Forum

new member

Welcome Davecook and NPJ. Hope you will enjoy the help and comraderie offered here. Look forward to seeing your . Best wishes, Dave W 😊

6 years ago by rolfman2000

Forum

Mixer

Your more than welcome TJ. Re paragraphs etc; was a well meant 'Word to the Wise', just to make your interesting easier to read. 😉 Keep up the good work👍 Which configuration did you decide on in the end? On my single screw boats, like my Sea Scout, I tend to just use the BEC from the ESC and no separate RX battery. On my multi screw ships, the majority actually, from two to four screws (PTB to HMS Belfast cruiser) I always use a separate RX battery. On the basis that I reckon that the drive battery already has enough to do 😉 So I use 4.8 or 6V NiMh batteries of around 1500 to 2000mAh. Always put a switch between the batt and the RX. Also a switch and a fuse, approx 5A lower than the ESC max current rating, between the drive battery and the ESC(s). All the best, Doug 😎

6 years ago by RNinMunich

Guestbook

Guestbook Post

Hi All. Many may already recognise the 'nutter from Munich' 😁 but I just wanted to say- I first stumbled across this site and enrolled here in 2014 but was still in harness and trundling around the world working with various navies and shipyards on all sorts of naval ships from small Fast Patrol Boats through subs, Corvettes and Frigates up to LPDs, Heli and Escort Carriers. So I didn't have much time for model building (sounds better than 'Modelling' somehow 😁😲) or to the site, but I did try to keep up to date with advances, as I always did in my profession - Naval COMMS systems - and dipped in and out of this site without getting involved. Since I retired last year I have become an active member and have also dipped into, and registered with some, other Model Boat forums in various countries. But in all of them I have never found such an international, friendly and knowledgable bunch as on this site. Or such a well organised site where it is 'relatively' easy to find the info you need, or to just ask and get informed answers pronto. Sure there is room for improvement in some areas but "Tempus fugit" and things move on - so is it also on this site. I understand that a facelift and changes are afoot😉 whatever the outcome I'm sure you won't find a better web site for informed (bin there done that!) info on model boat / ship building as well as research on the original vessels this side of the asteroid belt! Welcome aboard and Happy Building and Sailing, All the best, cheers, Doug 😎

6 years ago by RNinMunich

Forum

46Firefloat Mk2 paint

Hi Elsrickle, This topic has been exhaustively discussed here, with some interesting from guys who served on or around these boats, and some original builders drawings. Check out this thread. https://model-boats.com/forum/boat-specific-chit-chat/42714?goto=43068 Cheers, Doug 😎

6 years ago by RNinMunich

Forum

New Members :-)

Welcome aboard Jan, 👍 you've just joined a friendly 'family' with a lot of hard earned experience! 😉 Profit from it; 'If you don't ask you don't get'! Look forward to your 👍 Best regards, Doug 😎

6 years ago by RNinMunich

Forum

What to do????

Hallo Kathy, my sympathies and commiserations, I also lost my Dad a little while ago. This a basically a UK site but we have very active members all over the world, including the US and Canada, so if you post some photos (or even a simple list (text catalogue with name of ship, type if you know! and size) you may get some responses from your side of the pond. Some of our US / Canadian members have connections to maritime museums and may be able to help you. Or may even want to buy one of the models! Even if static models many of us like the challenge of converting them to functional models. RNLI stands for Royal National Lifeboat institute, it is the UK organisation which provides and maintains the lifeboat rescue services around the British isles. it is totally funded by voluntary , no government funding. All best wishes, Doug. In case you wonder about the site name RNinMunich; I'm English but have been living in Munich for over 30 years and my first radio control model was a Royal Navy ship!

7 years ago by RNinMunich

Response

Fittings and finishing

Very good! 👍 excellent safety margin! Being an electronics engineer I was somewhat concerned! 😲 Smoking is bad for the health (and the wallet) anyway 😉 Happy sailing with your lovely boat, cheers Doug 😎 Special greetings to 'Mum' for her excellent 👍👍👍

7 years ago by RNinMunich

Forum

RAF rescue launch shape

Hi All, surprisingly (to me anyway) there is a cross-link here to the Elco PT boats! Apparently Scott-Paine took his 70ft PT9 HSL/PTB design to America looking for cooperation with Packard for engines and extra production facilities. This was the birth of the Elco PT Boat series! We all think of them as American, but the design was British 👍😉 From Scott-Paine's biography- "PT boats (First Pic shows Elco 70-foot (21 m) PT boat PT-10 in 1941) In 1939 agreement was reached with the American Electric Launch Company (Elco) to purchase a British Power Boat 70-footer (later named PT9), as a template for American production under licence. PT9 (second pic 1940) was taken by the US President Roosevelt to Elco’s works at New London, Connecticut. On 3 October Scott-Paine met President Roosevelt and senior Elco representatives at the White House to authorize the creation of a new naval arm, the PT Boat Squadrons. (PT boat was short for Patrol Torpedo boat). Production started at a new Elco factory at Bayonne, New Jersey in January 1940. The Canadian Power Boat Company was set up by Scott-Paine in 1940. This produced 39 boats, mainly MTBs. After the passing of Lend-Lease in 1941 comparative trials, nicknamed the Plywood Derbys, were held between rival American boatbuilders, Elco winning both. Elco went on to produce 754 70-, 77-, and 80-foot (24 m) PT boats, including Jack Kennedy’s PT109 as well as the boat that rescued General Douglas MacArthur from Corregidor. Later years In December 1944, Scott-Paine received a cheque for $200,000 with an accompanying letter of appreciation for his made to the development of the PT boat from Secretary of the Navy James Forrestal. The money was from Elco and was brokered by legal teams, releasing Elco from any and all further liabilities concerning the license rights." Well! Did you ever !!😉 Cheers Doug 😎

7 years ago by RNinMunich

Forum

Simprop Zaunkönig (Wren)

Spin off from " Re Sea Rover by Wingcoax" ! This ain't a boat, so do I have to convert it to a float-plane to qualify for help here!!?? i know some of you guys are experienced fliers. 👍 After an exchange about batteries and glow plugs etc I dug my old Zaunkönig (Wren in English) out of the cellar and she was in a pretty sorry state Pic 1 🤔 Have now cleaned it up a bit (judicious use of Cillit Bang and a fine mesh scouring pad!) and she looks much more cheerful. Pics 2 and 3. Original Wen Mac/Cox 0.49 long since removed (still kicking around somewhere) and I would like to electrify it. Any advice on motor, prop etc would be extremely welcome. Purists will note that I have extended the top plane, from original 410mm to 615mm! This is an attempt to improve the glide characteristic and above all dampen the incredible roll rate! A gentle bank could suddenly turn into a twinkle roll so fast you couldn't count 🤔 Mod never tested due to move to Germany, new career, new lady, and the demise of many IC flying fields. I have loads of mini and micro servos, pico RXs (yes Dave, some 35MHz!) so they aren't a problem. But what motor, prop, ESC, battery? Have thought of Micron radio for a combi RX/ESC or a mini ESC with one of my pico RXs, but have no idea for motor and prop! Original prop is 15cm diameter. Pitch ?? Total weight of all the bits you can see here is 156gm. Would be nice to get a bit of history into the air. All gratefully received 😉 Cheers Doug 😎 PS: she doesn't need to be a 'rocket' just tootling around would suit my flying skills!😉 PPS: plan in background is HMS ARK ROYAL (WW2) scale ~1:192.

7 years ago by RNinMunich

Forum

Help! Mystery Boat

Hi All, anyone have any idea what the boat in the attached pics is, or where the registration comes from? I suspect a south coast or north sea fishing boat - cutter?, English or German? In the bow there is a space (something broken off!) indicated as 'Gas Anlage' - sehr Deutsch! FE I would have recognised from Folkestone, my home-town but 'E' I can't find. I inherited the boat from an aunt who died last year, found it in her art studio, she was an artist and art teacher, had some exhibitions at the National. She was also in the Guinness Book of Records as the longest surviving paraplegic, paralysed in a motorbike accident when she was 16 and died last year aged 86!! Back to the boat: it's a bit crude and built as a static model from an ancient kit I believe. I want to renovate it and make it mobile, might be a better candidate for my renovated Taycol Target? All gratefully received 😎

7 years ago by RNinMunich

Forum

Web Site Funding

Attention on Deck, Attention on Deck, Who's next, will it be you! Please contribute it's for a good cause. Now I know I've said it time and time and again. But we need to give so the website has funding to keep on going. Without your we wont have a website, we can come and participate and share knowledge or see pictures or ever see video's about our hobby. so lets show how much we care about the website GIVE, Donate, Contribute to the cause Now. That is All, Carry on! 👍 Did I neglect to mention we've had 21 Contributers, let's see who else will join the Ranks...

7 years ago by figtree7nts

Forum

Connecting ESP ?

Thanks Dave - looks like you were correct about the mosfet (about which I know nothing) but I gave the damaged esc to a friend of a friend etc. and he is repairing. in the meantime I just ordered a new 15amp Electronize unit and will use the repaired one in the next build. Thanks for all the . Regards, Keith.

9 years ago by kwjg51

Forum

Christmas

HI All! Thanks to everyone for your support this year to help keep this website online and all your ! This year we saw a boost of 500 members and an incredible 4000 posts! So thanks also to the admin team for your work with moderating the site! Along with that there have been 1400 app installations this year resulting in 90,000 push notifications which have gone out to users! Anyone who knows me knows I love geeky statistics like this and running this website has always been a bit of a hobby of mine, just like model boating and more recently quad copters! The snow has now arrived on the website, so I would like to wish you all a very Merry Christmas! What's everyone expecting for Christmas!? 😎 Stephen

9 years ago by fireboat

Blog

ytgn 9

Now back in harness am begining to make some progress. This is to manufacture the mast and rigging. The mast is made from a piece of fishing rod, it is a bit big and out of scale but is quite robust and I am not trying to make a true scale boat. The spreaders are made from 1/8 thick aluminium sheet and are once again not true to scale but are quite strong and make fitting to slots in the mast a bit stronger. In order to fit and glue the spreaders in the mast I made a jig to ensure that all were held in alignment during the fitting and glueing process this is shown in attached pics. Since my early on this subject I find the Improvements to this site are very Impressive and those involved in all the work that has been done deserve our great thanks and a bit of a contribution to the pot to cover the costs.

10 years ago by nasraf

Forum

Catchalot

Thanks a lot Alan, that certainly gives me some idea of where to start. All comments appreciated, so if anyone else has some experience to offer all welcome !

10 years ago by ChrisJ

Forum

2000 Members!

HI Stephen, Great site that I only found earlier this year. Am spreading the word like everyone else I guess. I know you're doing something about each member being able to see their collective - soam eagerly awaiting this. Only suggestion as a new comer at present is that the 'Harbour' form is a bit biased to certain types of vessel and doesn't allow more complete entries for the widest variety of boats. e.g Categories of model - not much going on the sailing side, size of models - combo boxes offer limited range of values for some parameters - size, weight and nothing about beam or draft and general emphasis on electric power? Sail boats only have a couple of valid entries to make - which I'm sure is missing out on future info. value. I'm guessing that the suggestions would not involve stupid amounts of reworking and hope that the database generated could be used in some positive way for future features/facilities. All the work is certainly appreciated and if you think my suggestions have some merit and would like some more details I'd be only to happy to provide. Regards, Cap'n Jim (Jim Dewar).

11 years ago by CapnJim

Forum

maybe not

I have some EeZeBilt-style new designs for you - somewhere. Keven. 😊 All gratefully received... The preservation of old boat plans is .... more difficult than doing the same with model aircraft plans. They are simply less common. More difficult to source... True, alas. in many cases I fear that plans may need to be drawn up from examples of existing boats. That's possible - but a lot of work... But if nobody pushes for it to happen I fear that many of the boats that we remember may not make it though to the next generation...

13 years ago by DodgyGeezer

Forum

Happy xmas

Thanks Tidtug! Message for everyone from Pete Dimberline: -- HI Fireboat Funday followers, just to wish you all a very Merry Xmas and a Happy New Year, I will put notification of Funday 2011 on the site when we sort out our sailing events list very shortly. Hope to see you again next year, have a great time. Pete D, F.F.Day Organiser. -- The website has been through many updates this year and has had many Improvements including faster loading pages and greater up time all thanks to the generous by you all! I too wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Stephen 😎

14 years ago by fireboat

Forum

Donations - Why so little??

😀 😀 Thank you once again to those of you who donated to get us up to the target!!! 😀 😀 I'm very surprised that in less than a week it's reached the target amount!!! it's gone from 1 donation in 5 years to 5 donations in 1 week!! 😯 So now that everything's in the GREEN!... what happens if? anyone else donates even more??? I have had a thought about this, but I would like your ideas too... There has been a suggestion that it could go towards speeding up the website, possibly on a server upgrade, but having looked into this the next step is to go onto a virtual server which is a massive overkill for a comparatively small website like this. The other idea (posted a short while back by another member) would be to have custom designed t-shirts, caps, badges etc for anyone who might like such a thing? (If anyone would??) 😛 T-shirts are awkward due to the various size variations, but I am thinking of caps? Would such an item appeal to anyone??? What would be your ideas for the usage of further as it would be great to find a way where it can be pumped back into the fireboat community 😊 Please let me know below!! 😀 😀 Stephen (Website Admin)

14 years ago by fireboat