Event

SOUTH WEST SHIP SHOW

Our annual Ship Show with more model boat clubs than ever attending including Swindon MB & Engineering club, Cardiff Marine Modellers, Woodspring MSC, Peter Kenrick (OWLS MBC), Surface Warship Association, Shepton Mallet Drifters, Warminster MBC, and Cwmbran MBC. Adam Slater, a model boat manufacturer of Mountfleet Models, Doncaster will be present with his trade stand, and RC Bits on the Move will have modellers' bits and pieces available. This is all in addition to many of our regular stands with books, postcards, artwork, ship models and more.

5 years ago by coastal1s

Response

Re: Enclosing the controls.

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

5 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 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 points were measured off the plan and transferred to the hull to be used as approximate starting points for the . For my previous build I bought a self-levelling laser to indicate the 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 stern, fortunately the stern 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

Media

DS 30

Took time out from my new build to test float the barge I am building for my push boat to give it a long awaited float test for leaks and to mark the . First decent day this winter!

5 years ago by Mariner85

Forum

Shroud for Model Air Boat

Hello, Airboats are not something I have real experience with, but your one comment got my attention: SuperGlue, or CA, an abbreviation, as it is commonly referred to. It does not withstand constant exposure to water. it is not waterproof. Now there is likely to be a storm of comments against this, but this is based upon experience over 20 years. CA is great and I do use it for some applications on my boats. However if it's below the make certain to adequately sealed or properly painted over it. This is a good rule for most glues that sit below the water, with the exception of truely waterproof glues like epoxy. Good luck with your projects. Cheers Joe

5 years ago by Joe727

Forum

Fairmile D 1/24 Scale Build

Hi biker, Depends on whether you want to build true scale model and build it 'right', or just a near scale 'Runabout'. Rowen has learned (with a little help form his friends 😉) to build it right which is extremely satisfying and the correct detail underwater truly compliments his superb detailing above the . To me the two are inseparable. Seems to me that that is what Andy wants as well. I applaud him. About time we gave him some constructive answers - but first we need to know something about his boat:- Length, beam, probable max weight? If all you want is a near scale quickbuild fast runabout John there are plenty of ARTR/RTR options on the market. But then; that's just my opinion - and whadda I know!😁 Look forward to at least some pics / vids of your boat in action Biker. 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 . 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 system! 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

Paint for Thames River Police Boat.

Can anyone confirm the correct colour for the hull of The Thames Police Boat above the ? I have seen various shades of blue on other models, some very light which doesn't look at all right, and some in black. The instructions state it should be a dark blue and I'd like to order a custom mixed RAL colour quite soon and I'm looking at RAL 5011 Steel Blue or possibly RAL 5004 Black Blue. Any advice appreciated. Robbob.

5 years ago by robbob

Response

Oh, NO Water Everywhere!

Maybe through the oiler tube Ed? I put a length of silicon tube on mine to ensure that the opening is well above the . Also makes oiling easier 😉 In your photo it looks like there is some liquid near the top of the oiler!? Seasons Greetings to you and 'Better Half', cheers, Doug 😎

5 years ago by RNinMunich

Forum

Cleaning sails, toy yachts, etc....

Useful to know about Vanish. it certainly worked on my Star yacht sails. Fortunately the sails on the Ailsa yacht are lovely anyway, just some new rigging cord required. I would say the sails were the same as bed sheets. I used some white spirit to clean the deck on the Ailsa. Most of the dirt being handling muck. Then I waxed it with 3M wax...twice. it's wonderful stuff which I bought for our historic narrowboat's new paintwork. it was a wooden boat and when I replaced the cabins and had painted them with Tra-mar Coatings hand made enamel paint, I waxed them with 3M's wax and they went another 3 winters before I sold the boat, with the rain still rolling off in beads. The Ailsa is now waiting for some spar varnish over the repair's creamish paint. I couldn't match it perfectly, but I didn't want to repaint the whole hull. All the repairs are under the so it shouldn't show. The Star...I never heard of them using aluminium for masts. How would they have kept the rigging eyes in place? Martin

5 years ago by Westquay

Response

Cast keel bulb

No mounting points yet. I thought I was pushing my luck trying to DIY mould 6.5Kg of lead without making things worse with fixings. Plan is that the fin will be between 12 and 30mm thick with a 10mm plywood core which I will set into the lead. Then an 8mm diameter carbon rod right up into the hull finishing above the and two M6 stainless steel studs to hold the keel on. One of those studs will pass right through the lead. There will not be space for the second stud to do the same.

5 years ago by steve-d

Blog

HMS BRAVE BORDERER

The weather has quickly turned colder, giving an excuse to get back to this model. Stripped out much of the interior and the prop. shafts to replace the nylon propellers with brass. These items all needed removing for painting, so decided to paint the hull before reassembly and then moving onto the superstructure. Fortunately, examining similar naval vessels and several U Tube videos, confirmed the hull as light grey, the deck a darker one of the 50 shades of grey and the lower hull below the black. Used thin Tamiya masking tape to define clean colour separations, followed by regular tape, masked the hull into colour sections and sprayed using “rattle” cans. After the colours applied a light overall Matt coat to subdue any shine. The results are satisfactory. Will now reassemble and move onto building the superstructure and the other fittings. Prior to the season closing decided to experiment with my new Flysky Tx/Rx package, shortly to be fitted to this model. This Tx has a servo limiting function, which was hoping could also be used to restrict ESC output. Would like to make the full speed motor response correspond to full Tx control position. Currently can over power the model; which lifts the stern, causing it to come off the plane and then dig the bow in. Was thinking that if full throttle could be set at around 90% forward control movement and 40% sternwards the model would retain adequate performance, but without being overpowered or very sensitive to control lever movement. As the Brave was not available, tried the idea on my Daman Stan 4207 model. This is brushed motor powered and a good performer. Obviously the settings for the Brave will be different, but at least could try to see if the idea would work – it did! This Tx function is easy to use and adjustments can be made whilst the model is on the water. Once the ideal settings are achieved they can be programmed and then retained in the Tx. Will try this on the Brave when back on the water next Spring.

5 years ago by Rowen

Forum

Empress of Canada 1961

I am interested in getting in touch with anyone who has built a sailing model of "Empress of Britain" or "Empress of England" to Vic Smeed's plan. I'd like to know if they built to scale draft, and if the model was stable and sat at depth. Roy

5 years ago by Trillium

Blog

HMS BRAVE BORDERER

Adjusted the transom flaps and reprogrammed the ESCs to the softest start settings, retested. Until now, the test runs did not have the duration or stability to really examine what was happening. Using 3 S batteries acceleration is rapid and a is plane quickly achieved. However, as the acceleration continues and speed increases, the bow digs in. A cloud of spray then surrounds the model as the plane is lost. Brushless motors do not modulate as smoothly as brushed and adjusting power tends to be erratic or exaggerated. This is a scale model and the propeller shaft angles are per the plans. The thrust from the propeller has two components, horizontal and vertical. The horizontal propels the vessel forward. However, the vertical component forces the stern upwards and, correspondingly, the bow down. Have moved as much weight as possible towards the stern to counteract this, limited by maintaining the correct displacement and . The easiest solution is to reduce motor power, decreasing both speed and the lifting component. Decided to retry the 2S batteries as they give reduced power. A plane is again achieved, but as the motor response is more docile, it can be controlled. if the speed gets too high the bow lowers, as before, but the motor output can be more easily adjusted. Spent a pleasant half hour or so with the vessel accelerating onto and off a nice, controllable plane. Much less spray and drama than with 3S and much more controllable. Have now decided to revise plans and use 2S rather than 3 batteries. A further advantage is the motor noise is muted and now sounds more like a gas turbine than a dental drill! Finally feeling comfortable with the model. Will thus shelve further building until the late fall when sailing in Canada concludes. Want to enjoy the rest of my fleet in the meantime! Will summarize my experiences with brushless motors in another blog shortly for the benefits of others contemplating their use. After restarting the model will resurrect periodic build blogs to advise progress.

5 years ago by Rowen

Forum

Exciters/transducers

Is it right that you must place these Units above the ? Also is it worth thickening the boat hull, at point of contact, to improve sound? By the way, how do you make new 'Posts' always appear on the top of the list? I bet RN Munich will be on to the one! NPJ

5 years ago by NPJ

Blog

Italeri P.T 109

I bought an italeri PT109 kit in 2011. it took 4 months to build as I had other projects on at the time. I notices the high quality of the parts, especially the hull and the actual paint finish was very easy due to it being plastic and got the nearest colour match by using Humbrol spray acrylic of Grass Green with Regency Red acrylic for the and below. Difficult decision was as to build as a triple screw to maintain scale or go for the single screw. I eventually went for the latter with just one rudder. Power was by a 480 brushed flight motor with a 30 amp esc which was a bit over the top as power was by a 2200mAh 2S Lipo but the esc was the only one they had in the shop. Getting the motor installed was very straight forward as it was done before the deck was fitted but I had to make the aft cabin detachable for access to taking the battery in and out and also lubricating the propshaft .The boat performed well at scale speed but got slightly out of shape when full power was applied, appearing more as a fast electric. Overall the boat was ideal for smaller ponds (providing it was not running flat out). The outcome was a well detailed model that appeared like the real thing on the water but I would not recommend sailing it in rough conditions.. Boaty😁

5 years ago by boaty

Blog

she sails!

I was hoping to get the Wavney on the water yesterday, but the weather gods put paid to that! Anyway, today was the day, so after adding almost 2kg of lead ballast fore and aft to get her on the , it was off to Needham Lakes near Stowmarket, Suffolk. The initial sailing report is that she looks fantastic on the water despite it being a little choppy in the wind. The motors, ESC's performed perfectly, steering needs no adjusting and and at full tilt looked scale with a really nice bow wave. After 20 minutes of sailing which only dropped the 3S lipo down my 30%, all was well apart from a tiny little bit of water ingress at the back near the rudders. I can only put this down to water ingress from high speed passes as the bow wave created a little puddle of water on the rear deck. I know the hull is watertight as she was sat in the hot tub for an hour this morning and was as dry as bone following that. Will have to look at sealing the removable rear cabin as I think thats where the water got in?

5 years ago by Skydive130

Blog

Complete!

So, having had a few days off during the week when "The Boss" has been at work has given me enough hours to finish The Waveney off! Its been a hard week of making the small bits n bobs from scratch using a combination of balsa, carbon rod, brass rod, plastic tube, plastic sheet etc to make the radar array, antenna mast, extra cockpit details ect. The deck winch was made from large Servo output discs! The RNLI flag printed off Google! This has been followed by alot of detail painting and laquering. Anyway, I think I have just about exhausted as much detail as can be had at this scale and and happy to call completion! Only job to do now is get it in the Hot Tub and add the 2 Kg of ballast to get her on the . On water photos and video to follow in the last update on this thread! as for next projects? I have the Aeronaut Pilot boat sat in the pile and the Fairy huntress 23 plan and wood pack on route from Sarik Hobbies!

5 years ago by Skydive130

Response

HMS Hood

Thanks Ron. I have tried to be most particular with scale speed and . I used 1.2kg of ballast carefully laid out whilst hull was floating in the bath. Once in place I secured it with expanding foam.

5 years ago by cormorant

Forum

Leaking Boat!

Visitors have set off late to avoid traffic so only now having to close down.......... I have had a quick look at the boat and there are a fair few holes inside the structure to block up if using air pressure. To strip and paint up to the current would be 'doable' for me and only need a red lead type finish and then seal. Not done that sought of think before but now on the list of possibles. Certainly not going to be on the water for the Colwyn Bay Venetian Night at the end of the month! Such is life. NPJ

5 years ago by NPJ

Forum

Leaking Boat!

Hi Neville, Some intriguing suggestions here 😉 Good luck with the bicycle pump 😁 To be brutally frank! There are no short cuts to leak proofing an old wooden hull properly🤔 1 internal deck / xyz mounting notwithstanding, if there's something wrong with the hull I want to know it so I can fix it - for good! if the probable source of the leak is hidden by some internal deck or mounting for xyz it has to come out! 2 To be honest, looking closely at your pics of the hull underside it's obvious she has had a few knocks. I would want to sand back, seal and repaint at least the red underside. Having so cleaned the hull off I would closely inspect all joints around the keel and chines and look for signs of previous water intrusion and soaking into to keel especially - potential delamination / capillary action through the keel or joints. When the hull is fully dried out and sanded back I would seal it with a couple of coats of Ezekote; the first coat you can thin with a little warm water so that it soaks into the wood better. Don't overdo it, about 10-20% water is enough. Second coat pure resin. if it looks 'patchy' give it another coat of pure resin. Dries so fast all this doesn't take long. Had to do all this on my fish cutter hull, Gina2 - see Blog! Was a sieve to begin with, afterwards she passed her ballast test with flying colours😊 See also my Sea Scout Jessica Blog. After that repeat your bath test, with ballasting to , and KEEP AN EYE ON IT so you can see where any watter creeps in from!😉 If you take a short cut now you may well have to do it again (properly) some time😁 cheers, Doug 😎

5 years ago by RNinMunich

Response

Range Safety Launch?

Post 2 Range Launch? The bath test has shown up a leak……………….. Have not tried to find where yet but it is hopefully in that small bay as it did not flow over the rib section. Strange I had not thought leaks to be much of a possibility in a boat! Wishful thinking again. Anyway it has put work back a bit. You will notice that the bath water was ‘used’ condition. I was not allowed to waste water due to the shortage so had to use the bath with Radox and herbal Oils in it. I trust it does not affect the paintwork…………… Any opinions on Leak Checking? I did check how it ‘sat’, and the at its current weight. There is something in those images that RN Munich will pick up on! Have received some of the parts………….just like Christmas for me. ( I was a spoilt only child). Two issues strike me. a. It may be of interest if I give sources of the parts b. I think I have a problem with ‘scale’………….. Currently the purchases fall into two groups, electrical and deck fittings. The electrics are not posing a problem yet, but the size of deck fittings certainly is! Taking the larger ‘electricals’ first, I have gone for pre built units. Someone with more ability could build the units themselves. Kits are available. Also far fewer units could be used to start with and added later if needed. As a result of my previous, though small, experience with the Richardson Tug I used Action Electronics and Component Shop in Bangor, Wales for almost all of the electrical bits. They are helpful and efficient with good quality products. I am still using Mtroniks DigiSound for the sound unit, but Action Electronics now makes one as well. I have used a new source for the transducers/exciters. I have previously used Dayton Audio, sourced through SoundandVision Netherlands and costing around £35.00 for a pair of TT25’s plus mail. This time I used Mr RC for similar item, made by them for about £53.00 the pair mail free. They too came from the Netherlands! Not tried yet, but have noted that the Dayton Audio ones had a foam ring on the face which was self adhesive and easy to place. Mr RC require Gluing in place. Going to look for the leak. Next post should be on the electronics which I hope will have arrived by then. BTW, The 46 Firefloat Mk2 blogg by ‘Elsrickle and Fire Boat (Crash Tender) on our site are great sources of information. NPJ.

5 years ago by NPJ

Blog

Seat Trials and mods.

It’s been a while since the boat had it’s maiden voyage on the lake at St. Albans and I’m pleased to report that it looks really good in the water and goes like stink if you open up the throttle. Sadly I still don’t have any decent video of the boat yet as I can’t film and drive the thing at the same time, but I do have some static wide shots from my GoPro. When I do the video I’ll ask a cameraman mate to do the honours, maybe I’ll put the GoPro on the bow and then the stern to get some low action shots…the storyboard is already building in my head!! These early runs were great as they showed up some minor problems that needed attending to. I found that it needed ballasting slightly as it was not sitting on the evenly from side to side so I flattened out some old lead water pipe and cut it into small sections so that I could add ballast incrementally. I did this in the ‘domestic test tank’ and once I was happy the lead pieces were fixed in place inside the hull with some super strong double sided tape. The ESC needed a little programming adjustment because I had forgotten to set the low battery level point to ‘off’ as I am using NiMh batteries and not LiPo’s , that was the cause of the short initial run time on the first outing…..DOH !! The batteries are now held in place by Velcro straps on some bearers that I added, otherwise a battery change involved cutting cable ties and replacing them at the lakeside…not very practical. The volt/amp/watt meter is also now on a proper bracket so that the display is more readable. I have also changed the charging connection from the nasty Tamiya connector to a nice little panel mount XT 60 connector that HobbyKing sell, it comes with a handy blanking plug that I have drilled for a retaining cord. I have also finally got around to upgrading the firmware on my Turnigy i6 radio to the 10 channel version so that I can assign the lighting to the switches properly and have the rotation of the searchlight on one of the two rotary knobs. I can use the old 6 channel RX in the new boat….blog coming soon.

5 years ago by robbob

Response

Range Safety Launch?

Thanks both very much. All good stuff building up and I and keeping a log of it. I have the boat in the bath at the moment to see what the is now and the balance. will take images later. Also some of the parts ordered have arrived..................... I feel 'scale' is going to be an issue for me. Some of the 1/16th look better than the 1/12th and 1/24 is in with a change for some bits! Must be doing it wrong. NPJ

5 years ago by NPJ

Forum

Exciters/transducers

Hi Neville, where did I get Neil from?😲 Sorry can't help with balance point cos I don't know the boat. All I do is trim out in the 'Domestic Test Tank' for best balance along the . Cheers, Doug 😎 PS I forgot the oilers😲 I only bother to fit them in fast boats with high revving brushless, like I did with my Sea Scout renovation, see 'Jessica' blog. For scale 'plodders' I don't usually bother. Just pull the shaft now n again and use a plastic syringe to inject some oil or Teflon grease.

5 years ago by RNinMunich

Response

Emerald - ''Round the Word'' ocean racing yacht.

Auto Bailout Modification. 1. I drilled small holes in the lower corners of the cockpit wells, opposite each other. These were then connected together with some small brass tube. This was to allow the water to flow from the front cockpit to the rear cockpit. (See pictures 1 and 2). 2. Two more holes were drilled in the rear cockpit, in the outer corners further aft. these were fitted with brass tube stubs. These were to take the plastic tube, which runs to the nozzles fitted into the hull (see picture 3 and 4). 3. To ensure the water would not flow into the boat, while stationary, the tubes were run through small eyelets on the under side of the deck(see picture 5). 4. Small holes were drilled in the hull and brass tubes were cut and bent, so that they would pass down through the hole in the hull, and lay flush against the hull, with the opening facing aft(see picture 6 and 9). 5. On the outer hull, the tube is built up, and covered in a cone shape, so the tube opening is the widest part of the cone and flush( see picture 7 & 8). 6. When the tubes are fitted to the stubs on the aft cockpit, and the cockpit secured in the yacht, the bale out is complete. Principle: While the boat is still and on an even keel, the cockpit floor is above the , the tubes raise up to the deck level which prevents the water from flowing up and into the yacht. When the yacht starts to move under sail, the water flowing over the outlet nozzle is forced out by the cone, and creates a small vacuum at the nozzle opening, which draws any water in the cockpit through the tube and out through the nozzle. During a gust or strong winds, the yacht will heel over more. This will bring all the cockpit water to the lower side bailout tube, and be drawn out by the vacuum. When the yacht slows, and becomes even keeled, the cockpit will have been emptied. During heavy gusts, I found that the yacht will heel excessively, and if the waves are high enough, the cockpit will take some water over the deck. This is why I fitted the bailout device. So after a long sail in heavy weather, a long cruise back to shore on a broad reach and more even keel, will ensure the cockpit is dry. Happy Cruising

5 years ago by East-RN

Forum

Exciters/transducers

Hi Neil, am I getting too predictable!? 😲 Transducers; yes, above the as much as possible, unless you want to stick your ears underwater to hear it! Thickening the hull might just improve the bass and dampen the treble by shifting the resonant frequency of the hull down a bit. 'New Posts'; just hit the 'Refresh' button of your browser. Ciao, Doug 😎

5 years ago by RNinMunich

Blog

Emerald - ''Round the Word'' ocean racing yacht.

Purchased new in kit form, from Robbe. 1998. Specifications:- Overall length: 1380mm. Overall beam: 360 mm. Draught: 300 mm. Mast height: 1800 mm. Overall height: 2200 mm. Standard sail area: 80 square dm. Sail area with Genoa: 94 square dm. Total displacement: 12 kg. Ballast: 8 kg. Scale: 1:10 Control Robbe Futaba F14 Marine transmitter / receiver. Channel 1 - Rudder servo. Channel 2 - Spare. Channel 3 - Genoa sail servo. Genoa switch module - fitted between the stick potentiometer and the transmitter channel 3 Socket. (Reverses the Genoa sail servo for Port or Starboard tack.) Channel 4 - Main sail servo. Channel 5 - Auxiliary 3 position switch - up position. Channel 6 - Auxiliary 3 position switch - down position. Receiver channel 5 - Mono Memory relay module. To drive the Blister motor out, to raise the Genoa Sail Clew. Receiver channel 6 - Mono Memory relay module. To drive the Blister motor in, to tighten the Genoa Sail Clew. Recently recovered from the back of the shed, where it has been in hibernation. Now I am retired and have some free time, it is under a review and refurbishment. New paint on the deck and upper hull (above the ). Solid state relay modules added, to replace the micro switches, operated from a cam on a servo (replacing analogue channel 2 with on/off channels 5 and 6). Pictures show the sea trials after the 10 year hibination. The Genoa Module had failed in the carbon potentiometers. No replacement available, so found a local electronics repairers, who changed the potentiometers for £10.00. The carrying cradle was designed to hold the sails, and secure the yacht while rigging at the waters edge. Also acts as a dry dock, while working inside the hull. When the repaired module is fitted, and the Genoa sail is operational, I will post detailed video of the Genoa sail winch and Blister motor and their operation while sailing. Genoa Sail Pictures added.

5 years ago by East-RN

Blog

Rebuild Flower Class Corvette

Realigned motor to shaft painted hull add and ballast and K40 runs well on 7.2 to 12v A nice model to have a good size and attractive on window sill.

5 years ago by CB90

Forum

Crash Tender davit info...

I have done some more digging and I hope this confirms the colour scheme for the boat. please see the reply I received from:- Donald Smith RAF MARINE CRAFT HiSTORIAN Hello, Colour scheme for the above boat is as follows. Black topsides, red oxide anti-fouled bottom separated by a 2in white . All decks dark grey anti-slip deck paint, cabin sides light grey, cabin roofs white anti-slip deck paint. Mast-white, monitors red, crash ladder and davit silver/aluminium. An RAF roundel is centred 5ft 4in back from stem and 2ft 1.5in above mean . The centre red disc 4in Dia., middle white circle 8in Dia., and the outer blue circle 12in Dia. The bottom of the white bow numbers should be 2ft 7in above mean . They are 9in high by 6in wide with a 1.5in stroke width and a 2in separation between each number. The forward end of numbers 3 or 4 on the starboard side is 12in back from the outside of the roundel (Port side similar). The main FIRE letters are 2ft 6in high by 2ft wide with a stroke width of 6in and a separation of 6in between letters. The base of the letters is 7.5in above mean . Transom numbers are 10in high by 8in wide and a stroke width of 1.5in and a separation on 2in. Base of numbers to be 1ft 5in above mean . Draft marks are 3in high with a 0.5in stroke. I hope this meets with your requirements. Yours faithfully Donald Smith RAF MARINE CRAFT HiSTORIAN.

5 years ago by mturpin013

Forum

After fibreglass and primer coat

Hi Ron, mark the 'real' , the LWL (Load ) as on your plan. Then load the boat (in the domestic Test Tank😉) down to that line then you know what she can carry, including any missing deck and superstructure of course! See test I just did for my fish cutter 'Gina 2'. Cheers, Doug 😎 PS: seal and prime the hull when you wish, I do final finishing / polishing when all major internal works are done, and especially after prop shaft tubes and rudder stock are fitted and 'fettled in'. Cheers, Doug 😎 PS Applies just as well to renovations and new builds! BUT more power to your elbow for scratch building 👍

6 years ago by RNinMunich

Response

Gina 2: A Messy Business - Hull Restoration

Couldn't wait! (curiosity killed the cat!) although it IS now 'tomorrow' here! Load test results: Taycol motor 235gm, lead ballast 965gm, total 1.2Kgm, and still plenty of free board to the projected 😊 An' she ain't sunk yet! 😁😁 so shouldn't have any problems fitting her out, at least not what weight concerns. Space is another question 😲 'Nothing is impossible' so they say 😉 (Please don't mention Titanic😲) Tomorrow (or later today🤔) is another day or what? 😉 Cheers, Doug 😎

6 years ago by RNinMunich

Forum

Wherry hull in GRP

Hi Dave, as Arron is the name on the facebook chat heading I assumed, reasonably, that he is the one to talk to. It's perfectly possible to see faults in a product without actually having it in one's hand. I can see that the light reflections down the side show the sides to be not fairly curved. Years in the car design/prototyping game have ensured that (I, too, am a tool/patternmaker of many years experience, from 1/500th city models to full size Bugatti design models). I have a good eye and both are telling me that hull in the picture I was sent isn't top drawer. The top edge of the hull is very woolly, not smoothly trimmed, but the main objection is that it's not clinker and that is a major problem for a wherry, considering only Albion was carvel. With a clinker model we could have a selection of different craft. With carvel, every model would be Albion, a little tedious at the pondside, I'm sure you would agree. Perhaps you could produce a pattern by gluing planks on to the basic GRP structure? Then re-mould. To counter the balance of such a big sail in a blow you will also need a fin keel, but that's down to the builder really, though your experiments with would be useful for buyers of the hull as to weights required, etc. I don't wish to pee on your bonfire, but with a history of so many very good (and obviously so) GRP hulls on the market, we have come to expect a bang-on quality from the word go. Of course, any company new or old, who are prepared to listen to criticism and act on it are more than welcomed. Perhaps some different photos of the hull would satisfy us as to its shape and moulding quality? If it were a lot better than that one photo shows, I would be prepared to buy one still and then glue suitable planks to it to get my clinker model if that proves possible. I can't really say fairer than that. Cheers, Martin

6 years ago by Westquay

Forum

What Li-po?

Hi Yngvegr, basically I agree with Flack👍 But if you want to go step by step and test it with the 540s first (will give you a Datum to compare with brushless at a later stage) then- Brushed have no problem with LiPos, or any other battery chemistry for that matter😉 For the voltage anything from 6 to 12V is fine for the 540. I have two 540s in my 135cm destroyer and she ran just fine on a 6VSLA, with a relay to switch a second one in series for 'All Ahead Emergency'! Higher capacity brings not only more sailing time but also more weight! Suggest you weigh the existing batteries and check the and trim in the 'domestic test tank' before you buy the biggest batts you can find😉 If you do go LiPo don't forget to buy an appropriate charger and a Capacity Tester as well!!! Whatever you do, have fun doing it, cheers Doug 😎

6 years ago by RNinMunich

Response

Tamiya Tape!

The Tamiya tape is great stuff to work with.I use it all the time. Just make sure you keep a constant pressure on it.Don't pull on it too hard.It does take curves depending on the width of the tape. Enjoy marking your .

6 years ago by Donnieboy

Blog

Tamiya Tape!

Well the Tamiya Tape arrived! Now I can go ahead and fix the on the Brooklyn! There's some over spray I have to tidy up. Once I'm done with that. on to the Deck and Deck hardware!

6 years ago by figtree7nts

Blog

Tamiya Tape!

I've placed an order for some Tamiya tape. As Doug, RNinMunich recommended! Trying to cleanup the on the Brooklyn! Oh, Had to order a new battery pack. for my wireless Dremel also! Does anyone know of a good electronics place one can order resisters from?

6 years ago by figtree7nts

Response

Finally a !

Go for it Ed 👍 BTW: recommend Tamiya modelling masking tape to avoid bleeding. Gives a good sharp edge.

6 years ago by RNinMunich

Response

Finally a !

I have used white pinstriping before.Plus I have used other colours too.Make sure to stick it down good.I first used my fingers then after the tape is on to my liking I used a burnishing stick.One thing I forgot to mention is start your tape at the halfway point on the stern then go around the bow and meet back at the stern.The pinstriping I have used is either the car striping or the one that is used for the model airplanes.

6 years ago by Donnieboy

Blog

Finally a !

Brooklyn now has a ! You can't see it in the picture. but my masking tape bled in some area's. Just a few minor correction needed! I'm thinking of putting white pin striping! On the . what do you think?

6 years ago by figtree7nts

Media

CB90

Model undergoing sea trials after painting, note rudders are too aggressive. Command Boat 90 (CB90) Stridsbåt 90 H is a class of fast military assault craft originally developed for the Swedish Navy by Dockstavarvet. Speed: 40 knots (74 km/h) Draught: 0.8 m (2 ft 7 in) Length: 15.9 m (52 ft) Overall; 14.9 (48') Builders: Dockstavarvet Complement: 3 plus up to 21 troops and equipment Armament: 3 × Browning M2HB machine guns; 1 × Mk 19 grenade launcher; 4 naval mines or 6 depth charges

6 years ago by CB90

Blog

H.M.S. BRAVE BORDERER

An unexpected opportunity arose to try the unfinished hull in a small pool. Whilst the performance envelope could not be explored, was able to try and measure operating parameters and get a “feel” for the model. Used an electronic scale and a combination voltmeter/ammeter/wattmeter to measure propeller thrust /bollard pull and motor power requirements. if it is necessary to fit different drivetrain components, or a 3S cell this will serve as the baseline. The model floated levelly and well above the . At about 8 volts the motors drew around 20 amps each at full speed; so only about 35% of the potential output capacity was being used. Tested each motor individually and measured the bollard pull at just over 2 lbs. A considerable amount of spray and wash was created making stable readings difficult. For further testing, will add ballast at the stern to hold the propellers further underwater. Should help reading stability. Currently using 20 A fuses; which as one failed seem marginal. For sustained use think 25 or 30 Amp better. With these high-speed, low torque motors establishing the “dry” propeller rotation is deceptive. Found one motor to be reversed! Nevertheless, the model accelerates quickly and is sensitive to engine speed movements. Left the pool with a list of modifications to make before assessing the installation properly on an adequate body of water. Some conclusions can be made though. if it is necessary to add a second cell this needs to be located around midships, not in the bow or stern. Still hoping a 3S cell will not be necessary and that 2S may be adequate. The suggestion to do testing using the bare hull with a minimum of detail was a good one. For a models with a sophisticated power train think this is a good approach. Nothing worse that finishing a boat just to find the performance disappointing, then have to to rip it apart to make major modifications or adjustments!

6 years ago by Rowen

Blog

Progress

At least she looks like a warship at last. I wonder if her anchor winches would be different to those twenty years later. She had multiple booms for torpedo nets. I assume they were mounted to the hull a few feet above and swung out from there. Were they wood or steel does anyone know? Must have been quite an operation setting them out!

6 years ago by Gdaynorm

Forum

Which Paint?

4 years ago I restored an old 34 inch Aerokits Crash tender. I used filler for any gaps in the joints then prepared the hull with sanding sealer having got it really smooth. For the rest of the paintwork I first used Halfords primer then used their acrylic for the final colours. I gave it four coats of colour leaving it over a day between each coat. When painting was finished and after checking it was fully dry, I rubbed the hull down lightly using Maguires scratch remover, (also from Halfords) and got a nice shine between the deck and the red . It seems to have lasted well as it has not crazed over this amount of time. The total cost of the primer, paint and especially the scratch remover was not cheap but in the long run it did work. Boaty🤓

6 years ago by boaty

Forum

Calling Devon boaters. Help!

Hi, I would be inclined to fit one just above the , 1/8 or 3/16 square. This is to reduce the risk of swamping the boat at high speed, esp. in a tight turn 😲 There are some excellent tips on the site about how to retrofit them. Attached some pics and notes I downloaded from Dave_M's contribution. May need to do this to my Sea Scout, depending on the sea-trial😉 Cheers Doug 😎

6 years ago by RNinMunich

Response

Sanding down.

Thanks for all of your help. This is really useful information. I think I will leave the camouflage and just keep to the base colour. Would you paint to the in matt red. I have looked at the shapeways site and they sell Mk 12 carriages in 1:35 scale which I think yours is at 28" over 80`. The gun tub was only placed on the deck for the photo. I have several pictures now showing the correct position. I will alter it and fit just before painting.😊 Thanks again. Peter.👍

6 years ago by MouldBuilder

Response

Let’s get some paint on!

Hi Doug, the lettering is vinyl of ebay, the red and white stripes are vinyl trimline (car body trim)

6 years ago by Skydive130

Forum

Education

We hear a lot these days about encouraging the younger generation into pastimes such as model boats and model engineering and probably these issues have always been a topic for gloomy discussion. The very fact that we are still at it probably gives the lie to the gloomiest predictions. Anyway, this train of thought was brought about by a discovery in a dark corner of my workshop: Many years ago (in a different life) I was involved in primary education and following a BBC schools tv series on Nelson and naval history the class project developed into one about ships and all things naval. One group was fascinated by sailing ships after we had visited both HMS Victory and the Mary Rose ( still lying on her side then) and inspired by some drawings of different rigs in a Model Boats Scale Special they made some simple models to illustrate them. This is what I found, along with an Airfix HMS Manxman and two of those superb 1/700 (?) models, of HMS Hood and the Bismarck, these three made by me to add to the display. These pictures show all these items which have survived years tucked away among the junk in the garage! The sail models were simply made with balsa, dowel, cotton and cartridge paper for sails, and some had even started to acquire rigging and staysails before the term ended. This all happened many years ago and I have been retired from teaching for 20 years, but I can still remember the names of all the different rigs, despite never having been a sailor - I hope it inspired some of the class into modelling, if not getting involved in the real thing. Smiffy

6 years ago by Smiffy

Forum

Education

And I have just remembered after posting the above that the models were 1/1200 scale. I am sure I will be corrected in any case! What a strange thing the brain is.... Smiffy

6 years ago by Smiffy

Forum

cooler

A correctly positioned scoop just aft of the propeller and a side exit pipe will work fine. Makes sure the exit is above the but about level with the motor outlet pipe to avoid air locks.

6 years ago by Dave M