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[BigKev]

Hi All

I am a retired and live in Perth, Western Australia.  Have been looking for a new hobby to replace my previous hobby activity which involved building larger scale play things for my grandkids like dolls houses and toy boxes,etc.  Enjoy working in wood but need something that doesn't make quite so much mess (I really am sick of doing ten minutes work and then spending an hour cleaning up) and is a little easier on the arthritis.  After a fair amount of research I stumbled upon model boat building and I think this may be just what I am looking for so plan to give it a go.

From my research I have decided I would like to build from scratch but obviously need to start with something reasonably simple but of interest (to me at least).  So I figured that before attempting a fully rigged sailing ship I would try my hand at an MTB/PT.  Not sure if I should attempt an RC model for my first though so will probably stick with something static.  I like the idea of MTB/PT though as if fits right in with my era of watching  Ernest Borgnine in McHale's Navy.

Anyway I would really appreciate some advice from the more experienced in two areas:

Firstly, am I being too ambitious?  Should I start with something else and if so what?

Secondly, does anyone know where I can get some plans and instructions (for free would be great but am happy to pay if necessary) for a good MTB/PT model to build from scratch in the 900mm/3ft range.  Have done a fair bit of searching and to date only found pt-boat.com (which has been mentioned on the forum quite a bit) but he doesn't seem to do plans anymore, and building-model-boats.com which seems to be the winner at the moment particularly with the instructions and pics on their site.  Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks and regards
Kevin

[DickyD]

A PT boat or an MTB would be an ideal boat to start with.

If you are making a 3ft one please go a step further than a static model and include R/C and the rest of the running gear.  You'll regret it later if you dont.

You will find plenty of this type of boat on the "Dry Dock: Builds Blogs, Rebuilds, Upgrades, Modifications" section of the forum under "Warships Navy Military"

[Tug-Kenny RIP]

Hi Kevin

Welcome to Mayhem. You should be able to find all the information seek on these pages.

As Dicky says, may I also suggest you enter MTB in the search box above BUT click the ADVANCED SEARCH underneath. I just did that and came up with all the MTB's mentioned on here over the years.

Enjoy your read and rest your Arthritis like some of us.   

Ken

 

[boatmadman]

Whilst I agree an MTB is a good way into the hobby, had you thought of starting with a springer? This would introduce a lot of the techniques needed for subsequent builds and provide you with something to play with very quickly.

Also, the nature of the springers allows for a less then perfect finish, which again allows you to practice finishing techniques.

Lots of springer ideas and builds, plus plans on this forum.

Ian

[Roadrunner]

MTB's are great vessels even for a newcomer to the hobbies as they are relatively straight forward in construction and detail.
There are many plans on the net to aid your build since you want to scratch build. although i have no idea if you can obtain free plan's on the net, i know of a few good ones from my hobbie store which will be good enough to build a very impressive model.

have a look here, see if any of these are of use to you.

http://www.myhobbystore.com/search.asp?k=mtb

http://www.cornwallmodelboats.co.uk/acatalog/mar2151.html

There are also a fair amount of kits out there should you wish to go down that route but the photos are also good for refrence material or as a construction aid.

Have a look at these.
 
http://www.deansmarine.co.uk/shop/index.php/cPath/10_14

http://www.actionhobbies.co.uk/Pro-Boat-PT-109-40-EP-MTB-RTR-Ex-Display_ATMWY.aspx

[brianB6]

I have some very old plans of MTB 379 at 1/2" to 1'   36.5" long
Only elevations and plan views with deck and chine lines but no sections.
I was able to construct one from them as per my photo, when I was a lad, 
If you would like a copy please send me a pm

[BigKev]

Thanks everyone for the advice, gives me some good starting points.

I have taken your advice regarding RC DickyD and that is now included in my build plan.

Regards
Kevin

[DickyD]

Thanks everyone for the advice, gives me some good starting points.

I have taken your advice regarding RC DickyD and that is now included in my build plan.

Regards
Kevin

Glad to hear it Kevin, you wont regret it.

[AndrewB]

Hi Kevin

Have a look at my build  http://www.modelboatmayhem.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=25007.0

It is my first scratch build I got the rib drawings free from http://www.pt-boat.com

Cheers

Andrew

[pompebled]

Hi Kevin,

If you want to build a slightly different (and faster) MTB, I have the plans for the Italian M.A.S. for you on my harddisk.
A simple plan but there's a lot of info on this type to be found on the internet (too bad it's mainly in Italian)
There are also much better plans available through an italian site, but due to communication issues, I haven't been able to get my hands on them (maybe a trip to Bologna is in order...).

Send me your mailadres via PM is you want it.

Regards, Jan.

[TomTheKraut]

Kevin,
you should receive a mail shortly.
If there aren't four attachments, please send an email back so I can split the data...

[BigKev]

Hi Tom

Thanks for the plans, all arrived no problems.

As this is my first build have decided to go with the Elco which hopefully will provide me with a relatively simple introduction to the hobby.

Regards
Kevin

[TomTheKraut]

Always a pleasure to help, Kevin...
Just start as shown on the plan and add more detail if and when you feel it's time for that.
Happy building and happy boating!