During the peak winter month of February I decided to put a boat model together. I wanted to build it on a counter in my living room to take a break from the daily garage shop routine of repairing and retro fitting RC planes for awhile. Being a small model I could keep my work isolated to a small area. This thread here was just going to be a short time build originally just to make a display example of a general post war tugboat example. I am not concerned about making the exact tugboat Despatch No 9.
A short history.
Standard Oil Co. tugboat Despatch No 9 worked in the movements of oil barges in the San Francisco Bay areas and was based in the Richmond, California as a base. She is equipped with the modern niceties in the end of the wartime era. She had an electric towing winch, a bow electric winch capstan, watertight doors, etc. It was an Army design that was built for the U.S. Marine Corps in 1945. It was later sold to the Standard Oil Co. The cabin design was to accommodate extra crewman if needed. It is possible it may have had a couple crew bunks below the deck in the bow also. She was originally built with a 20mm cannon on the pilot house roof.

30Sec. Video Update water shot. August 20, 2022

8 20 2022 RC Micro Socony Tug Despatch Nicolaci Float Fly (0 min 31 sec)

So a bell went off while I was priming the parts and looking over the instructions, The house structure ends up in one piece and fits to the deck snug over a coaming. Hmmn!! I think I can actually find room in here to make a display model and a second life as an RC watercraft. Today's electronics are so advanced. They are small and used in cars and toys along with indoor aircraft that we fly in schools and halls during the winter. I always had interest in boats. I built my first wood Comet kit sloop in 1954 at 10yoa. I have experienced 22 years of service on tugboat and other commercial oil movement vessels. I also gained an extensive USCG license some years ago before I left.. I spent 25 years on my own sail vessels and power operation also with my family. The experience also helps my modeling abilities. I still have my Exxon Empire State hat and Manager jacket here in this recent photo. 32 plus years later.

By the way. This Exxon Empire State model was built by a fellow worker on the land team at the New Jersey refinery. He is an up and beyond builder of this magnificent model. The control system and the Kort nozzles below the hull were all brass and created by his magnificent skills. The model is as precise scale as it could be built. Thank you for the photo also Walter Pommnitz of New Jersey. A Master Modeler and I'm sure he is a great member in his local model boat club. Photo was taken at the AMA Expo East 2019.
Thread Post Here Also:
http://forum.bristolcountyrc.org/vie...19&t=229#p1077

Here is where I start with a photo of the nearly finished model. I have added some more details since this photo was taken late June 2019. When I maiden the tugboat I will post a video link here.
Reminder:
Double click photos to zoom.

I started this build early in March 2019. I bought the kit at Amato's Bros. hobby shop near Middletown , CT as a bargain sale for $14.00. What a great old fashioned hobby shop. Rare these days.
https://www.amatostoyandhobby.com/
You may still find them on occasion in yard sales, eBay, or hobby group threads. Here is the Lindberg box with the pre molded hull and deck. I gray primed all the parts with an enamel primer to grab the plastics. 98% of the finish paint are brushed and sprayed water based Acrylics for the finals.

In these views I have painted the topsides of the quarters white . The roof and decks of the quarters is just placed together.
The main deck and the bulwarks are glued in place using a CA glue. I was not happy with the regular plastic glue. The hull was masked at the water line. after the rub strakes were glued in place and painted red flat acrylic paint. The black is water base acrylic flat in a couple coats. The flat patina is better than an enamel paint and looks real to the eyes. I do not like those hull display stands.

Now I am progressing along and assembling all the trim and accessories on the plastic trees that come with the kit. It is starting to look like a boat.

Now that most of the parts have been painted and glue into place I want to make a stand. Most shipyards block up the keel every couple of feet to distribute all that heavy tonnage. So obviously this is a model stand and not a diorama stand.The yards also use wedge shaped blocks stacked up higher to the outer arcs of the hull to stabilize the vessel on an even keel. Huge staples are sledge hammered into the wood blocks to prevent them sliding or shifting while the work is commenced.

Now I am installing all the power and RC controls into the boat. I was undecided at the beginning about doing this, I went ahead with assembly first and painting. Kind of backwards. So here goes. I routed out a large hole for a rudder post after the removal of the prop, skeg, and rudder. I used some brass sheet and drilled a hole in it and soldered a piece of tubing to it. The plastic was sanded for a snug fit. The tube goes inside and has to end up above the hull waterline so water will not weep into the hull. Because of the acute angle to get the rudder vertical, it took some fussing with the Dremel tools to get it to sit straight. Note the propeller is plastic.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I found a plastic servo control horn to fit the top of the rudder and fitted it with the stainless screw. I tested the assembly over and over to make sure there was no rubbing and hitting the unseen below deck. The pushrod is carbon fiber. The monel fishing wire is CA glued and bound with thread and fitted to the horn. You will notice that I use all non ferrous metals to prevent corrosion in hidden places.

Now the process of installing the propeller shaft and stuffing box. (outer tube) I tested an angle that would work with the drive motor. Next I made a block of wood angle support for the outer stuffing box. When I got the angle I needed at about above the hull waterline to prevent water weepage. Then the whole setup was epoxied in place. The next step was to slide the shaft up the tube after a drop of oil was placed.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The whole rudder assembly was wiggled and snaked up in place. After line up with the rudder skeg was place to line up the rudder epoxied the rudder housing in place and let it set.

Now that the motor and shaft are in place I have to build a sub deck for a motor mount and below it ballasting. I next looked for the right amount of lead to bring the whole system that is being planned on down deep to the waterline. I ended up with about 7 ounces of lead and it was very stable being low in the hull. By the way the whole vessel weighs in fully loaded as the opening photo at 20.5 ounces ready to sail. I fitted the lead and epoxied it central and low against the hull. The next step was to cut a rectangle piece of plywood and a pair of cross members for it to sit on low over the ballast.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The new motor was donated to me by an associate and friend Walter Pomnitz along with a reversing speed control. The universal was found in eBay and ordered. I removed the set screws and replaced them with SS screws. I cut the prop shaft to get the motor far back as possible. The fit in the hull was also a test to draw up an aluminum motor mount special to this motor as seen in the next 2 photos. After I made the mount and got the universal and motor angles it was screwed in place.

This is a video with all the electronics in place and working. I fit in the servo for the rudder. the reversing ESC motor speed controller. I use a 2 cell lipoly 650mah battery. I still have to look at the final sitting on the water trim. I prefer slightly down on the stern for better handling.
The ESC is bagged. The Receiver is bagged up forward. There is a toggle arm switch. The lipo is a bench test battery forward.

6 21 2019 Lindberg Plastic 1946 Tug "Despatch" RC Test (0 min 13 sec)

Now I am getting into more detailing. Here I am working on fenders.(landlubber -Bumpers). I was going to macrame' them but due to size of this vessel model they are small and do not justify the hours to make them. In these first photos I I am making the stern fender with common 3 strand string that has a loose twist on this spool. I laid out the filler with loops on the end to be attached to the tug. It is wound and pushed tight as I roll on the line. After I made it I sat it on the rub rail ledge for the photo.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
As I move on to the hull beam protective fenders you see that I made the fresh cotton line individual fenders and hung them. These type fenders are over the rail and get shackled to a welded tab inside the coaming rail. They are new and very bright. I then weathered them with tan manila and some black from rubbing on docks and tows.

Now I made a video covering how to make simple fenders. Watch to the very end as there is a pause in the near the end.

6 25 2019 How to make & hang a fender for a smaller tugboat (4 min 56 sec)

Here is where I am at in the finish of the vessel. I have added numerous detail items that are relative to tugboat work. I am debating whether I should install a radar antenna. Remember post war vessel. Maybe we could buy a government surplus radar. Got to do some research here. There was direction finders, compass, and AM radios. There was plenty of life rafts available. The International Navigation lighting and towing system rules came later in 1960 and again in 1972 revisions.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I have added more than what would come with this kit to give it a good working appearance as a model. Here are some things I included.
The bow hull names,stern board name, revised tow and stern lights, mast stays,working stern,bow on hooks and lashed, tow alongside straps, rope hauser on deck in addition to the wire hauser,stern hauser rub rail,water tank vents, fuel vents, rope fenders, real bow fender, Stern bump fender, and even a garbage can. Her are some pictures from all angles.

Looks awesome neons! You need to be posting this stuff in the Scale Boat forum.

https://www.rcgroups.com/scale-boats-55/

Hi Kmot,
I know you have a point there. I have been busy with my club site. I hate to go repeat the whole thing into a sister post. I may just put some pictures in there with a link back here if anyone is interested to come here and have a look.. This was just a mess around build. I am busy with plane flying just for the season I guess.
Bob