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[Kev_B]

Hi.
I bought this a few years ago at a car boot sale. I did a search online back then to try and identify it and seem to remember finding one single pic of a very similar fullsize boat in the same livery (which now I can't track down anywhere).


I have a couple of questions:
Does anyone recognise this livery?
Can anyone identify the actual boat or is it just someone's scratchbuilt version of a crash tender that has been subsequently been painted as a pleasure boat?


It's similar to the RAF tender but has an open cockpit. There seems to have been a radio mast coming up from the centre of the cockpit.
It's 28" long with an 8" beam.

[raflaunches]

Hi Kev B


I think it’s someone’s scratch build at a boat with fire tender/RAF tender features but not actually based on any particular vessel. I can see the certain features around the forward cabin which looks like the fire tender 46ft type but the rest is a nice representation of a pleasure boat.

[chas]

Looks like a home brew design to me too, I can't imagine a large pulpit rail on a service boat. A curious mixture of scales too. A little work on a re furb, and a new paint job will make a great model.

[RST]

Is the sheer line that curved or just barelling in the photo?  It looks familiar of old kits but more with scratch built tops unless anyone disagrees.


Rich

[Kev_B]

Thanks Nick, Chas and Rich, seems we all agree about it being a scratchbuilt 'interpretation' of a tender. Possibly someone wanted to portray a post war conversion to pleasure cruiser, hence the styling and colour scheme.
Yes, the sheer line is quite curved, it isn't distorted by the pic. It seems to have been quite well built it's a sturdy little thing. It has an old 540 type of sealed can motor but there's no sign of any radio gear ever having been fitted. Oddly though there's no ratchet or friction type of thing on the tiller arm, though there is a small hole on the deck an inch or so in front of it, so maybe it had some form of linkage that allowed it to be adjusted from outside the hull.
I think I'll leave the colour as it is, just tidy it up a little, replace a few of the missing fittings etc, pop a little brushless motor in, add the radio gear and enjoy it the way the builder wanted it to look...