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[Reade Models]

What was your first model boat?

For holidays in the mid 1950's, my parents used to swap houses for a fortnight each year with dad's sister, my aunt Kath, and uncle Ted. I guess that money was in short supply in those days?  Uncle Ted was a baptist minister and had the manse at Sidcup in Kent.

One year dad made a small tug boat to take to Kent with us.  It had a 'bread & butter' construction hull, an open frame electric motor, simple superstructure, no radio control (it was 1955 after all) and her name was 'Busty'.

Apart from the usual trips into London, Hampton Court, the Science Museum etc. our favourite day out was to Danson Park.  Dad would hire a rowing boat and we would connect the motor wires to a flat Ever Ready 2 pronged battery and set 'Busty' running.   Dad would row like crazy, mum would sit at the back looking terrified, and my brother Keith and I would sit in the front whilst we chased after the tug.  It was tremendous fun, and here I am, 53 years later, still messing about with model boats...

It's funny how childhood memories like that stick with you?  Happy carefree days...

Malc

[boatmadman]

My first was ss Talacre - re named Lighting knoll after a buoy offshore near where I live.

We (my family) were given the completed boat by cousins of swimbo. Thier father had been CE for Isle of Man steam Packet co. and built lots of models which were divided between his two sons after he passed away. The Talacre/Lightning knoll was left over so it came to us and I havent looked back since.

Funny thing, the first time we took it out, it was on Windermere and I knew less than nowt about Rc so tied a length of string to it just in case! There was no problem. I dont know how old the boat is, but it came to us about 15years ago.

Ian

[dougal99]

Trawler Anglia - built from a free plan in the Hobbies magazine in the late fifties, powered by a mighty midget motor and two flat 4.5volt cycle lamp batteries in parallel. Dad built it. It is a bread and butter hull. I still have it. The superstructure needs repairing and the motor is long gone. Also the prop shaft seems to have seized solid. She's probably too small for radio and anyway the rudder installation would need some major surgery to automate.

Hobbies brought out a plan for a larger RC version a few years ago. I have a copy and it's on my to do list although I'll probably do the hull as plank on frame rather than bread and butter so I'll need to do bit of work on the plan.

Funny, my main memory of this boat was seeing run down (in my view deliberately) by a large RTR RAF Launch in the boating pond on Exmouth sea front. We also sailed it in the canal which as it was free sailing was a bit daring as the bank was very weedy and had lots of nettles. Memories. Dad's 90th next month.

Cheers

Doug

[nhp651]

my first model was a sailing square rigger of nonesuch design.The year was 1958.
I was eight years old (barely) and My grandad who taught me was a master cabinet make and pattern maker by profession
he taught me how to feel the wood with fingers, and "look" for irregularities in the timber, and to sand and shape where needed.
I remember making it by carving from a solid piece of yellow pine, a timber that he as a pattern maker used in quantities with his own very sharply honed chisels.
It turned out a nice little "apprentice piece" for me, with my granddads full approval, after many hours of sanding to get the right shape from my rough carvings and it turned into a "fully rigged" ship.
About 12 inches long, I was so proud of it for many years.
And the amazing thing about my "tutor" was!.....................he was totally blind and had been for many years.
I think I've done him proud since!

[andyn]

My first was a grubby 40 odd year old huntsman with a merco 61 in it. the gel coat on the inside is coming off, the radio box may have well have been a sieve, the fuel tank was big enough for the QE2, and the engine was so big for the hull with no trims that it leant out at 45º all the time, and even nearly all of St Mary's churches' roof in the left hand side couldn't solve this, so I had to turn left all the time (which was interesting seeing as everyone else was going round the other way).

This boat is now sitting in the loft doing nothing.

For sale, one huntsman, cleaned inside, no gear. complete with firewall, bits to put an engine mount on, flat bit for radio box, and half of St Mary's church. One careful owner, on not so careful it seems.  Bargain at 50p.

[BobF]

Hi all,
My first model was built by my father in 1953, and was a Wavemaster.
We used to run it either at Victoria Park or Clapton pond at the top of Spring Hill.
A picture of said boat and me was published in Model Boats a couple of years ago, courtesy of Peter Hill.

Bob

[alan colson]

Oh dear, my first model boat, well it must have been about 50 years ago, it was a Star yacht, I used to go and sail it occasionally on Wimbledon Common.
The first radio controlled model was about 15 years ago and that was a Billings Coastguard.
Alan

[gingyer]

my first boat
was caldercrafts Vgilant 2, I relay enjoyed it and it sailed well
It got damaged beyond repair often wonder if It would ever be released again ::)

[Del-boy1958]

Hi Guys
Mine was a keil craft mermade in balsa and easy build kit that I still have that was when I was 13 years old.
I also have un-built and boxed a neptune and triton in the same series.Great fun in a little 4.8 volt cycle lamp
battery.
After that it  Arokits 20" police launch followed by a 34" crash tender Happy days!!

Derek

[KenP]

My first boat was a Billings " Norske Loeve"
never touched another Billings kit since !!!!!

[GaryM]

1972 1st year at senior school, I had a 'Fly By Line' Cessna which worked well but made me sea sick. (in more ways than one)   My new friend Derek had a RC Cruiser type boat and I think at that point I became interested in model boats. 
I don't know how it came about but we decided to swap, I took charge of this magnificent boat and had all ideas on where I would sail her, the only problem was I needed lots of batteries.  Money was tight and it took me 4 weeks of pocket money to purchase them, the day came and I can remember assembling the boat and RC unit along with the batteries on a 'Beejam' chest freezer in the hall.
I took it upstairs to a pre filled bath of cold water and gingerly placed it in................  Nothing happened!
I took the batteries out to check they were the right way, sanded all the contacts, pushed in all the leads............  Still nothing!
My Mom and Dad tried...........  Still nothing.

I cannot describe the things that I would extract from my former friend come Monday morning!

Monday came and went - we were due to fight it out after school, but neither of us turned up!  This happend quiet a few times during my time at school with Derek, now we just meet at the pub and reminisce!  (a lot better on the knuckles)

regards
Gary :)

[nhp651]

did ya ever get the radio workin, though,

[GaryM]

No - I don't think so, none of it worked :'(

Gary

[Wetwater]

   My very first boat was an approx 9 inch MTB.  This was a static model which might have been a Binnacle kit.
   Memory a bit vague now as this would have been in the early 1950s but I recall it was a mixture of wood and card.

   Don't remember ever finishing it but I do remember my old Gran telling me that making little things like that would
   strain my eyes.   She must have been right as I now wear glasses although this could be something to do with age.

   I would like another of these kits for old times sake although there is obviously no chance of this.   

   Alan.

[FishdockBob]

I can remember my first model boat, it was built  last year, me and the missus often take our first born grandson to the local park on a sunday, and after a nice walk around the park used to sit around the model boating lake and watch the lads sail their model boats, while baby Alfie crawled about on the grass, as the weeks of watching the models turned into months watching the models, baby Alfie now about 18months old started to take a keen interest also, so I thought it would be nice if I built him some sort of boat that we both could sail together when he was older. After a day trip to Bridlington I saw various Yorkshire Cobbles and thought it would be nice to build a model based on a Cobble, upto this point I have never indulged at all in model making of any kind. I took a few photographs and then set about building the "Alfie James" (my grandsons first and middle name). While the finished boat is not a work of art, I couldnt believe the fun and satisfaction I had while the build progressed.  I installed some R/C into her and again was quite amazed that she floated and moved quite nice. Also while the build was going on, we were blessed with yet another grandson and was told by "nana" that I would have to build another boat as I couldn,t leave one out. Nana brought me in a billings model kit, of an inshore fishing boat, that she bought on a local car boot sale. Upon opening the box, the hull was only 300 mm long, not nearly big enough for R/C so I used the parts in the kit as a template to double everything up and built it 600mm long in plywood frames and obechi planks. The "Harry Edwards" is nearly completed and again had such fun building it. I now think the bug has bitten and am already thinking of my next boat to build.

[djrobbo]

Hi guys....very much the same as derek.....keilkraft mermaid and triton and the m.t.b. as derek said 4.5 volt torch battery , connect up put in water set rudder and watch it go round in circles....hey ho , happy days........Progressed on to a sea urchin which sank second trip out , then onwards and upwards to a aerokits m.t.b.3.5 cc diesel ..went like stink.........then crash tender , still run one of those now with 600 speed eco motor on 12 volts....satisfyingly quick....i think is the phrase that comes to mind.....

            The extremely large lake that we used to use at wanstead flats is now nothing more than a glorified mud hole split into two , both of which have been turned into resident duck ponds..........useless

          regards..bob.

[das boot]

My first boat was a cabin cruiser of some sort named Crystal Voyager, an awful thing it was. Then came a whole seires of multi racers, a Spearfish, two Titanics, a modified Bugsier tug called Berius, a Revell Flower class corvette, an HFM sailing barge and then the submarine bug bit me.
Darnell U-boat
Darnell X craft
Darnell O class
Engel Patrick Henry
Krick U 25
Scratchbuilt 108" U 117
Currently building a Steve Neil Blueback and a ROV called Seaquel 5

Cheers

Rich

[FullLeatherJacket]

KK Cresta - the one with the Elmic outboard on the back (flash or what, eh?). Set the motor for a gentle turn, launched it onto Groby Pool and let go. Ten feet out it hit a stone which straightened up the offset of motor, and off it sailed into the sunset via a flotilla of ducks (who were not amused). Never saw it again.

I remember Danson Park, Malc - John Rudd and I ran the prototype 46" Modav Huntsman 31 on that lake in 1972. Happy days.

FLJ