German Democratic Republic. The now non existent country of East Germany produced simple colourful boats . I am a huge fan of GDR MZ motorbikes , as they are simple , but well made motorcycles. Unfortunately , the GDR boats tend to not be too clever in operation. Some of the boats have an unrealistic paddle for propulsion . This would not be too bad , if it were not for the fact that water leaks into the hull through the aperture connecting the paddle to the clockwork motor. Also the propellered boats seem to have very strong , but very short running clockwork motors. In summary , they tend to look better than they operate.

12 inch cargo boat that seems to be modelled on a English Tudor Rose boat

KSB 73 Kusten Schutzboot (Coastal Protection Boat)

Clockwork liner with strong , but short running clockwork motor. Has a large plastic key that is prone to breaking as the clockwork motor has a strong resistance to winding.

VEB Plasticart , Zchopau Cabin Cruiser. Has a horizontal paddle for propulsion. The boat can sink if not removed from the water quickly after its motor has run down. Made in the same part of Germany as MZ motorcycles and Trabant cars.

VEB Plasticart , Zchopau Cabin Cruiser. Has a horizontal paddle for propulsion. The boat can sink if not removed from the water quickly after its motor has run down.

VEB Plasticart , Zchopau Torpedo Boat . Has a horizontal paddle for propulsion. The boat can sink if not removed from the water quickly after its motor has run down. Made in the same part of Germany as MZ motorcycles and Trabant cars.

Electrically operated submarine. The submarine is connected to a battery box and speed controller by long wires. I haven't tried it out , but I have examined it and can say that it dives by setting the manually adjustable forward diving planes to the diving position , and driving the submarine through the water with sufficient speed to overcome the buoyancy of the submarine. The submarine has 3 speeds , which are achieved by setting the dial on the battery box to numbers 1 to 3 in forward or reverse. This corresponds to supplying the motor with 1.5V from one battery ,3V from 2 batteries or 4.5V from 3. It is interesting how the maker's enclosed the motor totally in a plastic case. There isn't any mechanical link between the motor shaft and the propeller shaft , but a magnetic link. This means that water will not be able to enter the motor housing. The downside is that you can't lubricate the motor. I have taken a couple of pictures of the inside of the submarine , which can be viewed in the gallery.

FB 75 Feuer Loschboot (Fire Boat)

A large clockwork speedboat. As with most of these large GDR speedboats , it has a very strong , but short running clockwork motor. Does not have a detachable key , as with most clockwork toys , but a permanently attached plastic key.

VEB Plasticart , Zchopau Cabin Cruiser. Has a horizontal paddle for propulsion. The boat can sink if not removed from the water quickly after its motor has run down. Made in the same part of Germany as MZ motorcycles and Trabant cars. There is a video showing the paddle propulsion.

VEB Plasticart , Zchopau Torpedo Boat . Has a horizontal paddle for propulsion. The boat can sink if not removed from the water quickly after its motor has run down. Made in the same part of Germany as MZ motorcycles and Trabant cars.

VEB Plasticart , Zchopau Torpedo Boat . Has a horizontal paddle for propulsion. The boat can sink if not removed from the water quickly after its motor has run down. Made in the same part of Germany as MZ motorcycles and Trabant cars. There is a video showing the paddle propulsion.