Model Boat Mayhem
Mess Deck: General Section => Model Boating => Topic started by: tony52 on May 20, 2024, 10:26:22 pm
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After reading (and posting in) Jonty's Sonic Sippi thread, thought the research carried out into Peter Holland's designs might be of interest to some of the forum members. I didn't manage to complete the research, this is as far as I got.
Peter designed a number of model boats. His designs were always futuristic with easy construction. Although the majority of his designs were robotics, he also designed aircraft, vehicles, hovercraft, a land yacht and boats. Below is a list of some of his model boat designs, there will be others.
Flopalong – Martian Canal Boat MM402 Model Maker Nov 1955 (still available Sarik).
Plutonian Plate - surface airscrew craft MM390 Model Maker Aug 1955.
Coot – Oared craft Model Maker June 1956.
Blo-Boat – Airscrew driven boat Oct 1980 Model Maker.
Rubber Power – Free plan in January 1981 Model Maker.
Hot Foot – Unusual three-point hydrofoil airscrew MM476 Aug 1957 Model Maker.
Hover Kat – Hovering catamaran RCM&E April 1964 free plan.
Pete’s Puddler - paddle driven model capable of running on and off the water. Free plan RCM&E September 1964.
Sonic Sippi - half sized plan and item in Vic Smeed's 1957 book, Model Maker Manual.
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If Flopalong is what I think it is, I built it in my early teens. The plan called for a rubber band run pulley to which a connecting rod projecting through the bottom of the hull (boxed in) was attached. The other end had a piece of flexible material (Perspex?) attached. Running the motor caused this to flop up and down like a fish’s fins, theoretically driving the boat. I never managed to get that to work well - lots of wash but not much propulsion so replaced it with a conventional shaft/prop.