Radio-Control Model Boating
This has been a hobby of John's for years, on and off. Now that Daniel's getting old enough, the time has come to resurrect those RC urges.Ripmax Tug Boat
We've recently purchased a Ripmax Carlson tug-boat, from Kellers in Norwich.
The hull is constructed from two plastic moulds that have already been welded together. Bits of velcro are provided to join the plastic superstructure mouldings to the deck. The only timeconsuming and slightly tricky bit is applying the stickers, which need to be peeled off one at a time, dipped in water and positioned. The stickers do seem to work, though; they stick fast once they've dried out.
It has full RC capability, with a rudder servo and fully variable electronic speed control.
It comes complete with a 6V 4AH lead-acid battery that powers everything inside the boat, and a single-stage mains battery charger to provide an overnight charge.
The boat is highly manoeuverable, and it can turn in around 4 feet of water. At full throttle it creates a nice bow-wave that is kept off the deck by a lip running around the edge; a very nice design!
The RC gear has good range, with the boat running at least 70 metres away across open, flat water without a hint of loss of signal.
The only problem with it is that when the battery starts to run low, the motor cuts out at full throttle. The problem gets worse as the battery weakens, of course.
Boating at Eaton Lake
[27 Mar 2006]
This is in Norwich - a great big lake with a fine array of scratch-built craft wheeled out every Sunday morning.
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