Here's a quick and easy stabilizer. It's a stick with a couple of cable straps fastened to it. My transport cradles are just saddles connected by dowels and the straps engage the dowel ends.

Here is how I secured my boats yesterday in the back of the truck. All of my boats have sturdy foam lined bases.

I used the large flat wagon to load them and take to the area where they were placed during the days outing.

@DWBrinkman

".... Somewhere I saw a link you posted about the process you use to make them, but I can't find it again. " It's here - though very wordy http://eezebilt.uk/box1.html

"However, I do have a question. Can plastic cardboard be safely glued or adhered to make joints? If so, do you have recommendations as to what to use?"

It is extruded polypropylene, and can probably be glued with the right glues. I use pop rivets for heavy load bearing, and hot-melt glue to hold internal cradles made from foam polyethelene. It's a superb material with many useful properties. From AI:
Lightweight: It has a very high strength-to-weight ratio.
Rigid: The twin-walled fluted structure adds strength without adding weight.
Impact-resistant: It absorbs shocks and punctures and resists regular wear and tear.
Flexible: It can be easily cut, curved, or creased. Hinges made from it do not fatigue.
Waterproof: It does not absorb water, swell, or rot when wet.
Chemical resistant: It withstands exposure to many common oils, acids and chemicals.
Self-coloured: Available in a wide range of colours
Mold resistant: It prevents mold growth in damp conditions.
Wide Temperature limits: Industry use it from -30°C to 85°C.

I don't want to hijack this thread about Transportation with a Storage discussion, so I'll put together a dedicated EeZeBox thread... but I might mention that I've just tried an EeZeBox of 30"x9"x9" on the kitchen scales. It weighed 1lb 12oz, and had no difficulty carrying 20lb of assorted groceries. I think there is no practical limit to the weight which could be carried with appropriate design...

As well as for transportation boxes are good for keeping the dust off models. But I'm happy moving my models on their stands and we're lucky at our club to have parking adjacent to the water so I just carry them.

My stands are just a simple design to enable building so I think I will make more wth the sides extended upwards (as seen in my box earlier) to provide more security and protection when in the car and carrying - I will probably add some handles as well for the latter.

I will also look at providing more protection in the car and restricting movement if heavy braking is ever needed!

@AlessandroSPQR A little way off yet ( got to finish building first!) but I'd already been thinking I'd have to use a similar method for when I transport my Fairey Fisherman with it having sails and a keel. No problem with my Dragonforce 65 and similar yachts as they are plastic and robust and I just lay them on their sides on non-slip matting.

I will be able to remove the keel but ideally not have to do so. We shall see.

Thanks, DodgyGeezer.
Those Correx boxes certainly look like a great solution—strong, lightweight, and adaptable to whatever size is needed.
In my case, though, Juanita is a fairly heavy model, so I’m going to need something considerably stronger to make sure she’s properly protected during transportation.
I may have to sacrifice a little weight for the sake of strength and security.

I’ll have to give some thought to the best way of building the box without ending up with something that weighs almost as much as the boat! 😄
Thanks for sharing your solution—it definitely gives me something to think about.DodgyGeezer

@DWBrinkman
Brinkman, that is certainly a clever solution!
I really like the way you have adapted the launching system to fit your particular circumstances and the water area you have available.
That’s one of the things I enjoy most about this hobby—sometimes we have to think outside the box and come up with a solution that works for our situation rather than trying to follow a standard method.

The winch arrangement is particularly clever for getting the boat down to the water. Now you’ve got me curious, though… how are you planning to retrieve it? 😄 I can see how lowering the model is solved, but getting it back out may be where the real adventure begins!

And I have to say, I like your description of your collection as “The Island of Misfit Toys.”
There’s something very satisfying about finding an old, neglected model and giving it the TLC it deserves.
Bringing one of those forgotten builds back to its former glory can be just as rewarding as building a new kit from scratch.
Looking forward to seeing what you come up with next!
Julián

@DodgyGeezer hmmm, I think I have some correx - type sheets that were sandwiched between the pavers I’m laying in the seating area next to our pond. Your idea has got me thinking - rather than bin them I might wipe them down and stash them for model storage. Your boxes look smart and they would be lighter than the current method I use, which isn’t an issue so far as models to date are not too big. Not sure about something the size of Vivacity, though…,
Rgds,
Nick

@DodgyGeezer
I had never considered using plastic cardboard for making boat storage and transportation boxes.
I love the idea! Somewhere I saw a link you posted about the process you use to make them, but I can't find it again.
However, I do have a question. Can plastic cardboard be safely glued or adhered to make joints? If so, do you have recommendations as to what to use?
I'd really like to try my hand at making one of these to see how it performs for my boats.
Thanks for any help.
Dave B

This is a bit off topic, as it isn't really about transporting to the pond.
But I ran across this contraption for launching boats while browsing online.
He certainly has built a fine machine, but in my opinion it would be terribly bulky to haul TO the pond.
You have to give him credit for an ingenious way to solve a problem, though.
Dave B
PS I guess it's TO the pond from the sidewalk .....

@chugalone100 ....... Trouble is it is pretty heavy and weighs more than the model! It is manageable though but I wouldn't want to upsize it for my bigger models so will have to come up with another solution......

Yes - it's important that the boxes are strong and LIGHT - which is why I ended up with Correx. I used to make boxes with wooden frames and hardboard sides which were really heavy to move around. These Correx ones, with expanded foam to hold the hull, are quick to make, weigh a few ounces, can be any size, and can go anywhere...

Chris Looks like it's in a fish tank, or my eyes could be still playing-up Col

@Nick Ward Nick I love it. and they can be stacked. love the plexi glass so you can see whats inside. look like you use the model stand also. I will be looking into your suggestion more I damaged 2 boats railings this time and it frustrats me on waning to take them out.
One of my cousins lives in NZ. Thank you for sharing

@Nick Ward
I love the last picture you entered.
That is the type of storage/transport carrying case I will be building for my huge Stern Wheeler.
Thank you for sharing those pics.

Up until now I've done like some of the others and just put my power boats in the car on their stand and driven carefully! Though I'm aware this isn't the best way. I lay my plastic yachts on their side on non-slip matting which is Ok.

I do have a box, similar to Nick's, which one of Dave Milbourn's Huntresses came in, which I can use for my other small models. Trouble is it is pretty heavy and weighs more than the model! It is manageable though but I wouldn't want to upsize it for my bigger models so will have to come up with another solution.

Chris

Hi Bruce, here's a pic or two of my preferred method of storing/transporting boats, inspired by Glynn Guest's article 'Box Clever' from May 2021 Model Boats magazine; the boxes take a fraction of the time of the boat builds, and are generally made from 3mm mdf and scrap wood leftovers. Handles from thin rope, sides removable but held in place with velcro strap loops. Some have windows from leftover perspex/acetate sheet. The boxes also keep the dust off the models, and as the boats fit snugly, they can be placed in the car without worrying they will move around while driving. All mine are sealed with a couple of thinned coats of polyurethane varnish, also leftover from other projects. Thoroughly recommended.

Best regards,

Nick

@chugalone100. Well done absolutely bloody brilliant.

Can't find any other scale model makers in Albany or the next town down the road at Denmark,. So I guess it's a club of one. Col the Lone Model Maker
Hi Ho Silver

I too have been using younger club members to launch my model boats, a mere lad coming up to 79 next month and very agile with it. Other wise my yachts have strong rigging and I hold the top of the mast and drop them in.
Roy

Lunchtime in Little Grove , sleep tight Col

Julian That is so GOOD! 10/10 in my book . So a very much well deserved thank you Col

Here you go ColRay.
I just couldn't go to bed thinking how the cartoon will come out.
I hope you like this one.

@ColRay
You got it.
Is late now here in Miami, but I will work on it tomorrow.

My little pet doesn't like the pond .

Julian may I ask a favor of you, the first picture you created , would a couple of slight changes be possible ?

New name for the Puffer ... Amelia
and change the dog . snap enclosed on this thread.
It would be fantastic if you could! if not no problem.
Col

@DWBrinkman
Hi Dave,
I think you just proved that we model boaters are a very inventive bunch when it comes to getting our boats from the house to the pond! 😂

I especially like your solution of using the younger club members for launching and retrieving.
That sounds like the most sophisticated system of all—no assembly required, no batteries, and completely wireless! 😂

Your sports bag with the internal PVC skeleton is actually a pretty clever idea, and I can see why it works.
The memory foam between the boats is also a great idea. Sometimes the simplest solutions are the most effective.

And then there is the *dream trailer*... I have a feeling that one is going to require a few more years of saving before the admiral approves the budget! 😄

Thanks for sharing all the photos and ideas, Dave.
It looks like we’re all trying to solve the same problem in our own wonderfully improvised ways.

And Dave, whenever you want your own cartoon, just send me a PM. All you have to do is send me a few pictures, and we’ll see what kind of trouble we can get you into! 😂
Julian

Ronald anther cracking art-work 10/10 I reckon well done Julian.
Col

Julian Keep up the good work Col
From the small cold and wet town of Albany down-under

@ColRay Hi Col,
Oh, I understood you, mate! 😂 I knew the “rat/rodent with a gold tooth” was your Aussie way of saying you were happy and pleased with it. I actually thought it was hilarious!

And thank you for the kind words about the images. I’m having a lot of fun creating these little pieces of “mini art” for our modeling friends.
It’s amazing how a cartoon can capture a person, their hobbies, and a little bit of their personality all in one picture.

I’m glad you enjoyed it, Col.
And now that I know about the gold-toothed Aussie rat, I’ll know exactly what you mean next time! 😂👍
Julian

Good one of Ron

Julian chugalone The images you have created are really works of mini art , and as the my comment "rat/rodent with a gold tooth" in the land down under it's just another way another way of saying I'm happy/ pleased ect col

@chugalone100
It’s now on my FB page and here too!

@Ronald
You are welcome.
It was fun creating it.

@chugalone100

PERFECT!

Thank you!

🇨🇦

@Ronald
Ronal this one is for you to hang in your living room.

Bruce,
The short answer to your question, in my case, is .... poorly ... sigh.
I stack them in my RAV4 or my wife's Odyssey as best I can. It often looks very similar to your picture in post #30.
I do use misc. strips of 4" memory foam left over from one of my wife's projects, which I slide in between them to prevent them from hitting/rubbing on each other.
On occasion, I have also taken cardboard boxes (not as long as the boat), and cut out notches in the ends to "cradle" the boat's bow and stern. Not pretty, but effective.
Once at the pond, I use one of those collapsible wagons to haul them from the car to the pond.
The method of choice getting them in and out of the water is to recruit a younger club member, LOL
When that isn't an option I have some straps that I use. I took a couple 16" pieces of wooden closet rod and attached portions of old ratchet straps to form a loop. I then sewed a couple large washers in the middle (i.e. bottom) of the loop to "ballast" it so it sinks below the boat.
I'm attaching a couple photos of other ideas I've tried, with varying success. The two wheeled cart with removable PVC launcher works, but is too bulky to transport.
The sports bag with wheels and a handle built in, which I added an internal "pvc skeleton" also works, but it is hard to find sports bags large enough to fit a lot of my boats.
I'm also attaching a picture of my "dream" transportation method ... a dedicated trailer (maybe someday?).
Dave B

@bruce1946
Keep on trucking my friend.
Tell her you trade a Dimond ring for your new truck.
That always work with my wife.

Here is my issue with my car. Chevy traverse not big enough. Wife won't let me buy bigger one. Hee hee.going to a club float tomorrow. Chance of rain so have to take tables and stands. I use me coats and bungee cords looking for something better.

Hello everyone, congratulations on your transport methods, many of which are ingenious and professional.
Until now, I've carried my ship models in my arms because they weren't very big and didn't require trailers.
The last ship model I took to the lake was supposed to fit perfectly in the trunk of a normal car, but due to my obsession (which is always adding a little extra space), I extended the bowsprit too much during construction (violating my own initial plan).
This made it difficult to fit the ship in and secure it behind the rear trunk.
I had to work really hard to get it in diagonally and then straighten it.
To avoid damaging the hull, masts, sails, running rigging, etc., I devised a way to lay it on soft, spongy material (typical of the insides of shock-absorbent suitcases) and secure it with ropes.
It's not a method I recommend, it was an extemporaneous and contingent necessity.

@Fishercat
Maybe this cartoon reminds you of the good old days.
Sorry I dint have your face picture and had to create this one.

@roycv Hi Roy:
You figured it out, mate — it is AI-generated, but there is a little story behind it. 😂

The original picture was actually created with a little help from ChatGPT after another member made a hilarious comment about carrying his model boat under his arm. That gave me the idea for the cartoon, and the cartoon eventually inspired this second picture.

As for the mysterious rodent with the gold tooth… that's entirely my fault! 😂 He came straight out of the cartoon version of the joke.
I think he has now become an unofficial member of the forum!

As for the gentleman in the picture, he's supposed to represent our Australian mate ColRay, and the boat under his arm is a Clyde Puffer, inspired by his own modelling interests. The Ozzy flag and the Scottish puffer were added to make the picture fit him.

And yes, the whole thing is AI creativity mixed with a little imagination from yours truly. I never expected it to get the kind of reaction it has received, especially ending up in your Picture of the Year category! That is quite an honor, Roy. Thank you very much!

And don't worry — the gold-toothed rodent has been warned not to ask for any royalties. 😂😂
Cheers,

Julian (Chugalone100)

This conversation has me remembering 35 years ago - This was the very early '90s, and I was living in Manhattan (79th St. near York Ave). I used to sail my boats in the model boating pond at 74st. in Central Park. It was a 1.5km walk on crowded sidewalks, or, I could get 2/3 of that done on a city bus.

The boathouse at the pond kept my Marblehead - so I only had to carry that on the bus at the beginning and end of the season. But, I used to carry my 1m Seguin or my 58cm Midwest Lobster Boat on the bus - or if, as sometimes happened and the busses just never showed up, I'd walk it. The Seguin had 2kg of ballast as well as its own weight and a 12v 4.5AH lead acid battery. She got HEAVY after the better part of a mile.

Then there was the time I strapped my Lobster Boat to the back of my motorcycle and took it down to South Street Seaport Museum for a model boat show - hit a big pothole (no surprise) and punched a hole in the hull with the stand. I duct-taped the hole in the hull and ran it in the show. When I got home, a serious repair was in order!

Then there was the time I took a 2m pond model on the city bus all the way from Staten Island home. That was an hour of some very odd looks. I loved every second of it. And, it wasn't easy. That is a 12kg model and the keel is another 15kg or so.

I'm eternally grateful that I live in a more rural area now and have a CAR!

Hi Chug' the picture is great I have saved it to give me a smile! I am intrigued as it has come from your part of the world but the guy has an Ozzy flag on his hat an old UK prefabricated WW2 boat and who is the rodent?
I presume it is A.I. generated but well done+++++!
It is in my picture of the year category.
Roy

chugalone Your on a roll. Col

@ColRay
I think you might like this one also.

chugalone and 100 points thanks soon be Midshipman Col
as happy as a rodent with a gold tooth

chugalone very funny it gave me a chuckle Col

I build my models on a standard, for me, stand. Much like ones already mentioned but I have bar across the uprights which is part of the strength but also acts as a carry place for my hand if it is an awkward carry. I agree the base area is an excellent place to keep things safe.
Roy

All of my Classic Model Power Boats have a basic “orange box” type of stand made for them when they are being built (or restored).

This simple (ugly) box acts as a building stand when the boat is being constructed (or restored) and later (if it is lucky) it gains a coat of paint and some split foam pipe insulation over each end to become its permanent boat stand/transportation device.

Because these box stands are so small and light in weight, they are easy to lift in and out of the house and car etc, and to be used at the club lake when the boat is lifted in or out of the water.

All the stands have a solid plywood base and so they also make a good carry box for transporting anything from spare LiPo batteries to sandwiches under the hull!

These basic boat stands are not pretty, but they accompany the boat from its birth to it’s end wherever the boat is taken - it has one of these basic stands underneath it.

I gave up large heavy scale model boats as I got older, and generally keep the size of my Classic Model Power Boats down to around 36” long (or less) and so they are not heavy boats to carry or transport .

Some of my “working boats” - especially the trawlers and tugs were getting so heavy (mainly ballast) that they often almost succeeded in taking me into the water with them as I struggled to launch them, and lifting them back out again was not much fun either.

I carried lifting straps with my heavy boats. These could be put under the stand to help carry it, but they were mainly used to lower and raise the boat into and out of the water.

Faced with the above, I went back to the original types of power boats that I enjoyed seeing and running in the late 1960’s as they are so much easier to lift, transport and launch than any of my scale heavyweights ….and so much simpler to build and run !

Bob.

@chugalone100 I use slings right now, as that's all we can use where we sail. The water level in our pond is low now, about a foot or more below ground level, and there's no ramp or dock. Even that's a bit hard with the 47" Ben Ain, which is a bit of a handful.