Forum

suppression

I could do with a little electronics advice please. I have purchased two Krick s with gearboxes for my Dusseldorf Fire Boat. I also bought the necessary capacitors for suppression. I have 47nf for across the terminals and 10nf for terminal to case. There is, however, a capacitor already fitted across the terminals which states a number of 224 on the casing. I have looked this up and it appears to be only 1nf, (1000pf). Is this acceptable to suppress this or should I change them to 47nf as per the instructions. Thanks.😊

3 days ago by MouldBuilder

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.

6 months ago by robbob

Forum

Brushed to Brushless upgrade

"...So would you say that if you made something like my HMS Cottesmore (1/48 scale) and was to run it at more realistic speed it would be better to use brushed s?..." 1 - Do what you are happiest with, and experiment to learn more...! 2 - Brushless are a more efficient type, use a more advanced technology, and will probably supersede brushed technology at some point. They are being used more and more often in household appliances. I expect that we will eventually move to them 100%. 3 - I don't know your particular model, but if you moved to brushless you would get more power and a longer running time out of the same batteries - though maybe not enough to notice...? 4 - If you want to maintain slow running, you might think about gearing the brushless down, or using a Sensor . Both of these options involve extra cost, and you might not find the performance advantage worth while. Sensor prices seem to be coming down, so that might be something to think about for the future. That's probably what I would use if I were making a big slow-speed model at the moment...

7 days ago by DodgyGeezer

Forum

Brushed to Brushless upgrade

Hi DodgyGeezer, Thank you for all of the information. I understand this a little bit more now. I see many models hammering across the water but I like to see more scale speeds. So would you say that if you made something like my HMS Cottesmore (1/48 scale) and was to run it at more realistic speed it would be better to use brushed s? (I must admit that is what I have fitted) Martin.

7 days ago by Martin555

Forum

Brushed to Brushless upgrade

"....that is why I was looking at this thread with interest. As I hoped to learn something!." My thoughts about brushless s... - they are a different kind of , so they have different characteristics. In particular they need different ESCs. - Their ESCs come with three cables. You can connect them to the three inputs to the in any order. If you want the to go backwards, simply reverse any of the two connections. - you can get In-runners, which are high-speed ones. Out-runners are higher torque ones. There is a special type called 'Sensored' which can go very slow and are used for rock-crawling vehicles, but they need special Sensor ESCs and are expensive. - they are much more efficient without a sparking commutator to pass electricity through. - they don't have tight limits on the voltage they must be run at. More volts = more speed, and hence power. - they are happiest running at high speed. They don't much like trying to run slowly, and tend to start with a jerk. - the main limitation on them is thermal. You can run them until the coils get too hot for the magnets to work (upon which they are fatally damaged!). - you can get astonishing amounts of power out of quite small sized s if you give them enough electricity and keep them cool. They suck up power from batteries given the chance, and high-output batteries like Lipos are ideal for them. If you use other batteries, check that the battery can output a lot of power - if it can't, the brushless performance may be disappointing... - I find it is best to run them at low voltages (12V or less) at which point they don't heat up at all. The s are often capable of running from 6v to about 20v... - Rather than power, the s are measured on size of can and KV. KV is the speed in RPM that each volt will produce. So a 1000 KV will do 12,000 RPM on 12V. If it is specced as a 2824, that means it is 28mm wide and 24mm long. - Cooling is important, and hard to specify precisely. Depends on the power being used, and the cooling technology you provide. Most brushless are designed to run in aircraft where there is lots of cooling air. For boats, you can get cooling jackets for in-runners and cooling mounts for outrunners. Having some air throughput is a good idea - but hard to arrange on a boat... Unless you are sure that you are running well below the power limits, you should use a Watt-Meter to track the power usage rather than try to calculate things. This discussion may provide an idea of how to worry about brushless limits: https://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?1329612-Brushless--rated-voltage

8 days ago by DodgyGeezer

Forum

What batteries?

Hello, my friend from a distance. Sufficient energy is needed to drive class 700 s. NiMh batteries are by no means unable to stably release their current power and turn off the controllers. The LiPol battery is ideal, and in your case the 3S - 11.1 volts. s would work reliably with 2S LiPol cells, but I recommend a minimum capacity of 4200 mA if you want to drive at least 40 minutes in full power. 600 class engines would be good for you. I use LiPol 2S 4000 mA in all models. Two regulators per battery is not a problem with one connector you put into the receiver with the help of a red cable needle to ensure that the receiver is burned. If you have one battery, count on the fact that you will drive max 15 minutes at full power and end. In either case, you will need two 60A min. They have a very strong current draw and especially during start-up. If you want to make an investment in the future to buy AC controllers and AC s, it's power elsewhere and very powerful shaft power. Then you will need a 400W and a 45A regulator. https://www.bighobby.cz/Bighobby-NANO-Tech-4200mAh-2S-25C-d1972.htm https://www.bighobby.cz/Sunrise-X80A-Car-sensored-stridavy-regulator-80A-d1010.htm# https://www.bighobby.cz/-Turnigy-D35-36-1250kv-d609.htm Hi Zdenek

9 days ago by Inkoust

Forum

Sea Commander restoration.

" is King George up and running yet" Not yet. Apart from acquiring some upgrade parts, wooden deck etc, I haven't progressed with 'him' yet. Have been testing s for her though, and have some pico ESCs and RX lined up for her. I'll probably do KGV and PoW in parallel, what works for one ....! Life's been sort of getting in the way of modelling lately ☹️ I'm now embrangled with German authorities thanks to the BREXIT mess! 😠 If / when GB leaves the EU, especially if it 'crashes' out, I will have to be 'Retitled' as they put it, and my UK/EU driving license will probably no longer be valid here and must be exchanged for a German one. Wonder what happens to my passport, new last august and with European Union on the front!? Hey ho! As Granny used to say "Worse things happen at sea!" 😉 Ciao, Doug

12 days ago by RNinMunich

Blog

Yorkshireman refit- rear deck

No turning back now I thought this was going to be straight forward. I've decided to put the main bridge superstructure to one side of the work bench and forget it, for now. In the past I found its easy to try to do to much, you get bogged down,disheartened and loose interest. So the next job now the decks are off was to check the rudders operation. It did seem a bit vague,the boat came with a full set of working radio gear. 4x6volt batteries in banks of 2 that took a charge well. A steering servo and 2x decaperm geared 6v s turning in opposite directions with handed 4 bladed screws. The rudder cranks were white metal that didn't grip the rudder shafts tight enough, hence the vagueness, 1 was loose on the mountings, the other had a cracked gear box cover. Is it me, this scenario seems so reminiscent of so many good looking cars and bikes I've bought over the last 40 years, only to find within a couple of weeks you've got "sucker" written across your forehead, and a lame dog on your hands. These to me are the type of challenge I like. There the only ones I know come to think of it. New kits are for pussies? Jokingly. Anyway if someone in the past has taken all that time and effort to turn a silk purse into a pigs ear, I look at it as a challenge to turn it back into its former glory. None of the hatch tops were square especially the covers for the rudder cranks, and as can be seen in the accompanying photos the deck holes weren't raised to stop water ingress. I re cut the holes to help fit new cranks and fitted 10mm up stands, made new sheet hatch covers then refitted the original hinges and handles. Also while cleaning the loose paint layers off the outer stern bulwark, I uncovered the original name of the boat. It was originally a "Yorkshireman" hence my goal to turn a Irishman into a Yorkshireman. Apparently after a bit of reading up they were sister ships in real time and were built not 20miles from me at Selby, Yorkshire around 1976.

13 days ago by Rogal118

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

4 months ago by DodgyGeezer

Forum

, speed controller

Hi there, As promised here are some pics of Terry's rescue craft and you know the old saying - when you don't know - keep ya clagger shut - well, it hasn't got 500 s in it - it only has 380s which are geared. There are two servos which are the 180 degree type movement; and were purchased from Ebay and these operate the 2 arms and the arms are hidden underneath the two cable drums either side. See what you think. Bit thought for ya project :-)

22 days ago by JOHN

Forum

Tug towing

The Decaperm 6v geared is 1:2.75. And very high torque, so it ought to swing a pretty big prop. Measure the prop diameter when you get home as well, also the number of blades. Have you considered experimenting with different propellers? That can radically change a boat's performance with little effort. Props can be expensive, but you can buy a few cheap ones, or borrow some from a club colleague for experiment. Either increase the diameter or the pitch (or both!) if possible, or go for a 4-bladed one rather than 3-bladed.... I don't know about a Kv/torque relationship - the key distinction is inrunner (high speed/low torque) vs outrunner (high torque/lower speed). Although that is a very general statement, and almost certainly untrue for some s. KV is a measure of how many revs per volt you can expect. So an 800KV would give you 4800 revs at 6v - not a lot, though that depends on the prop, of course. I normally go for around 1000Kv, and run at 7.2v. Voltage is important for a brushed - the brush gear is designed for a particular voltage and will wear badly with increased volts. Brushless do not have this problem, and can run on a wide variety of voltages. Running at 24v is quite possible... The ESC you want for a brushless is simply one that can handle the maximum current your will draw - which you can either look up or measure with a Watt Meter. The key concern I usually have with brushless s is thermal. They are normally designed for aircraft use, where they will get lots of air cooling, and we are putting them in sealed enclosures. Unless you want to water cool, I would suggest running a brushless well down below maximum power, to keep the temperature down. So overspec it, or run with a lower than maximum voltage...

27 days ago by DodgyGeezer

Forum

Tug towing

Not a lot. I couldn't easily find any data on the full sized boat on the web, so I don't know how long a 1/32 model of it is. Perhaps it's 36"? You have 2 s - does that mean two screws? A '6v ' is not much of a description - do you know the make? You might simply be able to run them on 7.2v or more to increase the power. I doubt whether changing the ESC will be necessary, though of course we will need to know what that is to estimate whether it can take more power....

27 days ago by DodgyGeezer

Forum

Tug towing

Thank you for replying basically I have a Smith zweden which is running on 2 6v s which have not got enough pulling power. I think the scale is 1/32 scale does this info help?

27 days ago by georgeo5664

Forum

, speed controller

Hi there, this is a rescue boat which was being used by one of our members on Sunday - sorry about the quality of the picture - as I had to blow it up from another photo. I thought it may give you an idea as I am sure it uses a 500 as a drive and its got two smaller 400 s, I believe, driving smaller props either side of the model rather than the bow thrusters. It also has two arms on the front to capture the stricken model. Its about 18 inches to 2 foot long and if he brings it down this Sunday, I will try and get more detailed photographs of it if you wish. I may have all the details wrong, as I haven't had much time to look at the model - it belongs to Terry from the Club, anyway. :-)+

27 days ago by JOHN

Response

Re: HMS Cottesmore in 1/48 scale.

Understood👍 BTW A word to the wise; looking at an expanded view of your last pic I note that you are using brushed s but without suppression capacitors! This may be no problem for you and other 2.4Gig users, but it can cause major interference problems for the submariners amongst us if operating near unsupressed s. We still have to use 40 or even 27MHz sets as 2.4GHz waves don't like getting their feet wet! They shy away from water and whizz back up to the sky 😉 Spent 30 years of my professional life solving colocation interference problems on naval ships! Cheers, Doug 😎

28 days ago by RNinMunich

Media

Ultimate Enticement

This is a 1984 re-issue of a Lindberg Chris Craft Sport fishermen purchased used on Ebay. Some of the parts where broken and some partially assembled. The model did come with 2 MACK RC s and some fabricated wood parts, including a template for the aft deck. The interior was assembled from quarter scale doll house items except for the dinette. There are 4 underwater LED bulbs with a dedicated power supply. The running, interior and radar unit are powered by a separate systems from the hull electrics. The second Li-po battery is for backup and balast. There are number of additional items added since these photos were taken including a stern seat and larger radar array .

4 months ago by Puddle-pirate

Forum

CNC boat kits...?

Aluminium for stables? Perhaps a slab of oak would be more appropriate? I am cutting slices off old oak fence posts for use as coasters and think I can engrave them using the 'boat cutter' - so long as the cut is not deep. A laser would be ideal - but the cost and the danger mean that it needs a bit of thinking about. I must look up the Rumba and mega2560. One issue I have with the Uno and GRBL is that the software does not do 'tool radius compensation'. You have to do this in your conversion, and Dfx2Gcode does not do this either. I do not know if there is a GRBL version running on the 2650 which does do this. Essentially you need a GRBL which implements G41/2 commands, or you will have to do the compensation in your original drawing. I am using sub-milimeter cutting tools for balsa, so the compensation required is negligible and can be ignored, but when cutting ply I may need to worry about it. Your TMC2130s may not need endstops, but the limit switches are also used for homing. You will find that if you want to cut lots of parts out of a single sheet of material, it helps to be able to home accurately. GRBL allows you to have a 'master machine home' and then several subsidiary homes. So, when cutting, I start with the cutter in the master home position in the top right corner, then move it to a secondary home position which is directly over the workpiece top right, then do all of my cutting in relation to that secondary home position...

1 month ago by DodgyGeezer

Forum

CNC boat kits...?

You seem to be doing pretty much the same thing as I am! I picked an eShapeoko whose mechanical kits are a fair bit cheaper, which meant I could afford the longer rails initially, but apart from that we are pretty much identical! Oh, and I'm using a different breakout board... You will be adding limit switches? I find them essential for decent control, but also found it a bit tricky to get data on the best way to connect them to an Arduino. Does Ox provide an advised circuit and pinouts? I see you are using DesignSpark. I don't think this accepts .DXF files, which are the standard 2-D interchange format. It will output them, but not import, which seems crazy to me! Which is a shame, because I could send you any of the model boat plans on the EeZeBilt or Marinecraft sites as a .DXF... Most of the EeZebilts can be made on the cutting area you have, and all the Marinecraft. You don't need a powerful router to cut balsa - a model boat is sufficient, with a cheap Chinese cutter for a couple of quid. The great thing about that is that there is essentially no cutting noise, just the quiet hum of the . A 4" wide plank with balsa edges will hold a sheet nice and firmly. What materials are you thinking of cutting? I am experimenting with cutting ply, and find that old dental burrs (which I got free from my dentist!) will go through 1/8" deal like butter powered by a Graupner Speed 400.

1 month ago by DodgyGeezer

Forum

CNC boat kits...?

Having successfully used the machine to make the workholding support for the wood sheets, I started on the final leg - getting the machine to actually produce parts for a model boat. It's just going to be used for EeZeBilt balsa parts initially, until I understand a bit more about cutting tools and feed rates. I'm not using a 'professional' spindle (which can cost well north of £100), but just an old model boat with a cheap Chinese chuck and milling head. You can see a couple of examples in the pictures below. The first material I tried to cut was cardboard. I wanted something really weak, because the cutting tools are very narrow, and I did not know how much sideways force they would take. Turned out fine, though. Further pictures show the first attempt at cutting balsa sheet, a whole sheet of 1/8 balsa being cut, and a couple of parts which have just been cut. Points to make: 1 - you need a high RPM from the cutting if you want a fast feed speed. Boat s work, but a high speed brushless would be better. As it is the edges of the balsa are a bit ragged... 2 - Probably the best way to keep all the parts in the balsa sheet is not to use tabs, but just to cut 90% of the way through. I left about 5 thou on the balsa part, which meant it stayed in place but could easily be pushed out... 3 - you need a soft surface under the balsa sheet in case you do cut deeper by mistake. I thought of felt but that gets caught up in the blade too easily. You could use another balsa sheet, but I used a bit of Correx. Depron would be fine... So there we are. I have now cut a complete kit out of balsa and will start to make it up. I can recommend this machine if you want to just sit and have a beer while all the hard work of cutting parts is done for you...!

1 month ago by DodgyGeezer

Forum

fairmile c MGB

Acquired this from a house clearence for £5,think I got a good deal,it Came with 3 torpedo 850 s I’ve repainted and started installing electrics Not long until I get to try it out

2 months ago by Chewi

Forum

CNC boat kits...?

A word about the electronics and software build.... Each stepper is driven by a 'driver' - a little switching unit like an ESC. This does the business of sending the power to the coils in the right order. They are quite cheap - about £10 each. To tell each driver to operate the s in the right order you need a control box running the right software. You can use a dedicated laptop for this, running a stripped down system called LinuxCNC, but I opted to use an Arduino, which was the option advised by the vendor. So here is a picture of the Arduino (at the bottom - you can't really see it) with a breakout board on top carrying the four drivers (which have the little blue heatsinks on them). I made up an aluminium box to put them in, and attached it to the cutting gantry. The Arduino runs a control program called GRBL. I take the plans I have drawn in DXF format, run them through some software called DXF2GCode, which turns them into G-Code, and then send that file to the Arduino via a USB connection using 'Universal GCode Sender'. All these items of software are open source and free to download. The Arduino gets its power from the USB connection. The stepper s get their power from a cheap Chinese 36v power supply, and the cutting gets its power from an old laptop power supply I had hanging around. If electronics frightens you then you probably won't want to do this, but the skills needed to wire up a boat are really as much as you need to put it all together....

2 months ago by DodgyGeezer

Response

Re: Steam engine.

Hi Stephen, and P on F verses Fibre-glass is a bit of a quandary, it is the sense of achievement factor completing a plank on frame hull, versus the time factor of installing a steam engine straight into a completed ready painted hull. As my present build has taken more than three years, because I opted to also rebuild a 1960s bike at the same time. I think the Fibre-glass hull is the right way to go as I do enjoy the steam engine installation, and that will be my starting point. I have a 9/16" bore twin slide valve in mind as a very efficient engine, as this is a 48" hull I hope I can manage the weight of the completed boat. Regards.

2 months ago by GaryLC

Response

Re: (Hover Craft) Griffon 2000TD

Thanks for the thumbs up on the video. Model Hovercraft with both lift and thrust s I find easier to manoeuvre. Also to slow the craft you can always decrease the airflow into the skirt which deflates it and causes more drag. This model is 40 inches long by 21 inches wide so its bulk makes it easier to control. Plus of course the brilliant pilot 😂😂

2 months ago by ModelHover

Blog

White Star BB''570''

Started on an easy build. A White Start from Billing Boats. As usually the build instruction is very basic, all is more ore less shown on the main drawing. I have skipped the original 3mm shaft and added a 4mm from Robbe incl. a 3 blade Graupner racing prop as used in my Classic. I'll be using a 1100KV Brushless with a 2S LiPo. The basic of the hull is now done.

4 months ago by Tica

Response

Re: RIVA Aquarama

Hi Rookysailor, don't let the set go rotten in the box have a go. This is only the second planked model I have built. It is fairly straight forward just have to be careful shaping the bow as there is no bow section of the keel extension to build onto to get the shape (hope this makes sense). My kit came with s etc and reduction gearing so that was a new thing to build. I have just bath tub tested and have small leak round prop shafts so now awaiting some epoxy resin to sort this out. Good luck with your kit.

2 months ago by davejw

Forum

Anti-Submarine Boat MA/SB

My latest project, a 1/24 scale MA/SB is currently taking shape. The vessel is based upon the 63ft BPBCo launch and I understand some had planked decks. There is nothing I like better than planking a deck but I can find no reference to MA/SBs having anything other than metal decks. My recommended reference book is Caostal Craft History Vol.2 which only tells me that planked decks were usually varnished whilst metal decks were usually painted grey. Can anyone assist please? Steve

4 months ago by cormorant

Response

Re: Ollie ''G''

Thanks Doug, under the umbrella of not knowing much about electronics, I sourced a micro / nano 2 phase 4 wire stepper and a 5v driver complete with remote controller and reduced the 12v supply accordingly with a regulator. I then retrained to be a "micro surgeon" to wire it! Results are not as good as I had hoped as the lowest speed is jerkey and the lowest smooth speed is a little too fast but I'll live with it for now and put it down to experience. Maybe it could be smoother with a Arduino controller but I couldn't find any constructive advice at the time and wasn't prepared to invest the study time. I'm guessing electronics is your thing 🤔 At least I learned something!😌

2 months ago by seafarer

Wiki

Radio Control Wiring

DRAFT; TO BE REVISED SHORTLY (RN) ;-) Wiring Methods Wiring can be a little tricky, especially when there are more functions than just power and steering. To wire correctly you should first check: - What is to be wired up. - What voltages are going to be needed. - if there is any equipment that is not compatible. Receiver Where possible try to have a separate battery for the receiver and not power it through B.E.C. circuits in speed controllers. There is a simple explanation for this. The speed controller works by switching on and off and different rates. Depending on the rate of switching the will speed up or slow down. it is this fluctuating current that is not good for the receiver if its using the B.E.C. *Edit* More modern electronics are not affected so much by this, but if you start to experience problems with reception it could still be something to consider. The receiver should be placed as far away as possible from other electrical equipment such as s/servos. Also DO NOT CUT THE AERIAL ON THE RECEIVER. The receiver aerial is a set length and can affect signal quality if made shorter or longer. All s should have suppression to avoid any interference with the signal. There is a section in the knowledge base for this if you need to learn more. Lighting Lighting equipment is running at a constant current and can be placed off any battery without it affecting anything else... BUT if it is put onto the same battery as say a drive , the lights will dim everytime power is asked from the . If LEDs are being used you will have to be careful about the voltage. Three things can be done to ensure the LEDs are getting the right voltage (usually between 3.0 to 3.5v). One. Use a voltage regulator. Two. Put resistors into the circuit. Three. Put the LEDs in series with each other. Each LED is about 3v so two in series would need a total of 6v. Sound/speakers Speakers generate sound using a fluctuating current through the coil. it is recommended that all sound devices are run off a separate battery to avoid interference. Another problem with speakers is the magnetic field. This can play havoc with the signal, especially analogue radio sets, therefore the speaker should be as far away as possible from the receiver and have magnetic protection if there is no choice. Relays/switches A switch is always a good idea so that the boat or anything else can be switched on and off easily, but they should only be used if the current is low going through them. To reduce the amount of problems that could occur it is recommended to do without a switch if possible. A switch for the receiver is fine as it is only low current. For drive s it is better to have a straight link onto the battery. Fuses Fuses are always a good idea to ensure they blow up before your boat does! Make sure you use the proper car type fuses for high current applications (blade fuses).

2 months ago by RNinMunich

Forum

CNC boat kits...?

Once the machine is set up, we run into the two classic workshop requirements - tooling and work-holding. We hardly need a powerful spindle or Dremel for cutting balsa, which is what I am going to start with. I am going to use an old brushed boat with a small chuck added. But I need an easy way to hold the workpiece. Here I am making up an experimental vacuum holder. It's sized to take a 4" x 36" sheet of balsa. I hope to slip a blank sheet in, run the machine and take out the equivalent of a die-cut kit sheet an hour later. Note the requirement for everything to be massive and rigid, so that items can be held exactly in a repeatable position without movement while the cutting forces are applied....

2 months ago by DodgyGeezer

Forum

Aziz, Westerriff, Assurance Envoy for sale

These three boats are still for sale, with no offers to date. I am inviting offers, and I really am not looking to retire on the proceeds, and I will give very serious consideration to any offers received. I do need to make space in the very near future, and I guess Ebay or public auctions may be the next move, however I would rather give a purchase opportunity to model boat enthusiasts prior to offering to the west of the world :-) . All three boats have been constructed to a very high standard, and are in exceptional order. The boats are located in Cheshire, South Manchester, close to the way network. Thank you, Dave

3 months ago by Davecounty

Directory

(Yacht) Koh-i-Noor

I bought this yacht via a well known auction website. it was owned by an old gent who had passed away and was covered in dust and the ABS white hull had yellowed with age. I cleaned the yacht up, rubbed the timber decks down and varnished them, re-painted the superstructure, rubbed down the hull and spayed the hull a grey/brown colour. it came complete with auxiliary , batteries, sail winch servo, ESC and navigation light switching unit. The yacht sails perfectly and looks great on the water. A real bargain buy. (: Robbe) (ESC: Hitec Gold) (9/10)

2 years ago by ads90

Directory

(Working Vessel) Northlight Clyde Puffer

The Clyde Puffer is a Caldercraft kit of 1:32 scale. it is a representative model of a typical small coaster from the Western isles of Scotland, known to many ship lovers as a 'Clyde Puffer'. it has a GRP hull which has full external detail, riveting, strakes etc. and a plywood superstructure and decking plus over 200 white metal fittings. As usual for Caldercraft you need to have your thinking cap on as the A0 plan and the 'instruction book' do not match up but of course they do expect you to have a little bit of experience in model building. it has taken me about 6 months to build, but working on and off over this time. it has a large hull which is easy to house the , ESC, RC and batteries, etc. (I installed 2 lead acid 6 volt batteries, one on each side amidships) which gives stability and ballast. Being a large deep hull it needs a lot of ballast, even in its short length. I have only tested her in the big white test tank at home so do not know how it will perform on our lake. I have sailed her many times on our lake and she certainly sails well. I installed an electronic switch for the navigation lights and gives a good effect during the darker afternoons/evening. (: MFA) (ESC: Viper Marine 15) (9/10)

3 years ago by ads90

Directory

(Naval Ship) Graf Spee

It's a Graupner premium line ATR! ;-/ Wanted some 'quick fun' while working on more complex constructions (HMS Hotspur H Class Destroyer 1936, 1:72 and Type IA U26 also 1936). Didn't work out that way! On first test of s and ESC I discovered that the shafts were so badly fitted that they were binding ;-( So back in dry dock for some hull surgery! That's why some inputs are missing above. Plan is to gradually add functions and special effects; lighting, gun controls, magicians Flash Paper for gun flashes. Maybe fired using my old glow-plugs!!?? Now I'm freshly retired I have more time for this ;-), as long as Gisela doesn't drag me off around the world too often ;-) I also have HMS Belfast from the same series (approx 1:128) also awaiting fitting out. More soon - don't hold your breath please ;-) in the pipeline is some 'Plastic Magic' with Ark Royal, Hood and Bismark all to 350 scale ca 70-80cm. Sorry been in Munich for over 30 years don't think in inches any more (except when buying mag wheels for the chariot!) Cheers, and as my German boating friends say 'Immer ein Handbreite Wasser unterm Kiel!) = I wish you always a hand-widths water under your keel. I sail on the lake in the Ostpark near me in Munich. Very convenient, right next to the Biergarten! 😎 (: 600) (ESC: Graupner Navy V30R) (5/10)

2 years ago by RNinMunich

Directory

(Life Boat) Taymar

Model Slipway Taymar Lifeboat and just completed the glassfibre hull, deck and installing s, bow thruster and rudder servo (: Graupner 600 x2) (10/10). The deck was a bad fit into the hull and a battle to fix but with hour long epoxy and lots of sellotape pulling the hull against the deck I got there in the end

11 months ago by Brianaro

Response

Re: Enclosing the controls.

Hi Alan. You are correct, I had tucked that leg of the aerial alongside the ESC and probably would have used that position but I'll take your advice and move it away as far as practical. I'll put it in a thin plastic tube at the front of the enclosure so it will be correctly distanced as you rightly suggest. I had not considered that any nasty RFI from the ESC (or any other acronyms 😉) would be an issue with 2.4G kit. The other leg of the aerial is passed through a hole in the side wall of the well deck into the hull cavity and extends forward, it's also above the waterline too so that should be OK. The aerial wires will be at 90 degrees to each other which I know is desirable too. BTW. I have developed the fan cooling of the a bit more so I'll post an update on that soon 😁. Thanks 👍👍. Rob.

2 months ago by robbob

Forum

Model Slipway Tug AZIZ

Further to the previously mentioned craft, the Model Slipway Tug/supply vessel 'Aziz' is also for sale. 1:50 scale, and measuring just over 110 cms. Again, constructed to the highest of standards, and with excellent detail, the craft has been used only sparingly. As with the other boats, the radio/electrical gear needs attention, as it is only presently fitted with the two s and the rudder servo. This is a very impressive looking vessel, and I will give serious consideration to any offers that may be forthcoming. Many thanks, Dave

3 months ago by Davecounty

Blog

The well deck floor & sides.

The ‘box’ of the prototype I’m building is made of balsa wood, later production models are produced in ply and have the planking lines laser etched on the floor panels, and as balsa doesn’t take stain particularly well I have used separate obeche panels to line the box internally that can be finished with the Teak stain that I’m using. This does, however, mean that I can apply the deck lines using a black indelible marker pen and incorporate some detail lines around the housing. I started by cutting and shaping two obeche panels that join along the centre line of the deck and fit neatly around the mount and prop-shaft, then I used some tracing paper over the panels to make a test pattern for the planking lines. When I was happy with the layout of the lines I first applied two coat of Teak stain to the panels, and when that was dry I used a .8mm pen to mark the deck lines, the ink takes a while to dry fully and I found it all too easy to smudge some lines 😡 which had to be very quickly taken off with a dampened cotton bud and re-applied. After 24 hours the ink had fully dried and was impervious to smudging and resistant to removal by any means (except a solvent). The floor panels were then glued down to the balsa floor with an even spread of aliphatic glue and weighted down over all of the area as there was a tendency for the panels to curl and lift. Each side panel was made in one piece and then separated into two parts to make the fitting easier, the join will be covered with a vertical detail strip, and they were also stained before being glued and clamped in place. No lining detail was applied to the side panels as I’ll do this with other surface applied pieces later but only in the area outside of the cabin. All the panels were given a couple of coats of satin lacquer to enhance and protect the finish.

2 months ago by robbob

Blog

Hull finishing touches

The Huntsman Hull has now had the finishing touches applied...Sanding Sealer, Eze-Kote, glassfibre sheet and hull chine bars added. The inside of the hull has been given a good dollop of Eze-Kote to seal it and waterproof it so next job is to fit the prop tube and before the whole hull gets a coat of primer... I've only just realised, but the kit from SLEC does not contain any decking, so I need to sort out whether to just go for plain mahogany veneer or try to find teak decking which is laser cut to fit with plank marks....any help or advice here welcome for a novice! (I can't find anything suitable on the internet). 😡

2 months ago by StuartE

Response

Servo Mount

Accidently deleted posts - Response by JOHN on the 6th Mar 2019 Modify ✓ Like This Post ( 3 ) hi there With regard the servo rudder linkages - I was advised that it is always best to use the 'push/pull method' of linkage - as this has two strong points in its favour. The first problem it alleviates is - sometimes if on a single connection between rudder and servo and it is not set up quite right - a servo movement can force the rudder tiller arm to come back on itself under certain circumstances - i.e. when the distance from the centre of the servo to the outer hole on the servo arm isn't equal to the centre of the rudder post - to the centre of the linkage arm on the rudder. The second problem - you can get an odd strain on the gearing in the servo, because on some models there is a fair bit of force on the rudder blade - whilst the model is in motion & turning to port or starboard. The way to think of this, you are riding a pushbike and holding the handlebars with one hand and you are trying to turn a sharp corner - think of how much strain and effort you have to put in. Now, if you have a double linkage to either side of the tiller arm from your servo - that strain now is balanced and is evening out the strain in the servo. Admittedly, this problem where you wear the servo out only happens on very rare occasions - but - as the old saying goes 'belts and braces/better be safe than sorry'. John Response by RNinMunich on the 6th Mar 2019 Modify ✓ Like This Post ( 1 ) In the wrong post but sensible stuff John.👍 Hadn't considered it before but it certainly makes sense to me that a dual linkage will help cancel the backlash from the rudder. And hence stop the servo having to fight it. That would reduce potential 'hunting' of the servo and also take the strain off the gearing. Probably not a noticeable problem for short term rudder commands or in small, light models. But could be in the heavyweights with big rudders I suppose. like Mike said (sort of); makes yer think!! More power to yer servos Gents. Cheers, Doug 😎 PS Dual linkage not possible in some situations, see pic of cramped space in my Sea Scout. Had to lay the servo on it's side.😲

2 months ago by mturpin013

Forum

CNC boat kits...?

Continuing the saga - assembling the mechanics is one thing - getting it to be accurate requires a lot of set-up work! Here is the machine bolted to a thick chunk of ply, having all the axes checked out for runout. They are all adjustable, so occasionally some shimming needs to be done. Note that though a start has been made on some of the wiring, this is just the mechanics. No s or control systems have been added yet...

2 months ago by DodgyGeezer

Response

Basic hull construction completed

Great work on the hull Stuart. I built the same kit last year and really enjoyed the project, the Huntsman is an awesome looking craft too and super light weight. in mine I’ve experimented with a few different brushed s, trying to get scale speed versus “play time” balance. I landed on a 35 turn which at half speed is pretty good for scale speed and at full noise it really gets up and moves for a bit of fun. The last few runs I’ve seen up to 25-30 mins from a 7.2v Ni-Mh pack which has been great. Look forward to seeing your progress, all the best and enjoy the build.

2 months ago by ChrisB

Forum

Anteo 2 Tug

Could someone advise me on a suitable brushed for the Anteo tug 800 mm length. Also how do you reverse ,special esc or reversing switch ? Thanks Dick

8 months ago by Dick

Forum

Graupner Neptun

Scale 1:87 HO Graupner Neptun older kit but not of any specific ship, just a generic coastal freighter with or w/o cranes. Inside is a Graupner 350 geared 3:1; speed control; using one 7.2v 2400 NiMH Found a post of some else’s work. https://www.modelboatmayhem.co.uk/Modellers/Mark_Wilkes/neptun.htm

2 months ago by Ron

Forum

Anteo 2 Tug

Hi Havelock, this is my first boat build,been doing rc model aircraft for 60 years,I know all there is about brushless s and lipos.The kit specified lead acid batteries and I am using a 2_1 mfa and gearbox not quite sure what esc I have got. Lot of this was guesswork.The lead acid batteries will complement whatever ballast I need.2x6v in parallel and I can tap of 12 v for lights smoke etc I think.

2 months ago by Dick

Forum

Anteo 2 Tug

if your intending to use a car ESC have a good read before you buy some of them require you to select reverse then go back to neutral before selecting reverse again to actually reverse the . The first reverse acts as a brake. Just to satisfy my curiosity why did you want brushed rather than brushless? There are a lot of brushless s used in the model car sport and generally have advantages over brushed s.

2 months ago by Haverlock

Response

Basic hull construction completed

Nice hard work, well done i now usually get a glass fibre hull if i can. Ive run mine with Irvine 40, and 2 different brushless, 2075 kva and 1150 s and all performed well 3 or 4 cell lipos, go for the biggest capacity 5200`s as the weight is no problem and double your run time. Pic shows latest i think its 2900 kva ill try it out soon. I seem to use the Huntsman then take the s out for other projects

2 months ago by vortex

Blog

Cooling the – update.

I’m grateful to mturpin013 for commenting that he considered using the propeller adaptor supplied with the Turnigy as it prompted me to retrieve mine from the box and adapt it to secure the fan on the end of the . I cut off the threaded shaft from the prop adaptor and the end was ground flat and then I placed it on the end of the stub and used a scriber through the bolt holes to mark the positions on the flange of the fan. The fan was then removed and the holes drilled through and opened up to 3mm and then it was a simple matter to put the fan back on the and attach the new piece to the using the three 2.5mm cap head screws which are supplied with the prop adaptor. I think this is a far better ‘engineering’ solution to securing the fan to the rotor than a spot of CA. Because the addition of the fan was so straightforward and effective I have decided to implement it on the model anyway so I cut an opening through the end panel of the cover and put some stainless steel mesh over that to finish it. The is now connected to the ESC and I have done some tests with the running and I’m delighted to report that there’s a very healthy airflow through the cover 😁👍. It turns out that my modification is not unique at all and credit is due to reilly4 who did something similar to the twin s on one of his boats long before I came up with the idea. He posted a ‘photo of his boat when replying to mturpin013 on the subject of servo mounts. Take a look at the s in his picture!

2 months ago by robbob

Response

Basic hull construction completed

very nice bit of shaping on the balsa there and filling. I purchased a Perkasa MTB hull off of a boot fair and that part they have done is awful. I have got to sort that out. As far as the size goes, I put a 10 cc Irvine engine in a model boat that should only have had a 7.5cc in it. it went like stink. But even then it would all depend on how you use your throttle control. I would myself still go larger than instructions say but that's because I'm a speed freak. Flat out on the straight and test to the extreme on turn's. Turned a couple upside down as well and still was able to carry on running once recovered. I always take a telescopic fishing rod with me with a weight and floating line for recovery.

2 months ago by BOATSHED

Response

Basic hull construction completed

No. The size is not in the instructions, but from a previous forum post I've been recommended a 28xx Brushless 1100Kv with a 11.1V 2200Mah LiPo battery. Yes. I have that edition and following the editorial. it is a more detailed version of the instructions as both written by Dave Milbourne. 👍

2 months ago by StuartE

Response

Basic hull construction completed

I guess you will only be able to tell properly is when it's primered. I suppose you could always fill it and resand - that will be my fallback position! Is the size in the instructions? Had a look at a build article and it's not in there. if you haven't got it it's well worth getting because as well as the build of that very kit Dave Milbourn has written an article on finishing nd painting which I'm reffering to. it's the Model Boats Winter Special Edition 2018. Chris

2 months ago by ChrisF