Who builds or sells Good Rescue Boats?

[dmitry100]

Hi,

Does anyone know where I can buy a decent rescue boat suitable to handle a heavy 45" cat?

[MADRCER]

Tower Hobbies... Works well for me on my 36 and my others combined with my pvc built float.

https://www.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=AQUB5701&P=FR&atrkid=V3ADW3A24148B_45992359586_pla-359027475045__221282308788_g_c_pla_with_promotion__1o1&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI8OHYmcXx1wIVUTRpCh2ynAhsEAQYASABEgL_hfD_BwE

[Insanity Plea]

You have to build these but I've heard good things about them from the large scale gas guys.

http://zippkits.com/~zippkits/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=86

[Bp9145]

You can build your own with PVC pipes and pool noodles. . .there are videos on YouTube on building one or give you some ideas on what they look like and how you can design one of your own. It's not hard at all but you do have to use one of your boats. You can get one of those cheaper RTR boats with brushed motors. . .there's plenty to choose from.

[RayR]

This is a prototype designed that will do exactly what you requested, retrieve large/heavy boats (as well as small ones). It is currently undergoing a redesign that will provide adjustable sponson width and for packaging/shipping constraints and cost reductions.

My goal is provide it at a cost under $200 without radio or LiPo, and holding shipping costs below $30.

Here is a video of a much earlier prototype: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cd_T7QTGhz0

I would be interested in knowing whether this would meet your needs.

[boatsrnew2me]

nice work ray.i have been slowly working on making my fork air powered as well .had their been a "kit" available i would have purchased one as i am not the best fabricator (you either have it or you dont ),that said i wish you luck and i do see a market for this .

[fweasel]

Ray, does it go in reverse?

[RayR]

Ray, does it go in reverse?

Yes it does.

[Bp9145]

Ray, I almost went to that route without the use of a boat as it is much lighter and easy to break down. . .as boatsrnew mentioned there is a niche for this and I'm sure when you have it perfected to your specification and price, you might be surprised how many people would be interested in this.

[fweasel]

Ray, just to throw my 2 cents into the discussion, I have a reliable PVC rig and tug boat rescue setup that I use. I wish it was faster, and took up less room in my trunk when I drove to and from the lake. I have no interest in educating myself on airprops, compatible motors, and steering. I would be a customer for a refined version of this rig. I see the real value in a kit that either includes all the PVC pieces that I need to glue together myself, or just a list of dimensions and I buy, cut, and glue them myself according to your plans. That should cut down on your time investment and make for a smaller/lighter product to ship.

[dirtdummy]

This is a prototype designed that will do exactly what you requested, retrieve large/heavy boats (as well as small ones). It is currently undergoing a redesign that will provide adjustable sponson width and for packaging/shipping constraints and cost reductions.

My goal is provide it at a cost under $200 without radio or LiPo, and holding shipping costs below $30.

Here is a video of a much earlier prototype: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cd_T7QTGhz0

I would be interested in knowing whether this would meet your needs.

It would meet my needs!

[CraigP]

Ray, does that have a steering arm that goes down thru that center PVC tubing? This looks interesting.

[RayR]

Ray, does that have a steering arm that goes down thru that center PVC tubing? This looks interesting.

Not really, the entire tube turns both prop thrust and rudder. The key component comes from the furniture PVC industry, it is called a "Slip" Tee". For the next iteration I will use these on the sponson attachment points to make the sponson width adjustable.

One of the other cool things about furniture PVC is it comes in colors!

[RayR]

Thanks to all for the comments. Any and all are welcome.

[RayR]

fweasel,

One of the design goals was to allow easy sponson removal for transport. I comes apart quite easily for that purpose. My selection of air power is totally based upon cost. Using standard marine propulsion for retrieving a 20 plus lb. boat that is dead in the water without burning up motors and speedo's gets expensive in a hurry. The craft in it's current form draws a maximum of 19 amps at full throttle tied down to the bench.

I fully intend to provide the design details when all the proof of concept work is done. The market for these is with the folks who do not want to build their own. The question I am asking myself at the moment is do I really want to be a manufacturer?