Haha, yes, I've forgiven him. I wouldn't have the Crash Tender if it weren't for him and although he is now officially an Aussie, we keep in touch and I lent him some model boat plans last he was over, so we're both hopeless cases. My Sea Urchin is even older. I was given it by a young friend of my Dad's who died way too young, when I was 7. I restored it last year to its original colour scheme of maroon and off white. it still has it's original little Kako motor, rusty but serviceable shaft and bent tin prop. it has flattened almost as many 4 1/2Volt bell batteries as Ever-Ready made, I reckon. One of those was a week's pocket money. Now I have to make a special holder for three AA cells and wrap it up in a scan off the 'net to look like an Ever Ready or Vidor bell battery. The toggle switch is original, too. it is resolutely free sailing. Good exercise.
I shall keep my eyes peeled for another old Crash Tender to do up all detailed. Although I have always earned my living as a professional modelmaker of one sort or another, now I am retired I love to save older models. I guess having nothing to prove, I can turn to repair and get as big a kick out of it as slaving away on super scale fidelity.

Cheers,
Martinb

Thank you for your kind words Martin.
This is only my second boat build, the first was over 45 years ago as a schoolboy and I'm learning all this stuff as I go along.
Crash tenders come up on eBay quite often but some are, in my opinion, basket cases with over optimistic starting prices but I hope you find a suitable example.
As you say, there's a lot more detail available about the boats now and what I have found is only a small part I'm sure and I'd love to get more so building in detail is a lot easier now.
So from one old wreck to another...good luck finishing the old girl, and I'm sure you have forgiven your brother for his untimely arrival by now !!

Thanks Rob.

Very nice! For a first attempt particularly so.
I have a 53 year old Crash Tender which was part of a huge Christmas haul when I was 11, by way of counteracting the sudden appearance of a baby brother! I am about to finish it once and for all, but want to do it as it originally would have been. BUT...I also want another to be finished with all the detail, now we have references to the details. Sod's Law says there's nothing cheap on ebay that I can repair/finish. I certainly can't justify the cost of a new kit, so I must keep searching and anyway, I like to bring back old wrecks! Bit like me really!
Cheers,
Martin

Hi John.
I used 7mm x 1.5mm maple for the planking and some .7mm black plasticard cut into fine strips for the caulking.
All the detail is in my build blog.
Rob.

That looks great! What did you use?

Thanks,

John.

Hi Martin.
Thanks for your response to my question, it's nice to get one...eventually.
I managed to work it out for myself and you can see the result of my efforts in my build blog.
As a first attempt at planking I'm quite pleased with the results 😁
Rob.

Hi, very surprised you haven't had a reply on this topic. I'm only just going through topics and you've probably finished it by now! I would use lime (basswood) and as deck panks are usually about 3 ins. I would get some 1/4" wide in 1/12th scale lime and use black card or ebonised wood veneer (black stuff) for the caulking. About a milimetre thick is enough for the deck planks. Then I would give it a matt finish with (as Colin has just advised me) a coat or two of Ronseal matt polyurethane varnish, the oil based one.
Most model shops will have basswood, especially those dealing with model ships. I also find my local "serious" doll house shop a good supplier of modelling timbers.

Cheers,
Martin