Vic Smeed’s Model Boat Designs

[Tony HadleyParticipant @tonyhadley]

Robert,

I had a look in an old plans handbook and came across these Vic Smeed designs for fast electric, are any of them the design you are looking for? Sniper (MM1224) and Moccasin (MM1062) are still available in the myhobbystore shop, whereas Snapper (MM1000) isn't (I may have a copy in archive in archive, should it be required). Sniper was featured the December 1972 Model Boats magazine (developed further with Dave Wooley), Moccasin was featured in the April 1964 Model Maker magazine and Snapper was featured in the the May (as a free plan) & June 1968 Model Boats magazine.

If these aren't the design you are looking for, please advise and I will research further.

[Robert PutleyParticipant @robertputley]

Hello Tony,

The Flatso would be the model.

I would also would be interested in the Sniper MK ll, as I have a Bullet I purchase decades ago and is still unused.

[Tony HadleyParticipant @tonyhadley]

Hello Robert,

Plans for both are available, Flatso, is a Philip Connolly design – MM795

**LINK**

Sniper MkII is by Dave Wooley and Vic Smeed as previously discussed – MM1224

**LINK**

Good luck with the building

[Robert PutleyParticipant @robertputley]

Many thanks for that. Shall place an order for both as soon as I return from my holiday.

These will be winter projects.

Thank you again

[Robert PutleyParticipant @robertputley]

Funny old world. Emailed the pic of the Flatso to my brother, which he immediately recognised!

Turns out he recently purchased a load of early RCM&E's, one of which has the free plans for the Flatso!

[Tony HadleyParticipant @tonyhadley]

Those magazines are a nice find.

As previous – good luck with the build. Note your earlier post regarding the Bullet motor, if I was building a fast model, I would choose a new brushless installation, but that is my own personal opinion.

Vic and Philip Connolly were good friends as can be seen from the cover of a plans handbook and a book from the 1970s. I understand Philip emigrated to Australia.

[Robert PutleyParticipant @robertputley]

Thank you Tony, shall probably commence the build come the winter months.

With regard to the Snapper, the reason I thought I would build that is to use the bullet that I kept unused all these years, haven given away a rather fine fiberglass racing hull I'd bought together with the bullet some time ago.

Yesterday, I removed the bullet from it's box and was somewhat taken aback by its size and weight compared to todays offerings. Sooo….I agree with you!!

Well, I shall probably put the Snapper idea on the back burner, and should I later decide to go ahead with the idea, it will be to fit it out with a moder set up.

[Daniel Cardona 1Participant @danielcardona1]

Posted by Tony Hadley on 30/09/2013 21:24:55:

Remora, one of Vic's classic designs appeared on page 63 in the November 2013 Model Boats magazine. The item by Dave Wooley featured the Vintage Model Power Boat Weekend at the Fleetwood Club. An excellent item and photographs for vintage model boat builders and admirers.

The use of the photograph was by kind permission of the editor.

Tony

Where you can find the plans for this particular model? I like the shape of it.

[Dave MilbournParticipant @davemilbourn48782]

Daniel

I have the plan as a PDF file, for printing out full-size, but I don't have an article or photos. That said, there's enough detail on the plan to enable a competent builder to finish the model. If you send me your regular E-Mail address by Private Message I'll send you the file. The usual price is a contribution to the RNLI – the amount is your decision entirely.

Dave Milbourn

[Tony HadleyParticipant @tonyhadley]

Here is the magazine item from December 1964 to complement Dave's generous offer. To see the images enlarged click on the image, hover over and the plus sign will appear, click on this.

[Daniel Cardona 1Participant @danielcardona1]

Posted by Dave Milbourn on 07/09/2016 13:29:48:

Daniel

I have the plan as a PDF file, for printing out full-size, but I don't have an article or photos. That said, there's enough detail on the plan to enable a competent builder to finish the model. If you send me your regular E-Mail address by Private Message I'll send you the file. The usual price is a contribution to the RNLI – the amount is your decision entirely.

Dave Milbourn

Thanks Dave for you Kind Offer, By anychance did you get your PDF file plan from AEROFRED website. I downloaded a Remora plan from there but it says that the plan is reduced by 50% in scale. Is yours the Same?

Kind Regards

Daniel

[Dave MilbournParticipant @davemilbourn48782]

No, I did not, and it is full-size.

[Daniel Cardona 1Participant @danielcardona1]

Posted by Dave Milbourn on 07/09/2016 18:48:14:

No, I did not, and it is full-size.

Private Msg Sent

[Tony HadleyParticipant @tonyhadley]

Earlier in this thread (12), a photograph of David Goodhand's Lorelei from the July 2016 edition of Model Boats. was posted.

I came across these photographs from the original January 1953 edition of Model Maker, which must be Vic's original version of Lorelei.

[Ian GardnerParticipant @iangardner62867]

It's a very sweet little boat and would make an interesting and unusual model. I wonder where Vic got his inspiration for this as I have never seen anything like it in photographs of full sized vessels. Has anyone got any ideas?

I say little- it looks quite big in the photo of it on the pondside.

Ian

[Dave MilbournParticipant @davemilbourn48782]

Those two pointed, forward-facing screens – one above the other – together with the round side-ports make it look sinister in a 1950's sci-fi sort of way. The hull is very reminiscent of an MTB. And I'd fit spray-rails (see third photo down)!

Length 36"?

Dave M

[Tony HadleyParticipant @tonyhadley]

Length 34" (863mm) x 7.5" (190mm). My thoughts go towards a 2/3 size version at 22.5" (572mm). The plan (MM267) is in the Xlist plans range.

**LINK**

Dave

"Sinister 1950's sci-fi" – anyone remember the space designs by W.P.(Peter) Holland which were published in Model Maker? Some of his futuristic space designs were designed to travel on the water. Flopalong, a Martian canal boat (still available), Plutonium Plate, a surface airscrew craft, Coot, an oared craft and Hydroflash which had an outboard drive.

Perhaps the style of Lorelei was in line with the futuristic thinking of the 1950s.

[Dave MilbournParticipant @davemilbourn48782]

Tony

Pete Holland was an unsung genius. Others were Rev Ray Malmstrom, whose amusing drawings always accompanied his very simple but clever model aircraft designs, and Bill Dean, who was responsible for many of the plans in the Solarbo books of balsa models. All were boyhood heroes of mine (I had no time for footballers – and I still don't!).

Dave M

[John W EParticipant @johnwe]

LOOKING at the top pictures doesn't half bring back some nostalgic memories, some of them painful. The Sunday morning standing at the lakeside smelling of Kiel Kraft diesel fuel stinging fingers with cuts where the starting cord has cut into your fingers.- the darn things still wont start because the chances are you have flooded it that many times and after about 20 times of trying to start it the thing fires into life. You set it away on the lake and what happens – engine failure – right in the middle of the lake. So nothing more to do than sit on the bench at the park side waiting for it to drift in on the wind, along with several other boats. I couldn't afford a radio control those days

[Dave MilbournParticipant @davemilbourn48782]

John

I have similar memories, particularly the smell of KK diesel fuel. It didn't half sting when you got any into those raw cuts in your fingers!
In these days we have proportional radio at pocket-money prices, electric motors which easily match the old small diesels for power (not to mention the luxury of reverse…) and batteries you can rely on for at least an hour's sailing. I reckon we are well spoiled.
Who said the past was altogether a better country?

Dave M

[Charles OatesParticipant @charlesoates31738]

I loved those Peter Holland models. I inherited my brothers 1950s model maker magazines in about 1960, and built many jetex powered rockets. I also made a walking 'mars' explorer called, Teal I think.

I would add Ron Waring to the honours list of early modeling hero's. I still have his book, power driven models in which he covered so much a lad needed to know. Interestingly, he had a chapter on motorising plastic kits, all the rage now. There's nothing new under the sun.

Radio control, easy. I had a brother who was a radio engineer, a good supply of free components and learned to pray every time I sailed. Radio affected would be a better description.

It was exciting though, I don't get that buzz now, and I miss the smell of ether. But would I swap decades, defiantly not, too much heartache, especially if you made ' planes.

[Tony HadleyParticipant @tonyhadley]

River Queen – after reading John Elliot's article in the winter 2016 Model Boats magazine, I was wondering if the Models By Design "River Queen" is the one based on Vic's design. Does anyone know? Vic's "River Queen" can be scratch built to myhobbystore plan V102 and a GRP hull was once available from Kingston Mouldings. There are slight differences in the hull length and beam.

**LINK**

**LINK**

Forum member Ian Gardner has a superb steam powered "River Queen" on his website, built by Pete Smith of the Exeter and District MBC.

**LINK**

The item in the Model Boats Winter Special is worth reading, if only for the information on the ultrasonic mist generator.

[Ian GardnerParticipant @iangardner62867]

Hi Tony,

Isn't Pete's model wonderful? I was only speaking to him on the phone this morning! The Kingston Mouldings model was, I'm sure, based on Vic's drawing of the same name, a copy of which I possess- one of the long list of boats I will build if I live to be a 300 years old! I don't know about the Models By Design hull but it seems highly likely- there'sonly about 1/2'' difference in the dimensions.

Isn't V102 Vic's River Queen? If so, it has all detail necessary for a scratch built clinker hull, including two forms of tuck in the garboard at the stern. I vaguely remember a smaller version of this being produced as a free plan and do have a copy somewhere but can't remember what it was called and when it was published. Are you thinking of having a go?

I was leafing through some old copies of Model maker last night and thought I'd found a new Vic Smeed design- Tuna- a rather odd looking patrol boat, but on checking, sure enough it was in your list.

All the best,

Ian

[Tony HadleyParticipant @tonyhadley]

I must agree Pete's River Queen is a stunning model and it must be a delight to see 'in steam' when he takes it to the lake. River Queen isn't one which is on the future build list, for the reason you mention above, living to 300 years in order to build the models on the this (future build) list. Unfortunately my current workshop facilities (kitchen table) wouldn't be suitable for a steam powered clinker build.

One which is on 'the radar' is Lorelei above, in our last email, I like your comment describing the design as a strange bird. As in the earlier post, my thoughts would be towards a 2/3 size easy balsa model, approx. 22" long. I intend to order the plan from mhs next week, probably have it reduced at a drawing office copy shop.

Tuna is another strange craft and I had to have a look at the Model Maker magazine of February 1958 when the model was featured. It was designed around one of the few commercially available GRP hulls of the time, with a wooden hull option shown on the plan. Tuna disappeared from the plans listing between 1972 and 1977. The wooden hull looks a good shape and would certainly look very impressive at speed.

Some further designs have been added to the list of late and I must send you the latest update. Wraith was a Marblehead yacht which was featured in Model Maker magazine, June 1960 yet never made the plans listing and three designs appear in the 1957 Model Maker Manual, which I think are Vic's and without a name have added to the awaiting proof section. Marina a 22.5" vintage style yacht, Sea Cat a 30" catamaran and Sea Kitten a 20" two shelf ply hull yacht.

Must add a note of thanks to Colin Bishop who located a copy of this book for me.

A further design of yacht/cat is featured in Childrens Britannica Volume 17 (1970's), but I haven't found a copy yet.

.

[Bob Abell 2Participant @bobabell2]

This is a nice thread, Tony, you have put Vic`s creations in the well deserved limelight

It`s full of old world charm…..At a leisurely pace

I never fail to be impressed by Vic Smeeds splendid range of models……….He must have been a Model Makers Anorack?

I`m looking forward to selecting my next model from Vic`s list……..That`s if I don`t buy something at the Warwick Show, of course

Are you going to the show btw?

I`m hoping to see Amos`s giant destroyer and a chat

Bob

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