Readers' Harbor

Radio Control Boat Modeler, Oct 2005

A CROW'S NEST VIEW OF WHAT OUR READERS ARE DOING

Scratch-built houseboat

John Powalski, Kenmore, NY

John's custom creation is modeled after Larry MacDonald's "The Mallard," which is one of the three Canal Princess houseboats built in Canada by Grandeur Houseboats LTD. The full-size version is 36 feet long with a 12-foot beam and has a bow thruster in the left pontoon which is made of steel. John fabricated his model's pontoons out of wood and styrene and uses a Graupner bow thruster also on the left side. His houseboat is powered by a 12V Pitman motor mounted in a Graupner outboard case. John took all of the measurements on the full-size boat and found that almost everything measured in even feet. That made the scale conversion supersimple because he used 1/12-scale (doll-house scale). Not only is the interior finished like the original, but his model also features working exterior navigation lights, interior lights and a horn. John is a member of the Buffalo Model Boat Club.

Aeromarine Laminates 50-inch Apache

Demetrious Mason, Gary, IN

Demetrious, who serves as a firefighter with the Gary, IN, fire department, built this 50-inch Apache hull with a B.H. Hanson 260 modified Zenoah engine fitted with a B.H. Hanson pipe. He says it will do at least 60mph and moves even faster on flat water. With that much speed, he knew it was important to install the right radio gear. Demetrious selected a JR Racing Rl radio with a PCM receiver and a fail-safe. He also used a ¼-scale Hitec digital servo for steering and another Hitec digital servo for throttle. His fast deep-V features all Aeromarine Laminates hardware, and Demetrious airbrushed it in his favorite F1 racing colors.

Scratch-built mahogany speedboat

Aydemir Cem Gtrgic, New York, NY

This fine woodwork looks right at home cruising the boat pond in Central Park. It was designed and handmade by Aydemir, and in addition to a lot of mahogany, the classic speedboat features handmade brass fittings as well as leather seats and working navigation and instrument panel lights. He uses a Dewalt 9.6V motor for power, and the building of this speedboat took him about nine months. It's no surprise that Aydemir is a carpenter by trade.

Custom Miss Budweiser hydroplane

Charles Holloway, Atkinson, NH

Charles started with an unassembled Dumas Miss Circus Circus kit designed to be powered by an 11cc nitro engine, but after looking over the plans, he decided that he wanted a Zenoah G-23 gas powerplant instead. This modification necessitated widening the stringers spread to 5 inches and adding ¼ inch of freeboard to the hull design. The result was the need to replace most of the die-cut kit parts such as the decking, flooring and sponsons with pieces he fabricated himself; Charles even completely scratch-built the boat's canopy. Although he's getting good speeds in his initial runs, he still experiments with 3-blade props and is consequently gaining speed.

SEND IN YOUR PHOTOS!

We encourage reader participation in Radio Control Boat Modeler; after all, it's your magazine! In "Readers' Harbor," we feature photos of your best nautical creations. Both color prints and slides are acceptable (no digital printouts, please), and digital images can be emailed to to rcboatmodeler@airage.com. If we publish your photo, you're eligible for a $500 grand prize. We'll choose a winning photo from among all those published in 2005, and we'll announce the winner early in 2006. To increase your chances of winning, take water shots without any distracting clutter in the foreground; get the whole model in the frame, and shoot the picture from a low angle. Don't photograph the boat on a cluttered workbench in your workshop! Tell us in detail what you did to your model and which special features, if any, you included. Send your entry to: Readers' Harbor, Radio Control Boat Modeler, 100 East Ridge, Ridgefield, CT 06877-4606 USA.