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LesRo Rapier.
When the first lock-down came along I dug out a couple of old wrecks that had been thrown away and had been saved from a skip some years previously, and this looked like a good time to see if they could be rescued. The first was a badly built and abandoned LesRo Rapier (shown here after the rebuild as my photos showing the full rebuilding sequence will not load).
The LiPo tray carries two large 2C 5600Mah LiPo cells, but only one is connected up at a time - the unused LiPo acts as ballast to keep the hull running straight, but makes for a nice quick change when the first one runs down
Any basic tools that I may need when I am "pond side" to change a prop or brushless motor are carried on small magnets in the rear compartment to save me forgetting to take them with me and this has proven to be very helpful!
zooma
2 years ago
Recent Posts
π Southport Bring & Buy sale
5 days ago by
π¬π§ zooma (

Warrant Officer)
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We went there today for a lovely sail in the sun with Rapier 1 and a Vector 80.
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π Southport Bring & Buy sale
7 days ago by
π¬π§ zooma (

Warrant Officer)
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Local weather forecast for next (and this) weekend is good (!) so it should be a nice day to visit the Southport Club lake π
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π¬ Re: Sea Commander
1 year ago by
π¬π§ zooma (

Warrant Officer)
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Another Sea Commander back in action can only be a good thing!
Classic r/c model boats need to be seen out on the water.
Generations have missed seeing and making Aerokits models and many will be seeing them for the first time - mostly thanks to those of us that make the effort to restore and keep them afloat and in the public eye.
Well done Colin π
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π¬ Re: Javelin
1 year ago by
π¬π§ zooma (

Warrant Officer)
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It is a really good performing hull Steve, so I think you will be pleased with it.! π
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π¬ Re: Javelin
1 year ago by
π¬π§ zooma (

Warrant Officer)
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Nice to see you have also acquired "the other" large LesRo hull Steve!
I am often tempted to fit another glow engine into a hull as I could use it locally - but not on the Southport Club lake (electric only).
I have found the T3648-1450 motor to give a superb performance in the Rapier/Javelin/Streaker (same hull) and strongly recommend it if you are looking for good white water performance.
Bob.
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π¬ Re: Finally the Rapier
1 year ago by
π¬π§ zooma (

Warrant Officer)
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Hi Steve,
I have been away over the Easter weekend, but now I have had time to take a look at your Rapier, it looks like it is almost a perfect example - especially when compared to the state that mine was in when I first started to restore it.
Yours should not take too much time to get on the water, and choosing the alloy water-cooled mount is a wise choice as it allows quick and easy motor swaps between various hulls - a major bonus with no negative's that I have found after using them regularly over the last 3 + years. π
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π¬ Re: Finally the Rapier
1 year ago by
π¬π§ zooma (

Warrant Officer)
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Well found Steve - and welcome to the Rapier owners group.
Strangely enough I have recently discovered two original un-started Rapier kits - so maybe there is a secret stash of Rapiers that is now being released for us all to enjoy!
Bob.
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π¬ Re: Chriscraft in action
1 year ago by
π¬π§ zooma (

Warrant Officer)
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Its lovely to see a Chris Craft making some nice white water - it looks really good!
My own Chris Craft Corvette restoration has sucked all the energy out of me - shame really as I have got it back into one solid lump now but I may pass it on as it is difficult to find enough space to work on it in my small shed workshop so it is spending far too much time lurking under my workbench!
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π¬ Re: Zoom 1
1 year ago by
π¬π§ zooma (

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That's a shame - I do like the name ! π€£
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π¬ Re: MFA Spearfish 1
1 year ago by
π¬π§ zooma (

Warrant Officer)
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Do you have any pictures of your Spearfish to share on here?
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π¬ Re: MFA Spearfish 4
1 year ago by
π¬π§ zooma (

Warrant Officer)
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No pictures`?
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π Lesro Javelin
1 year ago by
π¬π§ zooma (

Warrant Officer)
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I bought mine from them at the start of the lock down Will, they were away at the time living in France on their Sunseeker luxury yacht, but they had an employee looking after the shop until they returned. Maybe they decided not to bother opening again?
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π¬ Re: Vic Smeed Remora
1 year ago by
π¬π§ zooma (

Warrant Officer)
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Yup, I have one at the painting stage - building log on Mayhem.
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π¬ Re: Club 500
1 year ago by
π¬π§ zooma (

Warrant Officer)
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I never had a go at Club 500 - but I have been tempted plenty of times!
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π Lesro Javelin
1 year ago by
π¬π§ zooma (

Warrant Officer)
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If you want to buy a new printed plan for the Javelin, you could give LesRo model shop in Poole a call.
I ordered a new plan for my Rapier from them and they supplied it within a few days for Β£15 plus postage.
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π Lesro Javelin
1 year ago by
π¬π§ zooma (

Warrant Officer)
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I restored what was a really rough old Rapier some time during the first lockdown and have gained an appreciation for the excellent (unexpected) on-water performance of this larger LesRo hull.
At a later date, a fairly well used Javelin appeared on "the bay" at a good price that I also bought and restored.
I have not sailed the Javelin yet, but it should have the same sort of performance as the Rapier as they both have the same hull - only the superstructure is different.
Plans for both models are fairly easy to acquire (new and used)as well as the pdf downloads, but they are "kit plans" so they do not show any bulkheads or other parts that will need to be worked-out from the side elevation and plan views shown in these plans.
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π Lesro Javelin
1 year ago by
π¬π§ zooma (

Warrant Officer)
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As Harry has just said, the three biggest LesRo boats (Rapier, Javelin, Streaker) share the same hull, and in fact the Javelin and the Streaker are actually the same boat!
The Streaker was renamed (for reasons unknown) after a successful production run as the Javelin, but the Rapier was never re-kitted and so is the rarer of the three as it never sold as well as the Javelin/Streaker.
Bob.
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π¬ Re: Lesro Sportsman II
1 year ago by
π¬π§ zooma (

Warrant Officer)
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Hi Shopper,
I had a large fishing boat model that was just as unstable as your Sportsman 11 was shown to be in your video and it was because it was top-heavy!
I added quite a bit of weight low down in the hull and it was "as stable as a rock" afterwards and sailed beautifully after that.
Your Sportsman 3 should not need too much weight adding, but if you take some strips of roofing lead with you (old will do!) you can add some after each run until you get the boat as stable as it needs to be and place the weight where it works best.
The Sportsman design does sail very well, but the extra height of the new version may make it a little less stable, but nothing that cannot be fixed with a little more weight fitted as low in the hull as possible.
Your boat look's really nice - I am sure it will sail as good as it looks once you have got it a little lower in the water.
Bob.
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π¬ Re: Stiletto
1 year ago by
π¬π§ zooma (

Warrant Officer)
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Hi Steve,
You can still buy a new set of plans for the Rapier.
Thats what I did when I was restoring my first Rapier - all the details are in the Mayhem restoration thread.
Bob.
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π¬ Re: Stiletto
1 year ago by
π¬π§ zooma (

Warrant Officer)
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As far as I know Chris, the Arrow and the Stiletto share the same hull (?).
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π¬ Re: Stiletto
1 year ago by
π¬π§ zooma (

Warrant Officer)
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Thanks for the picture of the Stiletto plan - very informative.
Do you happen to have a copy/drawings of the bulkheads by any chance?
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π¬ Re: LesRo Rapier.
1 year ago by
π¬π§ zooma (

Warrant Officer)
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Hi Steve,
The Rapier is a lot faster than I thought it would be - it came as a very pleasant surprise!
I had a few small problems to sort-out, but overall this boat has been a joy to own and run since I restored it and I look forward to the weather warming-up a little bit so that I can get it back on the water at the Southport club.
The spray rails make the boat look much more aggressive and it absolutely "rails" when cornering at high speed so overall I am very pleased with it and I am looking forward to maintaining it and keeping it looking tidy for the future.
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π¬ Re: (Pleasure Craft) Lesro Rapier
1 year ago by
π¬π§ zooma (

Warrant Officer)
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I have an unbuilt kit for a LesRo Rapier - as well as my own restored Rapier that I enjoy running at every opportunity since completion over 3 years ago. Building this classic kit will be a privilege - but as a reference bank of rare parts I want to make templates first as it may be helpful in the future.
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π Wanted - Lesro Stiletto Plans/Kit/Part built/Damaged - Wanted
1 year ago by
π¬π§ zooma (

Warrant Officer)
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Thank you Will.
With your inspiration (and your cabin sides etcπ€£) I will be able to add a Sea Commander to my classic model powerboat fleet.
I have already made templates for the keel and doublers, but need to get some drawings to make templates for the bulkheads as the kit plans that I have don't show these.
Stay safe,
Bob.
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π Wanted - Lesro Stiletto Plans/Kit/Part built/Damaged - Wanted
1 year ago by
π¬π§ zooma (

Warrant Officer)
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Don't worry Will - nothing will get wasted.
With some help with the Stiletto plans or parts drawings we can get that Stiletto built and out on the water.
......and we will cut the missing parts for that Sea Commander and get it put together and finished too.
I have an Aerokits Sea Commander plan so we don't need any help to get that one back on the water again.
We must rescue any classic model power boat that we can and get them back into active service again.
I have really enjoyed running my Rapier since it was rescued from a skip at the star of lockdown, and I would love to have a "mini Rapier" (Stiletto) to keep in the car.........for emergency use π€£
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π¬ Re: Stiletto
1 year ago by
π¬π§ zooma (

Warrant Officer)
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If anyone has an un-built (or taken apart) Stiletto and would be prepared to draw around the parts this would be the easiest way for Will to get his boat completed.
I would be more than happy to cut the parts out for Will on my bandsaw as I could duplicate everything and make a second Stiletto to join my classic power boat feet.π€£
Two new build Stilettos would increase the size of the active fleet considerably.
Bob.
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π¬ Re: Stiletto
1 year ago by
π¬π§ zooma (

Warrant Officer)
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I have a new un-started Arrow kit, and as far as know this model shared the same hull as the Stiletto, so I can copy all of the hull parts for Will, but I don't have any of the cabin shapes.
If anyone has a flat-pack Stiletto and would be prepared to draw around the cabin sides I could probably work everything else out.
Bob.
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π Wanted - Lesro Stiletto Plans/Kit/Part built/Damaged - Wanted
1 year ago by
π¬π§ zooma (

Warrant Officer)
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Hi Will,
I hope you can find somebody who has a LesRo Stiletto plan that they can either sell or copy for you as it would be really nice to see another one of these classic model power boats back on the water again.
Bob.
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π¬ Re: Chris Craft Corvette (Sterling Kit).
1 year ago by
π¬π§ zooma (

Warrant Officer)
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My Corvette must be feeling a little neglected...........π€£
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π¬ Re: Chris Craft Sterling 63
1 year ago by
π¬π§ zooma (

Warrant Officer)
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The balsa planking seems a strange choice for such a big model as it is easy to dent in use - or even in transit!
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