Laurent's  Multi tug - Dundrum bay!
 

Hi ,
Here is a small tug I designed myself and I would be pleased to see it on your site.

About the model :
"I took the decision , years ago , to build all my models at the 1/100 scale , because it is an international "maritime" scale , and it is for me the best compromise between size of a model and accuracy & there is plenty of fittings available for that scale...

I built in 1995 a cargo ship , 1920's era , at 1/100 scale , being 150 centimetres, not finished yet , R/C sailing. I wanted to build a little tug to "accompany" the cargo while she was entering the harbour

I wanted something different and as I mostly used to try to design my models myself , I put my neurones together and read deeply my literature about tugs , observed a lot of hull lines plans and various pictures of 1920' tugs.

I designed my first hull , build it to see if I was right & have to admit I was very pleased with the result.
I designed also three different superstructures , of which I built only one , see the pictures.


Please note - these files are VERY LARGE 250 - 500Kb!


Please note - these files are VERY LARGE 250 - 500Kb!

Free Plans!

  The hull has been built upside down , using 3 mm thick ply for the frames and the planking was done with 1,5 mm's thick on 5 mm's broad wood , don't ask me which quality , I don't remember . What I can tell you , is that I got years ago a full "Billing Boats" display , with various sorts of wooden lats , from my grand father who was stopping his toys & model shop business.

I was first planning to build a mould , make a polyester hull , but as I saw that hull in my hand , I lost the envy to begin with that smelling polyester stuff , tried to pull the existing frames in it , removing all the members but the frames numbered 10 , 9 , 8 , 1 & 0,5 and I had a hull , being 32 centimetres length, 9 centimetres beam with a designed draft of 4 centimetres in the middle of the hull.

I knew , with such a tiny hull , that stability would be a problem , so I built the whole superstructure out of cardboard , you know , that "Bristol" cardboard used for calling cards.

As I'm a kind of a scrooge , there was no place for "High-tech" mini electronic stuff , I wanted to use regular servo's , receiver , speed controller and engine. The propulsion is done by a Graupner electric motor with a 2/1 reduction , motor originally sold for their little tug , the "Pollux" by Graupner, but the transmission shaft has been modified to accommodate a 4mm's shaft with a 35mm three bladed prop. The speed controller as the R/C equipment is also from Graupner.

the batteries are two packs of 4 AA batteries , one pack for the radio, the other for the propulsion. There is no room for ballast, as the model weights only 550 grams in the water...

This tug has never existed , so there was no problem to give it a name , & as I had visited the "SS Great Britain" at her Bristol birth place just weeks before I took the decision of build that tug , I named it "Dundrum bay" , being the place where Great Britain stranded , off the Irish coast , on her maiden voyage it seemed a nice name to me...

So , enjoy the plans & pictures

Laurent

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