Forum

Richardson/Southampton Smoke Generator

Hello: My Hobby Engine Richardson tugboat is a “premium” model with a factory-installed smoke . Unfortunately, the instruction manual has no information whatsoever about the smoke ; not a single word. With a lot of generously given advice & help from Doug (RNinMunich) & other Model Boats members, I’m working on upgrading the tug’s lighting & adding missing details. Unfortunately everything came to a halt last fall because of a fall & surgery to fix me up. So, for the time being I’m doing things that don’t require much finesse for fine work. I’m working on plans for future work as well as disassembled the tug’s deckhouse to access its circuit board. Once I had the deckhouse floor removed, I discovered that the smoke isn’t a single unit. There’s a blower motor mounted in one location & the component that creates the smoke mounted in another spot. Tubing connects these two parts, then additional tubing exits the smoke generator unit & splits via a tee to each funnel. If anyone reading this post has a Richardson or Southampton “premium” model I would greatly appreciate information about the following: 1. There is a black rubber plug underneath the deckhouse. When the plug is removed I can see that it’s directly below the smoke generator. I noticed that the generator has white foam rubber inside. Is this where smoke fluid is to be placed? If not, then where? 2. Assuming there are different types of smoke fluid available, which one should be used in the tug? 3. How many drops of fluid should be placed in the ? I would appreciate any information about the Richardson or Southampton smoke specifically & smoke s in general. I’m not familiar with them at all & I need to learn. Thanks very much, Pete

5 years ago by PittsfieldPete

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 s 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 stern but largely I have not gone ‘off plan’ to any extent. The pictures show the model in it’s present state (Nov 2018) and is ready for painting and finishing.

5 years ago by robbob

Forum

Batteries in a DX5e

Hi John, Don't know quite what you mean by SMS 'Plan' but I can assure you (as a former programmer of the first automatic cellular radio test s) that there is no way that SMS (= Short Message Service) could have the capacity for video streaming, or even audio for that matter. As the name suggests! "Trouble is, here (don't know how it works there) is that all internet is on some sort of usage plan" True, if you insist on using 'Dumbphones'. I use almost exclusively a PC/DSL connection and the only restriction I have is how much I can leave / archive in my Mail account which is stored on the provider server, 1GB max currently. Could buy some more, but what for? What I do on the Web is irrelevant. So all I need to do is occasionally clean out my Mailbox; deleted, sent, received etc. What I want to preserve I transfer to a hard drive, either as eml or pdf.. BTW: I wouldn't touch What's App with a 20 foot barge pole, or Facebook, Twitter and all the others for that matter. Given their misuse of personal data as well as all the hacker attacks they have suffered it simply confirms the impression I got while involved in the early days of the net and especially the various cellular s. I also did some programming on UK Type Approval test s and could recognise the expansion possibilities of the cellular radio s; all the large data blocks labelled 'Reserved for future functions' and filled with zeroes! I had to first analyse the data exchange between mobile and cell site to then devise a suitable test protocol. With the increase in usable bandwidth this 'availability' has since expanded considerably, not always for the benefit of the user - ever more for the provider! This site is the only 'social site' I'm on, I trust Stephen (Fireboat) far more than Mr Sugarmountain and Co. Regarding some sort of 'Group chat', great idea by the way; perhaps a VPN? Maybe Ed (Figtree) could help us with setting up something like that? Cheers, Doug 😎

4 years ago by RNinMunich

Forum

Help me please

I have an old 35mhz but if I need new will get motor is the one that comes with it which is a brushed motor going through a pulley and the prop was one that came with its well

4 years ago by m02is500

Blog

Shipping and first trial.

I decided that I would send the hull via UPS in a secured box with other items. I packed the superstructure in the second box made earlier and took this as hand luggage with me to Budapest. This proved to be almost totally successful except for some minor damage to deck hand rails on the hull which was not totally unexpected. A minor repair is required but will wait until my return in the Summer.😐 I have attached a couple of pictures of the large box taken as I was unpacking it. I spent a couple of days doing final adjustments, fitting the props and fine tuning the transmitter set up. Then came the time to trial. Just as I was about to set off to the river. the wind picked up and the water surface became unsuitable for a trial especially as the recovery boat was unavailable. I decided to delay until the next day. The conditions the following day were perfect. I fitted the 2s 3300 Lipo and turned on the power. Next was to place the boat in the river and pray. The test went perfectly and I was very pleased. I have noted that the bow seems a little low in the water when not under power. Strange as all of the operating s are towards the stern. Under power, this improves greatly and when on full power it looks perfect. I think I might moved the battery towards the stern slightly to see if there is an improvement. Later in the day, I had a second trial to check the effectiveness of the lighting. This was good as well but it would be nice if the blue flashing light was a little brighter. My last post on this series will follow soon with my thoughts on the model and the problems which have been encountered. I have taken a short video of both trials which I will upload soon.

4 years ago by MouldBuilder

Response

Re: Z-39 German WW2 Destroyer

Well I'm damned! That's exactly how my HMS Hotspur started out when I was 15! 52 years ago, Tempus Fugit 🤔 Based on the old 1/600 Airfix kit! Back then no digital micros, PCs, Internet or 3D tech☹️ I used calipers, a crude plastic micrometer, Dad's steel rule (half mm and 1/64th scales) and a slide rule. Drew the plans at 1/72 on an 'endless' printer roll Dad brought from the RAF Cosford Tech Training School, where he was chief syllabus writer for the Radar Tech courses. Much much later (32 years ago) I made my own decoder board with relays to switch the lighting, smoke and horn circuits. All operated from one channel at the TX. Servo mounted micro switches provide for two further functions. Looking forward to your sketches / photos very much👍 For my turrets I used one servo reduction gear and a pulley to increase the 'firing arc' to ~270°. The whole shebang is mounted underneath the aft deck section so all comes out together for servicing. Think I'd better continue this in 'Retro Build Blog'!😮 Cheers, Doug 😎

5 years ago by RNinMunich

Media

Hellenic Navy - La Combattante IIIb class Fast Attack Craft

More great photos in this series taken by my friend at Albert Park Lake in Melbourne. These of my P28 - Ensign Simitzopoulos. Great wave patterns. These photos were all poster size in detail. I have had to shrink them to get them posted here. This boat is in my harbour. The 1/35 scale boat is scratch-built, mainly from Balsawood and marine ply with a fibreglass covering. The guns can elevate and rotate. The radar units both rotate and there are LED navigation lights that I forgot to turn on. There is also a flashing red LED strobe warning . It needs a little work to get the 4 LEDs a bright brighter.

5 years ago by reilly4

Blog

Forward mast and associated fittings

The mast is used for raising the ship signal lighting. These lantern were oil lamps and could be raised and lowered using a pulley and two guide ropes. I have used two guide ropes using brass wire. these are insulated from each other. Using wheat grain lamps fitted in brass lanterns soft soldered to the two guide rope allows them to be lit using 12volts from the battery. The mast footing is made from plasticard and fitted with belaying pins. The mast from a tapered wood dowel. The masthead brackets from brass sheet and ring pins. The rigging turn buckles from soft soldered brass tube and ring pins. Small pulley blocks from spares box. Rigging cord used to secure the mast to the hull and to the bowsprit. The flag was added as an afterthought. I could have used LEDs but there is always the problem of dropping resistors and where to put them. The bulbs leads also could be hidden quite easily. Mast head lanterns purchased from Croppers Models

5 years ago by Hillro

Forum

New Website Sneak Peak

Thought I'd share a sneak peak of the new website with everyone. I was hoping it'd be live by now, but things have required more development time than I first thought. So instead of giving you all a half-baked , I've kept it in development a bit longer. In the screenshots: - New home page layout, forum middle-top, then build blogs, media gallery, events, clubs/lakes, new harbour boats, a new section for how-to articles and useful links. - How-to articles can be edited - Useful links can be posted on their own - Any member can follow any other member - Forum threads as well as blogs can be followed - New events section, with calendar and map - New places section, also with map - Cleaner layout for forum threads and blogs - Completely refreshed mobile app - New ranking (some of you will change rank, but it'll remain fair to who has contributed the most) - Easier login, easier uploading of files, easier posting in general - Faster website, all database queries have been restructured to provide fast responses - New notifications area showing all updates to everything you're following There's a tonne more, I do think you'll all love the new site once it's live. Still don't want to promise dates, but when it's ready, it'll launch! Many thanks again to everyone who supports this website. Without this, we'd have sunk years ago! Stephen

5 years ago by fireboat

Forum

CNC boat kits...?

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

5 years ago by DodgyGeezer

Forum

Planet T5''Park Fly range''

Quote from manual "Note that T5 is not a 'Full range" ..... use only with small Park Flyer.... at relatively short range (around 150 metres)" You have set your ESC to stop when you lose signal? ....

5 years ago by saga32

Forum

Receiver aerial

Hi there, I presume that you are referring to 2.4ghz radio . I have various models using 2.4ghz and have not had to extend the reciever aerial on any of them. Most only have about 50mm above the deck and I've been in full control up to 300 mtrs (28 acre lake) with the older 27mhz. Or 40mhz I have to have a fully extended aerial to get a good reception at distance. Hope that this will help you. Cheers Colin.

5 years ago by Colin H

Forum

Replacement motor

Hi Bengtt For that size model I use a Hobbyking 3639-1100kv brushless motor or a D3548/4 1100kv on a 3S lipo battery(between 3700-5800mah), a 60 or 100Amp car ESC (HK-60A-SL or HK-100A), program card(HK PROG-CARD). I have a good setup for this , if you require. Prop start with the one you have, but I use a 2 blade 40mm or 3 Blade 37mm (brass or CNC). Slightly over scale speed, depending on the boat. Canabus

5 years ago by canabus

Forum

Mtronics W-tail marine mixer connections.

Have decided to remove the vintage rc gear from my recent acquisition and put in 2.4ghz , I am hoping to be able to control the 2 motors via 2 ESC's and Mtronics w-tail mixer, (which I already have) but I have don't have any instructions or diagrams for fitting it. Can anyone help me please. BTW it will be a 6 volt . Thanks in advance Colin.

5 years ago by Colin H

Forum

Mtronics W-tail marine mixer connections.

Well spotted Dodgy, it's just one of a few old sets I have from my flying days that's an easy conversion to 2.4ghz with a plug in module, which I have, with matching recievers. I have a few 27mhz and 40mhz sets as well, it's just a matter of choosing one that's not in use with one of my other models. I have s up to 40 years old and and still fully working, so I don't spend on new when I have so much good stuff to choose from, also my specialty is collecting and restoring (for use) vintage models. I also take them to display at vintage shows in the summer. Cheers Colin.

5 years ago by Colin H

Forum

Mtronics W-tail marine mixer connections.

Its really quite simple modern radio s are computerised so you can do all the mixing you want from the transmitter. No need to buy mixers for the receiver end. Setting things up the first time you do it is confusing I agree but once you have a grip on things it becomes more simple. The good thing about using a modern is that you can change things on the fly and even have different mixes selectable on the same model and change while your sailing. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yq_H9vzCz8g there is a video so you can see what I am talking about.

5 years ago by Haverlock

Forum

Mtronics W-tail marine mixer connections.

just to add to the fun and games of this thread rather than looking at aftermarket mixers why not go the whole hog and get something like the taranis . You can mix channels at will and proportionate relationships. This means you can tailor the responses on the mixed channels.

5 years ago by Haverlock

Forum

Mtronics W-tail marine mixer connections.

Thanks Doug, I will have to put one on my birthday list, only 5 weeks away. Last comment on your message I assume you are talking about the all in one . Just off to the quacks for my 4 weekly blood tests. Bye for now. Cheers Colin.

5 years ago by Colin H

Forum

Mtronics W-tail marine mixer connections.

Thanks Doug, So right for the job, but so expensive, I am trying to use what I have or can get cheaply. As you know I am rubbish with electronics. This is for my latest aquisition, a vintage model paddle Steamer with individual paddle motors and a rudder. The old of a digimax 4 needs updating. How's the taycol coming on, my first big show is at Easter and I was hoping to include the Sea Commander. Cheers Colin.

5 years ago by Colin H

Forum

Help with vintage rc.

I wouldn't want to stop people running old kit - far from it! I have a single-channel 1962 Macgregor with a Kinematic which I use occasionally - when there's no other 27Mhz around. But you need to be aware of the issues. With this sort of kit (and even worse for valve s) you will find that summer is for sailing, and winter is for repairing. Here is the start of a thread on RC Groups with myself and Taurus Flyer sorting out a capacitor problem on the TX - which meant reverse engineering both the Rx and TX.... https://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?2609824-Reverse-engineering-and-repair-of-a-vintage-Metz-Mecatron-single-channel-radio/page32 One example of problems you may encounter is that the caps in old kit tend to die, particularly if the equipment has not been used for many years. Electrolytics, in particular, suffer. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electrolytic_capacitor#Failure_modes,_self-healing_mechanism_and_application_rules You can sometimes reform the electrolytics by turning the TX and Rx on and leaving them powered up for a day or so. it's tricks like this that you need to be aware of if you are going to run vintage equipment....

5 years ago by DodgyGeezer

Forum

Help with vintage rc.

hi there I am in agreement with DodgyGeezer about the reliability of vintage radio gear. I believe the Digi4 servos were Linear movement, rather than rotary as in modern day servos and yes some of the old versions were 4 wire; with male plugs at the end. One of the main downfalls of these old sets was thing called 'black wire' its where the negative side wire in the electrical wiring actually turns black and corrodes. The only way to repair it is to actually renew the wiring and once you have it in one part of your radio , it inevitably works its way through the whole of your radio . The transmitters do turn up on that popular auction site. I have often fancied purchasing one just to play around with it - but I wouldn't trust one operating a precious model on the lake, because I can remember the 27 mghz radio gear being very prone to interference from the slightest thing.👍 john

5 years ago by JOHN

Forum

Folding Bulwark????!

If only it showed us a definitive folding bulwark . it did give some info though. I shall go back to that and note it. T

5 years ago by Toby

Forum

Uploading pics

You don't need the manual for this bit. Have you found the lead and plugged it into your computer. If you have then in the file of your computer you should see another drive listed (will most likely be the name of your camera). Open that drive and look at the list of folder names possibly 'Pictures' or 'DCIM'. When you have found the folder containing your pictures you can go through them and find the ones you want to copy over to your PC. Steve

5 years ago by steve-d

Forum

CNC boat kits...?

We used a package called aplicam, it suited all the machines once, you told it the machine zero settings it worked it all out for you. And all we had to do was put dimensions on to the pdf files, or trace using a graphics tablet. It was the best I used in all my engineering life from school to retirement. I wish I had a copy of it now, it was originally DOS operated in the 70's, and when I retired it was up to Windows 10. Cheers Colin.

5 years ago by Colin H

Media

Thames cruise barge

total scratch built on fibreglass hull 127cm x24 cm,11 months to build 6volt brushed motor,3blade 35mm brass prop.

5 years ago by markiee

Forum

fuse holder

Hi all , can any one recommend a fuse holder type for RC boat , I have tested the schenllboot in the testing tank got all three working but intermittently , motor 1 fuse blown motor 3 smoking ,its a 15 amp 7.2v .my aim is to replace Halfords fuse holders with ones more suited to model boat cant find any on internet which are specific for model boats , also planning to change wire for mtroniks wire for the fuse holder, programing the ESC works better doing one at a time

5 years ago by teejay

Response

Holy SMOKE !! Video, Tin Can Madness

Doug, Yes, thanks for clarifying the Vision, sound good. I think I will add a monoammonium phosphate fire extinguisher to mine so I can just keep on sailing. Regards, Joe

5 years ago by Joe727

Response

Glassfibre cloth & epoxy resin

I have also coated my 46" RAF Crash Tender with fiber glass matting and used West s two part epoxy. i coated the entire hull in one piece apart from the transom. I left it for two days to harden off. it worked very well. I am fitting the rubbing strakes over the top of the fiberglass using modelling pins and 5 minute epoxy.

5 years ago by ChrisR

Response

Cracked Battery!

Hi Ed, NOT 40 bucks each I hope😲 I use the Yaesu SLAs, not expensive and last for years as they are designed for use in long term applications, such as emergency lighting , remote instrumentation s etc. Cheers, Doug 😎

5 years ago by RNinMunich

Blog

Weight Too Much!

Captain's Log: After careful consideration. I have decided to use only one battery at a time! This being 6.5 lbs. is way too much weight. Her bow is too low to the waterline. She get's thrown off by the weight. So, one battery at a time will be used! Now, having lowered the volts. From 12 volts to 6 volts is a problem. See her main motor and smoker. Are 12 volts each! So, now I have to replace. The main motor and the smoker. To a 6 volt ! This is not so easy. If any of you are familiar. With Dumas and Harbor model products. You know this ain't cheap!😭 Luckily, I will be selling both parts. Together next month! As both parts are in new condition! I will then order a 6 volt main motor and Smoker! Oh, each battery will give me about 1.5 hours of run time! And that's not bad at all..... NOTE: I'm only losing $10.00 on the resale of her Motor and Smoker!

5 years ago by figtree7nts

Forum

Park lakes

You may remember I was having a long running discussion with Leeds city council about sailing on the two lakes at Roundhay Park and seemed to be getting knoware. Until a new councilor took up the challenge and it seems all s could be "GO" I'm meeting him at the lake on Wednesday. Fingers crossed PS I'm not sure if any other members are in the Leeds area who may be interested in sailing at Roundhay Park, please contact me

5 years ago by mturpin013

Forum

Rx-tx confusion

"....Am I expecting too much to get a definitive answer from the inter web?...." If you ask a which has 3.25 billion people connected to it, you are unlikely to get just one answer... 😤

5 years ago by DodgyGeezer

Blog

Cabin detail part 3 (instrument panels)

After the Christmas break its back to the cabin to finish some of the instrument detail. You may recall I detailed the cockpit with some ply constructions to represent the general layout; I also intend to detail the compass, throttle controls, steering wheel, panel lighting, and instrument panel. The instrument panel was copied and scaled from various drawing and pictures and I came up with a three-panel unit where panels 1 & 3 are identical as they are for the two-engine managements the centre panel deals with electrical things. I intend to make the panel out of 1.5 mm aluminium cut to size on the guillotine I then attached this to a hardwood block with some strong double sided tape this will be more than strong enough to hold the piece for the drilling/light milling operation. I worked out the hole positions using an absolute datum (same as CNC work, if only I was still working) This does take some time using my rather old milling machine making sure any backlash is taken out during the 28 linear movements. I used various sizes of centre drills to produce the holes as they give not only accurate size but also perfectly round holes on thin material and the only ones that needed to be a particular size (6mm dial holes) the others are for switches and LEDs which can all be a 3 mm location hole. Each hole was drilled and then chamfered to simulate a bezel on the dials. Finally, I milled a shallow groove (2mm x 0.3 deep) to simulate the separate panels. I have copied a number of different marine dials from the internet and using PowerPoint I aligned in a complete group and then printed and laminated them, this will be placed behind the aluminium plate using double-sided tape. Having fixed the dials in place I drilled through the holes where LEDSs will fit. The LEDs will be shortened and polished so they are flat to the face; these are then stuck in place. Next, I made all the switches from brass bar with a fine brass pin glued across its face to simulate the lever. These were painted gloss black and the centre pin picked out in red, they were then glued into the 3 mm location hole. The black knobs/pull switches were turned out of black Perspex and polished; they were then glued into the location holes. The whole instrument panel is then pinned on to the wooden framework which has been left in natural wood finish (ply) as it looks like the original boat was just a varnished ply finish.

5 years ago by mturpin013

Forum

HMS Campbeltown 1941, 1/96 scale

Thankyou Nerys for your very kind words 😊👍 'One does what one can!' 😉 HMS Manxman is one of my favourite ships and the subject of my next major project. I have the 1/96 scale Deans marine kit. Her history has always fascinated me. Built my first 1/600 Airfix model of her many many moons ago! Should you happen to have any photos of her in the Medway I would be most grateful if you could post them or mail them to me👍 Re 'the wealth of information'; comes from having spent over thirty years working in naval communication s for navies and shipyards around the world. Many of the projects were refits of ships which were built towards the end of WW2. Such as the ex RN Colossus class carrier I worked on in Rio de Janeiro. Ex Vengeance then NAeL Minas Gerais. Pics show her as built as Vengeance and as rebuilt / reconfigured as Minas Gerais as I knew her in the nineties. Through that work I developed a knack for research; if I didn't know something about a ship or a COMMS process that a customer wanted I damn soon found out. Was essential to stay ahead of the competition 😉 It also gave me an undying interest and insatiable curiosity about the history of the ships and the men who sailed and fought in them. My first working model was a scratch build of the H class destroyer HMS Hotspur which I built at 1/72 from measurements taken from a 1/600 Airfix kit, when I was 15! 52 years ago now 🤔 See penultimate pic, shows her alongside my 1/72 Type IIA U-Boat. A contemporary of Hotspur, both commissioned in 1936. Last pics are of her maiden voyage in Radnor Park Folkestone in 1966. Sorry, only had a Brownie 127 camera back then 😁 Her history, from Narvik to Dominican Republic was also very chequered and eventful. Like Manxman, despite being severely damaged several times she survived until the early seventies. Apart from the Manxman kit I have recently found a 1/350 kit of the Colossus class carriers. So I promptly bought two of 'em. One I will build as the original HMS Vengeance, the other I will try to reconfigure as NAeL Minas Gerais with an angled flight deck etc. Wish me luck 😉 Good luck with all your projects Nerys and All the very best for 2019. Cheers, Doug 😎 BTW; footnote to SS Peking; German TV recently showed the old Miss Marple film 'Murder Ahoy' in which the Peking was used for the external scenes as the Training Ship Battledore. An amazing coincidence, following so soon after your enquiry!

5 years ago by RNinMunich

Forum

All hooked up, nowt happens...

".. Worked through the instructions and it made beeping and squawking noises in what seemed the right places but still no reverse. The increase in revs does now cover the whole of the stick travel above the mid point so I has changed something. Lost the will to live after 2 hours so went and worked on something else. Steve..." Just a thought - may not be applicable, but we often share our reversible ESCs with the car fraternity. And some of them have an odd reverse. For some cars, you may be happy with straight forward and reverse, but for racing this is not ideal. Dropping into reverse if you move the stick/trigger back past neutral would make the car uncontrollable on a corner. instead, the racing car boys have a whereby the forward stick increases speed, while 'reverse' performs dynamic braking by shorting the motor terminals (or perhaps even regenerative braking!). To a boaty, this would seem as if the forward stick worked, while reverse did nothing. These racing car ESC programs DO allow a proper reverse. The way you usually get to it is to bring the stick back to reverse, then forward to neutral, then back to reverse again. it's a two-stage process - call for reverse twice. if you go into reverse, then forward, then back again you won't get reverse - it has to be reverse, neutral, reverse. Which is fine if you are manoeuvring a car into a parking space, but rather clumsy for a boat....

5 years ago by DodgyGeezer

Forum

Kingfisher by Norstar upgrades

Hi Joe, Happy New Year. We have a frozen lake here in Ontario and this set up will be first tried out in the spring. This motor pulley was recommended to me. Will keep you posted.

5 years ago by Ronald

Response

fuses

Thanks Doug and Donnie tried the 15 amp fuses all went well the boat is ready for the lake. and thank you all for the help and advise during this build over the past year I really don't think I could have managed it without your input. the next stage is going to be replacement of the brass rudders and some work on weight saving and some pic on the RC . and making a suitable box for transportation. that will kept me occupied till the better weather. So thank you all and have a merry Christmas and happy new year and a good hangover cure and may your god be with you in all your sailing

5 years ago by teejay

Response

Excelsior

Hi Joe, In answer to your queries, Hull was built in the bread and butter using deal sealed inside and out with coats of yacht varnish and painted using acrylic. Subsequent models of Wherries and Chinese Junks were plank on frame using 1/8” balsa strips sealed with resin,varnish inside and out, with again acrylic paint. Balsa easier to work with to gain experience - reasonable effectiveness both in carvel and clinker planking. All the best and good sailing. Gascoigne

5 years ago by Gascoigne

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 stern of small boats. For an EeZeBilt I recommend a closed loop 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

Forum

App pages not loading

Can anyone help please? Whenever I view this App on my phone or iPad, I can load the first and sometimes the second article but beyond that the pages won’t load. I have the current version of the App and current version of operating . I’ve tried closing and reopening the App but the page still won’t load, I’ve uninstalled and reinstalled the App and still the problem remains. I’ve contacted the site several times but had no reply. Does anyone else have the problem?

5 years ago by Brianaro

Response

Anteno 2 tug

mturpin, Thanks for the idea with the cooker hood or vent hood as we say in the states. Great idea and I too could use a better to solder under, nice to combine both paint both and soldering in one as I have just a tiny shop, Joe

5 years ago by Joe727

Forum

steam water pump

Good Morning Rick, well it is here in the U/K. out of curiosity, I had a look at your profile as I imagined you were young and just starting off with steam, at least I got the second bit right and discovered you were of 1947 vintage, easy to figure out as I am from 1946. That was a bit of a shock to the , anyway I thought I would share with you the fact the TVR steam engines are manufactured in the US of A, across the border by Graham industries, almost on your door-step so to speak. Regards, Gary.

5 years ago by GaryLC

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 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 stern there is not a great amount of scope for a lot of mods. Boaty😁

5 years ago by boaty

Forum

How to view and/or download posted PDF files :)

Hi All, This is one of the most frequently asked questions, I also learned the hard way, by fooling around with the mouse keys and looking closely at what then appeared in the Media Gallery display window 😉 So here's how! 😊 Just left click on the Adobe icon in the post so that the Media Gallery opens with the larger icon. Left click on [Download], in the top left corner of the media gallery window. Windows will then ask you if you want to Save or Open the file. left click 'Open', your pdf reader will open it. If you have more than one pdf reader installed the Windows box may ask you 'Open With' ... your choice😉 You can then read the file and, if you want, save it to wherever you want using your PDF reader App Save command. If you are using a 'Dumbphone / Tablet' or a different Op - I don't know and can't help 🤔 I don't! BTW: the site always shows 'Adobe' regardless of which PDF app you actually use. Personally I use Nuance Power PDF as it has many more useful functions, including editing and conversion to Word doc and other formats, and no (as yet😉) security weaknesses! Once installed Nuance also enables you to simply convert many other file types to pdf, e.g. all the usual MS Office stuff, DOC, XL* etc 😊 Cheers, Doug 😎 BTW: this also applies to any other file appearing in the Media Gallery; e.g. photos, so you can download and store them for future reference 😊 All you then need is an App on your device that can read 'em, that's your part folks 😁

5 years ago by RNinMunich

Forum

AZIZ KIT

When you open a post you will have the box you type your comment/update etc in and to the right another box with a + in it . hit the plus and it will take you into your file . Browse to, and select, the file(s) (can be multiple) then hit open and they will all pop up in the box. Things may be different if you are working from a phone. I can't help you there....too old for that sort of thing. Steve

5 years ago by steve-d

Forum

Ship rudders

Hi Toby, that's exactly why I do not use a 'Dumbphone' for such things. I also have a Samsung so called smartphone, I use it for telephoning (now there's novel) and SMS and occasional snapshots if I don't have a real camera with me. First thing I do with a Smartphone is dump all the the bl***y pre installed Apps that I don't need and just take up memory space or constantly try to 'Call Home' and demand updates😡 As you have discovered; it's the Apps that are smart (or not😲) and NOT the phone itself. Like any computer; 'Rubbish in = Rubbish out'! Before I left UK to work in Germany I worked for a year or so with the then Home Office Radio Regulatory Department and the then 'start up' Vodafone on Acceptance Test s for the phones and surveying for cell sites. it was pretty clear even then, reading between the operating software lines, where things were going! My first job here in Munich was reprogramming a test for mobile phones so that it actually did what was needed to simulate the network and prove all functions of the mobiles. Searching for cell sites with two great guys from the Home Office labs was a lot more fun - but the Germans paid better 😁 As you rightly noted 'Ich bin ein Nachteule'! Aber jetzt reicht's mir auch! Gute Nacht, Cheers, Doug 😎

5 years ago by RNinMunich

Forum

Ship rudders

Mornin' Toby, I'm back😁 Pardon the delay, just finished tidying up the wiring and final running tests on Colin's Taycol Supermarine motor and converter board - to make it run off a standard brushed ESC! The rivets look great👍 and the last pic was much better as well😊 Soooo many rivets 😲 guess you have to do them in batches, and then go pull up a tree or something, or you'd go doolally 😡 And I thought I was patient doing all the portholes and stanchions on my 4' 6" 1936 destroyer - that was ONLY hundreds! Rivets? Didn't even contemplate that!! I think you should continue this in a proper Build Blog - there's lotsa good stuff you're doing here👍 And at the end you can make a pdf file of the whole story with just a few clicks😉 Be a nice memento👍 Look forward to the Launch Report. During my career I attended the launches of several naval ships I had worked on,designing the COMMS s. The funniest one was a glass fibre minehunter at the intermarine yard in italy near La Spezia. The ship was still in dry dock, like a huge bath. They turned on the 'taps' and slowly up came the ship! Keep up the good work, cheers, Doug 😎 BTW; were you sitting on the saw to help keep awake? 😁😁

5 years ago by RNinMunich

Forum

My other hobby

Hi. Mi private pilots license also does not include night flying. But interesting is to consider when they define what is included. When having a certain number of instructed night flights you are entitled to fly in the vicinity of an airport. Vicinity of an airport German definition is that you have to be able to see the traffic in the pattern of an airport. When I did my flight from San Jose, CA to Phoenix SkyHarbour, I was able to see the traffic being about 1.5 hours from the airport. The night definition is that the night begins 30 minutes after sunset. So was entitled to do this night approaches as you can see the traffic in the pattern, on a large airport like Sky Harbour, and in the Southwest of the USA from very far. But when doing these landing operations at a large international airport, shortly before touch-down you are flying into a black hole. Due to this on my first landing in Sky Harbour, I made an awful 3-point-landing making the plane jump 2 or 3 times. Fortunately, I was aware of how to react properly when this happens. The second special experience is when you are taxiing on the runway to get to its exit and report "runway vacated" in a small plane like a Cessna Cutlass the lights lose their structure. So I went to search for the yellow line on the left side of the runway until it curved into the exit. But this yellow line and the blue runway lights are hugely distant from each other so I had to focus my efforts to stay to the right of the blue lights but still being able to see the yellow line. Once I crossed the lines that mark that you are leaving the runway I could report back to the tower "runway vacated". My second-night landing was when I did try to fly to an airport next to the "Grand Canyon". As the report of the airport said expect gain or lose 40 knots of speed on final I decided not to land and flew back To Phoenix. What a wonderful experience. The landscape was already impressive on my flight to the Grand Canyon, but it was topped when I flew by night. First I was in contact with one center in charge while being above a certain altitude. Then this center passes you to one in charge below that altitude. Makes you feel like a professional pilot. Finally, this center did pass me to the tower of Sky Harbor. I was approaching from the north. Then, what controllers of large airports like they make you cross the airport midfield what ensures you stay away from the other traffic of the airport. You cannot imagine what a sight it is when you approach a large city like Phoenix by night. After he gave me its clear to land I was remembering my awful night landing earlier. When I did have the feeling that I was about to touch-down I did control the airplane so that all you felt on touch-down was the vibration of the wheels turning. A Geman friend of mine that was on the plane with me was so impressed that he said he would fly again with me at any time. One other fact I want to share is the importance to really dominate the phraseology of radio communication and what Americans call to know the . On my first approach by night to Phoenix, I did confuse the last VOR with the ILS beacon. So when switching to what I thought to be the last VOR the needle got full to the right and stayed there. So I did a report I was not able to tune in the VOR and so tower did give me instructions for the further approach. When you fly in from the west you fly over a mountain full of antennas and the red lights on top of it. I felt very good being routed by the tower. Those of you familiar with night-flight and how to find the location of the airport know the rule of the black spot within the lights of the city is where the airport is. Well, Sky Harbor has the terminal building between its 2 runways and so Sky Harbor does not look like a black spot. So when the tower asked me if I had field in sight I did respond negative a couple of times until he reported that I was on the 45 for the runway. Then I finally saw the airport. Here is something that is the consequence of good radio training. My instructor always said to report negative until you are really enabled to say affirm. So Tower knows when you are really able to report affirm. Do not be shy, it is your and others life! The second time on that approach was when tower gave me the instruction: 3-60 to the right until further advice! My teacher played the role of the tower and one of the things he said to teach us the right behavior was to stay silent and fly as instructed until tower contacts you again. I do confess I had never done 3-60s neither by night nor during the day! So I put the plane into a standard curve, kept it there, watched my altitude and speed. Being so familiar with this instruction from the tower I felt "at home" and this being relaxed was very useful!

5 years ago by Hellmut1956

Forum

My other hobby

Go for it if you get a chance Ed 👍 I spent 40 years or so flying round the world on business. After a while Jumbos and co just become 'busses with wings' 🤔 Although I did have a few pleasant experiences as well like - being invited to the cockpit of a brand new Lufthansa 747-400 during a flight from Sao Paulo to Santiago de Chile. Sitting right behind the Captain I had a great view of the crossing of the Andes, as well as of the then novel digital flight displays. I those days we could still swap smokes while drinking coffee and watching the plane fly itself 😲 After take off no one touched the column until the wheels were almost on the ground at Santiago! The First Officer had a clip board on his right knee and now and again said something like 'About here we turn left', and sure enough the plane banked gently left to line up with the Santiago approach. No 1 made a tick on his clip board 😊 - The now defunct Lan Chile airline used to upgrade me to 1st class on flights from Madrid to Santiago de Chile. Not so pleasant was having to run across the pan to bag a seat on an overbooked plane at Entebbe Airport in Uganda! I made it, was younger and fitter back then 😁 Or arriving at the airport in Rio de Janeiro 4 days before Christmas to be told 'I'm sorry but you're not in the '!😡 Oh well - Christmas on the Copacabana 😁😉 Nowadays I can't stand all the crap at the airports caused by the terrorists, so I'm not particularly sad that my globetrotting days are over. 😉

5 years ago by RNinMunich

Media

Carina

Trying to learn to use this forum properly I am publishing a video that shows an experiment I did to find out how fast the stepper motor could turn. I am using in my model of the sailboat Carina 2 stepper motors like the one shown in the video to work as a winch to control the position of the sails in a solution where I am realizing this my own way to implement the sheets as shown on the original sailboat Endeavour. This requires my sheet control to control the length of the sheet of the mainsail i.e. over a range of 8.3 meters. This requires the drum which is turned by the stepper motor to make 21 full turns. Details will be published in my report from scratch of building my Carina.

5 years ago by Hellmut1956