Luxury boat, little size

Challenge: The world of model collectors is made up of hundreds of small niches, and one of our best private customers happens to love boats. His latest commission is a 1/10 scale model of the Donzi Sport fishing Yacht. In the same luxury class as the Aquarama, these boats can sell for a million dollars… used. Not only did we need to live up to that standard of luxury, we needed to make this boat seaworthy with radio controls.

Solution: The model is four feet long, so there’s plenty of room to house all the electric workings, which we made easily accessible by lifting off the top cabin of the boat. It’s powered by two electric 1.5 horsepower motors, which drive bronze props at the back of the boat. The props are small, but the rake is so steep, this 4’ model will be able to tow a 15’ speedboat through the water. Bronze is the most common material used to make props as it resists corrosion.

To capture the luxury of the boat, we hand-laid teak planks for the floor, door and chairs. Small details such as the rope coil, fire extinguisher and life preserver do a lot to enhance the realism.

Result: We’re still putting the finishing touches on the Donzi, but as this is the fifth RC boat we’ve made for this customer, we expect it to be well received.