1912 Yacht Tender

Yacht tenders like this one were used for ferrying passengers between the great ocean-going steam yachts and dry land. The earliest tenders were simple steam cutters and picket boats, and many of them were modified ex-naval craft, but later purpose-built civilian versions became flashily opulent with hardly a visible surface that was not varnished wood or polished brass. The inspiration for this elegant design was an example built in 1912 by the principal UK builder of such vessels, Simpson Strickland & Co, who had boatyards at Dartmouth in Devon and later also at Teddington on the Thames. The lines of the shapely transom-sterned hull are still very similar to those of a Royal Navy picket boat or Admiral's barge of the same period. The hull is moulded with full keel and rubbing strip, and the only deviation from scale has been to make the hull slightly slimmer than the original, and as a result, not a great deal of power is needed to drive this fine-lined hull at realistic speeds. The model is equally suitable for a wide range of electric or steam power plants, and many popular steam units from manufacturers like Cheddar and Stour Valley Steam can be fitted, though sadly neither of these two model steam engine manufacturers is still around. The model on the left is another of Dave Dunn’s, this time fitted with an American Gage twin cylinder steam engine with a Cheddar boiler, which is reported to drive the model at well in excess of scale speed with an impressive bow-wave.