Model Boat Mayhem

Mess Deck: General Section => Chit-Chat => Topic started by: GaryM on June 17, 2008, 10:22:44 pm

Title: Laying the Keel
Post by: GaryM on June 17, 2008, 10:22:44 pm
Some years ago I saw a documentary on the Discovery Channel, it featured the building of a large sea going vessel from 'scratch'.
It was built in one of the Scandinavian countries and showed amongst other things, the 'Laying of the Keel'.  The builders followed a tradition for good luck by placing a 'penny' or equivalent on the keel and then the rest was built on top of it.
It got me thinking - I needed more ballast as low as possible, and as luck would have it, I had earlier mounted my motor on a piece of ply across the hull. 
I sealed three sides of the ply and then sorted out all my pennies (£2.56) worth, out of my jar of coins and loaded them into my 'keel' I then sealed the gap.

To my way of thinking -
If I'm ever hard up there's £2.56 out there so I can buy myself a cup of tea! 
If one penny bought luck to the other guys, I should get that, times 256!
How much lead would £2.56 buy?

regards
Gary :)

(forgot to weigh the pennies - guess I'll have to start saving up again!)
Title: Re: Laying the Keel
Post by: boatmadman on June 17, 2008, 10:27:10 pm
pound coins are heavier than pennies, and you get to save more!  ;D
Title: Re: Laying the Keel
Post by: GaryM on June 17, 2008, 10:49:19 pm
Was going to use £1 coins! :angel:
but some one said they react with GRP, and rust something terrible!  -  Any way I want to sail her this year!! ;D

Gary :)
Title: Re: Laying the Keel
Post by: funtimefrankie on June 18, 2008, 08:16:56 am
Won't pennies rust? they can be attracted by a magnet.
Title: Re: Laying the Keel
Post by: GaryM on June 18, 2008, 07:16:37 pm
The compartment was already sealed with epoxy resin and before I sealed the hole I filled it with more resin. 
Hopefully no water will get in. ::) 
I was going to say you were wrong regarding magnets attracting pennies, but I tried it and your 100% right.

regards
Gary :)
Title: Re: Laying the Keel
Post by: portside II on June 18, 2008, 07:28:59 pm
not sure at the moment but i thought that modern coins are more metalic,and the older coins were made from none ferrus and preciouse metals such as nickle and silver .
daz
Title: Re: Laying the Keel
Post by: GaryM on June 18, 2008, 07:32:48 pm
Me too, but I took a magnet to a pile of pennies and the all picked up, like Funtimefrankie said.  Must be newish coins.

Gary :)
Title: Re: Laying the Keel
Post by: The long Build on June 18, 2008, 07:44:50 pm
Thought it was only new pennies that magnets pick up , the ones that don't attract are worth more I believe, more copper content or something.
Title: Re: Laying the Keel
Post by: andyn on June 18, 2008, 08:19:32 pm
This was in a surprisingly very interesting talk on magnestism I was in just last night. The old coins could not be picked up with magnets, but the new ones can, as the inside of it is an alloy.

Also, if you get some tissue, brine, shillings and some 2p coins and soak the tissue in the brine, put them in the order paper,shilling, 2p, paper, you can make a magnet. 4 pairs of coins and tissue created about 0.2v, and using more you can create much more voltage.