Model Boat Mayhem
The Shipyard ( Dry Dock ): Builds & Questions => Yachts and Sail => Topic started by: romainpek on April 09, 2007, 04:28:06 am
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My skills and experience are far below those of the other members of this forum, but I wanted to show you what I'm busy finishing before I really tackle my Mary J Ward schooner kit.
As I live in China, it's quite difficult to find proper supplies for the construction (just ask Tigertiger !)
All plans were found on the internet. I was lucky to obtain balsa sheets from a RC shop (doing mostly airplanes and helis).
My first planks on frame hull :
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More planking
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after finishing planking, a coat of blue araldite (bought at Carrefour) thinned with alcohol. You can see my source of plywood : imported French cheese box covers ! I was silly enough to glue this panel with the letters showing out....
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My first time ever to use an airbrush (these are cheap in Beijing, bought from an artist shop). I used acrylic paint thinned with water. My first ever flotation line. Amazing how difficult it is to make a staright line on a curved hull. local masking tape was very disappointing...
The keel is a wooden blade for model helicopters. On the picture is just the end tip, just to make a proper hole in the hull.
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The boat is upright ! The mast is kite supply. Lots of kites in Beijing that will also provide me sail material and strong line. Making the boat support was quite boring and it doesn't look good.
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The boom mast attachment (still a project). You call that gooseneck, right ? I'm using fish tackle, around a little tube that goes through 2 little hickory wood blocks fastened around the mast. The boom is a chopstick ! Plenty of these in China.
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done this weekend : I resined the whole inside with a chemical that comes directly from hell. The hardener (0.8 g for 25 g of resin) ate part of my left index, the smell was horrible but it dried hard and waterproof in 4 hours. Much more easy to paint than epoxy glue as its viscosity is about the same as oil. I also installed the switch inboard, with a little iron wire going into a small brass tube.
I plan to glue the deck above as I do not want to take too much water while sailing. I need to find a good idea to let the recharging wire above deck without it looking too ugly. Any suggestions ?
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Romainpek, I think you are producing a superb model and demonstrating to us all just what can be acheived without the luxury of the suppliers we have access to in the UK. I even think the writing on the plywood stern gives the boat some more character!!
You have had to think about how you can get around every step of the way and come up with a solution using the most basic of materials and as a result your model is an absolute credit to you.
As for a charging connection, if you can find something like a stereo system plug and socket and mount the socket on the boat then you can insert some form of dummy plug to waterproof it while the boat is in operation.
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Romainpek
Rather than just a charging socket on the deck you really need to be able to get at your receiver and battery. Use a Screw Top plastic container recessed into the deck to house them.
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Thanks for your imput guys. I must say I did not think I would have to open the deck ever... so I will prepare cut outs that will be fixed in position with silicon. If someday I decide to look inside my boat, just a little slit with an X-acto knife will free the hatches.
I must add an emptying tube somewhere, in case the boat leaks (they all do, don't they ?)
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Thanks for your imput guys. I must say I did not think I would have to open the deck ever... so I will prepare cut outs that will be fixed in position with silicon. If someday I decide to look inside my boat, just a little slit with an X-acto knife will free the hatches.
I must add an emptying tube somewhere, in case the boat leaks (they all do, don't they ?)
RG 65 looks good. Puts me to shame. I usually just complain and then get something sent from UK.
You have been a lot more innovative.
Have a look at this tip. It might help with the water leakage. http://www.modelboatmayhem.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=2597.0
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Think about putting as much electrical items eg , receiver plugs and sockets batteries in balloons with a tie rap before you use silicone near them as it can have a detrimental effect.if possable go for the non silicon sealers as used in bathrooms(they smell different) they do the same job but don't attack the electrics. Peter
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Thanks for the word of advice regarding silicon, I did not know it could be corrosive.
Still scratching my head about the deck, I switched to the lead bulb below the keel fin.
I got a 500 g fishing weight from a friend in France. Almost the proper shape.
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I got some fimo polymer clay from a friend. Kids do things that they bake in the family oven. It gets harder then.
The weight is drilled and covered with fimo at the tip. 40 mn in the oven at 130 C. The best is to cook when your wife is not in the kitchen.
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After a bit of rasping, it seems to be correct. Positionned on the keel fin but not glued yet. A screw goes into the fin.l
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Flotation test. No leaks :)
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Looking great.
A suggestion for your deck covering: on 1m yachts we usually fit a liteply deck (or whatever you may get your hands on over there) with an access hatch cut out. This hatch is then covered with fablon - stickyback plastic - works a treat, have sailed in all weathers with only one leak to my memory. Easy to remove and replace as well.
Ian
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Another idea, for drainage this time.
Think of the silicon mastic dispenser nozzle, and how the stuff sets in there - well, pull it out in one peice and you have a ready made plug! drill a hole to suit in the transome, waterproof the bare wood, drill a hole in the outer part of the plug to thread some string through and hey presto, a drain plug!
I would suggest the transome hole is well above water line just in case the plug works out while sailing!
Ian
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Thanks for your suggestions boatmadman !
I would suggest the transome hole is well above water line just in case the plug works out while sailing!
;D I would rather install it on the deck than below water line ! (a model is much more easy to turn upside down than the real thing).
Fablon looks promessing, but will it stick on a not mirror smooth wooden deck ?
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Yes it will, I used it on gloss painted decks, worked well.
I should have mentioned, i use a backing peice the size of the cutout hole to support the fablon, this rests on supports under the deck, then the fablon goes right over the whole lot and onto the fixed deck with an overlap of about 1/2 to 3/4 of an inch.
clear? ??
hope so!
Ian
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:o
Clear !
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you can even use coloured fablon if you like instead of clear! lol
Ian
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Despite your good advices, I went on with my idea to make siliconed hatches that I hope I'll never have to cut out.
I added however an "aspirin tube" access to the recharge wire that will also let me pump out the eventual leaks.
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Second flottation trial today. One hour in the swimming pool : no leaks ! (no wind also...).
The rigging is still prototype.
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she is looking good.
So when are you going to get some wind in her sails?
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God I'm so thick :P I get confused with all the rigging arrangements, and sail winches required to get a narrow beam model sailing and I didn't want to spend loads of dosh to find out it wasn't for me. I just looked at your last photo and it's obvious.........have the servo sail arm above deck, not pretty I'll admit on a scale sail model, but most of my models are semi scale any way and mostly electric powered.
I've seen models of square riggers where the sails are all connected and the masts turn in their housings, but just seeing that photo of the sail arm above deck made me think what a simple idea, less chance of snagging etc, Not for the purist's I expect. But worth an hour or two in the shed during the winter.
I suppose that's what you,d call an eehaw moment
Best regards
John C
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:-\ so sometimes good ideas can be less esthetic...
I heard you ! I immediately decided to plank the front deck to compensate. It'll train me for Mary J Ward deck anyway.
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:-\ so sometimes good ideas can be less esthetic...
Yes, but there's a train of thought that if you paint the less esthetic bits the same as the overall colour (as in grey for warships), maybe varnished in your case, the offending part is less visible on the water.
I think you've done exactly the right thing with the planking as it will draw the eye away from the sail arm, but for me I couldn't give a monkeys so long as it worked , but I'm cheap. ;D
John C
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Planking finished. I also did a "water spreader" or "water shield" (how to call that ?) of cheese box plywood. Varnishing did not cover the glue marks alas
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View from the side. It still is better than before planking I believe.
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View from the side. It still is better than before planking I believe.
Glad to see you have had time to do some building. ;D
I know you have been busy travelling, and you were Shanghaied into drinking beer and watching girls in very short shorts. :P :o
Personally I blame the British guy, the yank was innocent. ;)
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I just had time for varnishing recently ! too many travels (flying, not sailing)
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OK, I think I'm far enough in my build to make a first lake trial this afternoon !
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More close view of the rigging. I'll see what's good and wrong and I will probably have a lot to modify.
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OK, I think I'm far enough in my build to make a first lake trial this afternoon !
Hope the 'sea trial' goes well. ;D
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Thats looking real good.
You may have to rethink the sail servo location though, cos when you sail it in a brisk wind, you will probably find lots of water getting on the deck both in front of and behind the dodger.
Good luck.
Ian
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So I went !
The wind had picked up strength so I tried the lake with my faithful Kyosho Sea Dolphin but it was quite manageable.
I took the Epoissine (named after the Epoisses cheese box plywood) out of the car for a last sight.
See the flag ? I thought I needed all the help I could get so I'm flying the Vatican's colours !
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It goes ! above the water surface !
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and it turns ! it comes back to me !
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;D
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The king was not my cousin anymore (French expression meaning you're very proud and happy) when I noticed that my mainsail boom had its own way of sailing
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Basically, like a lateen rig, I had a good and a bad tack. Worse, they were both bad tacks as one way the mainsail boom was closer than the middle line of the boat (on the wrong side like the pic above) and on the other it was too open (like on this pic)
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Basically, my whole boom vang and gooseneck need replacing. It was working windless in my house, not outside with the wind.
But still, am I happy ! :) The boat worked, floated, went and came back.
And only one tiny drop of water inside, it's more water tight than my Kyosho ! ;D
I'm the guy holding the boat by the way.
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great stuff ! well done
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Good to see you got the bottom wet and she can turn and come back.
My mate built his own boat and it was uncontrolable LOL.
Well done and go and have a beer.
Mark
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Thanks for your comments !
I stayed one week in France and I decided to cheat and go to a real Model Shop and buy a ready made gooseneck.
I just installed it tonight, it seems that the boom is moving much better when the "pendant" (or "vang" ?) is tight than before when using my wood blocks.
New trial this week-end !
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The test was made today. It worked beautifully but it's not very conclusive as the air was too still. I hope I have more wind next time (and I'll show action pictures)
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The test was made today. It worked beautifully but it's not very conclusive as the air was too still. I hope I have more wind next time (and I'll show action pictures)
That's probably the best time to test it. If the boom swings across freely with next to no wind, it must be lined up ok as the mainsail has less power to force it over. Looking good so far
MikeK
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I did not forget the emitter of my Epoissine yesterday, so I did some good trials on the lake. It seems to be a bit slower than a Seadolphin 770 but not by so much. If the wind is strong, it's more difficult to tack effectively probably due to a mix of lower inertia and too much drag (the fin keel is too wide and quite long).
I'm still in love with that boat though.
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I did not forget the emitter of my Epoissine yesterday, so I did some good trials on the lake. It seems to be a bit slower than a Seadolphin 770 but not by so much. If the wind is strong, it's more difficult to tack effectively probably due to a mix of lower inertia and too much drag (the fin keel is too wide and quite long).
I'm still in love with that boat though.
She is loooking very good, you will get a great deal of pleasue from her.
TT
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Is that a little bit of broken drift ice on the starboard bow ? ;D
Looks very nice - hope you get many hours enjoyment from her
MikeK
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Looks more like a plastic bag to me....
Roy
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Its a Tampax mini sub >:( :o
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Itching to come back with something that is printable - but can't think of anything ! ::) ::)
MikeK
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That would be bl00dy right.
;D
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Don't elaborate further, it was a plastic bag ;)