Build a scale is 5/16"=1 ft., length is 35 ¼” and beam is 63/4 " R/C Fishing Boat Full Size printed plans

 Full Size Printed Plans  and Article

Bunker Boat

Full Size Printed on Two sheets 57” x 24” and 40" x 36"

Twelve Page Article with Building notes and photos

Scale 5/16"=1ft

Length 351/4"

Beam 6 3/4"

Power Electric

Radio Control

The bunker boats range as far north as Long Island in the summer and follow the fish south to Florida as the northern Atlantic gets cooler in the fall. Today the fleet uses spotter planes to find the fish. Radar, diesel engines and suction pumps for loading the fish on board are modern touches. Many of the boats are of recent vintage but some are more than 5O years old. Sturdily built of wood by boat builders in Maryland, Virginia and the Carolinas, the basic design has changed little through the years. Formerly all were steam-powered and even now old hands call the boats "steamers" though they are diesel powered. The boats vary in length from 110 to 150 feet and our model is of one of the small older boats. Data for our model was taken from several exhibition models owned by J. Howard Smith Inc. menhaden factory at Port Monmouth, N.J. Since original boat builders' plans were not used, we do not claim our model to be authentic in every last detail. However, a pretty fair reproduction has resulted. No two of the boats are exactly alike as can be seen in the photos of the fleet at the factory' dock at Port Monmouth. The pictures show the 'modern fleet, and these are bigger boats than our model was scaled from. The model was patterned after the Helen Euphane built in 1902 at Pocomoke City, Md., and now owned by the Atlantic Navigation Co. Length is 112 feet, beam 20 ft. 4 in. and draft 9 ft. 3 in.

The model scale is 5/16"=1 ft., length is 35 ¼” and beam is 63/4 ", This is a convenient size to build and there is ample room in the hull and deck houses for any eager R/C fan to run riot. We settled for simple rudder control and electric motor power and the model handles well and is stable in the water. Actually more radio gear could be carried since the model could stand more weight to sink it to the waterline shown on the plans. Since balsa was used throughout construction, the boat is a lightweight. Plans show planked hull construction which is actually no more difficult to build than a big airplane fuselage half. If you do not wish to build the hull in this manner there are several alternatives. Four 2" x 6" balsa blocks could be glued together to form a block large enough for entire hull if you don't mind the expense and whittling. Good clear white pine blocks could be used in the same way. The tried-and-true lift or layer method could also be employed. This would require 7 pieces of white pine shelving ¾”x 6 ½”x 36". The upper layers could have center areas cut out on jigsaw before gluing up to save hollowing out later. Profile and plan outlines are then cut out of assembled layers and outside is carved to shape, using outer phantom lines on frame outlines as templates.

Thank you for looking Rose