Hello everyone! I hope good things are in store for you all, a new boat, a new love, something grand.
I have a question:
Does anyone have a source for very thin, 3/32 or thereabouts strips which in the Sterling CTLL kit were identified as "reed" strips, 3/32. They are perfect for edges and accents and they can take a bend without being steamed. If anyone knows a place that has this type of material I would really appreciate any info you can provide.
Thanks!😎🤗😇👍

Nice sunny day yesterday and we had a good turnout of models on the lake.

Built plank on frame from plans scaled down from 24 -12th scale - "Branksome" was built by proud owner Alan Brundrett many years ago, originally steam powered, Alan converted her to electric in recent years.

Built from old kit. I built one before and the Bluefin one too from Dumas. I cut the hull separation so a space is there. In general it was fun. I had to buy an older Rc as only 72 MHz works under water for maybe 3 ft. The ghz signal works surface only. I cut out all the hull flooding holes as per pictures I gathered. Basically built as per blueprints inside except used newer motor controller that can take LiPo batteries. Excuse the messy background.

Here's a few pics of the Lumba. It is ready for fiberglass and the superstructure is here just test fit. I need suggestions on how to power it; I want it to move scale, about 20 knots and it is going to be twin screw. I have a pair of 800 motors that are great but might be too much, even though I would rather this be over-powered than under. She has very cool lines, like an airplane. Lots of curves and twists all over her. She's a big girl, ready to carry quite a few angry oil rig employees on a dark and stormy night.

Information from Nerys -

In the 1940s and 50s, many traditional Thames Sailing barges were converted into motor barges. This is a model, based on photos and my memory of the 'Nellie'. The sailing barge 'Nellie' was built by Cremers at Hollowshore, Faversham in 1901,. She traded under sail carrying about 90 tons of cargo around the Thames, Medway and Swale until about 1952 and then had the gear taken out, a Chrysler Crown petrol/paraffin motor installed and carried on trading for some years owned by R.Lapthorne & Co of Hoo on the River Medway.. She was eventually sold out of trade and is now privately owned. She has been rerigged with a reduced sailing barge rig without a topsail. My model is based on a 30" barge hull from Dave Watts Mastman.

NOTE More information from Nerys - read on ........

Hi Phil,
I'll just add a little more information to that. I was Nellie's skipper in the mid 50's for a few years. We were based at Hoo on the Medway and carried cargoes around the Medway, Swale, Thames and Colne. Regular trips were such as ballast from Fingringhoe on the Colne to Hoo, sand from Upnor on the Medway to the Ford works at Dagenham, fertilizers from London to Faversham and Queenborough, wheat from London docks to Whitstable and more or less anything that could be carried between ships in the London docks to anywhere in the Estuary. We were paid by the freight. Half the value of the carriage charges going to the owners and the other half to the crew, shared 2/3 for the skipper, 1/3 for the mate, Then fuel and other expenses were divided up similarly.
Nellie, of all the barges I served on was the one I liked best. She was the smallest, but there was just something about her. However as a footnote, in the 1970's I built a forty three foot schooner rigged barge yacht in the same yard as Nellie was built.

Known as 'TID's', 182 of these little prefabricated tugs were built in modular units, by several different yards around the U.K. often by women workers. Brent started off as TID 159 and was the very last of her class to be built being completed in 1946.
https://www.steamtugbrent.org/history...

This model belongs to Buxton Model Boat Club member Bob Armstrong.

Model boats and yachting July 2022

today WMBC had a 40th year celebration

Lighthouse Night 8-14-22

Lighthouse Night 8-14-22

Lighthouse Night 8-14-22