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?

Please see my previous post for the story so far. Photo 1 shows my Lifeboat with its first paintjob and on its first sea trial on King Lear's lake, Watermead Country Park, Leicestershire. Photo 2 shows the boat with its completed paintjob and handrails having been fitted bought from Speedline models which are made of pewter so can be straightened it accidently bent. Photo 3 shows my Lifeboat on its first official outing at the Midlands Model Lifeboat Show at Dudley in May 2008. My crew have now been added also bought from Speedline Models 1/12th scale as they are the best quality resin cast figures I have seen. Strictly speaking they are too moderned dressed but I like the quality so I decided to fit them. The last photo shows it loving the rough seas again at King Lear's Lake at times having 10 to 12 inch waves.
Marie (alias Mrs Froggyt996)

This is one of the Aerokits models, however it has recently been stripped down to the wood to apply a fibreglass coating.

These video clips show the boat undergoing trials before being completly re-fitted.

Model Aerokits Fire Tender built up over the last few years. (You may have seen the "Find Bob" competition on this site and incase your wondering, Bob is the character operating the water monitor!

For more useless information you may be interested to know how he got his name? To get straight to the point his head is spring loaded!

This is one of the old aerokits models, it was only partly built when I had it at first (the hull only) but four years on and it works great. The added features are a water pump, which, yes is most definitely more fun! Also a horn from action kit, some say they are not as good as jjc-electronics, but in my experience it is great, I have also added L.E.D. lights shown here and the latest addition is the voice box (as I call it), great fun.

The hull of this model was my own design in 2004 and was sailed for 2 years, and then a new upper decks and battery system were added during the winter of 2005. The hull performed well enough but my original cabin design was too crude to keep.

The boat shown here depicts my effort to copy a 1958 ChrisCraft Cabin Cruiser at a scale of 1" = 1'.

The hull is 1/8" thick pine planks on frames with hand cut Walnut decking and 3/16" Walnut cabin sides. No epoxy or glass was used on the hull - just a good paint job.

The big change was to replace a bulky & heavy 12VDC leac acid battery with 9 AA dry cells connected in series. Bathtub testing indicated I could expect about 2 hours running time at full speed and that estimate was about right. A Dumas 12VDC motor and mechanical speed control were used with a JR XR 2 control.

The reduction in battery weight made a very large speed and appearance difference. Availability of the AA cells was an economic plus.

John called this model "Nancy Dancer". it started of with plans from 'Nexus Plans Service' for Vic Smeed's 'Vivacity'. John used the hull only plans and created everything else himself. it ended up LOA 49" with a beam of 17". With the 12VDC battery the weight came to 23 1/2#.

Because of his basic 'Sedan Cruiser' he designed all the mechanicals and electricals beneath the main cabin floor, including the battery. There was quite a bit of detail put into the main cabin - unfortunately not shown in the photos - including a galley, eating area, furniture and the helmsman's station. The scale is 1" = 1ft.

This hull is plank on frame using 1/8" pine planks. Below the waterline there's epoxy & glass and above there is just epoxy. All the brightwork, cabin housing & decks is natural Cherry with a clear urethane finish.

The power is a Dumas 12VDC motor with a mechanical speed control. The bottom photo shows that he added a 2:1 gearbox to the motor and ran it in reverse to increase the prop RPMs. He also included a constant running fan to cool the motor due to the confinement of the space.

The single propellor is 2" - 2 pitch - 3 bladed bronze. As on all his models he used a 2 channel JR XR2 75 mhz.