Radio Control Boat Modeler: Skippers' projects

-A crow's-nest view of what our readers are doing

Double Cat

This beautiful catamaran sailboat is the work of Bob Earley of Oshawa, Ontario, Canada. The product of two years' work, "Double the Fun" started as a kit. The materials were not acceptable to Bob, so he used only the hulls and scratch-built everything else. The model is 5 feet long, 34 inches in the beam and 8 feet tall. Bob gives credit to Bob Boaty and Bob Sterne for the sails. The mast is made of lh-inch-o.d., 6061 T-6 aluminum tube, and the deck and cockpit are planked with mahogany strips. Cherny-wood trim is used on the decks, stern stairs and handrails. An Airtronics radio with a whip antenna keeps the cat under control.

Hybrid Blackjack

Frank Kastler of Clinton Twp., MI, scratch-built this impressive-looking model, which. he calls "Twenty One." Construction is of balsa and plywood, and the mono-look model has rear sponsons that make it a hybrid hydro. Power comes from an AstroFlight motor, and a Tekin 432 speed controller manages the power of 12 cells. An Octura prop and hardware finish the package.

Arizona Seguin

Harry Carroll of Phoenix, AZ, built this model of a Midwest Products Seguin tugboat. It is powered by an MEPS-II motor and speed controller and has two, 7-cell 8.4V Ni-Cd packs. Only one battery is used at a time; when one runs down, Harry flips a switch and runs on the second pack. Construction took six months.

Tangerine Dream

Bob MacDuffee of Gold River, CA, sent in this photo of his 56-inch Aeromarine Laminates boat he calls "Tangerine Dream.' The model is painted in orange pearl and is powered by a Quickdraw 35cc gas engine. Hardware comes from International R/C and consists of a surface-drive unit and a rudder. Bob runs a Prather 270 prop and uses a Futaba radio for control.

Aluminum Airboat

Don Cannon of Sutherlin, OR, scratch-built this flat-bottom airboat/swamp buggy entirely from 0.032-inch aircraft aluminum. The hull is assembled with over 400 solid rivets. The model is powered by a 16cc Homelite gas engine turning two 15x8 props (criss-crossed in a 4-blade configuration). The boat weighs 25 pounds and goes at a realistic, scale-like speed.

Catch the Tide

This 1994, scale, unlimited Tide racer is the work of Mark Hull of Ventura, CA. Powered by an 11cc inboard K&B engine and controlled by a Futaba radio, the hull is made of epoxy resin and laminated fiberglass. The tub is from Kevin Smith Products, and the cowl is from Steve Cluck. Mark gives credit to his teammate John Willemsen for helping with much of the machining needed to complete the model. The finish is urethane and enamel with a Marhide clearcoat.

Boothbay Lobster Boat

This well-done Midwest Boothbay lobster boat is the work of Ed Mervine of Oswego, NY. The boat is powered by a Midwest motor and a 12V Ni-Cd pack, and the speed controller comes from MCD. Ed added many special touches, including functional doors, hatches, running lights and a searchlight and authentic engine sounds generated by a RAm sound generator. The model operates very realistically.

Do-Yat's Tunnel

Randy Doy-Yat of Carleton Place, Ontario, Canada, built this 48-inch-long DPI Leisure Sport Seebold tunnelhull, and he powers it with a 13cc K&B outboard engine. Randy uses a J-Pipe and an Octura X450 prop and gets about 47mph on 40-percentnitro fuel. Randy belongs to the Ottawa Remote Control Club and has won numerous races with this 1/4-scale tunnel in the past three years.

His "Body Guard"

Abdul Osman of Sarawak, East Malaysia, scratch-built this Formula 1 tunnelhull, which runs consistently at about 50mph. The model is powered by a stock 11cc KB outboard engine turning a Prather 235 prop. Abdul says that the model is a scaled-down version of the full-size, Johnson SST 60-powered one that he used to race.

Radioactive Deep-Vee

This 52-inch mono belongs to Jerry Wilson of Ypsilanti, MI. The Radioactive Hobbies deep-vee is powered by a 30cc Pro-Race Homelite gas engine and includes a big-bore carb, tuned exhaust pipe and Octura offset-rudder, surfacedrive unit Jerry likes to run a Prather B 280 prop, and he uses an Airtronics XL2P radio with a high-torque steering servo. Finish is white gelcoat and custom graphics.