Ever since taking Model Maker and then Model Boats I have, like many folk my age, been fond of the designs of Vic Smeed. This little boat always struck me as the kind of vessel it would be fun to spend a weekend in, poking around the estuaries and creeks of the East Coast. Of course it would be the 1950's and a woolly bobble hat and wellies would be 'de rigueur'.
The original plan was for a boat 18'' long but I have made my usual enlargement and she comes out at around 25''- probably 1:16. The boat was built in liteply and covered in tissue and dope just for the vintage feel. I wouldn't do it again as I prefer epoxy for a tough finish.
I have given Mistral, which I shall call Ant after my favourite river in the Norfolk Broads, a canvas painted deck and mahogany lining to the well. I may have gone a bit overboard with this as the weight has crept up. I like to know the displacement of boats I build before starting but with Ant it was an unknown quantity. She has a Graupner Eco 500 motor and uses a 1ah 2s lipo to save space and weight under the motor casing in the well.
Mistral had her first sail in late March, 2016 (see the photos in the slideshow below) and I think she looks lovely on the water. She sits just about on her marks with no added weight (phew!) so I got away with it. If I open her up she goes a bit like a fast electric but she'll trickle around the lake for a couple of hours on the 1ah lipo. She just needs a couple of figures to complete the picture and these will come from the old George Turner range which are now being sold as Adrian's Marine Figures.
The original plan was for a boat 18'' long but I have made my usual enlargement and she comes out at around 25''- probably 1:16. The boat was built in liteply and covered in tissue and dope just for the vintage feel. I wouldn't do it again as I prefer epoxy for a tough finish.
I have given Mistral, which I shall call Ant after my favourite river in the Norfolk Broads, a canvas painted deck and mahogany lining to the well. I may have gone a bit overboard with this as the weight has crept up. I like to know the displacement of boats I build before starting but with Ant it was an unknown quantity. She has a Graupner Eco 500 motor and uses a 1ah 2s lipo to save space and weight under the motor casing in the well.
Mistral had her first sail in late March, 2016 (see the photos in the slideshow below) and I think she looks lovely on the water. She sits just about on her marks with no added weight (phew!) so I got away with it. If I open her up she goes a bit like a fast electric but she'll trickle around the lake for a couple of hours on the 1ah lipo. She just needs a couple of figures to complete the picture and these will come from the old George Turner range which are now being sold as Adrian's Marine Figures.