This small model puffer was acquired some years ago and with little work brought back to a sailing condition. Due to size it is only possible to sail in calm waters.

Crewe MBC - Small Puffers maiden sail at Boundary Park Small RC Puffer

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This is a nice small version of this type of craft. I acquired some years ago from ebay and apart from some minor tidying up and fitting an ESC, battery and radio it is untouched. I will post a video of this craft on the water.

Hi Nerys
This is so reminiscent of my first build, the Billings Mercantic. Still have her but in need of a complete restoration. Pic attached of Mercantic at New Brighton in the early 1970's
I like how you have built and hope it sails as well as mine did.
Dave

I bet you could hear the Welsh voices ringing round the valleys in time with the steam exhaust! A sound unit with choir voices could make a really stunning model!
Dave

Hi Nerys
Glad you liked. Always interest in our sailing barges and there is certainly much enjoyment when building models in wood as they just look right. 👍Rigging a sailing barge helps retain the skills that are so quickly disappearing from our world. I hope you will share your builds at some time.
happy days😊
Dave

Hi Nerys
We have several members who have built Thames Barges over the years. I am posting some pics of those I can find. I agree they are very nostalgic. Hope you and the membership enjoy.
The club website is undergoing up-date so I have only found one model. I have posted a pic of Brian Clews' Norfolk Wherry, which is similar.
Dave

Hi redpmg
It may well work and I have heard of others who have used 40Mhz crystals.
The regulations are quite clear however and anyone trying this could find themselves in trouble if their equipment causes interference.
35Mhz transmitters are designed to work at specific spot frequencies within the allocated band, and will have circuitry to avoid or reduce any unwanted out of band harmonics being generated.
I would urge all our members to comply with the regulations that have allocated frequencies for specific purposes and allow all modellers to operate their models safely.
Dave

Hi Peter
Two channel control would be your best option for your HMS Hood, warships can be difficult to turn if you cannot reduce the revs on the inside props. My HMS Grenville would take forever without this set up, and you can program your Taranis to do all the hard work for you.
Dave

Thank you Nerys and yes it is built on those lines and yes she is fast and is a pleasure to sail. Built some years ago so haven't really sailed her in recent years but she is easy to rig and all equipment installed and the Tx programmed to the model so no excuse not to take to the lake.

Built on the Mobile Marine Hull and using their templates and plans. Nicely detailed but quite skittish in any sort of swell. Looks nice as a display or on the water, but fiddly to set-up for sail.

This is a small commercial model acquired from a former club member. Nice sail if not to blustery and quick and easy to put on the water as it fits in the car fully rigged, if I have nothing else ready

Another model built on a fibreglass hull made by Brian Clewes. Several years ago our lake was weed free and a couple of feet deeper so it was safe to sail this deep keeled hull. Unfortunately the water level dropped and weed proliferated so sailing was not possible and I sold the boat on. Pity as it was an exciting model to sail especially in a good blow. One picture show my model at an early stage along side Brian's Yacht

This is another scratch built yacht based on a fibreglass hull made by a club member.
Great fun to sail and the old codger has been puffing on his pipe for several years.
Uses A hitek winch servo and block in plastic railing for both sails.

This is a scratch built model using a template my club acquired several years ago. The template is upside down and the hull is planked from Mahogany 1/4" x 3/16 strips with a solid mahogany keel. A Hitek drum winch drives a sliding block in some plastic channel and this controls the two main sails. The last pic shows the general idea, and is from another club members model. A separate lever servo controls to two jibs. The gaff sails can be removed if the wind is bowing a hoolie on our lake.
They are very popular and to date I believe our members have constructed about 9 models. This may be because the model easily rides over the weed that invades our waters during the summer months.

Another hull bought many years ago from the Boat Convention at the Boat Museum in E Port. Came with a plan. Built from wood, mainly mahogany type and most bits scratch built. Powered by a brushed 555. Very stable and can handle some of the roughest weather on our club lake. Flying HM Customs flag and boarding party ready to confront any smugglers. I believe Skelmersdale Models still stock thye hull and plan.

Should work out OK. Once the deck stringers and deck beams are glued in place and set hard the hull should remain stable.
You do need to roughen the hull where you glue the stringers and beams. The manufacturing process will have left a waxy covering to the fibreglass and nothing will stick if you don't.

Part 1
As I am currently making some keels for my own use and another Model Boats Website member, I thought it might be useful to share some of the processes involved.
My friend Brian Clewes had previously made a mould to cast keels for his own yachts and has cast some for other club members and my models. He kindly let me borrow his mould shown in the pics with a wax and soap type release agents.

You will also need Gel coat resin, Laminating resin and MEKPT hardner. To clean up I use Acetone and Iso Propyl Alcohol, Paper towels and Vinyl Gloves. I use a small plastic bowl from a fruit jelly to mix and a small brush to apply.

The first job is to clean the mould with IPA then apply a thin coat of release agent and leave to dry (15mins in warm weather). When dry mix the required amount (marked on the tin) of Gel Coat and MEKPT hardener well to ensure it will all set. Brush the gel coat over the release agent making sure all is covered. The outer edges of this mould are not used so remain uncovered. Setting time will vary depending on the temperature but eventually the surface will go dry but remain tacky, ready for the Glass cloth and layup resin.
I will cover that in part 2

Hi Mike
Yes it's a beast, but looks majestic on the water. 👍Pics of our lake to give you an idea of the size needed.
Fortunately I have a 8' x 10' workshop and 12' x 10' boat shed. This is for my models in build and frequent sailers. The prefab garage holds saws, lathes, garden equipment etc.👍
I have a 20' x 10' container at a local storage site and keep the overflow and spare household items there.
Dave

Nice clean lines and she sails well. Good to hear someone is using the expansion power of the Taranis, if you can understand how to program this radio, the opportunities are almost unlimited. The software is open source and whilst I still use mine I also have a Radiomaster that uses the same software and is compatible with almost all 2.4Ghz protocols. I look forward to seeing your radio set up and wiring in due course. What scale is your HMS Hood?

Hi Jon
You could use thin rope or even string. Just use some small pieces of ply or thick card under the rope to protect the gel coat on the hull. It should not need a great deal of force as you will be putting it in the same shape as it was in the mould. I should mention that at the bow and stern the curvature will require the stringer to bend. If you cut 1/2 way thro the stringer at say every 1/4" it will then be easier to bend to shape. Just soak the cuts and stringer in glue and clamp to the hull and adjust the inside spacers to give the correct shape. Do look down the length of the hull on each side and make sure there are no obvious dips or bulges. A one meter rule is useful but there may be a flare on the plan so make sure it looks right as any mistakes will need repairing or you will have to look at them forever☹️.
You may need to raise the height of the prop shaft so you have room to fit a lower mount for the rudder. You can repair any holes with P34 or similar.
I have just released the keels from the mould so if the weather is not too cold I will join the two together and when hardened I can smooth off and they will be ready to send, hopfully next week. PM me your name and address please
Cheers
Dave

Hi Colin
Reminds me of my first boat acquired at about the same age as yours. Great fun to sail and plenty of exercise chasing to the opposite side of the pond. Learnt a great deal about sailing and adjusting the shrouds. Sadly mine disappeared in one of Mum's clear-outs.
Dave

Hi Jon
It is your choice but if you do that the plan will no longer match the hull. Meaning any measurements you make would need to be adjusted. I suggest you pull the hull to match the dimensions on the plan. Normally you would run and glue a stringer (1/4" basswood etc) at deck level all round the inside of the hull. You then use clamps to hold in position (I use straps wrapped round the hull and scraps of wood between the stringers). When set you can fit your deck beams by cutting a slot at each end to accomodate the stringers. It is quite common for fibreglass mouldings to lose their shape when out of the mould and that is an advantage of making your own as you can put the hull back in the mould and fit the stringers and beams so it follows the mould.
You are doing well but do take your time as any errors now will cause you grief later on.
I believe the bigger prop would be a better choice.
Glad you like the pics.
Cheers
Dave

The 35Mhz can only be used legally in the UK to Control an Airborne plane, so please do not use with your model boat.
The Planet TS2+2 is a 2 stick 4channel and looks like there are four screws holding the stick units in place. The trim adjustment looks to be electronic so will not need to be rotated.
The Spektrum is 4 channel so will have two vertical sticks. It will already be bound to the receiver and there are details on-line how to, if not. This sounds like your best option
Dave

Hi Jon
Just had a quick look for video of Brian Clewes' Amelie Rose but not found any so far. I am posting some pics that may interest you in the meantime
Dave

Hi Jon
I see you have discovered fibreglass is sometimes not constant thickness. I have laid up many hulls and even taking the greatest care the end result is often not uniform. For scale model use this is still structurally sound but for a high speed racing type the materials and resin used are carefully chosen for max strength and least weight.
If you are adding more fibreglass do it on the inside to avoid damager to the gel coat. Quite common for voids and thin spots where the two hull moulds join.
The prop on my Cariad was 40mm but it was in free water at the side of the hull. You will need a prop large enough to overlap your stern post as per the Amelie Rose pic. I suspect the prop on your model was for manouvering whilst docking in harbour. If you want this to help when on the water you may need something a bit larger than you have shown. You may need to raise the prop a centimetre or so higher to allow for the size.
I do have some video of our yachts sailing and I will try and find one of Amelie Rose.
Beautiful and sunny here today, but cold light wind. I have got the fibreglass in the moulds and its curing in the sunshine. When set I can join the two halves together with more fibreglass then it should be ready to post.
Cheers
Dave

Hi Jon
I am making your keel but the weather is not helping. To-day seem ok though so hopefully I can get the fibreglass to set.
Brian had his Amelia Rose at the lake yesterday and I took some close ups of his central prop and also the keel for your info.
Good to see you are progressing with the build. I hope you have checked the hull moulding to the plans as there will have been some movement in the casting once out of the mould. I run a piece of thin cord from stem to stern at the mid point then measure every couple of inches from the cord to each side. Do the same with the plan then you can adjust the hull to the correct symetrical size. It's not unknown for the plans to be inaccurate so best to identify any anomalies early on, it will save you some grief further down the line. I usually make any parts out of card (cereal packets etc) and fit before cutting any wood or plasticard.
Looking forward to your next update
Dave

Yes unless you have bought matched motors they will start and run at different speeds. You may be able to adjust the ESCs to compensate.
You have a two channel radio with a vertical stick and a horizontal stick and I agree it will not be easy to sail with this set up.
I have in the past opened the case and just unscrewed the horizontal pot and turned it thro 90deg so it worked vertically. This may or may not be possible in your case, but possibly worth a look. If you use the transmitter for different models this could be a problem.

Hi JB
I have used silicon tubing and agree it gives a very quiet link. I use home turned brass ferrules on each shaft fastened with grub screws. For the more powerful setups I use a pin thro the ferrule and silicon. You seem to be using fuel pipe and I find silicon IC exhaust tube much more resilient, but it really depends on how much power you are transferring, and for small scale models not a problem. Seen the video and enjoyed watching.
Dave

Progressing well, Jon.
Does the plan not show a deck rail all round the inside of the hull?

Hi redpmg
Yes I have the original plans and build leaflet. Problem is the plans do not contain the formers as they were supplied roughly cut to size with the kit. In the 1960's this was common and there was lots of fettleing involved in making bits fit. I have all the details on my dropbox account. If you would like to view I can share if you send me a pm with your e-mail address.
Cheers
Dave