Dickie tug boat

[Steve Watkin]

Anybody sucseeded in fitting "real" radio in one of these?

SW

[Rob]

If you can get inside it, I don't see why you couldn't! They're
actually not bad-looking boats.

[Steve Watkin]

Just hoping that someone would know what, if any, of the original equipment
can be used.

SW

"Rob" <stagis@fansteelvrwesson.com> wrote in message
news:7bf26da3.0303140705.338fa861@posting.google.c om...
> If you can get inside it, I don't see why you couldn't! They're
> actually not bad-looking boats.

[Kent52]

I recently purchased a Dickie Harbor tug... I use it as a working fetch tug for stranded R/C sailboats and to lay out the marks for sailboat racing. However, the Tug veers to the left... it cannot keep a straight true sail line and I have to constantly toggle rudder to the right to make it go where I want it to - which is a hassle. I don't know if this is the standard setting for the boat or a faulty setting for the rudder, or if there is some way to trim the rudder so that it sails in a straight line? Anyone else have this problem? Otherwise its a great little boat for the job... no complicated building hassle... but without being able to trim the rudder... darn!

[Jim Dalton]

Kent,

Where did you find this boat? I am considering getting into R/C at
some point in the future and would like a tug boat.

TIA

Jim

[Kent52]

I have found the most fair priced place to purchase this tug is on the Internet at Dianatoystore.com (or something like that). However, I am still trying to find out from others if the standard Dickie Tug boat always veers off to the left because it becomes a real hassle to get the boat to perform precisely and it uses up the juice in the battery more quickly to keep toggling the rudder to the right to keep the boat going straight. I paid $150+for my boat but I am sending it back to try for a more straight running replacement. Dianatoys sells it for $125 including shipping

[BroncoXLT]

To Kent52, I am new to boating, and have just finished a Soling1m sailboat and am finishing a homebuilt pontoon boat. What are some layouts for retrieving sailboats and setting bouys useing the pontoon boat? The pontoon is about 36" x 12" and will use a 550 size outboard and 4 channel radio.
Thanks

[Kent52]

Hey Bronco, I know nothing about a Pontoon boat. Sounds like it is gas powered. The Dickie Tug is battery driven. You need a slower boat to retrieve r/c sailboats and the forward-reverse thruster that a tug boat offers. To retrieve the sailboats requires a grappling device extended off the tug to catch the shrouds and pull it in that way. I use the Dickie Tug crane to catch onto the shrouds. Sometimes a tug can give some push to boats to retrieve them but it has to be gentle enough not to damage them. There are different types if buoys to set as racing marks... I have the tug pull behind it an 8" diameter wheelbarrow wheel tube on which I place a marine anchor buoy on a nylon line that carpenters use to mark off building foundations. The tug pulls the buoy out for a distance and then I yank on the line to pull the buoy off the tube. After the day's fun just roll in the line with buoy attached. A more powerful motor boat might be too fast to do this.

[BroncoXLT]

Thanks for the info, Kent52. THe Pontoon I'm building is a "stand off scale" of the Pontoon people use on lakes, with the two pontoons and a large deck. It will be slow moving and has an electric outboard with forward and reverse. It should be good for assisting the sailboat. Could I make a hook from wire like a clothes hanger, for sailoat retreival? Is there a lenght and amount of hook that you find works best? Also, to drop bouys, I think I get it now. You set the bouy and anchor on the boat and hold a line at shore. Then float it out on the boat and drag it off at the desired location. When finished sailing, just drag it back to shore? I'll post photos of the pontoon when finished.

[Kent52]

Howdy Bronco... not sure if you got it right what I said earlier... I tow a tube behind the tug upon which I set the buoy. The buoy sits in the donut hole in the middle of the tube... the tow line I use is a fly fishing line that floats 'so not to get caught in the propellers of the boat. And then yes, I yank the buoy off the tube from the line tethered to me on the shore or dock. The grappling rig setup all depends upon what you can attach to your pontoon boat that is the correct height in relation to your sailboat shrouds. Some have made a grappling device out of plexiglass... others use a stiff wire... Be creative and use whatever you can attach to your Pontoon boat but that won't destroy anything. best of Luck!

[Kent52]

Hey Bronco, I am trying to think of a way to make a towing barge for the Dickie Tugboat. your Pontoon boat sounds like it might have pontential for a barge too. What are you using for the pontoons? I would have to make something that floats in a straight line but has enough floatation to carry a 9" diameter buoy with a heavy chain on it. Can you offer some tips?

[Kent52]

Well... Has anyone tried to get inside one of these things? I have now returned 2 of them back due to defects. But the boat is great when it is working. I think to get inside and switch out some of the electronics could make a really good tug with better performance. Have any of you guys tried this yet?

[B McNeal]

<!doctype html public "-//w3c//dtd html 4.0 transitional//en">
<html>
Yes I have,
<p>I have the fireboat version but it is the same boat. I also have the
fishing boat version.
<br>You just take out all the screws around the periphery of the deck and
pull it off being careful of the wires in between. I think you can adjust
the centering of the rudder once inside if I recall correctly. I also replaced
the pitiful water pump in mine with a model airplane fuel pump. It now
shoots water 10 feet.
<p>Also, it would be very easy to replace the radio and speed controller
with a better ones. I plan to do so in the future.
<p>Bill McNeal
<br>North Florida Orcas model boat club
<br><A HREF="http://nfloridaorcas.freeservers.com">http://nfloridaorcas.freeservers.com</A>
<p>Kent52 wrote:
<blockquote TYPE=CITE>Well... Has anyone tried to get inside one of these
things?&nbsp; I have now
<br>returned 2 of them back due to defects.&nbsp; But the boat is great
when it
<br>is working.&nbsp;&nbsp; I think to get inside and switch out some of
the
<br>electronics could make a really good tug with better performance.&nbsp;
Have
<br>any of you guys tried this yet?
<p>--
<br>Kent52
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[Kent52]

Hello Bill,
You replied to my question about whether or not the Dickie Tug Boat can be taken apart and better equipped for improved performance... Thank you so much for responding to my question! I have already returned 2 boats back to SIMBA-DICKIE toys.. the first one had a rudder offset... and the second one the motor just stopped going on after 2 days! But they said it could take up to 6 weeks to get a replacement.

So I bought a 3rd Dickie tug because I am so dependent on it for retrieving my R/C sailboats when the wind dies down or some other malfunction! I would very much like to keep in touch with you about your trials to improve the boat. When it works properly its a really good boat! It would be nice to smooth out the turns and also control acceleration and deceleration. I will keep a couple of them so that when one breaks down again I will go in and change the components... But I could learn alot from you if you have already started to investigate and come up with ideas... I am interested in the pump you used for the fire hose... did you find one that fits into the same space as the other? Will the 9.6 v battery power a higher torque motor?

Well, again thanks for your reply. It gives me hope that I might be able to work with this thing... I am not electronically savvy enough to be able to figure this thing out on my own...

Well take good care and happy boating! You have some very nice photos on your site!

Ciao.

Kieth R

[Kent52]

Hey Bill... Have you folks in the Orca Club come up with a very good functional barge for teh tow to place marks out on a sail course? Any ideas? thanks!