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[Lash151]

I just saw a picture of one, it looked like a nice boat. I just wondered if anyone has built one.
Lee

[raflaunches]

Hi Lee

Sorry I have not contacted you sooner but I am away for four months in the Falklands but me and my Dad built a model of the Walton ARSL.
You can get a modelling plan via the X-list on the myhobbystore website but was drawn in the early 60s, however the hull sections are accurate enough to get the boat to work. The real vessel was built by the Walton Yacht Works in 1942 as a prototype contract for a sea going rescue launch capable of surviving the rough sea conditions but the contract was awarded to British Powerboat with the 68ft Hants and Dorset RTTL. The modelling plan shows an incorrect superstructure with cowl vents which were never fitted, there should be an extra window on the fore peak structure and davits fitted either side of the mid section. The real vessel was never named Walton Thames, we think this was made up by the modelling plan designer, it was only designated HSL 2642.
My model is built to 1/12th making it 65inches long and 14inches wide, it is powered by two 12v car heater motors driving two 55mm prop shop propellers.
If you can visit the Air Sea Rescue museum at Flixton in Suffolk there are several pictures of the real boat and a small drawing of the internal layout.
Hope this helps.
Nick B 

[Martin (Admin)]

Greeting from Blighty Nick!

 Post a photo of the penguins for us!  

[Lash151]

Thanks for that Nick... that is really interesting... you don't have any pictures of your model do you... I would love to see it. I only saw a small picture on the web but it looked like a great boat.  I shall certainly order those plans.
Lee

[raflaunches]

Hi Lee

I'll ask the elves back home if they can rustle up some pictures to sent to you.
If you can find a copy of RAF Marine Craft Directory Volume 1 120ft to 60ft vessels or Addendum 1 (Volumes 1-6) via the Small Craft Group website, they have all the specs and info with some pictures of the real boat on its launching cradle!

Hi Martin
Good to hear from you.
Its so cold down here, but the penguins are very camera friendly especially the King Penguin chicks so I'll try to upload some pictures when I find how the system works down here. I have already seen three types of penguin everything from the King Penguin to the Gentoo and the Rockhopper, all very friendly and seem to like their picture being taken.  Only another 14 weeks, 6 days to go...

Best regards

Nick B

[Lash151]

Hi Lee

I'll ask the elves back home if they can rustle up some pictures to sent to you.

That would be great... but don't go to too much trouble  
Lee

[raflaunches]

Hi Lee


Sorry its been a while finding these pictures of a Walton Air Sea Rescue Launch but here is ours in its initial form before we started to rebuild it.











I'll scan the marine craft directories for you but the major differences between the plan and the real vessel are as follows:
1   There are no cowl vents anywhere on the real boat
2   There is an extra window on the rear superstructure
3   The railings stanchions are in different locations on the real boat
4   The boat on the rear upper deck is in reality a carley float
5   There are two davits fitted either side of the rear superstructure.


I'll upload some more pictures tonight when I have finished scanning them.

[roycv]

Hello all, this is a boat that I always meant to finish, I have just the bare hull frame done.  I stopped when I found out that she had twin props. I was building from the MAP plans.  The boat is part of the book "The Model Boat Book" by GH Deason published 1949.  Here she has the number 1258 but this may just be a random number, as the plan in the book has 1228 on it.  Suggested power supply is rubber powered!
I chased down the location where she was built, She was built at Walton upon Thames and I worked in this area for a while.  This was in the late 1960's and the building was then occupied by a well known kitchen laminate company.  There were no pictures or documents left of the boat builders.

I have a photo copy of the full size boat on sea trials from a wartime magazine.  I gather that the Packard engines destined for her were lost at sea when a ship was sunk.  I believe that she then had lower power engines fitted and went up to Scotland where she was used for training purposes.
Lovely looking boat though.  If I can find my full size references I could scan and email them to any one interested.
regards Roy

[raflaunches]

Hi Roy


Yes she was fitted with a lower powered engines, two 500hp Napier Sea Lions instead of her intended 1000hp Perkins engines. From the RAF Marine Craft Directories it says that she was a prototype built by the Walton Yacht Works in 1942, she was given the RAF number 2642, and as you said then packed off to training establishments in Scotland and the Solent between 1942 and 1946. She was sold out of service in 1946 and was transformed into a motor yacht in the Mediterranean. She was still recorded as being in use in 1969 then the records stop.
The directory informs the reader that the RAF 'supposedly did not like the sea keeping qualities' of the Walton but the real reason was that they had already found an ASRL that already fitted their spec from a bigger boat builder.
The Walton was up against the British Powerboat Co which delivered the 68ft Hants and Dorset RTTL in 1943 which became the standard rescue launch used by the RAF until the steel boats were built in the 1960's.
As you say a lovely looking boat especially on the water, hopefully the 'refit' currently undergoing with our boat will be completed by next year and she can go racing around Wicksteed Park model boat lake again.
Regards
Nick B

[Lash151]

Hi Nick...
Sorry, I missed this... Thanks for posting some pictures, the model looks great.
Lee

[Soady]

Hi.
 
This is a model which I also fell for when the book was first published.  I built several other high speed launches - ASRLs and various MTBs, but never actually started the Walton Thames.  I'm very seriously considering doing it now!   It will not be rubber powered though.
 
Has anyone actually checked the accuracy of the hull form in the ex MAP plan please?   I have a hatred of plans and hulls which show allegedly scale boats, which are not!   
 
MAP were usually quite good in this regard.
The photos of the double sized model on this forum are beautiful.
 
Jim.