I like building wooden boats which have a nice turn of speed and the Lesro 34.5" Vosper crash tender fits the bill. I am using their recommended hardware with a brushless motor driving a single 40mm screw. However, I also plan to install working fire monitors mounted on servos so they can rotate. The servos are from Aquacraft in the US which, whilst not to exactly the right design, are at least roughly to scale. I also plan to include a working searchlight and running lights. Build still in its early stages and should keep me busy during the dark winter months. Any thought or advice would always be welcomed 😊 .

Decks now skinned. Next step is to install the servos to operate the rotating fire monitors. After that, the cabin roofs.

I am undecided about how to glaze the cabin windows. As the cabin sides are thick, the windows would look recessed if glazed from behind. An alternative would be to put glazing directly behind the window frames and rely on painting to hide the edges of the acrylic sheet. Any thoughts on this would be much appreciated.

Servos for the rotating fire monitors and cabin roofs now in place. I plan to use a Turnigy servo speed regulator to slow down the rotation of the fire monitors.

http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/s...Regulator.html

No idea how to wire it up so I hope it comes with instructions. The servos will be controlled by one channel with a Y connection splitting the signal between the two. I hope that the speed regulator can be inserted before the split.

The fire monitors are from Aquacraft. Obviously not to the prototypical design but reasonably to scale.

Next pteps are:
1. Smooth the decks and superstructure with sanding sealer to prepare for adding the hatches etc prior to painting.
2. Add the hatches and raised sections on the rear cabin which would then be sanding sealed.
3. Cover the exterior of the hull with fibreglass cloth and Z-poxy resin prior to adding the rubbing strakes.
4. Test for level when floating to determine the position of the battery and need for any balance weights. I have already put in a battery tray just behind where the prop shaft enters the hull but this may be too far back.

Questions:
1. The instructions with the kit show the black colour on the hull going right down the sides to the lower rubbing strake. Most models I have seen on the web show the black coming only down the water line. Which is right? The single colour on the sides would be easier to do.
2 My thoughts are now turning to installing a sound system to mimic a fire klaxon or hooter. Would the prototype have been equipped with this?

Many thanks for the advice already received on this build 😊 .

Hull now waterproofed with fibreglass cloth and Z-poxy finishing resin. Deck waterproofed using sanding sealer and lightweight tissue. With the various hatches and net rails in place, the wooden structure is complete except for the window frames which will be added after painting.

As suspected, the battery has had to be moved forward for the boat to float on the water line.

Next step will be to complete the plumbing and electrics to see if it all works. I hope to add a working siren which may be fitted where the battery was originally located. A working search light and running lights are also on the wish list.

Happy Christmas to all 😊

Getting there slowly! Painting the white waterline is the next challenge. Fire monitors rotate slowly thanks to the Turnigy servo speed reduction module. Power switch for the water pump still to be finalised. I am concerned that the feed pipes to the monitors may kink on rotation, but time will tell. Klaxon sound ready to be installed. Running lights to be fitted - these will be be controlled by an on/off switch before sailing, not by the RC.

I am not sure about the waterline being fun, Alan 😯 From the side, it appears to kink upwards as it crosses the splash rail. From a lower viewpoint, it looks a bit better.

Running lights and search light now fitted. I know they are not to scale and the light spread from the LED's is too narrow. But, once the windows are fitted, there will be no getting inside to replace the bulbs and the LED's should last much longer than the alternative grain of wheat. That is the theory, anyway!

Electrics now installed and they work! 😊 Next job is the windows. Frames already glued to the acetate so now it's a matter of careful trimming and painting of the edges before fixing in place. Frames provided in the kit for all windows except the back of the forward cabin. I will just have to try and fabricate these.

Almost there now. Just the rescue davit, the decals and the crew to complete.

Hoses in the cockpit made from 8mm flexible tube wound with string and painted black. I opted for a grain of wheat bulb for the masthead light as, whilst not a bright as the LED's elsewhere, it does give all round Illumination. Fitting was also easier as the very thin wires are ducted through a hole drilled in the mast (this is the plastic item sold in the Model Boats shop).

I am still looking for a 1/16th scale crew and any ideas would be gratefully received. Since first submitting this update, I've looked at the 1/16th scale figures from adriansfigures.com (ex George Turner) and they look massive in relation to the boat. However, looking at an Image of crew testing the fire monitors on the real thing in Southampton, they are massive in relation to the boat! Has anyone put figures on their models of this boat and, if so, were they to scale or downscaled a bit possibly to make the proportions look more realistic. if anyone has any relevant photos, that would be most helpful.

Sea trials planned for early March, if the weather warms up a bit.

Finally finished 😊 . Rescue davit pivoted so that it swivels to bring in the catch. I've decided against a scale crew because the general opinion is that it makes the boat look too small. I may try to make my own smaller figures at a later date, probably using blue polystyrene. Sea trials shortly. I will post photos of her underway.

Maiden voyage today on the lake at Black Park. Runs well but I will have to add a universal coupling to the drive train to make it quieter. Main problem is that she took on a lot of water - leaks in the hull or up the rudder or drive shafts? I will have to sort this out. Fire monitors work OK but the klaxon is inaudible once out on the lake - it might work better with a bigger speaker if I can find the space to put it. Video on U-tube at