The Model Yacht: Volume 2, Number 3 – Winter 1998/99

LINCOLN MEMORIAL POOL, WASHINGTON, D.C. NEWSLETTER OF THE U.S. VINTAGE MODEL YACHT GROUP VOLUME TWO, NUMBER THREE WINTER, 1998/99 NEWSLETTER OF THE U.S. VINTAGE MODEL YACHT GROUP VOLUME ONE, NUMBER ONE SPRING, 1997 Editor’s Welcome Ebbs and Flows The President’s Message This issue rounds out our second volume, which is cause for celebration and thanks to all our fine contributors. The technical article this issue describes a simple, self-tacking vane gear made from modern materials. We hope the ability to build a vane that is about as complicated as an R/C installation will help spur interest in free sailing. Next issue we’ll have our experts from Marblehead and San Francisco describe the setting and use of the vane. We’ve also included a report on our trip the Christchurch, New Zealand and next issue we’ll have a history of the Christchurch MYC. We intend in 1999 to try and expand our Web page and other activities to include countries other than the US. We’re also very lucky to have an article by Jeanne Stout Burke on the 1955 World Championship races. And the Ancient Mariner has resurfaced from the briny deep. Since this issue comes out during the “building season,” we’ve tried to pack it with technical material. The next issue will have more on sailing and technique. Please check your mailing label. The number after your name is the volume and issue number of the last issue we think you’re entitled to. If it’s “23,” then this issue is it. If you think we’ve got it wrong, please drop us a note and we’ll fix our records. And you can renew any time — we just tack on 3 issues when we get your check. Finally, please visit our Web page, where we place loads of material that it would simply be too expensive to include in the newsletter. You don’t have to be a “computer type” to access it -just go to your local library and tell the librarian you want to look at http://www.swcp.com/ usvmyg. I’m sure they’ll take it from there. Earl Boebert Vintage Membership Our $15 service fee includes three issues of the VMYG newsletter, The Model Yacht, technical assistance and access to vintage model plans. A “how to” booklet/video package on wooden, plank-on-frame model construction is also available. Copies of plans and the “how to” combo are not covered by fee. Lifetime membership is $100. If you would like to receive our newsletter and use our services, send a check (payable to US VMYG) or cash for $15 or $100 to: John Snow, c/o US VMYG, 78 East Orchard St., Marblehead, MA 01945. For inquiries on our activities, you can call me at 781-631-4203 or visit the VMYG Web Page at http://www.swcp.com/usvmyg. A complete listing of 1999 vintage events is elsewhere in this issue. R/C “Vintage M” (VM) Group VM rating rules are available from the VM Coordinator, Charlie Roden. There are two VM divisions: 1945 and prior designs: “Traditional M”s, and post-1945 through 1970 designs “High Flyer M”s. Our goal is to register twenty VM boats for 1999. Contact Charlie at 19 Oak Glen Lane, Colts Neck, NJ 07722 and 732-462-7483. Email: c.roden-5@worldnet.att.net The 1999 VM event is part of the National Vintage Regatta on September 25-26 at Clarkston, MI (near Pontiac, MI). The national event will include both R/C VM and Traditional Sailing Craft/Scale model regattas and display judging. Traditional Sailing Craft/Scale Models Group – A report on 1998 VMYG national event for these models is elsewhere in this issue and on our Web page. Next year’s event for traditional designs is part of the National Vintage Regatta. This group includes scratch-built schooner models with design rules, schooners with fin & bulb keels and Page 1 kits. Another grouping covers Chesapeake Skipjack models and other traditional sailing designs. Design rules are available from our Traditional Coordinator” Harry Mote at 18 Woodmansee Blvd., Barnegat, NJ 08005 and 609-660-0100. Email: stryker@cybercomm.net. boats by hobbyists and trades people. Show Contact – Paul Smith 508-548-4442 Children’s Wooden Model Sailboat Regatta May Boston Public Garden, Boston, MA; Courageous Sailing Center children’s building/racing project for wooden, free-sail models. VMYG Contact – John Snow 781-631-4203 WoodenBoat Show June 25-27 Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum, St. Michaels, MD; VM/Traditional Sailing Craft model displays and demonstrations, plus extensive exhibits for fullsize wooden sail/power boats and accessories by trades people. VMYG Contact – John Snow 781-631-4203 “VM” Freesail Regatta August 7-8 Spreckles Lake, Golden Gate Park, San Francisco, CA; San Francisco MYC invitational event for free-sail Vintage M 50/800 models. SFMYC Contact – Jeff Stobbe 408-475-6233 International Yacht Restoration School “Family Day,” August 22 IYRS, Newport, RI; VMYG model display, plus IYRS exhibits, harbor excursions and children’s activities. VMYG Contact – John Snow 781-631-4203 National Vintage Regatta September 25-26 Independence Oaks Park, Clarkston, MI; R/C VM and Traditional Sailing Craft/Scale model regattas and judged displays. Detroit MYC/VMYG Contact – Alan Suydam 248-476-3017 Entry Form: Next newsletter (March) and VMYG Web Page. Freesail Model Regatta October 10 Red Beach, Menemsha Pond, Martha’s Vineyard, MA; Scratchbuilt, free-sailed wooden models one meter and under. VMYG Contact – John Snow, 781-6314203. Proposed R/C American Classic “50/800” (C50) Group VMYG is working on support of racing activities for “M 50/800” model yachts having early AMYA specifications. These models are designated “C50” for promotional purposes. Early R/ C Ms are not competitive with the newer, hightech models; thus, the reason for this initiative. Older AMYA Ms are 1971 to 1991 designs having conventional sail plans (no swing rigs) and nonkevlar hulls. If support warrants, we hope to sponsor 1999 C50 events on the East Coast (New York) and West Coast (California). This will not preclude C50 models from racing in other AMYA “M” Class events. Our C50 Group Coordinator is Dennis Lindsey at 515 N. Lyall Ave., West Covina, CA 91790 and 626-966-9538. Email: lindseyd@flash.net. Dennis has a listing of older M designs and the C50 rating rules. Vintage Etcetera The San Francisco MYC free-sail event may be unique in the US: the only sanctioned free-sail regatta using pre-R/C racing rules and pondsailing techniques. The last free-sailed US M Class Championship was in the early 1970s under MYRAA. VMYG Northeast contingent has been closely coordinating with Boston’s Courageous Sailing Center (12 Meter yacht “Courageous” is CSC flagship) on selecting and building a children-sized wooden sailing model. AMYA is supportive of our effort in hopes that it, with a 70-year Detroit school system project, leads to a simple, manual arts approach that urban schools/kids groups can use to attract more youngsters into our hobby. Finally, with our first success on collecting archival material behind us, we now are on a search for vintage film of early model yacht racing scenes involving free-sailed, racing class models. We have started a long-term project to develop a historical video to document this aspect of the sport for our members and the general public. Anyone having original film such as this is urged to notify Earl Boebert at 505-823-1046 or via email at: boebert@swcp.com Traditional Sailing Craft Regatta The Traditional Sailing Craft Scale Models Regatta, September 19-20 1998, hosted by the Marbleheaders of Spring Lake, New Jersey attracted 10 skippers who exhibited and sailed 14 boats. The weather was virtually perfect with a moderate breeze. Skippers outside New Jersey traveled from Maryland, Michigan, and New Hampshire and brought with them schooners, Chesapeake Bay skipjacks and bugeyes, a sharpie schooner and a Baltimore clipper schooner. Scoring was based on the low point system, with 50% of the score for display judging and 50% for round the buoys racing. On Saturday morning, all boats were displayjudged for quality of workmanship against five criteria, on a scale of one to 10, with the lowest 1999 Vintage Events 2nd Woods Hole Model Boat Show April 17-18 Woods Hole, MA; VMYG displays, plus activities, exhibits and races for model sail/power/scale Page 2 score highest. After lunch, we divided the boats into three groups — the scratch-built, plank on frame replica schooners that qualified under Category A of the VMYG schooner rules; skipjacks and all others, which included the bugeyes, a Robbi kit schooner and a sharpie schooner. We sailed five races in each group. That evening, Marbleheaders commodore Howard Royce had arranged for the whole gang to have dinner together at the Offshore Restaurant in Point Pleasant Beach. Beginning at 10:00 am Sunday morning we sailed two more races in each group, tallied the scores and presented awards by about noon. Schooners 1st Alan Suydam Sparkman Stephens Brilliant 2nd Herb Jones Gloucester Fisherman 3rd Walt Watkins Alden Grenadier Skipjacks 1st Don Miller 2nd Mel Conant‘s Boat, Sailed by George Surgent 3rd Martin Hayes Open Class 1st Richard Lamsfuss Robbi Atlantis 2nd Herb Jones Chesapeake Bay Bugeye 3rd George Surgent Sharpie Schooner A good time was had by all, including the many Marbleheaders of Spring Lake who helped make this regatta a success. It is rewarding and gratifying to be a member of a club where its members work together with enthusiasm and good will. My thanks to my fellow Marbleheaders and our thanks to all of those who came to Spring Lake to participate in this regatta. Scoring System Comments Different people have different views on the combined 50-50 display-sailing scoring system that we use with the Traditional Sailing Craft Scale Models. Those whose primary interest is building and the skills and attention to detail required to produce a superb replica model like it. Those whose primary interest is racing like it less, if not dislike it altogether. In the display judging part of the score there is always the subjective judgment of people. Round the buoys racing, however, produces hard facts — where your position across the line is what you get, no ifs ands or buts about it. It is interesting, though, that in the recent Spring Lake regatta the display scores of the schooner and skipjack classes more or less paralleled their racing scores. In any case, the San Diego Argonauts Schooner Fleet has been using this 50-50 scoring system with success for over 10 years. It has been successful because the goal of the scoring system is to preserve traditional plank on frame model construction and the development of the skills and attention to detail required to produce near museum quality replica models “of these grand old ships,” as they put it, that also sail well. This is the reason the VMYG adopted the Argonaut’s rules for its Category A schooners. “Preservation” of traditional model construction and the required skills, as well as older designs, is a goal of the VMYG. Schooners and Traditional Sailing Craft at Spring Lake Page 3 This is the key: The scoring system should be designed to meet a specific goal. The goal should be carefully considered. Deck houses, sky lights, ventilators, dinghies, life rafts, anchors, binnacles, wheels and other details necessary to produce replica models add weight and windage. Traditional brass fittings weight more than aluminum or titanium. The display score (a) rewards and encourages excellence in model building and (b) helps level the race course for a detailed replica model in competition against a model with a relatively clean deck built primarily for racing performance. Thus, the scoring system encourages the building of replica models and the skills and attention to detail it takes to produce them. Harry Mote We Attend Christchurch’s 100th Getting the Idea Early last year I began exchanging email with several members of the Christchurch, New Zealand MYC on the subject of their (then) upcoming 100th Anniversary Regatta, and managed to arrange a bit of coordination between it and the San Francisco event. While attending the latter, it occurred to us that Judy and I had been to every 100th Anniversary event (Marblehead in 1994, where the Vintage Group was born, San Francisco and Mill Pond in 1998) save this one. The date fell close enough to our 35th wedding anniversary and my birthday to make treating ourselves simply something we simply had to do — or at least that’s what we told ourselves. Going to Christchurch Our trip began in earnest when we reached Los Angeles and boarded Air New Zealand. I had done a fair amount of international travel, and have a general rule of trying to fly the national airline of whatever country I am going to. In this case the rule worked: coach class in Air New Zealand is comparable to first class on any domestic carrier and we had our first taste of many on the trip of that beverage otherwise unobtainable in the U.S., called “Real Tea.” We arrived at Aukland at 5 AM Thursday local time (adjusting for the International Date Line, put there to confuse travellers), with a three hour layover for our flight down to Christchurch. Aukland, the City of Sail, operates what they call the Quiet Airport System, in which there are no panhandler or security announcements and flights are only announced once. What a welcome change from the constant yammering of the LAX public address system! This quiet and civility was an omen of good things to come. Mark Steele, editor of Windling World, graciously arose at an uncivilized hour and spent the layover time chatting with us between flights and shuttling us to the domestic terminal, for which we rewarded him with a Vintage Group burgee. Mark is a great fellow, and his magazine is highly deserving of support; subscription details can be found elsewhere in this issue. Mark coined the term “Windling” to denote the simple pleasures of sailing, and has extended it to “friendling,” or relaxed activity with model sailboats and good companions. It really sums up the spirit we try to uphold in the Vintage Group. Before the Regatta We arrived in Christchurch midmorning on Thursday, and were greeted in the airport by picture perfect weather and Malcolm and Ian Scott (no relation) who whisked us off to our hotel and showed us many of the sights of Christchurch on A pair of Four Foot Six boats under preparation for the Regatta in Euan Sarginson’s Studio. Page 4 the way. We immediately fell in love with this jewel of a city, its Gothic Revival architecture, and stunning landscaping. Christchurch bills itself as the “Garden City,” and justly so. We then proceeded to Euan Sarginson’s photo studio, a hive of activity as Euan and his fellow club members feverishly prepared for Saturday’s events. This provided me with my first look at a Christchurch Four Foot Six class boat. This class has been in existence for 100 years, making it the oldest class except for the 10-Rater, and definitely the oldest class that centers around a single club. The rating rules are simplicity itself: 4’6” LOA on the hull. Period. The designs, however, are constrained by the conditions at Victoria Lake (or, more properly, Victoria Water) where the club sails. The lake is plagued by weeds, which prevents the use of deep or fin-type keels. The result is a free-sailing boat a little longer and about twice as beamy as a vintage M such as a Cheerio, displacing about 50 pounds and carrying, with bowsprit, as much sail as it can handle, which I estimated at well over 2000 square inches. The boats are equipped with an undamped sheet-totiller steering gear that is set to “guy” once in the middle of the lake; the latter trick was mastered by only a few of the skippers (myself not included) and in the event the bulk of the sailing was from side to side. The boats are, as I was to learn on Saturday, more than a bit of a handful when it comes time to turn one at pondside. We then visited Victoria Water, which is located in Hagley Park, bisected by the lovely Avon River and home to what may be the finest botanical garden in the world. Since September is Spring in New Zealand, the flowers were in bloom — camellia bushes the size of haystacks and other wonders too numerous to describe. The club has a substantial boathouse and is very active. This year they promoted a “Sail Day,” in which anyone with anything to sail, toys, plastic, R/C, free, you name it, were invited to come down and put their boats in the water. They promoted the event heavily; their target was to get 100 boats and they achieved 102. It sounded like an event well worth copying by other clubs. We spent the afternoon sampling the Canterbury Museum, had the first of a nonstop series of magnificent meals, and then the jetlag caught up with us and we crashed. Friday morning Judy devised what I now call the Boebert System For Doing Laundry Without Sending It Out, to wit, using the Jacuzzi as a washing machine. We took the vintage tram around the center of town, then split up, with Judy going sightseeing and working on our foreign trade deficit, while I met up with Ian Scott for a little “windling and friendling.” Ian graciously loaned me an instance of the current local class, called a “Canterbury J.” These boats are 48” long and are based on a semi-scale hull of the A Canterbury J famous J boat “Ranger.” The club owns the mold and sells hulls and fittings to whoever wants one. I was so impressed with the sailing qualities of this boat and its lovely, full keel lines that I brought a hull back with me. Regatta Day Saturday, the big day of the regatta, began when Euan arrived with the twenty Four Foot Six boats he has rescued and restored, and was joined by a large brass band, vintage cars, vintage bicyclists, and a very substantial cannon to signal the start of the demonstration race. The day began with speeches; I was kindly invited to say a few words, and I presented the club with a Vintage Group Burgee, our best wishes, and the hope that it would always fly in fair winds. I then launched “Magpie,” the boat I was so generously loaned for the day, and joined the rest of the skippers at the starting line. The race was started “fleet style,” with all boats starting at once, and the result (as you can see if you check out the pictures on our Web page) was a substantial collision. The club had the foresight to launch a member with a skiff, things were sorted out, and we spent happy and energetic hours trimming and turning boats. I was inter- Page 5 Four Foot Six Class boats on the run at Victoria Water, Christchurch, New Zealand. (Euan Sarginson Photo) viewed by a reporter for the local paper, who chased me while I chased “Magpie.” There was a break in the middle for Devonshire Tea (under an authentic vintage tent, no less), with scones baked by Euan and sandwiches. This is another idea worth copying. And then we sailed until dusk, finishing up tired and happy with a champagne toast all around. My personal high point was the last run of the day, when I succeeded in getting the trim right and launched “Magpie” on a perfect run, smack down the middle of the lake. The event drew a crowd of about 300, at least a third of them children, and has rekindled an interest in free sailing among club members. Sunday Sunday was more relaxed. A smaller number of club members showed up and continued sailing Four Foot Six’s. I was lent a vintage M that had won the New Zealand Championship in the 50’s; “Lucky Lady II,” so named because her skipper was, indeed, a lady. The design was Priest’s “Witchcraft,” almost a one design class at Christchurch because its relatively shallow draft, raked keel can deal with the weeds. After a bit of time spent tearing down and rebuilding her vane, which had “gummed up” over the years, I engaged in a free-sailing M duel with Hugh Hobden and his son, who had brought their “Skippy” along. The local television news, as clueless here as everywhere, showed up and taped a reenactment of the start, sans cannon, band, vintage cars and bicycles. At the end of the day we finished off the rest of the scones and sandwiches. Then, fit- tingly, the rainbird sang, signalling a change in the weather, the clouds moved in and thus ended the sailing portion of what we look back on as the trip of a lifetime. Future Events Christchurch, Hagley Park, and Victoria Water are simply too lovely not to visit again. We are currently working with the club to arrange some kind of a Vintage event there in the year 2000. Besides the twenty or so Four Foot Six boats, the club estimates that they could field about a half dozen vane-steered “Witchcraft”s. The idea we are kicking around is to arrange some kind of group tour, which would combine a New Zealand vacation (highly recommended), possibly in conjunction with the America’s Cup, with several days of free-sailing at Christchurch. If you would be interested in such a thing, please let me know at the editorial address on the masthead or by email. Earl Boebert Vintage Northwest Vintage activities are gaining steadily in the Pacific Northwest. With the return of the rain, Puget Sound builders are dusting off their building boards and the shaving are starting to pile up on the floor. Page 6 John Payotelis, a recent immigrant from Detroit, took his keel ballast mold and the plug that he just finished of the vintage M “Wampum” to the November shop meeting of the Seattle Model Yacht Club. “Wampum”’s body plan has a distinct 12 meter flavor. There was quite a bit of interest shown by the skippers from what up to now has been a very focused East Coast 12 Meter dominated club. John’s next step is to prepare a mold from the plug and prepare to pop out some fiberglass, kevlar and or carbon fiber base hulls. He says he is going to experiment with the layup. Always one to have another project on the drawing board, John is planning a similar effort with the well known “Warrior” designed by Standley Goodwin. This hull was one of the earliest ones converted to radio control, and was manufactured in fiberglass with a hollow flipper keel shell by Chuck Black of San Diego. Terry Harmer has finished the revitalization of his trusty Soling which will prove a good bench mark on the water for the rest of the “vintage” M’s that are under construction. Rumors abound that Dr. Ted Houk is beginning restoration of one of his fathers M’s, at the same time that a California firm is planning to market “Riptide” as a fiberglass hull in early 1999, in much the same approach taken by J.R. LeBlanc and his “Cheerio” effort. David Steadman, owner of “Arrow,” and I have narrowed down the candidates for our vintage M project to only four designs. In no particular order, the finalists are three Walter Many designs with design dates from 1936 to 1938 and waterline lengths from 36” to 38”, one being “Vamoose;” and a Thomas Darling design from 1932-34 with a 32” LWL and 13 pound displacement. The plan is to pick one design and produce a well faired male plug over which a pair of 2-ply cold molded wooden hulls will be built from 1/ 16” mahogany and West System Epoxy. No doubt that John Payotelis will be roped into the keel casting end of the work. With the publishing of the vane construction article, it is likely the boats will be built to sail with either R/C or vane. Finally, with funding from a Christmas present received from his three sons, Alan Rumpf will add radio, and a new rig and sails to his 2-Meter “Black Pirate,” which was built from the Houk “Skookumchuk” design. This boat was originally registered in the MYRAA DX class as boat #26 and will wear the same numbers on her new mainsail. Alan is a member of the Lake Margaret Yacht Club and will sail “Black Pirate” among the El Toro fleet just to show off. So if you call and we don’t answer the phone…..it’s likely we are just out in the workshop, making progress. Rod Carr Features of an “Ideal” Pond Boat A “pond boat” is a creature of your imagination, built and sailed to excite your imagination; so the question is: what features will most excite your pond boat fantasies? That is up to you; what excites me follows. Firstly, I think the boat should have deep bulwarks and small scuppers. Thus, when your model heels in gusts or is overswept by larger waves the decks will fill with water and the water will slowly wash out through the scuppers. Secondly, the boat needs a good quarterdeck (and poop) as well as a distinct fo’c’sle. All should have deep bulwarks to collect water and have it run off during recovery. Thirdly, the model should be multimasted as this is easier to sail and more to adjust. A two masted fore-and-aft rig is a place to start, but a “Nina,” “Pinta,” “Golden Hind,” or “Santa Maria” rig is even better. Fourth, I think the boat needs guns and gun ports. If I could figure out a way I’d have them fire black powder blanks on command. Fifth, the model should fly flags on every mast. You need proper flag staffs. You probably need a flag at the peak of the lateen yard. You may want to fly secret flag signals. You may also want to man your craft with scale figures doing their work. Sixth, you need enough stability to sail well. This means a ballasted, auxiliary, or “sailing” keel. Seventh, you must avoid too much stability. You do not want the masts to “snap” back as each gust passes. That may mean not only less ballast but also bigger “sailing keels” with more area to damp the rolls. Eighth, you need a good color scheme of painted or gilded designs on the model. This is as close to George Steele’s idea of the perfect pond boat as we can get, seen at the SFMYC 100th Page 7 Ninth, you need a good steering mechanism. I am not speaking of radio control but of a sheetto-tiller or wind vane steering as well as a wellbalanced rig. Tenth, you need a quickly rigged boat and one that is quickly adjusted at waterside. This means a simplified rig and good bowsies as well as well placed cleats, belaying pins or not-yet-developed jam or cam cleats. Eleventh, you need a well steaved bowsprit and anchors, and if the scale is right a jolly boat or gig, either on deck, towed astern, or in davits. Twelfth, the boat should be a semi-scale or standoff scale of a specific vessel or at least a “typical” vessel of the period, at least above the waterline. Underwater you may have to eliminate some displacement or build free flooding tanks to avoid heavy ballast. Thirteenth, the whole boat or at least the heaviest part the boat should not exceed 30 pounds in weight and the sparred length should not exceed the dimensions of your vehicle. Fourteenth, it should not take you more than twenty minutes to rig the model at pondside. Fifteenth, you need a spouse or friend who willingly participates in turning the boat from the far side of the pond. Now let’s hear from other readers as to their “ideal” pond boat! George Steele Magic her off to London. Meanwhile, you and Frank are now at the San Francisco Airport, ready to take off on your flight anywhere. You have just had a lovely dinner with your friends and the Mayor of South San Francisco and two City Council members are there to see you with a letter to hand to the Mayor of London. They have come to wish you God Speed and a great race. At this point, you have butterflies in your stomach, as you wave goodbye and board the plane. You wave out the window and then open one of the farewell cards you’ve been given. Out drops a $100.00 bill. You let out a rather loud “Wow!,” much to the consternation of your husband, Frank, who was being decorous and shushing you. What an exciting way to begin your very first airplane ride! Little did you know that would be the beginning of over 100,000 miles in the air and a love of travel. A few minutes later, the pilot announces that we needed to return to the San Francisco airport, since there was a minor problem with the plane. You return to the airport and 30 minutes later you are on your way again, ready to cross the 3000 miles to NYC, and then an even longer distance to London, England. At the London train station you and Frank retrieve “Magic” and see that it is placed aboard your train to Fleetwood, England, north and west to the west coast of England, past Blackpool and on to Fleetwood. You register at the Kingston Hotel, which is located directly across the street from the Fleetwood Model Yacht Pool. There is just a small strip of land, perhaps 100-150 feet wide, between the pool and the Irish Sea. The British Trial Races for the selection of their Champion Yachtsman and yacht are in progress. You go down to watch. The Brits and Irish are Dedicated To All Model Yacht Wives Imagine that you are Jeanne Stout, living in South San Francisco CA, a city just below San Francisco. You teach kindergarten and you are married to Frank Stout, an avid model yachtsman, who has dreamed of winning the National Model Yacht Competition, so that he could represent the United States in England in the International Competition. The year is 1955, the month is August. After many years of analyzing winds on the Fleetwood, England pool, designing and building a yacht for this competition and then winning the National Race, Frank is now in 7th Heaven and his wife is too. The boat he built is called “Magic.” All the other boats he built were called “Jeanne,” “Jeanne I,” “Jeanne 2,” etc. “Magic” turned out to be just that: magic. Frank has been working for the Ampex Corporation, and they decide to crate “Magic” and ship Jeanne, “Magic,” and Frank, 1955 Page 8 battling it out, two boats at a time sailing into the wind and then returning with their beautiful spinnakers billowing forward. The wind is heavy and Frank is delighted. He has spent 10 years checking out the Fleetwood winds and his calculations are verified. Heavy wind is the order of the day. So “Magic,” which was constructed with a wide flat bottom, will do as well as expected. You are going to be the first female who has ever participated in the International Championship Race. You feel honored and just a bit apprehensive when notified by the racing committee that you must be interviewed and tested for competency to crew in the upcoming event. However, Frank had been an excellent teacher and you are well prepared for all their questions. Happily you pass with flying colors. The next three days are spent in daytime sailing along with the qualifying competitors, and beating every boat in sight, 43 in all. Frank is right about “Magic” being the heavy weather boat for these strong winds. Evenings are being spent in good fellowship, imbibing and telling model yacht stories. Frank hunts around the Hotel Kingston for an ice cube tray, locates one, and patches it up with Band-Aids. These folks don’t seem to care much about ice in their drinks The conversation always returns to “You’ll have a tough time beating Jeanne and Frank, ‘Magic’ is taking every boat in sight, including the Danish and French boats ‘Viviane’ and ‘Revanch.’” The following day, you’re interviewed by the local Fleetwood Chronicle reporter who “came round” to check out the American Mate. The resultant article is titled “She’s the crew of the yacht that flew the Atlantic.” “She’s the only woman taking part in the model yacht international championship contest this weekend, an attractive young schoolmistress from the USA. Mrs. Jeanne Stout will be crewing for her husband, Mr. Frank Stout, owner, designer, builder, and skipper of the yacht ‘Magic.’ Mrs. Stout provided a transatlantic splash of brilliant colour in an already gay scene of blue sky, white sails, and fluttering flags” …”Dream come true … Mr. Stout has been interested in boats since he was a little boy. His father was commodore of the Philadelphia Model Yacht Club and when he was only 17, he himself almost qualified to come to Britain to represent the USA … this year … the dream came true.” “They brought ‘Magic’ with them in preference to other models because she is specially designed for heavy weather. If it blows tomorrow, their happiness will be complete.” But our dream is not to be complete. The day of the International Race, we look out the window to find the British and American flags barely moving. Big problem! “Magic” is not a good boat in light weather. With Frank’s skillful sailing, we come in 4th out of 4 boats. As soon as the race is over, you run up to your room to cry buckets of tears. Frank comes to res- cue you, explaining that you are needed at the poolside immediately to honor the winner, Peter West, and his boat “Moonraker.” You and Frank go down to poolside and along comes the Mayor of Fleetwood with his very impressive Gold Chain of Office draped around his neck. Crowds gather and many pictures are taken. That night there is a beautiful banquet. Everyone is sitting around a T shaped formation of tables. Frank is asked to give a toast and the guests respond with intermittent comments of “Hear! Hear!” as they also pound the table in approval. Several speeches are given and we were all thanked for our sportsmanship. After the sumptuous dinner, there is wonderful music and dancing. Frank informs the band leader that you have a beautiful voice and love to sing. Soon you find yourself on stage joining their handsome young vocalist in “It’s the Loveliest Night of the Year.” You are enjoying dancing with Frank and other model yachtsmen when the handsome young vocalist asks you to dance. He is an excellent dancer and soon you find yourself twirling around the floor with all others standing around you watching and applauding. You feel like a fairy princess. What a fantastic evening!! A magical one!! Frank and his dream and “Magic” have brought you to Fleetwood, England. Model yachting is bringing you a wonderful dream come true in many ways. We may not have won the race, but it was Magic anyway. “Magic” is shipped back to the USA and you and Frank go on to Paris, France and Nurenberg, Germany. This is the beginning of what will lead you to love travel; so much so that over the next 43 years you will travel to 24 different countries of the world. By the way, wasn’t it just last June of 1998 when you were in England again? Yes, Magic is still alive! Jeanne Stout Burke This “Old Pilot Schooner” For those of us interested in schooners, our editor and historian Earl Boebert thoughtfully published the lines and sail plan of “An Old Pilot Schooner” on pages 20-21 of the Summer, 1998 issue of The Model Yacht. One of the most frequently asked questions is “Where can I get plans for a schooner?” Captain Helvig Dronquist’s accompany- Page 9 ing commentary from the 1930s summarizes the story of these boats. They were fast and able to keep to sea in almost any conditions in their work of putting harbor pilots aboard incoming large vessels and taking them off outgoing ones. Although Captain Dronquist’s comments do not identify the date of this “Old Pilot Schooner,” I would guess that she is of the first half of the 1800s. She is a good example of the American pilot schooner type. The schooner America was designed by George Steers as a schooner yacht and built by William H. Brown for a yacht race in England in connection with the great industrial exhibition in London in 1851. American was simply a refinement of the pilot schooner then in use, but very true to the type. This “Old Pilot Schooner” carries an overlapping jib and foresail, which would make her very weatherly and packs a lot of sail area into a relatively low rig. Incidentally, it is possible to tack and trim overlapping sails with R/C. A few of the San Diego Argonauts have devised methods to do this on their schooners and Walt Watkins, of the Marbleheaders of Spring Lake, has a neat arrangement for tacking and trimming the overlapping jib on his Alden schooner “Grenadier”. “America” has a simpler rig with a self-tending jib, but retains the overlapping foresail. Pilot Schooner Ancestry The American pilot schooner evolved in the 1700s from the need for faster, more able vessels than were then available for a number of uses. Experimentation centered along the central coastal states, such as Virginia, and produced what became known as the “sharp-type” schooner. They were characterized by deeper sections (deeper V), a more cut away forefoot, more sloping stems and rudder posts, which produced greater overhangs, and more drag (slope) to the keel. As the need for pilot boats arose at the beginning of the 1800s to serve shipping, the American pilot schooner evolved from the sharp type. Howard I Chapelle’s The History of American Sailing Ships is one of the best sources on the American pilot schooner. It and other good histories are available from most libraries. Chapelle’s book shows lines and sail plans for several pilot schooners and schooner yachts, as well as Gloucester fishing schooners. Among the schooner yachts are “America,” “Enchantress” and “Sappho.” The latter two are both descendants of “America” and the last a defender of the America’s Cup. The book also shows the lines of the Boston pilot schooner “Adams,” designed by Edward Burgess in the late 1800s. Her lines combine the heritage of the American pilot boat and the Gloucester fishing schooner into a beautiful model. Edward Burgess was one of the great artists of yacht design. Pilot Schooner Descendants The American pilot schooner has always been recognized as a fast and able hull form. And it lives on in more recent designs, such as some of those of L. Francis Herreshoff. The most well known and one of the most beautiful of these is the clipper-bowed, 72-foot ketch “Ticonderoga,” or “Big Ti,” as she was called. She was designed as a family daysailer/cruiser, launched as “Tioga II” and subsequently renamed. “Big Ti” was still winning ocean races when she was well over 30 years old and set more elapsed time records than any ocean racing yacht in history. Although her forefoot and deadwood are cut away to reduce wetted surface and for quicker turning, compared with the pilot schooner, her hull form is a direct descendant. A less well known but similar yacht is the L. Francis schooner “Mistral.” She has a clipper bow, complete with trailboards, and is also a great beauty. These and other L. Francis designs can be found in Sensible Cruising Designs, by L. Francis Herreshoff. Harry Mote Vintage Marblehead Coordinator’s Report A scale model kit of the Alden schooner “Malabar I” will soon be available from Hartman Fibreglass R/C, Box 86, 233 Melrose St., Argenta, IL 62501, (217) 7952275. The kit qualifies under the USVMYG Traditional Sailing Craft Scale Models rules for kit schooners. Check with Hartman on prices and availability. This is my first report as your Vintage Marblehead Group Coordinator (VMGC). I can be reached by mail: Charles Roden at 19 Oak Glen Lane, Colts Neck NJ 07722 or by phone at 732 462 7483 or by email at c.roden-5@worldnet.att.net. Having sailed my VM at the WoodenBoat Show at St. Michaels in June and raced at Page 10 Port Washington in July, I feel that our group is off to a good start. The Port Washington Regatta was a friendly, low-key, protest-free event that I believe will be the hallmark of the VM Group. In addition several sailors have built vintage boats or have them on the launching ways and I know of at least one company that is offering a onedesign vintage boat (http://www.cheerio.com) This has been a busy, exciting year for vintage sailors. A set of VM rating rules was established and placed in effect this year as a result of the experience gained from the preliminary races over the past few years. The rating rules, based on the 1954 M Class rules, recognize the difference in 40 years of evolution of a development class by establishing two divisions: The Traditional Division consists of boats built from existing designs or new designs which conform to the characteristics of the boats that were built before and during 1945. The High Flyer Division consists of boats built to existing designs or new designs conforming to the characteristics of boats built after 1945 and before 1970. When numbers allow, these two divisions will be raced separately and in all cases awarded separate trophies. Anyone wishing a copy of these rules should send me a request. At the time these rules were released it was agreed to try them for a year and then consider revisions. I would like to speak to possible changes later in this article. For the past six months we have been registering VMs and assigning sail numbers. If you wish to register a VM, please contact me for a registration form. We are requesting a two dollar one time registration fee to cover copying and mailing costs. Existing sail numbers may be selected on a first come first served basis. As of this writing fifteen boats have registered. We have now adopted a Vintage Marblehead sail emblem consisting of a nested “V” above the “M” as shown in the figure, thanks to a suggestion by Harry Mote. The letters are 1 1/2” tall and 1 1/4” wide, with a thickness of 1/4”. The “V” is separated from the “M” by 1/16”. The “M” would always be in black and the “V” may be in a color of your choice, perhaps to match the color of your sail numbers. This emblem need be placed only on the starboard side of the mainsail on the upper quadrant. You can make your own or send me $2.00 for a thin self-adhesive stick-on. I presently offer the “V” in red, white, black and blue. Speaking of black and blue, let’s talk about possible changes in the VM rating rules. In my discussions with vintage sailors everyone seems happy with the 1945 and before, and post 1945 split. The early Traditional boats are characterized by a short waterline, shallow keel, low rig, and a skeg rudder. The High Flyers have a full waterline length, deeper keel. tall rig and balanced spade rudder. The performance differences of boats in the two divisions is significant and the split The VM Group symbol, full size. makes the racing of Vintage boats more equitable and more fun. The one sticky point is the issue of skeg rudders versus balanced spade rudders. Since the early boats were not designed for R/C control and racing as we know it today, and many sailors have put deep spade rudders on these early boats to adequately steer them, particularly in areas where the winds are light and fluky. In areas where the winds are generally stronger, steering has been less of a problem and many of these sailors have felt that the Traditional boats should remain with the fixed skeg rudder. The initial rules were set up recognizing this fact and mandated that any boat with a balanced rudder must sail in the High Flyer division. This was all well and good, but has created another inequity in that the early boats with spade rudders must now compete with the true High Flyers with their high rigs, full waterline length, etc. As noted in the last newsletter, JR LeBlanc has offered a way out of this dilemma, which I believe deserves serious consideration. JR has instead built a balanced rudder on a Cheerio that is of the same shape and size as the original skegrudder combination. This rudder provides excellent steering. For purists, including myself, I could paint a brass-like rudder post in the center of this rudder and defy anyone to tell the difference from the original Cheerio skeg and rudder. What is being suggested is that boats equipped with balanced rudders of the size and shape of the original skeg rudder on any 1945 and before boat be allowed to sail in the Traditional division. Those who wish to continue to use a modern deep balanced spade rudder would continue to sail in the high flyer division with all of its attendant disadvantages. I would like to hear from you on this issue as well as receiving recommendations for other changes to the rating rules. Page 11 There are other group issues to discuss such as measurement certificates and display or static judging at regattas. Several people have suggested the use of a self-measurement certificate for the VM group and measurement at regattas only when challenged by another competitor. At the present time the Schooner Group is basing regatta awards on the combined display and racing scores. Some have suggested that this practice be extended to the VM group while others feel that separate display and racing awards should be made. Comments are invited. I am prepared to receive some lengthy email messages in the near future. Charlie Roden San Francisco Marblehead Invitational Regatta August 7&8 1999 Welcome to the San Francisco M-Class Freesail Invitational. The San Francisco Model Yacht Club will host this event at Spreckles Lake in Golden Gate Park, San Francisco. SFMYC members will be available August 4-6 to help acquaint participants with our local sailing conditions and to make the clubhouse available. Boat storage will be available in the clubhouse located next to the lake. A ten dollar entry fee is required and for a small fee lunch will be available Saturday and Sunday. will be disqualified. A 5’6” bamboo pole is necessary to control your yacht at the lake. These can be provided if needed. We sail in pairs in a round robin system using a windward/leeward course. Scoring is 2 points for a leeward leg and 3 points for a windward leg. Ties are broken by the windward winner of the tied pair. The winner of the leeward leg starts behind the loser along side the lake on the windward leg. The regatta will be held over Saturday and Sunday with the score combined for a winner. M Class Rules San Francisco has slightly modified the M Class rules to preserve the competitiveness of our older yachts. Remember, we are not recreating the past; SFMYC has had an ongoing and very successful freesailing program since 1898. Our M Class yachts have a 15lb minimum displacement, no garboard radius required, metal fins permitted, single panel Dacron sails (no darts or seams), and our lake imposes a natural draft limitation of about 14”. We ask in the interest of sportsmanship to comply if possible, however no M Class yacht will be turned away (in the interest of fun). This Regatta will introduce many to the enjoyable and contemplative nature of freesailing in beautiful surroundings and SFMYC looks forward to greeting you. We have also scheduled a “classic” gas powerboat event for the mornings. Be sure to check out these beautiful wooden boats on Saturday and Sunday. Questions should be directed to me, Jeff Stobbe, at 408 475 6233. Jeff Stobbe Local Conditions All sailing starts at 1 PM “lake rules.” Winds from the Pacific are lightened to 5-10 m.p.h. and made intermittent by trees surrounding the lake. The lake is positioned to provide a windward/leeward course along the north shore. An asphalt walkway surrounds the lake and a depth of about 18” along shore makes for easy boat handling. A wooden edging will protect your “classic” from serious scratching should it hit the shore. Racing Racing at Spreckles Lake is meant to be enjoyable so we sail under slightly relaxed MYRAA rules. Basically we allow three touches with the pole before a mandatory gybe, tack, or trim change is required1. This is on the honor system and no one 1.This rule is necessary because the prevailing wind produces a slightly lee shore. This is not a problem on a beat, but there is a tendency on runs to drive to boat against the shore. The “three touch” rule allows skippers to push off boats that fetch against the shore. How Smooth Does Your Bottom Have To Be? Sailboat racers often ask, “how smooth does the bottom of a boat’s hull have to be? The short answer is “as smooth as a baby’s bottom.” The full answer is more complicated but is worth understanding as it has important implications for racing sailors. When water flows past the hull of a boat the water molecules next to the hull adhere to the hull’s surface and the molecules in successive layers away from the hull are impeded because of a slight inter-molecular attraction as they move relative to each other. This fluid characteristic is called viscosity and can be appreciated by rubbing some oil or molasses between your fingers to feel the stickiness or viscosity of the fluid. Water, while less viscous than oil or molasses, is nonetheless disturbed as a boat moves through the water. The disturbance, however, is confined to a Page 12 very thin layer close to the hull which is called the boundary layer as in the diagram above. A closer look at the boundary layer is shown below, where for convenience we assume that the boat is stationary while water is flowing past the hull. For a distance from the bow, which is shown on the left, the fluid flows smoothly in layers with each successive layer from the surface moving slightly faster until the hull velocity is reached. This is the so-called laminar flow region and is characterized by low resistance as only the light molecular tugs of water molecules sliding by each other get transferred to the hull in the form of a resistance force. This is not a very stable situation as surface roughness (or any other fluid disturbance, for that matter) can cause the flow to become turbulent In turbulent flow there is a great swirling and mixing of water with at least a minimum of a four fold increase in resistance force. In the turbulent region there is a laminar sub-layer under the turbulent flow. The water molecules in the laminar sublayer are moving through surface irregularities and to a water molecule it is like taking a hike through the Swiss Alps. The surface area of this region is so great that the viscosity of the fluid controls the flow and the flow remains laminar. If any surface irregularities poke up above the laminar sub-layer, they are exposed directly to the swirls and eddies of the turbulent flow and hull resistance can be much greater. Sanding with 200400 grit sandpaper will generally avoid this situation. Many sailors are content to stop at this point, but the model sailor, particularly, can do much better. Lowest hull resistance can be achieved by shifting the transition point from laminar to turbulent flow as far aft as possible and hopefully over the entire foils and most of the hull of a boat. It was once thought that turbulence initiated just a short distance back from the bow, but the Australians, among others, dispelled this myth. They first noticed this with the highly polished wings of gliders. It was found that if they left a glider on a cool grassy surface after sunset, dew formed on the varnished wings. If they then flew the glider for a few minutes, the dew was scrubbed off the foil where the flow was turbulent and untouched where the flow was laminar. The laminar region was found to extend well back from the leading edge of the wing. They then experimented with different hull and foil shapes using a soluble tracer of glycerin mixed with gentian violet and found that laminar flow could be achieved over all foils and most of a hull. While hull shape is a factor, this in all cases required a highly polished surface which would not trip up the flow to create turbulent eddies. The message for the model sailor is to sand your hull with wet sandpaper going by the numbers from coarse grits all the way to 2000 grit and then use a rubbing compound with a little bite in it to achieve a highly polished surface. When you start sanding you will see little dark shiny spots that indicate depressions. Keep sanding until they all disappear. Epoxy paint has been found to be fastest because it gives a hard finish which can hold a polished surface. At this point even dirt on the hull can be a problem and a competitive model sailor will frequently wipe his hull with Woolite to keep it clean. It’s fun to rub your fingers over the surface at this point just to feel that it is as smooth as a baby’s bottom. Charlie Roden Sailboat Lifter/Launcher Sometimes it’s necessary to launch your sailboat from a dock that’s several feet above water level, and it’s very difficult, if not impossible, to lie on your belly and cantilever a heavy boat at arm’s length to place it in the water. Not only that, you can’t (and certainly don’t want to) lift it by the mast. This was the dilemma faced by my sailing buddy, Joe Wells, and me. He has a One-Meter Soling, and I have a US One-Meter boat. We thought about slings and cradles and wheeled dollies … which work under some circumstances, but not for dock-top launching. We had been talking about gaffing the boat with a gaff hook, when the solution struck us: a “J” (or “Joe”) hook because it was his idea, and because it looks like the letter “J.” A few minutes with the Page 13 sketch pad and measuring tape, and we had the system on paper, as shown below. I went to the hardware store and bought ten feet of one-inch diameter Schedule 40 PVC pipe, four elbows and five “T” fittings to fit the pipe, plus some PVC cement. In a half hour I had the pieces cut and assembled for trial, and in another half hour the “J Hook” sailboat lifter/launcher was finished. Joe’s boat weighs ten pounds ready to sail, and mine weighs a tad over eight pounds, so we figured one-inch pipe was sufficient. However, for a larger and heavier boat, perhaps an inch and a quarter pipe would be better. You will notice that we braced the “jaw” of the Joe Hook with fiftypound monofilament line so that any sag while lifting our boats would be compensated by the bracing. I suppose we might have conjured some sort of additional pipe bracing, but the monofilament was quicker, easier, and cheaper. In our version of the Joe Hook, I made the front vertical pieces of the “jaw” portion shorter than the rear so that it would be easier to engage or disengage the hull when it’s in the water. The jaw is only wide enough to accommodate the maximum beam of Joe’s boat (8 3/4”) and it’s length is just enough to accept the fore and aft length of the keel where it meets the hull. This insures that the weight of the keel will be taken as close as possible so as not to place any undue strain on the hull. Perhaps you’ll notice that the lifting handle is spaced about six inches away from the inner jaw vertical to prevent interference when lifting a boat. Maybe that wasn’t necessary, but I did it “just in case.” Yes, the boat may rock a bit when you lift it, but that hasn’t proved to be a problem. For your own boat, you may wish to make a cradle on the jaws to suit the hull contour, but we didn’t think it necessary for a first attempt or to try the system. Oh yes .. how much does it cost? Ten dollars is more than enough, and if you can obtain scrap or throw-away pieces of PVC pipe at your supplier’s for nothing, then the only cost will be for the elbows and tees. By the way, let us know how the Joe Hook works for you, should you try it on your own pride and joy. Jim Gray The Ancient Mariner Answers Your Questions Editor’s Note The doorbell rang, and the UPS man stood there, rocking back and forth, holding a package that smelled of seaweed and bad rum. I caught him just in time to keep him from keeling over like the Captain of the “La Paloma” in The Maltese Falcon. I unwrapped the package, and sure enough, it was more from the Ancient Mariner. Keep those questions coming, so we can keep the excitement up. The Ancient Mariner Speaks Ken Peterson What factors should be considered in selecting and installing a sail winch in a vintage model yacht? Ancient Mariner The first consideration is the selection of a winch that will do the desired job. There are two types of winches available, swing-arm and drum type. In recent years many competitive sailors have moved to the drum winch as it is lighter and occupies less space and fits well in a narrow hull. On the other hand, the swing arm can handle heavy loads, is generally lower in cost and can handle overlapping sails as described in an earlier question. Either type of winch must have sufficient torque to handle the sails, must be fast enough to trim competitively, not draw excessive current and be durable. Features can impact price by a factor of three or more. For example at the low end, a drum winch that can handle 1000 sq. in. of sail area (torque of 190 oz./in. on a 1.5 in. diameter drum for a force of 190/ 0.75 or 250 oz.), has a speed of about one second per 360 degrees of rotation with no Page 14 Page 15 LWL LWL Water Line for Quarter Beam Measurement Quarter Beam Length (QBL) Quarter Beam Buttock means of adjusting travel internally, costs about $50.00. A high end winch of similar load capability, has a speed of about one half second per 360 degrees of rotation and contains an internal potentiometer for travel adjustment, costs about $150.00. Installation is important as all components must be capable of being installed and removed from the hatch opening. The swing arm winch is usually easily installed. The arms typically rotate through an arc of 150-170 degrees. Swing arms of unequal length can accommodate the different travel requirements of jib and main sails. The sail sheet can be attached directly to the arm or can be fixed to the hull and run through a fairlead on the arm before exiting through the deck to the sail boom. The later arrangement doubles the length of travel (see winch arrangement for a Gloucester Schooner in an earlier question). Drum winch arrangements are more difficult to make entirely accessible. There are two types of sheeting systems used with drum winches. The “continuous” sheeting arrangement uses a two section winch drum to run a single line around a distant block. As the line feeds out on one side of the drum, it is taken up on the other side. A method of tensioning the line is needed to prevent fouling. One or more sail sheets are then attached to the continuous line. The distance between the block and winch must exceed the desired travel of the sail boom. With typically three or four rotations of a drum winch required for full in-out adjustment, a separation distance of over 20 inches is often required. Modern model yachts often run the continuous line on deck to make the block accessible. This is usually not desirable for vintage yachts and a “winch board” is recommended to mount both the winch and the turn-around block below deck. This allows the board including winch and block to be removed as a single unit when necessary. A typical winch board designed by J. R. LeBlanc for his Cheerio is shown in the drawings. It is constructed from π” thick mahogany board and is 22 1/4” long. The section beyond the winch mount- ing is only 1” wide so as to minimize weight. It is important that the winch be securely fastened to the board and the board securely fastened to the hull and that all sheets run clear of radio components. The latter can be accomplished with shields or preferably with careful layout. The second type of sheeting arrangement is the “non-continuous” system which runs a winch line from one side of the drum. The end of the line is tensioned by means of an elastic or shock cord. A winch board can be used for this arrangement as well. I once buried a turn-around block in a Marblehead yacht without access from the hatch and had to cut through the deck to re-run the winch line. I have since become a firm believer in winch boards and gladly accept the small weight penalty. Ian Scott The plans for Mr. Darling’s 20-rater show his calculation for this rating. Could you please spell out the rating rule for me? Ancient Mariner In the 1920’s the MYRAA raced a set of classes defined by a fairly complex rating rule. These rules were devised by governing bodies to establish classes of yachts, to give designers some room to innovate, but to avoid “freak” or “extreme” designs — the latter being, of course, in the eye of the beholder. The rating formula (RF) was as follows: ( 0.18 ) ⋅ ( RL ) ⋅ ( SA ) RF = —————————————————3 D It is equal to the product of a constant, 0.18, the hull “racing length” (RL) which will be defined later, and the square root of the sail area (SA), all divided by the cube root of the displacement (D). The racing length (RL) is based on the length at the load water line (LWL) and quarter beam length (QBL) as a way of “taxing” or penalizing bow and stern overhang. Quarter beam length is measured from a top view of a special waterline, as shown in the diagram. The special waterline is above the LWL at a Page 16 distance equal to 1/10 of the maximum beam at the LWL. The quarter beam is equal to 1/4 of the maximum beam measured at the load water line. On the top view, then, one locates a point perpendicular to the center line at maximum beam. Measure out 1/4 of the maximum beam and draw a line parallel to the center line. This is the location of the quarter beam buttock. The length of this plane between the points were it intersects the special water line is the quarter beam length. Racing length is then calculated as follows: Pulley Continuous Sheet Aft Jib Pivot Point Fore Jib Sheet ExcessQBL RL =  —————————— + LWL   2 Fairleads ExcessQBL = QBL – UsedLWL UsedLWL = ( LWL ) ⋅ ( 100 – LWL ) Walter Watkins’ Overlapping Jib Rig If RF came out between 46 and 55, the boat was Class A, if between 36 and 46, Class B, if between 31 and 38, Class C and if between 25 to 31, Class D. The Darling boat comes out to 20, which evidently was a “sub-D” class of some popularity. Let’s see how the formula works by plugging in the numbers on the plan: 0.18 ⋅ 25 ⋅ 24.5 20 = ———————————–5.5 The 24.5 is the square root of SA, which gives a sail area of 600 square inches. The 25 is RL, calculated from an LWL of 25” and a QBL of 23.75” as follows: UsedLWL = 23.75 = 25 ⋅ ( 100 – 5 ) ExcessQBL = 0 RL = LWL This shows that Darling designed the boat with exactly enough overhang to get away without a penalty. The 5.5 is the cube root of D; this corresponds to a displacement of 166.375 cubic inches. Since the density of fresh water is 0.036 lb. per cubic inch, the displacement is 96 ounces. The plans indicate the weight of the boat is 88 oz. Do you suppose Darling made a mistake, or did he plan to add some lead ballast to meet the rating? Easy, wasn’t it? Now we can appreciate why the Marblehead class, with its simple rules, was so popular. Darling and his cohorts must have inspired the acronym KISS (Keep It Simple Sailor). Dara Norman How does one control an overlapping headsail on an R/C model yacht? Ancient Mariner Overlapping headsails require a more complicated winch control arrangement. For example, an overlapping genoa jib must be capable of being sheeted well aft of the mast on either side of the boat and cannot be controlled from a simple centerline fairlead. A similar situation occurs on schooners where an outer jib over- laps an inner jib. I observed two schooners at the 1998 Traditional Sailing Craft Models Regatta at Spring Lake, NJ that solved this problem in different ways. A replica of the Alden Schooner, “Grenadier,” constructed by Walter Watkins carried an overlapping outer jib as shown in the photograph. A continuous loop from the double drum of an second drum winch passes through deck fairleads and around a horizontally mounted sheave located just forward of the inner jib attachment point. A jib sheet is secured to the winch line which can then be trimmed on either side by the winch. This, of course, requires an additional control channel. There is a possibility of the continuous loop being pulled off the sheave by the sheet. A well tensioned winch loop appears to avoid this problem. In the second case a replica of a Gloucester schooner constructed by Herb Jones controlled an overlapping outer jib utilizing a second swing-arm winch and an additional control channel. This arrangement is shown schematically in the drawing. The Dumas sail control winch controls the main sheet from the port arm while the starboard arm controls the foresail and fore staysail sheets in a standard fashion. Note that the main sheet is secured to an eye on the hull giving a range of adjustment of twice the travel of the arm (2A). The foresail and fore staysail sheets are attached to a loop on the starboard arm and have a range of adjustment equal to the travel of the winch arm (A). Two additional sheets are attached at the starboard arm of the Dumas winch to trim the overlapping jib. They are fed through port and starboard hull fairleads and then through the single arm of a Futaba winch which is used to tension one of the two sheets depending on which tack the boat is sailing. The arrangement provides a range of adjustment of either sheet equal to twice the throw of the Futaba winch (2B) providing sufficient length for the slack sheet to pass around the fore staysail attachment point. When the schooner is sail- Page 17 In every mess I find a friend, in every port a wife But the standing toast that pleased the most, Was the wind that blows, the ship that goes, And the lass that loves a sailor. Herb Jones’ Overlapping Jib Rig The Ancient Mariner Book Review POND MODELS Some Simple Thoughts on Building and Sailing Them ing off the wind the overlapping jib is eased from the Dumas winch along with all of the other sails. The range of adjustment is equal to the Dumas winch travel (A). Both of these arrangements worked well at the regatta. Needless to say, we were all impressed with their mechanical wizardry. Dorothy Roden The Mill Pond Regatta is the last one I will attend with open-toed sandals. What is it with these Canadian geese anyway? Spring Lake is bad enough, but Mill Pond was the pits. Why do these geese seem to have an affinity for vintage model sailors? If you think I’m going to compete with them, they can have you, lock stock and barrel, all nine yards, the whole kit and caboodle. Ancient Mariner Whoa! Whoa!, we don’t like them either. It does seem a high price to pay for a little acid rain that we send to Canada. We thought they were attracted by your expensive fragrances. I guess there must be a little unpleasantness in everything. Charles Dibden said it as well as anyone: On my summer trips to Maine my attention has been drawn to a category of distinctive small boats that I see in a variety of types of shops. More often than not these boats are not for sale, nor have they been placed in the business to reiterate a maritime sensibility to potential purchases. These boats are there for the daily admiration and inspiration of the store owner. Usually in inquiring who made the boat it turns out to be a local person who earns their living from the sea, unable to part company with that environment in ‘off-hours’, and therefore must build a model boat. The type of boat I am speaking of is not an accurate scale model, sometimes even the marks of carving have not been totally smoothed. Their shape is typically exaggerated in certain proportions to assist their sailing abilities in ponds. These boats are able to capture the quality of ‘boat’ and transcend the ‘every-day’. Now, I have in my hands, a book called Pond Models, Some Simple Thoughts on the Subject of Building and Sailing Them by M. de Lesseps. This book is like the boats I have just mentioned. Honest, simple, direct, and inspirational. Ironically the author lives in Maine. This is a small book in size, only 47 pages. It is illustrated with descriptive watercolor drawings done by the writer. It not only covers sailing models, but also runabouts, steam powered launches, and commercial period vessels. Also contained are sections on hull construction, especially a variant on the bread and butter method, as well as making fittings, rigging, and choosing hull plans. This is obviously a lot to cover in a short span of type. Actually that is a lie, the font is not type, but hand printing! If you are lucky enough to own a copy of John Black’s 1939 textbook Yachting with Models, then this book by de Lesseps should sit next to it on your bookshelf. If you are a builder of vintage pond yachts, you might find fault with this book because it does not go into the spelled out details of construction. But every builder, or potential Page 18 builder, should have this book. If you primarily race old pond boats, or replicas of, you too should have this book even though it does not acutely describe various points of sail. What makes this book special is that it provides inspiration for the needed perspiration of building and gives passion to the act of sailing pond yachts. In short, it accurately touches with words why most of us are intrigued by vintage boats. The book is published by and can be obtained from Two Bytes Publishing, Ltd.; P.O. Box 1043; Darien, Connecticut 06820-1043. While I am plugging this type of book I should also mention First You Have To Row A Little Boat by Richard Bode. This too is a splendid book in the same ways that M. de Lesseps’s Pond Models is. Thom Mclaughlin instructions in first issue of our newsletter. $10.00 for plans alone, $15.00 for plans and newsletter. Boucher M design, essentially a semi-scale “Shamrock” J boat hull scaled to 50.” 2 sheets, $25.00. Boucher M design by Paton Lewis, 40’s fin and skeg design, 2 sheets with some construction detail, $25.00. “Rip Tide,” by Ted Houk. Fin and bulb free-sailer from the 1940s. Lines only. One sheet, $25.00. “Venture,” early fin and skeg boat by Howeler. Lines only. One sheet, $20.00. “Broom IV” by Selmer Larson. Lines only. One sheet, $20.00. “Warrior I,” by Goodwin. Lines only, very rough plan but you can get the shape off it. One sheet. $20.00. Other Designs Full Size Plans and Other Things These plans are available from the Vintage Group. Please make checks out to U.S. Vintage Model Yacht Group. All prices are postpaid, Priority/ Air Mail. Plans are rolled in a mailing tube. Add $5.00 for overseas postage. Send orders to “Vintage Plans” at the editorial address below. Book and Video If you are contemplating plank on frame construction and are a bit nervous about it, we have a comprehensive set of instructions in our booklet “Building Planked Models,” which reprints a series of articles from the 1940’s. $25.00. Associated videotape of a workshop by Al Hubbard, $25.00, both for $40.00. If you buy one of them first and then want the other, let us know and we’ll give you the discounted price. 36” LOA Construction details and full-sized patterns for the sharpie “Starlet” is in a back issue of our newsletter. $5.00 Thomas Darling’s “20-rater.”with that classic “J Boat” look. Bread and butter construction, two sheets with instructions, $20.00 Boucher “Osprey,” 36” full keel boat, can be rigged as sloop or schooner. Construction details. 4 sheets, $30.00. M Class Fin and skeg design by Richardson, one sheet, lines only, $20.00. “Helen J,” by Richardson, looks a lot like “Pocohantas,” fin and skeg with overhang, lines only, one sheet, $20.00. “Zip,” Two sheets. Early fin and skeg design, bread and butter construction. Very complete Boucher “Shamrock V,” 45” LOA semi-scale model of Sir Thomas Lipton’s J Boat challenger. Construction details. 2 sheets, $25.00. Boucher “Sea Gull,” 42” LOA full keel, can be rigged as marconi or gaff sloop. Construction details. 2 sheets, $25.00. Boucher “Albatross,” 50 1/4” LOA full keel design, can be rigged as marconi sloop, marconi or gaff schooner. Construction details. 2 sheets, $25.00. A.J. Fisher Plans These plans are available from the commercial supplier A.J. Fisher and Co. Call them at 810 541 0352 for exact prices and shipping costs. 24” Detroit School Project boat. 36/600 “Chico”, M Class “Cheerio” I through III M Class “Sun Kiss” M Class “Cats Paw” 18” sharpie “Dart” “Starlet,” (see first page.) “Kiltie,” 6-Meter, and “Bostonia VII,” an A boat. Bits of Oakum Correction There were errors in the last issue. On page 13 and 14, the boat should be “Cheerio I,” not “Cheerio II.” Earl Boebert Building A Vintage Pond Yacht Course From August 1 to 7, 1999, I will be teaching a course at WoodenBoat Magazine’s school in Page 19 Brooklin, Maine on building vintage pond yachts. This will be an intense six day class in which students each will construct a plank on frame pond boat destined for R/C sailing or self-steering. The particular boat will be the 36-600 class “Starlet,” but the course will also give students the needed insight and hands on experience to build many other vintage designs. By the end of the workshop students will have completed the hull and deck and received demonstrations on the remaining rigging and finishing. Registration for this class will begin in November and will be limited to ten students. A catalogue can be obtained from WoodenBoat School, P.O. Box 78, Naskeag Road, Brooklin, Maine 046160078. Their phone number is (207) 359-4651. Also more course description along with registration, cost, etc. is on their web page at http:// media4.hypernet.com/~woodenboat/wb.htm. The school is located on a beautiful harbored site. The course is ending on the day of their annual regatta where this past summer I was able to watch over 100 full size vintage wooden sailboats including “Wild Horses” and “Ticonderoga.” Great opportunity. Thom McLaughlin J Boats and More Rene Serrao, who has been the source for J Boat plans, has a new address: Rene D. Serrao 650 Ketch Harbour Rd. Portuguese Cove, N.S. Canada B3V 1K1 902 868 2954 Rene has some 12 Meter and schooner plans as well, and wants to know if anyone is interested in 3/4” scale J boat hulls (the big ones), and if so, which one. He’s considering producing some in fiberglass. Also, if that “Canterbury J” caught your eye, the person to contact for hulls and fittings is: Peter Vincent 10 Belair Close Burwood Christchurch New Zealand Postage out of there is expensive, so if you write him toss in a dollar or two for stamps, please. Earl Boebert Advertising As you can see from the last page of this issue, we have begun to accept advertising from suppliers. Rates are $50.00 per issue for a full page and $25.00 for a half page ad. This gets your message in front of over 300 vintage enthusiasts — cheaper than a mailing. Contact the Editor at the addresses below for details on sending copy and illustrations. Deadline for the next issue is 31 March 1999. Earl Boebert Upcoming Supplies We have two projects in the works to help those who are constructing their own boats. The first is to have a production run made of the the Bill Bithell style turnbuckles. These are nice looking, authentic, and have a hook on one end which really simplifies putting up and taking down a rig. Size is suitable for M Class on up. The second project is to have a canoe kit supplier cut planking bundles for those of us who don’t have access to either good wood or the shop tools required to rip your own planks. The planking bundles will consist of 50 strips of clear Western Red Cedar, 1/8” x 1/2” and 50” to 60” long. This should be enough for an M Class boat or a 50” schooner. Prices and availability will be listed as soon as possible on the Web page; we hope that’ll be around the end of January. If you’d like to get one of the early shipments for that Winter building project, let me know at the editorial address below and I’ll contact you when things become available. Earl Boebert “Windling World” $18.00 a year and worth every penny. Subscriptions to: Windling World 42 Trinidad Rd., Forrest Hill Aukland, New Zealand The Model Yacht is published three times a year by the U.S. Vintage Model Yacht Group. Copyright 1998/99, U.S.V.M.Y.G. Reproduction for noncommercial purposes permitted; all other rights reserved. Editorial Address: 9219 Flushing Meadows NE Albuquerque NM 87111 Email: boebert@swcp.com Phone: 505 823 1046 Officers of the U.S. Vintage Model Yacht Group: President: John Snow Eastern Vice-President: Ben Martin Midwest Vice-President: Al Suydam Western Vice-President: Dominic Meo, III Southeastern Vice-President: Thom Mclaughlin Traditional/Scale Coordinator: Harry Mote Vintage M Class Coordinator: Charles Roden Classic “50” Coordinator: David Lindsey Historian: Earl Boebert Historian: Charles Williamson Archivist: Jim Dolan Page 20 Gears Lock Guying Mechanism Counterweight Arm Feather Arm Rudder Post and Tiller Arm Pivot Tube and Arm Pintle Body Stops The Simple Self-Tacking Vane, with the parts identified. The vane is in the unlocked (beating, upwind) position. A Simple Self-Tacking Vane 2. A pivot tube, which can be turned and which Introduction One of the biggest obstacles faced by any skipper wanting to sample the distinctive pleasures of free sailing is the difficulty of obtaining a satisfactory vane gear for steering. The sophisticated gears shown on our Web page and described in available literature look like, and in some cases are, daunting exercises in precision metalwork. The gear described in this article is an attempt to devise a gear using modern materials that presents no more difficulties than the average radio installation. The gear is designed for an M boat, but is light (3 oz.) and compact enough to use on 36” hulls. The “clip on” feather permits alternate feather sizes for different wind conditions and easy replacement of a damaged feather, as well as simplifying transportation. All the materials, except for the gears, can be obtained in a single mail order. We had a custom run of Delrin gears made, and you can obtain three gears (permitting one mistake) for $5.00 postpaid from the editorial address on the masthead. This vane takes about a weekend to build, so there’s no excuse for missing the free-sailing M regatta in San Francisco next year! Design The basic design is that of a “geared three axis” or “Ballantyne” gear. This design is compact and “guys” easily, an important attribute if you’re going to sail at San Francisco. The detail design owes much to the vanes built by the late Bill Full of Marblehead, and the simplifications of them made by our own John Snow. Other design features were freely “stolen” from the literature; the use of the Lucite body was suggested by a Jones vane gear I saw in New Zealand. Parts The vane consists of the following parts: 1. A body, which holds everything together and is a friction fit on the pivot. has the arm that engages the tiller arm. 3. A pintle, attached to the hull. This is a rod that runs through the pivot tube and supports the body on its pointed top. In operation, the whole vane assembly swings freely on this bearing. 4. An adjustable counterweight arm that balances the feather. 5. A feather arm that holds the feather. 6. A pair of gears whose meshing causes the two arms to move in a synchronized motion. 7. A lock, which when engaged holds the two arms in a rigid, aligned position. 8. A pair of stops, which are used to adjust the angle of the self-tacking mechanism. 9. A guying mechanism, used to initiate a single tack in the middle of the pond. Operation Modes The vane operates in two modes: locked and unlocked. The locked mode is used for runs and reaches with and across the wind; the unlocked mode is only used on a beat (tacking upwind). When locked, the entire vane and feather assembly is moved as a unit around the pivot tube to set the vane. Setting in this mode is simple: Point the boat in the direction you want it to go., holding the tiller on neutral (straight ahead). Turn the vane on the pivot tube until the feather is “weathercocked” to the downwind or crosswind direction. When the sails are set to the same wind direction, release the boat. The action of the vane will maintain a constant relative wind direction over the stern of the boat. If the boat turns relative to the wind, because of hitting a wave or the unbalanced action of the sails, the wind will strike the feather at an angle, swing the whole vane on the pintle, which will then move the pivot arm and through it the tiller, thus turning the rudder to return the boat to the original heading relative to the wind direction. Page 21 Wind Direction Feather “sees” slight wind, holding vane “broken” and applying lee helm. After vane “flips,” feather “sees” strong wind and applies more rudder. The boat in the diagram is on Starboard Tack. The dashed arrow shows the heading of the boat. The stops are set, and the angle of launch chosen, so there is slight wind pressure on the windward side of the feather, holding the vane in the “broken” position and applying lee helm, turning the boat gradually into the wind. The guying rubber then overcomes the wind pressure and “flips” the mechanism. The wind then strikes the feather harder and applies even more lee helm to the boat. The light force on the helm is increased by the “Liverpool Boy” as shown on the next page. The boat turns until the feather is again aligned with the wind and the boat is on Port Tack. When the boat reaches shore, the skipper turns her back on Starboard Tack with the pole, “flipping” the mechanism back to the original configuration. The time the boat spends on Starboard Tack depends on the angle of launch and the tension on the guy; the more the boat is off the wind (to the vertical in the diagram), the greater the angle it must turn through and the longer the tack. When unlocked for a beat, the helm is held neutral while pivot arm is set in line with the body, using the seam of the two pieces of Lucite as an index mark. The angle of the feather is set by the adjustable stops, and the angle the boat is pointed into the wind is chosen, so that with neutral helm, the feather is “weathercocked” aft and the vane mechanism “broken back” to hold the feather at the set angle. The vane will then maintain the boat’s course in the manner described above. Self Tacking The vane will “self tack” in one of two circumstances: when turned with the pole at pondside, and when “guying” in the middle of the pond. When turned with the pole, the act of swinging onto the opposite tack will cause the boat to heel in the other direction. The counterweight will swing to the “down” side, and the gearing will move the feather as well, “flipping” the vane to the other tack. Guying is shown in the diagram above. The “Liverpool Boy,” diagrammed on the next page, is used to aid the tacking motion and reduce the chance of the boat being caught “in irons.” Tools and Materials I agonized quite a bit before I settled on stainless steel for the metal parts. Stainless is a little harder to work and requires silver soldering, but is much more sturdy, an important attribute for a device that you’ll be adjusting with wet fingers. On the other hand, this project provides about the simplest introduction to silver soldering that you can find — there are only nine joints, and all are easy. The more adventurous among you might want to try using advanced adhesives like epoxy or CA on the joints, but solder is safe and sure. The fasteners are all stainless socket head screws and locknuts; the only choice for any kind of mechanism that operates around water. They hold tight, do not corrode, and can be tightened and loosened many times without damage. The full bill of materials, including the silver solder and special drills, will run you about $50.00, and you’ll have lots of extra material (like the .035 stainless wire) and fasteners which will find plenty of uses on other projects. The biggest expense is the sheet of 3/16” Lucite. You can save on that by checking with plastics suppliers in your area and asking for cutoffs; otherwise, you’ll have about a square foot left to use for winch arms, rudders, skegs, and other things. The only special tools required are a drill press, for getting holes parallel, and a small torch. Construction The vane, like all “one-off” mechanisms, is best constructed using a “build to fit” philosophy. Since there’s no need for interchangeable parts, we make a part and then use it as a gauge to get the dimensions for the part it joins to or interacts with. Thus all the dimensions on the drawings should be taken as advice, not gospel. The important thing is that the mechanism operates freely and correctly, not that it conforms to some set of drawings. In a lot of cases, this means cutting things oversize and then trimming them down after the fits are determined. Page 22 Wind Direction Pivot Point of Jib Boom Adjustable Elastic Connected Ahead of Pivot Point and to the Deck The “Liverpool Boy” increases the turning moment by having an elastic hold the jib in place as the boat swings through the eye of the wind. The elastic also prevents the jib from fluttering and stalling the mainsail. The jib will backwind and push the bow around, until the force of the wind overpowers the tension of the elastic and swings the jib boom around. The Liverpool Boy may be augmented with a tensioner to pull the main boom over; this is often in the form of an offset boom vang. The Metal Parts Begin with the five clips that hold the feather to the frame. Follow the steps on the diagram on the next page. The diagrams exaggerate the distances; press the loops down as tight as you can. The next thing to make are the two arm assemblies. You may think that drilling 1/16” holes in a 1/8” rod is tricky, but it’s really quite easy. Cut two rods about 2” long. One will have two holes in it and one will have three. Mark the place for the holes, file a small flat, and centerpunch a dimple. Clamp the rod in your drill press vise with the dimple centered and drill a starter hole with the 1/8” center drill. Then drill the final holes. For the rod with three holes, drill the first two, then slip a 1/16” wire in one of them and use them to line the third up at right angles. Clean the 1/16” wire with emery paper or steel wool until it is nice and shiny, then cut and bend the parts to the dimensions shown. Don’t make the final bend on the feather frame just yet. Make two rings from the .035 wire for reinforcements. Now we’re going to silver solder. There are three principles to observe: 1. Absolute cleanliness. 2. Cover with flux so no air gets to the joint. 3. Heat the solder indirectly, by heating the parts. Don’t attempt to melt the solder by applying heat to it — be patient. Start with the wire joints as they are the easiest. Flatten the solder and cut into strips about 1/16 x 1/32”. Wrap a single loop around the joint. Lay the assembly on a brick or tile and place a “blob” of flux over the joint. Apply heat alternately to the wires about 1/4” from the joint until the solder flows. Let cool. Be careful with stainless; it’s a poor conductor of heat and a part can be cool at one point and hot enough to burn you an inch or so away. The second solder job is to attach the wire to the rods. Use the same system, wrapping the solder around the 1/16” stock at the joint. Heat the 1/8” rod and let the heat flow melt the solder. Do it right and you can see the heat suck the solder into the joint. After the parts cool, cut off excess ends. Slide the bottom feather clip onto the frame and make the last bend. Cut the 1/8” rods down to final shape as shown in the pictures, and file a flat taper on the top of the rod for the counterweight arm. Set a compass to the distance between the center of the 1/8” rod and outside of the part marked “X” on the photograph. (This is nominally 0.6”, but may vary depending on how you’ve bent and soldered.) Draw a half-circle and bend the 4-40 threaded rod to conform. Thread two plain (not lock) nuts on the rod, and cut off an arc that is just shy of 90 degrees. Take two pieces of 1/16” stock about 3” long. Clean till shiny, then bend a loop in the end to fit over the threaded rod as shown in the photograph. Solder them on, let cool, and set aside; the final bends will come later. The Vane Body Cut two pieces of Lucite sufficiently oversize so that you can clamp them together. Lay out two holes marked “A” and “B” on the picture of the body. Hole A should end up 0.5” from the end of the finished body and hole B is 0.75” from hole A. Drill with the #31 drill. When drilling Lucite, set your drill press on the slowest possible speed and feed no more than a sixteenth of an inch at a time, or you’ll end up melting the plastic instead of cutting it. Page 23 Pull off the paper that protects the inner surfaces and bolt the two halves together. File and sand the top surface flat and smooth to use as a reference surface. Measuring from it, cut the other edges a little oversize. Mark the position of the front vertical hole (“C” on the photo) that will carry the counterweight shaft (0.4” nominal from final edge.) Using the reference surface to align on your drill press vise, carefully and slowly drill the hole dead down the seam between the two body pieces. Test the hole with scrap 1/8” rod. You’ll probably find that the surface of the hole is still rough and the rod binds. File a square edge on the rod and use it as a reamer to clean out the hole by pushing it in and out. The fit should be loose enough so that the body will spin freely on the rod; don’t worry if it’s a little sloppy. Now we are going to measure the one important dimension in the whole assembly, which is the distance between the two arms. Slip a gear on some scrap rod and slide the rod into the hole you just drilled. Slip a second gear onto the 1/8” center drill with the tip just sticking out. Mesh the gears, and using the center drill as a scriber, swing its gear so you make a scratch across the center seam of the body. This will give you the exact location of hole D. Clamp the body in the drill press vise, being careful to align the reference surface as before. Use the center drill to place a starter hole just where the scratch crosses the seam. Then drill and clean the second hole. Test using two pieces of scrap rod with gears on them. The gears should mesh and spin with practically no effort at all; backlash is less important than freedom of motion. Now mark a spot on the bottom of the body halfway between holes C and D. Align the body using some parallel stock in the drill press vise (the reference surface will be facing down this time) and use the No. 19 drill to make the hole for the pivot tube. Don’t worry about cleaning this hole out like the 1/8” ones, as it’s going to be used for a friction fit. Take the body apart, remove the protective paper from the outside, and put it back together again for the drilling of the holes for the friction clamp on the pivot tube. By eye., locate the position of hole F so that the No. 31 drill will just graze the edge of hole E; this is easier than it sounds because you can see down into the transparent Lucite. Drill No. 31. Then take the body apart and drill out one side only to 3/16”. This hole will allow a socket head screw to apply pressure to the pivot tube. The Gears Mesh two gears and clamp lightly in the vise. Scribe an alignment line on the top surface that runs through the centers of the holes. The line, if properly drawn, will run through the center of one gear tooth. Count out 7 teeth on either side of this one, and scribe lines running from those teeth to the hub edge, which is visible on the top. Scribe two similar lines on the second gear so that you get two gear segments that look the same. File the gears down to the lines and around the hubs to give the shape shown in the top view photograph. File a 3/32” square slot in each gear hub to engage the 1/16” wires and leave “slop” for alignment. Assemble the two arms on the body, being careful to get them in the proper holes. Slide the gears in place. When the gears are pushed all the way down, the hubs of the gears should ride on the top of the body and all the metal parts should be clear. Mesh the gears and adjust the two arms so that when the alignment line on the gears is lying along the centerline of the body, the arms are aligned as well. Then carefully disassemble, so as not to disturb the position of the gears on the arms. Lock the gears in place by filling the slot with epoxy, making sure that no epoxy gets on the bottom of the gear hub — we want the main bearing surface to be Delrin against Lucite, which is very low friction. Feather The feather is made from 1/8” hard balsa, cut to the dimensions shown and sanded to an airfoil shape. The dimensions are for an M class 2 1/16” Mandrel 3 1 1 Free End Hook in Vise 1/2” Stock To make the feather clips, clamp a 1/16” rod in a vise. Hook one end of the .035 wire in the vise slot, then form a tight and flat loop (1) in the wire. Put a block of 1/2” scrap wood or metal, square or rod as shown. Wind the wire around it, then make another tight and flat loop around the mandrel (2). Slip the wire off, turn the whole thing upside down and reclamp in the vise. Wind the wire around the stock to make the second side of the clip, then form the last loop (3) on top of loop 1 as shown. Page 24 D boat that sails in light to moderate winds. Smaller vanes may be made up for use in heavier air. The gear must be re-balanced if feathers are changed Final Parts The pivot is a simple assembly of 1/ 16” wire and stainless tube. The tube should be sized so that the pivot arm clears the tiller and the vane body can be turned around the pivot tube during setting without hitting the pivot arm. Make a “guesstimate” of the tube length and add an inch; the final length will be set later. The wire is bent in a loop to fit around the tube and about 3” is left on the arm; this will be bent and trimmed later. As always, clean the 1/16” wire before silver soldering, and follow the soldering instructions carefully. Now to finish the stops. Bend the wire arms so that they touch the body about 1/4” behind hole A. Then bend a “U” shaped loop, big enough for a screw to go in, so that the assembly can be slid back and forth for alignment. C A B F E The vane body. Finished dimensions are .8 by 1.4 inches. Other dimesions given in the text. The pivot. Dimensions from the text. 7” 4.5” The guying rack. Width is 3”; depth is 1”, other dimensions free form. B A 2.5” X The feather arm. Basic dimensions shown; see detail on next page for the rest. Make bend “A” after slipping on clip “B” The stops. Dimensions from text. Make the lock as shown in the diagram from 1/ 16” wire. Spring it open gently to clip it through the hole in the feather arm rod. It should be squeezed narrow enough to be a mild friction fit when engaging the rod on the counterweight arm. Bend as necessary to insure that arms are aligned when locked. The guying rack is bent free-form to the dimensions shown. Make the sliding hook from .035 wire first, using a 1/16” mandrel as for the feather clips. Slide on the wire and bend. Make the mounting hooks “U” shaped so that you can adjust the position on assembly. Make the hook that slides on the counterweight arm as before. Note that it doesn’t have a loop, but rather is bent into a hook. The hook opening should be less than 1/32” inch, so that the guying rubber has to be stretched to go in it; this will prevent the rubber from falling off. The guying rubber is 1/16” or 1/32” square elastic. 1/16” can be had from hobby shops that cater to the “micro scale” airplane models. Another source is to buy a bungee cord from an auto supply and cut it apart. Make a single strand guying .5” Above Arm .9” 7” .6” Extension on Brace; 1.5” Overall The counterweight arm. Page 25 Extended Tiller 0.5” Above Top 1/16” Wire. 1/16” Hole Drilled 0.1 Down for Lock Ball Chain Damping Rubber, Showing Bias Part X .9” Comb Rack Rudder Post rudder post and run through an extended tiller to an A.J. Fisher #521 comb rack and ball chain. This is used to both damp and put a bias on the vane for the run, and is necessary for San Francisco because the prevailing winds push boats slightly toward the shore on runs. Final Fit and Assembly (New and Existing Boats) Now finish the pivot as follows: Trim the Detail of feather arm. Note how bottom 1/16” wire “zigs” to form bottom and back of feather frame, while top wire is bent up to form front of frame. rubber 3” long by using thread to pull a loop of rubber through a 1/4” length of 3/32” aluminum tubing and then squeezing shut. Make several sets, using different size rubber and lengths from 2 1/2” to 4”, to permit adjustment and because they deteriorate (lose elasticity) with use and time Cut a nylon spacer at a 30 degree angle so that it’s about 1/8” long. Thread a plain nut onto a socket head screw and cut the screw off so that it has about 3/8” of thread. Round the cut edges, and then unscrew the nut to “chase” the threads free. (This trick can be used whenever cutting screws down to length.) The spacer will be wedged by the nut against the pivot tube in hole F to form a friction clutch. Deck Fittings (New Installation Only) Chuck a 1/8” rod 3” long or so in a drill or mototool and carefully point the end to about a 60 degree angle with a file to form the vane pintle. Select a point 3” aft of the rudder post location and make sure that the pintle can be mounted there, e.g., epoxied into a post or box perfectly vertical. Determine how high the pintle will be off the deck; one to one and a half inches is fine. A rod in tube rudder post, such as is common on R/C boats, is not advised; instead, the rudder post should be pointed on both ends to form needle-type bearings in 3/32” brass holders. If the rudder post must go through a tube, it should have at least 1/16” clearance so that it doesn’t rub on the tube walls. Select a height of the tiller off the deck so that it swings freely and there is room for a decent pivot hook; 1/4 to 1/2 inch is fine. Make a tiller arm from 1/16” wire, 2 1/4” long, looped as in the photograph so that the hook on the pivot arm will slide freely in it. Jeff Stobbe of San Francisco strongly recommends an adjustable damping rubber that is looped around the tube to a length such that when the vane body is on the pintle and the tube pushed all the way down Hole E, the pivot arm clears the body and rides a little above the tiller arm. Bend the hook in the pivot arm so that the length of the arm from center to hook is 1/2 the distance between the pintle and the rudder post. Trim the hook so that it engages the tiller arm and just clears the deck. If you’ve done it right there should be about a 45 degree rudder swing, which is all you need. Assemble the vane. The only tricky part is getting the stops in the right place, which is why we have the “U” shaped loop. Tighten partially, then slide the stop in so that the feather arm swings without binding but part “X” engages the stop nuts. Slip the nylon spacer over the short screw, angle side out. Insert the pivot tube in hole E and the 3” Wide 9” 11” 2 1/2” Wide Dimensions of the vane feather, M Class, light to moderate winds. Smaller vanes, or use on smaller boats, is a subject for experiment. Page 26 screw into the 3/16” side of hole F. Add a locknut and tighten until the vane body turns stiffly on the pivot tube. Loop one end of a 3” guying rubber through the sliding loop on the guying rack and “snap” the other end on the hook that slides on the counterweight arm. At this point the vane should be fully assembled except for the counterweight. Counterweight and Balance Cut a 1” length of the 3/8” brass tube. Wind a tight coil of electrical solder and stuff it in the tube. Place the tube upright on your soldering brick and heat with the torch until the solder melts. Keep this up until the tube is full of solder. Drill a 1/16” hole longitudinally through the counterweight. Slide it on the counterweight arm with around an inch to spare as on the photographs. Unlock the vane with the stops set to a tacking angle of about 35 degrees, the pivot arm facing straight forward, and no tension on the guying rubber. Place it on the pintle. Move the pintle through simulated angles of heel up to 45 degrees or so. The pivot arm should remain horizontal (neutral helm). On the early tries, the counterweight should be too heavy and the arm “droop” down on its side. If it isn’t, you’ll have to make a new counterweight that is longer and start the process over. If it is, file a little off and retry. Keep filing and retrying until it’s clear that the counterweight has some position in which the vane is balanced. Drill a 1/16” hole crossways in the middle and screw in a #2 self-tapping screw as a set screw. The final balance adjustment should be done the same way, but with the boat in the water, to take into account the buoyancy of the rudder. Finish up with a safety line attached to the vane and the deck to prevent losing the vane in a hard slam, and a cover for the pintle when the vane is not mounted; that point can be dangerous! Other Issues Early authors advised that the rudder of a vane boat should be about 1/4 the area of the vane, and twice as deep as it is long. Jeff Stobbe uses rudders with 4:1 and 5:1 aspect ratios and vane to rudder ratios of 8 to 10 to 1: about 5 sq. in. of rudder to 50 sq. in. of vane. If you mount this vane on a smaller boat, reduce the vane to pintle dimensions, tiller, etc. proportionately. The rudder should be as far aft as possible and the skeg one-half the area of the rudder; this may involve modifying the design, e.g., by cutting away a long skeg. Good Luck, and don’t let that boat out run you! Bill of Materials The materials listed below can be obtained from Small Parts Inc., 1-800-220-4242, Web page http://www.smallparts.com Part # Qty. Description R-HTX-8-6 6” Stainless Tubing R-ZRX-1-36 2×36” 1/16” Stainless Wire R-ZRX-2-12 12” 1/8” Stainless Rod R-SWX-3035 20’ .035 Stainless Wire R-LAS-3-C 1 sq ‘ 3/16” Lucite Sheet R-SHCX-440-12 10 4-40 Stnls Cap Screws R-HLNX-440 10 4-40 Stnls Lock Nuts R-HNX-440 10 4-40 Stnls Plain Nuts R-TX2-4 10 2-56×1/4 Snls Slf-Tap R-WXA-2N 10 #4 Stainless Washers R-TXRX-440-12 12” 4-40 Stnls Thred Rod R-RSN-4/2 10 #4 Nylon Spacer R-HSD-31 1 #31 Drill R-HSD-19 1 #19 Drill R-HSCD-1 1 #1 Center Drill R-SO-BK4 1 Stay-Bright Solder In addition, you’ll need 3/8” thin wall brass tubing, 3/32” aluminum tubing, electrical solder, thin elastic, epoxy, and 1/16”, 1/8”, and 3/16” drills. The 1/16” drills should be cobalt (I got mine at Sears) and the others should be new and sharp. Earl Boebert Top view of the vane, showing guying mechanism and lock. Page 27