Messing about with boats

[Gary Parker]

Hello All - I joined the Intlwaters.com Forum primarily to get some info on a tunnel hull with 3.5 cc outboard. One of the guys, who was kind enough to gently steer me in the right direction, has asked me about my other boats so I thought I should properly introduce myself.

I do not race, I do not belong to a rc model boat club and my rc activity is solely for my own entertainment. Everything I know about rc boats (which is not very much) I have gleaned from the internet or by looking and doing on my own boat.

I got into rc boats because I have always enjoyed fishing and boating (especially wooden boats) but unfortunately a prolonged recovery from a bout of ill health has prevented me from enjoying these activities for some time. As I progressed with my recovery I decided that working (tinkering) and using (playing) with an rc boat might "scratch the itch" of no full size boating and give me another interest/pastime. I am lucky enough to be retired and living in a beautiful part of Queensland, Australia about 600m (650 yards) from a smooth water estuary. I was a banker for 28 years and then, in a perfectly normal career transition, a professional golf caddy for the next 10+ years before full retirement.

The first boat I purchased was 60" wooden V hull powered by a chinese 26cc petrol zenoah clone that was complete except for a transmitter/receiver. The guy that built it scaled up a set of 36" plans and he did a really nice job. I read all I could about rc boats and replaced the carb, tidied up the fuel/ water lines and the steering/throttle linkages and built a new (more sporty) top. The boat can still convert from a sports cruiser to a "Cigarette" style racing boat with a simple change of top.

Early on I figured that if the rc boat was difficult to transport (it won't easily fit into a normal car) then it wouldn't get much use so based on my full size boat experience I built a wooden trolley/trailer that I can push down the road, across the foreshore and to the water's edge. I seem to get more comments about the trailer than I do about the boat.

With one boat squared away all you can do is move onto number 2. My number 2 was an unloved chinese, f/glass, 48" trimaran powered by a 26cc CPV petrol engine. The boat was beset with lots of issues primarily because I think the manufacturer designed the boat for an electric motor and then someone had the bright idea to "shoe horn" a 2 stroke motor into it. I removed the engine to put different mounts in place and then reworked the steering and throttle linkages. The boat still looks more striking (some love it - some hate it) than it performs.

Now I am in the early stages of number 3 an old 28" wooden aquacraft tunnel hull with a 3.5 thunder tiger nitro outboard and trying to learn a whole new set of rc stuff.

Here are a few photos of number 1 and number 2 -thanks for reading and good boating. Gary Parker

 

[Wasted wages]

Those are quite large !! I can see why you decided to build a trailer/trolley... I like the idea of a replaceable top too! Changes the entire look of the boat.... pretty cool.

You know, so many of us that race, rarely give a second look to other aspects of our hobby.
There truly is no right or wrong way to become involved in our sport. It's fun to see someone enjoying boats with respect to what works for them. It's not all about racing!

It's very clear to me that you have invested a lot of time and effort to be able to enjoy your boats and came up with a way to get them to the water...and in style !!!

Welcome aboard!

 

[Rod Fonda]

Yeah Gary,,nice job on the boats and trailers,,showing your building/tinkering skils,as most of the guys that are engine heads and race, are usually engineers/mechanics,,,,that unloved Chinese canard/trimaran thing looks interesting,,havn't seen anything like that besides the old Wizard canard I used to see back in the day

 

[Gary Parker]

Thanks Frank and Rod
I asked the guy who built the mono why he made it so big when he was apparently selling it to me because it was too large for his new apartment. Turns out he built the boat while he was living at Airlie Beach in Far North Queensland and decided to scale it up because the bay he was intending to run it in was full of crocodiles !

As for the trimaran I have to admit I watched the second hand ad and photos for the "perfect trident power" boat for nearly 2 months while trying to decide if I liked it or not. Finally came down to a price I was happy to pay and when I picked it up I loved it.

 

[Michael Lewis]

Welcome Gary, love the deep vee and the other cowl. Makes it look like a fishing boat. The canard is also cool looking, but as far as the crocs go I don't think I would get in the retrieval boat to go after a boat. Great looking boats. Michael

 

[Wasted wages]

Gary, Looking at your pictures, I noticed there are two rudders on the Canard that don't appear to have any linkage arms for steering...

Sure would be cool if you could post up some more pictures of both of your boats and some interior pictures of the motors and drives, steering setup's etc...

would also like to see your method of switching the two tops for the 60" and the structure of both.

 

[Gary Parker]

Hi Frank - conventional steering rod on the Canard - it's just hard to see because the transom is set under a projection from the hull.
Another view here
Engine bay is so tight I had to drill an access hole in the hull top to get an allen key in to tighten a carb bolt
mono hull on the other hand has tons of room - I lift it from the trailer or the water with one hand under the front of the motor and gather the white cords into the other hand - keeps me away from the hot pipe !
same steering set up as the canard
the tops have a 1.5mm thick crescent shaped "blade" on the front that fits into a cavity built up on the deck
here's the "blade" on a new top I'm working on
the tops sit on a thin rail inside a moulding that runs around the deck you can see in the cavity photo and here
the sports cruiser top is fitted by inserting the blade and positioning tabs in adjoining holes in the rail whereas my "cigarette" to is fitted by inserting the blade and positioning a "stop" block on the rear
the stop block sits against the back of the frame you can see in the steering set up photo and can't go anywhere

I have cut holes for the aerial and to stick my finger in to operate the kill switch.
Interchangeable tops work great - it's like owning many boats instead of one. I still can't get over how the hull appears to be a different shape when you put on a different top !

 

[Gary Parker]

Hey Michael - no retrieval boat for me. I operate my boats for fun in the shallows at high tide in an estuary 650 yards from my house. If they were to die unexpectedly or lose radio control I can walk to collect them in no more than knee deep water for hundreds of yards. No crocs in our bay and the water outside the main channels is too shallow (I hope) for bull sharks. Have almost stood on large stingrays now and then which does make you jump and say Crikey !

 

[Gary Parker]

Frank - I just found this another photo that shows the top during construction.

 

[Wasted wages]

Those are so cool!!! I can't believe how big the 60" boat looks,,, especially looking down inside and the motor looks like .67 in a mono..

Makes your motor look tiny!!!

Very nice work on the hull and the tops, have you thought about scaling out the interior of the cabin cruiser top and the cigarette top to be lifelike ? I bet the cabin cruiser would look great with a lot of fishing outriggers, rails, flying bridge, and some scale baitwells, coolers, a fighting chair etc ..

The cigarette top could be done to look like an offshore racer or weekend cruiser... seats, dashboard, steering wheel, throttles etc...

I'm good at making work for you huh ??

 

[Gary Parker]

I have thought about it Frank but I have to sometimes remind myself not to confuse ambition with ability !
At the end of the day I just enjoy watching and listening to the boats (as they are) running, turning and handling under my very amateur rc driving attempts. They look and sound great in the water and they are fast enough for me.
Job done !