Trent Lifeboat

 

A new addition to the Parker fleet, albeit one with a sad reason for it's arrival. It's no surprise that with model boaters tending to be on the older age of the hobby, that vessels come up for sale within the club due to illness or even death. 

The owner of this lifeboat passed away very shortly after his models were sold. I like to think that knowing they had good homes within the club will have been a tiny consolation. I know it would be for me. Admittedly, he wasn't a builder of models, but that doesn't mean you don't want to see them go to people who will appreciate them.

 

The model is a beautifully built 1:16 scale Trent from the Model Slipway range. At three feet long, it's at the top end of the boat sizes I want to deal with, but look at the detail that comes with a big (to me) model!

  

The hull is fibreglass and superstructure plastic with castings. Railings are metal and cleverly slot into each other to allow the top to be removed for access to the interior. 

 

 

Power is from a pair of brushed motors independently controlled via Electronise speed controllers. The handset allows for these to be run as a pair, or at different speeds. The jelly cell was a surprise, but a big boat needs ballast to get the hull to sit properly on the water and we should see plenty of operating time.

I'm not one for buying RTR models, but this was just too good an opportunity to pass up. If and when our water reopens from Covid restrictions, then I look forward to sailing her. 

Looking closely, there are a few personalisations in my mind - the switches can only be operated with the superstructure removed so I'll move them to somewhere more accessible. Taking the model apart at the waters edge isn't a good idea. 

We also need more crew. A Trent should be manned by six people, so this gives me the chance to add figures, a pleasant job. 

Whatever the reasons I now own this boat, it proves the value of a club. Members know how to find homes for valued models and will normally pitch in to help. I'm sure this is appreciated by anyone looking at a collection that meant a lot to a recently departed family member, wanting to do the best with them, but not knowing where to start. Otherwise, they can be given away for nothing.