Thought you guys might like to know how this build started, I have a good friend named big steve who is an absolutely one eyed speed fanatic when it comes to rc boats , I think he has about 4 whipper snipper boats and to many nitros to count , in the 6 or so years Ive known him Ive heard just about every tugboat related insult known to man , most of these insults come about just after i push his boat back in with one of my tugs.
One morning I was doing the usual flick through the internet looking at powerboats on youtube with big steve when we came across a clip of the full size Abeille Bourbon pounding through heavy seas , that was the moment when steve mentioned that if I could get plans for it that he might have one, thinking that plans would be impossible to get hold of.
From that moment on it became my mission to annoy the crap out of steve by finding the plans.
After a few months searching the net I discovered that MRB in France actually sold plans for it but I couldn't get any response to my emails and couldn't work out how to use their website, I knew of one hobbyshop in the UK that used to be able to get hold of mrb plans but found out that they no longer traded.
After a bit more searching I discovered a nifty little website called Model Boat Mayhem and made contact with xtian29
He was helpful beyond belief and helped me acquire the plans Thanks again xtian.
So Big steve now had no excuse, we measured my trailer and decided that 2 metres would just fit nicely.
We decided to do a fibreglass mould for the hulls, cast all the fittings in resin and I would do the cad files and laser cut decks, accommodation etc.
I then had a phone call from another good friend we call Mr V, I had shown him the youtube clip earlier and had decided if we went ahead that he would want one as-well.
Then another friend Kiwi saw the plans , he had been considering building the billings smit rotterdam and we had been ribbing him for months about building a boat , he also had to have one.
So we are now about to build 4 x 2 metre long models (cool or what)