Fairey Huntsman – the real thing!

[Colin BishopModerator @colinbishop34627]

I just happened to be sitting on the dockside at Yarmouth, Isle of Wight this afternoon when this little beauty cruised in to offload some passengers, I recognised it immediately.

It nearly had a bit of an accident on the way out with a large sailing catamaran but both vessels went full astern and a collision was avoided.

You can see the rest of the photos here: http://www.modelboats.co.uk/albums/member_album.asp?a=22312

Colin

Edited By Colin Bishop, Website Editor on 10/08/2012 21:51:08

[Colin BishopModerator @colinbishop34627]

Seen at Yarmouth August 10 2012

[Paul TParticipant @pault84577]

Very nice and just what Liz ordered

I often wondered about the radical design differences between the 28 and 31 Huntsman series. The 28 as pictured by Colin is very traditional and somewhat dumpy in comparison to the flared lines of the 31.

Paul

[David WooleyParticipant @davidwooley82563]

Hi Colin Great looking boats , they still have style!!!

Dave Wooley

[Colin BishopModerator @colinbishop34627]

That's because they are not plastic Dave!

Colin

[Paul TParticipant @pault84577]

Plastic boats are like polystyrene cups…..throwaway rubbish.

[Dave MilbournParticipant @davemilbourn48782]

I have a sneaking feeling that the 31 had a GRP hull…………………….but I've been wrong a couple of times before.
DM

(Addendum: Just checked the Fairey Owners Club website and I'm wrong! It was built the same way as the H28 and Huntress but with more veneers. Here's the link http://www.faireyownersclub.co.uk/default.asp?content=boats&type=huntsman31 )

Edited By Dave Milbourn on 12/08/2012 12:15:13

[Andy HustlerParticipant @andyhustler32076]

looks familiar , was this the type of boat that was used in the james bond film, from russia with love ????

[Paul TParticipant @pault84577]

Andy

Here is an image from the film

Here are some images of these types racing

  

To see these boats in the 1969 round Britian Powerboat Race click here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P2VJF8tBIaM

 

Edited By Paul. on 13/08/2012 07:00:10

[Dave MilbournParticipant @davemilbourn48782]

From the Fairey Owners Club website:

The Huntress and the Huntsman 28's claim to fame were in the James Bond movie 'From Russia with Love'. This involved a total of 5 boats, 2 Huntsman 28's, 1 long cabin Huntress and 2 normal Huntresses. James Bond's boat was a Huntress fitted with a V8 Interceptor petrol engine along with "extra fuel" carried in the oil drums mounted in the cockpit. This oil drum arrangement had been made at the Hamble factory and was tested in Southampton Water to ensure the drums would roll off the transom without a hitch.

There's more about the movie & boats there (link above).
Dave M

[David WooleyParticipant @davidwooley82563]

I recall that in the late 1960s Frank Bradbury of the Manchester power boat club built a Huntsman with an OS 80 nitro methane fuel glow motor and was the fastest model boat in the world for a short period. I had the privilege of seeing this boat perform at Heaton park and Fleetwood and was so impressed went out and bought one of the marine 0S80s to fit into an enlarged Cachalot but my combination would not hold a candle to Franks incredible Huntsman . In those days the MPBA which had about 4000 members and adopted the European Naviga triangular speed course so out and out speed was always difficult to define until the MPBA introduced records day for straight line speed in 1972. In that period one boat time trials where standard. Perversely you would travel long distances and be really happy just to come away with less time on the water than the last outing, very odd but that’s the way speed was tabulated. Naviga remain the world governing body for International competition for all types of model boats but the days of the Huntsman for world class speed are a distant memory but infinitely more exciting to watch.

Dave Wooley

[Mike Warburton 1Participant @mikewarburton1]

Sorry to drag up an old thread, but I remember Frank Bradbury very well and his lovely Huntsman. He used to come to Victoria Park Nelson to run his boat on occasion. I was about 10-15 years old at the time. Lovely boat. Royal blue hull and midnight blue upperworks it was always an immaculate performer.

Frank was a cheerful guy although he had severe curvature of the spine and was one of those people who just made it look easy. I'm pretty sure the boat originally used reed R/C gear.

It was really thanks to Frank's boat that I became so keen on model boats although I never built a Huntsman. The Fairey boats have always been great favourites of mine – strikingly good looks and excellent performers. Somewhere I have a Precedent glassfibre hull so maybe one day soon ……

Thank you for remembering Frank – he was such a character and very sadly missed by those who met him.

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