Forum

Fast attack craft

Very nice job Martin - looking really good - glad you finished the project even as a static model. Should not have to be much bigger for RC - if anything - a pair of 280's or speed 300s on 6v 2/3 AA Nimh would push her well at the current size . Using one lightweight ESC driving both s and small receiver/servo would not add much weight. How does she float at present? (of course Dodgy would be using brushless s and Lipo's which I'm totally unfamiliar with)

3 hours ago by redpmg

Blog

40'' Seaplane Tender, new build

Just started a 40" model of a 41'6" seaplane tender. I have been wanting to do one for years and now that my 36" 100 series 64ft HSL is done I was getting itchy fingers. Started with drawings from the 1976 Model Boats mag (part of the series on ASRs they did back then) which show frame shapes and positions, and enlarged them to 40" (A-O paper after rearranging the images on the A4 primary enlargement used as printing 'pattern' to enable max size on A-O. ) I did the same with the HSL and with a bit of fiddling got all the frames to line up nicely to shape. You have to be a bit inventive building this way regarding framing material etc, but it's possible if you have previous building experience. I found with these particular drawings that the frames were not drawn with identical profiles (left and right sides) so I had to create 1 side and flip it for the opposite side. I also had to create an extra frame between 2+3 as there was no real support for the stringers without it. The front top deck frame is cut from 3mm ply, as are the frames,-(ply is from packaging of a big Toyota Landcruiser axle recall which was done during my time at Toyota, which is 3 ply, very light, and perfect for this type of job, and not to mention, free!) I borrowed this frame method from the old 60s Vic Smeed MTB plan and it makes a good strong bow section to work with (used it on the HSL also.) Ply longerons are run through from transom to F2 with hardwood stiffening between transom and F4. Chine, gunwale and mid stringers are 4mmx2mm Beech, bottom stringers are 3x3 beech with mid stringer doubled. I may have to put extra stringers in the sides but that will depend on how the planks lie in the flares. planking will be 1.5mm balsa as the flares are quite pronounced especially in the bow area, and you just can't get sheets to go round the compound curves. Hull will be glassed and faired when finished and sealed with thin resin inside once everything is ready. Cabin is reasonably easy but takes a bit of working out and fiddling with due to lack of any plan, but it seems to be working out reasonably with the use of photos etc. The model is going to be a representation of a tender which was imported privately in the 50s by a doctor in the Milford sounds area here in the South Island of NZ, to enable him to visit patients, due to there being water access only in many of the remote areas. I have modified the drawings to represent this boat, which included changing the mast and removing the rear oval port and replacing it with a small round port, (not sure why this was changed, maybe an interior modification made the large port unnecessary ?) The boat ended up in Auckland at some stage and was owned by a family not far from my place for a number of years (pic is on the hard at our local yacht club in the 70s, - colour pic is from a friends super 8 movie taken from his boat, on an outing together with Jaguars owner 60s/70s). It is now apparently back in the South Island being restored. The model will use brushed 540 s with twin ESCs etc but still a way off yet. I have to work out a way to make the cabin removable either with or without the rear cockpit, but more likely it will be a 2 piece job. It's a bit of a make it up as you go project. Model Boats frames boat sheets Landcruiser s ESCs 👍 Like 💬 Comment 🗣️ Share 5

3 months ago by jbkiwi

Response

Re: row row row your boat

How about a geared 6 volt running a cam. These s can go down to as little as 14rpm and are very small.

2 days ago by MouldBuilder

Forum

Upgrade to 2.4

This is a plastic boat which used to be sold in large numbers for the RNLI. It is now rather rare and is collectable. Here is one on Ebay for £127! Note - that does not mean that they will get a sale at that price - but they will still sell for quite a lot! https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/IMPACT-RNLI-SEVERN-RADIO-CONTROL-LIFEBOAT-RNLB-VOLUNTEER-SPIRIT-GREAT-CONDITION/264428640626?hash=item3d912cd972:g:8OYAAOSwrdRdUWr8 These were often converted to 'proper' 2.4GHz by modellers. I've never examined one, but I think they are 27Mhz, driving two s which provide steering and power. If that is so, a conversion would mean buying a 2.4Ghz radio set, a single and propshaft and a servo and rudder, taking out the entire inside of the boat and re-installing the new equipment. You would need some modelling skill to do this. It is unlikely that the other 2.4Ghz sets interfered with your signal. The 27Mhz set installed in your boat will have limited range compared with the 2.4Ghz systems, but it should work adequately close to you. Perhaps your batteries are weak, the aerial is badly positioned, or there was some 27Mhz interference close to you? If someone else was using a 27Mhz radio close to you then it may interfere if they and you were on the same 'spot frequency'. The 27Mhz band is divided up into sections, and only one boat can use one of those sections at a time. These sections are given colours, and you fly a coloured flag on your aerial to tell everyone that you are using that section - called a 'spot'. Do you know what spot your boat is on, and was there anyone flying a coloured flag on their aerial near you? I think you have a difficult decision. Either keep it as it is and make it work as well as it can, or get some help and spend some money converting it. I would try to get it working as well as I could first. Have you tried a range check? Get someone to hold the boat while you walk away with the controller and see how far it will work... and the next time you take it to the pond, ask one of the experienced modellers if they can help a bit...

3 days ago by DodgyGeezer

Response

Re: 40'' Seaplane Tender, new build Z8.1

Re Are those the V16 Detroit Diesels ? I wish Red! then she'd be faster than 22knots!! (but sitting up to the gunwales!!) The day someone makes square s is the day we will be able to make a reasonable facsimile of an engine. Tried to find a plastic model of the Detroit 453 (thought of making a couple and running the driveshafts from the s through them for a scale look) but there are very few even close model s (especially to scale) around. Mostly V8s (had the boat had Detroit 6vs or 8vs I might have been able to bodgey something up) but 4cyl diesel (or petrol for that matter) models are like lips on a chicken. An Aussie crowd does a reasonable 1/20 scale Falcon but that's a petrol 6 and the rocker cover's all wrong. If I had used the same 28mm brushless as in my HSL I could have made a case around them and built something on that, but the 540 s are a bit big. There is a scalish looking Engine shell with a 320? inside it on Banggood for around $30 but not sure how big they are, (no size description) - probably look good in a large slowish model. Never mind, can't see them, just a bit of fun😊.

4 days ago by jbkiwi

Forum

Night Watch

Bury Warrant! Have you fitted your ship with wheels without authorisation?😠 Advisory to NAV Officer: Take A580 NNE, steer course 005° at M60 Junction 14, Steer ENE to avoid Manchester shallows, Steer NNW at junction 17 onto A56 Bury New Road /Manchester Road. Proceed with caution!! Do not neglect Morecambe Bay Patrol. I will turn a blind eye if the odd crate of contraband pudding goes missing🙈 Not my thing😉 FLEET// 2202 CET. ADDENDUM: Never lived on IOM but apparently I was once there as a very teeny weeny! One family legend says I was named after Douglas IOM, the other says it was after Dad's Douglas Flat Twin bike, which he traded in for a Ford Pop when the family expanded😉 Whichever, there seems to be an affinity with IOM as I have a huge Deans kit of HMS Manxman, a ship which has always fascinated me somehow😁 Ramblin' Admiral OUT//

6 days ago by RNinMunich

Blog

large smit tug duel esc

hi just finished putting new s, torpedo 800's in my tug had it running off one 12 volt batt with two 20amp viper speed controllers removed one esc red wire so each prop was individually controlled as no rudder, tank turn all was well in test so today tidyed the wires and fixed them in place and tested it again one of my esc kept blowing fuses and smelt of burning this is the one that powers the receiver took it out of the boat tested it on a battery and puff of smoke phoned howes were i bought them they said send it back and we will look at it never had any issues with vipers so hoping its just a dodgy esc will let you know how i get on and but some picks of my boats up cheers Mark

6 days ago by 0151rogers

Response

Re: Fleetline Marlin & K&O outboards

Love the outboard s. Martin555.

7 days ago by Martin555

Directory

Pair of Fleet Line boats

Fleetline boats with electric s and running lights Have original boxes as well

8 days ago by Brightwork

Forum

Electronic Speed Controllers

Hello all. I am currently designing the WTC for my Gato submarine project and would like a little help with the ESC`s. I have to keep things as small as possible and as light as possible. Can I wire two brushed 360 s into one ESC. This would save a lot of space. I am happy to run them in tandem. I have decided to do the ballast by pumping water into the container and out again using a reversible pump run by a second 30A ESC. I would like to run the main twin s from the first ESC using channel 3 as usual. Can I run the smaller pump on, say, channel 5 using one of the 3 position switches or maybe the normal aileron stick. Is this possible? Thanks.

9 days ago by MouldBuilder

Response

Re: Futaba F14 Dual Throttles!

Hi Ed, I have Cottesmore set up so that I can use independent s and Bow thrust and rudder for manoeuvre in port, then flick a switch to group the s together for normal control with rudder. Martin555.

8 days ago by Martin555

Forum

Electronic Speed Controllers

"Can I wire two brushed 360 s into one ESC" Yes you can Peter, That's what I did with my U25. My s are 385s. The blue thing stuck to the starboard hull side, with two little white trim pots on it, is the ESC. The board bolted to the engine room forward bulkhead is the power distribution board to the s and includes the spark suppressors. Cheers, Doug 😎

9 days ago by RNinMunich

Forum

Are there fairies.

After carful consideration I think this model deserves a better as the one it has won't align to the prop shafts as the is much too big. As I have a collection of marx s I'm thinking of going with a either a decaperm or hectoperm, unless my spare Tarcol supermarine will line up. I will post again once I find a that will align with the propshaft. Cheers Colin.

10 days ago by Colin H

Forum

Chris Craft Cobra by Dumas

Very skilled piece of work,I've stitched a few bike saddles in the past but nothing as small as these seats ,the boat looks great really like the finish.👍

11 days ago by marky

Forum

Work with Balsa wood

Hi Red, Now that you have explained what a "sticky" is, no the subject of this thread was working with Balsa and as I have not used Balsa wood for so many years I was just sharing my thoughts and experiences, as I might help the newer members that have not used this wood before. As more experienced modellers I think that we tend to lose sight and forget the new guys to the hobby. There is nothing worse than trying to understand some of the more complex stuff when you can't understand the simple stuff first. Anyway enough woffel , the servo has it own built in speed controller. When you strip off the gears and remove the rest you are left with this (see photo) and speed controller. The pot you can use to zero then any movement from the TX stick will dive you forward and reverse. You can replace the pot with two equal resisters ( I think it's 2k2 not sure at the moment. I don't know what other s you can use it on that is to technical for me. Also if you remove the you can then connect led lighting circuits to it. You can see this on utube. Martin555.

11 days ago by Martin555

Blog

40'' Seaplane Tender, new build Z-5

First swim in the 'indoor test tank'. Floats spot on and has truckloads of power. may have to fit the 80T s yet as it may have a bit much thrust with the 45T 540s, have to wait for 'sea trials' to see what if anything needs changing. Excess power is a waste I think, and it's better to and prop the model so full power is scale like, and not race boat capable. Not exactly quiet, but have not oil filled the shafts yet and they are spinning at 12000 RPM( the 80Ts should be a lot quieter). Speed controllers 'chirp' a bit but there's probably only me to care about that anyway. Looking ok so far. JB

12 days ago by jbkiwi

Response

Re: 40'' Seaplane Tender, new build. Quest for the correct engine sound

True Martin, the whistle is from the turbo but the originals in the ST are non turbo. It would be great if someone would make a cheap sound unit, where you could record a sound and upload it to the unit and it would convert it to a usable proportional sound. The sound units I have work like this and have an SD card in the system where an original sound is split into small WAV ? bytes and each one loops if stopped in a particular position, or steps up the folders in sinc with the TX (bit like going up the scale on a piano. Problem is to find a genius who can hack this system and find a way to copy a sound into the SD card we could all use. Only way at the moment is to use an installed sound, or find a smooth continuous 0-full power sound and make a WAV file and send it to the manufacturer (GT Power-China) and get them to convert it, and send you a download an hope it will install, -super complicated! Got to be an easy way!? The sound on this vid is (this is a bit like your cryptic stuff Martin) made by an inkjet printer carriage on 4v run through one of those adjustable voltage regs we discussed recently, and just sitting on the deck (as a sound board). I've been trying things like this for years, on and off, and you can get some quite good sounds from electric s attached to resonator boxes, - even found the lid of a jam jar sounds like a hot bulb engine when clicked in and out over a small box (like the old clickers we had as kids), Thought of making one with a cam on a geared electric on an ESC. Always on the lookout for a cheaper alternative. JB

12 days ago by jbkiwi

Forum

Are there fairies.

".....That is a puzzle, if its a dc why would it have 3 brushes. I have only seen 2 or 4 on dc s......" From the excellent Workshop Practice series No.16 - Electric s - Jim Cox: "...More modern types (of automobile wiper s) are permanent magnet s which use a three brush system. A pair of brushes in the normal position 180 deg apart is used for low-speed operation. One of the low speed brushes and a third brush set at about 120deg are used for the high-speed wipe. Because the brush at 120 deg only sees a fraction of the normal back EMF more current flows and the runs proportionately faster...."

14 days ago by DodgyGeezer

Forum

Are there fairies.

Spare space might be for running in reverse Colin, (move a brush to the other side) or maybe for a different speed.? Maybe cancel thoughts on wiper , looks like a beast! Might have had drive belts on it at one stage (old converted sewing machine ?) Industrial machine perhaps? JB

18 days ago by jbkiwi

Forum

Are there fairies.

hi i have seen dc s with 3 brushes this was in a 2 speed ( ie old car wiper ) but with a modern speed controller the 3rd would not be required

19 days ago by jacko

Forum

Night Watch

Not staying in Whitby Nerys, home will be based in Scarborough, but we tow a little Peugeot, which lets us get about. Went to Bridlington last year, and visited said museum, as you say, small but VERY interesting, loads of places to visit on this coast.😐 pob lwc Peter(Rooky) BTW my wife is Welsh.

19 days ago by Rookysailor

Response

Re: WTC construction.

Hi Martin. I have a 3mm gap all around the tube. I have not thought as far as the connection between the forward and rear planes yet. I will stumble over that one later. I am still considering having a tube through the centre or near the top for wiring. I will see how it pans out. (Wish this spell checker used proper English and not US English). The inner tube is a nice slide fit inside the WTC. My plan is to get the servo, battery and frames to hold it in place. The length is only a guess at this stage and if only a small amount of water is needed to submerge the submarine, then I will probably shorten it. I have used 4mm wall section tube for the ballast tank and I am going to tie rod the caps in place using brass bolts with SS threaded rod between. I will modify the bolts with M4 internal threads and o rings under the heads. Should work a treat....I hope.😊

22 days ago by MouldBuilder

Blog

HMS Cottesmore in 1/48 scale.

Hi Guys, Well buildwise that is as far as I have got, lots more detail work to be done. I was a bit stuck as to how to switch on and off the lighting until I came across Arduino. So I purchased an Arduino PCB and then I looked on utube to see how to program it. I just picked up enough programming knowledge to be able to switch the lighting on and off in a loop sequence. There's a lot of really good tutorials about programming the Arduino on utube. My plan is as I have to fit suppression capacitors to the s I will remove all of the removable trays and at the same time wire it all differently as when the superstructure is complete it will be very easy to break something off just to switch Cottesmore on and off. I will also learn a bit more programming so that lighting is more controllable. So that is about it at the moment I hope that this log has not been to boring. I will update this log from time to time when I get back to working on her. Martin.

3 months ago by Martin555

Forum

1940 Chris Craft

My wife and I were in Gig Harbour, Washington State today where we were invited onboard by the owners of this beautiful boat. They told us, it is on the water most of the year in Seattle. The boat is varnished every two years. It requires continual care as the salt water is corrosive. Also seen was a nifty outboard; even the outboard cover is made of wood. A group of friends were seen enjoying a dockside luncheon. They said “Please take our picture” Very nice inboard Runabout.

1 year ago by Ron

Response

Re: Deck/hatch built, selected

Hi Lads After crawling the web, I finally found specs on crawler 540 s on 7.2 volts unloaded. 20 turn 13000 rpm 27 turn 15000 rpm 35 turn 12500 rpm 45 turn 9500 rpm 55 turn 7700 rpm 65 turn 7000 rpm 80 turn 5500 rpm The last three easily run 14-20 pound weight boats with 3-4 blade 50 to 60 mm props. I am using the 55 and 65 turn in Helen fishing boats and the 80 turn in a tug boat. No cooling on the s !! Canabus

29 days ago by canabus

Response

Re: 40'' Seaplane Tender, new build W

Hi Red, if you get onto AliExpress (Alibaba) and just google Goolrc 540 and you should come up with a heap of them with different brands and manufacturers. They will all be made by the same manufacturer in China but re branded by on line hobby sellers (Gool RC being only one) You can get various winds in these s which is good (fewer turns higher revs less torque, more winds slower but more torque) Some of the sellers have the turn Nos and RPM figures for them which is handy. You will have to look at a lot to find the best price as prices range from $11 up for the same thing. If you want to buy something, check sellers rating, sales Nos and reviews as well (good if it's up around 98-99%, - probably selling snow to Inuits, but been buying from them since 2010,-very few problems ) Ali Express is pretty reliable (based in US) and will sort refunds if product is dud (even if the seller doesn't want to sort it, Al Ex will make them) If you get a free acct with them, it makes buying stuff easy. It's surprising how many people have not heard of Ali Express,+ Banggood and RC Echo (another similiar sites I buy stuff from,-not just model bits, although RC Echo (HK) is mainly models. Hobby King (Hong Kong) is just a rip off (was good 10yrs ago but too dear now ) and their freight prices are ridiculous, (most times more than the item which can be bought cheaper from AliEx or EBay etc with Free shipping) Bloody Australian bullshitter,-re-brands everything as theirs or made by them (don't know why, because we would buy stuff anyway if it was a good brand, (eg- they re-brand Castle Creations -USA, one of the largest electronics companies ESCs) If you look at the site - Made in China.com - you will find every manufacturer/ re seller in China and you will be surprised what you find there, which is claimed to be made by others. Happy hunting. John B

1 month ago by jbkiwi

Blog

36'' Thames River Police Launch by Robbob

After the successful build of the ‘Vintage Model Works’ RAF Crash Rescue Tender I was asked by Mike Cummings of VMW if I would undertake to build a prototype of their new model with the aim of checking the construction method and the assembly instructions for accuracy before the kit is put into production. The model is a ‘Thames River Police Launch’ and is based on the original design by Phil Smith for the Veron company, this was a very popular model kit in the late 50’s and 60’s and sold for the princely sum of 43 shillings and tuppence, approximately £2.15 in today’s money but an equivalent cost of £48.50 in 1960. This design has been updated to accommodate electric propulsion and radio control by Colin Smith, the son of the original designer and it has been re-scaled to be 36” in length where the original was 24” which gives much more scope for detailing and provides more ‘hiding room’ for the drive, control systems and all the associated wiring. The kit produced by VMW uses the same construction techniques as the original and the materials are a combination of balsa and plywood both of which a laser and CNC cut for precision. The ply and balsa materials supplied are of very high quality as one would expect from VMW and all the stripwood for the chines, rubbing strakes and deck detailing is included, even the dowel required for the mast is in the box, very comprehensive! The kit also includes white metal fittings such as the fairleads and stanchions, and the searchlight and horns. The glazing for the windows comes in the kit too. The instruction sheet supplied is in need of revision as it is largely taken directly from the original as written by Phil Smith and some of the terminology needs updating, for instance the ply bottom and side skins are referred to as ‘strakes’ but I understand that a re-write of the instructions is in hand along with an updated plan showing the best positioning for the , prop-shaft, battery, ESC, receiver, rudder and servo. During construction I have added a few additional pieces of ply or balsa as reinforcement or supports and substituted some balsa parts for ply where I thought a stronger material would be better. I also added some hatches to give access to the wiring at the bow and the rudder & servo at the stern but largely I have not gone ‘off plan’ to any extent. The pictures show the model in it’s present state (Nov 2018) and is ready for painting and finishing.

10 months ago by robbob

Response

Re: 40'' Seaplane Tender, new build W

Very good work as Martin says - amazing how much time one will spend on a subject one is passionate about . looking forward to seeing it on the water....... See I have been asking dumb questions - s are 540's - what brand ? And the GT sound units self explanatory- googled them but no luck - sometimes Google SA a bit iffy

1 month ago by redpmg

Forum

EeZeBilts From Keil Kraft

"....but would have to be a bit more powerful/stronger build even for Jelutong....." You can cut steel with a Shapeoko (slowly!) so long as you have the right spindle and cutter. It's designed for a DeWalt or a Makita - I would use a Dremel clone when cutting something like ply - and a stronger tool. But then it would be much noisier. Using a model boat is unusual, but I have shown that it works with balsa...

1 month ago by DodgyGeezer

Forum

EeZeBilts From Keil Kraft

".... I have also been looking on utube at DIY CNC Machines using old DVD Drives and an Arduino board...." You can probably make a machine for nothing out of scrap if you know what you're doing - but I wouldn't advise a beginner to learn that way! The issue is getting the precision of movement together with enough stiffness to be able to apply adequate force when cutting and not have the structure bend. For modelling, we have an advantage in that many of our materials are thin and easy to cut, compared to typical professional requirements. A common cutting tool is a Dremel - which we often have, and you can see that a model boat can easily cut balsa - and probably light ply...

1 month ago by DodgyGeezer

Response

Re: 40'' Seaplane Tender, new build U

Hi MT, sound units are actually for cars but have a choice of 58 sounds from V8s to diesels and are the only ones I've seen which seem to sound ok. You have to go through all the sounds and try them through the throttle range but there are a number which sound ok for boats. You can also plug them into your computer and make a few changes such as throttle sensitivity, turbo sound and volume etc. The sounds are proportional, from starting to full throttle and are all WAV sounds which seem to be split up into small 'samples' and as such, some are not quite linear but are useable. There are 2 different models, One is the 'GT Power' sound and lights model - version 2 (the better I think) which comes with all the pre wired and plugged LEDs needed for a car, (h/l, t/l, indicators etc) and comes as a module and separate speaker, (you can plug 2 speakers into this module for better sound). The other model is the 'GT Power' Car Engine Sound 'mini' which is just the sound module and speaker in one box. This works the same as the version 2 model but at present I'm having a problem with the Mini, which has the wrong model for USB adjustment installed, (sounds can be selected manually on the module but when you plug the module into the comp and open the module control panel, it's for the wrong model, - sound files are still viewable though) I'll have to contact GT Power for a fix (going by their on line help page, they seem quite ready to sort problems out and give solutions) Cost is around $56 NZ for the version 2, and around $ 51 for the 'Mini' version which is comparable to most other sound units available, but with more features than some. Apparently, if you send the GT Power tech/help guy a complete WAV sound file (ie, start, idle, and steady slow acceleration to full and back they will make a sound file for your unit and email it back to you,(yet to try but would be brilliant if true) Units are sold on Ebay, Ali Express and Banggood (and many other model shops) and it's worth shopping around all of them, as there are big price differences. These are also sold as GOOL RC sound units but are made by GT Power. ( http://www.gt-rc.com/en/msgBoard.jsp ) You will see the home page on there. I use a number of their products such as battery chargers, rev counters, battery checkers etc and all seem very reliable and work well. I don't think they sell direct, but they are sold everywhere. For Rooky Sailors benefit, the s are Gool RC 540-45T 7.4V brushed car s which have ball bearings and replaceable brushes ( is rebuildable). Haven't tried them on the water yet, but the 45T (12000rpm) should be tourqy enough (different turn Nos are available) John B

1 month ago by jbkiwi

Wiki

Easy reversing switch for single ESC twin set-up

An easy way to reverse a (or s) in a twin set-up using only one ESC (such as Electronize) is to use a polarity reversing toggle switch. I used this method in my MTB until I replaced everything with twin car ESCs. The switch is operated by a servo using a spare channel on your TX, and is just a rod through a hole drilled in the toggle with a stop each end (at the appropriate distance apart) and silicone tube buffers each side of the toggle. Power goes in the center 2 terminals and the wires are arranged in an 'X' across the 4 outer terminals with the opposite pairs joined and hooked to the + and -. You could make a double action set-up with 2 switches (reversing both s to opposite directions) if required (I was only reversing one ) To operate, you stop the s, switch toggle to reverse and go either forward or reverse on the throttle (one will be working as normal, the other opposite). I only used 1 on my model and it was sufficient to give good independent maneuvering. Check wiring polarity carefully 1 pair at a time to make sure they are switching properly before you solder the pairs. You may need to adjust to suit your desired direction when you move the throttle so it's best to set it up out of the boat. The unit can be made much more compact, as mine was a prototype using bits I had lying around.

1 month ago by jbkiwi

Forum

Where are they?

Some months (last year) I bought all the electonics/electrical stuff for a twin model. Now I need to fit them, guess what? I can’t find the damn things anywhere! I’ve even spent a day tidying up my workroom, no success. Agreed it did need doing. So my question to you is where are they. Any clues will be more than welcome. Have fun. PS yes I did buy them got the email receipts!

2 months ago by glyn44

Forum

Fishtailing

"In all the years that I have been model making I have never done this or know of anyone who has." You do now Martin😉 I've been doing it for years, still do when I use brushed s. Also on brushed pump and auxiliary s; radar etc. Oh! But connect to the prop tube (aka stuffing box) NOT the shaft 😮 Also note his comment about a single earth point. This prevents so called ground loops (no- not pranging a plane on the runway!) These loops in the earthing wiring can act as radiators and are often the cause of humming in audio amplifiers, hi-fis for instance. Doug 😎

2 months ago by RNinMunich

Forum

Magnetic s

Hi Guys, This type of would be good if you could control the speed. There will be no need for a main battery for the model, you could also drive a generator to keep the receiver battery charged. https://youtu.be/wsWpkkCh_lI Maybe one day! Martin.

2 months ago by Martin555

Forum

Magnetic s

I have been thinking with the idea of magnetic s and trying to get away from normal propellers. At the moment I am unable to spend much time in my little workshop (health reason) So I have had these crazy ideas buzzing around in my head. Normal this leads to me making something different. Martin.

2 months ago by Martin555

Response

Re: 40'' Seaplane Tender, new build Q

Hi Martin, I've filled it up to the top with a syringe but the small bubbles are good for an indicator as you can't see any movement otherwise. I could just make a small header tank, (or even a bit of the large silicon tube mounted vertically on a T and it would bleed itself. I'll see if it gets hot, and if so I'll probably make a small tank for expansion so it doesn't pop the hoses off. There is good circulation all round so hopefully it won't be an issue, I certainly won't be racing it, (it's getting heavier by the minute - coming up on 6lbs and with paint and batteries probably a shade over.) It will need the weight to make it sit properly as the hull was only about 1 3/4 lbs . It will be interesting to see how these s perform, these are 6v 45T but I can always go to 60T or 12v for more grunt. The combinations are endless!

2 months ago by jbkiwi

Response

Re: 36'' Maiami Crash boat used for camera boat.

"Trying to replace a bush/bearing in a fragile strut (unless removable) without damaging something, would be a tricky operation I would imagine." You are so right John. I'm faced with such problem on my Graupner premium Line Graf Spee. Not that the bearing was clapped though. When I tested the s I discovered that the starboard shaft was misaligned and binding. It had been built that way in the factory.☹️ I now have an endoscope camera with display so I can see what's happening inside whilst I fiddle with the strut on the outside! I will make new threaded shafts and tubes and fit brass props to replace the cheapo plastic ones help on with grub screws. Same on my Belfast; but only new shafts and props. No hull surgery thank goodness! Appreciate the fast boat problems you describe, but that was never my game. Doug 😎

2 months ago by RNinMunich

Forum

Batteries in a DX5e

Hi Doug, I was meaning more here in NZ, as I know you have some nice shops in the UK and Germany etc ( I have bought quite a bit from Cornwall Model Boats who give really good service) and a few years ago was buying IC engines and parts from Just Engines in Shaftsbury who were a great bunch with spot on service and advice. A list of good shops would be great Doug as if you are not in the country you quite often don't get to know good local shops. When I was working on Norfolk Island (SP) in the 70s there was a shop called the 'Mini Golf shop' owned by a lady named Agnes who was incredibly knowledgeable on all aspects of modeling ( it's where I bought all my models, s and radios at the time as they were tax and duty free, - bought an OS FS 60 when they first came out for around $160 Aust for eg, in NZ a year later they were about 6-$700 NZ). The shop was tiny (about the size of a double garage and was packed to the roof with model stuff from all around the world,- a real modelers paradise and it was known worldwide . Sadly it has been gone for many years as the tax system changed due to Australian interference, (they have now taken over completely) and is now just Lego and other crap (although at one time they sold more Lego than any shop in the world from the new -1980s shop) . I doubt whether there would be many shops in the world as exciting to enter as that old one these days.

2 months ago by jbkiwi

Blog

40'' Seaplane Tender, new build M

Prop shafts positions are set up and shafts ready to epoxy in. Have made the brass coil cooling tubes and just for fun (and a bit of an experiment) closed circuit heat exchanger so I can use it in salt water, Probably not really necessary but why not,? real boats have them!. The body is part of an alloy bicycle pump and the core is copper tube soldered into 1/2" copper water pipe, crushed down in the vice onto 4"nails to make spaces for the small copper tube to solder into. End piece is a blanking plug for Buteline polybutene house water pipe ground down to a tight press fit in the open end of the pump tube. Exchanger internals look a bit rough but you don't see them. All sealed in with auto gasket silicone. coils are made of brass tube (can't buy 1m lengths of copper tube from the hobby shop any more, as I found out while doing my 60km round trip) so went with brass. Annealed the brass and wound it tightly round a vacuum cleaner tube which was 10mm smaller in diam than the . Once wound they were unwound slightly as they were fitted/screwed onto the s, giving a good tight fit. Also made the oiler tubes for the shafts which will have a reservoir tank connected. The heat exchanger will have its own pump and the main raw water feed will as well. Might have to fit a small header tank above the exchanger if it's needed, but it will never get hot enough to need one .

2 months ago by jbkiwi

Forum

CNC boat kits...?

Anyone into CNC, or perhaps looking to get into it? I am wondering about putting my plans out as G Code, and it would be useful to have a discussion about the practicalities. For instance, what bed size do people use? Model boat plans are a bit specialist for most CNC boards. They worry about cutting hard materials - we mainly use balsa and ply. Their machines are usually square - ours would need to be long and thin. They use big commercial routers and spindles - we could get away with smaller s and dental burrs. I picked up one of these over Christmas, and am currently going through the learning curve. But it doesn't seem to be all that difficult.... https://amberspyglass.co.uk/store/index.php?seo_path=eshapeoko-cnc-milling-machine-mechanical-kit

8 months ago by DodgyGeezer

Forum

Back for Summer

Hi Martin - thanks for that tip - had a very enjoyable half hour on you tube - never thought of it before. Hi Colin - we had a good laugh at this fellow on this ancient machine that arrived for the run to Lake Mcillwaine one fine Sunday morning . Most of us riding Bonnevilles , Super Rockets etc with my older sibling on his state of the art 750 Norton being the fastest. The flying bedstead passed us all and we did not see him again until arriving at the hotel 20 miles odd away.You must have guessed by now - it was a Vincent - not sure if it was a Shadow or Prince. You must have been heart broken at the loss........... Have you seen that marvelous film "The Worlds Fastest Indian" with Anthony Hopkins? There is a scene on the beach where he passes a bunch of other cycles at a frightening speed - reminded me of that day with the Vincent.

3 months ago by redpmg

Forum

Pond Weed

Hi ikseno, probably the best way to see the city is by boat and going down to Waiheke Island (and other islands) on the ferries (high speed cats) is great if you are into wine (lots of vineyards on the island and a festival with music each year (rhythm & vines I think) which is real popular with locals and tourists alike, - ferries are packed when that's on. Fullers ferries have 21 vessels between Auckland and the Bay Of Islands up North and have some great destinations. I occasionally go for a ride (I get transport (ferries, trains and buses) for free on my pensioners Gold Card. I can go from outside my door to the city (20km) get off the bus, walk 100m to the ferries or 200m to the trains and go anywhere I want in the Auckland area. Great on a nice day if you're short of something to do. Longest boat trip I can do is about 28km between Gulf Harbour Marina and the city. There are tours etc on classic wooden boats as well plus sailing on ex Americas Cup and restored Sir Peter Blakes'Whitbread racers. Never get bored! My "thing" is almost anything that involves building. Full sized small boats, scale (ish) electric boats, R/C planes (converted all my IC planes (18) to electric) cars, bikes etc. All in all I've had 20 cars, 12 bikes and 12 boats many of which I've re-built - 18 R/C planes and 5 electric boats, also built 5 trailers . Just can't help myself ! I need help!!

3 months ago by jbkiwi

Forum

identification.

Hi Doug and fellow modellers, One of my pet hates is the lack of/no information on the s that we use. Are there identification charts available? I know there are many different manufacturers but with the lack of information on them I would not know were to start to find the information. Martin.

3 months ago by Martin555

Forum

identification.

Wow - that's a bit of a wide requirement! I assume you are having difficulty finding some data? Are we talking I/C s or electric here? Brushed or brushless? .... If the item has ANY markings you can usually look it up on the Web - though you may need to translate from Chinese. The big companies are easy enough to get English data from, but smaller ones may pose a problem. Recently I had to photograph the characters on a box of hydrometers, get that automatically translated from, I assume, Simplified Chinese, look up the company name in Latin characters, download instruction sheets with likely pictures attached and then translate those.... A lot of things, including electric s, are now made in China as 'clones' - that is, as copies of an original design, often sourced from the West, perhaps with a few modifications. Such items often come with very little info from the manufacturer, and may be made as a short run with a 'one-off' badge on them. Under these circumstances the only way you will get information is to have enough experience in the field to be able to recognise the item as being a copy of a known item and work from there. Often specialist forums have people who can help you here...

3 months ago by DodgyGeezer

Response

Re: Joining the fuselage.

"That is one of the things that I hate about some of these s, the lack of information on them." Seek and ye shall find Martin😉

3 months ago by RNinMunich

Response

Re: Joining the fuselage.

Hi Doug, That is one of the things that I hate about some of these s, the lack of information on them. Martin.

3 months ago by Martin555

Blog

40'' Seaplane Tender, new build J

Glued deck on today (sun was out for a change) using 3 pre aligned/drilled dowels to locate it, as I had trimmed the deck fairly close to finished size and wanted it to go back in the right place for gluing. Just about set tonight so will give it a final trim and sand tomorrow. Drive shafts turned up and don't seem too bad, not sure about the quality of the bearings but might knock them out and replace them with stainless from MBA if available. Don't want to have to do it once shafts are fitted. Tested the s again with universals on the shafts (in a word, rubbish. Thought I'd try them as they looked ok on line (and they are not too badly made) but they are only made for cars and not for high speed running. The small amount of play means that they vibrate due to not being concentric at speed, caused by centripetal force throwing the 'play' to one side. If anyone is contemplating them for boat shafts, don't bother. Perfect for slow angled or straight use (driving winches etc) as they run smoothly at angles. The black s Gool + other names) run at 800mA with no load whereas the silver cooled s (spare s for Felun boats) run at 2.3 A with no load. The Gool s are 45T and will run down to a crawl (no load as do the Feluns) but are not as fast as the Felun s which are bigger and probably have fewer turns. I tested them with the car ESCs (32A cheapies and they worked fine (apart from the small center stop/reverse problem discussed previously). The ESCs were run on a near flat 2s LiPo and auto cut off at 3.55/6 volts / cell which is quite reasonable (3.3 being a safe min) they will re-start after a few secs then auto-cut again as soon as the voltage drops. Will cut out center top 'spine' on hull when deck is set tomorrow and start making some floors and a mounting base plate. When it warms up a bit I'll spray the hull undercoat.

3 months ago by jbkiwi

Response

Re: Joining the fuselage.

Hi Peter, My U25 at 107cm is about 8/10 the size of your Gato, but probably heavier as it's hull is made of four planks of carved wood!😮 Anyway she goes just fine using two 385 s on 6 or 12V driving 3 blade 30mm props. On 12V way too fast of course but it's fun to show up the speed merchants once in a while😁 Re dive plane retraction- Here's two possibilities! This one from the German model Sub tech expert Engel where I got my Akula 2 kit. It comes with a controller. https://engel-modellbau.eu/shop/en/Submarine-Kits/GATO/Retract-Mechanism-for-front-diving-planes-GATO-with-RMR.html This one from your rc sub guys https://www.ebay.com/itm/RC-Sub-Mechanism-retraction-and-operation-of-front-planes-1-90-1-144-Scale/272217983093?hash=item3f6174c875:g:pGIAAOSwBLlVA~jN Neither particularly cheap 🤔 but maybe the pics on these sites can provide some inspiration. Good luck and welcome to the 'Pig Boat' club! Cheers, Doug 😎 BTW, having put the 'fuselage' together when are you going to stick the wings on!?😮😉

3 months ago by RNinMunich

Response

Re: 40'' Seaplane Tender, new build I

That's a good idea Martin. I was thinking along those lines but locating pins on a mount tray might be an idea. The s in my HSL are on quite nice mounts which come out fairly easily, and they are in turn on blocks glued to a tray which is screwed onto the bearers. Due to lack of space, I had to do it that way so I could wriggle each out (the stiff wires go through the bulkhead to the ESCs on the other side) and you have to be careful not to bend them too much,- see pic) This boat has a lot more room to play with and I might make as much as possible 'plug in' with Deans type plugs or 'Banana plugs '( not too much worry about drawing a heap of current with 6v s !)

3 months ago by jbkiwi