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Author Topic: Nottingham J class build  (Read 17884 times)

radiojoe

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Re: Nottingham J class build
« Reply #25 on: November 07, 2017, 09:22:56 pm »

Hi Greg, hope you are well,  just caught up with your J Class build she's looking grand, having had the privilege of working at Camper & Nicholson for 16 years I heard a lot about the J Class,  you may have seen these pics of laying the deck of Shamrock and the launch of Endeavour both at C&N a bit before my time there I'm glad to say, keep up the good work mate.  :-))

Sorry, copyright photo removed.  Admin {:-{
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SailorGreg

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Re: Nottingham J class build
« Reply #26 on: November 08, 2017, 09:05:42 am »

Thanks for the pictures Joe, I hadn't seen them before. I count 14 men working on that deck.  Puts my little planking job into perspective!  Take care and if you fancy a drive to Hayling on a nice day, the lake is now weed free  :-))


Greg

radiojoe

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Re: Nottingham J class build
« Reply #27 on: November 08, 2017, 10:03:32 am »


Yes when you see all the men on board in both photos it shows just how huge the J Class is, there was a picture on the wall of my office at C&N that showed the long gone Fore Street at Gosport where C&N had an annex yard where the J Class were layed up over winter with their bows sticking out over the walls and into the street, the picture is just one of the things I wish I had taken when C&N closed down.
Thanks for the invite I may well take you up on that, if I lived on Hayling or a lot closer there is no doubt I would still be a member, please give my regards to the rest of the gang.   :-))

Joe.
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SailorGreg

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Re: Nottingham J class build
« Reply #28 on: November 09, 2017, 06:02:42 pm »

Oh, that's a shame.  I doubt Camper and Nicholson's heirs would worry about the picture appearing here.  Oh well, better safe than sorry!  {:-{

Regarding my comment in my last posting about the gunwhale strip being of dubious legality, I was perusing the J class rules (oh yes, I know how to have fun!!  %% ) and came across this -
"2.2  Dimensions of the hull.   All measurements shall be taken from the outside of the fiberglass hull shell and shall
exclude any protective strips or belting around the gunwales. If used, these shall have a maximum thickness of 3mm external to the hull shell."
So it looks like my strips are perfectly legal after all.  That's good!

Greg

Capt Jack

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Re: Nottingham J class build
« Reply #29 on: November 10, 2017, 07:14:51 pm »

I don’t what the difference is between a Nottingham and a Canterbury J Class ?, never heard of it.
My father bought a J Class in the 80’s and rebuilt it just before it was due to be scrapped, some good times were had
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SailorGreg

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Re: Nottingham J class build
« Reply #30 on: November 10, 2017, 10:25:04 pm »

The Canterbury J is the original  New Zealand design in which the lead ballast is external to the hull. The hull moulding does not have a full keel, just a stub to which the lead is bolted. The keel then needs to be faired into the hull with filler.  The Nottingham J is a purely UK development where the hull has a full keel and the ballast is fixed internally as you have seen in my build. In every other respect the two variants are identical.  Strictly, the Nottingham J does not conform to the class rules and cannot race in other countries. However, the two variants appear to race on equal terms in this country.  I hope that clarifies things.


Greg

Capt Jack

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Re: Nottingham J class build
« Reply #31 on: November 10, 2017, 10:44:30 pm »

Thank you.  My fathers boat didn’t have the keel when he bought it, it had been cut off and the lead used for munitions for the war, when he rebuilt it he had a steel hollow keel made then 70 ton of lead ingots put in and melted to make level and the small gap between the hull and keel concreted and plated over.
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SailorGreg

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Re: Nottingham J class build
« Reply #32 on: November 14, 2017, 09:56:17 pm »

 I seem to have been doing lots of little jobs without any huge progress recently, but I guess they all add up to the finished boat.  Firstly, I scraped down the gunwhales with my favourite scraping tool.



I discovered a couple of places where the gluing hadn’t been as effective as I might have wished,  {:-{ so I turned the hull over and ran some thin CA along the join using one of those fine tip applicators.  That seemed to do the trick, and I finished off the gunwhales without any further problems.  :-)
 
Next was finishing off the veneering of the two hatches.  Nothing too complicated about this, just a matter of measuring, cutting and sticking. The next picture shows the rudder hatch with the end pieces being glued on.  For the larger pieces where I could clamp them in place I used Titebond but I reverted to CA for the smaller fiddly bits. 




Here are both hatches fully veneered.



Then I turned to the electrics.  In hindsight, I could have done this bit before the deck went on, as it was a bit fiddly working through the hatch, but it all went OK.  First I made up the wiring outside the boat and checked my soldering was OK.


 
then made up a box from plasticard to hold the battery (a 1300 mAh 2 cell LiFe one)



The box is fastened to the piece of studding I installed to lift the boat, and the wood block attached to the top of the box is split around the hole for the studding, to be glued back together when in place.  The next picture shows the box in place and on/off switch also glued in.  The receiver will be velcroed inside the hatch coaming just above the battery.

 


With the hull nearing completion, the mast tube was extracted from its shipping tube and I prepared to drill some holes in it.  Past experience tells me that unless I am very careful at least half of these will end up in the wrong place, so I made sure I could hold the tube firm and square on the drill press table.  I sliced a piece of wood on the diagonal and glued it to a ply base to give me a trough to hold the tube steady when drilling.




This first hole formed the slot to sit on the pin at the bottom of the mast tube in the hull.  I filled the end of the tube with epoxy putty to give a bit more meat for the pin to bear on.




I spent quite a while measuring several times to make sure that everything was going to be in the right place then drilled the holes for the gooseneck fitting, spreaders and shrouds.  I am happy to say that everything ended up in the right place – result!  I decided to fix the shrouds internally so fed the wire through the hole in the mast (which had been elongated slightly to allow the wire to exit the mast at about the correct angle) and out the top of the tube.  I cut a ferrule in half (just roll the thin aluminium tube under a scalpel blade) and doubled the wire through it.  Pull the wire back inside the mast and that’s it.  (Obviously, crimp the ferrule tight on the wire first!)

 


I have also put the first coat of Danish oil on the woodwork, and the next picture is what the hull currently looks like.




All of a sudden the end is in sight – well, just over the horizon anyway.  ;)
 
Greg


PS - I have used the new MBM image hosting for this post.  It's great to be able to embed the images in the text rather than having all of them after the words.  Well done Martin!!  :-)) :-)) :-)) :-)) :-))
 

SailorGreg

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Re: Nottingham J class build
« Reply #33 on: November 14, 2017, 10:04:28 pm »

A note to Capt Jack - what was the name of the boat your father rescued?  J's are pretty rare beasts, and I assume it is still sailing? The only two I am aware of that have been recovered in this country are Velsheda and Endeavour - are you lucky enough to be associated with one of those?

Capt Jack

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Re: Nottingham J class build
« Reply #34 on: November 14, 2017, 10:16:24 pm »

Yes, it was the Velsheda he saved. It was a very enjoyable time. Sadly he doesn’t own it anymore but a great achievement to save her, she was about to be cut up just before he bought her.
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radiojoe

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Re: Nottingham J class build
« Reply #35 on: November 14, 2017, 10:24:29 pm »


Nice going Greg, she looks every inch an elegant J Class.  :-))


Joe.
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SailorGreg

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Re: Nottingham J class build
« Reply #36 on: November 28, 2017, 02:43:06 pm »

 Thanks Joe.  And Capt Jack, I hope you had a chance to set foot on Velsheda before she was whisked away to the realms of the ultra-rich!  {:-{


My next job was to rectify all the nasty little blemishes I had inflicted on the hull.  If you have been more careful than me and your hull is still pristine, well done, and you can skip the next bit!  I had a mixture of small scuffs and scratches, superglue fingerprints and an occasional dribble of Danish oil.  The Danish oil succumbed easily to methylated spirits and elbow grease (it was still quite fresh), but the other bits needed some harder work.  I started with 600 wet and dry to pick off the worst spots, then moved to 800, 1000, 1200 and 1500.  Initially I focused on the blemishes but it quickly became easier to just rub down the whole hull (at least the blue topsides – most of the white underwater parts had escaped my carelessness).  After I had finished with the wet and dry, I used some polishing compound I bought a while back from Easy Composites. They don’t seem to do the same one any more, but I would trust any of their current products. Here is the bow polished and you can see the contrast with the unpolished area.




And here is the finished article.  Almost back to showroom condition!  :-))




Next I fitted the sheet exit fittings and the bridle over the main hatch, shown here. 






The jib sheet fitting forward of the mast needed me to insert my arm through the hatch to hold it under the deck while I tightened the nut.  My arm just about fitted, but if you are more muscular than me (not difficult), you will need to make other arrangements (like fitting it before you put the deck on, or running the jib sheet over the deck).  I had checked before I put the deck on that I could manage this, but it was still a bit of a squeeze!  %%
 
I had also started putting the rig together, and here is my sheet adjustment system.





This is all home made.  The boom fitting that the sheet runs through is from a piece of sewage pipe (unused!).  I drilled the holes first then shaped it on the disc sander.








The hole for the boom is a very tight push fit, but can still be adjusted once I get the sails bent on, and the hole for the sheet is big enough to pass a knot through, as this is where I will detach the sheet when I take the rig off.  And talking of sails, here is my mainsail head attachment –





And my home made clew hook, the piece of silicon tube is some insurance against slippage.





And to complete the set, my jib swivel.  I know a piece of line would serve just as well, but I had the swivel so thought I’d use it.



 
Next was a stand/cradle to take the boat on its travels.  The stand I had used for building was fine for that but I felt a more robust article was needed to keep the boat safe from my clumsy handling.  I saw a stand design on a RC Groups’ J class thread that looked the part so I drew up a lookalike version.  Here are the parts ready for assembly.





I had hoped to simply oil this like the deck, but I used some cheap B&Q ply and many of the cut edges showed voids, so I filled them and painted it.





(I should mention that you will spot later that the stand is now a different colour – this pale blue was from a part-tin I have had for about 30 years, and it was really past its sell-by date. False economy!)
 
 I have put all the innards into the hull and tested them.  So far everything works.  I am in the process of attaching the sails and getting the mast in what I hope is about the right position.  After that it's waiting for the ideal weather for a maiden voyage.  :} :} :}


A couple of queries - I want (no, NEED  O0 ) to use a bow bumper on that lovely pointy bit at the front, does anyone have a suggestion for what I should use or how to make one?  And second, what do people use for transporting rigs?  Does anyone have any pictures/drawings of a rig box/bag that I can make?  I guess the IOM and Marblehead folk are well versed in this sort of thing?


Until the next time, happy modelling


Greg

 

SailorGreg

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Re: Nottingham J class build
« Reply #37 on: November 28, 2017, 02:45:58 pm »

Just realised I put 11 pictures in that last episode, so the old limit of 10 per posting has gone if you use the MBM image hosting.  But - why do some photos appear with the MBM watermark and others not?  One of life's little mysteries!  {-)

Grumpy Dave

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Re: Nottingham J class build
« Reply #38 on: December 02, 2017, 10:59:42 pm »

A beautiful job Greg, much envy. On the subject of fenders I am sure that I have seen scale rope fenders for sale. Any fender or bump stop would spoil the look but not as much as a crunched bow. I'm sure you could fit a removable one.
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roycv

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Re: Nottingham J class build
« Reply #39 on: December 03, 2017, 10:21:49 am »

Hi, should you be thinking of having crew on board, the 1934 Endeavour (1) had a crew of 22 when racing.  The 'Officers had proper caps with peaks.  The crew had on what is best described as 'Rupert Bear sun hats'  I always wear one but not with my wife around!  It does bring some life to the boat but I only crew up for an exhibition there are too many pieces of string all to ready to send a man overboard.  However failing that the Endeavour carried a nice little dinghy upside down on deck.

If you should look at the original Endeavour deck plan there is a mysterious blocked off hole towards the stern.  Apparently this was for a mizzen mast when the yacht crossed the Atlantic carrying a much reduced main rig to take part in the Americas cup racing.  She returned some months later having been reported 'Lost at sea' for 5 days but got a heroes welcome in Southampton.
regards Roy
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SailorGreg

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Re: Nottingham J class build
« Reply #40 on: December 04, 2017, 05:49:52 pm »

 I hadn't planned a crew Roy, and certainly not 22 of them!  I guess most of them are lying along the windward rail when sailing, which would give me a bit of an issue when the boat tacks.  I would drown most of my crew pretty quickly!  Also, the deck houses/hatch covers are not anywhere near scale items so a crew might look a little strange beside them. 

A slight deviation, going back to Capt Jack's association with Velsheda.  When she was raced in the 1930s her professional skipper was a Captain Mountifield.  His son, Frank, was Commodore of a sailing club I was a member of in the 1970s and much later I sailed for several years with his great nephew Dan Mountifield.  Dan's dad, Mike, a well known sailmaker in the 60s, 70sand 80s, lives just around the corner from me.  So I too have a connection with Velsheda!


Back to the model version.  Firstly, my solution to the bow bumper – a piece of old wetsuit stitched rather untidily into a neoprene nose.  Here is an unflattering close up followed by a pic of the nose in place.



 

 
I also knocked up a carrier for the rig from stuff I had in the garage.  Here is the base being tested for fit.



 
I added a flap over the lower part of the box from some dual wall plastic sheet hinged with some duct tape and closed with Velcro (didn’t have enough material for a full lid), and here is everything in the back of the car ready to go.



 
I will make a rather prettier rig box in the near future, but this lash-up will suffice for a short while.  Then it was off to the lake and the first sail.  Here she is rigged and ready.



 
And afloat and sailing!



 

 
There was only just enough wind to make progress, but enough to show that everything works.  Well, there were a few minor teething problems but once they were out of the way she sailed around serenely, drawing all sorts of admiring comments from the assembled club members.  I did suffer a minor rigging failure (but not fixable lakeside) after about 15 minutes which brought the session to an early end, but nothing too serious, no damage done and easily fixed at home.
You might have wondered at the slightly odd shape of the stand.  It is that shape so it can be tilted as shown below.  This is particularly useful when adjusting the rig and sails, as the sails fall into shape and you can judge the effect of tightening or loosening various bits of standing or running rigging.



 
Some more shots of the finished hull (I didn’t take any of the rigged boat ashore, only afloat, and they are mostly dull, dull, dull!)



 

 

 
Well, that seems to be that.  I have christened her Thalassa (in Greek mythology, the spirit of the sea) and she will be my craft of choice for those warm, gentle days when relaxing by the lake is all we can ask.  Happy days ahead!


Thanks for following.  Happy modelling and happy sailing.
 
Greg
 

radiojoe

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Re: Nottingham J class build
« Reply #41 on: December 04, 2017, 06:09:59 pm »


She looks gorgeous Greg and even more so afloat,  the stand is a very clever design.   :-))


Joe
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JayDee

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Re: Nottingham J class build
« Reply #42 on: December 04, 2017, 08:19:24 pm »


Hello Greg,


You have done a very fine job !!!.
Pack the inside of your  nose cone with some rubber, not too much strength as it is.
I have sailed with the same boats as yours at Nottingham, they sail very well.
My J Class is just a little bit bigger than yours - - - 6 feet long !!.
But they all are lovely to sail and to watch.


John.
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roycv

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Re: Nottingham J class build
« Reply #43 on: December 04, 2017, 10:27:03 pm »

Hi looks really nice.  I put a string bowser on the bow to absorb the impact if hitting something hard be it another boat or lake edge.  With the high aspect ratio of the hull, they come in very fast!
I only finished 8 crew, in the full size pictures they sat on the side with feet over the edge of the deck.  Apparently a very wet boat with the leeward deck well into the water when heeled.
On my one I have the two jibs, a very difficult boat to balance but looks good in light airs.
It does sound like you enjoyed the build I hope you will enjoy the sailing as well,
Kind regards Roy
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SailorGreg

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Re: Nottingham J class build
« Reply #44 on: December 04, 2017, 10:48:30 pm »

Thanks for the compliments folks. Yes Roy, I certainly did enjoy the build, and I think the sailing is going to be very satisfying.  John, my rubber nose is actually quite thick at the front as the seam bunches the material together there.  My brief voyage yesterday suggests I need some form of fender along the bank to cushion the side of the boat at launch and recovery.  A windier day might have made those manoeuvres tricky for me.  I might invest in a couple of lengths of pipe lagging or pool noodles to float along the bank at the launch point.

Joe, the stand is certainly very useful and as I said before the design is inspired by/stolen from the US J class builds.  There is also space in the bottom of it for the transmitter, my lifting handle and a few tools.  Perfect!

Next job is to convince SWMBO that Thalassa must live indoors for the winter.  Wish me luck!  :D :o %%

mickkays

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Re: Nottingham J class build
« Reply #45 on: February 04, 2018, 01:59:35 pm »

Hi Greg
 I can't praise you enough for the beautiful J class.
Could you give me some stats please.
The keel to water line,  weight and scale would be very helpful.
Thanks
Slinger
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SailorGreg

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Re: Nottingham J class build
« Reply #46 on: February 04, 2018, 02:48:12 pm »

Hi Slinger, thanks for the praise, I feel a bit embarrassed!  :embarrassed:


I am on holiday at the moment and many miles away from my models.  If you want accurate and quick answers to your questions I suggest you contact Alan Horne who produces the kits - info@jclasshulls.co.uk. I imagine he has these sorts of figures at his fingertips.  The best I can do is to say that the minimum weight under the class rules is 6.5 kg. I haven't weighed mine so I don't know how close I am to that. As far as draught goes I would guess about 10" certainly it takes a full bath to float the hull.  As for scale, the hull is 4 feet long and the J's were typically 130 feet.  That gives a scale of 1/32 or thereabouts.


Are you going to build one?  :-)) :-))


Greg

mickkays

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Re: Nottingham J class build
« Reply #47 on: February 04, 2018, 03:32:50 pm »

Thanks for that Greg. You can bet your bottom dollar i will be building one. Just got to buy the dockyard manager some choc's and flowers first. I will also be blaming you for making be buy one.
This will replace my Robbe Atlantis which has a joy to have sailed, but the weight of it and my age don't suit any more.
Best wishes to you
Slinger


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ballastanksian

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Re: Nottingham J class build
« Reply #48 on: February 04, 2018, 05:33:03 pm »

What a beutiful build Greg! I love J-Class yachts with their curved hulls, very attractive and proper looking. I read both yours and Ramon's logs today.

One day I might have a go at building one once all the warships have been built and painted.
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Grumpy Dave

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Re: Nottingham J class build
« Reply #49 on: February 04, 2018, 06:46:56 pm »

Your bow fender is brilliant ,it looks part of the boat. A truly beautiful build.
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