Messing about in Boats

[aeronca52]

Just wanted to make some of you aware of a publication for full size boats if you are so inclined to read such a thing. If this is the wrong place to post don't keelhaul me, just point me to where it should be posted. Anyway it is called 'Messing about in Boats', published two times a month, the first and the fifteenth of each month. Forty pages long, printed on non glossy paper. The editor and publisher is Bob Hicks and subscriptions and email contact person is his daughter,Roberta. Most if not all of the articles are subscriber written. There are no writers employed by Bob. There is a letters to the editor page, classifieds, and display ads. It's not a newsletter format, but it does have a down home atmosphere. Bob does not email-if you have a problem or question,call him, his phone # is right on the editorial page! Since it is subscriber written there are many articles of different interests. Boatbuilding tales, museums, races, get togethers, youth programs, a few model stories here and there, and always some new adventure by someone traveling long distance on a small boat. Maybe I forgot to mention-the whole premise is messing about in SMALL boats. You won't find any Madison Avenue Glitz here, only guys hauling plywood from Home Depot and 5 weeks later launching their creation. The best part? It's only $32.00 for a year sub.If interested send a snail mail to MAIB, 29 Burley St.,Wenham, Ma. 01984. I have nothing to gain from this info, I just want anyone who is interested to know this mag is available. Jim

[Ray Farina]

I am located in N.E. Pa. The onlt thing that I have built isscaled down full size boats from Boat Builders Handbook of the sixties. If you are more interested in this type of boat building, please contact me at R.R.Farina@att.net I am located 5 miles northeast of Philadelphia. I have 5 completed and working on 4 more.

[aeronca52]

Ray, my email is down-can you explain what sort of models you're building? Jim

[Ray Farina]

I have completed a 17 ft. Ranger with 2 electric outboards on it. The model is 34" long. I completed it as an open boat in the late 1950's, but stripped the deck off of it and put a cabin on it and remade the decks in mahogany. Another model I have built is a 12" open boat which came out to 24" of which is powered by a single outboard. I have completed a longer version of the ranger and finished it like a cigarette boat. Another one is a 15' boat which came out as a 30" model oof which I put my own style cabin on it. Another boat which was run just about every week in the Westmont N.J. model boat basin was a 21' Whizz (cabin cruiser- free run) which has to be refinished with mahogany decks and the plastic windows which has turned yellow and brown with age.
I am currently building a model of a 20" Kingfisher (scaled down will be 43") with a small shelter cabin and radio controlled. Also under construction is a 42" model of the S.S.Minnow which will also be radio controlled. And before all that I have started on a 16" sea nymth (scaled down would be 32") open with planked decks and radio control. Another boat that I had built to run over in N.J. was a 15" open powered by gas. This boat had gotten the gas into the wood, even though I had used a gar resistant paint. (stripped the inside out, and the boy next door, which was 15 years old, had asked me if I could help him rebuild the boat as a small cabin cruiser. He had 90% completed it and many years later I had fully completed it and put hardware on it and at a Antique and Classic boat, he took the completed boat home with him)
I have a chart which I made that will scale down all full size plans to 2 inches = 1 foot.
As far as kits I have yet to build one yet. I have actually been building since 1958.
Maybe I can help you take full size plans with offsets and scale them down. Please come back to my E-Mail when you get it back up. Or give me your phone number and I will call you back some evening.Leave it under private message on this web site. I am currently also helping someone in Calif to scale down full size and scratch build. MAYBE I CAN HELP YOU.

[aeronca52]

After reading my original post I realize I might have confused some. I meant to say the magazine specializes in smaller, full size boats, not models. Sorry. Jim place