Hi, New Member

[SupratadParticipant @supratad]

Hello All

I’ve just joined to ask some advice about selling my father’s model boat.

Sorry, you’re probably sick of people just signing up to sell stuff.

 

Its a Fleetwood lifeboat, Letitia Anne Russell, about 3ft long. I think this came as a kit rather than a scratch build. It does seem to be a very high quality build though. He made lots of model boats and my mother has sold most of them now. I might be biased, but of all the model boats I saw in his club, (Chantry Boat Club, Gravesend/Chatham) none seemed to be of the same quality.

 

Do model builders ever want to buy completed boats? or do they solely build their own? Would eBay be the best place?

 

It has two motors and what I presume to be all the receiver gear and servos etc, I also have a bag of batteries and things. No controllers however, as some kind soul in the club took about 3 or 4 full controllers of my Mum’s hands for about £50.

 

Any advice appreciated

 

many thanks

Rob

 

 

[SupratadParticipant @supratad]

[neil hpParticipant @neilhp]

hi rob, well, as the designer and original manufacturer of this model kit…..actually ANN LETITIA RUSSELL……. i suppose i should be the one to offer you some advice.

 

if it is as good as you say, you could be looking on anything between £500 and 800 on A GOOD DAY, however models of higher values aren’t selling as quickly of late.

 

i sold one of the same to a Lifeboat Enthusiast Member at the blackpool show last october [not one i built myself] for £550 within the first hour of the days’ trading on the saturday, and you will get traders offering you less.350 – 385 to cover their costs.

 

however you could try ebay, but this is a bit hit and miss at times…put a good reserve on it if you put it on ebay so it’s not sold for a pittance.

 

they sail very well, anmd a very stable boat, and under Metcalf Mouldings who now manufacture it, it is a consistant seller.

 

i wish you luck and am sure the buyer will be happy with it.

neil.

Edited By neil howard-pritchard on 13/01/2011 12:58:28

[SupratadParticipant @supratad]

Crikey, that’s striking gold in terms of people to reply.

Many thanks, My mother phoned earlier and I asked her about it and she told me she had sold several of his models for £400 – £500 a piece to a trader.

 

It is a lovely model, well done on the design. If I had a much bigger house it would have pride of place in a glass box somewhere, but the recession bites hard unfortunately.

Thanks for your advice.

 

Regards

Rob

[neil hpParticipant @neilhp]

you’re welcome Rob, and best of luck with the sale.

neil

[SupratadParticipant @supratad]

I was cleaning it today, prior to taking some better quality photos and I noticed the deck boards. These have three little nails in each end and what appears to be a black rubber caulking between each board. The website for the model states “Fully printed and lined 1.5mm ply one piece main deck“  Is this what I’ve described or has my Dad done this caulking and nailing as an extra? My wife recalls him saying he cut all the planks individually. All the curved deck housings are certainly real wood strips.

 

There are 3 crewmen in sowesters too, were these part of the kit?

 

Regards

Rob

Edited By Supratad on 17/01/2011 01:11:54

[neil hpParticipant @neilhp]

Hi Rob….sounds as though your dad planked the deck and deck housings individually, but the deck housings were in fact printed wood grained paper on the kit, which if done well, actually looked like planking. the only way to veryfy this would be to take the cabins off the boat and look to see if there is wood or paper thickness on the cabin where the cabin meets the deck.

 

It is also probable that the crew members were either made by your dad, OR he bought some of mine which I made some for myself, and with the resin left over produced a number of  and for a while Dave Metcalf  sold seperately, or were some made by a chap called george Turner…….impossible to say without seeing a photo of them……..but one thing is sure……they weren’t included in the kit.

neil.

Edited By neil howard-pritchard on 17/01/2011 08:47:21

[SupratadParticipant @supratad]

The edges of the cabin are banded with wood, but the decks are definitely individual planks with a black caulking strip. I can see this where they are cut at the openings.

 

Here are a few pics.

[neil hpParticipant @neilhp]

she looks absolutely superb rob……a lovely job.

 

i think the figures might be george turners…..certainly not the ones i made.

clearly a labour of love……..if my dad had built one like that, i couldn’t sell it.no way………….you want to get some r/c in it and enjoy some summer evening sails……so relaxing.

neil.

[Ole VaugerParticipant @olevauger]

Fantastic Rob. I can feel the action. Ole

[SupratadParticipant @supratad]

I really woouldn’t want to sell it, but I’m now unemployed and it looks like my wife may have her income reduced too.

We still have a much smaller pleasure boat type vessel in a nice glass case as a memorium.

 

It is fully kitted with motors and receivers, there are no batterys however but a large tray to put them in, so I presume its the Yuasa style ones. Turns out my mother had 2 multi-channel RC controllers, but when she sold the other boats in a shop in Chatham, she GAVE them to the shop.

 

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