Gauteng Model Boat Club showcases hand-built fleet at Emmarentia Dam
Local hobbyists bring historical ships, radio-controlled vessels and intricate scale models to the water, highlighting decades of precision engineering.
The Danish frigate, South African naval strike craft and historic tugboats may be smaller than their real-life counterparts, but the craftsmanship behind them is anything but miniature.
The Gauteng Model Boat Club brought its fleet to Emmarentia Dam on August 30, showcasing the intricate work, technical knowledge and patience required to turn raw materials into vessels capable of taking to the water.
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For club committee member Eric Berg, model boating has come full circle. He first joined the former Johannesburg Model Power Boat Club as a teenager before life took him away from the hobby.
Fifty years later, retirement and the Covid-19 pandemic gave him an unexpected reason to return. “I thought I would build a boat while we were in lockdown,” he recalled. The frigate he built eventually led him back to Emmarentia Dam, where a chance encounter with the club chairperson saw him rejoin.
Today, the club caters for both competitive radio-controlled sailing and scale modelling, with members building vessels from kits, plans or entirely from scratch. Some begin as boxes of wooden planks and laser-cut pieces, requiring builders to assemble, waterproof and finish every detail. Others use plastic or fibreglass hulls before adding motors, radio equipment, speed controllers, bow thrusters and even sound systems.
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For those building historically accurate replicas, precision is key. Models can range from around 1:100 to 1:20 scale, with everything – including tiny crew figures – needing to remain proportionate.
Among the vessels displayed were replicas inspired by naval and commercial craft, including the famous PT-109, the torpedo boat once commanded by John F Kennedy during World War II.
While visitors may see miniature boats, Berg said the detail often tells a different story. “I suppose a lot of people are taken aback by the detail,” he said, adding that for anyone wanting to join the hobby, the most important skill is simply enthusiasm.
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