Ship modeling was popular back in Soviet times, young craftsmen of those times competed with each other to find the best parts. The winners, of course, were friends of practical engineers, radio amateurs and TV technicians, who had access to a wide variety of components, often bypassing specialized stores. Now, with the advent of online markets for all sorts of things at reasonable prices from the Middle Kingdom, the search for parts and components has faded into the background, and the creation of models is more subordinate to the imagination and skill of the author.
A little about creating models
For a first attempt, it would be wiser to find detailed drawings and instructions for building a RC boat and stick to them, but for experienced boat builders, choosing a prototype or original body design will be more of a problem than maintaining buoyancy and steering the model. There are options to quickly create a water toy from a piece of foam and a couple of food containers. The appearance of such products is far from ideal, but the characteristics are quite worthy. It is necessary to decide in advance what goals the creation of a mini-boat pursues, whether this will be entertainment for a child for a couple of days off,a full-fledged model of an existing boat for exhibitions, a copy for special competitions or a home-made boat for baiting fish and other tasks. Based on the tasks assigned to the product, it is necessary to determine which parameters play an important role, and which can be neglected for the sake of more important ones.
Learning to swim
The main characteristic for any water transport is buoyancy, this quality is achieved in two ways: using materials that are lighter than water, or creating a container protected from sea water. A homemade plywood boat can combine both methods of maintaining a craft on the water. When creating underwater vehicles, the calculation of buoyancy and the implementation of its control will become one of the most time-consuming processes for the master. For surface vehicles, detailed calculations and tests are not so important; you can check the buoyancy in the bathroom while the home-made boat is still at the manufacturing stage. The very ability of the apparatus to stay afloat can be estimated “by eye” during design. The ready-made schemes in the catalogs are tried and tested in practice, so when assembling according to a template, you can trust the description.
No rolls
Together with buoyancy, a home-made boat must be stable on waves and when moving. The most important role in holding the position is played by the shape of the body. In order to increase stability, the hull shape can be chosen as a flat-bottomed version or a very stable use case.catamaran - double hull. For narrow models, a shift in the center of gravity below the waterline is suitable, for this purpose a massive keel is made or the heaviest parts, such as a battery and a motor, are placed in the lower part of the bottom. During movement, the streamlined symmetrical shape of the boat also increases stability and allows you to maintain direction in the face of extraneous obstacles such as wind and current. It is possible to use additional weights to equalize the roll.
Size matters
Do not ignore such an important characteristic as size. If for smaller copies of real ships the dimensions will depend on the details, then a home-made radio-controlled boat for water competitions should have a minimum size for the sake of streamlining and speed. For the first trial products of beginner ship modellers, the size is absolutely not important, these products will be modified or completely redone more than once if the hobby is to your liking. The situation is more complicated with fishing, where the size of the vessel depends entirely on the tasks. Given the open waters, the danger of being attacked by fish and the challenge of transporting cargo through the water, fishermen should not neglect the size and strength.
Water protection
The use of electric drives in modern floating devices implies at least splash protection. By using materials lighter than water at the base of the enclosure and by placing electrical devices and connections above the water line, such protection may beenough. It is possible to use a home-made boat in rainy weather with a metal hull or the location of the motor and wires below the waterline, only after making sure that it is completely tight. Violation of this rule can lead to the failure of the boat right in the middle of the reservoir, which, in turn, can lead not only to breakage, but to the complete loss of the floating toy.
Propeller, underwater blades or water jet?
The choice of driving force is also very important. If for exhibition and decorative models everything is determined by a real sample, then for other products the choice is quite large. Aerodynamic models are suitable for entertainment, and besides, there is no need for good sealing: all electrical and running parts of the structure can be placed out of reach of water. For durable speedboats, hydrodynamic systems are more suitable. Waterjet engines are usually somewhat more expensive and more difficult to install, so most modelers prefer classic engines with a direct transfer of rotational momentum to the underwater propeller blades. Such systems require additional waterproofing of the transmission shaft passing through the housing outward directly into the water.
Swimming is nonsense, the main thing is maneuvers
Rephrasing a well-known expression, we have come to one of the most important parameters of water transport - the realization of the possibility of changing the trajectory of movement. Turns for different systems do not differ that much, for example, a steerable blade at the stern of the boat can serve as a rudder for mostmodels. For models of sufficient width and catamaran-type hulls, two engines with separate control can be provided, which will allow you to turn, turning them on separately. It is possible to provide for the rotation of the main screw, this option is easiest to install on a home-made boat with an aerodynamic system.
And instead of a heart - a fiery motor
The parameters of the main engine are extremely important in the manufacture of any boats. Exhibition models, pleasing to the eye, which in their entire beautiful and long life can be launched only a few times, should not be equipped with powerful engines with an extended resource. Economical units of medium and low power will suffice, after all, movement on water is a secondary task for such exhibits of a personal collection. Another thing is racing boats and angler's assistants, where the choice of motors needs to be approached much more seriously. Racing homemade boats, the photos of which are presented in the article, have engines of impressive power.
Batteries
Wind power is good for sailboats, but powerboats need something more reliable. Given radio control and other features, the use of electric batteries and accumulators has become a ubiquitous rule for a floating vehicle of this size. The capacity of the batteries may depend on the price, the carrying capacity of the hull and the power of the engines and other equipment installed on the homemade RC boat. Do not forget about the control panel,which will also require a separate power supply. Installing solar panels on deck can significantly increase the life of the boat before recharging, but such power sources will greatly affect the overall price of the product.
Radio range and more
This parameter can be key for fishermen and open water enthusiasts. For use on small rivers, small lakes, ponds and pools, inexpensive models of radios and transmitters are quite sufficient, some can be borrowed from broken toys. Professional fishermen order special chips for their boats with a good range margin, since radio communication can be degraded by obstacles and bad weather. In addition to all of the above, fishermen may be interested in other equipment for such boats, such as echo sounders or night lights. Moreover, you can abandon the control panel by equipping the boat with a GSM module and controlling it from a smartphone or tablet computer. The modern market of parts and spare parts is ready to provide everything necessary for the most demanding and original craftsman.
