The Model Yacht: Volume 24, Number 3 – Fall 2023 (Building)

The Model Yacht Building Journal of the U.S. Vintage Model Yacht Group Journal of the US Vintage Model Yacht Group Volume 21, Number Three Volume 24, Number Three Fall 2023 The Model Yacht Fall 2023 US VMYG Leadership President: John Y. Stoudt*, jstoudt309@gmail.com…………………………………………………………………..(610) 316-8695 President Emeritus: John Snow, jsnowj@comcast.net………………………………………………………………..(978) 594-8521 Treasurer: Tom Alessi*, usvmygt@gmail.com…………………………………………………………………………(610) 566-9504 Secretary: Chuck Lage*, chucklage@yahoo.com………………………………………………………………………(484) 682-3091 Journal Art Director: Bruce Richter, richterbruce@gmail.com……………………………………………………(917) 575-2221 Journal Editor: Jeff Beck*, beck.jeff@gmail.com……………………………………………………………………..(240) 252-0236 Editorial Staff: John Henderson, jgnhenderson@gmail.com……………………………………………………….(443) 282-0277 Ken Young*, youngrun@sbcglobal.net……………………………………………………………..(630) 957-7490 Gudmund Thompson, gudmund.thompson@gmail.com……………………………………..(613) 852-0648 Webmaster: Gregg Heimer, gheimer@yellowblueit.com……………………………………………………………(610) 960-2185 Membership: Tom Alessi, usvmygt@gmail.com……………………………………………………………………….(610) 566-9504 Regatta Coordinator: Nick Mortgu, mortgu@comcast.net………………………………………………………….(609) 820-0509 Archivist……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….Currently Open Awards Coordinator: Rob Dutton, edwin653@aol.com.mortgu@comcast.net………………………………(703) 608-8812 Resources Coordinator: John Y. Stoudt, jstoudt309@gmail.com…………………………………………………(610) 316-8695 Plans Coordinator:………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….Currently Open Historian: Earl Boebert, boebert@swap.com…………………………………………………………………………….(505) 823-1046 Boat Identification: Mike Denest, mjd12k@yahoo.com………………………………………………………………(610) 316-3570 Boat Yard Coordinator: Cliff Martin, c_martin5@comcast.net…………………………………………………..(508) 533-5971 Construction Advice: John Henderson, jgnhenderson@gmail.com………………………………………………(443) 282-0277 Jeff Gros, Jeffreygros48@gmail.com………………………………………………………….(630) 673-2201 Social Media: Chuck Lage, chucklage@yahoo.com…………………………………………………………………..(484) 682-3091 Model Yacht Data Set: Jim Freeze, jrfreeze1@comcast.net,……………………………………………………….(484) 402-3550 Class Coordinators Free Sailed: John Fisher, jfisher577@gmail.com……………………………………………………………………….(719) 651-0762 Intl A Boat: Mike Denest, mjd12k@yahoo.com………………………………………………………………………..(610) 316-3570 Schooner: Tom Alessi, usvmygt@gmail.com……………………………………………………………………………(610) 566-9504 Skipjack: John Henderson, jgnhenderson@gmail.com……………………………………………………………….(443) 282-0277 Unrestricted: John Henderson, jgnhenderson@gmail.com………………………………………………………… (443) 282-0277 Vintage 10-Rater: Jeff Beck, v10rclass@gmail.com………………………………………………………………….(240) 252-0236 Vintage 36: Rob Dutton, edwin653@aol.com……………………………………………………………………………(703) 608-8812 Vintage Marblehead: Colin Parker, captcparker@yahoo.com……………………………………………………..(410) 404-3093 Vintage Power: Peter Kelley, pdkelley@sympatico.ca………………………………………………………………..(905) 301-9977 Regional Coordinators Australia:………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………Currently Open Canada: Gudmund Thompson, gudmund.thompson@gmail.com………………………………………………..(613) 852-0648 European Continent:……………………………………………………………………………………………………………….Currently Open Mid Atlantic: Scott Todd, dscotttodd63@gmail.com………………………………………………………………….(410) 310-2453 North Central: Ken Young*, youngrun@sbcglobal.net……………………………………………………………….(630) 957-7490 North East: Cliff Martin, c_martin5@comcast.net…………………………………………………………………….(508) 533-5971 North West: Brian Schneider, schneider560@gmail.com……………………………………………………………(207) 715-2644 South Central:………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………Currently Open South East: Phil Ehlinger, philair41@gmail.com………………………………………………………………………(386) 383-8415 South West: Ernie Mortensen, usvmygsw@gmail.com………………………………………………………………(858) 525-5217 United Kingdom: Graham Reeves, graham@reevesmail.co.uk………………………………………………..+44 151 936 1140 *Denotes US VMYG board members i Fall 2023 The Model Yacht The Model Yacht is published three times per year by the US Vintage Model Yacht Group. Copyright 1989 to 2023 by the US VMYG. Reproduction for noncommercial purposes permitted; all other rights reserved. Other copyrights are maintained by the original holders, and such material is used here under the fair use provisions of the relevant copyright acts for nonprofit research and educational purposes. Editorial Address: John Stoudt 309 Sundance Drive Chester Springs, PA 19425 On the Cover: Close-up of Peony Vintage Marblehead under construction following a one-week building class at the WoodenBoat School. Membership Renewals: The annual membership fee will be due and should be renewed with the publication of the first journal of the calendar year. Please reference the “Join” page at https://usvmyg.org/join/ for membership information. Requesting a sail number: You can get a new sail number or transfer a registration from a previous owner here: https:// usvmyg.org/registration/ Select the class to open the correct form. There is a $7.00 fee for new registrations but no charge for transfers. The class coordinator will contact you to confirm your registration and sail number. The Layline By John Stoudt Definition: A layline is a straight line (or bearing) extending from the next mark to indicate the course a boat should be able to sail on the one tack in order to pass to the windward side of the mark. (vsk.wikia.com/wiki/Layline) This issue of The Model Yacht has great articles in it covering the national championship regatta series, the 10-Rater class, and boatbuilding and restoration. I think you will find it quite interesting. A special thanks is due to our editorial staff who do a wonderful job putting together a first-class Journal. Upcoming Issues We have a lot of good content lined up for the three issues next year. You will see more articles on restoration, fittings, boat identification, and other topics. There is a lot of good content being collected with more coming in from the writers. If you have ideas, send them to us. If you have something you would like to write, do so. If you have a suggested author, send us his contact information. US VMYG Archives The Model Yachting Center (TMYC) Monetary donations to TMYC have slowed. We are not giving up. We are going to speak with the professional fundraiser who has been giving us advice to discuss options, and we will be implementing new strategies in the very near future. If you have not yet contributed, please consider making a generous donation to help fund the research necessary to determine the feasibility of the center. Go to: https://usvmyg.org/the-model-yachting-center-turning-the-vision-intoreality/ for more information or donate here: The US VMYG is a 501(c)(3) corporation. 1 Fall 2023 The Model Yacht Inside The Leadership Team……….i The Layline…………………1 Inside……………………….2 Barnacle………………….. 26 A new US VMYG Class; The Vintage 10-Rater………4 2023 National Championship Regatta Report..……………5 Modeling the Chesapeake Bugeye……….……………11 A Chesapeake Skipjack Stole My Heart……….……18 Modeling L. Francis Herreshoff’s Design #53…..22 It’s a 10-Rater!.……..…..…27 Remnant’s Restoration….…32 Sailing a Malay Jong…….. 35 Learn How To Build and Work on Your Model Yacht……..38 10-Rater Rule Another old boat class is finding its way to the water. Jeff Beck acquired a hull which turned out to be an early 10-Rater. He did a beautiful restoration and sailed it in nationals this year. This led to a conversation to reestablish the vintage 10-Rater class. We have drafted a rule and run it through a comment period with US VMYG membership. After revisions it has been posted to the new class page (https://usvmyg.org/classes/vintage-10-rater/), and Jeff has been appointed the class coordinator. His contact information is: v10rclass@gmail.com or (240) 252-0236. If you have 10-Rater lurking around and would like to pull it out, we can assist with the restoration and help you get it back in the water. We have also heard that several people will be building new 10-Raters to the rule. All of the Vintage 10-Rater plans on our website conform to the new rule. Photo by Jeffery Beck Artifact Donations The US VMYG is trying to preserve the past. We are contacted routinely by individuals who would like to donate things to the vintage group. While we do not seek out these resources, we do consider items for donation. Thus far we have been able to store things at individuals’ homes. Soon we will reach a point where we will have to rent storage space. We are very interested in preserving the past and ensuring the future. If you have something you would like to donate to the US VMYG, please contact me. We will determine how to manage your contribution. The whole purpose of this is to pass these items to the Model Yachting Center. We have collected plans, early magazines and other documents, materials from a youth mentoring program, thousands of static model fittings, molds, hulls, and finished model yachts. When we receive an item, we establish its value, and then issue a letter documenting the donation for tax purposes. The US VMYG is tax-exempt 501(c)3 corporation. Archivist These donations mean that we need another volunteer to fill a position on the leadership team—an archivist. The archivist will be responsible for receiving donation requests, maintaining the existing inventory, establishing acquisition protocols, identifying a labeling procedure, and labeling all acquired items with a bar-coded label. Ideally the archivist will be located in or near southeast Pennsylvania for ease of access to the current collection. If you are interested, please contact me. 2 Fall 2023 The Model Yacht A Regatta Having just completed our 29th national regatta, how do you measure the success? US VMYG regattas have been both one-day events with a single class competing and multi-day events with many classes participating. The skippers have come with their boats from small geographic areas and from much wider areas. What are our regattas going to look like going forward? The boats at this year’s event represented all US VMYG classes including Schooners, Skipjacks, V36s, Marbleheads, Unrestricted class boats, A Boats, and 10-Raters—all vintage boats mind you. What made this event memorable? • A 1940 Bithell boat Minerva and a 1934 Marblehead • 35 skippers registering 80 boats • Large fleets sailing in all classes • Many spectators who were awed by model yachting • The host club member and non-club volunteers • The venue, the comradery • A Chesapeake Bugeye, a log canoe • The chase boat team • The photographers and videographers • The start and finish line crew and scorekeepers • Seeing old friends and making new ones • Boats that were built and restored by their owners • The lunches, picnic, and banquet • The gift bags provided by Brandywine Valley Tourism Photo by Chuck Lage Running a regatta is a rewarding experience and has made a lot of us better for having run one. Would your club be willing to host such an event, small or large, over one day or more days? Contact us if you are interested. Postscript The US VMYG has over 100,000 static model yacht fittings that were donated by an individual in Brooklyn, NY. We are looking for a buyer. If you know of someone or a company that might be interested, let us know. We will get in touch with them. We do not have the resources to market them ourselves but would sell the entire lot at a good price to an interested party. We will put the proceeds toward TMYC research. Reflections I am very interested in thinking about who we are, how we go about our lives, where we have come from, and where we are going. We get so focused on what we have to do on a day-to-day basis that we don’t take the time to tell our story. But if we don’t start telling it, the opportunity will quickly pass us by. Model yachting began prior to 1850. Its heyday was in the 1930s and 40s. Heck, 5000 people turned out for an event on Conservatory Waters in 1939. Today the interest is waning. I hope I am not the only one who has an interest in preserving our past and protecting our future. 32 Fall 2023 The Model Yacht A New US VMYG Class; The Vintage 10-Rater Article by Jeffrey Beck We had three goals in mind when we drafted the rules for this new class. 1. To encourage the restoration of existing 10-Rater boats that qualify under the 1948 rule and to get them out on the water and participating in US VMYG events. All of the boats that we have 10-Rater plans for on the US VMYG website (https:// usvmyg.org/store/plans/10-rater/) qualify under this rule. And the 10-Raters described in the Priest & Lewis book Model Racing Yachts should also qualify. 2. To encourage the development of new 10Rater designs built to the rule to expand the fleet. 3. To be consistent with existing US VMYG class rules when possible. This means we created the Traditional V10R so that the older boats can be competitive and defined a High Flyer subclass for boats with deeper draft or fully articulating rudders. Rules on materials, construction, and sail measurement should be familiar to anyone who knows the existing VM or V36 rules. The 10-Rater class has been a model class since 1893 and has been active continually since then. 10Rater is currently one of the most popular international classes and is raced in 22 countries around the world. To expand the types of Vintage boats that we support, we are adding the Vintage 10-Rater Class at US VMYG. John Henderson and I drafted the proposed class rule for the new V10R class that is based on the 1948 Rating Rules for the 10-Rater Class by the If you have a 10-Rater, are interested in designing and building one, or are just interested in the class, please review the rule and other materials on the class page at https://usvmyg.org/classes/ vintage-10-rater/. And if you have any questions or comments about the new class, please feel free to reach out to me at v10rclass@gmail.com. Model Yachting Association of Great Britain and circulated it to US VMYG membership in September. We collected comments and made changes to the rule, which has been approved by the board and posted to the new class page here: https://usvmyg.org/vintage-10-rater-class-rules/ 24 Fall 2023 The Model Yacht Article by John Stoudt. Photos by Judy Bonanno and Chuck Lage 2023 US VMYG National Championship Regatta Report The Chester Springs Model Yacht Club (CSMYC) hosted the 2023 US Vintage Model Yacht Group (US VMYG), 2023 National Championship Regatta Series, October 13–15, 2023 at Tel Hai Camp, 1101 Beaver Dam Road, Honey Brook, PA. Club members and volunteers welcomed 28 skippers and 64 vintage model yachts to this threeday event. These numbers were down from the registration count, 35 skippers and 80 boats, due to illness and personal issues, keeping skippers from joining us. International A Boats, Skipjacks, Schooners, Unrestricted Boats (these do not fit in other US VMYG classes), Vintage 36/600, and three groups of Marbleheads raced during the regatta series. The skippers arrived from 12 states and Canada, including Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ontario, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Wisconsin. Schooners rounding the leeward mark. It is not as chaotic as it looks! The regatta committee was made up of a number of the CSMYC members and others, including Tom Alessi, Martin Blumenthal, Judy Bonanno, Rob Dutton, Jim Freeze, Tim Good, Bruce Gregory, George Hotton, John Kathman, Steve LaBrenz, Chuck Lage, David Martin, Sue Martin, Richard McOrmond, Nick Mortgu, John Stoudt, Tom Werner, Peter and Susan West, and Brian Williamson. The CSMYC cannot thank Tel Camp director Brian Williamson and his staff enough for allowing our club to sail on their lake, assisting us in hosting this event, and providing the great picnic Friday evening. The regatta results listed by class include the design of the boat. We are builders, restorers, and sailors of vintage model yachts and respect the origins of each boat. We also like to sail fast vintage models. So, knowing the origins of each boat sailed helps us do that. The schedule of events was as follows: • Friday, October 13, 2023: Skipjacks in the morning and the Unrestricted, A Boats, and two groups of Schooners (under 50 in and over 50 in) in the afternoon. • Friday evening the camp prepared a wonderful picnic for the participants, their spouses, and others. • Saturday, October 14, 2023: The Vintage 36/600s sailed • Saturday evening the regatta banquet was held at the Waynebrook Inn in Honey Brook with over 40 individuals in attendance. There were door prices, a silent auction, and a 50/50 raffle. • Sunday, October 15, 2023: The three divisions, Traditional, High Flyer, and Classic Vintage Marbleheads sailed. 52 Fall 2023 The Model Yacht Observations Some of our long-time skippers were unable to join us this year, but a number of new skippers registered. One of the skippers who attended for the first time was impressed by the number and quality of the boats present. By my calculation, 23 of the boats in the regatta were built by the skipper, and 7 were complete restorations. Two of the boats sailing were early original boats: • John Stoudt’s Tritonia (2nd place Traditional M), a Marblehead, originally built in 1934. • Tom Kiley’s Minerva * (1st place A Boat) built by Bill Bithell in 1940. The other restorations included: • Jeff Beck’s 10-Rater (Greyhound #1)* • Chuck Lage’s Marblehead (Remnant #171)* • Richard McOrmond’s Marblehead (Kittiwake #162) • John Stoudt’s A Boat (Tracer #44) • John Stoudt’s Star Sharpie (N Oth R #97) The boats marked with a * were completed in conjunction with the WoodenBoat School Model Yacht Restoration class. What do you do when it rains, I mean really comes down? You retire to the boat house and have people talk about their boats. You The boat house! monitor the radar watching for times when the rain will lighten up and you go back out. The talks are available (see the link on page 10 under “2023 Image Documentation”). Skipjacks Friday, October 13, 2023, morning Weather: partly cloudy, sunny, 50° +, wind out of the east at 5–10 mph with gusts to 15 mph. Scoring: Low point 12 boats registered and 9 competed. All boats started together. All boats were Pepper Langley Design Skipjacks rounding the windward mark 62 Fall 2023 The Model Yacht Unrestricted Boats, A Boats, and Schooners Friday, October 13, 2023, afternoon Weather: partly cloudy, sunny, 50° +, wind out of the east at 5–10 mph with gusts to 15 mph. Scoring: Low point 20 boats were registered, and 14 boats competed. Staggered starts. First fleet: Unrestricted, A Boats, and over 50-in Schooners. Under 50-in Schooners started after a 1-min delay. The big boys among the under 50-in Schooners 72 Fall 2023 The Model Yacht Vintage Marblehead Sunday, October 15, 2023, all day Weather: Sunny to partly cloudy, 50°, Winds 12 – 17 Marbleheads making for the windward mark mph with gusts to 30 mph Scoring: CESS Pool, until attrition reduced the fleet to a manageable size. (Each boat raced the first set of three races, then all boats raced together.) 30 boats were registered, and 20 boats competed. 82 Fall 2023 The Model Yacht Vintage 36/600 Saturday, October 14, 2023, all day Weather: rainy, 48°, wind out of the north at 8–10 mph with gusts to 15 mph Scoring: Low point 18 boats were registered, and 13 boats competed. All the boats started together. V36s in the rain! Did we mention it rained? 100th Anniversary This year is the 100th anniversary of the International A Boat class. We were able to get four restored A boats on the water. Two of the boats were owned by Mike Fusco who sailed one and loaned one to his friend Jim Dickson. John Stoudt loaned his A boat to Richard McOrmond. Tom Kiley brought his newly restored Minerva (built in 1940 by Bill Bithell) and teamed up with Jeff Gros from the Chicago area. It was awesome to see these majestic boats sailing together again. Trophies and awards 92 Fall 2023 The Model Yacht Earl Boebert Craftsmanship Awards For many years, a regular feature of US VMYG National Regattas has been the awarding of a Craftsmanship Award. The award was the creation of Earl Boebert as a way of recognizing excellence in the construction of pond yachts that were sailed in the regattas. The US VMYG now recognizes well-crafted boats in all classes we support. International A Boat – Tom Kiley for his restored Bill Bithell, Minerva. Schooners – John Henderson for his Chesapeake Bay Bugeye Skipjack – Joe Richmond for his Skipjack Vintage 36 – Rob Dutton for his Chico IV Vintage Marblehead – Rob Dutton for his Madcap Unrestricted – Jeff Beck for his 10-Rater Greyhound Marshall Croft Sportsmanship Award The Marshall Croft Sportsmanship Award is an annual award that recognizes an individual for exhibiting outstanding peer supportive qualities in the model yachting community. This encompasses the practice of good sportsmanship, judicious sailing, assistance to the recipient’s comrades, and/or exceptional contributions to the well-being of the sport of vintage pond boats during the US Vintage Model Yacht Group National Regatta or over an extended period of time. This year’s award winner is Chuck Lage from Landenberg, PA. Chevrons Chuck Lage The US VMYG issues its own chevrons to the winning boats to represent the place a boat finishes in a particular race series. The group wants to honor the winners in all of the classes we support. The only way we can do this is by preparing our own chevrons. The stickers can be placed on the boat in a desired location – under the hatch cover is a good place. 2023 Image Documentation Our photographic team does an amazing job capturing the regatta through the lenses of their cameras, phones, etc. This year we had a reporter, Matteo Iadonisi, from ABC Channel 6 to cover the event. Chuck Lage was like a dog with a bone chasing down this coverage. The reporter spent the morning with us and prepared a video that aired on PHL 17 (an affiliate station) for a full 2 minutes on a major news hour. • Here is the link to the video: https://6abc.com/vintage-model-yacht-regatta-national/13909595/ • Judy Bonanno’s Image Files with Richard McOrmond, Chuck Lage and other images included: https://judybonanno.smugmug.com/Sailing/Vintage-Regattas/2023-US-VMYG-Skiojacks • Videos from the regatta on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/@usvintagemodelyachtgroup3614 If you would like to find out more about the history of the US VMYG, the history of model yachting, how these boats are built, what classes we support, the individuals who made an early impact on our hobby, and where the clubs that sail vintage boats are, go to https://usvmyg.org/. If you would like to receive our journal and join the US VMYG, click JOIN US. 120 Fall 2023 The Model Yacht Modeling the Chesapeake Bugeye BROWN SMITH JONES Article and photos by John Henderson T he bugeye is one of the three iconic workboats of the Chesapeake Bay—the others being the log canoe and the skipjack. Within the US VMYG, plans are already available for practical sailing models of the skipjack and log canoe. With this documentation of a model of the bugeye Brown Smith Jones, plans are now available for all three of these historic Chesapeake boat types. Fig. 1. In profile, the hulls look very similar, although the sail shapes are different. (For reference on a log canoe model, see the Summer 2022 issue of The Model Yacht, Volume 23, Number 2.) Bugeyes, however, were typically almost twice as long as log canoes, were significantly wider, and had much higher volume for carrying cargo. The workboat evolution follows the evolution of the Chesapeake Bay oyster fishery. In the early days, oysters were harvested by “tonging,” largely by individual watermen working from relatively small log canoes. The log canoes were poled, rowed, or The bugeye’s place in history is somewhere between the log canoe and the skipjack. Construction of the Brown Smith Jones was completed in 1894. The bugeye’s log canoe ancestry is readily apparent from 211 Fall 2023 The Model Yacht Fig. 1. Brown Smith Jones under sail. sailed to and from shallow-water oyster beds. Tonging is hard work, and a day’s harvest was not huge, but it could be accomplished with simple, easily-built boats with fairly low capital investment and no extra paid crew. The Chesapeake watermen were forced to adopt dredging, but their log canoes could not develop enough power under sail to tow the dredges. Chesapeake watermen created bigger and bigger canoes, changing the sail shape from the log canoe’s leg-o’-mutton to the more common triangular sails, and these more powerful boats became the “bugeyes.” The two masts were inspired by the New England schooners, and the bugeye sails are named “schooner-fashion” as “jib, fore, main” even though the “fore” is actually the largest sail. The later racing log canoes also follow this naming convention. Oysters were also harvested in New England, where they were gathered by dredging. This process, which came to be called “drudging” in Chesapeake-speak, is much more efficient than tonging, but it requires a larger and more powerful boat. Dredging apparently was so efficient that the New England oyster beds became depleted, and enterprising New England oystermen brought their schooners to the Chesapeake, where their dredges promptly outcompeted the tongs of the local watermen. There was a problem. Log canoes are built, literally, with hollowed-out logs, probably inspired by the single-log dugout canoes of native Americans. 122 Fall 2023 The Model Yacht All this commercial activity and efficient oyster harvesting generated tensions, between Chesapeake and New England watermen, and even between Maryland and Virginia watermen. Oystermen armed themselves, and shots were exchanged. The states organized police to enforce their particular laws regulating harvesting areas and quantities. The Brown Smith Jones was a patrol boat of the Maryland State Fishery Police. Its rather strange name was meant to recognize the governor, state comptroller, and state treasurer, who signed off on the construction. The bugeye design was chosen, probably because bugeyes were known to be fast boats. As a police boat, Brown Smith Jones had a large cabin for its officers instead of the usual low hatch of a working boat – and this made it easier to model by providing a convenient and watertight raised deck opening. It is reported that Brown Smith Jones carried a one-pound repeating rifle on its foredeck, but I have not been able to find any photos of this gun. Later in its life – the early 1930s – Brown Smith Jones became a private yacht, and its tender was named Tom Dick Harry. Europeans enlarged these canoes by joining an odd number of logs together to increase the width, stability, and capacity. Three-log and fivelog canoes were common, and 5-log canoes are generally the ones that are still raced today. To serve their intended purpose, bugeyes were larger —9-log bugeyes were necessary. Therein lies the problem: nine suitable logs for 60–70-ft boats became hard to find. Although early bugeyes were log-built, the scarcity of big logs drove a change to frame-built bugeyes. The Brown Smith Jones was framebuilt. A frame-built boat, with steam-bent or sawn frames and spiled carvel planking requires a higher skill-set than carving out a log canoe. Frame boats were built by professional builders, not watermen/farmers working beside their barns, and they were more expensive. The eventual and less costly solution, in typical, practical Chesapeake fashion, was the skipjack, which is essentially a very large rowboat with a crossplanked bottom (called “deadrise” in the Chesapeake), relatively easily built, but capable of supporting enough sail to tow an oyster dredge. Like the log canoe, the bugeye is a double-ended boat, but there are significant differences beyond size. Most noticeable are the extra side decks added to the stern, making it appear almost as a transomsterned vessel when viewed from the top. This is known as the “patent stern.” See Fig. 2. Bugeyes were adaptable to work other than oyster dredging. As skipjacks became the preferred dredging choice, bugeyes – with their large size and cargo capacity – began to serve as buy-boats to deliver the oyster harvest of multiple small log canoes or skipjacks to more distant markets across the Chesapeake Bay. Sailing bugeyes also carried cargo, such as lumber or farm produce, from the Chesapeake Eastern Shore to more distant markets. The powered buy-boats still seen on the Bay, now mostly converted to private yachts, are direct descendants of the sailing bugeyes. They usually have had their sterns widened, removing the bugeye’s stern platform and replacing the sharp stern with a wide rounded stern or a conventional transom more suitable for a motorized vessel. Fig. 2. Patent stern. 123 Fall 2023 The Model Yacht Fig. 3. Bugeye lines. The story is that a bugeye skipper, Joe Robbins of Cambridge, fell overboard from his sharp-sterned bugeye during a bit of nasty weather and decided to add some decking in the area around the steering wheel. He patented this invention, which was almost universally adopted by other skippers who paid him a licensing fee of $15.00 per boat. This is US Patent #902,452, issued October 27, 1908. It is described on pages 48 and 54 of Brewington’s book (see list of references at the conclusion of this article). Interestingly, the patent title is “Davit Supporting Means for Sharp Stern Boats,” with no mention of its purpose in keeping the skipper aboard. I assume that this suppression of the more important purpose had some legal reason. I have attached the first page of the patent, showing its main drawing, as an Appendix at the end of this article. Note also the “duck tail” structure that surrounds the rudder post. It is visible in Fig. 2. Both the patent stern and the duck tail are drawn and documented on the plans, which are reproduced in small size here and available in full model size from the US VMYG. See Figs. 3 and 4. Fig. 4. Bugeye sail plan. 2 14 Fall 2023 The Model Yacht “Straightforward” does not necessarily mean that this is the easiest boat to plank. It is wide and shapely, and bending and fitting the planks to form the sharp ends can take patience and some means of bending the wood without breaking it. I used a heat gun— carefully. This short article is not intended as a construction tutorial, but I will offer some comments on how I approached some of the more unusual aspects of this model. This model is scaled 1:16, producing a length-ondeck of 49 in. Summary specifications are: The Longitudinal Center of Buoyancy (LCB), the Center of Lateral Resistance (CLR) of the hull, and the Center of Effort (CE) of the sail plan are marked on the plans. The meaning and use of these points are documented on our website (see https:// usvmyg.org/helm-balance-with-simple-calculationsof-center-of-effort-and-center-of-lateralresistance/ ). It is perhaps noteworthy that the CE “leads” the CLR by only about 6% of the LWL, which is less than the usual distance for a sloop, but it is what I have found more suitable for ketch or schooner rigs like this one. LOD: 49 in LWL: 45.5 in Beam: 13.5 in Sail Area: 1220 in2 Displacement: ~20 lb It uses a scale-shaped “slice of pie” centerboard, fixed in place, consisting of 11–12 pounds of lead with deadwood of about ½ in between the lead and the hull. For building simplicity, I used the 10-lb ballast keel from a Skipjack 48 model, supplemented with sheet lead on top to bring the total to about 11.5 lb. Rigging the fore- and mainsheets is complicated somewhat by the large cabin/hatch and by the patent stern and duck tail structures at the after end of the boat. The scale hatch (cabin) is positioned where the foresheet would normally pass through the deck. The patent stern, ducktail, and rudder pushrod unfortunately are positioned perfectly to snag the mainsheet if it were attached to the boom in the position I would have preferred. My solution is visible in Figs. 5 and 6. As built, my model weighed about 19 lb, and the actual waterline was less than ⅛ in below the designed LWL. I left it that way rather than adding a pound of ballast. I did a calculation that showed that about 3 lb would sink the model ¼ in, so this is reasonably consistent. I should acknowledge that a LWL is not drawn on any of the historic plans. I don’t know whether this is because the reference plans available today were drawn from measurements taken from existing boats (where a “designed waterline” was unclear) or because the LWL in practice varied considerably depending on load and application. The waterline that I have designated and on which I based the displacement was chosen by me to “look right.” My construction method was straightforward, using ⅛- by ⅜-in cedar strips over frames located at the sections on the drawings (reduce the section shapes by the thickness of the planking). 215 The swing arm on the 845 servo is quite long (almost 6 in), and the full extent of the long wooden arm is not completely visible. The foresail sheet is rigged 2:1 to pull the required amount of line. The mainsail (aft) sheet is rigged 1:1, and I arranged it so that this sheet attaches to the swing arm in the same place as the foresheet. The jib, on the 815 servo, is “slaved” to the fore/main servo (a feature option with some transmitters), which permits common motion supplemented by a small amount of independent jib adjustment. This separate servo also assures that the jib does not add to the load (torque) created on the fore/main servo by the long arm and two sails. Fall 2023 The Model Yacht Fig. 5. Brown Smith Jones rigged. The bitter ends of each sheet are fitted with bowsies so that sheet length is adjustable. The bowsie for the 1:1 mainsheet is on the wooden swing arm extension. I note that the exceptionally large hatch, made possible by this beamy boat and by the scale size of the cabin, facilitates access and the long swing arm adaptation. This hatch is larger than I would normally make, but the beam and wide side decks mean that the boat can heel at least 45 degrees before water on the deck reaches the lower edge of the coaming. Nevertheless, I made a tightfitting hatch cover. Fig. 6. Radio installation. 126 Fall 2023 The Model Yacht Since you asked, and I knew you would, I’ll offer some commentary on the designation “Bugeye.” The actual origins are not known, and there is much fanciful speculation. My own favorite, which I offer with no special claim of authenticity, is that the hawse-holes, when viewed bow-on, were imagined to look like a bug’s eyes. Perhaps liquor helped. You can see my version of the hawse-holes cut into the knightheads on either side of the bowsprit in Fig. 7. Draw your own conclusions. Although the bugeye is readily recognizable by hull shape and rig type, I believe that the bugeye designation does not appear in official Shipping Registries, where the boats are classed as schooners. Fig. 7. Foredeck. The plans for this boat offer a model that is interesting in its own right, and they also complete our plans offerings for the “Chesapeake trilogy” of iconic workboats – log canoe, bugeye, and skipjack. References 1) Brewington, M.V. Chesapeake Bay Log Canoes and Bugeyes (1963) Tidewater Publishers, Centreville, MD. Contains a wealth of historical information on bugeye design, building, unique features, and uses. Also contains lines drawings, construction drawings, and sail plans for several historic bugeyes, including Brown Smith Jones. 2) Price, Tom. The (bugeye) Race of the Century. WoodenBoat 288, Sept/Oct 2022, p. 64. Fascinating account of a race between the bugeyes Brown Smith Jones and BEE. 3) Brown Smith Jones. Wikipedia. https:// en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brown_Smith_Jones. Accessed May 2023. 4) Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum. Maintains an original bugeye, the Edna Lockwood, which is a valuable reference for construction details. 5) Chambliss, Peter. The ‘Bugeye’ of the Chesapeake, blog post USA Early Days | A Brush with Sail by Jim Bolland, April 7, 2013. 6) US Patent 902,452, “Davit Supporting Means for Sharp Stern Boats” – cover page (see the Appendix). 127 Appendix: US Patent 902,452 Fall 2023 The Model Yacht A Chesapeake Skipjack Stole My Heart, I Love Her Anyway AbutChesapeake Skipjack Stole My Heart, but I Love Her Anyway Article and photos by Peter Simmonds W fiberglass in the early 60s and then moved on to boat sales, where I continued to earn a living for the next 20 years. The explosion of electronics in the yachting world started in the early 80s, and I started a small company selling and installing marine electronic equipment, selling the company in the early 90s. I intended to retire but instead found myself doing a number of part time jobs including harbor master in a local port, teaching sailing, and the occasional delivery trip. hen I left school in the late 1950s my father asked me, “What do you want to do with your life?” To which I replied, “I don’t mind what I do, as long as it is to do with boats”. So I was sent as a shipwright apprentice to a small boat yard on the east coast of England. Luck was on my side because these were the last few years of wooden boat building in this country. By the mid 1960s, the boom in fiberglass small cruisers was in full swing, and wooden boat production had practically disappeared. Fortunately for me, I had moved into 2 18 Fall 2023 The Model Yacht Over the years I had continued to sail for my own pleasure and built several of my own cruising boats finally ending up with Red Setter, an Endurance 37 designed by Peter Ibold and built in my back garden. I sailed her with my family for 31 years around European waters. She was an excellent sea boat, but heavy, and eventually it got to the point where she was too heavy for my wife and me to handle. It was with a heavy heart that we decided to “swallow the anchor “and give up sailing. A model of Cambria, the last barge to carry cargo under sail. I built several barges over the years both for myself and for others. The last AMBO Championships saw 14 barges come to the line in the staysail class, eight of which I had built! The fastest model barge I built was Reminder, a steel barge built in 1932 that is still afloat as a chartered vessel with the cargo hold converted to very comfortable accommodation for 12 guests. With my model of Reminder, I managed to win the Championships 5 years in a row. Red Setter exiting St Katharine’s Dock, London. I had built a few models when at school, so after giving up full-sized sailing about 15 years ago, I decided to get back to model making. Having spent some time on the East Coast I had always loved the sight of Thames Barges under sail, so I decided that a Thames Barge would be my first project. I had several books on the history of the barges containing drawings and photos of working barges. At that time there was also a very active “Association of Model Barge Owners” who were a great help during the build. They ran barge meetings around the South East that were regularly attended by up to 20 or 30 models. Sadly due to the recent pandemic, the advancing years of the members, and their reluctance to travel to meetings, the Association was wound up in 2022. Reminder winning the AMBO championships. 219 Fall 2023 The Model Yacht After building so many barges, I started to take an interest in other types of sailing working boats from around our coasts. I read widely on the subject and often came across craft that I couldn’t ignore. If you read about a boat described as a “St Ives Bay Pilchard Driver” and called Ebenezer, you just have to build it don’t you? And it was exactly in that way that I came to build a Skipjack. Online I found the lines of Albatross drawn by Howard Chapelle that I enlarged to approximately 1/12 scale. (Having been brought up with feet and inches, I have never joined the European system.) This scale gave me a hull length of 42 in, which I find is about the right size for our local conditions. The hull was built in the standard way, upside down with ¼-in plywood keel and 1/8-in plywood frames set up on a building board. The frames were skinned in 1/16-in plywood giving a rigid structure that, when released from the building board and turned over, was decked with the same 1/16-in plywood. Halfway through the build, my wife found instructions online for building the Model Shipways kit of the Willie L Bennett, which were a great help with the deck layout, and some detailed drawings of the winch gear, the A-frame, and dredges. The hatch layout and general deck arrangement are partly to scale and partly to accommodate the radio and servos. Because of the length of the boom, I used a rotary winch (Hitec 765HB) to get sufficient travel on the main sheet. Normally I use lever arm sail winches because I find that the lines to a rotary winch get tangled or come off the drum! I am always on the lookout for books on a maritime theme, and in our local book exchange I found Skipjack written by Christopher White, probably in the 1970s when many older Skipjacks were being hulked and skippers were having trouble getting the younger generation to crew and carry on the trade. It is a large tome and a bit heavy going in places, but I became hooked. And, as the workshop had an empty bench and winter was coming, I needed a project. 20 Fall 2023 The Model Yacht I stained the pine mast and enormous boom with my magic weathering solution (fine wire wool dissolved in warm malt vinegar); I used the same on the deck. Mast hoops were made by wrapping a pine shaving covered in PVA glue around a tube and then cutting off in slices to form the hoops. Sails were made from cotton bed sheets with the panels sewn in on my trusty sewing machine. The small “Push Boat” on davits was built from plywood, and the davits are brass tube. This is purely for show and is removed when sailing. The davits fit into sockets on deck; removing two pins allows the whole setup to be removed. The first sail saw winds of around 12–18 mph, which were a bit stronger than I would have liked. She sailed reasonably in the lulls but was heeling with decks awash most of the time. The second trial was in 0–4 mph winds, and she didn’t like that much either! I will persevere with her and get her sailing in fairer wind conditions when the weather allows, but I think I will be looking for a new owner as my workshop is now full and I have no more space. In the meantime, I am back to square one and looking for the next build to inspire me. Because models don’t sail well with the ballast that their full-sized counterparts carry, I adopted my usual practice of fitting a detachable fin with a lead bulb on the end. The keel was made from two fiberglass moldings, left and right, with an alloy strip down the center, and a length of 5/16-in threaded rod sandwiched together with car body filler between. A 3/8-in ID tube was fitted through the bottom of the hull and bonded in so that the rod can pass through it with a wing nut on top. The keel depth is 12-in, and the lead bulb is 6 lb. 21 Fall 2023 The Model Yacht Modeling L. Francis Herreshoff’s Design No. 53: Article and figures by John Henderson Ben My Chree Fig. 1. Full-Size Stuart Knockabout. (the Stuart Knockabout) Photo Colin Parker The Stuart Knockabout is on the very short list of my favorite designs. The original was designed in 1932 by L. Francis Herreshoff for Willoughby Stuart. The name of Mr. Stuart’s boat, Ben My Chree, is usually translated as “girl of my heart” from the Manx language, which is a Gaelic dialect. A fiberglass version is manufactured to this day by Ballentine’s Boat Shop, and it is known as the Stuart Knockabout. I n the spirit of the Unrestricted Class within the US VMYG (for which I am the Class Coordinator), I present Ben My Chree (the original Stuart Knockabout) as an example of the many fine full-sized boats that were designed in the years we regard as “vintage.” Many of them make splendid sailing models, and the Unrestricted Class offers a framework in which to build and sail them. The scaling issues are not formidable; in fact, they offer an interesting and educational thought process. Models of this type include daysailers (of which there are many designs functionally similar to this knockabout), small work boats (Friendship sloops, sharpies, catboats), early America’s Cup boats (practicalsized J-boat models, earlier gaff-rigged cutters), and the various meter-boats. Choose a design you admire and build an Unrestricted model that is uniquely yours. The term “knockabout” when applied to sailboats generally means a handy, relatively small, easily sailed sloop, usually a daysailer, probably with a fairly large open cockpit. Ben My Chree is: • 28 ft long, • with a beam of 6 ft 11in, • a sail area of 265 ft2, • and displacing 4000 lb. The boat has a stub keel with a centerboard; the stub keel in the Stuart Knockabout version contains 2400 lb of lead. The cockpit and simple, clean lines and rigging are evident in the photograph in Fig. 1. 22 Fall 2023 The Model Yacht are not required for a 1:8 scaled Ben My Chree, and so a very close-to-accurately scaled version is possible. In particular, the major specifications, scaled to 1/8th size, become: I ordered the plans for the full-size boat from Mystic Seaport. To my surprise, the plans showed a fullkeel version of the boat superimposed on the lines for the original centerboard version. Apparently, LF Herreshoff (LFH) designed this modification in 1955 at the request of a client. The displacement of the boat was unchanged. I do not know whether this version was actually constructed. • • • • • A comment about LFH’s plans: He placed the sections so that the locations of the forward and aft ends of the LWL did not correspond to any of the stations. This means that the method of calculating displacement by Simpson’s Rule (see the series ”Planning and Building Scale Models that Sail” at https://usvmyg.org/planning-and-building-scalemodels-that-sail-part-1-implications-of-scale-andmodel-choices/) will not work. Since I wanted a firm basis for calculating displacement, Center of Buoyancy, Center of Lateral Resistance, etc., I redrew the lines, preserving the shapes of the fairbody profile and the waterlines, but with new sections located so that the LWL was divided into 10 equal sections, with station #0 at the forward end of the LWL and station #10 at the aft end. I used these redrawn sections, reduced by the planking thickness, as the frame shapes for the model. None of this changed the shape of the boat’s fairbody. As will be described later, I also made minor modifications to the keel profile. LOA: 42 in LWL: 34.25 in Beam: 10.4 in Sail Area: 596 in2 Displacement: 8 lb (Recall that linear dimensions are reduced by the scale factor, sail area is reduced by the square of scale factor, and displacement is reduced by the cube.) It will be recognized that the scaled LWL, Sail Area, and Displacement are close to the dimensions of a Vintage 36 model, so this should be a very practical R/C design. Note also that this hull is fairly beamy, at least compared with the typical V36, which I think helps provide adequate stability while preserving a modest draft. Attentive readers have noted that I said “very close to an accurately scaled version.” The original design had all its ballast in the stub keel, with an essentially unweighted centerboard providing the necessary lateral resistance but not contributing much to stability. To preserve appearance while lowering the center of gravity (CG), I had first planned to make the model’s centerboard from lead, a bit deeper and thicker than scale, but the CG was still higher than I desired. After seeing the full-keel option on the plans, I seized on it as a way to lower the CG. After some soul-searching, I made the model’s keel somewhat deeper than LFH’s drawing, to improve stability. The model’s draft became 8.75 in. I also made the rudder a bit bigger than LFH’s drawing. Fig. 2 is a sketch of the modified lines for the centerboard version of the model (dashed lines) and the full-keel version of the model (solid lines). Both of these keel profiles differ from LFH’s original drawings. I built a 1/8th size scale model, so 42 in long. I have written often about the consequences of scaling for displacement, sail area, and stability, but I have generally included the caveat that conservatively rigged and relatively heavy boats probably scale more easily than the examples that I have usually cited. Ben My Chree, while still a lively boat, does not have the overpowering Sail Area/Displacement ratio of something like a J-Boat or the earlier America’s Cup boats. Indeed, it turns out that the underbody modifications that are required for an R/C version of a large vintage-era full-on race boat 23 Fall 2023 The Model Yacht I confess that I also increased the scale though it was a fairly low displacement slightly. Scale ballast would aspect ratio for a V36). I have weighed about 4.7 lb, which I used it anyway, but I moved Fig. 2. Profile sketch of centerboard increased to about 5 lb. To allow for a the mast aft about an inch so and full-keel versions of model. comfortable and practical build, I also that the Center of Effort of this increased the target weight to ~9 lb. Calculations rig matched the Center of Effort of Ben My Chree’s showed that I needed to paint the waterline about ⅛ rig. Sharp-eyed observers who are very familiar in higher to accommodate this weight increase. with the full-size boat may notice. Interested This waterline change was small enough that I did model builders who are not burdened with a spare not alter the shape of the hull underbody. V36 rig could use a scale sail plan. Making the rudder a little bigger necessarily changed the hull’s Center of Lateral Resistance. I compensated by very slightly changing the keel profile. I should note that, although the scale factor of eight happens to work out well for this design, hull and/ or rig alterations would probably have been necessary at other scale factors. With this design, at this scale factor, the model could have been built with a completely scale sail plan. In my case, I had a V36 rig that was no longer in use because its hull had met an unfortunate demise under the wheels of a car. Its sail area was exactly what I needed, although its aspect ratio was somewhat higher than Ben My Chree’s (even Construction is straightforward. I built the boat strip-planked on plywood ring frames, using ⅛- by ⅜-in cedar strips for the hull. The photo (Fig. 3) shows the interior of the undecked hull with its reinforcements in the cockpit area, at the mast step, and where the chainplates will attach. The rudder post tube is also visible. Fig. 3. Hull interior structure. 24 Fall 2023 The Model Yacht Fig. 4. The deck. fairing between the hull body and the fin, as per the prototype. The outline of the ballast can be seen clearly. I made the ballast from layers of 3/32-in lead sheet (readily available and used in roofing and other applications). It can be cut with heavy scissors. When the individual sheets are flattened and pressed together, the density of the structure approaches that of solid lead. I used fairing compound to smooth the edges and fastened the ballast to the rest of the keel with thickened epoxy (no bolts). I then reinforced the joint with light fiberglass cloth. The deck planks are ⅛- by ¼-in pine. The deck planks are laid to follow the curve of the deck edge at the sheer. The planks required “persuasion” to take the bend, and bending was aided by applying some heat from a paint stripper heat gun (carefully, to avoid scorching the wood). The side decks are wider than prototypical, in order to keep the water out, and there is a well-fitting cover over the cockpit. See Fig. 4. Fig. 5 shows the unfinished hull in profile with the fin and ballast attached. There is only a very small Fig. 5: Hull, fin, and ballast. 2 25 Fall 2023 The Model Yacht The model sails quite well and has been tested in a variety of wind conditions. It floats level and on its lines without any alterations or trim ballast. Helm balance is also good with the mast in its nominal position. Stability seems fine. And I think it looks pretty. Barnacle Captain Bill Pinkney—The US VMYG has learned of the unexpected passing of Captain Bill Pinkney on August 31, 2023. Captain Pinkney was the first African American to sail solo around the world via the five great capes. Pinkney was inducted into the National Sailing Hall of Fame in 2021 and was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award. He was a member of the Central Park Model Yacht Club and says that is where “organized sailing began for him”. See article in Issue 23-01, page 14. 26 Fall 2023 The Model Yacht It’s a 10-Rater! Article and photos by Jeffrey Beck I was introduced to Model Yachting when I first took Thom McLaughlin’s “Build your own Plank-on-Frame Pond Yacht” class in 2003. I really enjoy spending a summer week in Maine, and I took several more pond boat-related classes over the years, including “Pond Yacht Restoration” with John Stoudt in 2022. I restored a Vintage Marblehead that I had found on eBay. I had so enjoyed the week of restoration, that I told John that I would like to take the class again in 2023, but I didn’t have a project boat. John had a hull he had gotten from a friend in New Jersey. It was 6 ft long and had a little box of hardware with it with a label on it that said “X boat fittings.” When we looked it over together, we thought that I might be an A boat. I took some pictures and contacted Mike Denest. Hi Mike I talked with you at Nationals last fall about an A boat. Fortunately John Stoudt found one that needs some restoration – at least we are pretty sure it is an A Boat. Maybe you can help us figure out some things out about it? John thinks it came from New Jersey. I’ve only found one bit of writing on it – on a block of wood attached near the keel. I think someone has started a restoration on this hull. Maybe they did it in 1982? The hull is planked (in pine?) and is in pretty good shape. There are some ugly patches in it that I need to fix. LOA: 71 in Beam at sheer: 12 5/8 in Max beam: 13 in Ballast: 19 lb 14 oz I’ll include photos, but could you help me with some questions? 27 Fall 2023 The Model Yacht 1. Do you think it is an A Boat? Any idea of the design or designer or time period? 2. How do I figure out what rig (and more importantly, what size rig I should put on? 3. I haven’t found a waterline when I got that new blue paint off of it. Should I just float it (with assumed fully rigged weight) to find the waterline – and then the freeboard to do the calculations? I’ve been reading the class rules here: https:// usvmyg.org/wp-content/uploads/ 2018/03/ International_A_Class_Rules.pdf Here are some pics. Any information you have would be great! Jeff, I think you have a 10R, possibly a John Lewis design. 19 lb is way too light for an A Class. I have a Priest and Lewis book that I can look through to see if it connects. Nice boat! Put a vane on it and sail it the old fashioned way! You’ll need a couple of fending poles. Definitely send more pictures. Call me if you like. Mike 28 Fall 2023 The Model Yacht The Hull I started working on the hull, removing the paint first. As I worked, I realized that someone had started a restoration to convert it to R/C. They had also added about an inch to the sheer (Fig. 1) and partnered all of the deck beams (Fig. 2). With the paint off, it was easy to see the difference between the original construction and the and the restoration to get more freeboard. But did they need to add freeboard for a reason? Before I ripped it apart, I decided to see how the hull floated. I estimated the weight of the deck, rig, and radio and added some bags of lead shot and then floated the hull in a local pond. It floated nicely, and I decided to remove the extra superstructure. Fig. 1. With the paint off, it is easy to see the addition that had been made to the sheer. Fig. 2. The deck beams had also been partnered to come up to the new sheer. Note how well the planking has held up. 29 Fall 2023 The Model Yacht Fig. 3. Removing the sheer log and revealing a sleek form. The rest of the restoration went as planned, I replaced the flimsy square transom and added new deck beams. I planked the deck with ⅛- by ⅜-in pine with mahogany king plank and covering boards. Fig. 4. Starting to plank the deck. The king plank and covering boards are in place. The Rig I was happy to learn that I had a 10-Rater rather than an A boat, because the math needed to figure out the allowed rig is much easier. I decided that with a hull that I assumed was from the 1950s, it would be appropriate to use the 1948 10-Rater rule from the Model Yachting Association of Great Britain. The formula is: (LWL ⨉ Sail Area)/6000 = 10 Where LWL is measured in inches and Sail Area is in square inches. To figure the LWL, I floated the hull again with my estimated weights added and came up with a LWL of 57 in. The formula gives an allowable sail area of 1052 in2. I figured the center of lateral resistance with the “push the hull sideways with your finger method.” Fig. 5. The finished deck. 320 Summer 2023 The Model Yacht Fig. 6. An old boat with a fresh coat of paint. I looked through the 10-Rater plans on usvmyg.org to try to find an appropriate rig. I didn’t want it to be too tall because the hull does not have the deep keel of later 10-Rater designs. I settled on the Halcyon B rig, which comes in at 1007 in2. I made most of the fittings at the Pond Yacht Restoration class at WoodenBoat School in 2023 and finished the boat in time to sail it at the National Championship regatta in October. Fig. 7. Rigged and ready to go. Another Project Fig. 8. Greyhound sailing with Schooners and A Boats at Nationals. 31 Reading through the rules and researching 10Raters, I got interested in the possibility of a new US VMYG Class, the Vintage 10-Rater. John Henderson and I worked together on a proposed rule, circulated it to membership for comment, and published it in early October of this year. See “A New US VMYG Class; The Vintage 10-Rater” in this issue. Fall 2023 The Model Yacht Remnant’s Restoration (It seemed like a good idea at the time…) Article and photos by Chuck Lage This is the story of the restoration of a boat now named Remnant. Rodd Carr wrote the article “Model Yacht Restoration Decision Making” for The Model Yacht in the summer of 1998. John Stoudt added photos of a dilapidated, broken old Marblehead when the article was republished in 2020 (volume 21, number 3 and available at https:// usvmyg.org/model-yacht-restoration-decisionmaking/). John Stoudt used the boat as a teaching example for his “Pond Yacht Restoration” class, asking the question, “Can this boat be saved?” The jury was split; half felt it was restorable, and half felt it was scrap. But first a little about me. I’m a lifelong sailor of inland lake scows, and I started building static boat models in 2020 when I was laid off at the beginning of COVID. In May of 2021 I ventured out to the Tel Hai Camp pond where the Chester Springs Model Yacht Club sails, and they offered me the use of the club’s Soling 1M to race with them that day. I think the boat’s name was Seductress, and they allowed me to win the last race to entice me to return. Well, it worked, and I was addicted. But I have not won many races since! Then I was introduced to the beautiful vintage model yachts at the 2021Vintage National Championship regattas. John Stoudt offered me his restored British Marblehead named Pirate, and I did OK for a rookie. Well as the year-end approached, John started talking about the class on Model Yacht Restoration that he teaches at The WoodenBoat School in Brooklin, ME. I mentioned that I would enjoy the class but would need to find a vintage boat to restore. John quicky stated, “If you take the class, I’ll give you a boat to restore!” Well it seemed like a good idea at the time… I signed up for the class, and John handed me the boat whose pictures were used for Rod’s article. When I brought the boat home, my wife stated “That’s not a boat, it’s a remnant!” So, the restoration of Remnant started in February 2022. Remnant, the “Before” picture. 322 Fall 2023 The Model Yacht When I received the boat, it was just a planked hull and keel, with no frames, deck, or rig. Rod Carr’s article suggested finding out everything about the background of the boat. Well, we couldn’t find out anything. We don’t know the model’s name, the designer, the builder, or the build date. We only know that it was a plank-onframe vintage Marblehead that had been in a flood. View of stern with damage removed. So, looking at the importance of the model, I suggest it is Category III: Not significant but unusual due to a unique bronze keel. Assessing the condition, I feel it was Level 4, which is a derelict yacht, destroyed or partially complete. I was starting with hull planks and a keel; I did not even have a transom. My restoration goal was to preserve and display the original craftsmanship while maintaining a vintage look with any new parts. I was able to find A.J. Fischer fittings and chose to keep the boat bright and outfitted with brass. New deck beams and transom in place. Removing the old finish. 323 Fall 2023 The Model Yacht Six months later I’m thrilled with the outcome. I chose to veneer the new birch plywood deck with mahogany, and this, along with the planked hatch covers, helped to keep the yacht looking vintage. The finished product is a Traditional Vintage Marblehead with original cedar planking and bronze keel. The frames, deck, hatches, rudder, mast, and sails are all new. Most of the fittings are A.J. Fischer with some custom-made brass parts also. The mast blank was made by John Stoudt, the sails by Rod Carr, and the boom vang by Ivor Walton. I could not have attempted or finished this restoration without the encouragement and coaching of John Stoudt. Remnant was first raced at the Vintage Nationals in October 2022 after her 6-month restoration. Plywood subdeck clamped in place. So, in conclusion, it was a great idea after all! Mahogany veneer decking. Fully rigged boat. Hatch covers in place with booms sitting on the deck. 234 Fall 2023 The Model Yacht Article by John Stoudt Sailing a Malay Jong Not as Simple as One Might Think The Jong running. M alay Jongs have been sailing along the coasts of Malaysia, Singapore, and Indonesia for hundreds of years. They have changed little over that time. At first glance they appear to be a simple boat. The local people gather to sail them on the beach in the prevailing winds and shallow waters. You will see hundreds of people with their colorful boats turn out for these events each year. Photo by Richard McOrmond Stafford), who works for Hershey Chocolate, was traveling back and forth to Malaysia to oversee construction of a new factory. This “voyage” all started on Labor Day 2019 when I handed Don a 3 by 5 card with some information on it about Malay Jongs. I asked him if he could try and locate one for me. He did! A local Jong builder would make one for me. It arrived here in the States on February 27, 2020. I cleaned it up and painted it and wrote an article that was published in Volume 21, Number Two of The Model Yacht (page 31). A few years ago a friend sent me the link to a YouTube video by the BBC (see link below). I watched it and thought that it would be a neat boat to add to my collection. At a family gettogether, I discovered that a relative (Don The boat was acquired before COVID, so it sat bundled up on a shelf behind other boats until 35 Fall 2023 The Model Yacht recently. We finally got the boat out and dusted it off for a maiden voyage. This first attempt to sail the Jong did not go as expected. It is a freesailing boat with rudimentary controls. When you let it go, you cannot predict where it is going in swirling winds, which we tend to have on many of our ponds. At least I could not predict where it was going. Unlike freesailed boats that we are used to, there is no steering control mechanism. For that matter, there is no rudder. And we have few manmade lakes in this country built for free sailing like those in the United Kingdom. Our club’s home lake is lined with large boulders to control erosion. So, I wanted to sail it on a lake with a shoreline that would be forgiving when the boat came to rest along the shore, or when it ran onto the shore at speed. We ended up on Somerset Lake in southern Chester County. Shroud rack. Photo by John Stoudt The set up was interesting. I had never set one up. I went back to the on-line videos to see how the Jongs were set up and made sketches and notes. It rides very low in the water. The main hull, which looked to be watertight, was not. Thus, the need for the tiny “hatch” cover on the deck, near the stern, to pour the water out. Early pond sailors used steering mechanisms to steer their boats. Once they made the adjustments, they launched them into the wind. We sail today, by twiddling our thumbs. The people in this part of the world where the Jongs are sailed use simple techniques to adjust the boats and release them into the prevailing wind: straight line wind. The sheets and knots are the only way to adjust the sails. There are no electronics or bowsies to make the adjustments. You run the sheets through the shroud rack and tie them off. If the adjustment is not quite 1 ½-in long hatch cover. Photo by John Stoudt 36 Fall 2023 The Model Yacht The Jong on a reach. right, you untie the knot, increase or decrease the length of the sheet, and retie the knot. Simple but not convenient. It cannot be done without a full understanding of the boat and the wind speed and direction. Furthermore, when the boat is released, and it is not adjusted exactly right, it veers off in a slow arcing curve. It became obvious almost immediately that the outrigger hull acts as a rudder, keeping the main hull running straight. Photo by Richard McOrmond • It does not have a rudder. The outrigger hull serves as one. Did not know that! • It is really fast. Chase boats do not have a chance. Did not know that! • It gets really confused if the winds swirl. Did not know that! • The boat rides low in the water. Did not know that! • When the boat speed increases, the main hull comes up in the water. Did not know that! • It is actually very simple to set up. But it is very hard to get set up correctly. Did not know that! Some “ah ha” moments regarding the Jong: • It needs straight line wind to sail well. Did not know that! 37 Fall 2023 The Model Yacht Learn How to Build and Work on Your Model Yacht Come up to Brooklin, ME and enjoy the beautiful location while learning to work on a model yacht. Four courses will be offered this year by WoodenBoat School taught by US VMYG members and Eric Schade. Photos by WBS and US VMYG Article by Eric Stockinger, Director, WoodenBoat School. Build Your Own Radio-Controlled Sailboat (June 30 – July 6, 2024) with Eric Schade Build and sail the stitch & glue model sailboat, Independence. This is a stable, responsive, fast, and fun model sailboat designed to perform in moderate to strong breezes on open waters. The model is 47½ in long, 10½ in wide, 80 in from keel to masthead, and weighs about 15 lbs. It comes apart and fits easily in a car. Despite her size, she is suitable for beginners but will also challenge the more experienced sailor. Pond Yacht Restoration (July 14 – 20, 2024) with John Stoudt Restore or complete your own pond yacht and get it ready for sailing or display. Students may bring any type of pond yacht, especially those rigged for remote control. Some older self-steering boats could be reconfigured for remote control sailing, or the self-steering mechanism could be repaired. Sail Making and Tuning for Pond Yachts (July 21- 26, 2024) with John Stoudt Bring your favorite wooden model yacht and make sails for it using high performance sail material. Tune the boat and sail it at the end of the week, making subtle adjustments as you evaluate its performance on the water. Build Your Own Plank Constructed Pond Yacht (August 25-31 & Sept 1-7, 2024) with Bruce Richter Each student will be constructing a Vintage Marblehead-class pond yacht designed for radio control using the plank-on-frame process, the same method used in building many full-size boats. Both classes are open to students who are starting their boat-build as well as returning students who will work towards completing their R/C sailboats. The schedule of courses for 2024 will be available online on December 1, 2023. The first day of registration will be Tuesday, January 2nd, 2024 at 8:00 am EST. For more information: https://www.thewoodenboatschool.com/ 328