cc engine. The Singer Commodore had a 6 cylinder 1500, a gorgeous engine. Both Singers were designed by Percy See at Shoreham and had diagonal reverse clinker construction. I have plans if anyone is interested. Cheers, Martin

6 years ago by Westquay

Response

BRAVE BORDERER

Just put up another vid showing the speed at around 2/3 throttle which looks reasonably scale for 38 knots (bit hard to scale water movement as we all know!) and it doesn't squeal too much at this speed. Just been back through my old info on the ESCs and found I may be able to change a few things (forgot due to approaching dotage and so many projects on electric (18 planes as well converted from ic to electric) I was thinking with your high kv motors that if you can get away with smaller props or some the scale diam bit finer pitch props, that would allow the motors to rev how they should, but give you finer control. As I mentioned before, on 8v per motor they will spin at around 16-18000 rpm and won't like a big load (you've no doubt heard those delta wings scream) . My props are 28mm x 3 blade on a 2000kv motor and are spinning at around 12000 rpm (probably around 8000 rpm in the vid at 2/3 throttle) The general rule with brushless is the higher the kv the smaller the prop/pitch and vice versa planes or boats (would also apply to brushed) if you have an in line amp meter/batt checker you can check the amps drawn in the water at full power (have someone hold the boat) and see if you are under max A for the motor. You can then prop to suit if necessary. This is the only way to check for correct load and is an absolute must for s. After a run, motors should be around cool to almost too hot to touch (60-70deg C) There are backplate water cooling units available for using out-runners in boats if necessary eg pic.

6 years ago by jbkiwi

Forum

motor sizeing

Hi chaps jim dogge here, im just about ready to fit out my wave princess with some sort of motor and bits. I have allsorts of outrunners and ESC to match s but havent a clue as to where to start. A 1.5 diesel, whats that equivalant too is the weight thrust formula the same for boats. l would prefer to stay with out runners, the cooling aspect is no problem l did it for a living. a prop size how is that worked out for a boat.

6 years ago by jimdogge

Media

more money than sense.

Hi chaps here are a few photos of the of my Wave Princess. Never built a boat before but, she looked so lonely and abandoned l just had to do something with her. picked up the partly built hull and box of bits from Avicraft in bromley it was among a collection of old model s l think the original builder now sails with St peter. The aft cabin was completely crushed down and somebody had given it a coat of brown stain. Not very appealing. still always been a silly sod for a pretty girl.

6 years ago by jimdogge

Forum

Cheap motor for a quick fit, but what prop gents?...

Bon appetites, mon Braves. I have stopped doing Vincent heads (my neck feels like it'll break) and started looking for stuff. The Supermarine is, I hope to hopes, in the loft. But, whilst looking for the drill motor, I found the speed 400 from the electric Ugly Stik . I'm wondering if that will power the Sea Hornet. Not sure what voltage they run at, so I'm orff to check that out. Also found the Hornet II model I carved in the hope I could get it scanned and sections (i.e. frames) made. 2 down, 2 to go! Fingers crossed. Cheers, Martin

6 years ago by Westquay

Forum

Park lakes

This thread has reminded me of times at a lake in Scarborough Park yorkshire. There used to be boats and s with evening shows of battles. s on wires dropped bombs and ships fired guns etc. Great stuff. NPJ

6 years ago by NPJ

Forum

Lifeboat plans

Doug, the outboards are made to take a 28mm brushless. There's an angled pre-drilled plate comes with it, to which I assume a 28mm brushless screws. They tend to use 2S LiPos on their boats with 23-2800KV, so about 18,5oo revs or a bit more. Can a brushed motor do that? I have a speed 400 from an . Not sure what the shaft diameter is. I want it to go well, although, no I won't be racing it. As far as I know nobody does 152VO in England. I just need to fit a usable motor that I can build the Godiva casing round it. I don't want to HAVE to spend 30 quid on a motor, when I have one here, but I don't know what the performance would be. Martin

6 years ago by Westquay

Response

20th Scale ELCO 80ft PT boat part 1

I was just looking at how you had transferred the plans to your wood, I have just done this with a small cabin cruiser but found that photocopying the plan and then pasting them to the wood caused some stretching of the paper and subsequently the dimensions of the bulkheads. So I tried another method which was photocopying onto A4 sticky labels and then its just peel and stick. As a returner to modeling after 50 years this is the first time I have encountered this (I used to cut the plans up for s as a teenager!), has anybody got any better ideas?

6 years ago by mturpin013

Forum

Balsa/Ply suppliers Peterborough

Eric, you can go to good old Jeff Stubbs in Oundle who is mainly s, but will have balsa, I'm sure. Failing that there are model shops in P'borough (or were). There's one in an industrial unit on the outskirts. My son took me there once. if you fancy a nice ride out, go to SLEC at Watton They have absolutely everything including hard woods and exotics. They are basically a huge modelshop who import their own balsa and other woods which you can kill an hour just looking round, easy. Cheers, Martin

6 years ago by Westquay

Forum

Another model shop to close.

A good model supplier is in New North Road Hainault.Essex. I buy my wood there but the owner says I am a rarity. Most people want s or helicopters ready made.

6 years ago by Alan999

Forum

RAF fIRE TENDER MAST DETAILS ??

this is a copy of the a plan. I was told ages ago, by someone who knew a crewmember, the side legs of the mast where made from propeller blades. Nice story, dont know how true it is, but they do very much resemble the same profile, so I like to believe it!😉

7 years ago by pmdevlin

Blog

Bluebird K7

Hi Dave, That looks like a really nice piece of water! I have a massive appreciation for the work, skills & dedication involved in building & running accurate scale models. My fascination is with fast boats, K7 in particular & although the design is over 60 years old now, it's still a bit of a hooligan. it just didn't occur to me that someone with a boat like mine would be welcome amongst the scale community, at first scan through list of clubs there isn't anything on my doorstep, I'll have to increase my radius. My skill levels are limited but as they say every day is a school day & I'm picking up new knowledge & skills as I go along. The concern for me between IC & Brushless is on one hand add fuel & run for hours vs add batteries & run for minutes. 240+ amp esc's can cost the same as a half decent 30cc IC engine but to be honest for me the sound of electric motors is far more preferable to IC. I guess I need to take on as much advice as possible before I start splashing the cash. I'm certainly not pigheaded enough to ignore advice given, that's for sure. I've seen a video on YouTube of a guy building an fuselage without a mold, by creating a blue foam plug & fibreglassing over it, once the fibreglass has been smoothed & filled it is split to remove the foam core, he ended up with a large lightweight fuselage that only needed minor bracing to make it strong enough to fly. This idea really appealed to me so I went out today and bought a load of blue foam, I'll have a go at building the sponsons first & see how I get on... Cheers Wayne

7 years ago by Midlife306

Response

The wheelhouse, pain tempered by an inspired suggestion!

I read a while ago, if you look at the bottom mast supports (why cant we attach pics in a blog?> 😟 they are a funny shape, they where actually made from propeller blades, don't know if that is true, but its a nice story, and they are actually that shape. have you done the blue light at the position where the mast head would fall when folded?

8 years ago by pmdevlin

Forum

Motor selection

I am building a 14" Keil Kraft Mermaid. I have included a 9.7:1 gearbox connected to the prop shaft, cannibalised from an gearbox, taking a 12mm diameter motor (i.e. large enough for a small brushed motor or a small inrunner). I should be grateful for views on which of two motors two use: 1. Brushless, 11,000kv, max 7V, max 49W 2. Brushed, max 7.2V, max 20-25W Both are at my disposal. I had planned to use the brushless motor, but I am experiencing misgivings that it might overpower the boat or cause some catastrophic marine conflagration (despite the heat sink). The brushed motor came with the original gearbox, and I now wonder whether it might be better suited. In case it is relevant, I plan to use a 20mm three-bladed propeller. I have a 30mm three-bladed propeller available should that be advisable. Many thanks.

8 years ago by coelacanth

Response

Boaty P.T 109

Hi, I really do not have any advice for you re propulsion units etc. but it sounds to me like you are pretty much sorted with the PT-109. I am in the middle or building an italerI MTB no. 77 which as you said in your blog should be close to show standard when completed. I am not gifted with the engineering/modelling expertise which allows me to complete a fantastic model from a pile of wood, string and metal. Sooo. . . . . . I, like you, build plastic kits which gives me the pleasure of sailing something which resembles a boat, rather than an upturned plank!!! Skilled builders do sometimes pour scorn on plastic boats as do aero modellers who see ARTF s on the patch. We are all different and I make no apologies for sailing a plastic boat. Very lucky is the man/woman who is able to construct such masterpieces as those seen at shows or even on the local pond. Plastic or wood you still follow the hobby and surely that is the most important thing! Sorry for "going on" and being boring but there it is! Cheers

9 years ago by Oldtimer

Forum

2.4gig Radio and brushed motors???

Dear All, As a stalwart of the dinosaur era, I have always used 27meg but recently I unexpectedly found myself making a purchase of some 2.4gig radio gear. Having read in many publications how good 2.4 is; not having to worry about peg boards, interference and the like, it seemed to be the answer. Glowing with the joy of my new purchase I spoke to 'some chaps' who are far more knowledgeable than I. I was not expecting the stifled sniggers and cries of 'Muppet!!!' As the embarrassment and mickey taking died away I was informed that 2.4gig radio is, it would seem, incompatible with brushed electric motors. Having 2 new ones of this type in my latest marine creation I am somewhat reticent to replace them. Whilst the chaps informed me of my ill-conceived purchase none of them could actually tell me 'why' the 2 were incompatible!!! I would appreciate any help on this subject, if anyone has the information. So far as I am aware, model flyers use this set up, so why the difference??? I have to admit my knowledge of such things, on a scale of 1-10, is hovering around the 1.5 mark. Will 2.4 work with brush-less motors? Is there a way of protecting the radio gear from the interference from the motors? If indeed that is the case. Please reply in Layman's terms, as it does not take a great deal of technical know-how to flummox me!!! Cheers

9 years ago by Oldtimer

Forum

RAF Crash Tender Motor size

Thanks Dave Have wattmeter will travel , we have been flying toy s for longer than I can remember and have played the lipo game for 6 or 7 years so no problems , even running lipos on electric recumbent trikes . ( 2 x 7s 1p 5ah = 52v ) LIPOs are dangerous unless treated with care , so we do ! 😯 Only thing I really need to know is will it be powerful enough to look right on the water regards emma

10 years ago by twinkle

Event

Woodvale Rally In the Park

Woodvale Rally In the Park again at the new venue of Victoria Park Southport. A two day event. Model Boat show run by Southport MBC and other events In the Park Include classic cars, model s, food stalls and various other attractions.

10 years ago by MAXTON

Blog

Swol progress

These pictures show the structure with the longitudinal stringers on. For such a large structure it looks more like an than a boat and as it stood then, is quite flimsy. Why bulkhead 9 (4th from the transom) is made so weak and fragile I don't understand as the top of it could have been left in place and cut out by the builder at a later more rigid stage. if this structure is compared with say, the Dumas Boats PT109 model, you will see what I mean about flimsy - the Dumas boat looks positively 10x as strong! The three turbine exhausts on the real boat are a distinctive feature but the Precedent kit only supplies precut ply discs to represent exhaust covers, which of course are laid down onto the rear 'shelf' when the boat operates. My boat will be well and truly operational so I wanted to see up the turbine exhausts, not block them up with covers. Three jet pipes were made from plastic pipe fittings and the transom cut to accept them - the pipes are of course blanked at the inner end...... Three 'angle Iron' rings were also turned in PVC pipe fittings to suit. The last picture shows the first ply skin being glued on. My 46" Fireboat was glued together with Aerolite 306, remember that? (younger readers can yawn here...) but it has recently shown signs of coming apart in places - it was built in 1974 after all - so this hull is being assembled with 30 minute epoxy and I hope it lasts as long.

10 years ago by Lauriem

Forum

Nordkap Model Boat plans wanted please, any scale!

Many thanks, plans have already been made to 1/32nd scale and hope to start building in the autumn. Howe progress. Since last post I have made many alterations to 'The Howe' most interesting is adapting small wrestling figures into fisherman, cook and cabin boy, by reshaping their bodies into the poses required, re-modelling with clay before coating with un-ibond and then painting. A steam generator plant has been made using a Graupner steam generator and feeding with baby oil through a home made 4 roller pump and soft silicone tube motorized with a 30RPM motor controlled by an speed controller the rpm regulated through the transmitter, this means the trawler is fitted with twin speed controllers that each feed power to the receiver. This to date has not been a problem that some forecast. Proportional 3 cylinder steam sound generator , fog horn and steam whistle sound have also been fitted. With 3 speakers, motors oil reservoir and the electronics along with the 2 x 7amp hour lead acid batteries and lead ballast there is little space left in the 4ft hull. Mablethorpe Model Boat Group. This was started last year, 2012, and we now have 12 members and sail subject to weather on Queens Park Boating Lake meeting during the summer on a Wednesday evening around 6pm and mid-day on a Sunday. Members must have public liability insurance and must have received written permission from East Lindsey District Council before they can join us. Any one interested please contact me.

11 years ago by HoweGY177

Forum

Brushless Electric Motors

HI Folks Being a toy flyer primarily and have a few motors laying around I am going to use a 3530 outrunner 1100 kpv motor and Esc from Giantshark about a tenner for the motor and a 40amp esc a tenner , in my RAF crash tender and a 2200 3s if if is too quick I can always use a 2s pack I will use a computer fan to cool the esc and duct it to the motor prior to running sea trials I will test it in the bath with a wattmeter just to make sure it is with in specifications regards emma

11 years ago by twinkle

Blog

rivarama

Some more photos from its first outing, The photos were taken by Brent Hopkins of Towcester who has given me his kind permission to use. I think you will agree that these are very good photos considering the camera was new to him. I have run the boat several times now and have found always that one battery is way down (in Volts and percentage left) at the end of the session, so I have ordered a new motor to replace the one that was damaged in the crash, this is the one drawing a bigger current. Enjoy the photos ,Brian

11 years ago by sharpy1071

Forum

Which Radio Control System?

HI Edward If you are thinking in terms of 2.4Ghz I suggest you take a look at http://www.rcmodelreviews.com/spreadspectrumtests.shtml. This is an independent review of the various systems in common use. You should be aware that 2.4Ghz sets are almost always brand specific Ie you can anly use a Futaba Transmitter with a Futaba receiver. There are some after market receivers appearing that are compatible with the Futaba sets (GiantShark ex GiantCod sell) and I know that they do work but you need to be sure before you buy. Binding is a once only process. Best done at home and once set should not need to be touched. I agree that the T4U is readily available but it does not have the level of adjustment needed for the sail winches on the Cariad. Their Radio Link T6EAP at around the A£50 mark would meet you requirements much better. 😉 Your servos will work fine with any other receiver and they are no longer as manufacturer reliant as used to be the case in the 1970's. All modern servos/ESC's use a common female type plug. if your servos have the Futaba male plug from the 1970's they would need modification - and not just the plug. Good servos are freely available and full size start from about a fiver. I have bought from http://www.servoshop.co.uk/ and they have a very large selection to choose from. You will also find lots of other R/c gear including Futaba radio sets - make sure you scroll down the listings , they tend to have the expensive helicopter sets at the top! You will find that almost all radio sets offered are mainly aimed at the aeromodeller and the settings often refer to model plane set ups. Don't be put off by this, they will work just as well on our model boats (with the exception of subs for 2.4Ghz). The modes are again an setting. Basically either mode1 or mode2. This is just an adjustment that allows for the throttle/Aileron to be on the right (mode1) or left (mode2) sticks. Not normally of great Importance to us model boaters but is Important if you want to use some advanced features on the electronic sets as some functions only work on specific sticks. Apologies for the length of reply. Have fun looking. 😀

12 years ago by Dave M

Response

On the water for the first time

Originaly I used a Falcon 400 size from an but then changed it to a Black 400. http://deansmarine.co.uk/shop/product_info.php/cPath/5_13/products_id/206 A mfa 540 would be ok just a bit quick and a 7.2V buggy pack would work fine to. My boat really flies with this set up and would be even faster with a 540. http://modelfireboats.com/?v=26 What boat do you have?

15 years ago by Police Boat Captain