Shell Oil Tanker – identify or plans

[Pete MerrickParticipant @petemerrick45772]

I suspect this is a bit of a long shot but here goes:

Back in the 1980s my late father built a sailing model of a Shell oil tanker. He built and sailed several model boats over the years. I think it was built from an MAP plan. The model itself is about 6 feet long – I don't know the scale of the model or its name.
From its appearance and style I'd say the original tanker was 1950s vintage.

The model still exists and is taking up a lot of space so I think it's time to pass it on. It would be nice to find the name of the original ship or the plan from which it was built. As mentioned, it was almost certainly a plan from MAP. I've done a few online searches with no success. So can anyone please help?

Sooner or later I guess I'll put it up for sale – it's a bit grubby after 20+ years in a garage but still in one piece. It did have RC but that's long gone. Bigish 6vdc motor still fitted.

I have put the only photo I can find of it actually sailing in the gallery. It's black & white and a bit faded but should help. Not sure I've done the gallery bit correctly so hope you can see it!

Thanks in advance

[Pete MerrickParticipant @petemerrick45772]

Shell Oil Tanker – identify or plans

[Paul TParticipant @pault84577]

Hello Pete

Your photo didnt load but do either of these two ships look like your fathers model.

Ship 1: Africa Shell (Images taken from deck of Graf Spee)

Ship 2: Africa Shell (Built 1956)

Paul

Edited By Paul. on 14/08/2012 07:03:50

[Bob Abell 2Participant @bobabell2]

The picture has loaded…..in latest pictures …………and looks like your No 3?

Bob

[Paul TParticipant @pault84577]

Hello Bob

Odd it wasn't showing up anywhere when I searched for it.

Anyway I hope it helps solve Petes problem.

Paul

[Paul TParticipant @pault84577]

Hello Bob

Odd it wasn't showing up anywhere when I searched for it.

Anyway I hope it helps solve Petes problem.

Built by Swan Hunter the ship mainly sailed the African coast out of Durban.

Paul

Edited By Paul. on 14/08/2012 07:37:41

[Colin BishopModerator @colinbishop34627]

I think we can be 99% certain that the model was built from a twice scaled up plan of Vic Smeed's 37 inch Dilysia design Ref: MM370 published by MAP in the 1950s.

I don't think it depicted a particular ship but was intended to be representative of the Shell Tankers 18,000 ton 'D' class of the post war period.

Unfortunately the plan is no longer listed by MyHobbyStore but I have a very small illustration in an old Plans Handbook which is pretty much identical to Pete's photo.

Colin

[Tony HadleyParticipant @tonyhadley]

There is currently a plan (of the STS Dilysia) for sale on ebay.

**LINK**

[Paul TParticipant @pault84577]

I lifted this layout plan of the Africa Shell of the interweb

Edited By Paul. on 14/08/2012 18:18:15

[Pete MerrickParticipant @petemerrick45772]

Paul, Bob, Colin, Tony…

Thanks for a very fast response. I think I agree with you all – the 19,000T Africa Shell and the MAP Dilysia. Clearly this is a very active and friendly forum with so many of you responding so quickly and with so much information.

As I said in my original post I think it's time to pass this model on to a new home. Now I can advertise it with a realistic name. So the next question is: is there a market for this type of model? It's not and was never intended to be a super-detail model. Rather, a reasonably detailed and, due to its size, a fairly impressive working model.

Does this sort of thing sell? Is the Model Boats forum or ebay a good place to advertise? I'm not looking for much money. Really want it to go to someone who mighhht get some pleasure/satifaction from getting it back in the water.

Thanks again very much for your info so far.

Pete

[Colin BishopModerator @colinbishop34627]

Probably not much of a market really. Amateur built model boats don't fetch much at the moment and the big problem with this one would be its size which requiresa a lot of storage space and poses transport problems. People tend to prefer models that will fit across the back seat of a car.

You could try E Bay and see if you get any response.

Colin

[RedbunnyParticipant @redbunny]

Hi, Pete your photo finished up in my album, it made me check my coffee had no booze in it , i used to live near Wilmslow Cheshire where there is a lake on Wilmslow common this used to be used by model boat fans from the 1930s till the 90s when it was made a nature reserve, the council put a ban on all models even sail and electric.

A chap used to bring a model tanker and wheel it to the lake on an old pram, it was the same type as your model this was in the late 60s.

P S if you ask at the shop at Boundry water park near Knutsford Cheshire they will let you use your boat on the lake { no i c engines ], if you go on a Sunday morning Crewe and district M B C are there and they seem to welcome visitors they soon let me take a peg off their board and let me sail as long as i liked, some useful tips on modern electrics from them as well.

Gordon

[Pete MerrickParticipant @petemerrick45772]

Hi Redbunny/Gordon,

Sorry, no idea how the photo got into your album. It's my first time on this forum and I think I clicked the obvious, logical buttons to post a picture. Clearly the system isn't fool proof!

Thanks for the suggestion of where to sail the tanker. Actually I have no desire to do this. It was my late father's and I want to sell it rather than sail it.

Back in the 80s (I think it was) he always had an estate car in which to transport it. Then I can remember helping him carry it to the relevant stretch if water. Being Bristol based this was usually somewhere in or near Bath and I think on one occasion we sailed it in Bristol harbour. Now I'm looking for someone to buy it for a nominal sum and come and collect it. I think as Colin Bishop suggested I'll try ebay.

Cheers

Pete

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