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Author Topic: Mystery yacht  (Read 3431 times)

oapanglais

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Mystery yacht
« on: December 12, 2013, 12:11:38 pm »

A friend was recently clearing his father's house ready to sell it, he found this model yacht in the garage, and he has given it to me. The original build quality was very good with excellent brass fittings, but it has deteriorated and there have been several repaints and repairs to a poor standard. The hull is 33 1/2" by 8 1/2"wide by 8" deep. The mainsail is gunter rigged but the foresails have been lost. I think there were 2 foresails because there are 2 fairleads each side. There are 3 cleats each side and the 3rd is probably for a running backstay. The bowsprit is not original and is probably too short.
I am hoping to restore the model to as near original condition as possible, but with RC. I have started removing paint from the hull, and the original paint colour was maroon topsides, dark blue below the waterline with a white boot-topping. The hull is carved from solid pine.
I have searched Traplet and Myhobbystore but have not found plans. Does anybody recognize this design because I would like to find the original sail plan if possible?
Brian
 
 
 
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roycv

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Re: Mystery yacht
« Reply #1 on: December 13, 2013, 01:49:34 am »

Hi first of all you are a lucky guy, looks really good for restoring.  My guess would be that it is not a commercial hull, just a gut feel though.  It is the rubbing strip around the hull, I think only a home builder would do this.
But try sending photos and dimensions to the vintage yacht group and Russell Potts can give you a more definitive response.

Is the main boom over lapping the stern?  If so you might consider shortening it so that you can have a back stay, makes life easier with the rigging.
You might find some help with sails by checking on 1920 /30's model yacht pictures.
Good luck looks very nice,
regards Roy

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oapanglais

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Re: Mystery yacht
« Reply #2 on: December 13, 2013, 07:20:16 am »

Hello Roy
Thanks for your reply. Were you suffering from insomnia? I have found the website of the Vintage Model Yacht Group and I will do as you suggest. Before I retired and moved here I used to live in Pinner, so not far from you.
I know I am a lucky guy and I am very excited about this project, but I didn't tell the whole story. The friend actually gave me 5 model sailing boats, all restoration projects. There are 2 small toy yachts, and 2 outrigger canoes with lateen rigs and V section hulls made from 2 wide planks sewn together along the keel, stem and stern. Internet research indicates these were of a type used for fishing in South India and Ceylon. I imagine they were static models made by local craftsmen for the tourist trade, and my friend says his dad lived in India when he was young.
The boom does overhang the stern and I will think about your suggestion, but to fit a backstay I would need to change from the gunter rig, because the top of the spar is higher than the mast. I would like to keep the restoration as faithful as possible to the character of the original.
Thanks again for your help          Brian
 
 
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roycv

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Re: Mystery yacht
« Reply #3 on: December 13, 2013, 09:02:49 am »

Hi Brian you have a PM.
Roy
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oapanglais

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Re: Mystery yacht
« Reply #4 on: December 13, 2013, 09:39:38 am »

Hello Roy
I haven't sussed out how to reply to your PM. I may have sent you a blank by mistake. I have only got into serious modeling since I retired. I didn't have the time or space when I was working and sadly I never visited your exhibitions. I have been studying the Vintage model yachts website and it is a mine of useful info. Thanks again       Brian
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tigertiger

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Re: Mystery yacht
« Reply #5 on: December 13, 2013, 11:26:41 am »

If the mast is stepped into the keel, then you probably won't need a back stay, as the shrouds would then be mostly for visual effect and the forestay mainly to hang the staysail.
If that is the case, I would not shorten the boom at it would change the sail effects with a smaller sail.


Just my 2c.
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roycv

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Re: Mystery yacht
« Reply #6 on: December 13, 2013, 11:45:29 am »

Hi Tigeretc I agree the mast looks like it goes to the keel.  just need a good fit at the deck level.
nice project,
Roy
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oapanglais

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Re: Mystery yacht
« Reply #7 on: December 13, 2013, 12:12:45 pm »

Hi tigertiger and roycv
Thanks for your comments. The hull is carved from a solid block of pine so there isn't a keel in the usual sense. The mast is stepped into a hole in the floor and is 9/16" diameter at the deck where it is well supported. The mast is pretty stiff. There are 2 shroud plates per side, with the after ones 1" behind the mast centre line. There are also chain plates for running back stays which I will probably only fit for static display. I want to keep the rig as close as possible to the original, so bearing in mind that the rig will be pretty stiff I am not intending to fit a backstay or shorten the boom. My unsolved mystery at the moment is the foresail/s which I may have to guess if the VMYG can't help.
Brian
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roycv

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Re: Mystery yacht
« Reply #8 on: December 13, 2013, 01:11:58 pm »

Hi I restored this schooner a while back, not that much was needed just a clean up and remove all brass and polish up again.
It might help with the sails and forestays.  Having trouble reducing size, not done it before on a Mac.  Will post later.
regards Roy
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roycv

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Re: Mystery yacht
« Reply #9 on: December 13, 2013, 03:58:32 pm »

Hi I hope this comes out right.
Roy
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steam up

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Re: Mystery yacht
« Reply #10 on: December 13, 2013, 04:00:44 pm »

Really looks nice well done. :-))

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Re: Mystery yacht
« Reply #11 on: December 13, 2013, 04:13:03 pm »

I like it Roy.
Does it sail OK?
Is the rudder big enough to overcome
the sail area when needed?

Ned
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oapanglais

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Re: Mystery yacht
« Reply #12 on: December 13, 2013, 05:07:07 pm »

A very neat job Roy. I hope I can do mine that well.
Brian
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roycv

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Re: Mystery yacht
« Reply #13 on: December 13, 2013, 05:31:40 pm »

Hi all thanks for your kind remarks.
She sails very well accepting that the sails are a bit baggy but original at about 50 years old.
 Rudder seems to work OK, not been out in a high wind yet though.

Thanks again but this is about our mystery yacht and I hope we can see pictures of progress in restoration.
regards to all, Roy
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oapanglais

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Re: Mystery yacht
« Reply #14 on: December 13, 2013, 07:04:57 pm »

Hello Roy
You did distract us all with that lovely photo. I will do postings on my progress but please be patient, I am amazed how fast some of you guys work. For the next 2 months my workshop will be too cold for long sessions, when my fingers get too cold they go into cramp. I am planning to finish the rigging on my Norske Löve and Thames sailing barge on a table near the wood burner. I started the Norske Löve 30 years ago so it would be a record for long build logs. I will do postings on those later. I am thinking in terms of doing the sails and rigging on the mystery yacht next winter. My wife died 4 years ago and I have to spend some of my time on cooking, laundry, housework, gardening etc. The guys who talk about SWMBO don't know how lucky they are.
I will be back again soon          Brian
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oapanglais

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Re: Mystery yacht
« Reply #15 on: December 16, 2013, 04:18:34 pm »

I have received a reply from Russell Potts. He says that because it is a model of a cruising yacht rather than a racing class, it is outside his area of expertise so I am on my own. I am going to defer my decisions on the rig until later and concentrate on the hull for the moment. We are having beautiful weather here so I have taken the workmate outside and have been removing the layers of paint with a hot air gun. It was a smelly, smokey job. I have removed the strip of plumber's solder which was screwed to the lead keel (it wasn't original), then the lead keel and then the rudder. As I said before the hull is carved and hollowed from solid pine. The rudder, keel skeg and deck are all mahogany and the deckhouse, forward hatch, cockpit, rubbing beads and toe boards are teak.
The rudder is in one piece with the wooden stock running in a hole drilled through the hull block and sitting in a hole in the lead keel. The top of the rudder stock which carried the brass tiller has broken away. I have decided to remake the rudder to the same profile but with a brass stock and plywood blade, and fit an Albion Alloy brass tube in the hull. I will make a removeable brass bottom bearing, to fit onto the lead keel so the lead doesn't have to be removed to remove the rudder.
The rubbing beads are 3/16" square rounded to a D section and the toe board is 1/8" X 1/4". They are both badly stained at the fastenings, and at the transom nearly all the rubbing bead has gone, and the toe board which was curved has cracked in the middle so it is now a V. I have tried lightly sanding away the varnish on the rubbing beads to see if I can treat the staining and I have exposed the heads of steel pins. I have checked my collection of wood and have found a piece of teak which my late father-in-law rescued from a skip when they were doing a refurbishment at the Royal Berks Hospital about 40 years ago, so it is probably more than 100 years old. I have decided to replace all the rubbing beads and toe boards.
The deck is 3/16" thick mahogany and has been scored to represent the planking and "caulked" with some white material which has partly crumbled away. I think it may be putty which was also used to form a fillet between the hull and the skeg. I have tried scraping the deck with a cabinet scraper to remove the grimy top layer and when wiped with white spirit the wood looks good. I am thinking about rescoring and inlaying some 1/32" Midwest basswood to represent the caulking. Any advice on how to do this would be welcome. The deck has been fastened (and glued) to the hull with 10 brass screws per side. The screw heads are visible and so I intend to remove them and c/sink them below the surface and fill with the French version of "Plastic Wood".
I plan to saw the coach roof off with a hacksaw blade and make it removeable to give access to the radio gear. It will end up being 2mm lower when I have tidied up the saw marks but I can't see any other way round it.
Bear with me on photos. An update of Windows 7 on my desktop refuses to recognize my camera software, so I have to download onto the laptop which has Windows XP and transfer to the desktop with a memory stick. I have put up with this for a while hoping the software problem will be sorted soon. I will post some photos soon.
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oapanglais

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Re: Mystery yacht
« Reply #16 on: December 16, 2013, 06:30:44 pm »

I am sorry, these photos aren't very good
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