PT 109 was one of the hundreds of motor torpedo boats (PT) of the PT 103 class completed between 1942 and 1945 by Elco Naval Division of Electric Boat Company at Bayonne, New Jersey. The Elco boats were the largest in size of the three types of PT boats built for U.S. use during World War II. Wooden-hulled, 80 feet long with a 20-foot, 8-inch beam, the Elco PT boats had three 12-cylinder Packard gasoline engines generating a total of 4,500 horsepower for a designed speed of 41 knots. With accommodations for 3 officers and 14 men, the crew varied from 12 to 14. its full-load displacement was 56 tons. Early Elco boats had two 20mm guns, four .50-caliber machine guns, and two or four 21-inch torpedo tubes. Some of them carried depth charges or mine racks. Later boats mounted one 40mm gun and four torpedo launching racks. Many boats received ad-hoc refits at advanced bases, mounting such light guns as Army Air Forces 37mm aircraft guns and even Japanese 23mm guns. Some PTs later received rocket launchers.
This Proboat PT 109 model was brought in 2013 for £100 these boats are rare now, This one had a few faults with the propshafts they were bent and noisy both were replaced, with quality 4mm shafts, motors twin 600s were also replaced by Graupner versions along with mounts and couplings, basically all the running gear, also two ESCs by Aquapower were added and a 2.4G RC system.
I’ve never seen such a motley crew ... other than on my tugboat. Photo to follow. Ha! in addition the Junk is really a sight to behold and enjoyed by members and the public alike.
So glad to have this scrollsaw in the shop which has made cutting the bottom boards a very easy task. I cut the chines from Ash using this saw too with a fine blade. Look closely and there is a plexiglass cover on the table to give me a zero clearance around the blade hole, thus keeping small parts from falling under the table. A shop vac is attached to draw away the fine dust that this machine produces. My lungs are greatful too.🤓
This is my replica model of the Sirius Star designed by Max Coote of Ripmax, around 1954.
I found the drawings on the internet, and built the model from scratch. The boat is 41" and I have fitted an electric motor taken from a childs ride on car, 50 amp Chinese controller, 50mm prop, and 12 volt 7 amp lead acid battery.
It also has a Murco diesel fitted in the wheel house to give the boat a 50's appearance!
Sea trials soon!
MR ROWEY MADE THIS A VERY LONG TIME AGO THE MECHANISM THAT WORKS THE PADDLES IS MADE FROM A WASHING MACHINE TIMER WORKS WELL ON THE WATER . AND YOU CAN JUST SEE HiS MATE INSIDE WITH HiM EDD THE DUCK THAT HE USELESSLY DRAGS ROUND WITH HiM.
Interesting to see this model We used to have a visitor who had made a similar rowing model. I believe he used Meccano parts and springs.
It would be interesting to see the workings of your model. You could post in the build blog with some pics.
Posts will be easier for members to read if you don't use all capitals, please.
My latest scratch build a junk cedar plank on frame /draft film mast cranked controlled,
crew ex footballers , wearing masking tape clothes , false keel fitted when sailed ,
cheers Larry..
HI Fellow Enthusiasts
These pictures show my scratch built RAF Air Sea Rescue launch 2507. it was built using my own scaled up planes over the period July 2006 to August 2008. its approx. 4 feet long by 11 inch wide and stands 24 inch high.
The boat has twin Johnson brushed electric drives via 2.5/1 reduction gearboxes with three bladed 40 mm brass props. The speed controllers being 15 amp Electronize supplied from 4.5 amp D cells made into a 12 volt battery pack.
The boat sound system consists of a Diesel sound generator and machine guns being fired by an electronic ring counter circuit that allows the guns to fire individually or together depending on their selection via a diode network. The unit is switched on and off via a Electonize switch unit that also switches the boats lighting system on and off.
All the special fixtures required for this model being self made this includes the figures found on and in the boat. The basic figures are usually obtained from car boot sales or the local ÂA£ shop for next to nothing and then modified to the model boats requirements.
Launch 2507 was commanded by F/O W. Garret who reputedly made the most northerly pick up on the 26th June 1944 for the crew of a downed Catalina, for this action he was awarded a M.B.E. The Catalina pilot F/Lt. Horner R.C.A.F. died of exposure and was awarded a posthumous V.C.
I hope you enjoyed the pics and information.
Regards
GreyWolf
Many many thanks for your most welcome Pictures and the very welcome advice ,I started this time last year2011 and then found out I was 4inches short for one sixteenth and having built the hull abanded it and never got started again. Built I'm trying to start now but I'm having problems with my computer, need to sort that out first. But I've been down abit too and your kind letter to me has bucked me up too. I've seen the films and get them up on the computer now and then. I've corrected my plans for one sixteenth and I've also started on a set of Plans to make a one sixteenth Whaleback as per the Airfix model, only I was thinking of it when the local Paper had an articule about a local man's Granddaughter did a project for WW2 in her school across the road from where we live and her teacher aproched her Mum about this project and found out that her Dad had written his life on Whaleback's in the North Sea and English Channel and it had been in her loft for sometime So the teacher asked if she could get it published which she did and the process went to re-roof the school, I've forgotten the name but when I find it I will let you know. But many many thanks for geeing me up and just feeling sory in general Thanks "Grey Wolf" 😟 👋
Scoter was built from a Dumas kit ordered from America. it is a planked hard-chine boat reperesenting an East Coast fishing cruiser, She is 2 feet long with a Graupner Speed 500 motor running on 7.2 volts through an MTroniks 10A ESC. The crew are from George Turner Models, 1:12 scale resin figures.
Steam launch designed and built by me. I used a computer program called Plyboats to design it and it is a double chine ply hull. The power plant is a twin cylinder Cheddar engine, the Pelican I believe, which was a vee twin. The boiler was designed and built by me being a 3'' dia vertical firetube, gas fired.
This video was taken at Crealy in Exeter one summer evening in 2003 as a fairly new boat. She is now in need of a little TLC.
I rescued my PT Boat from EBAY in August 2005. it was owned by a young boy in Birmingham whose Dad had built if for him. it is an original Aerokits kit Fast Patrol Boat. When I bought the boat it had a sound hull with a few damaged fittings, which I removed. Since then I have made new guns, extended the front cabin to carry the life raft to make it look like a late World War II Elco PT Boat and added other new fittings.
I have made 6 working exhausts in brass tubing, have fitted a new open prop shaft running an Octura race prop and a Merco 61 glow engine. it still needs torpedos, guard rails around the machine gun turrets and a few other fittings. The number 349 is from an original Pacific Theatre 80' Elco PT Boat whose name in Bee Bee, which I hope to add at a later date.
I have also painted it in an original Pacific Theatre camouflage from a PT Boat book which I bought for reference and to make it look like a standoff scale model. This boat was also photographed by the local Burton Upon Trent newspaper at the Fireboat day in September 2006. I ran this boat at the Burton Model Boat Club's Fireboat day in September 2006 briefly until I broke the exhaust manifold and had to retire it early.
