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In line with many many times I could have been accused of being "Off Topic" I have sought permission to open a thread for everyone to show us where you "Float your Boat" I have heard from other fellow members who describe where they take their boat in the persuit of their leisure time . I have visited some of them but often try to envisage the ones they are describing . Here in Cambridge we are very lucky due to a long standing agreement with a national fruit growing company "Chivers Farms" which use the lake to irrigate their soft fruit and as you would suspect they ban all means of propulsion other than wind and electric motors , that and the protected species that inhabit the lake . The local run off from the A14 contributes to the lake and the depth can vary greatly . The lake is known locally as "Chawcotts Lake" and is about 500yds long by about 60yds wide [ thats a guess not a fact] at its widest point and is a little like an hour glass in shape . Having dived the lake a couple of years ago I can confirm that where I dived it was about 4m deep and ink black due to the deep silt floor and evidence of fish is obvious by the occasional splash on the surface , and fresh water Crayfish can be found nestling amongst the weed on the edges . Their is a concrete ramp one end laid when it was excavated many years ago , which we use to full advantage but the edges have wide outcrops of shrubs which if you take your eye off the boat can end up wedged in it and the steeply sloping bank makes it difficult to retrieve it easily . There was a motel built on the edge which caused problems at one stage but now that the original access road has been made available to members only that ceases to be a problem [ the public still scale the new metal barrier to come over and watch our models at the week ends . I will dig out a couple of pictures to give you an idea of it and a plan . Our club has been active in Cambridge since 1950 and has 50 members of all ages with no particular theme of models being broad and varied . Sounds good........ but bear in mind the depth and lack of clarity of the water , so if you are unlucky enough to sink your boat it is unlikely that you will retrieve it from the depths as their is no where you could walk out and retrieve it safely . From the rare occasions that they have been sunk you can imagine that they don't sink like a brick but like a leaf in the wind sway from side to side ending up many metres from where they sunk ......but most of us check the model thoroughly before committing it to the water . Thanks for looking in , and please let us see what you have to contend with to see your pride and joy plough a furrow through the water

What fun! My late husband was a keen model boatbuilder and built two model yachts, one about four feet high and then, using the experiences, one about eight feet high, which he kept in the clubhouse at Hampton Court pond, sailing it at weekends. We had to leave it behind when we moved to the Isle of Wight. We reckoned it had a charmed life; when we had a break-in in South Ealing the lads trashed the flat, including clothes and the bathroom, but did not touch the boat, which was nearly finished. We had road worries about possible damage moving it to Hampton and quickly transfered it to Hampton Court Pond and the Clubhouse, where we spent many happy hours. (For non-Londoners, there is Hampton, Hampton Wick and Hampton Court, which are adjacent suburbs). But that was in 1976-1986 - Long time ago! Edna

For me, the only place my boats have floated is the bathtub, and the only one that has floated is my USS Monitor. She's part of a Lindberg diorama, so no power. I just wanted to check if she was seaworthy in case I wanted to add power. Alas, she rode too low in the water. when I added a motor from a junked HO/OO locomotive (the thing was about 30 years old and had taken one-too-many trips to the floor) to simulate the weight of a motor, the hull dropped like a stone, and the deck with the turret kept floating. One that DID sink, (and that is a good thing in my book) was my USS Nautilus. she actually kept neutral buoyancy!

Back in the dark denizens of my memory I seem to remember being taken there Edna as a child [ well at least 60 years ago. ] That must have been some wind beater he maid ..Edna..:) Well Dave yours was designed to sink when told so you did well with that one As promised ......a picture taken one wet sunday a couple of years ago .....but gives an idea of the size , although it fails to show the distant end clearly where our yachting buoys are moored for the keen interest that some of them have in a very competitive yacht race crew [ not the size that Edna talks of nearer to 1m high than four feet]but you can just see them in the right hand side of the mid ground . Where the lake seems to join is where the other side of the lake opens out to form the hour glass shape but it is only half the size of the ramp end of the lake
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Not quite in the spirit of the thread I know, but I thought it worth a mention. The Round Pond in Kensington Gardens is probably the best known boating lake in Britain. It overlooked by Kensington Palace, and is the home of the oldest model yacht club in the country - the Model Yacht Sailing Association and the London Model Yacht Club. The club focuses on the racing of radio controlled 10-Rater, Laser, vintage and Micro Magic model yachts. From Wiki: [quote]The Round Pond is an ornamental lake in Kensington Gardens, London, in front of Kensington Palace. The pond was created in 1730 by George II. It is approximately seven acres in extent, measuring approximately 200m by 150m. It is up to 5m deep. With a long history of popularity with model yacht enthusiasts, it is the home of the Model Yacht Sailing Association (established 1876) and the London Model Yacht Club (established 1884).[/quote]It even has its own ballad/poem writtenby Compton MacKenzie: [U]A Ballad of the Round Pond [/U]The Round Pond is a fine pond With fine ships sailing there, Cutters, yachts and men-o'-war, And sailor-boys everywhere. Paper boats they hug the shore, And row-boats move with string But cutters, yachts and larger ships Sail on like anything. . . . and so on for another twenty verses. [ATTACH]147708[/ATTACH]
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Thanks for that , Many years ago I lived not far from there but left when very young so never went there , but thank you for your input and bringing it to our attention .

Here is a goggle shot of the lake and gives a good view and idea of the size . The second shot gives a very real idea of the dense weed around the edge of the lake and the extreme problem we have with weed which at best clogs the props and at worst prevents use by small craft . This is evident by the dark edging to the water . In fairness generally speaking the weed lays lower down in the water . If you take the ramp in the bottom left corner where it looks black the weed is about 6" below the surface but thickens into a blanket at that point . Once launched I personally go out to the centre of the lake and circle at about 35-40 metres , which has a duel effect of avoiding slow moving boats and tends to avoid the dense lower weed growth The lake is used by a fishing club who tend to buy masses of line and leave most of it in the water once they have gone home ......but such is life Still f nothing else it gives you a good idea of the club lake in Cambridge .:) Having trouble loading the pictures will try again later

Ivor, I look forward to seeing the pics. Haven't you sorted out the problem with the water vegetation yet? GK

Ivor, On my way into town today I took some pictures of our man made lake Mostly passive. the powerboat racers have their small corner. Frank
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Right lets try again Ok getting there , but google don't seem to like me using their pictures it would seem This one is the ariel shot giving you a general view only with the edge of the A14 visible at the bottom edge . Will keep trying with the other one so be patient
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[QUOTE=Grosser Kreuzer;10123774]Ivor, I look forward to seeing the pics. Haven't you sorted out the problem with the water vegetation yet? GK[/QUOTE] Not yet mate , we are loath to say to much in case we are evicted by the owners so its a case of grin and bare it for the time being . Would love one like the "Norwich Boat Club" has .....purpose built and 2ft deep ......but lakes[ that you can use] are like hens teeth despite it being on the edge of the fens

[QUOTE=Frankwaller;10123783]Ivor, On my way into town today I took some pictures of our man made lake Mostly passive. the powerboat racers have their small corner. Frank[/QUOTE] Hi Frank , thanks for your post ..........looking at the sky in the picture you could be forgiven for thinking its in England on one of our better days , looks great and plenty of space . See you have swans to .........our model Yacht boys get worried when they see swans as ours seem to have come from a breed that have yet to master landing on water .........yes I know .......but ours need to perfect it a tad better as they don't land on them they cause such a wake that they nearly swamp them ........ NOT AL the inhabitants view Cambridge as a seat of learning .....more a case of ..."I'M bigger than you mate" :rolleyes:

Thanks Ivor, I sympathise with you all round but in doing so can only see "compromise." Re the weed: I guess dragging some of the stuff out at the critical time of the year and in a specific area is the only answer. What also concerns me is the "spare" fishing line in the water. Not only does it rot up your screws but it also tangles in the feet of the birds. I will "Pipe Down." Best Wishes, GK

As you say Grosser, but these mindless idiots are only concerned with themselves , but would love them to attempt swimming in that and get caught up .....but hey If I were pasing and saw them struggling I would through them one of their empty beer cans they throw on the ground ........well it might help them float whilst they struggled :rolleyes:

Right .......third time lucky eh The black outcrop shown in front of the tree line is the weed shown clearly in the bottom of the picture as the tree line is the waters edge ...not the dark brown which looks like a bog This edge drops quickly down at about 45 degrees with the weed swaying like kelp just below the waters edge . A couple of years ago I took down a long length of 10mm thick chain attached to a grapple anchor which was thrown out and then drawn back in there bye cutting through the thick weed and gathering up about 30 fresh water squat lobster and a skip load of weed ........by the next season it had all grown back If you look at the ramp in the lower side of the left hand side I can confirm that this is three times as long as it appears and the weed which does not grow on it lays in swaths over the top of it , but as long as we can steer over the top of it we let it be .:( The lake was originally a dredged gravel pit which was excavated and the ramp was the means by which the lorries removed the gravel which in turn was used locally as hoggin for the construction of the local main roads so I suspect it may be quite deep in the centre , but as I said earlier I dived in scuba gear to find a lost model yacht a few years back and the silt base at the point I dived was over a metre deep as I was able to lay on the bottom and push my arm into it up to my armpit and still not hit anything solid . Not a place for the novice to dive , but as I said I was on a shot line from a dingy down to a 56lb weight to which my teether was played out and I searched in a 4m circle from where it was thought to have sunk [ 8m wide that is] and found no sign of it in this ink black water [ it was so dark I could barely read my compass or gauges with a torch on them ......hmmm thats 5 years ago now :confused:]
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Hi Ivor, the whole area is 43 hectares of wetland and lake, with walking and cycling tracks. The birds are not a problem. The first Saturday in May is the start of the duck shooting season in NZ. The first Sunday in May sees a population explosion at Henley Lake. :) Frank

Thanks Frank , i'm sure I have seen somewhere very like that in England down south which looks very similar with tea shops etc on the main road but can't for the life of think where it is . Wish I was there in May Frank ...., quite partial to duck ;)

[QUOTE=ivorthediver;10123801]Hi Frank , thanks for your post ..........looking at the sky in the picture you could be forgiven for thinking its in England on one of our better days , looks great and plenty of space . See you have swans to .........our model Yacht boys get worried when they see swans as ours seem to have come from a breed that have yet to master landing on water .........yes I know .......but ours need to perfect it a tad better as they don't land on them they cause such a wake that they nearly swamp them ........ NOT AL the inhabitants view Cambridge as a seat of learning .....more a case of ..."I'M bigger than you mate" :rolleyes:[/QUOTE] The swans - in 1964/5,when we were living in Exeter, my late husband built a small 'chuggalong' for our young son and we took it down to Dawlish warren to sail on the water - the swans didn't like it, chased it, attacked it and sank it, so it was a longtime before he built any more models! Edna

[QUOTE=ivorthediver;10123736] Well Dave yours was designed to sink when told so you did well with that one [/QUOTE] Not really. The Nautilus model was a 2-piece hull, and I'm sure that I glued it up right. The CSS [I]Virginia[I], on the other hand, has a hole where the screw is supposed to be glued. I temporarily plugged it, so it floated quite high in the water of the tub, and when I put the deck/casemate on it, it became too unstable. I'd say it had about 20 scale feet of freeboard! Also, has anyone ever put a model locomotive's smoke generator into an R/C ship?

Ivor, the power boat club have ruffled quite a few feathers. Frank
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Well speaking personally I think the two should be kept separate and if nesting the speed freaks should have a temporary ban on them and electric powered boats only should be allowed to display not the gas guzzlers . As I understood it the Swan's are protected and belong to the Monarch so another reason for their protection . We have Swans on our lake but we are not a threat to them nor they to us , and its a condition by the lake owners that organic fuelled engines are banned from using it .

Dear modellers, I have a chum who is a local cabbie, actually chairman of the local cab drivers association, who takes me to meetings when i need and dont want to drive myself (as i can charge the clients!) yesterday he asked me if i knew anyone who might want to buy his large scale model with all RC equipment, complete, of a narrow boat? it was specially made, never been in the water, is approx 12 years old. He is going to give me a picture but any prelim feedback appreciated as to poss interest? tim

Hi Ivor, you and I are not the only ones who think they should be banned. Frank ps Hope you don't mind a bit of gossip from NZ
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I think there closing comments on public safety are to put it mildly "Wanting" The club principles seem very negligent and unconcerned about others safety . and are consumed with their individual need to push the boundaries to accommodate their hobby with little thought for others . We are lucky in not being able to accommodate these needs and I for one would wish to distance myself from this "head in the sand "attitude ....but thats just my take on it .

The problem when councils/local authorities get involved they tend to make a blanket ban of all motorized boats and the rest of us who are only interested in scale models which travel very slowly and are no danger to human or wildlife also get the fallout Geoff

Hi Ivor, one of the islands has been reshaped to create a straight course for dragon boat racing. All the native plants were removed and will be replanted. Black billed gulls have taken a liking to the island. A stony area will be created for them at one end in the hope that they will nest. For the benefit of those that have not seen a dragon boat have attached picture.Unfortunately it is Australian. :o Frank
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Hi Ivor I suspect some of these might be on our boating lake next year. :) Frank
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yes Frank we also have a pair of resident Swans and ducks on the pond also

Getting them ready for our local lake :D
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Hello Ivor, A small corner of the lake today. Frank
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Thanks Frank and Scurs for your posts . Our Lake has had a major turnaround since my last post and although it was thought to be a terminal change now seems to have born fruit . The lake has been leased to a Fishing group by the owners who have negotiated differing access arrangements which seem to have been taken on board with no lasting detrimental affect .......time will tell but so far so good

hello Ivor, The birds have had a peaceful summer. regards Frank :)
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long way it last Frank

As a footnote to the trouble we were experiencing , things have turned out well on our club lake . The new lease agents agreed to us continuing to use the lake and have spent a small fortune on tidying it up , installing a perimeter fence to keep out the general public , and improved the bank edging 100% Its now stocked with fish and the water seems cleaner and we now have better access to our site on an agreed use rota , and has a supervisor keeping an overall eye on the way the lake is used by the fisherman ......no more debris , bonfires / barbecues , to climb over .....so all has turned out well after a lot of behind the scenes negotiation :D

As a frequent attendee to our club lake I wondered how others managed in times of engine failure and such like when out on the lake . As indicated before our current lake which we still use on revised terms due to change in use , the lake has been in use by Cambridge Model Boat Club since 1950 . On occasions a model is left without any means of retrieval so now that I have a tug it seemed a bit silly being in this position so decided to alter the situation by adapting the old barrier system which was used during the past wars . I purchased 10 x12" lengths of dowel and inserted hooks and eyes in each end to which I fitted swivel joints [ from a fishing friends gash stocks ] to ensure that the system could be folded up to fit in a container for easy transport . To each end of the dowels a float was fitted made from empty blood test strips containers which had the lids glued on to make them water tight . Each of the dowels had a skirt of the anti slip rubberised net[ that you line tool box shelves with ] these were cut into lengths slightly shorter than the dowel and 4" wide and were the wrapped along each length . I used a section of threaded bar heated and bent to form a winding shaft and fabricated a manual winch onto which was wound a couple of hundred feet of floating nylon twine . to enable the line to be paid out to the tug and prevent it fouling the prop the first and last yard of the twine is fitted through plastic "car washers supply tube " and sealed each end , by doing this the entire Boom floats on the surface and the catchment area exceeds some 18ft from the back of the tug to the recovery twine line . The tug tows the "Boom" out and goes around form a "U" about the disabled model which is then carefully and slowly recovered back to shore :D The total cost for the "boom" was pence along with scrounged left overs and a bit off time working out the simplest way of doing it having helped many others recover their "Prided and Joy" from the lake some of which had been partly submerged [ hence the priority of everything floating ]...:D Hope that this has been of use to other modellers who have been faced with the same problem or would wish to avoid being in this situation . NB... the towing vessel can be an other model present at the time and the floating system on the tow line prevents fowling in the hands of inexperienced modellers hands ;)

Ingenious Ivor, the first batch of salvage money should pay for it:D:):p Jim

Huh I wish Jim , you know what us modellers are like .......why buy something when you can make it ......or better still get someone else to do it for you ..... Not like the proper Navy sadly ...... where you all mucked in together for the common good ;) but nice thought eh

When can we expect to see it in action?. Jim

Well Jim I would be delighted to say I hope its never needed.... but I suspect soon . Im not at the lake for two weeks but I will test it out then and take some pictures to prove it works [ or a very embarrassed modeller showing the Mk 2 version ]

Having given up on Canoe Lake, Southsea due to weed and algea problems, a new (fresh water!!) lake beckons close by in Waterlooville. It will be sited in a new construction complex nearby and is due to open next year. The proprieters are currently looking for "responsible users" and those of us who attended Norwich are keen to volunteer our services by sailing regularly there, vis-a-vis Robbie, Brian and Richard. As far as we can gather, the lake is recreational only and WILL NOT BE STOCKED WITH FISH OR OTHER MARINE LIFE, so no objectors there then.:rolleyes: Canoe Lake (sea water) has been contaminated through poor design recently, whereby a new kiddie's water park now drains into the main lake, diluting the sea water with "freshers", hence the algea and weed thriving.:confused: So I'm looking forward to venturing out to lakeside again without having to negotiate the constant road blocks into Portsmouth (one lane IN and two lanes OUT) ......again, brilliant planning!! Parking at Canoe Lake is now non-existant so access to the lake with models in excess of ten feet is pretty cumbersome. Most scale modellers don't use Canoe Lake anymore due to the foregoing inconveniences, and what was a regular treat for the bystanders/onlookers has now almost disappeared. Shame really. I haven't sailed on Canoe Lake for three years now, nor have I sailed anywhere else. Pedalos and water spheres now predominate, including irresponsible pilots of fast electric craft and IC speedsters too, who have been witnessed deliberately driving their fast craft at the resident swans. Such is the problem caused by the foregoing individuals that Petersfield Heath Lake has banned all propeller driven craft from its waters. Myself and Robbie are currently in contact with Petersfield Town Council trying to get article 24 rescinded or reversed by proving that scale modellers can be responsible people.;):D Let's see how that develops. Sandy.

Finding water is becoming a problem for all clubs I think Sandy unless the local Council show a direct interest. Our Council is always asking for us to display or put on events but never put their money where their mouth is > As you probably know our water is a Fire Water Lake outside the Council Offices which are about to be sold to a Developer , so Ta Ta Modellors . Luckily we have a welcome at Millbrook across the water in deepest Cornwall where there is a lake complete with Swans, Ducks and the like but we don't disturb them and they tolerate us. Fast Electric and IC is banned at our Club and has been for many years except when we host the SWAMBC Fast Electric once a year by agreement with the Millbrook Parish Council. They have always made us welcome and we get a lot of visitors on club days. They tell us what we can and can't do and the middle ground is always observed. Dave H

Well the mudded waters now clear Sandy , I wondered why you had not been as enthusiastic , but all is now clear . Our lake was leased out over our heads to a fishing consortium who erected fences , padlocked gates etc and then restocked the lake . we tried several differing time slots which seem to change at the drop of a hat , but seems to have settled down now whereby we can use it on Sunday mornings fro 10.00 to 1300 ...:( We are seriously considering using another lake at Exning just up the road but thats an ongoing thing , along with no doubt a list of trials and tribulations ....but better than nothing eh.... I wish you well and good luck with both of your venues and that it is resolved soon lads

Ok Jim heres a compromise , how about on the garden table till I get to the lake , so that the description of the Boom is clearer :cool: Sorry its a tad dark but the sun is blistering down at the moment Each of the small floats has two double swivels attached so no matter how its laid it adjusts itself to form a line when under tension and all the dowels are lacquered to deter water absorption yet float around on the tethered line Hope that makes sense :confused:
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Looking good Ivor, remember the salvage terms "no cure, no pay"! :)

Looks fine Ivor, how big a casualty could it handle?. Jim

Good bit of kit Ivor, and it does look as though it will work when used in earnest. But I never realised that Earnest was a non swimmer!! Boom Boom!!:D Do I identify the boom "floats" as blood-sugar test strip containers m'dear?? They look familiar to me as a diabolic.:D Regarding Canoe Lake .......... I doubt if we will ever sail there again because of the restrictions. Portsmouth City Council are too busy attracting half, and full marathons in the area, notwithstanding encouraging the Tour de France as well!! (Thought I voted to come out of Europe).:D:rolleyes:;) They even promote a NAKED CYCLE RIDE ALONG THE PROMENADE!!! Now YOU try THAT wherever YOU live.:rolleyes: Without being arrested. Asylum the are lunatics running the. Please arrange to form a well known sentence.:D Kind regards, Sandy.

For a second Sandy, I thought you had put attracting half and full morons in the area:D. The boom looks good Ivor and I assume it was designed for use with the Type 45's in case of engine failure in this hot and balmy weather ;):D Jim

[QUOTE=jbryce1437;10153294]For a second Sandy, I thought you had put attracting half and full morons in the area:D. Jim[/QUOTE] You are spot-on there Jim. Prime example: Bodgitt and Bodgitt innit.:D;) Sandy, (we take turns at half and full).:D

[QUOTE=Vegaskip;10153285]Looks fine Ivor, how big a casualty could it handle?. Jim[/QUOTE] Well Jim from the stern of the tug to the start of the retrieval line is about 15ft so assuming I can form an inverted U around the model before heading for the shore line I am hopeful that anything up to about 48" should be possible depending on the wind direction of course ......if not ......add more I have an endless supply of most items and those I might have to add are cheap enough .......... The biggest problem is distance from the shoreline , and seeing where to set the turn to ensnare the model .....the centre of the lake is about as far as can be viewed from our normal launch point ........if further then we would have to set off from the sides where access permits I think I might have to either buy or make a brightly coloured float at the end of the Boom to designate where it ends as from that distance in bright sun [ ever hopeful] it will be difficult to see ....but we will try it first .

[QUOTE=Destroyerman;10153291]Good bit of kit Ivor, and it does look as though it will work when used in earnest. But I never realised that Earnest was a non swimmer!! Boom Boom!!:D Do I identify the boom "floats" as blood-sugar test strip containers m'dear?? They look familiar to me as a diabolic.:D Regarding Canoe Lake .......... I doubt if we will ever sail there again because of the restrictions. Portsmouth City Council are too busy attracting half, and full marathons in the area, notwithstanding encouraging the Tour de France as well!! (Thought I voted to come out of Europe).:D:rolleyes:;) They even promote a NAKED CYCLE RIDE ALONG THE PROMENADE!!! Now YOU try THAT wherever YOU live.:rolleyes: Without being arrested. Asylum the are lunatics running the. Please arrange to form a well known sentence.:D Kind regards, Sandy.[/QUOTE] Blimey Sandy ......we thought we were the only members living in that kind of location .....some of my neighbours even used to work at the now defunct local mental institute [ thats one of the reasons I chose to live here :roll eyes:] Yes they are Blood Glucose test strip containers ......well spotted As for fine bit of kit ....time will tell ;)

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