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The Vosper 46” RAF Crash Tender Kit By Vintage Model Works

Just a small introduction, I am a retired engineer, trained as a toolmaker and practiced this in various forms for 20 plus years before going into Lecturing in engineering for 13 years then finally working on development of NVQs and VRQs for an Engineering Awarding Body. As far as My model making experience I did a little as a youngster helping my dad to build the 36 inch Crash tender and then doing some model aircraft but that was 50 years ago. I then became hooked on building a kit car which has occupied me for many years changing things and maintaining it as a recreational vehicle. This brings me up to date and instead of restoring a classic car I decided to get back to model making and this is the start of the 46 Crash Tender. So here we go Out of the box and the contents checked off, a minor anomaly on the parts numbering but soon sorted by VMW. I have spent some time in kitting out a new work station in what used to be my office until I retired. I now have two workshops one upstairs and one in the basement. How good is that? One of the of the first things was to construct a substantial building board that would give a perfectly flat base and a grid that could ensure bulkheads are square to the keel an parallel with each other also the same aspects in the vertical axis. I lined out the base board with parallel lines spaced at 25 mm and then from the centre-line at 90 degrees I marked the bulkhead positions.

6 years ago by mturpin013

Media

Mowe 2

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

5 years ago by StuartE

Blog

Auxiliary motor, rudder servo, bowsprit bitts

Back to posting again....I decided to added an auxiliary motor since I had several laying around and it will come in handy when I am tweaking the sailing setup in case I get stuck in the middle of the pond. Made a stuffing tube just like I did on my rescue tug build. Made a shaft from some 3/16" steel rod, threaded it and polished it up, works great. Photo of the aft section shows continued hull framing and upside down mount of the rudder servo. I will enclose the servo with the small pilot house as is typical on the barge. This will make maintenance and adjustment access easy. Yes, the build is wandering away from the true "Pearl" which I used the hull plans from. it will maintain the same sail plan, but I will modify some items for ease of RC use. Bowsprit will be retractable, bitts are shown in progress. The bowsprit will be made from a carbon fiber "arrow shaft". Mast will be wood and I am shaping out of maple that I have. Staring to plank the hull as well. More to come shortly, Joe

5 years ago by Joe727

Forum

Slightly confused newbie

Ganz recht John, Absima is a German company, just up the road here from Munich. They are specialists for s. I have some of their LiPos but that's it. A lot of their RC gear seems to be just 2 Channel, gas and steering only. A few 3, 4 & 6Ch sets, presumably to appease the truckers & co with lots of lights and horns 😉 Grüß aus München, Doug 😎

5 years ago by RNinMunich

Forum

Smoke generator

Have just made a prototype of a fan forced smoker which seems to be working well (despite breaking the heater coil by moving it while hot, - had it apart, broke wire, screw and washer repair, not quite as hot) I bought a couple of Heng Long smokers (for R/C tanks or cars) to play with, for $10 NZ each(or 5.3 Euros to you Northerners give or take a yen) from Bangood and just bought another from Ebay. There seem to be 2 different models, as one has a long coil with a lamp wick draped over it, which is sitting in the oil reservoir, the other has a small coil inside a piece of heat resistant woven tubing (as you might find insulating toaster/heater wiring etc) which acts as a wick and that also sits in cotton wool in the reservoir, (this seems to be the better of the two) Tip - don't fill the tank right up, only enough to soak the cotton, element should be just out of the oil. The wick loads the element. The better model seems to have a black top to the tank (also maybe either brown or black tank) and the other has a brown top and dirty brown tank. As with most of this stuff you won't know till you get it what it's going to be. What I did was remove the tank and cut off the pump tube just in front of the screw lugs (see black line in photo) then fitted the tank, and a 40x40x10 5v ESC fan (voltage controlled by a UBEC set to 5v on the jumpers) into a plastic electronics utility box from Jaycar (our local electronics and hobby store). I made up a double JST lead for the 2s 1800Mah Lipo and fired it up (using baby oil). it's pretty much silent and smokes well once it gets warmed up, ( starts smoking in about 5 seconds) You could control it (on/off volume) by either a remote on/off switch or perhaps a small cheap 10A brushed ESC. I would leave the fan running and control the element to avoid burning the element. The original pump tank inlet hole seems ok as is (approx 1.5mm) but you could enlarge it very slightly to get a better flow if you could find a better oil. At the electronics store they have proper smoke machine oil for $20 NZ per litre so I may have a look at that. The reason I went for the fan idea was that I found in std pump form, if I immersed a tube from the tank in water, it sucked water back into the tank. I was hoping it would pump smoke out of my HSL exhausts at water level alongside the cooling water but it would need a very light non return valve to do this. The fan seems to pump the smoke through 2mm ID silicone tube ok, so tubing of similar ID to the OD of the tank outlets should work well. These pumps in original form work pretty well for the price, and are cheap enough to keep a few for spare elements, the only thing is they are a bit noisy but in an 'engine sounding' way, (might add to the effect on a tug or work-boat though) What you have left after this mod is a very handy little geared motor with an eccentric output wheel which could be used for winches, radar and whirly bits of any description (see pic of motor leftover and original) To avoid burnout, these should be run on no more than a 2s (around 7.5v-(suggest 8v max with fan running) The other tank is going to work a lot better than this one but I'm not making a tug, just want a bit of exhaust smoke on start-up etc to go with the 2 sound units. Very cheap to make (around $25 NZ with pump, box, fan and UBEC all through Ebay, Aliexpress and Bangood (and local electronics store) if you wanted to run an ESC to control the smoke and you have no channels left to control it proportionally, you can always try using a second receiver bound to your TX, (if your TX will allow it,) power it and a brushed ESC (wired to the element) as normal and use the throttle channel to plug in your smoke control. This should work if you want more smoke as you accelerate or if you are using only 1 stick on a 2 stick TX you could use your 'elevator' stick pushed up (or a toggle switch if available) to start/stop the smoke (through the brushed ESC setup) . This setup weighs 100g (10g more than std) The quest for lots of smoke continues Will try to upload vid later and update progress.

5 years ago by jbkiwi

Blog

Vintage Model Works 46'' RAF Crash Tender

Here's the history bit so pay attention... Many years ago as a boy in the fifth year of my north London secondary school, circa 1971, our woodwork class was given the option to make something of our own choice. Having mastered the majority of joints, wood turning, finishing techniques and the making of table lamps, stools and bookshelves etc. this seemed a good idea, so myself and a fellow classmate and model making chum asked if we could construct a model boat. The teacher, on hearing that it was to be from a kit and not from scratch was a little surprised but agreed. So my friend and I jointly invested about 20 quid in an Aerokits 34.5 inch RAF Crash Tender from Blunts' model shop in Mill Hill (long since gone like many others) and we set about construction during lesson time and sometimes at break times. I recall we used "Cascamite" to glue it all together on the advice of the woodwork teacher because neither 'Scotch' glue nor PVA was suited to marine construction. Good progress was made over the course of our last year at school but it was never fully completed, only requiring painting, running gear and detailing. My friend decided that he needed to withdraw from the project as he was enrolling in a college away from home to study for a career in the merchant navy and I agreed to buy out his share and continue with the project. And so it was that I carried on with the painting and installing the running gear which consisted of a 1.5 cc marine diesel engine, water pickup, prop shaft and rudder and a MacGregor radio system with a stick for steering and a single button for speed control. The engine and radio came from Michael's Models in Finchley (also long gone) for £20 as my elder brother, who had started a Saturday job there, was able to get a staff discount for me. The diesel engine was noisy and smelly and a pig to start with a leather thong around the flywheel and I decided to abandon this means of propulsion (I foolishly ran it for slightly too long 'dry' and melted the soldering around the brass water jacket!). By now I had graduated from my part time job in Woolies to an engineering apprentice with Post Office Telephones and my new income of 20 quid per week could support my modelling and electronics hobbies after my contribution to the household for my keep. So off to the model shop to buy a Taycol Supermarine electric motor, two 12v volt lead acid batteries and a suitable charger. The diesel came out and was sold on Exchange & Mart and the mount and coupling re-made to accommodate the new Taycol motor. What an improvement that was! I can't remember now what speed controller or servo I used but whatever it was did the job, and it went like the clappers on Friary Park boating lake (also long since gone) even though the radio control system was a bit crude with the non-proportional steering and 'blip' throttle control. The boating took a back seat when I acquired my driving licence and my first car (a rusty old Cortina Mk 1) and I also got involved in sound recording for radio. I decided to sell the boat and bits for £60 through Exchange & Mart and bought an Akai 4000DS tape recorder and a 'Chilton' audio mixer, built a home studio and along with a good mate of mine started making radio commercials for the new commercial radio stations including London's Capital Radio. We even won a 'Campaign' advertising award for one of our efforts! And so after several years as a 'phone engineer I moved into professional recording for A/V and broadcast and then into TV production. Fast forward to today. Semi-retired with grand kids and with more free time on my hands I still had an interest in model making so in Jan 2016 went to the Model Engineer exhibition at nearby 'Ally Pally'. It was there that I saw an RAF crash tender just like the one I built all those years ago and got into conversation with the chap on the stand. This re-ignited my model making interests and I researched the hobby and that model in particular.

8 years ago by robbob

Forum

just need cable (wire)...

No, not dioramas, Doug. Dioramas use forced (false?) perspective and therefore must be viewed from one point. I made a diorama of Shelseley Walsh hillclimb to show slot car models. it was quite effective. This is all new for me and I am gathering engine models (I hope) from various hot rod sources. it will save me time on building these. I have a Merlin coming from Holland and a few others from contacts. First model in this series will be Hornet II, the wonderful gar Wood Speedster which had an all aluminium deck and fin added and its Packard replaced by a Rolls-Royce Meteor, which was just a Merlin sans blower. interestingly, the Rover Meteorite was a V8 version of the meteor and fitted in pairs in the Crash Tender. Martin

6 years ago by Westquay

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Landing Ship Tanks (WW2)

Hi Nerys, I think that was only scratching the surface. I found that lot in about 10 to 15 minutes. But then I've been used to trawling the WWW for specific info for as long as it's been possible. Gave me the 'Edge' I needed in my job. Don't want these skills to rust in retirement, and I never could resist a challenge anyway. 😉 Plus I was moved by your story and found it worth following up. If I can help again please let me know. Know just what you mean about too many projects 🤔 My Danish fish cutter restoration and conversion from static to RC has got bogged down until I solve the problem of getting the drive right down next to the keel, my PTB restoration and conversion to Kennedy's PT109 is shelved for the duration, re-shafting / re-propping Graf Spee and HMS Belfast, upgrading my Southampton tug are gathering dust🤔 Materials gathered for 1/350 Plastic Magic conversions of KGV (thanks Colin) and PoW battleships, HMS Hood, HMS Ark Royal, T45 Daring class (witnessed the building of the lead ship! Stitching the modules together was fascinating😊), USS Enterprise CVN65, RMS Titanic, etc etc!!! kits for a 1/96 HMS Manxman and a 1/100 Akula 2 submarine are lurking in the cellar as well. Not to mention the 1/24 De Havilland Mosquito as a memorial to my Dad. Whichever ship you decide to do for your Pa if I can help in any way I'd be very happy to. Maybe you can decipher from his personal records which ship was closest to his sailor's heart!? I'd love and be honoured to be able to see some of your Dad's drawings and cartoons. Bon chance with your current projects, All the best, Doug 😎

6 years ago by RNinMunich

Forum

Brushless motors (again)

depending upon the type of motor cooling it can be a problem. Most brushless motors are out runners so the case rotates! in runners are usually for higher speed applications (or driving a gearbox). if you have an idea as to the size of IC engine the boat was intended to have then this list may be a help .049 or .051 = 100 watts 0.10 = 200 watts 0.15 = 300 watts 0.25 = 500 watts 0.32 = 640 watts 0.40 = 800 watts 0.45 = 900 watts 0.51 = 1020 watts 0.61 = 1220 watts 0.75 = 1500 watts 0.91 = 1820 watts Since Watts are Volts * Amps ( I know this is not accurate for a reactive load like an electric motor but its a rule of thumb) This gives you a ball park next point is the KV ( revs per volt) of a motor. The higher the KV the smaller the prop. Finally buy a Watt meter they are not expensive and give you a chance to " fine tune" a setup. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/FT08-RC-150A-Hight-Precision-Watt-Meter-and-Power-Analyzer-w-Backlight-LCD-U3F1/223101148808?epid=23023179441&hash=item33f1dd5e88:g:LYAAAOSwV3pba1JA:rk:11:pf:0 Car ESCs ( usually) have a reverse function while the airplane versions do not. They are generally cheaper than boat specific ESCs.

6 years ago by Haverlock

Forum

Darby One Design hydro...

Westquay- Where did you get that hull. it looks great. I also have a spare brushless plus esc from a recently deceased surface drive hydro and I do prefer the submerged drive like yours. I have been searching second hand shops, the local flea market and car boot sales but found nothing. Boaty😊

6 years ago by boaty

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Nomenclature...

Ha Ha i got no credit for some things I came up with either Trouble is I can only remember the word FANTABULOUS which I invented by accident Fantastic and fabulous ame to mind together as I was talking and the hybrid word came out.🤓🤓 Re the BECS I know that but I couldn't explain it like you and was also asking what I thought Martin wanted to know. Floating arrays? Didn't TESLA do something similar during the RC boat . trials? Or was that actually the vessel itself? in one of my bigger boats I used FOUR ex GPO L/A cells which was enough with it's Ex forces motors to put a bone in the boat's teeth as the say. The boat ? RMV Mauritania 5 feet long but very light for it's size hence the need for the accumulator cells Balsa frames and sides with ceiling tile superstructure with balsa bracing. Free running so it was always heeling and with the bone creaming at the forefoot was very impressive. Destroyed by a guy collapsing on it. He'd only fainted but me pore owl gerl was just chips and snowflakes from one end to the other. Nothing to repair as there was nowt left to repair🤐 I kept one cell for starting glow motors and sold the rest at a good profit. incidentally the motors were that good that when everyone found out where to get them They were sold out in 2 days with no more available anywhere Don't know what they were out of but from the overspray on them ( cockpit green but the Yank version -- we thought) we believed they were from planes. Very solid with 9 segment rotor . Totally enclosed. Airtight? presumably to prevent arcing igniting fumes. The rotorsegments? We found out when one didn't run so we stripped it and found them shining at us. Lovely tight windings. Thick with shellac/varnish. The problem? A stuck brush caused by a tight pivot Drop of 3 in one oil and a very light smear of grease cured it. The carbons were replaceable if you could make or find some. I found a firm in Formby that made and sold brushes for anything. I fixed son's Fiat automatic thenks to them. it had a magnetic clutch and the brushes were so worn we didn't know what the shape should be. Turned out to be about 2 inches long rectangles plain and simple. LOL. Wish I could find some of those lovely engineered motors now.😤👍

6 years ago by onetenor

Forum

Taycol Supemarine Resurrection

Mornin' John, agree re chromite, but still don't know what chroDite is! I only personally own the one Taycol Target. I got into this whole Taycol business while I was renovating Dad's old Sea Scout last year and decided I wanted a bit more Oomph so upgraded it to a 1000kV brushless, which gives goods results on a 3S LiPo. See the vids I've posted of the the 'Sea trials' (Lake Trials!?). So I decided to use the Target in the ancient Billing Boats Danish fish cutter I'm restoring and converting from static to RC. Figured the Target would cope OK with the plodding pace of a fish cutter😉 BUT, I wanted it to be reversible without cumbersome external switches or relays as recommended by Taycol / Keil Kraft in those days. After surfing around a bit a found a website where others had tackled the same problem. Looked at their solutions and refined them slightly. All I do is rectify the pulsed (square wave) signal from the ESC with a bridge rectifier (4 hi-current diodes in a bridge form in one package), apply the + and - outputs from the rectifier to the field coil so that it produces a constant magnetic field just like the permanent magnet of a canned motor. The two alternating (pulsed) outputs of the ESC are applied to the AC (~) inputs of the rectifier, which go + / - or - / + according to the command from the TX, I apply to the brush terminals just like a normal brushed motor setup. The output of the ESC is a train of either positive of negative going DC pulses. Pic 2 the positive train on the scope. Pic 3 the negative train. The larger and wider the pulse the higher and longer the voltage is applied and the faster the motor spins. So called Pulse Width Modulation (PWM). The gaps between the pulses are smoothed out by the inertia (flywheel effect) of the motor, and anything hanging on it - like a prop and a few million gallons of wet stuff 😁 Hey presto, a field coil motor that runs forwards or backwards on command 😊 Main thing is simply to separate the field coil from the armature coil (i.e. brush gear) so you can control each one independently. No rocket science but highly satisfying when it all comes together and works on the pond. OK, I'll look up Mr Lynch, wasn't he the Sarge in Z Cars 😁😁😁 Cheers, Doug 😎

6 years ago by RNinMunich

Blog

Restore An American Nirvana Yacht

I have by luck, not judgement acquired a second hand 'Nirvana' Yacht, it is a sloop rigged craft that was only sold in America and retailed between $250 and $350 according to the revision version and the year brought. This was a bit of a surprise to me as I only paid £10 for it. The Nirvana RC Sailboat was first produced by Megatech in 2002. and is 32in long and the hull& deck are ABS plastic. The quality of the boat is unmatched in the price range, with such features as a lead keel ballast, superior polyester sails that won't mildew, stretch or tear, and fittings that make the boat a dream to sail. The mast and booms are made of carbon reinforced composite that is light and very strong. The Boat hull is in sound condition just a few scratches, there is a hairline crack in the mast area, no radio gear at all. and sails are usable but really need replacing.

6 years ago by CB90

Blog

Renovating my Aerokits Patrol Torpedo Boat.

Started the long job of sanding down today. I think this is going to take a while. During last week I spent the time removing all of the deck parts still attached. The motor, rc gear, rudder, batteries and prop shaft have also been removed leaving the basic hull and decking superstructures. I have visited my local model shop today to see if I can sort out the paint. I have decided on acrylic but the cans are so small that I would need loads. I also cannot find a suitable red for the hull bottom. I am looking for matt. I was also considering making the main colour Pacific Green or similar. I have found Navy Grey which might have to do. If anybody can help with where to source suitable paint in reasonable quantity I would be grateful. I have purchased the sanding sealer and primer. I was considering air brushing the whole project but not so sure now. Any thoughts?😁 I have taken pictures of the progress so far. A lot of sanding still awaits me.😡 I purchased two Mk 17 gun carriages for the tubs. I cannot believe it but they fit perfectly. A picture of these is also below. One last question for now. Should I brush paint, air brush or spray can. The boat is 40" long. Another long day of sanding tomorrow but with greater care as I am tackling the skins. I remember how thin these were when I originally constructed the model.🤔

6 years ago by MouldBuilder

Forum

Tony O

That might have been the case before the mobile phone/mini computer boom, Colin, but now they don't learn anything at school, there are no clubs at school and all they want is 'phone games/youtubes of other nerds playing games better than them (yes really!!). They simply cannot see any pleasure or fulfillment in making something and let's face it, apart from racing yachts and very fast raceboats, model boat operation will bore the best of us after 5 minutes! Going round and round with a coaster is limited to say the least. I get my pleasure from making them and almost none from playing with them. Try offering that as an argument to a kid who loves Fortnight or Minecraft. You haven't a chance! Model aircraft or car racing will always take them if there's a hint of interest as those are more exciting, if expensive. Martin

6 years ago by Westquay

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Brass bashin' Chris Craft deck fittings...

I was just searching for a model car pattern I made months ago for some mods and I found all the lovely etchings I'd done years ago, pre computer, for Riva and Chris-Craft models. These two pics show two brass patterns for the Riva vents and two of the white metal cast vents, one polished about 20 years ago, one done just now, to show that a well burnished casting will stay looking chrome even without lacquer. Then the two Chris Craft tread plates I had the great, good forethought to draw when I found I had a bit of space on the Riva fret. They are perfect, as are the Chris-Craft side flashes and all the Riva badges, even though they were done from hand drawn artwork, proving that Vector images are NOT essential as the pootah people will tell you. I shall mount these two on the typically wedge shaped base and have them cast. I also found a FUEL engraved cap cover which will go on my Chris-Craft filler. it happens to be bang on size wise! I'm cock ahoop! I knew I had these, but had no idea where to start looking. Thanks Mel for getting me started on the search for your Tecno F2 car, but sorry, couldn't find that devil. I have made some more Vincent bits, been to son's to play on his new steering wheel and pedals racing game ( I managed a whole lap of the proper Silverstone in a Lotus 25!) and dined out with the lady wife. What a great day. Martin

6 years ago by Westquay

Forum

Mahogany in Scale

Hi John, No I didn't know there was a premium on ED stuff! Will have to start touring the Flohmärkte here (Flea Markets - have never heard of a 'Kofferraum Sale (Boot Sale😉) here. Dimly remember drooling over ED engine ads, way out of my range back then🤔 Didn't know they did RC kit til it popped up here. Sorry to dash your hopes but Unfortunately I only have the info and not the stuff itself😭 Here are the links http://www.modelenginenews.org/cardfile/ed_radios.html http://www.modelenginenews.org/cardfile/ed_radios.html#3 Happy browsing / reminiscing 👍 Cheers, Doug😎

6 years ago by RNinMunich

Forum

Mahogany in Scale

Doug, I don't generally "do" foreign and Pete certainly wouldn't. As you say, most are model railway or strictly stick and string model ships. What we wanted to do was a general model hobby museum with a bias toward the RC hobbies. Ain't none of them. History of RC, s, boats and aircraft. Materials, tools, etc. Mags and books, that kind of thing. Martin

6 years ago by Westquay

Forum

Old Futaba servo wiring...

Mornin John Re detector circuit: it's not very complicated, only 3 or 4 actual components. The clues are good RF diode and a very sensitive meter! I just bought a couple of 300microamp full scale meters. Will do a little blog when I've tidied it up and boxed it. Re Heli: can you post or mail me pics of the TX, RX and ESC please. Brushed or Brushless motors? Given manufacturer / model numbers I might be able to figure out what the pissibolities are. No promises though 😉 Sounds to me like the TX stick is set up for forwards / backwards like a normal car or boat set up. I.e. for 0 to full speed in either direction is only half the stick travel. For aircraft 0 is full down, giving you the full stick travel for the speed range. The ESC probably needs to be 're-educated' and the TX throttle stick re-programmed, IF at all possible with the TX you got with the Heli. Re " P.S. Signals come from where Doug?" - Don't understand the question John ?? Cheers, Doug 😎

6 years ago by RNinMunich

Response

AC 60

I just checked out Wish. Com lots of good bargains. Check out RC model boats. And drones and cars.

6 years ago by stew1960

Forum

LED Tug Mast Navigation Lights

Hi Pete, the wiring diagram as such will stay as it is, but after my test results I will revise the resistor value (upwards) to reduce the power requirement without reducing the perceived brightness. Also to damp down the whites a little and bring up the yellows, otherwise I reckon the white mast lamps will be blinding and the yellow deck lights will look oddly dim. I would be tempted to use whites for the deck lights, maybe put a dollop of yellow glass lacquer on them to tone 'em down a bit. Apropos Fletcher Class; I have 1/144 kit I intend to convert to RC. My H class destroyer 1/72, HMS Belfast cruiser and Graf Spee pocket battleship 1/128 are also all about 4&1/2 to 5 feet! Don't know how much longer I'll be able to carry them to the lake so I'm considering building a trailer, like I've seen here on the site, and using Jessica's old RC beach buggy to haul them 😊 Also have a 1/96 kit of the fast cruiser / minelayer HMS Manxman which is scheduled for the next winter build. Also 4 foot something 😲 Cheers, Doug 😎

6 years ago by RNinMunich

Forum

Which battery?

I tend to use LiPo's but they can be temperamental and need the correct charger. They are smaller and lighter than NiMH and give you a much greater output. NiMH are similar in size to LiPo but are heavier and will not have the same sort of power available. Lead acid are the easiest to use in terms of charging but are much heavier and larger then the other 2 types but tend to be cheaper. Lead acid are a good option if you need the ballast or are not limited on physical size. Cost is also a consideration a good quality charger can be an hefty investment but will serve you well and if you buy the correct type will charge/discharge any battery type that you have. I have heard horror stories about LiPo's bursting into flames, which my son did with his . this was down to him not understanding this type of battery. I have not had good results in terms of endurance with NiMh but Lipo's if correctly selected will last much longer, a word of warning here though, they will stop working suddenly with no indication like running slow etc so if using LiPo's you will, need an alarm on each battery. Lead acid is much easier to in terms of Voltage either 6 or 12v with real problems when connecting them in series or parallel for use or charging, a little harder with the other two types but not impossible. This has probably confused you even more but I am sure you will come the correct battery. I have to confess I have an interest in this build as I intend it to be my next project👍

6 years ago by marlina2

Forum

LED Tug Mast Navigation Lights

Hi Pete, Yep, the colour of the LEDs can be determined by doping the diode chip with various elements. The early ones were either red or clear, so the colour was added in the epoxy dome around the chip. Cheap ones still are like that. Nowadays you can get LEDs that light different colours according to the voltage applied! For instance in those irritating shelf / vitrine light strings that rotate through a variety of colours all the time.😡 I have some that are red or green depending on which way round you apply the voltage! They are milky white when off. Useful for checking the operation and setup in the boat of brushed ESCs and motors, esp for multi-screw boats, and the output of switching circuits. Funny I always thought halogen lights were a hard white with a blue tint, like some car headlights. Cool on the Kelvin temp range. Yellow is more like the warm white light of a tungsten bulb to me. Yellow deck floodlights are more likely to be sodium lamps, like many street lamps. The measurements you sent me indicated that the switch on voltage (Vf) of the searchlight was 3V and all the others 2V. So I based my final calc on that. if any of your LEDs don't 'strike' with 150Ohm just reduce the resistor to 120 to give it a 'shove'😁 I don't expect that though. I have a box of 300 various LEDs and 1000 various resistors in front of me (and the mast from my Southampton tug😉) so will do some practical tests. Cheers, Doug 😎 BTW: I can strongly recommend that you buy a simple LED Tester, like one of these- https://www.ebay.com/bhp/led-tester I'll help you get the LEDs the right way round in your circuits and tell you how much current they need for a decent brightness, and at what voltage they will turn on! Only a few bucks and saves a lot of aggro. It'll also tell you what colour a 'clear or white' one will be when it turns on😊

6 years ago by RNinMunich

Forum

Norfolk Wherry Fans

Still a bit on the heavy side. Fine silk "might" do but I might end up making loads of suits with Esaki tissue. There used to be a type of processed tissue with a slight gloss on it and a clothlike feel to it.Anyone know what it's called or where I can get it.The Barge is ten and a half inches long, not 8,with an open well deck. I could fit mini RC and a motor etc but it would be exposed. I could I expect cover it with a tarp as though it was carrying cargo. Some of you might suggest it's too small to bother with but it's like the peanut scale in the aircraft world. OR👍👍 A novelty TOY. Cheers all.

6 years ago by onetenor

Forum

Windows, stoopid question.

Doug, sorry, I should have answered you last time on that. A good impression of a dummy screw can be made in aluminium with a piece of tube sharpened on the end so it looks like a miniature leather punch. Obviously better if you can do it with something you've done in the lathe, in steel, but you don't have one. SO....PM me your postal and I will send you something I will knock up for you tomorrow in steel. That will last you into your dotage, when you will be found dribbling into the geraniums with this little tool in your mitts making impressions on the window cills of Frau Schmutterputz's Home for Englische Modelbauen. You will be able to "sharpen" it buy running it round on a stone lightly, rolling it as you draw it backwards. Can't add to Squire Turpin's words at all. I have a slide tailstock on my wee Taig lathe which makes screw forming easy as the thread takes the tap/die as it wants it, square and true. The piercing saw has clamps for much finer blades rather than the relatively big fret saw blades which generally have a pin at the ends. Sometimes you'll break a blade at one end. Then the adjustability makes sense as you just re work the length and re-use the broken blade. Tight wads like me appreciate such things. Car booked in tomorrow for repairs. About £300, so not as bad as I thought it might be. it's passed for the last two years. Busy boy today as I sprayed the Crash Tender grey on its upper works and by the looks of it it just needs a few areas of fine filler and a rub down on the toe rails and one more coat then it'll be ready for the gloss sides and the hull proper. Then I even used my brand new saw to mitre the corners of the topping to Chris's new garden pond casing. it's a stand up one to save our backs. So now, I am gonna sit and watch shite telly, even shiter than normal as it is all infested by ball kickers playing grown ups and failing miserably . G'night. Martin

6 years ago by Westquay

Response

Gina 2: A Messy Business - Hull Restoration

Evenin' Ed, It was my objective from the outset to convert her to RC. That's why so much effort to stabilise and strengthen the hull😉 Having done that the next stage is to figure out how much load she can carry and how to fit motor and shaft. To keep her 'true to type', i.e. horizontal shaft parallel with the keel, I may have to go to pulley or gear drive 😲 The shaft runs very close to the keel! Proposed motor is the Taycol Target field coil motor that I took out of the Sea Scout 26 years ago refurbished and converted to run forwards and backwards. See pics. Cheers, Doug 😎

6 years ago by RNinMunich

Forum

Charging NiMhs, one for Doug?...

Evenin' Martin, OK- 1. Your NiMhs have Tamiya plugs. 2. Correct charge lead for those would be the one in your last pic. BUT; it puzzles me that it seems to have one 4mm plug, OK, and one 4mm socket?? if that IS the case; Why? Should have two plugs to go in the charger. Change it for one of your new 4mm plugs. 3. You can charge the LiPo with the lead second from right. The 'bricks' are 'T' or 'XT' connectors.They look like XT60. Common on LiPos. Select LiPo and 'Auto' on the charger and it will do the rest. Don't forget to plug in the little white Balancer plug so the charger knows what it is charging and can balance the cells. Guess the next question will be:- 'But the white plug is too big to fit the charger'! if so you need an adaptor! See pic. The adaptor is in the middle; 'XH Adaptor'. Plugs on batteries are XH, sockets on chargers the smaller EH. it's a conspiracy to force us to buy adaptor boards or cables 😡 However, if the LiPo hasn't been used or charged for years I don't hold out much hope for it 🤔 At the bottom of my pic you can see one of my capacity / cell voltage testers. Glad the FlySky package works. What does a Luddite learn from that? Buy TX and RX together as a so called 'Combo' and they come ready bound, saving a lot of F'ing and Blinding 😉 Was very surprised you bought a car pistol grip with trigger throttle. Might be OK for throttle (cars are usually 'digitally driven'; i.e. Flat Out or Stop!) But I wonder how you'll get on with that on a sail winch 😲 Bon chance mon ami 👍 Cheers, Doug 😎

6 years ago by RNinMunich

Forum

Charging NiMhs, one for Doug?...

Right, gentlemen who know fings, here are shots of the wires I have. OK, I must have put the banana plugged wires in a box marked R/C Gear, I'm assuming, but the charger's wires mainly have brick red flat contact -containing plugs. However, none of my battery packs have those, they have the white things with two small round pins in 'em, one socket square, one round. The newest pack for binding duties has a little black jobby that fits the Rxs. Pictures included of all relevance. I tried to charge an old(ish) lead acid after making up a lead, but the charger put up a "Connection Break" legend on its screen. I assume that means, That one's f****d, mate. Fair enough, I thought it might be. But i still haven't worked out a lead to charge those green wrapped old NiMhs. I HAVE charged them before, because I have had two attempts at flying the aircraft. it went round in circles and then took a slate off my daughter's roof, proving that aircraft models really DO need insurance! Anyway, enclosed are three pics. The shot of a Lipo is to show that I do have such things, but that dates way back and although not damaged or bulged hasn't been charged while I've had it. it was sent to me with 2 small outrunner brushless jobbies and a couple of brushed ESCs as a thankyou for sending plywood to a part of Britain that the PO won't go to with biggish parcels. Finally....I have today received my FlySky RC set and guess what? it all works, perfectly, out of the box. it's PRE-BOUND! Whoopee do! it musdt be an upgrade as it came with a small Li-Po battery pack for the Tx. and a charge lead from USB to Tx. body. That's all great, but how do I know how long to charge it for? it currently has what looks like a full charge on it, judging by the brightness of the LEDs. Getting used to a passable impression of my son's old Subaru front wheel and tyre (complete with vented disc and caliper behind!) will take a while. I am guessing that pushing the throttle trigger forward is like a brake on a car. I assume on a boat it would be reverse? The instructions are not in any way exhaustive! But hey...on a tatty old Futaba servo it all worked a treat. Here's the pics of wires. Cheers, Martin

6 years ago by Westquay

Forum

Charging NiMhs, one for Doug?...

Evenin' Martin, Oh dear oh dear oh dear! 😲 There is some good advice above, but maybe not optimally expressed for use by a Luddite! Sorry guys but this might be a relatively long post to separate the wheat from the chaff, explode a few myths and resolve this little conundrum of Martin's! One thing at a time! NUMBER1. THE RADIO- Dear Martin: Whatever possessed a self confessed Luddite and Scrooge like you to spring a large chunk of your hard earned pension on one of the most expensive and complex RC sets on the market in the first place???? I bought a Spektrum DX6 on impulse a few years ago while strolling around Conrad here in Munich. I've regretted it ever since. in retrospect it was way too expensive >600€, and complex. it is intended for the Fly Boys, as unfortunately most sets are these days. I have still not successfully programmed it to do what I want to do, instead of what it is pre-programmed to do for helis and fixed wing aircraft. Not even with it's own Spektrum RX, let alone a 'foreign' RX like Orange. So I have not yet risked it in a model. Definitely NOT my Catalina. Since then I have bought a Turnigy I6. Which does the same as the Spektrum, works fine with my Orange RX with giro for the Catalina😉, cost only 69€ (is now available for around 33 quid😡) and within a few hours I had it programmed and tested to do all I want in my destroyer and Sea Scout.👍 In short: the Spektrum is way way way Overkill for your yacht or Fire Float or similar, where you will only ever want rudder and sail servo / winch or rudder and speed control. So flog the Spektrum and get a nice simple (and cheap😉) 2 or 4 channel set. I can't imagine you ever wanting to start building special effects into your models so 2 (max 4) channels is all you will probably ever need. Stick your Spektrum on eBay, maybe you'll get at least a 100 quid for it. If you still want to go 2.4Gig get yourself a Turnigy i6 set with RX, 6 ch but cheap enough and I can help you directly with binding and programming from experience - I have a good English manual with no Chenglish gobbledygook. If not and you still have a working 27 or 40MHz FM set (40 would be better) use that. Where you sail, all alone, who's going to bother you or be bothered? BTW: Yes the Spektrum TX IS DSM2 and DSX compatible BUT you have to tell it what you want to use!!! Frankly I think trying that with a non-Spektrum RX is risky - especially first time out and for a novice Luddite😉 NUMBER 2. THE NiMh BATTERY- Voltage is not a reliable indication of battery charge / remaining capacity. After use a battery will recover slightly when at rest and the open terminal (off load) voltage will rise, often to the nominal voltage or slightly above. This is NO indicator of remaining charge as when a load is applied the voltage will drop again rapidly, the higher the current drawn the faster the voltage drops. if it goes below 1.0V per cell the battery will be permanently damaged and never regain it's original capacity. Haverlock is dead right about batteries losing charge when not used or regularly recharged. An NiMh batt loses charge at the rate of about 1% per day so after 3 months or so you can send it to the great recycling depot in the sky and buy a new one. Periodic cycling, discharge / charge prevents / minimises this - see care hints I posted above. And yes, NiMh do have that irritating Memory effect🤔 albeit not so pronounced as with NiCads. Lipos apparently not, but I ain't seen any evidence yet - the jury is still out! Sooo - ignore the 6.37V and run the batt through a discharge and full charge cycle. if your new NiMh batt has not yet been cycled and charged I would bet that it's present capacity is about 45%. See example below (and in attached pic) of one of my new 4.8V (nom) NiMh RX batts. NUMBER 3. THE CAPACITY CHECKER - "Glorified voltmeter" ? Where did the 6.37V reading come from if not from your 'new toy'? If it is showing volts it should also be showing capacity in %age. If you received the wrong thing it's not the "bloody electrics" but the bloody nit who packed and sent it that's at fault. Before you send it back check the below😉 Send me a photo of the Checker you have and with your battery plugged in so I can see what's happening on the display. Otherwise we are all poking about in the dark (Are we back to Jules and his friend Sandy😉😲) The link I sent you was for a checker exactly the same as mine except for the labelling! As you can see in my photo, properly connected it shows the terminal voltage and the remaining capacity (charge level) of the battery pack. Forget the Nixx (=2 Ni possibilities) display, that just means 'It ain't a LiXX' (3 Li- pissibolities). Attached photo shows a brand new 4 cell NiMh RX pack 4.8V (Nominal) connected to one of my Checkers. As you can see the voltage shown is 5.19V, according to the popular 'folklore' that would seem to indicate FULL charge. Unfortunately not🤔 Capacity indication is 45% which is normal for brand new batteries in storage and transit. Explanation thereof - see above! RE: " if it can do LiPos, why not the relatively simpler NiMhs?" a) the LiPo pack has a different chemistry and construction which requires different input circuitry on the checker, b) LiPos need balancing and are fitted with Balancer Plugs which connect to the multipin connectors on the checker. Each pin connects to one cell of the LiPo so that they can be monitored individually. LiPo chargers use this to balance the cells to within 0.01V (100mV) or less by adjusting the charge / discharge currents to each cell. The checkers use this to show you the individual cell voltages and charge states. A big difference, i.e.lower V and capacity, indicates cells with faults, e.g. higher internal resistance, or a discharged pack which needs charging and balancing. NiMh packs don't usually have this facility to measure individual cells. They are thus connected to a separate input on the checker which can then only show total pack terminal voltage and capacity. BTW: if you can get it passed 'THE Management' store your battery packs in the fridge😲 The 'coolth' slows down the rate of self discharge, which is a function of the battery internal resistance, which reduces slightly with reduced temperature😉 Enough for now, back to stripping my PTB for it's Midlife Refit! Cheers, Doug 😎 PS Martin: Just saw your post about another RX. Why the hell not buy a Spektrum designed Rx guaranteed to work with their TX? Or better still; flog the Spektrum and get a nice simple Turnigy set as above, also recommended by Ron, albeit the 9 ch version. All this frigging about with 'claimed compatible' bits and pieces just wastes money and time, fogs the issue and don't prove nutt'n!

6 years ago by RNinMunich

Forum

It's a sad day!.

Hi Les, funny we've come full circle, I started my model sailing at newsham park back in the late 50s and was there at the beginning of "The Liverpool model POWER boat club back in 1964, when I was 14 years old. Notice the power was omitted from the clubs name approx' 15 years ago. In 1964 i had just completed my first aerokits sea scout complet with an ED seagull 1cc diesel, this club was where I met most of my mentors and founder members of the club, Jimmy Wilson, Cliff'Broadbent, Monty, Oscar Poulson etc etc all now sadly gone to that big lake in the sky where anything goes. I'm in southport now and do go back to newsham from time to time. Thank you for that bit of very interesting info'. The afore mentioned sea scout has just undergone a major re-fit after 55 years, the 1cc diesel has been replaced with a 3940 kv brushless and 60 esc running on 11.1 lipo, yes I know all to big for a little 24inch sea scout, but as the yanks would say " there ain't no substitute for C.C. Boy", you don't have to use it but nice to have. Martin you mentioned the old glue used in those days, the sea scout I made was glued using "caskomite" (can't remember the correct spelling) the boat is still 100% waterproof with no skin separation at all, I do not intend tarting the boat up at all, prefer to keep it the way a 14 year old boy (me) had made it apart from bringing the running gear up to 21st century and something that can be used at my local lakes. Norman.

6 years ago by stormin

Forum

Radio in a yacht

Haverlock, my Orange receiver can run on anything from 3V to 9. something apparently. Just seen a good Aussie review of it and he loved it. Reckons there are thousands out there all working great, albeit on shorter ranges. it's DSM2 like my Spektrum TX, but I don't have a clue what that's all about, as long as the TX and Rx are the same, I presume. Norman, you sound like me. I have had loads of different models. Never finished an aircraft because of the cost of insurance and club membership, but I have had them whilst deciding and I built an R/C car before there were such things as kits for them, but couldn't afford a working engine. Mine ticked over smoothly or screamed its nuts off, but nought in between. But the car had suspension from a leaf spring aft to adjustable torsion bars for the front. The spine of the chassis was two strips of stair runner making a backbone from which all else hung. it went very well if I could find anywhere big enough for the screaming engine! But I came back to boats as being cheap and yachts as they don't need lots of lecktrickery, which I hate, although I have got some models of historic speedboats in which I want to fit equally historic motors of which I have a small collection. Truth is, like my slot cars, I prefer to restore than create these days, although I have made the masters for dozens of car body kits over the years and am currently finishing a 1/6th scale Vincent Black Shadow pattern all in brass. Great to know that a holder full of four AA rechargeables will do for the boat. Thanks for that info. Now to see if I can find that nice new box full of Tx! Oh dear, I've moved since I bought it. Cheers, Martin

6 years ago by Westquay

Forum

It's a sad day!.

I can well imagine how you feel about your i.c. models. My recent renovation/recommissioning of my late father's Vosper MTB is kind of ironic in that it last ran in 1962 when noise suddenly became an issue. Mind you, it was VERY loud. My rebuild, needless to say, was centred around brushless motors and lipo's. But I also put an excellent sound system into it as it was so quiet. The system, by Action Electronics and is nice and loud as per the full-size but it does seem ironic that I felt the need to put sound(noise) back in! I use lots of small diesels in free-flight model aircraft and still hugely enjoy getting them 'singing' and savouring the wonderful smell in the car going home afterwards!

6 years ago by wunwinglo

Forum

FS-GT3B 3 channel r/c

Hi guys on ebay there is New FS-GT3B 2.4G 3CH Transmitter Receiver With Fail-Safe For boat FA for sale at an unbelievable price of £5.09 carriage free from china doesnt seam right to me what do you think. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/New-FS-GT3B-2-4G-3CH-Transmitter-Receiver-With-Fail-Safe-For-RC-car-boat-FA/183168340160?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649

6 years ago by BigAlio

Forum

Aerokits Patrol Torpedo Boat

Hello. I hope I can get a little help with battery choice. I have been reading the comments above and elsewhere on the site, and have decided to go along the LiPo route. I purchased the Turnigy 3648 1450kv brushless motor along with the Hobbyking brushless car ESC 100A w/reverse. I have done a little research on this battery but still do not know the exact battery I should be looking for. Please can you help with the following: What voltage should I be looking for. To have a reasonable useage period, can you advise on a suitable mAh rating. Please can you recommend a charger. Should I have a charge alarm. Should I have a monitor for cell voltage. Are there any other accessories I should have. Thanks in advance. Peter.😊

6 years ago by MouldBuilder

Media

LCT548

Built as a rescaled version of a free plan in Model boat magazine (Dec 2009) now scaled to 1/16 to allow rc tanks to be carried

6 years ago by Bryan-the-pirate

Forum

Aerokits Patrol Torpedo Boat

Hi Guys Looking at the motor 5,100 rpm @12 volts is 60 Watts of power. We use Hobbyking gear in our club mainly. As they have a special on a present with free delivery over $50 US. 3639-1100kv(800 Watts)(170 grams) is cheaper than the sister motor 3639-750kv(600Watts). ESC car 100 Amp is near half price. A programming card is required but these are cheap. We used a MFA Spearfish as a test boat with the 1100 and on Zippy Compact 3S 5800mah 60C(449grams) clock 27KPH. Changing to a Zippy Compact 4S 5800mah(567grams) 40C clock 37KPH. Run time a good half hour or more depending how fast you push it. We do not watercooling on this motor which will work out OK in your setup. The Hobbyking car ESC(part No.HK100A)(106 grams) has a fan for cooling and with the large interior of you boat heating will not be a problem. I am using this setup in both my Sea Commander and 1920 Gentleman's Runabout. My little Sea Hornet is using a 1900kv 28mm motor on a smaller 3S 2650mah. If you have no plans for your boat, I have a PDF copy(free of course). If you wish to go faster, a straight change over to the 3648 1450kv(1600 Watt) beast!!!! Canabus

6 years ago by canabus

Forum

Graupner Elke HF 408

Hi Allen I did wonder if it was an ex flyer type as it had the gearbox. The markings can help but not possibly in this case. The other major supplier was Johnson but I can't find your TD224. I suspect this will be a high current fast rev motor probably 12v max. To work with your model I think you will be well advised to follow Doug's suggestion and fit a 6v battery. If you can see the windings inside the motor case and they are thick and few then it is a fast and high current motor. The prop looks like a Graupner and is fine pitch and similar models in my club have a nice brass prop of fairly coarse pitch to give a good slow scale speed. The gearbox will allow you to fit a brass prop of similar dimensions to yours. Initially I agree with Doug though, just pop it in the water and see how it performs. With your luck you will probably source a suitable prop from the car boot sales! Finally As the motor is old it could have shorted windings, in which case it's going to get hot. if you have a good multimeter you can check for low resistance between the case and one of the motor connectors. Use the highest Ohms setting you have and rotate the motor shaft a full revolution, repeat with progressively lower Ohms settings. You should have good insulation between the windings and the case, if you are getting any ohm readings chances are there are shorted windings on the armature and the motor is terminal.

6 years ago by Dave M

Forum

displaying at vintage and steam rallies.

Here's a quick sketch of trailer outline, the axle and tow-bar was from an old trailer tent, it has brakes and is capable of carrying 1 ton easily. The frame work is mostly 40x40x3mm angle iron on a base chassis of 50x75x6mm box section. The panels are 9mm marine ply with plastic coated steel over for the roof, (which is removable for tall loads.) the sides are 12mm marine ply and the floor is 18mm ply. Semi elliptical springs from a van, shock absorbers from a motor bike. 12" wheels with commercial tyres to comply with law.(NEVER USE CAR TYRES) its fitted with reversing lights and warning bleeper. Hope this is helpful . Cheers Colin.👍

6 years ago by Colin H

Forum

46'' Firefloat What Motor/Battery

Hi John, you might now be scratching your head, and wishing you have not asked the original question! This seems to be a common issue, as the boating community is light years behind the other disciplines, s, planes helis and so on, its probably due to the facts general boating doesnt really need the later generation technology, the average boater age is probably higher than the other disciplines so budgeting might be an issue, and there is less younger blood in the clubs to explain the lipo/brushless etc. We see posts with a load of numbers, specs, warnings etc, its enough to put people off. Im a big fan of brushless/lipo/ 2.4 etc, been doing it for years, its cheaper and more efficient (once you have the basics) but for the average guy, who just wants to spend an easy afternoon at the local lake gently cruising around, brushed motors, nimhs batteries, even lead acid, will do the job👍 Your 4 foot ply boat, once painted, with fittings, will be heavy, I know, I own one. Those 600 motors are not big enough, they are better suited to the smaller 3 foot boat, then, pushing them with a 6v lead acid, just cant do it. The battery will be screaming HELP!! I started 15 years back exactly the same, 600 motor, 6v battery, massive 50mm prop, I knew no better and took advise from people who didnt know what they were talking about😡, remember those gold hi tech speed controllers!! I had one, it melted, literally melted on the first use😭 Get 700 size motors, they will need to be water cooled, as mentioned by jarvo, the nominal voltage or below isnt good enough, power them at the max voltage. Brushed means you can use one apropriate esc, look out for electronize (are they still in existance?) or mtroniks, preferably use nimhs batteries over lead acid with a high mah. If after all this you want to venture into lipos and brushless motors, go to a club, spot a boat that is similar in size to yours, if you like the performance talk to the owner and gain experience and knowledge that way, it will save money, lost time and a lot of disappointment, I have been there so feel your pain. I say I would never go back to brushed motors and none lipo batteries, but I always want silly speed, not runtime, after 15 minutes Ive had enough and am bored. Rambling over! My 4 foot boat is twin brushless and uses 4 lipo 5000mah cells per motor, it will do 25mph for 15 mins, then I go home😁 Message is, you can get a "reasonable" performance from brushed motors, with the correct batteries, right props, but weight is the enemy. Looks lie you are at Biddulph, get onto Dave M a moderator on here, and arrange to go over to see the crewe and district boys on one of their sailing days, take your boat with you, they will help👍

6 years ago by pmdevlin

Forum

Spraying/hand painting

The Upol Barcote product recommended is intended for industrial use mainly in car restoration. The spec sheet can be seen at http://www.u-pol.com/files/6689/up0720-SDS-EN. If you are intending to use this Full PPE equipment should be worn and only use in a well ventilated area. Personally I use paintstrippers, scapers and a hot air paint stripper to clean wooden hulls back to bare wood. This allows me to see any damage caused by fuels used with IC engines. I agree its messy, takes time and is best done outside, but you do end up with a solid hull with no hidden soft spots. I agree with Jarvo's use of Clear Cote either in gloss or semi matt finish. If the air temp is much below 20 deg most rattle cans will not give a good finish and runs will be difficult to avoid.

6 years ago by Dave M

Blog

TRIUMPH (CG-52301) USCG Type F MLB

Laser cut kit from Barracuda RC Boats, N Carolina, USA. Baltic birch plywood false keel, ribs/frames, hull sheathing, deck and cabins. No formal plans; I was able to source a handful of B&W archival photos from the USCG website. Fortunately I was able to procure a motherload of archival photos and a few hard to read layout drawings from Mr. Timothy Dring, LCDR, USN (Ret.). He is co-author of "American Coastal Rescue Craft", which is the "bible" if you will, of such. I do sometimes thank the internet. I am certain that without his assistance, my efforts on this wouldn't have been as enjoyable. The kit was also void of fittings, which I was aware of prior to purchase, so I invested in a 3D printer. That I've used to a limited degree, due to searching for parts in the correct file format is mind-numbing! I have globally sourced fittings; USA, UK, ASIA. As a matter of fact, the searchlights I got from this Model Boat Shop were 3D printed, and I was able to fit 5mm LEDs into them. I'd like to get a couple more and put some superbright 12v LED drone lamps in them for use on my 35" towboat. Many deck fittings are handmade when possible, the cleats and fairleads are from Cornwall Boats, UK. (Very reasonable & diverse source, if you didn't already know.) I try to keep wood natural when detail allows it, as I never have enjoyed painting over natural grain. Her decks are covered with 1/16" scribed basswood sheathing from earthandtree.com, which is normally used for wainscoting dollhouse walls. All my boats that have wood decks are covered with scribed sheathing; I feel it makes 'em look "sexy". Believe it or not, the idea for wainscoting came from finding 3/16" at Hobby Lobby's dollhouse department. A couple of feet x 3.5" was about $16, so I found a less expensive source that also had more selections (earthandtree.com) The rail stanchions are 3/16" square dowels with 2 corners rounded over on the Dremel router table. Leaving their base square, I fit a square peg into a round hole with no glue to facilitate removal, and also for ease of replacing broken ones, which is inevitable. The rail is 1/16" brass rod that also is readily removable. The stern rail is stationary on the lower half, and the chain & wire stanchions are removable for towing ops. The deck coamings and knuckle are African mahogany strips, other mahogany accents came from leftovers of a prior build. I also try on all my boats, to incorporate vintage leftover scribed sheathing salvaged from my late Father's builds, so I know he's got a part in my builds. Note-the raised deck section between the aft ladder trunk and towing bit is actually a laminated deckhouse he made for the Frigate Essex. Unfortunately, he was unable to build that kit due to Alzheimer's disease in his latter years. (I blame that mostly on the hazardous fumes from the airplane "dope" & glue he used when building RC planes in the 60s & 70s.) I use polyurethane instead of resin due to COPD, 37 yrs of smoking, I quit 2.5 yrs ago. The driveline consists of: 775 Johnson DC main (3500 RPM@12V), Harbor Models 4mm x 14" shaft w/brass stuffing box, Raboesch 75mm 5-blade brass wheel (not OEM), 5mm U-joint couplers, Dimart 320A fan-cooled ESC. Handmade wooden teardrop rudder on a 3/8" sternpost, 1/4" tiller arm steered by a Halcion sail winch servo and cable system. Flysky 6 channel. The nav lights and other illumination are Lighthouse 9v LEDs, also a GoolRC Receiver controlled flashing blue Law Enforcement light. Obviously, I put the cart before the horse and completed the topsides and below deck before finishing the outer hull, but the Wx and season change dictated such. Can't wait for Spring!

6 years ago by circle43nautical

Forum

Sea Queen Water Line

Andy The original model was produced in the early 1960s when IC engines were the norm and scale and RC for sailing models were in their early development stages. Supplies were limited and we made do with whatever was available. The plans were typically sheet on frame, probably plywood from an old tea chest and cascamite resin glue ( it was water proof and slow setting). The designer would suggest suitable wood to use but many chose to use what they could acquire and as a result the finished models often finished up heavy or very heavy. Coupled with the large IC engine and flywheel and large heavy RC escarpments and big drycell batteries, it is not surprising that the hulls sat well in the water. To the modellers of the period the waterline really didn't matter as we were after speed, control and endurance. This may explain why the early plans did not show a waterline, as in my experience the draught varied greatly between models. Today we have scale plans and supplies that allow us to build true replicas and all the important detail is a must for a true scale model. Personally as an ex flyer I try and build lite, bricks tend to fall or sink, and my Sea Queen rides high in the water with a slight bow up. A 42xx brushless and LiPo add little weight and I have two 8oz lumps of lead in the stern section to achieve this. If it looks right, sails well and you are happy, then enjoy your model.

6 years ago by Dave M

Forum

HELP ME DECIDE PLEASE

I'm looking at three model rc yachts just now and can't decide. JOYSWAY DRAGON FORCE 65 V6 JOYSWAY DRAGONFLITE 95 PROBOAT RAGAZZA V2 Am I right in saying they are all IOM rating so I could enter the race circuit. Do any of them have any niggly faults that have been experienced by owners in the UK. And do they all have removable masts so as I can transport them in a little car. (Fiat 500) Or maybe there are others I can consider. Thank you.

7 years ago by Les-Forbes

Forum

Help! What's this?

Before I restore and repaint this boat, I wonder if anyone can help me identify it. Picked it up yesterday at a boot sale from, I think, a German guy in his 30s, along with a Kyosho . The boat was covered in Bubu's Racing Team stickers and had a few Bartels GFK/CFK Technik of Oldenburg stickers. She is 18"/450mm, has a water cooled (Yokomo Keil?) DTM A-563 motor and a Hitec full mos fet sp-560 esc. Put in a new receiver and battery and she was up and running. She will be red and gold when repainted. Not much to look at but, probably, quite quick.

7 years ago by AllenA

Forum

Billings Sea King in need of TLC

Thanks Marky. Hadn't thought of that. I have the waterslide paper which I used for some decals on my Grandson's recently. Still think I will try to mask them if I need to paint the hull. Thanks again.

7 years ago by AllenA

Directory

(Pleasure Craft) NorStar Wave Princess

Built in 1980s restored and RC fitted 2017. Kit built from ply. Graupner 12" prop, MacGregor Digimac 3 controller with MacGregor MR23A receiver converted to JST connectors and Carson Reflex servo to brass rudder (Motor: Graupner Speed 600) (ESC: Chinese 320amp) (6/10)

7 years ago by AllenA

Forum

No power

Hi Doug, i'm sorry if you feel i'm not genuine....after the last few years of my health deteriorating i've moved from 1/35 plastic kits thru the scales until even the larger scales I couldn't deal with. RC boats i thought would be good because of no real construction so don't have to worry about my hands working correctly (i've purchased my boats rather than made them) I have little understanding about electronics, my career in the forces was stores not electrics....I have tried to answer your questions of me that would eventually help me with honesty and openness....i'll try not to upset you with my insignificant problems from this point onwards.

7 years ago by NickW

Forum

Fairplay X - Plastic Magic! :-)

OK it is evening and I am relaxing so I can post the photos you required, remember my videos on you tube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I95fLw9eziQ and just now I am adding a video of the new trailer I adapted from a simple 1/10 trailer for my new (used almost vintage bought in brilliant conditions from a German friend on ebay) super air nautique wakeboard boat to join with my rc defender land rover RC truck eavily modified: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IdfVBU543ck https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h9a-DJ1T_5U&t=2s please comment!

7 years ago by saintsalvio

Forum

Propshaft Bearings

Hi Rolfman, I don't have a link, never looked for one!, but the the following observations - 1) it helps enormously if you own a small lathe, which I admit I do, and also admit not everyone does. 😉 Dremeling is OK - as far as it goes! BUT - a little offline (in the original mechanical engineering sense!😉) creates friction and vibration which negates the expense and effort to fit ball races in the first place 🤔 A lathe with a dead centre eliminates this source of error. 2) The ball race should NEVER be soldered or brazed. (When did you last see a car wheel bearing soldered or welded in?) Any process which includes applying heat to both tube and ball race can, and most probably will, damage the ball race, especially if it is one of the 'packed for life' types. You will boil the grease packing out of the race and possibly distort the rings. Correct technique would be to machine the tube (on a lathe for accuracy) to a few thou less than the OD of the ball race. The machining creates a step inside the tube, with depth to accommodate the thickness of the ball race. The end of the tube is then GENTLY heated and the ball race pressed in. This should preferably be done on the lathe using the dead centre to ensure concentricity. When everything cools down you have a tight 'shrink fit'. No other 'glue' needed😉 BTW: I have been pedantic using the term 'ball race' because that is what Allen has bought and shown in his pic. A 'bearing' can also be a simple bush, which can be soldered or brazed with less problem than ball races BUT - needs even more care with alignment as it has no 'give' like a ball race! I am faced with exactly this problem with corrections to my Graupner Graf Spee where one shaft and it's bushes are out of alignment 🤔 I will most likely replace the bushes with ball races. Hope I haven't discouraged you but I wondered why you went this way! Good luck, Doug 😎

7 years ago by RNinMunich

Forum

Brushless in or out

Hi Sonar I have used both in boats and with no watercooling. No problems with both types. The in runners are good for replacing brush motors as the 35mm brushless motor are the same bolt holes as the 540 brush motors. My first brushless was a Trackstar 17T 2400kv into an old , 90watts to 550 watts, turn it into an insane rocket. The main brushless motors we use in the boating club are Hobbyking 3639 750 and 1100kv, 3648 1450kv and the outrunner D3548 1100kv with a 2 blade 40-50mm props. ESC's are the car 60 and 100 amp which handle 2S to 4S Lipo batteries.

7 years ago by canabus