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[fliss]

Dear All

I am hoping that someone could recommend a good tug boat kit for a present for my husband.  He has made rc model aircraft for quite a few years but wants to move into model boats.  He was considering a fast launch and looked at the Dean's Marine ASR28 at the North East Model Boat Show but he still has a hankering for a tug boat.  I wanted to get a kit as a surprise birthday present but I didn't realise that the choice was so bewildering.

Any thoughts on this would be very welcome.

Many thanks,
Fliss

[nhp651]

you will be even more bewildered by the answers, fliss.
there will be more posting their own choices on here than you've had hot dinners, the choices are so many.
i will just ask all those that want to post and advise.....COULD THEY PLEASE ADD A PHOTO OF THEIR CHOICE so that fliss can get an idea of what the many that will flood in, look like so as to make her choice easier.
neil.

[Martin (Admin)]

Hi Fliss,

Just to prove how bewildering a choice of tug boat kits there are, have a look at:
http://www.modelboatmayhem.co.uk/Common/TugKits.htm

Do you have a budget it mind?

[andrewh]

Fliss,

Welcome to Mayhem
Not being a tuggie I have no idea of the shape of the answer for you........

But I do know a good question when I hear one
Bless you for thinking about your husband and asking a good question in a good place
andrew

[fliss]

Thanks very much for the replies Neil, Martin & Andrew.  The link you sent has just proved how naive I've been - I initially thought a tug boat was just a tug boat!  Sorry if this is a daft question, but what is mean't by a semi-kit?  Knowing my husband, I think he would like to do a fair bit of building by himself (even if I will need to sacrifice our dining room for the foreseeable future).  I would really like to get the best quality kit that I can for about £300 (excluding the radio gear as he would want to choose that himself).

Thanks again,
Fliss

[dan]

hi fliss,
an example of a semi-kit would be having a hull and fittings, but you build the super structure or other main features from scratch.
as for a model tug kit i would suggest the model slipways "Al Khubar"   http://www.modelslipway.com/        but others might suggest other models
hope this helps

below is a model of my Al Khubar
 

[nhp651]

Fliss.
a full kit is where you get everything in the kit to build to the picture on the box including building instructions and plans.
this does not include paints, glues, sand papers or such.

a semi kit usually includes hull plans, fittings and superstructure if made by the manufacturer.you usually have to buy all other materials such as metal parts prop shafts and propellors, wood for decks etc, and sometimes only the briefest of instructions.

Also if he wants to sail, unless he has a 24gb Radio control set, he will need a new radio system as the one he might use for flying (35mgh) is illegal to use for surface operated models such as cars and boats.
Hope this helps

[DickyD]

Fliss, my cousin is just building his first tug and has chosen the Model Slipway Al Khubar for his first attempt. It is an excellent kit but is not to easy to do.

Might I suggest you have a look at the Model Slipway web site as it is full of the information you might require, ie what is needed to build the kit in the way of glues, tools etc.

They also give you information on the motors etc.

They are a very helpful company and if you ring them they could advise you further.

http://www.modelboatmayhem.co.uk/index.htm

[Roger in France]

I second the recommendation to contact Model Slipway. Jackie, the female half of the business, will I am confident provide all the help you may need as well as being able to relate to the feminie approch to your delightful birthday gift idea.

They produce a wide range of excellent kits which make into lovely models and back up their goods with excellent service and sound advice.

Roger in France

[Bunkerbarge]

Hi Fliss, all the big manufacturers have kits of tugs in thier range and there are a number who actually specialise in tugs but I would have a bit of a think as to how to narrow it down a bit first.

You've an idea of budget, which is a good start, and has already been said he will need a new radio and a propulsion system but that will be a bit in the future anyway.  I would suggest that a complete kit is a good starting point because although he may be experienced in model aircraft boats is a different arena so putting together a complete model might be the best way to start.

Next what type of tug would appeal to him?  You can have very modern tugs, deep sea anchor handlers or harbour tugs as well as war time tugs or even going further back to steam tugs.  What type of tug would he find most interesting and therefore which will he have the best chance of maintaining the enthusiasm right through the build?

I would have a look at these UK based web sites:

http://www.mobilemarinemodels.com/

http://www.mountfleetmodels.co.uk/

http://www.modelslipway.com/

http://www.jotika-ltd.com/

Then there are the big foreign manufacturers like Graupner and Robbe who sell thier models via agents in the UK such as these:

http://www.cornwallmodelboats.co.uk/index.html

http://www.model-dockyard.com/

I would agree with what has been said already though that Model Slipway produce some excellent  complete kits, ideal for someone new to boats but with some modelling experience and my own favourite is either the Envoy Class or the Assurance class.  They are both nice big hulls, so lots of room to make what he wants of it and they can be purchased as either a civilian or a wartime version.  For more modern stuff there is the Aziz, Dutch Courage or the Al Khubar, so plenty to choose from.

[fliss]

Dear All

Thank you so much for your help and advice.  I have spent quite a bit of time now looking at the model slipway website and I am very impressed.  I think I need to subtly quiz my husband now to narrow the choice down a bit but the Assurance class looks very appealing.

Thanks again for being so helpful - I'm even tempted to have a go at this myself!

Best wishes,
fliss

[DickyD]

Go for it Fliss we need more ladies on here, you'll find plenty of help.

[Roger in France]

Fliss,

It would be great to have two modellers in the family and especially good for Mayhem to see two beginners become involved in our great hobby. However, be aware building and sailing boats becomes addictive!

When choosing something to build yourself have a look around the Mfgs. mentioned above, you are bound to find something which appeals to you, not necessarily another tug.

Roger in France

[Bryan Young]

For under £300  "Tyne Models" do a super range of "semi-kit" tugs. Surprised that they haven't been mentioned earlier. Even I like them and as is well known here I'm not the worlds greatest fan of kit buiding!. BY.

[Philipsparker]

While I've never built one of the kits (lack of time, not inclination !), the guys from Mobile Marine Models came and gave a talk to our club a couple of years ago and I was very impressed. He really seemed to know his stuff and was very, very helpful. That's not to say that others aren't (they are) but it was a good talk.

Phil

[chipchase]

Hi Fliss

Brian Young is right Tyne Models would be well worth a thought there kits start at £240 up to £360, I have built all of there kits and they are very good value. Here are a few photos of my models that I have built from Tyne Model kits.

Brian

[fliss]

Hi Brian

These look great!  We saw the Tyne Model stand at the North East show.  Do you think they would be ok for someone who is pretty much new to model boat building, or would he need a bit of experience before tackling one of these?  They certainly look very impressive.

Cheers,
fliss

[Bryan Young]

Over to you, Tommy and Les now, Brian!. Cheers. BY.

[chipchase]

Hi Fliss

I have to say these models are a little bit more involved than the kits with a step by step build guide, the Ironsider was one of my first builds and I didn’t have a lot of problems with the build. I must say that after building all of Tyne models tugs I found the Ironsider one of the easiest ones to build. I hope this helps with your decision. What ever model you choose for your husband Fliss, tell him to just sit back and enjoy the build he will get a lot of pleaser and satisfaction out of it, I have.

Brian

[tigertiger]

Hi Fliss

The only advice I would be inclined to give is this.

If your husbands previos modelling has involved building stuff from scratch, and he has easy access to plywood and other timber in his shed already, then a semi-kit would offer you more bang for your buck. This is because he has a lot of the things he needs already.

If he prefers to have everything in the box, so he can just enjoy the building of it, get a full kit.

One more thing. Fittings kits.
Fittings can include the things like hand rails, antenna, life boats, lamps, fog horns, ships wheel, etc to add detail to the kit. Some people like to make thier own fittings, and so fittings kits are an extra.
Some boats come with more than one set of fittings, for example a wood fittings kit and/or a metal fittings kit.
You should consider this when researching and purchasing.

I wish my wife was like you.

[fliss]

Dear All

I just wanted to say a very big thank you to everyone for taking the time to reply to my post.  The advice has been really helpful.  It's been surprisingly easy to get my husband to engage in conversation about model tug boats so I now have a reasonably good idea of what he likes and doesn't like so much.  After some excellent advice from Jackie at Model Slipway, I have gone ahead and ordered the Assurance kit. 

Thanks again to all of you.  I'm pretty sure my husband will be joining the forum in the not too distant future, so watch out for a lot of rookie questions!

Best wishes
fliss   

[DickyD]

Excellent choice Fliss, we shall keep our eyes open for your husband. Tell him not to be afraid to ask questions.