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Author Topic: A New Zealand perspective  (Read 2101 times)

dave whitehouse

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A New Zealand perspective
« on: July 20, 2013, 10:13:51 am »

Greetings,
We live in a large developed complex of homes and apartments in Auckland New Zealand. Part of the complex involves a purpose-built lake and a group of us have formed a 'Cruising Club' ( yes, a little grand..) and we welcome in local residents to the club with any style or class of RC yacht they wish. Presently we have five classes from small to one-metre and we are starting to have real fun. We have a handicap system and all our course buoys are situated on the lake-bed and can be raised for racing and lowered for storage at the pull of a string. We also have three launching/retrieval platforms giving plenty of access. And it all works very well. We are presently looking at building a Springer Tug especially to handle our yachts that occasionally go 'astray'. One member is a serious modeler and we have created a separate 'class' of yacht very suitable for our needs. This comes in two sizes, 800mm and 1metre. So there's a basis of what we are about and we look forward to joining in the forum with ideas and questions.
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Tug-Kenny RIP

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Re: A New Zealand perspective
« Reply #1 on: July 20, 2013, 10:16:22 am »


Hi Dave and welcome to mayhem.

Sounds like you've got it made there. :}   Any pictures please. ?

Cheers

Ken

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john44

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Re: A New Zealand perspective
« Reply #2 on: July 20, 2013, 04:59:36 pm »

Hi Dave, welcome to the madhouse,
Springers make very good rescue boats however the best way I have found
to rescue yachts is to get a line around them and draw them in.
What I use as I am the person clubmates come to when their boats need rescuing
is,Yes a Springer tug boat. If you look in the Springer section mine is the
Springer Cat.
for yachts which are very difficult to push in if they have large sails that is they
will go where the wind takes them.Taking the pusher with them.

I have a fishing reel attached to a handle(a short piece of dowel etc.)
Attach the line from the reel to the back of the Springer or any rescue vessel,
Send the boat out to go around the stricken vessel," do not reverse the rescue boat at any time"If you need to come backwards pull on the line. and pull away at a different angle to what the paying out line is going out on( so you don,t cross the line and foul your props)as the boat comes back the line will latch onto the rudder or fin and she will start to pull the troubled boat back with it,
just start to reel in and both boats get home safe.
I have used this method as probably many other mayhem members have
more times than I can remember.
hope this helps.

john
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dave whitehouse

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Re: A New Zealand perspective and Springer tug
« Reply #3 on: July 21, 2013, 12:10:19 am »

Greetings again. I am delighted with the replies received re our post describing our small club down here in Kiwi-land. Ken mentioned that 'we have got it made' and I guess, if you call a 'private' lake with three platforms as a good starting point, then yes, it's not bad at all. However, one must say that a small lake surrounded by apartments and homes, a couple of hundred yards from the beach and sea-breezes is fine until one wants a breeze and those buildings do a great job of filtering out anything but a full screaming Northerly gale. There are many days when I am sure our members hold private prayer meetings for a good SW or NE blow, or even a prevailing westerly would be acceptable. I recently visited England and Setley Pond and their raised lake situation, with few obstructions around the edges, was a marvelous venue for sailing. We can but dream ... We have a purpose-built yacht (800 or 1.000mm) called the Kensington Class which is light weight and very suitable for our light airs.  We are presently working on a project of building a Springer Tug to rescue our yachts from the other side of the lake. The lake-edge is sloping so when a boat goes ashore it does so invariably at right-angles to the shoreline. The keel  then settles on the mud bottom and then gently the boat swings parallel to the shore and just sits there looking forlorn with it's mast-head amongst the lillies.. We envisage a Springer with a starboard extending arm (light weight) that would come along side, and parallel to, the yacht with the arm below the waterline. The arm would have a right-angle hook on the end. The idea is for the arm to slide just above and behind the keel-bulb and then the Springer would go outwards either forward or reverse, taking the keel upwards and outwards thus freeing it from the bottom. Once free, the wind would take over, the yacht would go on it's merry way and the tug would return to it's parking spot. Well, that's the theory anyway. We have downloaded Springer plans and we shall get going on a solution. Thanks John, for your input with the fishing line... Hmmm ?)
If anyone has done such a job we'd love to hear from you.
Thanks to all again for the welcome. This forum is active and interesting.
Dave
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john44

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Re: A New Zealand perspective
« Reply #4 on: July 21, 2013, 05:28:34 pm »

Believe me Dave for Yachts you will be better of with the fishing line,
Springers are not heavy enough to take on a yacht.
Been there done that. I will stick with the line it Never fails.

john

PS what a beautiful place to sail O0
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Tug-Kenny RIP

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Re: A New Zealand perspective
« Reply #5 on: July 21, 2013, 08:26:19 pm »


Sure is a nice place. You lucky man.    :}


ken

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dave whitehouse

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Re: A New Zealand perspective
« Reply #6 on: July 21, 2013, 10:40:50 pm »

Ken and John.,
Thanks for the compliments. Yes, a lovely spot to sail but seriously short of wind. One o our members works with a film-company as a 'props-man' and he has seriously suggested he brings home for the weekend a trailer-mounted wind fan. When we stopped laughing, we realised he was serious. Apparently it is 12 feet in diameter. Should be enough wind for everyone.
John, re the fishing-line method, it sounds excellent for retrieval of boats stuck out in the middle of the ocean with flat batteries or similar where the tug circles the boat and then the line, boat and tug are all retrieved by the reel-in-hand.. Our problem is more being run aground on a sloping shore for which we have difficult access, so the idea is that we nestle the tug up to the stricken vessel, somehow attach to the tug, pull gently in reverse and then just let the yacht sail away from the tug without having to bring it back to shore. Most of our guys have rechargeable battery packs which seem to last forever so stranding in the deep has not emerged a problem as yet. Any comments on this situation? I can assure you I have taken the fishing-line solution well and truly on board.
Many thanks
Dave
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kiwimodeller

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Re: A New Zealand perspective
« Reply #7 on: July 22, 2013, 10:03:19 am »

Hi Dave, come and have a sail with us on Gilmour Lake in Waihi sometime and we will demonstrate to you several different ways of retreiving boats that are stuck or just broken down. We have to avoid patches of lilly pads and not everybody manages to all the time. Probably the most practical method is our R/C electric launch with a retrieval hook which can be swung round by a servo. It is usually possible to hook either the forestay or back stay just above deck level and gently pull the yacht off the shore. As for the lack of wind, maybe it is time to get in to steam power!! Cheers, Ian.
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dave whitehouse

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Re: A New Zealand perspective
« Reply #8 on: July 22, 2013, 11:01:43 am »

Ian.,
A Kiwi on the forum. Makes one feel very much at home.
We don't get down to Waihi very often since we sold the caravan a couple of years ago and at the moment I'm going through a lifestyle hic-cup medically which doesn't allow me to go too far out of the Big Smoke but my goodness, I shall definitely keep you in mind. Once over this hurdle we shall make a real effort. We have a friend in Waihi so the old 'two-birds-with-one-stone' scenario would kick in.What class of yachts are you into? Maybe you could email some club details, visiting times, sailing times etc?
Also maybe a further small hint on the swinging arm idea which is what we have been working on with our planned vessel.
The scenario I have outlined in the various emails to the forum mention that our yachts end up beached on a sloping rising lakebed so the problem is to get them off gently (hence the idea of a swinging arm catching the keel, pulling and lifting the keel upwards and therefore re-floating our vessels). Once floating again even after only a metre or two, the yacht would just sail away into the sunset leaving the tug to be driven back to home-base. Would this fit into your model ?
Delighted to hear from you.
Regards
Dave
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john44

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Re: A New Zealand perspective
« Reply #9 on: July 22, 2013, 12:02:36 pm »

Hi Dave, Point taken, 1 of my Springer rescue boats is in the Springer
section under the heading off Hoop the Loop Springer.
Have a look at that, see what you think, that is more what you are
looking for I think for your needs.

john
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dave whitehouse

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Re: A New Zealand perspective
« Reply #10 on: July 22, 2013, 10:46:53 pm »

John.,
Goodness me. All this assistance. I am impressed.
From your couple of photos even magnified I can't quite make out what happens after the wheel/servo kicks in. I assume it drives the double-arm back towards the stern by about an inch (quarter turn?) but what happens then. Maybe that 'double arm' can be extended at the joint before you leave for the rescue mission. Is there a 'bar/hook' across the stern of the tug that somehow then extends out that inch (+) and then latches onto mainstay/forestay/whatever?
Sounds interesting.
Regards
Dave
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boman

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Re: A New Zealand perspective
« Reply #11 on: July 28, 2013, 08:56:48 am »

Ian.,
A Kiwi on the forum. Makes one feel very much at home.
We don't get down to Waihi very often since we sold the caravan a couple of years ago and at the moment I'm going through a lifestyle hic-cup medically which doesn't allow me to go too far out of the Big Smoke but my goodness, I shall definitely keep you in mind. Once over this hurdle we shall make a real effort. We have a friend in Waihi so the old 'two-birds-with-one-stone' scenario would kick in.What class of yachts are you into? Maybe you could email some club details, visiting times, sailing times etc?
Also maybe a further small hint on the swinging arm idea which is what we have been working on with our planned vessel.
The scenario I have outlined in the various emails to the forum mention that our yachts end up beached on a sloping rising lakebed so the problem is to get them off gently (hence the idea of a swinging arm catching the keel, pulling and lifting the keel upwards and therefore re-floating our vessels). Once floating again even after only a metre or two, the yacht would just sail away into the sunset leaving the tug to be driven back to home-base. Would this fit into your model ?
Delighted to hear from you.
Regards
Dave

There are a few of us Kiwis on board here. Spread North and South.
 
Where in Auckland, is this lake you speak of?
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kiwimodeller

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Re: A New Zealand perspective
« Reply #12 on: July 28, 2013, 09:56:35 am »

Dave, if you like to send me a P M with your sailing dates I will see if we can send our yachting division to join you and they could bring the rescue boat with them. We also use the cast line method at times so that might be worth a try too. If any of the other members of your group want to visit tell them to get in touch. We have boats on the water almost every Sunday but the biggest day of the year is in October when the Scale Marine Modellers Club from Auckland and various others from Hamilton, Tauranga, Cambridge, Gisborne and all around come to visit. This has been a tradition for a few years now with around 40 boats of all sorts turning up. Cheers, Ian.
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dave whitehouse

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Re: A New Zealand perspective
« Reply #13 on: July 28, 2013, 10:16:26 pm »

Bowman,
Thanks again for the interest. If you go online and look at  http://www.kensingtonpark.co.nz/THE+DEVELOPMENT/Development+Plan.html  you will get an idea of the size of this development in the middle of which (marked No.16) is our resident's lake and sailing venue. The surrounding buildings don't make for much wind but we have course laid out and it is working fine so far. The tug problem is being worked on but the major problem is the sloping shoreline where the keel-bulb hits first and the the yacht is driven to heel over towards the shore. Therefore we figure the keel/bulb must be dragged by the tug only a metre or so outwards and therefore automatically lifted at the same time to free the bulb from the bottom. We cannot get the tug to surround the yacht  and by hooking on to shrouds and stays the bulb still sticks on the bottom and damage could be incurred to the stays.
Ian., Re your kind offer. Wow. I am trying to image a group of serious sailors visiting our wee new amateur club to bring their tug with them. Basically we have wednesdays (playtime), Saturdays (racing time), and Sundays (bit of both and get visitors involved) and always from 2pm and wind-dependent. A bottle of wine or two manages to appear at some stage an hour or so later. I have forwarded your comments to our members and we are having a meeting tomorrow re formalising our whole show so that will be interesting for us all.
I shall report back.
Again, sincere thanks and we have already mentioned making strip down to your end of the world sometime over summer.
Regards
Dave
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