If any of you were wondering why I have this insatiable urge to create stuff, it's probably in my blood. In his spare time my Father used to spend hours making the most inticate and lifelike model trainsets I have ever seen.
Unfortunately, after a long battle with cancer he died a couple of years ago, and it was while I was rooting around in my parents loft just after his death that I found a remote controlled boat he made for me as a boy. Like most of my father's projects the ship was mainly his own creation, wood decking and cabin area with a fibreglass hull. I made a promise to myself that it would one day take to the water again and hopefully my kids would get as much enjoyment sailing her as I did as a yong boy.
I must have been six when my father built her, and the last time we took it out must have been about 30 years ago. I remember it's maiden voyage like it was yesterday. With so many years gone by the boat was in pretty poor condition. The ship was fithly from being in an attic for so long, the batteries were long gone, as was the rear mast, the lifeboat gear was damaged and the electronics were shot.
After sitting in my loft for a year I finally decided to get to work at restoring the old girl. The first thing I did was take her to our local Model specialist for advice, where the staff instantly took a very keen interest in her restoration. To my amazement, when they attached the engine to a power supply it whirred into action. They told me that my father had used some of the best components available at the time and that most of the important stuff was still usable. She did'nt leak and all I needed to do was to install new servos and batteries and away she would go... So they supplied me with all of the parts I needed, they even through in a lighting pack for free.
This wekend she was finally ready. God blessed us with a beautiful English summers day and me and the kids went to the local lake (where they just happen to have a remote controlled boat club with a hut and a cafe where they make the meanest cooked breakfast). With batteries fully charged, and good for at least a couple of hours, I delicately placed her in the water and gently applied the throttle... It was a beautiful moment I can tell you, it brought back so many wonderful memories, and seeing my kids enjoying taking turns was a very proud moment...
She's now back at home taking pride of place in the kids playroom (next to the Millennium Falcon of course).
Here she is pre restoration:
And here she is back on the water in all her glory...
