Cheers for the photos Martin and John. I can see I'm going to have to have a go at scratch building one of these vessels! The Irish Ferries example in your photos John might be a possibility. I was wondering if I could use the Finnjet hull and some of the superstructure as a starting point; basically a slightly larger scale but a shorter, more chunky ferry than the Finnjet. Perhaps even a freelance design incorporating bits of other ferries. Any thoughts fellas? My biggest concern is sorting out the RC components (how to do the prop tubes, waterproofing them, wiring, where to purchase all the stuff, :(etc).
Simon
The Finnjet looks very small at 1:400 scale. The smaller the model, the smaller the sea it can sail in.
I would echo everyone else's suggestions about building the largest ferry you can practically transport. Perhaps a smaller prototype might be called for. For actually constructing it:
Build a wood/fiberglass hull only up to a line drawn level with the top of the bows
Make everything above this line out of thin styrene card
When ballasting, place ALL weight BELOW the waterline. Leave nothing above
Try to get this kind of weight distribution:
You might also want to look into having working stabilizers, connected either to a pendulum or to the rudders, to prevent her from heeling too much in turns or underway in a crosswind.