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Author Topic: Aero-Naut Yacht Bella – The Other Build  (Read 10275 times)

Pearlsfirstmate

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Aero-Naut Yacht Bella – The Other Build
« on: November 10, 2014, 05:41:53 pm »

Yes, the competition has started! For those of you who have read the build blog of ChrisG’s Aero-Naut Bella you can see he is well ahead of me, however, I have made a start on my first R/C wooden sailing yacht.
The 3mm birch plywood frames were eventually cut out, definitely agree with Chris’s description of “the wood is as hard as nag nails”, placed into the supplied jig, then glued to the keel.
The recommended method of masking the bow together before offering up the hull sides into the jig didn’t work for me as it kept parting as I was positioning and re-positioning, so I ended up inserting both hull sides into the jig and then masking the bow together.
The hull sides were then spot glued to the frames making sure they were pushed well down into the notches of the frames (they have a tendency to ride up), masked and left to dry.
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Pearlsfirstmate

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Re: Aero-Naut Yacht Bella – The Other Build
« Reply #1 on: November 10, 2014, 05:45:20 pm »

With masking tape removed and the 2 reinforcing pieces fitted either side to the inside of the bow she is now ready to fit her bottom which comes in two halves. At this stage the only part which is glued is at the bow, the rest ends up just being masking taped and pinned in place........so here goes!!
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Pearlsfirstmate

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Re: Aero-Naut Yacht Bella – The Other Build
« Reply #2 on: November 10, 2014, 05:47:23 pm »

Well, I would like to say I did it, but after 2 hours of fiddling Chris stepped into the breach and glued and pinned the first half of the bow for me. She was left for the glue to set hard and I then fitted the 2nd half.
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Pearlsfirstmate

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Re: Aero-Naut Yacht Bella – The Other Build
« Reply #3 on: November 13, 2014, 02:33:29 pm »

The next stage is to brake off the support tabs of the hull frames, (typical of the build process of many of the Aero-Naut kits I think). Well, lacking courage Chris did this for me. After which the stringers, cabin sides and transom were fitted and glued in place.
This was pretty straight forward, or so I thought, until I realised, like an idiot, that I had glued the cabin sides the wrong way round. There was nothing else for it but to cut them off, reinforce and glue back in, with a lot of cursing and swearing along the way!!
The deck pieces were then assembled, reinforced with the supplied fabric tape, glued together and the underside sealed with sanding sealer as recommended, before being glued in place. This left quite a overhang at the bow and transom which was then sanded down into shape.
It seems a shame to paint over the beautiful mahogany hull sides, but I felt she would have more impact on the water if the hull was painted, especially as our pond water is pretty murky even on a sunny day. I’ve chosen a bright red Humbrol paint for the hull sides and white for her bottom and keel, but first the undercoat.
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Pearlsfirstmate

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Re: Aero-Naut Yacht Bella – The Other Build
« Reply #4 on: November 13, 2014, 02:35:23 pm »

Whilst the hull painting process continues the cabin roof pieces were assembled and glued together. When the 2mm obechi cabin roof is moistened slightly (as recommended) it bends nicely into shape onto the frame without splitting. This was then varnished and left to dry.
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Chris G

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Re: Aero-Naut Yacht Bella – The Other Build
« Reply #5 on: November 13, 2014, 02:47:22 pm »

Well done. :-)) A lot of progress since I last saw her.
I had better get cracking, you are well in front of my build, at this rate you will have her in the water in a couple of weeks. 
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tigertiger

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Re: Aero-Naut Yacht Bella – The Other Build
« Reply #6 on: November 14, 2014, 03:12:00 am »

Looking very nice indeed  :-))
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Pearlsfirstmate

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Re: Aero-Naut Yacht Bella – The Other Build
« Reply #7 on: November 19, 2014, 02:16:34 pm »

Thank you for your comments Tiger Tiger & Chris G  ok2


Well I think the end is in sight of the painting process, although I still need to rub down and re-mask once again and give her another coat of red, due to me placing her back on the stand before the paint had properly hardened, which left a mark either side!! The 3 coats of the red Humbrol (No.19) didn't give me the bright red I had hoped for, maybe this was partly due to the dark grey undercoat, so I have now ended up spraying her hull sides with good old Wilko's red enamel gloss and she looks better for it.  I am still undecided whether I need to give her a couple of coats of clear Humbrol gloss varnish. I'll maybe just try it on the transom first to see what it gives me. Any thoughts anyone?


In the meantime I have constructed the removable cockpit. It had been my intention to make a hatch opening in the floor to gain access to the rudder and glue the whole thing in place to make it completely watertight, but after some debate and it actually fitting far better than I had first thought it would, I went for the recommended method. After a couple of coats of varnish it looks pretty good.


Now for the mast, tabernacle and rigging modification as we need to be able to take the masts down to get them both in the car to get them to the pond to race!! The debating continues......


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Grumpy Dave

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Re: Aero-Naut Yacht Bella – The Other Build
« Reply #8 on: December 09, 2014, 10:55:31 pm »

A fantastic inspiring article. Re. paint, try mixing paint and varnish for a very shiny topcoat. Obviously they must be compatible.
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Pearlsfirstmate

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Re: Aero-Naut Yacht Bella – The Other Build
« Reply #9 on: December 17, 2014, 03:08:15 pm »

Thanks for your comments Grumpy Dave and the painting tip, I will keep it in mind for my next paint job.

Well, my quick re-spray to cover the marks left by the stand resulted in somewhat of a nightmare. I waited days for the weather to improve enough to take her outside to re-spray and with patience running out I chose a day which I thought would be OK, but unfortunately ended up with the infamous orange peel finish, I guess too cold or damp, probably both!!  So with yet another rub down I reverted to brush painting inside with the original red Humbrol. For whatever reason each coat stayed tacky for a couple of days, but I finally got there with a good gloss finish and was able to turn her up the right way into a modified stand, varnish the decks and crack on with the rigging.

In the meantime Chris G had sourced some great deck fittings & bottlescrews from Nylet, far better than the brass ring screws supplied in the kit, and of course as he is well ahead of me passed on a few tips too. The bottlescrews will hopefully allow us to take down the mast to transport them both in the car to the pond without too much hassle. He has also sourced the servos from Puffin Models in Bristol, which is where we originally bought the kits and they too have been extremely helpful with excellent customer service and fast delivery.

Whilst the Aero-naut building instructions have been pretty good for a novice like me, there are some errors and frustrations. The mast for example described as supplied over length but nowhere does it actually state the finished length, only measurements up from the bottom or down from the top for the ring screws.. The top brass ring for the backstay and up haul for the mainsail if positioned at their stated 51mm is too low by about 20mm when you offer up the main sail, I guess it teaches you to think ahead.

On reading this back I hope this post isn’t becoming too boring for all you experienced modellers that may be reading it but will hopefully benefit some of the less experienced like me.

Now to fit the sails.........
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mrpenguin

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Re: Aero-Naut Yacht Bella – The Other Build
« Reply #10 on: December 18, 2014, 01:48:19 am »

On reading this back I hope this post isn’t becoming too boring for all you experienced modellers that may be reading it but will hopefully benefit some of the less experienced like me.


Keep the info coming Pearlsfirstmate..... I am getting a lot of great info from this build... I have just started my first scratch build and find I can never get too much info. Appreciate the painting tips, thank you...
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Pearlsfirstmate

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Re: Aero-Naut Yacht Bella – The Other Build
« Reply #11 on: December 18, 2014, 08:05:21 pm »

Good to know mrpenguin, thanks for your reply  :-)


The sails were relatively straightforward, the reinforcing tape supplied was good, although heating the supplied steel rod to re-make the holes didn't work for me, so I heated a thick darning needle instead. We also chose not to use the rings or tie the main to the mast, instead we used clasps sourced from PJ Sails and they look pretty good.  Well done Chris G a great find  :-))


With a few extras glued in place in the cockpit the next stage will be the r/c.....

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Chris G

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Re: Aero-Naut Yacht Bella – The Other Build
« Reply #12 on: December 18, 2014, 09:20:40 pm »

I really think you have done a cracking job especially the trauma of the hull painting. I really think that you have won the 'finish' contest it looks really great and knowing you it will be perfect.
Shame it will get marked when you sail into the first wall. {-)
It will be interesting when we sort the R/C to get them on the lake but methinks it will not be until Spring.
Must find another project !!!
Chris G
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Pearlsfirstmate

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Re: Aero-Naut Yacht Bella – The Other Build
« Reply #13 on: December 18, 2014, 11:00:35 pm »

Thanks Chris G - how about getting your build post up to date, by which time Santa could well be on his way with your next project  :-X
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Pearlsfirstmate

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Re: Aero-Naut Yacht Bella – The Other Build
« Reply #14 on: March 22, 2015, 09:02:52 pm »

Our maiden voyage around the lake went well - Chris G in his post about summed it all up, so I wont repeat it here.


We are both very pleased with the end result of both yachts, and whilst there are no spectacular racing photos today as we specifically chose a calm day and only sailed one at a time,  I'm sure they will give us hours of fun in the future  ok2


Yes we got many complimentary comments from other members and if you enjoy the fun of making a "proper" wooden yacht from a kit then I would definitely recommend this Aero-Naut Bella kit.



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daemonxr

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Re: Aero-Naut Yacht Bella – The Other Build
« Reply #15 on: July 18, 2015, 05:18:37 pm »

What a beautiful sail boat. i cant take my eyes of. I ordered 2day one Bella from Germany and hardly wait to start.
Thanx for build logs. It will be helpful for new builders like me.
I have questions though :
Why did you paint mohagony sides? You could do matte white bottom then clear coat everything :/ (ok i have spray gun and air compressor, lot of ppl dont have it)..
Is there a ways to mod and improve things in this kit? I have some thoughts to make removable keel/keel box and improve keel from 2x2mm aeroply plus fiberglass rowing and resin on properly shaped hydrofoil...
What about rudder post? Does it have o-ring inside to prevent leak?
What about weight bulb axes, it seems to be lil bit down not up?
I was thinking about order how cabin goes in hull. I think must be reversed. Cabin to go around hull not inside. Would be much water tight-er if heeled on one side to much?
What about servo arm for sail. It seems to be short if servo is in mid of hull? To install servo on one side with longer arm will be possible to achieve greater stroke for sails.
Anyway just my two cents.

How they sail in light to medium wind? Are you satisfied?
I want to hear more from you guys :)

Cheers

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Pearlsfirstmate

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Re: Aero-Naut Yacht Bella – The Other Build
« Reply #16 on: July 21, 2015, 06:48:10 pm »

Hi Daemonxr,


Yes the Aero-Naut Bella is a very good looking traditional wooden yacht and it took us quite some time to find her, but she has turned out exactly what we were looking for.

I'm struggling to answer your questions about any modifications (I'm not experienced enough I'm afraid) - all I did was follow the build instructions and the end result was very acceptable to me.
 
It did seem a shame to paint over the beautiful mahogany hull, but as our pond water is quite murky and dark even on a sunny day we thought a bright colour would make them stand out more on the water and also easier to identify which boat was which!


It's still very early days for us but they seem to sail well enough although both of us are currently reading up on trimming techniques to get the best out of them  ;) 


We look forward to following your build blog and if we can help at all along the way we will chip in our two penneth (cents) worth.


Have fun end enjoy  :-) :-) 
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daemonxr

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Re: Aero-Naut Yacht Bella – The Other Build
« Reply #17 on: July 22, 2015, 04:12:37 pm »

Thanx for reply Pearl,

My Bella is on the way, i hardly wish to show up till Friday but i doubt.
I will change fittings for sure, SailsEtc keep nice IOM fittings for this,
Still think to use epoxy glue and resin with reinforcing some areas with 45gr/sqM fg rowing.
Keel and weight to be fiberglassed and fairings added with putty, must be one nice streamlining hydrodynamical fin

Anyway, i will think about it when kit arrive :)

cheers
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Tim_M

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Re: Aero-Naut Yacht Bella – The Other Build
« Reply #18 on: July 23, 2015, 09:05:23 pm »

Beautiful boat. Reminds me of a real one we had when I was a kid. Top craftsmanship, in my opinion!
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mickkays

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Re: Aero-Naut Yacht Bella – The Other Build
« Reply #19 on: August 03, 2015, 04:28:58 pm »

Hi Pearlsfirstmate
First let me congratulate you on the bella. It looks first class.
Could you tell me the height from the bottom of the keel to the waterline please as where i sail has got a few depth restrictions.
The areonaut hansajolie looks a posibility for me as it has a drop down keel. 
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LME Slinger

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Re: Aero-Naut Yacht Bella – The Other Build
« Reply #20 on: August 03, 2015, 04:52:28 pm »

She's turned out very nice indeed - looks quite realistic in the "on the water" photo's too O0 :-))
 
Regards,
 
Ray.
 
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Pearlsfirstmate

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Re: Aero-Naut Yacht Bella – The Other Build
« Reply #21 on: August 04, 2015, 09:21:31 am »

Thanks guys.... :-) :-)


She measures about 9½ ins from the bottom of the keel to the waterline

Both Chris G & I have been "tweeking" sails to improve performance - however our plans were scuppered on Sunday as there wasn't a breath of wind. :((  Isn't it always the way!


Eve
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mickkays

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Re: Aero-Naut Yacht Bella – The Other Build
« Reply #22 on: August 04, 2015, 09:49:41 am »

Thanks for the keel measurement Pearlsfirstmate. That and your build log has prompted me to follow your footsteps and put an order in.
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Pearlsfirstmate

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Re: Aero-Naut Yacht Bella – The Other Build
« Reply #23 on: August 04, 2015, 11:09:20 am »

Hi Mickkays - I'm sure you won't be disappointed, she ticked all of our boxes in size, transportation, storage and manageability plus the enjoyment of actually making her. She'll never be the fastest yacht on the pond but then that's not what we were looking for.


Don't forget to take a look at Chris G's build blog too - I can't cope with too much jealousy in the camp  ;)


Enjoy and hopefully you will  post a build blog too - we would certainly follow with interest


Eve
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Pearlsfirstmate

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Re: Aero-Naut Yacht Bella – The Other Build
« Reply #24 on: August 09, 2015, 04:41:08 pm »

Just in case anyone was wondering - our "tweeking" involved changing the "throw" of the rudder. Not sure if that's the right word but we've reduced the angle. I also now have a fishing swivel on the hook from deck to jib boom seems to work better than just the supplied hook and ring. My jib sheet has also been loosened.


Guys for anything more technical I'm sure if you go onto Chris G's Bella post he will be able to answer you in greater detail.


A couple more photos - although not easy to keep in front with r/c in one hand and camera in the other  :-))

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