OK. have now kad a proper look at the two 34" Aerokits Crash tenders I bought off ebay...

it is Much worse than I first thought!

"what have I let myself in for"

the one on the left is just a Hull, its really badly built, the skins are only stuck to each other with huge gaps between formers and skins!
all the better for stripping the skins off and starting from a bare skeleton.
the boat on the right looked ok!

how wrong can you be....

after filling a carrier bag with surplus "junk" that had been glued into the interior of the hull with every known glue to man!

the full horror of the butchery can be revealed..

luckily though the formers etc in the hull are good, and I got the original plan with the two boats

let the jigsaw begin

db

making some headway with the restoration..

have cut out a tremendous amount of butchered parts,.. honestly filled a carrier bag with rubbish out of the boat!
the most Important objective has been achieved, I have removed most of the formers and detached the cabin sides from the Deck, they were hideosly warped and all over the place, the rear sides of the rear deck compartment were "interesting" the left side was built curved.. the right side was built straight? you can see the remnants in one of the photos!
at least I can now salvage the original sides and straighten everything up into a reasonable state.

I wonder how long before I get to glue some new bits in?

db

just two quick photo's to let you know its coming together and that I am not just stripping it down then giving up!
new formers glued into the superstrucure and a new well-deck under construction (parts just placed in at the minute)
well spotted Dave.. the hull is bone dry inside, no sign of it having had a diesel or glo motor at any time.
the boat looks pretty straight and true, the hull skins and decks will not need replacing there are no spray rails or gunwhales? (the strips that should run round the edge of the deck) fitted so still loads to do. am trying to be sympathetic with the restoration and keep as much of the original boat as possible.

been a busy weekend.. builing new roof structures to replace the hideous "things" that were on the original, I had forgotten just how much work is involved in making a couple of removeable panels!

I got distracted by my other project..

an Aerokits Sea Scout, I reckon I can flit back and too between them.. just for fun of course


I can feel another blog coming on!


db

steady progress.. another really big job out of the way, all the hull is now stripped of paint, new rubbing strips, and a bit od detailing on the cabin roofs... hatches and things

still loads to do

db

yep
back on the restoration of my fire tender after a break of several months.
its wobbly decks and gaping gaps in the hull are all now filled and sorted, the deck is as smooth as a smooth thing!

BUT

I really really should have replaced the wavey cabin sides and fitted new decks...aint hindsight a demon!

so! I have decided to turn this one into a reasonable looking everyday throw in the car type fireboat.. its heavy too, all the filler I am now adding isn't helping either.
my other 34" fireboat is a much better prospect for a full on rebuild as it requires new cabin sides and decks but is light and oil free, last photo is my "other" 34" fireboat in the foreround
will sort this one, then the other one, then convert this one to I.c.

but... my Aerokits fleet has grown

2 x 34" crash tenders
1 x mental restored Sea scout
1 x Sea Commander ready for painting
1 x Fairey Swordsman needs cabin roof and paint
1 x Sea Rover needs the rear deck cover replacing

David

been a busy boy this last two weeks... trying to make this ancient bag of sh... look like something descent.
it would have been so much easier to just build "a new one"
but being a sadist I have stuck with it.... (why?)
the new paint job has been a struggle to say the least, the black hull sides must be re-done, I used a brand of aerosol I havent used before (tetrosyl) and will not be using ever again! its slow to dry and the solvent in it just eats into the primer layers beneath, the sides look like I rubbed them down with 40 grit and put gloss black straight on top.. will wait till it has hardened off for two weeks and re-do the black.
but hey..........

the green monster is starting to look like a fireboat

David

well, the good weather has moved things on apace, and most of the painting Is complete, still got lots of fittings to make/fit over the next week or so..
but a big rush of enthusiasm saw Its first outing on the water at St Helens on Sunday,.. It Is superb on the water, she sits "just right" and has a lovely stance on the plane. power Is Graupner speed 600 8.4v on a 9.6v nimh pack, prop Is 40mm 2blade, she Is pretty as a picture on the water, and was worth every bit of the struggle to save a total mess.
it Is worth a look at the original photo of "the green monster " just to remind myself how bad It was. but she Is one elegant old lady who still has the "X factor"

Thanks Dave I have just bought one .

Will let you know how I get on.
Regards Quirky

HI Dave thanks for your help!

we have got the setup working!

next question....

we have two old existing 7.2 volt 3000ah batteries wired in parrallel but they arent up to much and are running out quickly(age related!)

can you recommend a lightweight modern battery which would suit our setup?

thanks again for your help and advice

quirky