The Zenith of 1-channel R/C boats

I am proud to announce the new R.C.S. (radio controlled ship) Raffaello!

Raffaello is now in the formal planning stages. Her hull is set to begin construction on Saturday, November 5th, 2005. When completed, she will be 60 inches, or 5 feet long.

I have begun by drawing the full-size plans in paper, which will be transferred directly to the cardboard during construction.

She is being constructed on an enforced scale of .66 inches = 10 feet. With the aid of deck plans in my possesion, she will actually be fully in scale (unlike the Ecstasy or Zuiderdam). This is a technique I will also use on next year's Queen Mary model. When finished, the Raffaello will LOOK like the real ship more than any R/C model I have built yet!

While only using 1 radio channel, like the America or Kamloops, she will have 2 motors. She will be 5 inches longer than the America. Only a few inches shorter than the Zuiderdam!

Please visit this page throughout the coming weeks as I will be updating regularly with pics of her construction, starting with the keel laying.

The Raffaello was constructed in 1965, and together with her sistership Michelangelo, was the last of the Itallian Superliners. Barely 10 years after her completion, she was retired and never sailed again. After becoming a floating barracks for the Iranian military, she was sunk by Iraqi aircraft during the Iran-Iraq war.