Hi ChrisF,
This is my Precedent Huntsman but this sis the wooden hulled version.
Still the 34" the same as the fibreglass hull.
I have a MFA 850 brushed motor in it and I used to run it with a 12v lead acid battery.
Very heavy though. I am going to put a brushless in it at some point and use a LiPo battery. SHould go a lot better, I did run it a mile up the River Thurne in Norfolk a few yewars back and under Potter Heigham Bridge, we followed it in my own 21ft cabin cruiser.
that was fun. She planed the water well and the other boats wash. We got a few funny looks.
I need to make her a new windscreen and give her a new coat of paint I think.
I will give her a few cleats and fittings as well I think. Make her look a bit better, but she was built back in the mid eighties.
I bought it direct from the factory as the model shop didn't have one in stock and I only live about 6 miles up the road.
They were reluctant to sell it to me but after a bit of begging I got it cheaper then the mode shop would have sold it for.

Hi roycv,
There were about 36 in each class that I was in. Yes it was just a Secondry School, they are not called that anymore. I was at the age where I just missed conscription.

I don't think I could have taken the dicipline, but who knows. If I had been mad to join a service I think I would have liked to join the Navy like my father had been in.

He always seemed to be ashamed that he was a stoker in the Navy.
But I have his Navy papers from when he left the navy. He was a Cheif Stoker and an experienced Navy Diver. If ne had never been down in the bowels of a ship shoveling coal those ships wouldn't have moved. He also said he only got an extra 3/- a week for being an extra diver. That's a risk in iit's self ?? What's to be ashamed of.

I worked as a butched for 7.5 yrs, a Dry Cleaning Opperater/ Hoffman Presser 25 yrs and a London Transport Double Dekker Bus Driver for 17.5 yrs. 👎👎worked my full 50yrs.👎👎
The amount of times I was told by schools kids your just a poxy Bus Driver.

And a full time retiree for noe 10yrs, 👍👍

I see you was lucky enough to retire early. 👍👍👍

Hi chrisF,
I am well impressed. She planes the water great.
I love the layout that you have done, so neat and tidy. I wish I done mine like that.
You have hidden the control rods to the out drive as well.
It'sgreat

I have never seen a sextant and so I wouldn't evven know how to use one,.
And as far as ALGEBRA's go I didn't leanr anything about them at school. I am ashamed to admit.
So I just went for the longest answer. in the hopes that it was the correct one.
And it was. YIPPEEE !!!!

Yes I have to admit at school I didn't take a lot of notice and failed to listen and learn.

I could read and write before I went to primary school, there was 3 of us by the time I started school so we all got to be taught. There endd up 6 sibling in all and that was the same we taught each other how to.
I was given the cane at school probably at least once a week, at my secondry school.
It taught me something, I suppose, Respect and minimal dicipline.


But all I wanted to to was to get away from school and earn momey, I took notice in woodwork , metal work and technical drawring as I enjoyed those subjects.
But what good was those with out maths??
Yes I could add up and tack away. I was taught my times tables also before I went to school.
I started working in a Butchers shop when I was just fourteen years and eleven months old.
He told me that if He thought I was going to be worth keeping on when I got to my 15th birhtday then I had a full time job. He did keep me on.
But even if he hadn't I still had 3 other jobs that I could have started towork at.
If he hadn't I would have taken a Job in a garage that was going to teach me how to be a mechanic and learn to drive when I was old enough.

Sorry to go on but I wasn't a complete DUNCE and have never been out of work in all of my working life. I learn to drive as soon as I was 17 and passed my driving test 1st time within 4
months of starting to learn.

I have owned a boat of my own and never seen a sextant or used one.
The answer was just going for the longest and a fluke at getiing it correct.
The 2 pictures are the 2 boats that I have owned.
I don't have any pictures of my first boat thatwa a small speed boat on a trailer just a fun boat.
The Shetland 535 was my second boatI trailed that for a while then got a mooring on the Norfolk Broards. The second picture is my third boat which I had for 20 years on the Norfolk Boards up until 3 years ago.
She was an 1962 Ancas Sea Queen. Built in Norway for the Noweigian Fjords origiinly.
She had a 1600c Volvo engine with an AQ80 outdrive. That was one of the very firsrt ever outdrive built.
It was laughed at when it went to the Boat Show, but it didn;t rake long before Mercury took th hint and started to build them once they saw that they had won boat race with them.

Hi roycv,
I missed that question of the day regarding the rhyming slang.
Sadly I was in the hospital.

But does anyone one here ever worked as a Butcher??
And heard the Butchers back slang.

I was just 14 and a half when Im starrted there and when I heard things that was being
said I didn't know what the hell they were saying.

They basicly say the words back wards and it sounds weird. That way the public in the shop
do not know that they are talking about them.
They come out with a full sentance of it at times.

Hi ChrisF
I have been looking at your pictures ofyour Fairey Fleet.
I am very envious.
I am curious as to the length of the Huntress with the stern-drive. Also have you had her out
on the water yet and if so how does she perform.
Does she plane well and do you have any video of her??
I have 2 stern-drives and I'm thinking of using it on a Huntsman Hull myself.
I do have 2 Hulls I may be putting one up for sale soon, but not sure yet
and I need to find a suitable box for sending it in and a secure curiour
service with a decent price first.
They are both from the Anglia Model Shop before they closed down.

Hi Nickthestream. this is a Fluke.

Fluke are a left-side flatfish with both eyes on the left side of the body. They have a large mouth that can extend beyond its eyes. Females live up to 20 years and weigh about 20 pounds, while males rarely pass 7 years or 5 pounds. Fluke can change their dorsal coloration to camouflage with the ocean bottom.

Hi Madwelshman,
I would say that seing that the Veron Thames Police Launch was an old boat originaly then YES definitly it to me would be clased as a Classic Model Power Boat.
They plane very well when they are set up correctly, and they were used to chase if needed to on the Thames.
Wonderful little Model Classic Power Boat. 🚤🚤👍

Hi roycv,
I have a Super Marine and a Double Special.
I saw the Super Marine on a Norfolk boot fair, i picked it up and looked at it and then walked on.
I went back twice more and then the man said to me several others have looked at it and put it down. I dont know what it is.
I asked how much is it he said as you have been back and looked at it a few times you can just take it.
I didn't argue, but as it was it didn't turn over at all it was seiced up.
I was away on holiday up there at the time. Anyway I took it apart and got it sorted out and I have had it for about 5 years now and it runs great.
After I had got it running and the smell from it, I can remember the smell from when my brother had a Taycol Standard in his Crash Tender and when that sparked as well.

I was 11 at the time and he had the old type accumulator battery in his boat, we didn't have a charger and my dad used to send me to the local model shop and they used to charge it for us. I think they used to charge us about 1/-, one shilling. That was back in 1961.

His Crash Tender was copied from my Aerokits Crash Tender. His was built maily from old tea chests and orange boxes, except from the chine strips and the skins, my dad bought the proper ply for that.

I had a ED Hunter 3.46cc diesel engine in mine but niether of us had R/C, that was way out of my parents affordabillity back then.
It's funny how the smell comes back to you.
I am planing to try one of those two motor's on my Aerokit's Sea Queen when I get around to restoring her.

Oh well,
Back on track, I went for the longest answer.
It sounded the most logical to me.

I knew it.
I was right
I got it todays question wrong..
I said it wouldn't be long before I started to go down the list.
Lets see what tommorow brings??

RAF CRASH TENDER

I have been a big fan of the RAF Crash Tender since 25th August 1959.
That was I got for my birthday present on that date.

When I originally joined this website it was just dedicated to the RAF Crash Tender.
I was,

Member No,, # 583.
Registered, * 26th March 2009.

I was very disappointed at first when it changed and added al sorts of other model boats, it took me a while to come to terms to it.
There are many other style model boats that I have NO interest in.
Vosper Hulls have been one of my favourites style hulls since I got my first one in 1959.

Yes I do have several different type of other model boats, an MTB and several other speed boats and
Fairey Marine and Aerokit’s models.
Basicly anything that would plane and speed about. (I am a self confessed speed freak).

I have a second-hand book called “ An engineer of sorts” written by Peter Du Cane.
The reason I got this book is because he had worked for Vosper and he helped design many of their boats.
He also designed his own 80ft boat and had it build it was handed over to him in 1965. M.Y. Dimarcha.

When you read the pages on this website, Pans & Docs it tells you that the R.A.F. Fire Float MKII.
Is a Mk 2. Also it seems there were only 2 built numbers 93 and 94.
So where is/was the Mk I, in all of this ??. ( you cannot have a MkII without a MkI can you??)

In his book he has put a picture of what he says, we built two 45 foot picket boats.

I have taken a photo of this boat from the book and added it on here.
He states that,
“These two boats were allocated to battleships, with no less than 4 V8 engines
installed. 2 in each”.
He also says
“The picket boat was surprisingly good, as is always the case with a reasonably well
Designed hard chine planing boat. A speed of 20 knots was about her best cruising speed”

To me I would assume that these would be the MK1 ‘s ?? They didn’t seem to have been numbered.
And the next two built would have turned out to be the RAF Crash Tender MkII.

All though the Crash Tender does not actually get a mention in the book.
I do NOT know if anyone also on here has actually seen this before.
I have had this book for several years now. Second-hand off of Ebay, Ex library book.
And only just realised this about the picket boat. Never really took much notice of the picture
I must admit I have not read the book properly as I only got the book as I was interested in his own boat
M.Y. Dimarcha as I do have a plan from the Model Boats Magazine for building one.
But I have never got around to building it. So many plans & so little time as usual.

His M.Y Dimarcha also looks to be a smaller version of the 96ft version of the later built M.Y. Mercury that was built for Mr Stavros Niarchos with a few slight added differing designs .
Mr Aristotle Onassis also had one of these Yacht’s built. His name is mentioned on the Victory Industries model of Vosper Triple Screw Yacht.

I get from reading the notes, R.A.F. Fire Float MKII. on notes that when the MKII ‘s were built they were made a foot longer than the two picket boats to 46ft long.
Then the engines must have changed to the Rover Meteorite Petrol unit’s which when you look them up they were actually Rolls Royce. Meteorite engines.
The other V8 engines might have been what were then used for the fire pump units.
Once again reading all of the notes and what’s in the book these are just my thoughts

I am sorry if I have gone on a bit but I just thought that some of this from this book might be of some useful information to you. ( Plus my additional thoughts and bits added, sorry again.)
It may be the reason as to why the RAF Crash Tender is called the MkII and that these two picket boats were possibly the Mk I ‘s. ??
Well that is my thoughts, can any one else give their opinion on this,.
Has anyone else seen this.
Maybe get the book fro the library and see it for yourselves ??

Hi canabus,
I have just tried to look at your video and all is show s is the camera view of some riding a bicycle.
Do you have a correct youtube link so that it can be seen please.
I would love to see it.
Regards
BOATSHED (Thomas, Tom)

Hi Chrisf,

I watched the video yesterday. I thought that it looked different.
The superstructure is a lot shallower and different to the previous ones I had seen pictures of.

I saw an episode of Bercerac on telly yesterday and the Jersey Police boat was a Swordsman and it wasn't anything like the one in the video.

I recently sold an MFA Spearfish Model of one and it also didn't look like that.
I liked the one on that video but it wasn't a pactch on the original one.
I also think the fly bridge ruined it a bit.
I have added a picture of the one I sold earlier this year.

I wish I hadn't sold it.

But I do still have a 1970's Precedent wooden Huntsman that has a MFA 800 brushed motor in it. I am about to change to brushless soon.
I also have 2 x 3ft Anglia Model Shop Fibre Glass Huntsman hulls that I can still build to how ever I wish to put superstructures on.

I do have the parts drawn out on heavy wall linning paper, from when I buklt one years ago, so I could always build the superstructure from that.
I could also still build another one completely from wood from those plans if I wanted to, and I still have the original Precedent build instructions somewhere on the computer I can follow.
I doubt I would need to follow those though after I have built two in the past since the early 1970's.
RAF Ctash Tender's and Huntsmans have always been a favourite of mine and MTB's.
Plus Aerokit's.

It was a toss up between A & B for me.🤔
I went for B because I just thought the journey length it would need to extend the shelf life.
Plus the goods have got to spend time on our shop shelves when they get here.
Even the though most of the Banana's are green when they get here, don't know about
the avocados, as I don't like them anyway.

Hi Heners2332,

With some careful cutting snd grinding with a dremmel tool you should be able to cut the shaft out of the boat.
Even some gentle taping with a small hammer on the prop tube will loosen it without much damage to the hull.

There is never a prop tube that's fitted that cannot be removed and that will NOT kill the hull.
I have bought 3 or 4 second hand boats and alway been able to get the shaffts out.

With the amount of glassing in I have done on a wooden hull I have always been able to remove a shaft tube. Acetone will loosen the fibreglass resin and not damage the wooden hull.

It would only damage a fibreglass hull and that's a wooden hull, so you should be able to remove it.
Even slowly chipping away at the glue on the shaft with a sharp chisel ??

Somebody at the boat club should be able to come up with a way of removing the shaft and it should be easy enough to remount the motor by the way it looks in the pictures. simple packing and adjustments should suffice.

Sadly I live too far away to be able to help you, I'm in Dartford area a long was from Matlock Derbyshire.

This is a reduced model down to 28" from the 34" Crash Tender.
I then built it out of balsa wood and covere the bottom balsa skin with 1/16th ply.
I will get around to finishing it one day. Only part painted up to now.
The propellor on it in the picture is not the one that it will be run on it will have
a 25mm 3 bladed brass one on it. But I do also have a 20mm as a back up incase thats too big.

If they are advertized as waterproof then thay should be.
They must have been tested when they were desgined and made.

I'm not that clever, as I keep getting the daily questions wrong.
And dropping down the % list.
I can't remember the last time I hit 100%.
I'm a brit.
And I do live in Britain.
To be honest I have never had a passport and never been out of Britain.
I have been to the Isle of Ely.
And the Isle of Sheppy but never the Isle of Wight.
PS,🤣🤣
You will get me wrong with a question very soon I know it.
Probably before the weekend if your lucky, I won't get to the 100%.
It would be a miricle if I did.

What size prop are you using on her? and is that water coming up the prop tube inside the boat ? is that whatnthe sponge is for?
Have you got a picture of her underside?

That's quite good, Where do you have the battery at the present in her though?

The reason I asked was she just didn't seem to get up on plane very well??
Have you tried her with a lighter weight battery, maybe a LiPo batery??
I and a biggest fan of the Crash Tender and have been since a boy, it was my first boat, the Aerokits 34" kit when I was 9yrs old.
I think they look great when they are running around up on the plane.
YES I am a speed freak I also love the MTB's running like it.
Have you any other video of her running please.
Happy boating Regards Tom, (BOATSHED).

I am curious was she at full throttle on that bit of video? and what size battery are you running her on?

Hi Nickthestream,
I sat and watched that film, I thoroughly enjoyed it. It was great.
The funny thing about it is I have bought the television paper for the two weeks for
over Christmas and it is being shown I think it is some time next week.
Well it's at least over the two weeks in the paper.
There's another one I want to see on channel 34, Great! TV, 5:30 pm Pearl Harbour. three and a half hours long.
Not sure if the wife will put up with that one though.
A couple of cans on Foster's and some snacks and I'll be well away.
I have already told her I want to watch the Ten Commandments on Boxing Day, that ones four and a half hours long.
I'm not realy religious but I just want to see the whole thing all in one go.
Anyway thanks for the film it was great to see.
It's a bummer my DVD recorder died, I had 3 MTB films on there.
PT 109. They Were Expendable and I think the other one was called Dog Boats.
I wish I had put them on DVD's.

I was tossing up between A & D, but went for D. Didin't trust D with whats going on in the world at the moment ( with Russia??), plus I normally plumb for the longest answer.
Which is what I done in the end.Lucky I did and it was the correct answer.

Nickthesteam,
I have never seen that film, I will watch that over the weekend.
I'll use the HDMI lead from the computer to the 50" telly that's if I
cannot find it on film+ to watch.
Cheers.👍👍🌪️

Hi Garth,
That's great, Love the Christmas decorations.
is that the naughty elf in the boat.
Hope he'smnot taking with out consent.
Out of curiosity, what model boat is that??

Wow I am doing well, It wont be long before I drop down again.
No one is at 100%, that is unusual. 🤔
OH!!! didn't take long to drop a place on the listing and yep someone has 100% now.

Hi roycv,
Yes the Crash Tender that I have, I bought it off of the internet and it does have a bit of warping on it and a couple of bits missing.
It doesn't have the drive bands for the motor either.
I am pretty sure deep in my shed, If I'm not mistaken that I also have the Trpple Screw Launch that Victory produced as well, in the added picture.
I also have 3 maybe 4, I 'm not sure Nikko small R/C boats that I started to collect.

I forgot to list the 34" F1 tunnel hull with a K&B converted outboard to Brushless.
I am thinking of putting that on Ebay as I am thinning out a lot of my boats as I have so many.
A couple of those cheapy NQD R/C ready to run boats as well .
I had about 30 model boats in the shed in all not counting the little ones in the boxes and I'm down to about 23 I think now.

I also sold off the one fifth R/C two stroke car, but still have the R/C Traxxas Stampede car.

One day I will get around to putting the electric motors in the boats I hope some soon, but I need to get that Classic 1960 Rover back on the road next year.

That's unless the NHS drag me in and start to carve me up doing what I need to get sorted out first. If they do then It will be maybe putting the motors in the boats before the doing Rover.