Forum

Are there fairies.

We Electric Sewing Machine motor - 1917 according to this ebay sale. https://www.ebay.com/itm/1917-Patent-Date-We-Electric-Sewing-Machine-Motor-and-Foot-Pedal-AS-IS-/202510137622?nma=true&si=gGDjL1Ld56C2cpOn2TV9HqcjMmY%253D&orig_cvip=true&nordt=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557 Probably a field-wound motor of the 'Universal' type - can run off DC or AC. It will be series wound rather than shunt - just like the Taycols. So you could make it reverse if you want to fiddle with the electrics by using the Taycol site circuitry adaptations. It would probably have run off 110v AC, with a rheostat providing speed control, though a rheostat would have given you less power as the speed reduced, so the dual-speed brush system may have been an improvement to give you more power at slower speeds. Here is a picture of an original satisfied customer...!

5 years ago by DodgyGeezer

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 motor, 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 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 years ago by robbob

Blog

Painting the hull – Part 1 primer & anti fouling.

There’s no putting it off any longer, I need to start painting the hull before I do any more on the boat so the hull was given a final rub down with a fine abrasive and then the deck and gunwales carefully masked off. I used some panel wipe to thoroughly de-grease all the surfaces and then put the hull in the ‘spray booth’ on my turntable and applied two coats of Halfords grey primer. I left this for a couple of days to dry and harden off before setting it on my bench. The next stage involves levelling the hull fore and aft and side to side so that the waterline can be established. Fortunately the well deck floor is meant to be perfectly level when the boat is afloat and at rest and this is the datum I used to level to using a couple of spirit levels. The rough waterline points were measured off the plan and transferred to the hull to be used as approximate starting points for the waterline. For my previous build I bought a self-levelling laser to indicate the waterline so this was brought out for the same purpose. The laser level was placed on another workbench a couple of metres away and gradually raised with packing pieces until the projected line agreed with the rough position marks I’d made on the hull and then finely adjusted until the line was correct and pencil marks made at intervals along the projected line. The process was repeated for the other side of the hull and then also marked across the , fortunately the line and bow markings joined up accurately confirming that the levelling was spot on. Good quality low tack masking tape was then applied all around the hull and the area above the line masked off with a couple of layers of newspaper. The exposed hull was then keyed with a fine Scotchbrite type pad and cleaned off with panel wipe before two coats of Halfords red oxide primer applied as the anti-fouling.

5 years ago by robbob

Blog

Servo Mount

Servo mount I have looked and better looked for a decent servo mount but could not find one that suited the position I wanted to put the servo, so I decide to make my own. I bought some aluminium channel, which would act as a platform and base for the standard servo. Space in terms of height is at a premium and so some material had to be removed from the keel area to make sure the servo arms did not catch on the underside floor of the rear deck. As the space tapers in height from >forward then the best position for the servo would be next to the forward bulkhead

5 years ago by mturpin013

Blog

PS Enterprise

The section of the superstructure is built.

5 years ago by rcmodelboats

Forum

Slightly confused newbie

Sorry JB but, Total waste of time and postage.😲 1. The Mtroniks ESC and your TX appear to be working as advertised. If you arbitrarily reverse the servo output at the TX then you must tell the ESC that, i.e. go through the Mtroniks setup process again. 2. if the whole thing works just fine with the servo reverse switch on the TX set to reverse - so what? Why mess about and waste money? There seems to be no particular standard for what is 'Normal' or 'Reverse' between manufacturers. I have noticed this phenomenon with several manufacturers. In particular between older 40MHz sets and 2.4Gig sets of recent Ea manufacture. I just set the TX switches so that everything works the way I want and 'Bob's yer Uncle, Fanny's yer Aunt'. I really don't care if it's 'Normal' or 'Reversed' - "If it works - DON'T FIX IT!!" Whatever, I would be MOST interested in Mtroniks response. I don't believe there is anything wrong with the ESC.😉 Please post their answer 👍 And yes, I have several Viper Marines in operation with no problems. Just follow the instructions as John posted above, and IF you change anything at the TX - TELL THE ESC!! Good luck, Doug 😎

5 years ago by RNinMunich

Forum

Props - dumb question?

The down side of prop rotation is that the Europeans use one method of defining it and the Americans use another - and they are contradictory. From the Prop-Shop site "Please note that propeller rotation is based on the British and American standard (viewing the boat from the ) which is the opposite to that in Germany." See https://www.modelboatmayhem.co.uk/forum/index.php/topic,35415.msg418661.html?PHPSESSID=svi2h5353cc8fjds8h7krcqnh0#msg418661

5 years ago by DodgyGeezer

Blog

PS Iona - Steering

Fairly standard stuff, the steering. Rudder is made from brass and held to the stainless shaft with glue / pins. There's a chain drive from the servo to the tiller arm, both sides. Servo is accessed from the hatch lifting off, and the rear grid (3D printed) also lifts off. Despite having individual drive to each paddle, the rudder is quite useful for steering, although with paddles driven in opposite directions, Iona will turn on the spot. Nice🤓

5 years ago by Harvey Kitten

Blog

PS Iona - ballast

Well I said in blog 1 this was a mixed media ship... I forgot to mention the concrete. The bathtub test showed that the ship sailed ON the water rather than in it, so some serious ballast weight needed to be added. As I don't have any spare lead, and buying the amount needed would be expensive, I discovered an old bag of cement in the shed. Excellent! I roughly calculated how much to use to infill the base of the tug - about 1 inch depth distributed bows to , up to the level of the frames, so I could fit a wooden floor to mount the motors / electronics onto. Luckily this came out about right, and the paddles would sit in the water correctly🤓

5 years ago by Harvey Kitten

Response

Clamp Chaos

Steve, You are quite right, I intend to flip it over, build some jigs, when it's time to do the hull "planking". My methods are to experiment along the way on a Build, try different ideas along the way. Decided that I first wanted to build a very straight, rigid keel with and bow ribs first. That's why the build board is just a lightweight flat straight surface, I figure out how to clamp it best as I go. Your interest and comments are appreciated, it made me think more about the planking, thanks! Joe

5 years ago by Joe727

Blog

Build Finalized

Hello, Finally put some finishing touches on my Rescue Vessel BUILD. Added rubber bumpers to assist in rescuing at bow and . Removed the smoker unit as these was complicating the build and was against one of my original objectives....Keep it Simple! Overal all I am pleased with is build, it was fun, quick and built mostly with scraps and parts on hand. The Springer Tug design is a great starter design and can be easily modified to personal tastes. I recommend this to those out there to get some initial or just more experience at building. it's fun! Joe

5 years ago by Joe727

Blog

PS Enterprise

The bow section of the top deck is made and is now Varnished, some pins as rivets on the bow, the Rudder shaft supports with pins as rivets and now the top deck section needs to.be made. The section has gaps in the wood.

5 years ago by rcmodelboats

Blog

Rubbing fenders, more epoxy & hatch coamings.

With all of the deck planking fitted I can now fix the rubbing fenders to the hull where the deck meets the hull sides. These are made from 6.5mm x 5mm obeche strip steamed and bent to shape and fixed with 30 minute epoxy, unfortunately the strips are not quite long enough to do this in one piece even with the rear rubbing fender in place at the so a join has to be made which I hope won’t be too conspicuous. The fender tapers in height from bow to and the piece that runs across the was made from 5mm x 5mm obeche. All the fenders were ‘pilot drilled’ for the pins that held them in place while the glue set. The complete hull was then given a further two coats of epoxy resin with a rub down between coats and a final ‘polish’ with 240 grit paper used wet. The resulting finish is perfectly smooth and ready for paint. The front and rear hatches were fitted with the coamings that will hold the hatches in place. The rotary disk sander that I bought from Lidl is certainly proving to be very useful in shaping small parts at this stage of the construction. I note that it’s back on sale now (Feb 2019) so if you have the opportunity and £30 ….go buy yourself one! The next stage will be to assemble the cabin.

5 years ago by robbob

Response

Davits and falls

Hi Doug, Happy New Year. Boats all done and lashed down. Dreadnought had multiple aerials slung between the masts. As far as I can make out they were connected onwards to a fitting just about at deck level right at the and also I think below the forward jack stay. I would have expected there to be connections down to the bridge or the housing forward of the after funnel. None of the photos I have are clear enough to show all the rigging, so some extent I am going to have to guess. She must have had signal halyards from presumably the main yard, but again where did they come down to. The bridge does not have much open space around the main house, so they must have come down to the upper bridge to presumably a rack? Any ideas? I have fitted canvas dodgers around the bridge, but am not too happy with them. At this scale very difficult. We have good shipbuilding weather, -12c at midday today. They are ice fishing on our lake. Take care.

5 years ago by Gdaynorm

Response

White Star BB''570''

Hi I use 10mm magnets in a double setup, one mounted on the hull and one on the cabin on each corner of the cabin. On my last Perkasa I used the double setup forward and a single double setup on the . The total weight of the boat is six pounds and I can lift the boat by the cabin!!!

5 years ago by canabus

Blog

The deck planking.

The kit I’m constructing is a pre-production prototype and consequently it does not have the ‘laser etched planking’ feature that has been subsequently introduced in the final production kits on the ‘upper’ deck and the ‘well’ deck. This is of no concern to me because I think I prefer to do my own planking anyway but I do have to do a bit of preparatory ‘laying out’ of the deck pattern to ensure that it’s symmetrical and laid in a pleasing fashion. I have chosen to use 1.6 mm x 9.5 mm obeche hardwood strip-wood (from SLEC) for this with a thin black plasticard caulking between the planks. This is what I did when I constructed the VMW Fire Tender and the result was very effective and visually pleasing. Obeche has a pleasing grain, takes stain very easily and is also considerably cheaper than mahogany which I feel would be far too ‘dark red’ when finally lacquered. Because I wanted an outer curved plank around the hull edge I had to cut this from 1.6mm obeche sheet to the correct shape and width as it would be impossible to bend a strip to this extreme curve. These also needed a section trimmed out to allow the bow gunwales to be positioned correctly. Once both sides were cut and shaped I could then form the ply gunwales to the correct curve by my heating and bending process and glued them down to the deck. I understand that on the production kits these gunwales are now incorporated into the side skins which will make the construction a bit easier. The remaining outer planks on the hull edges were made from straight lengths of obeche but required some easing cuts so that they could be bent to the curve of the hull. Hopefully these cuts will not be too noticeable in the finished deck. When all the edge planks were glued in place I temporarily laid out the obeche planking strips with a thin strip of black plasticard as caulking and all held in place with masking tape. The centre plank was arranged to lie over the centre line from bow to . The setting out of the planks in this manner confirmed that the layout worked as intended and so I began fixing down the planking from the centre plank of the hull outwards with a fast bonding superglue and the process proved to be quite quick to complete. The side deck planks were equally straightforward but did require some to be carefully shaped in a tapered fashion at each end to fill the remaining gaps. The rear deck was also planked by working out from the centre plank and thankfully the planking layout matched and followed the bow deck planking perfectly. The surplus plasticard ‘caulking’ was then trimmed flush to the planks with a very sharp chisel and the entire deck rubbed down with my sanding plate until it was all perfectly smooth. For those building this model that don’t feel confident enough to do ‘real planking’ will probably want to make use of the laser etched planking on the ply deck panels to achieve a similar result with very minimal effort, but I quite like the challenge of doing it the hard way and the benefit of a slightly better finish.

5 years ago by robbob

Forum

Fairmile D 1/24 Scale Build

Hi John, You seem to have missed the point entirely, as you also did with your first post on this thread, in which instead of trying to help Andy and answer his question you attempt to dissuade him from his goal. Unfortunately I missed Andy's question back in March as I was embroiled with family matters. BUT, if he hasn't in the meantime been 'scared off' by the lack of constructive response I will do my best to help, having several times been down the road of multiple screws, as have many other better constructors than me on this site. Nearly all my ships have two, three or even four screws. Only the Sea Scout and ancient Billing Boats fish cutter (a restoration and conversion from static to RC project) have single screws - as per originals. About a year ago I acquired a model of a US Elco PTB fitted with two shafts. I am restoring it, rebuilding as Kennedy's PT109, and will fit the third shaft to complete it to scale as per original. Why? Because that's what scale modelling is about and because it's a challenge - pushing limits. Far be it from me to decry or put down anyone (as you now seem to be trying with me). We all have the enthusiasm (or we wouldn't be here) and do the best we can with the skills nature gave us and what the budget and state of health allows. I have often been astounded and appropriately applauded, and supported where I can, what fellow members have achieved with very limited resources and under very different circumstances from those we in the so called 'We World' enjoy. That guy in Bangladesh blows my mind with what he manages in the back of beyond! Look for his post about his March '71 boats. WHEN I pitch in here I try to do so with constructive assistance, drawn from my own modelling experience and a lifetime spent working with navies and shipyards, to help a guy achieve his aims and dreams. NOT to immediately deflate him by saying 'Why do that? I did mine this way, it's not what you want but it works for me'. So far the Likes, PMs and mail feedback, request for assisitance I have tell me I'm doing something right. if I do boob (we're all human) I'm prepared to admit it and make amends / corrections. I have no idea what this 'Hooben' is that you yatter on about BUT - if "every little detail (is) reproduced with superb accuracy" why then ruin the overall effect by not continuing this attention to detail on the underwater ship and fitting shafts and screws appropriately? Whatever you do have fun with it, but don't dissuade others from pursuing their dreams. True there are "many roads to travel before one reaches there (!sic) destination" BUT as Confucius said "Every journey begins with the first step." if at the first step someone says 'Your destination is the wrong one' instead of offering a roadmap ..... ! Regards, Doug 😎 BTW: still waiting for the pics / videos of your 'Hooben' (?) and the Perkasa.

5 years ago by RNinMunich

Forum

Propellers

Looking at the of the boat and you have 2 rudders. The port prop should be counter clockwise and the starboard one clockwise.If you have only one rudder then the port is clockwise and the starboard one is counter clockwise.

5 years ago by Donnieboy

Forum

de Mist Naval Tug

Hurray!! Located and received some plan scans for the "JR More" tug from an ex South African now living in the UK! Delighted! Apart from a few misaligned scans that loose some pretty important info for the , I have a lot to work from. The "JR" was built by Ferguson Brothers, Glasgow in 1961. 176.3ft LOA, displacement 1654.94 tonnes. She was the last oil fired steam tug in service in any South African port. Decommissioned in 1982. Now a poorly maintained (no money!) exhibit in the Durban Maritime Museum.

5 years ago by Joburg-sailor

Blog

Fitting the rubbing strakes.

Before I can apply the final coats of epoxy on the hull I need to fit the two rubbing strakes. I started with the bottom rubbing strake which runs along the chine where the side skins and bottom skins meet. The strakes meet the external keel at the bow and also extend across the . I used a length of square section of obeche which needed a gentle curve towards the bow, rather than steam the wood I soaked it in water for a few minutes to soften it and then used a heat gun while bending the strip gently to the required curve. When the wood had cooled and dried the bend was set I did a test fit and drilled very fine holes through the strip so that the modelling pins I use to hold the piece in place would not split the wood. A 30 minute epoxy was used to fit the strakes on both sides of the hull and . Above this bottom strake is a second rubbing strake and this also meets the keel at the bow and runs across the , I used a broader and thinner obeche strip for this and it was prepared and fixed in the same way. The final pieces to fit will be the gunwales which run around the hull where the sides meet the deck but I will not fit them until I have planked the deck.

5 years ago by robbob

Response

Cooling coil

I'm new to this and was told by the guy who gave me the motor that this was the thing to do. He says the coil still provides cooling and says the warm water coming from the is all the evidence needed. We will see if he is right. Steve

5 years ago by steve-d

Blog

Ady Gil Trimaran Wave Piercer

This build started out as a crap toy speed boat that resembled the New zealand wave piecer Ady Gil (ex- Earthrace) that was cut in two in 2010 by the illegal japanese whaling vessel Shonan Maru no2. The original speedboat toy was 22 inchs long and had straight wings that connected the pontoons, the wings and the pontoons have been changed and custom made onto the existing hull and the bow has been extended and sharpened (now 26in), the has been rounded. The hull has now been gel coated and i have started sanding it back.

6 years ago by rcmodelboats

Blog

Plumbing the water-cooling for the ESC

The HobbyKing ESC I’m using has the facility for water cooling and as it will be in an enclosed location without any free ventilation it seems sensible to utilise this feature. To keep the water circuit as short as possible I will put the pickup just behind the propeller and the exhaust on the but as the boat has a bulkhead just in front of the skin I need to make an access hole through it to allow me to secure the nut on the skin. I made a hole through the bulkhead large enough to get a socket on the nut and reinforced the hole with a ply plate, similarly I reinforced the inside of the skin where the outlet passes through it. When I was happy that the arrangement worked and I could attach the hoses and securing clips easily I glued and pinned the skin to the hull. The water pickup is a standard one that is readily available but it’s supplied with overly large and ugly fixing nuts, the inside one is of no consequence but I thought that the outer one needed smartening up so I put it on a threaded rod and locked it in place with another nut and put that into the chuck of a drill and used a file to re-shape the nut to a pleasing taper….who needs a lathe......😜 I had to reduce the height of the inner keel former as the pickup tube is not long enough to get a good fixing with the internal nut, as the inner keel is balsa I fitted a ply reinforcing plate to spread the load. The last ‘photo shows the location of the ESC, main battery fuse and receiver. The hoses will be secured to the ESC with spring clips throughout. I found that the silicone tube I use tends to kink rather easily if the radius of a bend is too small and I found it necessary to form a tight spring coil around the piece that loops the water back through the ESC to prevent this happening.

5 years ago by robbob

Response

HMS BRAVE BORDERER

Hi I am working on a Precedent Perkasa 37" and I added two sets of double 10mm magnets to the front of the wheelhouse and one set at the . I can lift the whole boat with battery by the wheelhouse. I do not think it's going to come off !!! Canabus

5 years ago by canabus

Blog

Internal wiring & bottom skins

Because I am keen to conceal as much of the wiring as possible I have decided to place the battery at the bow and the operational equipment at the , the engine on the original boat was central and covered with a soundproof box and this is convenient as the motor can be positioned and concealed in the same way. This means that some of the wires will have to run the full length of the boat and the easiest way to conceal them is to run them beneath the ‘box’ around which the hull is formed, and this needs to be done before the bottom skins are fitted. Holes were bored through the bulkhead formers under the port side of the hull and battery cables were run to the where the ESC will be and three motor wires from the ESC run to the centre, emerging near the motor position. For good measure I put in a servo cable and a separate draw wire just in case I needed to put more cabling in for any additional features, perhaps working navigation lights? Satisfied that I had all the cabling in place I was able to fit the bottom skins starting with the starboard side first. Before doing so I put a very slight 'hollow' in former F1 which should help blend the shape of the the hull where the ply skins meet the balsa blocks that will to be carved and shaped to form the bow. This can be seen in the last picture. The process of forming and fixing the skins is the same as for the side skins but in addition to the pins holding the skins in place I used some brown polythene ‘packing tape’ to pull the skins tightly against the bulkhead formers and strakes. The packing tape has a very high tensile strength and is ideal for this, and of course cheap and easy to remove. Once the aliphatic glue had set thoroughly overnight I removed the excess from the skins with a small block plane and finished them with my sanding plate. Before I fit the skin at the I will have to arrange the water cooling for the ESC, with the pickup just behind the prop and the outlet on the . I’ll cover that aspect in the next update.

5 years ago by robbob

Forum

All hooked up, nowt happens...

Steve, I also described the 'brake' function! "Also I have found that many reversible ESCs are set up by default (Out Of The Box) for cars with a brake function activated. This means that before going a it just brakes the motor and stops. You then have to give the stick another shove backwards to actually go a. Irritating but correctable by changing the ESC mode from Forward / Brake / Reverse to just Forward / Reverse.😉" You need to find the instructions (Google?) to see how to change this mode and which modes the ESC is capable of. it might not be capable of reverse! Cheers, Doug 😎

5 years ago by RNinMunich

Forum

How to RC small boats?

There's no great need to dismantle a servo to get motive power - nowadays you can buy model motors that are not much thicker than a typical boat propshaft, and speed controllers the size of a thumbnail. Usually for about a pound. These small drones have really helped in this regard. This one, for instance, is 0.6cm diameter by 1.5cm long - https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Original-JJRC-H20-RC-Drone-H20-08-CW-Motor-Spare-Part-For-JJRC-H20-08-RC-He-M4S2/332826605276?hash=item4d7e02f6dc:g:7AIAAOSw989bsxkP:rk:39:pf:0 Your biggest problem will usually be rudder control - there will be little room for a servo and tiller right at the of small boats. For an EeZeBilt I recommend a closed loop system which lets you relocate the servo anywhere convenient - see http://eezebilt.tk/radio.html The EeZeBilt Terrier below is 10.75 inches long...

5 years ago by DodgyGeezer

Response

& keel formers

As Doug has said, thanks for some excellent tips and tricks. The hull is coming along nicely now, and I will assume that skinning is not far away now. Keeping my fingers crossed for one last update before Christmas. Thanks very much Robbob. Looking forward to the next chapter. Best wishes, Dave W 😊

5 years ago by rolfman2000

Response

& keel formers

Good stuff Both, excellent tips n tricks 👍👍👍

5 years ago by RNinMunich

Response

& keel formers

I have found as you have that gluing your abrasive paper to a wooden block is far better than wrapping and making sure all the bulkheads and other skin supports are at the correct angle can make a real difference to the line of the hull, only noticeable when looking down the length of the hull when painted and that's too late to change things. I also make a number of different shaped sanding blocks/sticks down to using the coffee sticks with abrasives stuck to then for getting into difficult areas.

5 years ago by mturpin013

Blog

& keel formers

Various small pieces, S8 & S9, are added to bulkhead former F7 that create the curvature of the which in turn support the outer skin, in addition there are some pieces that are fixed either side of the keel as laminations to add strength and to support the bottom skins where they meet the keel. The prop shaft has yet to be delivered so I used a length of 8mm plastic rod temporarily in its place so that I could fit the keel laminations K5 around the shaft. I chose to fit additional pieces on either side of the keel between the bulkhead formers to support the bottom skins and some extra pieces of balsa were fitted at the to support the outer skin, and in a similar fashion some extra pieces fitted either side of the keel formers at the prow. Once all these pieces were firmly set they need to sanded to the profile of the hull, and this is best done with abrasive paper around a sanding block. I made a sanding ‘plate’ from some 6mm MDF with a sheet of 120 grit aluminium oxide abrasive paper glued to it to form a perfectly flat sanding surface and this was used to chamfer and flatten the bulkhead, keel and chine formers so that the outer skins would lay as flat as possible across them. I also fitted some pieces of ply under the centre section of the box around the keel to reinforce the area under where the motor mount will be as I don’t think the balsa base of the ‘box’ will take screws firmly. The next step will be to fit the side skins and then the hull will really take shape.

5 years ago by robbob

Forum

servo

HI Rick, long time since i have seen an Africa Queen, seem to remember that i used an aircraft flexi lead, this went round the and along to the servo. They come in 3ft lengths and replace the pushrod. Mark

5 years ago by jarvo

Media

VB 30

Just finished adding a crews quarters and pump engine house to the of my barge, then added the necessary bitts for pushing.

5 years ago by Mariner85

Blog

Upper & Lower Chines

The next stage is to assemble and fit the upper and lower chines to the bulkhead formers. Each chine is made from three parts that are step jointed together, the instructions recommend using the plan to ensure correct alignment with a protective transparent paper between, however the cutting accuracy of the parts is such that having checked the alignment over the plan I was confident that assembling and glueing them together on the cutting mat would be OK. The upper chines were assembled first and when set were glued and pinned to the tops of the bulkhead formers with the fronts butting against the K1 keel former at the prow. The lower chines were assembled in the same fashion and when dry are glued and set into the slots in the bulkhead formers. Finally the former F7 is added and the whole assembly set aside to dry. The hull is quickly taking shape now and even at this stage is very rigid and yet remarkably light.

5 years ago by robbob

Response

Arctic Privateer H441 Deep Sea Freezer Trawler

But how do you know what shape to make the frames if you have no plans? You would have more success with a foam/plaster 'buck' where you can add and subtract until the hull shape looks like the photos. At that point you could then continue into GF or dissect the buck to get the frame shapes.

5 years ago by steve-d

Forum

Thunder Tiger Avanti

Has anyone done any significant modifications to a Thunder Tiger Avanti fast electric? I have one and all I have done is to replace the nylon prop with a metal one thus there is very little increase in performance and the reason for doing this was due to the nylon prop throwing a blade after striking an underwater object. Prestwich Model Boats have a suitable replacement motor complete with a better ESC than the existing Ace one and their system can handle up to 4S Lipos instead of the stock set up of 3s . I have located a source of a 4S Lipo which length and width is same as my 3S one but the height is a little more and it will fit into the battery box. To trim it out properly I would have to add some ballast to the starboard side. Due to the electrics including the battery all being in a small watertight box at the there is not a great amount of scope for a lot of mods. Boaty😁

5 years ago by boaty

Response

HMS BRAVE BORDERER

You are correct in your thinking. The component is called a spray rail and is mounted at the chine line from bow to . The spray rail provides additional lift so planning can be achieved at a slightly lower speed, and at the same time deflects the spray down and out from the side of the boat at speed.

5 years ago by bubbletop409

Response

Arctic Privateer H441 Deep Sea Freezer Trawler

Have just made two small tug hulls from glass fibre and whilst, the results are satifactory, they are labour intensive. For a one off think “plank on frame” more suitable

5 years ago by Rowen

Response

Arctic Privateer H441 Deep Sea Freezer Trawler

Do you have any other photos? If you have plans giving the hull sections then you could build using ribs and plank but without them you have no idea where to start with the hull shape. If you have photos of her in dry dock or during build then you could model something from the photos using foam and plaster of paris. When you are happy with the result making a mould off of that is fairly simple and well documented on youtube etc. Does the build company (Built in at the Gdynia Shipyard, Poland for Boyd Line Ltd. 212 x 38,4 ft.) have a web site with info? Does she have a sister ship or were there a series of the same hull? Steve

5 years ago by steve-d

Forum

Being Sociable.

Hi Gary Thanks for thinking of the up load it's nice to hear from people on this site I started the build of the Puffer frames are cut and mounted on my building board looking good so far now that I have it set up I'm looking at bow and to see how to proceed will try and up date but I'm bad I don't do pictures . Rick

5 years ago by Newby7

Media

Broads Light Class Cabin Cruisers

Thought I would share some photos of my lovely 1:16 scale model cabin cruisers, of the famous 1920/30s Herbert Wood's Light Class Blakes Holiday Cabin Cruisers. And their scale Broads dinghy, Titmouse. All their external detail is exact to the real craft of their heyday. I simply love constructing these old craft from a real bygone era. Presently underway are more cruisers I am working on, Cirrus and We Light.

5 years ago by NorfolkBroads

Forum

New knee, outdoor trials begin.

Hey Colin, I've got a staple remover 😉 you could nip over here, I'll whip the staples out and you can take the Supermarine back with you! 😁😁 Seriously though folks🤓; Great news Colin, esp. after all this time and pain 👍 Very happy for you 😊 Wasn't kidding about the motor. I'll be updating the 'Resurrection' blog soon. Attached are a few preview pics of the final tests run at the weekend. She's chuntering along at 11.1V (equivalent to a 3S LiPo) drawing about 1.3A off load. I've made up a set of connecting leads and set it up to run ahead with an RH prop as requested. I've assumed your ESC will have bullet connectors!? FF I've added a Red/Green LED to indicate if it should be running forwards (clockwise) or backwards. BTW: I wouldn't recommend full a on any more than 7.4/8.6V, she don't like it 😱 Shall I put it in that natty plastic box? Or will you just screw it to a wooden frame? All the best to you both, Cheers, Doug 😎

5 years ago by RNinMunich

Forum

All hooked up, nowt happens...

Arun now sorted. Programming card did not work so I translated the pidgin english instructions for the ESC and it worked using the Tx. I now have forward and reverse, correct prop rotation and no battery protection. Also the water cooling system for the ESC works with the water exiting from the exhausts on the . On the down side the nav lights have stopped working! Pictures of installation and finished boat later.

6 years ago by rapidair65

Blog

Proboat Sonicwake

Three weeks ago I got a Proboat Sonicwake deep V fast electric. This appears to be a replacement for their previous model Vorocity. Very interesting self righting method with a water tank on the port side, slots in the deck and a large exit point at the . Idea is that if it capsizes, water will enter through the slots and as it draws the boat under, the air trapped in the hull will self right it. If the boat is stationary in the water, it will list to port due to water entering through the outlet and when power is applied it will empty out. Bit scary to watch at first as I thought the boat was on its way to Davy Jones. I use waterproof marine clear tape to seal around the hatch ever time I use it. The quality of the hull raises a few concerns. This relates to its ABS construction as the vast majority of similar boats at that price are made of fibreglass which is much more rigid and would be more suitable for the high speeds. Makers claim it does 50 MPH plus on 6S lipos. The electrics however are excellent with the exception of the external quality of the Horizon Hobby STX2 TX which looks a bit "toyish". For myself, this is not relevant as I replace all my wheel TXs with the "stick type" and I found that the Futaba T2HR fulfils all requirements and worked well when I sailed the boat. I have not yet changed the stock prop for an Octura one, the latter works great on my Blackjack 29 with a noticeable increase in performance. The motor is a Dynamite Marine W.C brushless 1900 KV with a 120 amp W.C ESC . 😁😋 Boaty.

6 years ago by boaty

Forum

All hooked up, nowt happens...

Well done that man! Bravo Zulu 👍 At the 'more beeps' stage I think maybe you should have moved the stick back to tell the ESC where reverse is. Your Guru should sort that OK. Also I have found that many reversible ESCs are set up by default (Out Of The Box) for cars with a brake function activated. This means that before going a it just brakes the motor and stops. You then have to give the stick another shove backwards to actually go a. Irritating but correctable by changing the ESC mode from Forward / Brake / Reverse to just Forward / Reverse.😉 Have fun, cheers, Doug 😎 PS Pics / vid of the action some time ? 👍

6 years ago by RNinMunich

Response

First Dip !!

Lovely woodwork Canabus, especially around the 👍👍👍 Hope you're not going to cover it up with paint!! 😲 Hat off! 😉

6 years ago by RNinMunich

Forum

''Surfury'' Name

The boat is taking shape nicely.Instrument panel looks great.

6 years ago by Donnieboy

Forum

''Surfury'' Name

try SHG Marine Jerome moulded a 36" gf hull in the 70`s and he had some decals in stock, depends on your scale of course also had cleats, offset rudder, wheels etc

6 years ago by vortex

Forum

''Surfury'' Name

See if this helps. https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=lettering+fonts&oq=Lettering+fonts&aqs=chrome.0.0l6.61586j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8👍👍

6 years ago by onetenor

Response

WWII Italian MAS 562

I would like to build MAS 473 any idea where I can get the plans with the curved an in photo

6 years ago by Elsrickle