ok, my first ever attempt at posting a video on here and youtube..
my Aerokits Sea Commander restored but not finished running a direct drive graupner speed 600 8.4v on 40mm std 2 blade plastic prop. battery is 9.6v 8cell 3300mA nimh. sailing Sunday 15th August 2010 at Taylor park st Helens mbc
many thanks to you both.
At this time I have no idea of the weight except to say that from what I can gather from looking at the rudder that this boat seems to from the sixties/seventies, and is quite a substantial vessel.
She is undergoing a major refit.( spent the day rubbing down the inside of the hull, and removing paint from the toerail to the carlings.
This looks like being a long job.
if its "that old" and is a 60's/70's built model that had an I.C. engine fitted..
I would recommend you "glass-cloth" the outside of the hull..
models built during this period tend to have been built with bio-degradeable glue! (cascemite/ boneglue. etc.) show it water for the first time in 40 years and your boat will revert to kit status and basically become unstuck! if the wonky glue doesn't do it then the diesel/glow fuel used in the 60's will have undone all the joints from the inside-out anyway!
enjoy your restorations and read as much as you can on here
This is my second attempt at scratch building using a a grp hull. My first boat was an MTB/MGB built on a Perkasa hull as a semi-scale model. (see All things Rc - Power setups).
This time I have concentrated on keeping things lighter but it still weighs in at 2.5kg!
I have built without plans, relying on internet photos scaled etc using "Photo deluxe" and "Photo Express".
Virtually everything is built from plasticard apart from a 3mm liteply deck.
The dinghy is epoxy resin and microballoons, ths scramble nets are Lego!
Power is again courtesy of Graupner -2, Speed 600 8.4v using lh. and r.h 35mm props. Esc is one of those 50amp ones from the far east. These are far cheaper than the Viper Marine 40 used in my MGB, but slightly heavier and less sensitive at low speeds. Current drain (in the bath!) is up to 30A but this gives a superb on the water pace of an, estimated,8mph. Battery is a 4,600 mAhr NiMh.
(A true scale speed approaching 150mph plus).
I sail it on Ullswater in the Lake district and the Vosper Perkasa type hull shape is superb in the real waves that we get there, flying over the crests and taking aboard No water!
It really looks the part as my photos would show if I could learn how to load more than one! Can anybody help with this?
Hi" there fellow model maker.
You have done a great job on your ASRL 😊 👍 .
I have also had problems in uploading more then one photo on this site ! I dont know why ? it used to be quick n easy but no more . 😯 Albert
Thought to have been built about 1972. First trial at Crealy Park, Exeter on 18th June 2010 following restoration. 700 size motor running on 9.6v with a X42.5 Prop.
i have one with planked deck and red and white hull and red cabins with white roofs made 45 + years ago need to get it out and restore it to fast electric as it had a black head web 5 cc in originally and our club dose not allow ic boats
Photo's taken on sunday [6/4/10] weather was quite windy so water a bit choppy, but fireboat coped very well as you can see from the superb bow wave it creates! the twin prop and 4 rudder arrangement makes it a very maneouverable boat, even at high speed it handles all tight turns with ease and dont swamp the stern deck either!
Had a full refurb but still need the window frames making when I can get round to it . Goes really well with a Graupner 700BB Neodym on 14.4 volts. Still trying to find the right prop, but pretty close now to getting it right . Aim to getting it up to 19.2 volt
Should really fly then.
Lesro Sportsman kit, wood sports fishing boat 33'' in length, weight about 8lb. MFA 850 on 12v (10 NiMHcells 3.5ah) MTroniks 40amp esc, X50 prop. Built by Ian Gardner.
March 2010. I am now using 12 cells and a Graupner speed controller. I added watercooling too and the boat goes noticeably faster- but melted a fuse holder on first outing so I need to upgrade some of the wiring. There was also a bit of prop aerating on turns so might reduce the prop size.
The last photo is with increased voltage.
shear water motor cruiser I made from scratch plank on frame looks well in the water with the added motor and prop give it an edge turning and coming back up the lake no ballast inside the boat its all built in the keel navagation lights work and a small table with a map for someone steering thanks russell
this is my aerokit fire boat 46 inch fitted with a 600 motor 3 bladed prop 55 mm and a 12v 12 amp battery was fitted with a petrol motor when I got her for A£35.. all the top has been rebuilt the 2fire hygents work very good 2 mrtrs of water either side all lights work a good turn of speed but I can get 2 1/2 hrs on the lake the two men are not right but look ok for 10 p each at car boot gordon
I had a 12 v 12 amp battery and a 800 motor on a 35 cm prop did have a good bow wave could not see the sence of going flat out for 30 mins did not go for speed just indurance thanks gordon
I have rebuilt this from a damaged ex IC model. Borrowed a plan from a club member and managed to reconstruct the missing bits. Originally used a fast electric car type brush motor with 7.2 v nicads. Worked ok but nothing spectacular. Recently ventured into brushless and LiPo. Tried an inrunner but ran far to hot and not veryt fast. Changed to an Outrunner (mork torky apparently) and nearly took off! (it is a seaplane tender but should stay on the water!) The LiPo is 11.1v 2800MaH. I use a Graupner Ultramat 16 charger, don't use other than a dedicated LiPo charger and ESC. Battery misuse can result in pyrotechnics, so beware. initialyy tried a two blade racing prop but have changed this to a 29mm 3 blade brass prop to slow down the speed. I have also added more lead and will advise the final weight once I have tried the model on water. I sail with Crewe and District MBC at Boundary Park, Nr Knutsford in Cheshire.
HI All,
This is an update,weather seemed ok so tried her out,very Impressed,got right up on the plane.Handling not that good think a bigger rudder is needed.
Running an 850 torpedo motor on 12volt battery.
Only problem was a leak,water running up prop tube so have removed and re-greased ready to try again.
Fire monitors missing hoping somebody can help.
very nice boat! I have two of these 93/94 thay are a very nice model.
I did try uploading photos of them to the site. Anyway fire monitors do some times come up on ebay for sale. if not try model dockyard or westbourne model ships web sites. Hope this helps from a new member Albert.
HI Boat looking good. From your previous post I see that the model was built in the 1950's. is it possible that an I.c. motor was originally used as they were common during that period? it is possible that the shaft and/or bearings will be well worn. Grease will help but not cure the problem and will add drag and increase motor current (amps), thus reducing your sailing time. I suggest you remove the prop shaft and see if it is worn where the bearings are. if so you may be able to obtain a new complete prop shaft of the same size. if the inner shaft is is a nice fit in the original just substitute the shaft. if the original bearings are no good replace with the new bearings from the replacement shaft. They can be teased out with a blunt knife and gently use of pliers. if you hace access to a lathe or a friend with one, you could just lap the shaft and make new bearings. Good luck dave
This boat was scratch built from Harold Underhill plans, available still from Brown,Son and Ferguson. The hull was mahogany on 6mm ply frames. The engine was a Caton from Maxwell Hemmens supplied bya gas-fired Cheddar Puffin boiler. The propeller was a two inch four bladed brass job from Rivabo I think. The displacement of the boat is 25lb- a bit of a lump to carry to the water but it does work well once in the water. She has now been converted to electric using a MFA geared 540 type motor witha 7.5ah lead acid gel cell. Looking again at this video I begin to wish I had left it as steam but there is something to be said for 'switch on and go'.
I started building the boat in the mid nineties and it has now had a repaint- it always been a favourite. This video was taken in the early noughties at Crealy in Exeter.
At this time I have no idea of the weight except to say that from what I can gather from looking at the rudder that this boat seems to from the sixties/seventies, and is quite a substantial vessel.
She is undergoing a major refit.( spent the day rubbing down the inside of the hull, and removing paint from the toerail to the carlings.
This looks like being a long job.
if its "that old" and is a 60's/70's built model that had an I.C. engine fitted..
I would recommend you "glass-cloth" the outside of the hull..
models built during this period tend to have been built with bio-degradeable glue! (cascemite/ boneglue. etc.) show it water for the first time in 40 years and your boat will revert to kit status and basically become unstuck! if the wonky glue doesn't do it then the diesel/glow fuel used in the 60's will have undone all the joints from the inside-out anyway!
enjoy your restorations and read as much as you can on here
db