My Passion for Boat Building Part Four

1999 to 2003

Lowestoft Trawler

When I retired in 1999 I stopped racing model power boats as you need very fast reactions which tend to slow with age so I concentrated on building more sedate form of model boats running at scale speeds..

I built a scale model of a Lowestoft Trawler in 1962 which was displayed in the The Lowestoft Maritime Museum, when it was retuned to me in 1999 I converted it to a Radio control model with a 6V geared electric geared motor.

Steam Launch Miranda

My next model was a Edwardian Thames Steam Launch Miranda with a scratch built twin oscillating steam engine & boiler which was featured in the Model Boats Magazine in October 2003 this was carvel plank on frame with reclaimed mahogany from old window frames.

Links to videos of both boats test runs in my neighbours 15ft dia swimming pool.

http://youtu.be/wfZ_e8zctdU   Miranda Steam Launch video

http://youtu.be/Ku7yyfSuApQ   Lowestoft Trawler video

Author
By Mike Brown
Page added
10/01/2013

Comments about this page

  • Hi Mike: The word “passion” very aptly describes your “working model” boats.The attention to detail and resourseful selection of materials is very evident. Some, if not all, of your collection must have historic value too? I have a friend who’s “hobby” is model boats, I will show your pictures and videos to him. Congratulations on such a worthwhile project.!!

    By Gerald Hudson (12/01/2013)

  • Hi Mike , Thanks for putting this series of your ‘ passion for boat-building’ onto the Archive. I’m a complete technophobe but the dedication,expertise and sheer craftmanship has me in awe!

    By Graham Stevens (13/01/2013)

  • Thank’s Gerald, I was told that the Maritime Section of The National Science Museum was closing, if so I would have liked my model to be returned so I contacted the Curator to find out this was his reply; Thank you for your email dated 14th September 2011 with regards to the possibility that the Science Museum holds within its collections a model of the Shearwater 111 catamaran. I have conducted several reviews of the Museum?s inventory. I have been able to locate the following object: Rigged model of a double-hull catamaran, “Shearwater III” (register No.S 111 ). (Inventory number 1958-242) This object is currently on display within the Science Museum?s Shipping Gallery; should you wish to view it please visit the Museum during normal opening hours ? 10am to 6pm, last entry 5.15pm, Monday to Sunday, except 24th to 26th December. At present there are plans to remove the Shipping Gallery. The Gallery will be closed to the public in c.May 2012. The new exhibition space is scheduled to open sometime in 2014. A final decision on where objects currently displayed in the Shipping Gallery will be stored has yet to be made. It is most likely objects will be placed in secure Museum storage (they will be accessible to the public upon request), rotated into another relevant Museum Gallery or loaned to another institution for public display. I trust this information easies some of the concerns you may have. Should you have any further questions relating to the above object and its future storage/display status then please feel free to contact me again closer to the planned gallery closure date. It should be noted that at anyone time approximately 93 to 95 per cent of the Museum?s objects are held within secure Museum storage. These objects are accessible for viewing upon request and the Museum makes every effort to rotate objects into permanent or temporary exhibits. Rory Cook Corporate Information and Enquiries Officer Science Museum

    By Mike Brown (13/01/2013)

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