Scratch built to 1/24th scale this is a model of a famous coastal barge built in 1904 at Mistley for the Horlock fleet. Sailed to victory in the1928 Thames Barge Match with Chub Horlock at the helm she won five "firsts" in her one race - a feat never achieved before or since. You can read about this exciting race in Chub's biography "Mistley Man's Log". S.b.VIGILANT can now be seen at Topsham in Devon where she is under extensive restoration.
Damon, I suggest you look at the website of AMBO - the Association of Model Barge Owners for more information also the excellent site of Ivorbittle.co.uk where you will find all the information you are likely to need about building a model barge. incidentally its the sails that are radio controlled on my model, not the mast! it is flat bottomed but has a detachable keel weighing 3kg. The overall weight is 6kg. Good hunting!
1mtr yacht Oscar from PJ Wiles given to me by a friend old design but still competitive it will be getting stripped down & given a new coat of paint
I,m thinking of buying the new design 1mtr Toscar from PJ Sails
Belle Margot was a birthday present from my wife I was not happy with the sails this model came with so I made a new set and put lead shot for ballast & put combing around the deck hatch she sails well with no ingress of water
the wood mast / boom were replaced with aluminium tube yokes made from aluminium new planked oak deck combing around the deck hatch the sails come off for transporting to the lake
My latest project, started 1st nov 2014, designed by W J Daniels in Oct 1953 for the Magazine, Model Maker. Plan No. MM284. Featured in "The Model Maker Magazine" October 1953. Classified as a R36R. Purchased plans and magazine on internet. Now finished and sails very well. Had to increase rudder downwards and fix foresail boom to stop it kicking up.
Designed by Vic Smeed in 1966 for the Magazine, Model Maker. Plan No. MM1048. Bought plans from Member and decided to build it as an upgrade to Wee Nip I.e. one sail to two sails. Sailed well. in strong wind had problems with mainsail so fitted a kicking strap which really made a difference.
Scale 3/4" to the foot. Acquired the fibre glass hull and the original plans from Alan Hill . Designed by Alan Hill in 1974 to be made in Ferrocement based on traditional Bawley hull design and sail plan. Seven boats were built by Ferro Marine Services Burnham-on-Crouch.
Model Scale 3/8"to the foot - Fell in love with hull design and just had to build it. Plans were from the book Sailing Trawlers by Edgar J. March Lent to me by Becky, Master of the Thames Barge Cabby.
Hull hollowed out and some bits from a static display model, based on several photo's of Greek fishing boats, Fish boxes from Coffee shop stirrers, Fish from long grain rice, Crew from Pound shop (Soldiers chopped & reshaped. ) She sails fairly well on first trial at Weymouth & Portland MBC, Miles Cross Farm lake .
Spec: M'tronics Vision 400 brushed motor, M'tronics 15a ESC, 12v SLA battery, 3 blade 30mm Prop. with Led Navigation and deck lights.
Found this Dense block of foam, floating in local Ashton Canal, whilst sailing other boats with my brother, whilst rescue a stuck boat from the reeds, in 1996 was temporarily on the dole at the time, struck by her Landing craft shape on turning it over plus realised I could carve it like wood, later using my bits box, after carving a couple of box shaped groves, for battery, motors and rc equipment, literal rammed a prop shaft, and rudder shaft through hull, and fashioned some balsa sheet into superstructure suitable camouflaged , I had a "US Army Vietnamese River Craft" of sorts and with its 1 1/2 to 2" thick Hull virtually unsinkable, hence its name :-). Here she is in 2000 sailing at Ethrow Park. May in the future alter her superstructure, she makes a handy towing barge for both mine and my brothers Tug Boats, and if rc left connected can even act as rescue boat if they pack up or get weeded up :-) - Have delete this from You Tube and replaced with slightly clearer version, but it seems to be still working here mysteriously, may cease working eventually, new version above :-)
Purchased this from Ashton Model Shop at it closing down sale, what a sad time that was, been used using it man and boy, Airfix kits were 2 old shillings 10NP to 12s and 6d (62.5NP) Boeing Superfortess, mind you pocket money was 5/- (25p,) then when old enough got a Paperboys job 13 shillings a 6 day week (65NP), extra for Sunday. Back to the TID she sailed brilliantly all session at Ethrow Park. That is until run down by my Brother David's yacht, even though I'd moved it to what I thought was safe distant, power giving way to sail etc, when he tacked straight into her, tried to dodge but TID not the fastest of the mark. He swiftly got the rescue boat out and after two attempts we got it back, a quick rush to parks gents and a blow over of ESC and receiver with electric hand drier, soon had her running again, but still need a scrub to rid her of lake silt :-)
My scatch built 200th scale model of a KVG V class Battle Ship, the Duke of York. Based 0n 1/720th Revel plastic kit, 30 years old. First sail after a "refit" after being laid up in Garden shed for 10 or so years, fortunately was not as damaged as the Bismark store in same shed, as it was in a drier part of a leaky shed, just replaced some decking (with plastic sheet), added some missing small armament, lockers, Gun directors, Walrus Sea Plane etc I'd left of earlier model. She was original powered by 4 - 540 size motors, running 2mm Props (.50p each those where the days), upgraded her to run two on just twin props (4mm), leaving outer pair as dummies, may re connect at a later date. Brought her electrics upto 2.4 Ghz standard. Sailed well very steady on this her first sail after refit, at Ethrow Park.
