Basic Tug Boat Kit

[Stu :)]

I'm looking for a fairly basic and inexpensive (including postage to the dark side of the moon... I mean New Zealand) tug boat kit.

I've made up a short list of kits that look about right:

HFM Marine Ocean Salvage Tug http://www.jotika-ltd.com/Pages/1024768/HFM_2.htm
Looking pretty good, you pretty much get everything bar the radio gear, but I think Her Majesty's Post Office will cripple me for the shipping...

Midwest Liberty Tug Boat http://www.midwestproducts.com/item_detail.asp?item_id=101
This could be a winner as I know already the postage rate is fantastic, I've done some poking around here and I've found nothing bad about it yet, and that fine company of Illinois has emailed me another discount coupon...
Hull maybe big enough for a basic bow thruster too.

Vac-U-Tug http://www.vac-u-boat.com/Vacutug.htm
It couldn't get any easier than this and the price is quite cheap too, postage rate unknown though. Could be built and in the water within third of the time of the above mentioned kits.

Not to forget Billing Boats has the Banckert and the Zwarte Zee at respectable local prices :eek:, but they are both 'Experienced' kits, what I'm looking for something easy.

Also there is the RTRs like AquaCraft's Atlantic Tug Boat and Graupner's Southampton. But a RTR for me personally to have seems like cheating and the cost is outside the my price range. Not to mention the Atlantic's radio gear is illegal in NZ (75MHz) and the NZ's Graupner agent can't get a Southampton because it's been discontinued.

Just looking for feedback or any suggestions. The HFM, Midwest and Vac-U kits aren't available down here and no one's heard of them, one of them could be a complete turkey or lemon, or worse turkey stuffed with a lemon, and I'd like to avoid that.

Many thanks,

Stu :)

[Tug Guy]

Vac-U-Tug always gets my vote. Phil is a great guy and very easy to deal with.

[arrow5]

Springer !

[Umi_Ryuzuki]

Springer !

That does have the advantage of using all locally materials... :cool:

[bigford]

Billing Boats has the Banckert and its not a hard kit ;)
sooner or later i'll finish it

[arrow5]

That does have the advantage of using all locally materials... :cool: ..and shipping , import duty etc etc, AND I dont think we have a Kiwi Springer yet ????? ;)

[der kapitan]

..and shipping , import duty etc etc, AND I dont think we have a Kiwi Springer yet ????? ;)
A Kiwi Springer? Now what would THAT one look like? :)

Stu, it's a thought that you might consider. ;)

For price and ease of construction, vac-u-tug may be your answer. :)

[smart_racer]

HFM kits contain alot of plastic parts, not to many fittings, but with some aftermarket parts , they make a nice tug

[J-Elsy]

Stu, hi there, have you ever thought of building from a plan. There are some very easy to follow plans out there, which produce some excellent models.

You have the skill to build from a kit, so building from a plan is an option open to you , if you feel capable and there is enough help on this forum to overcome any unforeseen problems

aye
john

[Le petit normand]

Bankert is a pretty easy model to built, I done mine in 1991 and I was 13 years old, I am sure that you can do it... on the other hand have you think about polux from graupner. I have een a thread here wher a guy have totaly redone thepilote house and his small tug whas awesome...

[Stu :)]

..and shipping , import duty etc etc, AND I dont think we have a Kiwi Springer yet ????? ;)
A Kiwi Springer? Now what would THAT one look like? :)
Stu, it's a thought that you might consider. ;)
For price and ease of construction, vac-u-tug may be your answer. :)

...Oh yeah I forgot to say "not looking for a Springer"...

There is already a Kiwi Springer :p Trawl through the springer posts and you'll see some of my construction pictures. Not finished yet as I'm trying to think of what to put on the deck other than the usual Springer cabin/wheelhouse configuration.

Back to the matter at hand...The HFM kit is now out of the question, I've got two postage quotes in the £100 range :mad:

Stu :)

[frankg]

stu :) - If you don't mind building a complete wood kit, MIDWEST JIM WILDER II might just be the ticket. It builds into a really nice looking hull, not a bad price, and the instructions are first rate, which makes building a show model a sure thing. Just some food for thought. :)

[mfr02]

Graupner Pollux is a good starter, and works well with their drive unit.
If there is a Gaupner dealer in NZ it might cut the postage somewhat.
An unusual one might be the George Turner tug. About the same size as a Pollux, but a larger scale, and the price includes the crew.
Link http://www.georgeturnermodels.com/index.php?page=shopping&shop_cat_id=65
Dont know if he does export, but....

[sleb]

Stu,
I have built the Midwest Liberty Tug and two Vac u Tugs. I would recommend either. The Liberty and Vac u tug perform great. Both were easy builds, However nothing is easier than the vac u tug. You can't go wrong with either.
Steve :)

[IWC]

http://www.modelboatmayhem.co.uk/Common/TugKits.htm

[tim slocum]

Another vote for the old Vac-U-Tug. You'll have to buy your own fittings,but I found that looking for the fittings to give my tug the look I wanted was fun. The directions are great, drivetrain dependable and the customer service great. I only wish Phil would come out with a larger version and Vac-U-Barges!!

[Stu :)]

A quick update of current thinking...

If the price of an BB Andrea Gail from MACK is true I'll invest the $$$ that way. If not it will be a Midwest Tug I think as Vac-U-Boat hasn't replied to my two emails now...

Stu :)

[Brooks]

re vacutug emails: Phil is probably the most conscientious guy out there in the model boating industry. However, his job takes him on the road, and when he's out of town he does not email to boat customers. I've had to wait for his reply, but when it comes, it's always helpful and to the point. If you can put up with the interference his real job imposes on his email response time, he's a great guy to deal with.

[bill g]

I have a Midwest tug, and three boats from vac-u boat- one a vac-u tug- and the vac-u-boats are much easier to build, not that midwest tug is hard to build. I can recomend either of the boats. Bill G

[escipion]

Hello!!!!
I have the Midwest Liberty Tug, it's easy to build and you can add a lots of things that make her look great

Escipion

[tim slocum]

OK I think Ill post a picture of my Vac u Tug for an example. This is a picture before I finished the details,does anyone have a picture of her from the 07 St Louis Admirals regatta? I'd like one to save.

[Stu :)]

Finally got reply from Phil, he said he'll send me an invoice, so soon as that arrives in the inbox, it's a Vac-U-Tug for me.

Stu :)

[rlboats2003]

Stu
I thought they only had sail boats were you are from. Guess you need a tug to bring the sailboat in when the wind dies off. The Vac-u-tug is fun and there is allot of information on it including a build up in the scale boats section. You will enjoy building it and with minimal details (Bluejacket 1/4 scale doors, bitts Vents ect), can make it look good. People are 1.5 inches tall and I think life-like has some reasonable priced rr workers that can be modified for marine work, I always take a 6 inch scale when buying people. Check the home improvment stores they have those plastic round tubes for lamps that make great steamer stacks if you want to back date. Tim and Brooks have some interesting Mods and have shown pictures of their work.

ESCIPION
That is the best Liberty Tug I have ever seen - even better then the build up that was done in Ships in Scale (yes I know it was an almost out of the box review). I think it would be great if you discussed some of the things that you did and added to make this model past what is in the Midwest instruction manual, since it is a popular model boat for beginners. It looks like you did some homework into real smaller tugs, because it looks really good. Besides I am partial to Red with Black hulls.

Happy Modeling,
Rich

[Robert Pulse]

Hey
I just bought the billings wood kit of the Zwart Zee for $50.00 bucks. Anybody ever build one?

[tim slocum]

Stu, glad your getting a Vac u tug, I know you will appreciate what a nice job Phil did with the kit. If theres a better set of instructions out there, I'd like to see them!!! The tug is ultra reliable,that is why I always take it along for a rescue boat. Remember, we like build pictures!!!

PS I'd just like to say that Rich's tug was the inspiration for me building one of these tugs. Rich, now that I have all the details on her, she doesnt look like I copied yours completely. :rolleyes:

[Stu :)]

Stu
I thought they only had sail boats were you are from.
Happy Modeling,
Rich

HA! I guess I do hail from 'The City of Sails'. No I'm just looking for something to get me started into mercantile shipping club sailing days, as most of my ships to date have been naval; a habit soon to be broken with the Billing Boats Andrea Gail.

Stu :)

[rlboats2003]

Tim-

You did OK on the tug with the additional details all decked out - You and Brooks have forced me into going the next step of making the hull and deck more realistic by removing that big rubber bumper holder. I have made cross section sketches and am working out the evergreen styrene sizes as well as a templete for a caprail and quater plates to put your quarterbitts through. Now I have to test it out and take pictures. Then I want to back date it to a steam tug which also means that the stern needs to be changed. I have already taken the parts from the lindberg diesel and coast guard tugs, photo copied them and enlarged them to 1/48 scale to be used as templetes for a new cabin and pilothouse. For $20 in styrene shapes, plates and other sources like the home stores, something a little more exiciting should be yeilded. I think both of you will get a kick out of this and hopefully make people see the unrealized potential in this very reliable model.

I know a while back Phil was talking about building a bigger version of the tug - I sure hope he gets to it. He really makes his boats and ducks simple to build and maintain. For the Price well thought out and manufactured.

Catch you Later
Rich

[tim slocum]

Rich, first thanks for the compliment,if you find the picture post it. It sound like you have a well thought out plan of action for your Vac u tug. With all the changes, it might be easier to build one from scratch. I actually didnt get rid of the rubber bumper all together, I just trimmed it down to the minimum. When I added the tires to the sides, I cut out U shaped sections of tire and glued that to the "bumper".In this way the tires didnt stick out too far.The next and final thing is to scratchbuild a new top deck/bridge. I'll switch to an esc with BEC, so I can eliminate the battery in case the new deck/bridge is a little heavier than the current one.

[escipion]

Stu

ESCIPION
That is the best Liberty Tug I have ever seen - even better then the build up that was done in Ships in Scale (yes I know it was an almost out of the box review). I think it would be great if you discussed some of the things that you did and added to make this model past what is in the Midwest instruction manual, since it is a popular model boat for beginners. It looks like you did some homework into real smaller tugs, because it looks really good. Besides I am partial to Red with Black hulls.

Happy Modeling,
Rich


Thank you very much Rich!!!
The think is that I felt that the tug could be added with some details.
Let me take some close-up photos in order to explain what I did.

Have a nice weekend
Escipion

[escipion]

Hello!!!!
The Ladder Idea came to me from a Pat Tritle's therad of the Dumas "Jersey City" Tug

http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=233156&page=2

I followed the coments and pictures

The steps are made with styrene and glued with CA

Escipion

[escipion]

Hello !!!
A pic of the Midwest Steam engine

Escipion

[escipion]

Hello!!!!
What Midwest don't tell you about the Steam Engine is that you should align the engine with the shaft, the plans shows that it have to be completely vertical, if you do so, and you are using a silicone tube as a coupler (as the plan shows), you will lose efficiency and reduce the rpm of the propeller

Escipion

[Stu :)]

Here's a question for all of you Vac-U-Tug owners... how much ballast and dead weight is on your boats? I'm trying to work out how much more 'cool' stuff I can add to mine (soon as Phil sends me the invoice....).

Stu :)

[tim slocum]

Well lets see, I have about the recommended amount around the stuffing tube aft and about half the recommended amound forward. Then I have an esc that requires a battery pack, which is velcroed on top of the 7.2v main battery. I didnt put the esc where the instructions tell you to, I put it on a shelf I made up forward.Theres also a small,2xAA battery box from Radio Shack for the searchlight and the red and green side lights.Other than that, I added rubber tires,railing,a none kit included stack,4 S scale crewman, and metal w/t doors and towing bits from BlueJacket. Thats about it.To trim out the boat I can move the esc battery forward or aft via velcro and I can also move the forward ballast.The forward ballast is bb's in a small ziplock bag held in place by a strip of velcro. Oh, and I forgot the tugs got two large metal vents from Modelslipways. If you put some of your ballast in ziplock bags, you can always remove some when adding additional items.

[rlboats2003]

I took a look at what I planned on doing and what all needed to be modified and thought to myself - If I am going to do all this I should start with a microglass hull and add all these details to it. So I going to take a step back and take ther remaining parts of #26 and complete it to what would have been her logical conclusion, without major deconstruction to the "Kit".

Did I mention that the pictures of the Bismarck are quite impressive.

Rich