Model Boat Mayhem
Mess Deck: General Section => Chit-Chat => Topic started by: glyn44 on January 25, 2017, 04:22:07 pm
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Looking through the boat kits on offer, and there are so many, I wondered what models you picked, and the reason you did so.
It might give me ideas for my second model.
Happy sailing, Glyn
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MFA Piranha
http://www.modelboatmayhem.co.uk/My_models/01%20piranha.htm
(http://www.modelboatmayhem.co.uk/My_models/My%20Boat%20Images/Piranhna/Piranha%20%2001.jpg)
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1st was abait boat closely followed bt a refurb of a sea queen....must get that out one day
Dave
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i have been into warships for years so it's mainly warships, submarines or auxiliaries
Myself and some club mates are building 1:32 scale armed trawlers just now
All different but it's a talking point sharing information and seeing how each other's ideas pan out.
It's been a really enjoyable build as we are working together but different at the same time
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My first boat...a Lesro Sportsman Mk1, about forty years ago.
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my first boat was a freelance balsa wood war ship - similar to Glynn Guest's builds - powered by an Orbit Motor and an Eveready cycle lamp better (those with the brass clips on ) :-)) does that count :-) and that was back in the 60s
John
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My first build was a Mobile Marine Models Canning and found it a wonderful enjoyable time. wish there would do a 1:32 scale Ryhope one of the first diesel tugs in the uk.
Regards Howard.
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My first ship was a three food wooden hulled HMS Cressy with a Mamod Marine steam engine, but that was over 40 years ago.
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My first build was a Billings Progress trawler closely followed by a Robbe Pilot boat for my then 5 year old daughter. A few months after them the council decided that they didn't want boats on village pond so both were abandoned. Motorcycles and rc planes took up the next 30 years. Now I have retired a mate gave me a free plan of a narrow boat so I modified it and made it look like one I have been looking after for 10 years. That got me well and truly smitten hence now I'm attempting to build a MMM Ayto Cross, and learning a lot from this forum. Thank you.
Martin
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My first was built with my Dad he had seen copies of the plans in the sixties.
It was an old Nexus plan of the Walton Thames ASRL which we built to 1/12th scale and later corrected to an accurate model after we saw real photographs of the original boat. She still sails to this date so for a 12 year old model built rather differently to what we do now it's doing very well!
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My first was the Guardsman customs launch circa 1920 from plans by Vic Smeed. Built under guidance from a workmate way back around 1984. I've only ever built from plans since, never bought a kit yet.
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Around 50 years ago my Dad took me on a day trip to London to visit the "Schoolboys' Exhibition" - remember those anyone? As well as having a great day out and hearing a Hammond Organ for the first time (that was to set me on the path for my career in music!) I came home clutching a box containing a plastic, clip together kit of a 'Fireboat Tug' - bright green and with a 'working' fire monitor. It was powered by a 1.5v motor and I think I put it together that evening. Does this count as a 'first build'?
It soon became clear that the motor was too weedy and that the 'pump' for the fire monitor was never going to produce more than a dribble. So I put in a beefier 1.5v motor, got rid of the pump and the complicated coupling that operated the pump and/or the prop. I put in a stuffing tube, prop shaft and a brass prop from an friend's broken and unwanted wooden tug, with a flexible coupling. This was enough to have her haring around Hove Lagoon and she had more than enough oomph to pull my model yacht (sails furled, of course!). First 'rebuild', perhaps?
She was 'lost' for some time but turned up when my parents moved from a house into a flat and had a mega clear-out. I refurbished her again, but as a static model this time, replacing the now missing masts and adding a bit of detail like lifebelts and doors. She was also painted in something rather better than bright green! At the same time I 'found' my Triang 'Dawn' tug that my grandmother had bought me when I was tiny. That too was refurbished to replace broken and missing parts. Both models are now in pride of place in a display cabinet with other mementos of my childhood. 'Dawn' still gets the occasional lube of her clockwork running gear and a gentle wind up to see if she still purrs - she does!
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First build was a Keil Kraft eezee build MTB sometime between 1958 and 61. Moved on to aircraft rubber powered and gliders. The control line Spitfire never really got airborne. I think the steel lines are in the garage somewhere. The .75cc Mills certainly is. Got back into boats about 15 years ago building an American Harbour tug from a free plan and a Brittany Trawler from and MMI plan. An average of one build every 12-15 months ever since. Couple of kits, mostly from plans one from photos (not to be recommended for the faint hearted).
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My first model boat was an Artesania Latina Amsterdam tug, completed in March 2004. I had been model building for most of my life, either plastic aircraft hits, RC aircraft or OO gauge railways, and became involved with model boats in 2003. The Amsterdam was suggested to me as a good first kit, and I thoroughly enjoyed building it. It still has the occasional outing at our club sailing days, although would benefit from some refurbishment. The photo was taken by my wife during its maiden voyage in March 2004.
Peter.
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Model sailing boat - Matchbox Flower corvette - acoms RX and fuelled by of a couple of D sized batteries (yep that's right, entered into the Horwich model boat club at Haigh Hall with the 2 D cell set up - came second to last), then it got uprated to a 6v decaperm and gel battery, oh how times have changed.
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Hi RAFlaunches.
I got hooked by the Walton on Thames ASRL but never completed her. Had you picked up the article in Motor Boats and Launches magazine in 1943 (during WW2) about the boat? Apparently the engines, Perkins I believe scheduled for fitting were lost in an Atlantic convoy, so smaller ones were fitted and she became a training boat based in Scotland. Lovely looking boat though, I went to the place where she was built and then they were making kitchen units, no one there from the boat building days.
Nice reminder, thanks.
Roy
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A per-spec Springer, of course, in 2007.
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Hi all, I started with saving the good bits of firewood my father chopped up and made little 6 inch long hulls with matchstick for masts and paper sails and waited for it to rain!
A bit over 70 years ago now.
I graduated to plans with a Vic Smeed one, a launch I think was called Chiquita, sadly built from 1/16 balsa with a mighty midget motor, clearly never destined for success.
Then I built a balsa boat kit for a Jetex 50, I had sidled off to model aircraft for a while, this went very well.
Then came a Veron Skeeter, that went well too. I used to use the Taycol permanent magnet motors.
I remember a balsa Felcraft MTB in which I put a Taycol (magnet) motor but on 9 volts rather than 6 and it planed, most of it's life was on holiday in Clacton and in a recent thread the picture of the Boating lake there in 1946 brought back happy memories. It ended its days there as an elderly aunt sat on it! Only the motor survived.
regards Roy
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My first build (mainly my Dad with me helping) was a balsa hard chine cabin cruiser from a kit. It was about a foot long and had a small hard chine jolly boat to go with it.
We spent hours applying sanding sealer and sanding between coats before applying a coat of dark blue Humbrol Enamel on the hull and superstructure while the lift off roof was painted black. It came with a brass/iron rudder and a prop shaft and tube plus a little bit of rubber tube to attach said shaft to a drive motor. Sadly we never got round to fitting the motor etc.
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My Dad and I (although mostly my Dad) built a Wavemaster on the kitchen table about 1955. He also repaired radios and T.V's on it so we often had to eat on a small table, much to my mothers annoyance.
My first build on my own, was a Sea Commander, about 1958 and then a cabin cruiser to my own design based on an enlarged Fireboat hull about 1960 which I showed in the 7th. Boat Show, whenever that was.
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Italian Grecale class destroyer, Scirocco.
:-)
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Hi, my 1st build, a model slipway Conserver,then Metcalfs empire Ivy,then a Speedline
1/12 Trent then countless others.
John
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Some great memories here. I bet some of you now realise how long ago it was! I've really enjoyed reading your memories and looking up the models on the internet. There is no trend, that I can see, re all your models.
Don't think this thread has helped me in selecting a second model to build, probably made my choice even harder. Any way thank you all.
Don't stop, keep posting them.
Regards, Glyn.
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In 1953, my Grandad helped me carve a Galleon from a piece of Oak. (He was a ships master carpenter and the Oak used to be a railway sleeper!..hard or what!) it floated on its side around the pond on the Ryde esplanade Isle of Wight so was not a great success.
Next came 1968 when I built the Eezibilt Triton in balsa. Joined the club at Victoria Park in Hackney, London. (V.M.S.C)
Bill Reynolds and Norman Phelps (God rest them) co-erced me into having a go at a 'Proper' Boat, which was a ChrisCraft Corvette. 48 inch GRP hull by Eric someone...They found me a 22cc Jap lawnmower engine to power it, so it started as a straight runner. Later fitted FM Matador 10 channel Reed radio to it....lovely boat, sold it to pay the deposit on my first house in 1970.....The die was cast!!
Been building models ever since, came back to boats when I retired in 1998....loving it.........Secret is...build whatever you fancy, there's loads of help on this site.
Ron.
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Hi Ron
The Eric you refer to was Eric Allen. He moulded a great number of GRP hulls large and small many of them still in use at Victoria Park. Eric was a long time member of the Victoria model steam boat club he lived in Harlow and I beleive he was a founder member of the Moorhen model boat club when they operated on a lake where the Marina is now situated. A fine man unfortunatly no longer with us.
Brian H
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Its been too long to remember exactly, but based on what i do remember, it was probably either a Lindberg Blue Devil, or a Lindberg PT-Boat...
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Well I've must hand it to you...that Lindbergh look quite a build for a first model! I think I'd would not have finished it by today.
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hi there
If we are talking very first kit build; the very first kit I built was a Billings Zwart Zee - I received the kit as a Christmas pressie. I didn't do a very good of making the kit up - I seem to recall that the wood which was used for the bridge and superstructure kept splitting - I think to be honest with you the kit was a bit too advanced for me at the time. :-)
I often think about looking on Ebay to see if I can purchase an 'untouched' plank on frame kit to see if I can make a better job of it this time.
Just out of interest does anyone know when the Zwart Zee was released by Billings? Not that I will now be able to make much of a better job of the model - but I suppose I could try and read the instructions better or even better still read them this time :-)
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Hello Bluebird,
I made the Zwart Zee as a plank on frame kit in 1978 whilst on Ark Royal on her final cruise. I fully concur with your comments on the quality of the wood. I haven't touched Billings since then. This was my first proper model boat.
Technically I suppose my first model boat was when I was about 8 or 9, some 60 years ago. It was a thick plank of wood with a couple more bits nailed on top to look like an Aircraft Carrier. When dragged fast enough along the boating lake on Lowestoft seafront it would submerge to about 3 inches! My Mum used to call it the Ark Royal as that had just been launched in 1955. Little did we know how much I was to see of the Ark Royal in future years!
John
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Hi i have a Billings Zwartze Zea plank on frame model a gifted restoration project. Possibly you know already that the PoF is to a smaller scale than the plastic hull version also by Billings.
I agree the wood is a bit dodgy, I had problems with the lifeboat davits now resolved so will finish it sometime soon. But you find the radio has to be buried in the boat and the rudder servo has caused me problems, I am now using a 9 gramm servo with push rods out on deck. Hopefully I can 'paint them in' so they are not too obvious.
I used a Marx motor with a 1:2 reduction to a 4 bladed prop but not the one in the kit.
To balance out the model I split up a battery pack to fit between the frames forward, but I might change to high capacity AA cells.
I would worry about how the wood has aged for an untouched kit, I have some old Billings wood and it dries out with rather open grain. I have tried soaking it and drying slowly but not hopeful of the outcome.
There are some good photos of the prototype on the Internet and a few very detailed models as well.
regars Roy
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Thank you Brian,
I could never remember his surname and yes, he lived in Harlow. I met him many times in fact. It was a funny story about the building of the Chriscraft. I was a young Policeman in Hackney at the time, living in a tiny room at the section house in Mare Street. This boat, to me anyway, was monster and only just fitted across the back seat of my old style VW Beetle. (Open the doors, push the seats forward and manhandle it in, and out, couldn't do it today!)
They closed a Police station at night in the area but kept 2 officers in there every night for security and to pass on emergency calls in that area. I volunteered for the assignment as not many of the others on our shift wanted to do it!
I did the building of the Chriscraft through the wee small hours in that police station on night duty..three week stints at that time. My Inspector didn't mind at all..."At least it will keep you awake" was his only remark.
The members of Victoria Park Model Steamboat Club were a great help to me, as I knew nothing at that time, a lovely group and some fine engineers. Its great to see them still going strong at the ME and regattas, as well as the Blackheath Club.
It was because of them that I stuck with the hobby.......that's what its all about.
Ron
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Hi my first build was the aerokits RAF crash tender built it over the winter of 1968 Bill..
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Seeking a new hobby, having given up full-scale yachting, I (innocently!) sought the help of the model shop owner who 'sold' me a Billings 'Osberg' Longship kit. Only when I got home and opened the box did I see the instructions - 'For Experienced Modellers'! It was quite a challenge but I finished it in 3 months - and it is still in residence in my study. It remains my only entirely wooden model and took me into the deep-end of working with small wooden parts and gave me a good grounding in adapting the model which won't fit the plan!
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Gg paladin built in public at my first st Albans model show back in 2006....
But I did build a billings kadet with a friend back in 1987. Still Want to buikd another one of those. That's why I stay away from deans marine....I have enough to build and finish already
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Hi Ron
Very interesting story. They were the days Ha Ha.
Back to the original Thread
My first boat was a Veron Police Launch with a Frog 150 diesel engine. Both purchased from Craftex in Leytonstone. I used to run it in the pond on wanstead Flats . Set the rudder to run in a circle until it either run out of fuel or hit the bank. all good fun I stuck with the hobby and still get great enjoyment out of both building and sailing all manor of model boats
Brian H
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For me as a mere cabin boy, totally uneducated in the model boat world, What goes on in Warwick? Apologies if it's obvious and I should already know.
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For me as a mere cabin boy, totally uneducated in the model boat world, What goes on in Warwick? Apologies if it's obvious and I should already know.
Well it's a matter of conjecture. Allegedly it is a 3 day model boat show. But on numerous occasions I have been it seems more like a pie eating contest, tea drinking and pranks going on. Pictures being taken surreptitiously of peeps doing the above. Cake eating or stealing.....and a few model boats on show
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Hi,
Back on topic I built a Fast Electric 'Flatso' back in 1978 for my CSE Woodwork, just found the plans:
http://www.myhobbystore.co.uk/product/16805/flatso-mm795 (http://www.myhobbystore.co.uk/product/16805/flatso-mm795)
:}
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My first boat build was a Fairey Huntsman, the larger all wood version, in 1970 something. Powered by a 10cc glow motor, that performed very well. I was at the time using a smaller all wood version, powered by an ED diesel ( built by a fella called Stan) that was even nicer to drive.
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when I was 10 yrs ,a friend of family ,he was the foreman moulder at the manganese bronze ,took me to one side and 2 nights a week showed and helped me build the sea commander ,the cabin cruiser ,I made it ,and yrs later my mother said she gave it to alder hey hospital ,I was at sea ,,,its still there last year when the place had a huge change over ...that is my small claim to fame ...and the kit was from the shop in bold st ,,,Liverpool ...
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Hi there, you never know who reads our postings - you sometimes think they go on - unread - but just to let everyone know that I am now the proud owner of a plank on frame Zwarte Zee Kit by Billings along with the fittings to go with it. The kit is basically unstarted, apart from a few bits cut out. It was supplied by an ex-member of this forum - and this has shown me that kindness does still exist in this world.
Thank you Martin for passing on my email - all transactions done.
Thank you so much my friend for posting the kit to me.
John
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My first build was my model of the Schooner, Bluenose.
First sail was 27 years ago - - - and is still going Strong !!!.
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My first build was when I was about 11 years old so some 50 years ago. There was a small motorboat plan in an Eagle Annual which was to be made of Balsa wood. About 10 inches long if I remember. It ran on a 4.5 volt EverReady torch battery with a small electric motor. Hours of fun as no radio control.
I used to sail it in Hornchuch, Essex - there was a small round pond in front of the swimming pool in those days with dozens of kids all doing the same thing.
I then built a large yacht all 18" and then moved on to a huge J class yacht 2 feet long - all balsa and this one still survives as a much favoured/remembered toy!
The rest as they say is history and my Iron Duke is 78" long and I may have reached my limit!
Cheers
Geoff
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You mean yours actually got larger as you grew older! I wish....