The San Diego Model Yacht Pond (aka the “San Diego Model Boat Pond” or just “The Pond”) was originally built into the Mission Bay master plan in 1939 as a continuation of a long standing program with the City Schools of San Diego of building Model Boats and competing between schools on the pond. After the club was formed, club members continued to work with the city until the program was eventually dissolved; yet the Argonauts continued.

First pic: Hercules. All-Saito steam plant and hull. Running denatured alcohol.

Second pic: Hercules and scratch-built side-wheeler, U.S.S. Planter, also running live steam on denatured alcohol.

USS Planter was a steamer taken over by Robert Smalls, a Southern slave and ship's pilot who steered the ship past Confederate defenses and surrendered it to Union Navy forces on 13 May 1862 during the American Civil War.

As someone who does a great deal of model boat restoration work, I have to agree that your project is going to be labor-intensive, but possibly worth the effort. It may be true that restoring a boat in this condition might take longer than building new, but what you have is a highly-detailed scale model that you can repair/restore without all of the hours ordinarily required to figure out the configuration of multiple details. It also appears to be complete, mainly requiring re-gluing, light sanding/filing, and painting. Replacing the electrical/electronic components comes with the territory of restoring a 26-year old model.

I need info about this regulator - specifically: (1) What does the outlet on the drawing marked "boiler tubes" (see image) connect to, and (2) what is its purpose? Thanks for any help.

http://i1054.photobucket.com/albums/s492/galglg/de/p5.jpg

"Have I seen correctly? A rear-wheel steamer first?"

Yes, we have a couple of club members who like paddle wheelers, both side and stern. Some very clever and resourceful guys! We have an increasing number of members who love live steam, also. (I'm one of them.) This is my Saito steam tug.

The San Diego Argonauts Scale Division invites you to attend its annual Model Boat Festival of Lights from 4:00 PM to 7:00 PM on Saturday, December 16 at the Model Yacht Pond on Paradise Point (off of Ingraham St. in San Diego, California). Enjoy all of the spectacle of the big boat Parade of Lights shining forth from our scale boats. The little boats may be reduced in scale, but they have all of the beauty and charm of the big boat event.

Join the Argonauts for a very casual and free event featuring: our little fleet all lit up for the holidays, some free refreshments, plenty of good cheer, and even plenty of parking!

This is a great, family-friendly event that is fun for children of all ages – from seven to seventy-seven. All you need to enjoy this one-of-a-kind event is to bring the family, some lawn chairs, and a camera to get big time enjoyment from this small scale boat festival of lights.

Check out the YouTube link below to see one of our past Festival of Lights events:

Excellent!

Excellent! I'm a big fan of restorations. Keeps our history alive.👍

Nice work! Restoration is one of my favorite aspects of this hobby. Love to see the step-by-step photos.