Model Boats: Volume 47, Issue 539 – January 1996

FULL-SIZE PLANS A.T.C.H. an easy-to-build Armoured Troop Carrier Helicopter | Corner Collectors’ i Wil.x. 144°29 RADIO YACHTING small YACHTS Racing, Results and Reading at the end of MIKE KEMP’S season At the RIOR Nats. The faded and the heats gradually lengthened: Race Officer Anthony Corbett began to look at the stopwatch with some concern because 1995 Radio 10 Rater Champion, Graham Bantock, leads the fleet one of the new standard sailing instructions lays downa limit of 30 minutes on any one offwind with his heat. If the first yacht has not finished within this time limit the heat has to be abandoned. Race five was started with heat ‘B’ at about Paradox ‘Shute’ (195). Unlike the other Marbleheads Graham’s 4.30, by which time the wind was very was completely obviously fading. As the thirty minute time limit approached it was obvious that the conventionally rigged, even if it was unstayed. leading yacht was nowhere near the last mark, let alone the finish: the heat was abandoned. Anthony gave them all five The others used swing rigs. minutes to change batteries if required and they started again: even with a shortened course, as the thirty minutes passed it was once again obvious the lead boat – a different one this time – was not going to make it. So we all packed up, to resume on Sunday morning. One of the current topics of Let me know ifyou can think of a suitable caption for this shot of Graham Bantock setting out on the path to the 1995 Radio 10 Rater National title. Might even persuade someone to come up with a prize for the best one! a | TM he last of the MYA National Championships has been decided and so have the League and, by the time you read this, the Match Racing Series Championships. 1996 is not far away and with it will come the early departure for the far side of the world of the UK Radio Marblehead team: we wish them luck. R10R Nationals New York is not the only well known Capital City to have top class Radio Yacht racing in a park virtually in the city centre. The Royal Park of Kensington Gardens is the home of the Model Yacht Sailing Association, more usually known as the MYSA. This 120 year old organisation, the oldest continually existing club in the UK – possibly in the world – sailing on what must be one of the oldest purpose built model yachting lakes, played host to the 1995 MYA R10R National Championship over the weekend of the 14th and 15th October. Twenty five yachts, most of them built to a set of class rules which also date back to the late 1800’s, came to the starting area at 10.40 am to take part in two seeding heats; fate was to play an interesting part in the first of the two. Joking during the period between briefing and actual start of racing, several skippers were comparing this event to the Eastern District Ranking race of a fortnight before when the first seeding heat got in a bit of a tangle over the course. Observers and race crew could hardly believe their eyes when most of the fleet took off to the wrong leeward mark first time around. Note pads were hurriedly brought into action to record any skippers that did proceed around the correct course: Peter Stollery was the first to sail the correct way, which took him into a commanding lead from what he must have thought was going to be a fairly lowly position. One or two others followed Peter but a lot didn’t, even after they must have heard whispers along the bank that something was amiss. A number did try to make amends but were eventually timed out so had their positions on the water taken: four were caught in the position of crossing the finishing line having rounded what they thought was the leeward mark twice: these formed a considerable part of the ‘B’ heat for race two! Once the trauma of the seeding rounds had been sorted racing ‘proper’ got under way with strong evidence that what had been predicted was to take place. Pre-event gossip had suggested that the overall question was conversation was – what would it be really going to be – ‘which Marblehead was going to win the championship?’ Peter Stollery seemed to be keen to prove that it was going to be a Roar Edge by taking races 2 and 3 in addition to his seeding race. Graham Bantock obviously had other ideas but failed to dislodge Peter from first spot until race 4 by when it was getting close to packing up time on Saturday. The other ‘Marbleheads’ Keith Skipper, Paul Tickner and Jim Wheildon were being less than successful at proving the pundits right during the early stages of the event: despite the initial light winds they were having a bit more trouble overcoming the regular tens sailed by Derek Priestley, Peter Wiles and Mike Hounsell. Mike’s yacht, ‘Dixy’ – a ‘Fast 10’ – might have been mistaken for a Marblehead at a distance, particularly if one is familiar with its smaller sister ship ‘Fast’, also by Guy Lordat. As the early afternoon progressed there were flashes of a slightly stronger wind which gave these ‘real’ Radio 10 Raters a chance to show what they can do when given just that little bit more of the active air. One particular incident caught my eye when Derek Priestley, sailing Keith Partington’s ‘Akela’, was having a close battle with Graham Bantock. They both passed close to the shore in front of the scoring position on an offwind leg; in the light wind prevailing Derek seemed to be just holding his position slightly to windward but astern. When it seemed that he was going to have to follow Graham’s Paradox around the looming mark there camea tiny increase in wind and the heavier yacht just seemed to shoot past and into a small lead which its momentum maintained around the mark. Having sailed a 6 metre in company with One Metre yachts this is just about the opposite of what I would have expected in the circumstances: perhaps this is part of the mystery of the 10 Rater class. There is no doubt that they are an impressive sight when the wind gets to a velocity which they can usefully transform into motion. It is easy to see why the Vane, free-sailing, versions have become the province of the fit and/or the slightly mad: the thought of trying to beat one of these greyhounds down the length of even a regular lake like Fleetwood is exhausting without even trying it! As the afternoon wore on the fresh breeze sensible to do under these circumstances. It certainly does not seem to be sane to let skippers struggle to gain and hold position during thirty minutes to reach the last offwind leg only to have to call it off; have a short break and try again – even if ona shortened course. Sunday morning dawned to find no organisers tent: it had been planted in the lake by some vandals during the darkness, despite the gardens being locked and patrolled overnight. Not content with just removing the cover, they had seriously damaged most of the frame angle pieces in their effort to tear the thing apart: almost every corner joint was bent, most of them irretrievably. With a constant hot water facility to set up and shield, together with the desirable equipment to automate the scorekeeping some inventive construction was carried out with what could be salvaged while Anthony juggled with a new set of wind directions. Race Five finally got under way in a breeze that was much more suitable for real tens. Derek Priestley finally showed us what such a craft can do and won the race only to make a complete c**k-up of race 6A. He fought his way back to take race 7A in fine style after a good three way race between Ken Roberts, Graham Bantock and himself. Derek was to go on and take another race and a couple of MODEL BOATS JANUARY 96 Top Ten Radio Ten Raters Place 1st 2nd 3rd 4th oth 6th 7th 8th 9th 10th Skipper Club Graham Bantock Chelmsford Guildford Peter Stollery Derek Priestley | Fleetwood Birkenhead Martin Roberts Keith Skipper Peter Wiles Paul Tickner Mike Hounsell Robin Redhead Robert Nevitt Gipping Valley Poole Guildford Woodspring MYSA Yeovil eventually found it all too much for him and withdrew just before the end of the second day. As the end of the regatta drew close the score sheets were being examined as the top skippers weighed up just what they had to do to improve or just maintain their positions. The top two spots were the most tightly contested with just seven tenths of a point separating Peter Stollery and Graham Bantock. Peter had to win the last race while Graham had to finish lower than fifth in order for Stollery the younger to take the championship. With Graham being well aware of this position Peter’s chances were very slim, and so it turned out: the former Yacht Shute – Paradox Roar Edge Akela Duet – Bentley Legacy – Paradox Peken 2 Mmmm – Roar Edge Dixy – Fast 10 Ripsnorter – Bentley White Sheet – Peken Designer G Bantock R Stollery Total Score D Creed G Bantock PJ Wiles R Stollery G Lordat D Creed PJ Wiles 37.4 41.7 44 49 o7.7 62 Partington/Kay that there is a lot of life in the class and they are the sort of yacht that can do our sport a lot of good in the publicity stakes: give them a bit of wind and they look extremely impressive. My first trip to the Round Pond was a very enjoyable occasion, even if I was working for most of the time – as score keeper. However I was impressed by the long walk carrying heavy kit from the club house to the water’s edge if one missed the trolley which is used to transport almost everything over the six to ten minute journey. One or two had evolved their own particular solutions to this problem – see the photographs. When we returned to the club house after packing up the results were announced and prizes presented by Race and Club secretary Graham Frazer. Nice things were said about the event and just about everyone involved and all eventually vacated this, by then, extremely peaceful spot in the heart of the Capital. Match Racing As I put these words together we are getting ready for the traditional closing “* fourth places during his Sunday challenge to the two leading yachts. Another skipper who seemed to benefit from a night in London was Martin Roberts who started to get his David Creed ‘Bentley’ design named ‘Duet’ going in earnest: Martin also mounted a credible challenge for one of the top spots. These extremely long and thin looking craft were also in the hands of father Ken Roberts, Adam Kissick and home club member Robin Redhead: overall it seemed to me that they would have benefited froma little more wind. Race 7 also saw the first convening of the protest committee to sort out a conflict between Chris Dicks and Richard Nevitt: this one eventually went Chris’s way and Richard had the dubious honour of being the first skipper to collect a DSQ after losing his protest and the corresponding counterprotest. There were only five protests in all, one was for redress in race two and two others were resolved by one of the parties retiring when offered the SYRPH option in face of the evidence. Three skippers retired, or is it withdrew, during the event. David Fox left at the end of the first day in a rather dazed state after having arrived back in England on Saturday morning after a week of jetting around the world. Jet lag and racing Ten Raters obviously take their toll as David’s normally solid sailing performance had been an up and down affair on Saturday with two finishes well up in A heat and two down in B heat. Tom Mills was the next to go towards the end of the meeting, I believe with mechanical problems that had been creeping up on him during Sunday morning. Ian Alford also MODEL BOATS JANUARY 96 stuck closely to his rival and although being involved in a last minute collision sailed into second place behind Peter and in front of Martin Roberts to take the championship by a total of two tenths of a point! Both of them were approximately twenty three points clear of Derek Priestley who was a shade over five points clear of the second ‘real’ ten sailed by Martin Roberts. The meeting struck me as being a pretty successful sailing event despite the attentions of the vandals; there was some excellent racing and the wind patterns through the park gave plenty of opportunity for seeking ‘the quickest way’ around the lake. Derek Priestley seemed to be consistently able to creep up the bank with advantage: perhaps that would be better put – often able to creep up the bank – for there was one particular occasion when that route went terribly wrong. There were few races when one skipper or another escaped to a big lead although there were a number when places on the water were taken for the tail end of the fleet. ‘m not sure what the ‘locals’ thought of it all, there were plenty of them passing during their Saturday and/or Sunday strolls in the park. A number of potential members also showed interest during the time, let’s hope the MYSA members follow up their enquiries and those from further afield were impressed enough to seek out their local clubs. Let us also hope that the Ten Rater is on the way back to some sort of popularity: it has been going through some trials lately with the furore over the reconstructed class rule. These are interesting yachts and the emergence of new-designs seems to suggest if meeting of the Marine Modelling Match Racing series at Bournville in Birmingham. The sixth round took place in brilliant sunshine and a decent breeze at Gipping Valley: it would be nice to think that the Midlands will provide the same sort of conditions for round seven, but I doubt it! What I shall find sad about this year’s Bournville event is that it will be the final round in a competition which has probably done more for the renaissance of the class that anything else. In the early days match racing Radio 6 Metres was the only real way that these craft could be raced for there were literally more skippers eager to try their hand at the class than there were yachts available. Thus there was much borrowing of yachts and those of us who had yet to get our hands on one had the enormous pleasure of sailing a variety of yachts: many of which are no longer seen on ‘the circuit’. Yachts like Bill Akers’ ‘Chinamite’, probably the first Revival to make its mark in the class, and Neil Rothwell’s original Roger Hatfield ‘Dolphin’ – the heavy weight prototype for the numerous Tony Abel produced ‘Dolphins’, most of which are still not seen. Other yachts of an early vintage also showed that the class has a longevity almost unrivalled in these days of ‘fashionable design progression’ Radio Yachts: the ‘Helvig’ of the early fifties sailed by Mike Ewart from my own club springs to mind. Incredibly ancient looking by modern standards this yacht won more matches than might have been thought by its appearance. We had a chance to sail them all; thanks to the friendly atmosphere that prevailed at those early meetings. Thankfully, with few exceptions, that atmosphere remains at most of the regattas although the insistence that competitors in the Match race Series must have their own, registered, yachts seems to have reduced it a bit. It has been announced that the 1995 winner will be permitted to hold on to the trophy for the following twelve months and then it will be withdrawn – that will be a great shame. Let us hope that the 6 metre Owner’s Akela under the control of Derek Priestley is about to gybe around that mark on its way to take third place overall. When the wind picked up Derek was able to challenge the supremacy of the top two Marbleheads. The transparent deck on Yeovil skipper lan Kay’s Peken allows us to see how he carries his control gear on Rohacell ‘Towers’. Even these are hollowed out to save weight. Top Five in the Match Racing series after six rounds – Best 4 results counting Place Skipper Club 1st 2nd Mike Kemp John Daines Two Islands Two Islands Guildford Cotswold Cotswold 3rd 4th 5th +. Anthony Corbett Mike Wareham Mike Robinson Association can come up with a suitable replacement – Match Racing is still one of the best reasons for having a 6 metre. I suppose there are those that will accuse me of being just a bit biased about this subject ‘cos I have done well at: they are darned right – I love it, it’s a great way to go racing! I also think that it is a great way to train newcomers to handle their yachts and learn the basics of yacht to yacht rule observance and tactics. The final meeting at Bournville might still be tough day which could swing the final result of the 1995 series one way or another – let us hope that it doesn’t rain! League When you read this the prizes will have been presented and we will be looking forward to the 1996 league championship. As I write this it looks as if the Radio Championship has, at last, been decided even though there is still one event result to arrive. With the proviso that everything published here is purely provisional the top club is Guildford who managed to maintain a lead of 88 points over Woodspring who gathered points from all sorts of places to make a last minute climb into second place just 31 points ahead of Chelmsford. In the individual competition the result is much closer with barely one point separating the top two Racing in the city with a backdrop of tower blocks was an unusual sight during the championship. Two real 10 Raters ‘Duet’ (36) and ‘Akela’ (50) have a good lead over the overcanvassed Marblehead ‘Roar Edge’ (39). Mike Hounsell’s ‘Dixy’ designed by old friend Guy Lordat is in there too (60). While Bantock and Stollery fought over the first two places, these two were slugging it out for third place during skippers and then only 40 points covering the top five. The Vane League will be announced soon and will be available for the next issue. The changes made at the AGM last year have worked and produced a much closer competition which has only been won by club members getting out and about to gather the points from a wide variety of events. Just what the league was intended to do. 1996 could be another keenly contested competition. challenge with ‘Akela’ (50) from Martin Roberts with ‘Duet’ (36). . Design Total Score Red Dwarf Renaissance 48 Phoenix Renaissance Renaissance Revival 42 34 33 Vie Black Adder Rival Renaissance on the number of league qualifying regattas allowed to any one MYA District, the 1995 event was not included for league points: 44 on the reach make tacking downwind quicker than just running in some circumstances. Careful observation of the wind pattern is the however the 1994 event had kicked things off at the very start of the current competition so all was not lost – just forgotten about! Because key to the successful use of its strategy off my old No Secret and go and report from first hand so this short report is courtesy of ‘one who knows’ – who better, Roger Stollery who has been the mastermind behind this enormously successful regatta for as long as I understanding of this than Gordon Maguire who, in race 8, found himself at the back of ‘p’ heat after the triangle. He tacked downwind on the shifts keeping the wind of other commitments I was unable to dust have been involved in this game; and probably longer. The Mermaid was one of my earliest regattas where I learned, the hard way as a beginner, that one gets better results by staying out of trouble. It seems that Roger followed in Graham Bantock’s recent, One Metre Ranking Race, footsteps and ‘read the riot act’ before the start and was rewarded with a lot of good sailing and not much talking. Roger, slightly edited, takes up the short story of the 1995 Mermaid. Guildford MYC ran this event a few weeks earlier than its traditional November date so that it could be the last event in the 1995 MYA League Championship. It attracted 32 entries from ten clubs and all but one of the UK team for the forthcoming World Championships in Melbourne early in 1996. Following on from the comments made in these pages about poor rule observance at the 1 Metre Nationals Race Officer, Roger Stollery, pointed out in his briefing that 1500 miles had been driven at a cost of over £600 and that his effort should be because just as you tack on the headers going to windward you need to gybe on the lifts downwind. None displayed a better across his Stark at all times and at the same time keeping clear of the dirty wind of the running boats and picked up ten places on the long run to round the leeward mark in fourth place. On the long beat back he pulled back sufficiently to duck under the sterns of the two leading starboard tackers whilst he was on the lifted tack and tacked on the header just before the line to get his bumper in front at the finish. A magnificent bit of sailing. Graham Bantock also used this strategy to clear a bit of weed slowing him down. He planned his gybe at the landing stage where he stopped to remove the weed. At the time he was lying third and despite the stop pulled back to retain that position by the leeward mark and at the finish. This proved crucial to the result at the end of the event. Seventeen Marbleheads starting on a longish line provided some of the best spectacles of the day. The port bias did allow a = respected by offenders doing turns instead of wasting everybody’s time in protest hearings. Everyone should know that even if you are in the right there is only a 50/50 chance for the protester, because his decision relies on the evidence given which cannot always be guaranteed. The Guildford Club’s Mermaid regatta for Radio Marbleheads is traditionally the last major meeting for these craft before many disappear for the winter. It is usually the scene of some pretty hectic and competitive racing and, it seems, this year was no exception. Unfortunately, because of the limit Club 1st 2nd Guildford Woodspring 7th 8th 9th 10th Solent Leicestershire Sedgemoor Gipping Valley 3rd 4th 5th 6th Chelmsford Birkenhead Bournville Fleetwood 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th 8th 9th Gordon Sears Robert Brown Chris Harris Mike Hounsell it is hard to say. However the result was that the event was sailed in a most sporting manner with full days racing was Score 1,317.2 1,229.2 1,197.6 1,121.9 998.5 779.4 676.8 660.2 646 568.2 Top Ten Radio Individuals Skipper Anthony Corbett Keith Skipper Martin Roberts Graham Bantock Mark Dennis Whether this had any effect or whether it was the superb weather conditions of warm sunshine and a light south to southeast breeze increasing from 2 up to 8 mph, only two protests and a Top Ten Radio Clubs the closing stages. Derek Priestley successfully held off the Yacht Score 297.3 296.3 294.1 263.3 248.7 240.6 227.9 215: 214 enjoyed by all. Each sailed at least 10 races and some of the EORS ‘tiggers’ had several more when qualifying in ‘B’ heat to sail in the ‘\’ heat. The wind direction allowed the windward/leeward legs to be more or less parallel to the operating bank and a very long sausage was set giving a 300 metre long run and a 220 metre final beat. The overall distance sailed in each race was approximately one kilometre and it is remarkable that the Marbleheads, without any planing, were able to cover this in about 10 minutes. The racing was very close indeed with all seventeen boats in the ‘A’ heat often finishing within a minute of the winner. There is increasing interest in the class in downwind sailing strategy. This is because the efficiency of the swing rig with wind on the quarter and the speed of the narrow hulls the brave to demonstrate their skill. In race 7 Lindsey Weall made an excellent port tack start and went on to win that ‘B’ heat and to finish 9th in the race. Her ‘Skalpel’ suffered rudder damage on the shore early in the event and with everyone’s agreement she used the Guildford club ‘Whisper’ to finish 12th overall. In the following race Vic Cooney made a fantastic port tack start but was unable to capitalise on it. The most consistent good starts were made by John Cleave who turned these into the day’s most consistent MODEL BOATS JANUARY 96 and reporting on a Fleetwood Radio Marblehead World Championship. Over the week’s sailing the protest count ran into many figures and Brian took the opportunity while being introduced at the prize giving dinner to present a special the award to the two skippers from among ed considerable entry who had not appear before him in the jury room during the week. Yes, virtually every entrant in that World Championship had been involved in at least one protest hearing during the six days of sailing – many of these people At the 1995 Mermaid. In such a ‘hot’ fleet as the one gathered for Guildford’s Mermaid the start is a compact affair. In this one Mark Dicks (66) and Martin Roberts (22) make a break at the port (far) end. When the breeze picks up the 10s begin to fly – performance with 7 as his highest score; counting a win, 5 second places, a third and two fourth places. He went into the last race nine and a half points ahead of Graham Bantock without discards. Graham won the start and, despite John’s efforts to close thent gap, pulled away enough to have an excelle race with Gordon Maguire for first place which he won leaving John in fourth. It was need 8 or 9 minutes for each heat to get boats on or off the water, for the starting procedures and those finishing after the Finally this report ends with a quote from a competitor who wrote to the club following the event as follows “…. thanks take the trophy whilst John, the predicted victor, could only discard 11. On this form Graham must still be the favourite to retain his World title in Australia, but others in the UK team are snapping at his heels very close behind. There were fourteen different designs represented including three own designs and two hulls made of wood. David Wilkinson’s ‘Gluon’ falls into both categories. The narrow hull with some forward flare is made of balsa and glass and uses one of Paul Tickner’s epoxy carbon fins. Its performance was as good as any, dispelling the critic’s propaganda that you have to pay a lot of money for a competitive Marblehead. David demonstrated this by winning one of the early races. Fred Armes from the Broads club also showed off his magnificent Obechi planked Roar Edge by climbing into ‘A’ heat and staying there for 3 races with 10th as his best score. This was a very good result in such exalted company. Further on this subject, Anthony Corbett borrowed the original Roar Edge, now nearly four years old, using a tall rig for running the event and providingofus all with such good sport… it was one those rare days when it was taking part rather than the result that was important.” Thank you Roger – it sounds as if the Mermaid has once again been a truly necessary as in previous years when the wind has been just a little on the light side. One surprise in the results was that the ‘improvers’ trophy went to Peter Stollery, who must have had an absolutely awful seeding round but went on to finish in third position overall – some improvement! Book Review I have been reading again! No, don’t pack up now ‘cos I find that I am in good company. I had just been praised by some yes, there are one or two out there that I have yet to upset – for some comments I made regarding the contrast between protesting and sailing than our illustrious editor came up with the latest from a long running and valuable collection of books for sailors. Brian Willis is the author and cost only 25p per race! Keith Skipper launched his new ‘Paradox’ and Martin Roberts his new ‘Stark’ variation at this event. The new ‘Stark’ is modified above Fernhurst books is the publisher of the latest in their ‘Sailing to win’ series. Protests & Appeals is the title, A Competitors Guide is its sub-title and it couldn’t have come at a more appropriate time when one considers the mental anguish endemic in the UK Radio Yachting scene at the moment. The blurb tells us that Brian Willis Top Five at the Mermaid Place Skipper Club Design 1st Graham Bantock Chelmsford Peter Stollery Anthony Corbett Guildford Guildford Paradox Roar Edge Roar Edge Roar Edge Magick 5th Chris Dicks 3rd 4th Ryde Clapham water with a higher bow and more sheer but no flare and underwater sports a Sails etc. fin. Keith won race 8 and Martin had two seconds as their best results. Chris Dicks is refitting his ‘Blade’ so he sailed his Magick design into 5th place, adding some variety at the top. From a race organisation point of view there were, on the day, 4 full time organisers in addition to the Principle Race Officer; covering line judge, ticket movement, observer allocation/starter and scorer duties. Despite this the heats took an average of 19 1/2 minutes and 18 minutes if the protest hearing time is omitted. However long a race is you still —————— successful regatta and that, this year, John Cleave’s tin of baked beans was not ordered in 1990 for a previous design. He won race 6, had a second and a third to finish fourth with a boat estimated to have John Cleave on an offwind leg. winner. an exciting climax to so much superb racing. Graham was able to discard twenty points to 2nd without too much fuss! I actually had to pan the camera to catch Robert Nevitt’s Peken named Whitesheet’ as it passed Total Score 12 15.4 29.4 35:7 45 served on the International Yacht Racing Union’s Racing Rules Committee for sixteen years, and as vice chairman of the Judge’s Committee since its inception. He was rules advisor to the Swedish, British, and one of the Australian America’s Cup syndicates between 1980 and 1987. He has chaired juries at a wide range of fleet and match racing world championships including Twelve Metres, Solings, Lasers, Mistrals, Optimists, and remote control models (yes we actually get a mention on the cover!), and the World Championship of Match Race Sailing. He has also served on three Olympic Juries. My first recollection of being in his presence was when observing complaining about the One Metre Championship protest rate have no idea what it’s like when the protesting really starts! The book is not a heavy tome full of equally heavy and difficult to read rule bound words. On the contrary, each of the 86 pages of the actual book contains text and pictures that I found exceptionally easy to read. It is divided into eleven chapters which take the reader through introducing and defining those who are involved in protest meetings, setting out the official bodies involved in the process, and laying out the different types of hearing. We are then taken into the hearing as the procedures are described and the various reasons and ways of protesting are laid out. The redress hearing has a chapter all on its own and separate chapters also cover the processes of requesting a hearing and reopening a hearing. Other single chapters are devoted to the Rule 75 hearing, appeals and serving on a protest committee. | find it difficult to point out any one chapter as being more valuable than the others: they all packed with facts, suggestions and recommendations for action when being involved in the protest process in any way – all wrapped up in clear and concise sentences. If I were to contemplate setting up a series of training sessions to improve skills in submitting, defending and handling protests this book is one I would use as ‘suggested reading’ to support the course material. Summing up this book, without managing to quote a single thing apart from the back cover, I would simply say that I believe it should be required reading for anyone considering getting seriously level. involved in Radio Yacht racing at anylling to I found it extremely easy and compe read the first time around, I shall be reading it again and again. Of all the books produced by the specialist publishers in the sailing field this one has the absolute most to offer to skippers of any class at any level. Unlike many interesting sailing books, all of its subject matter is completely appropriate to our game, just as it is to those who sit on their boats to go sailing. Protests & Appeals by Brian Willis and published by Fernhurst Books in their Sail To Win series (ISBN 1 – 898660 – 17 4) deserves to be their absolute best seller – get it as soon as you can! 29 MODEL BOATS JANUARY 96 why I didn’t “knock it out” ages ago, however being one for researchinga little beyond the realms of bar-room theory, I felt that it was necessary to write something that went beyond gluing a kit of parts together. Now the newcomer to radio yacht racing may well wonder what all the fuss is about. Why should fins and their construction be an issue? To be frank, I don’t believe that it is. But there are those who do, and have contributed to the argument about chequebook racing and the development of with thinner sections which create less drag. Although I suspect that it has gone unrealised in the general cacophony about cost and carbon fibre, it is the development of more accurate fin sections and new profiles, rather than hull-shapes, that has lead to the greatest performance gains in recent years. This is evidenced by the fact that GB won the 1993 RM Nationals by a convincing margin using a new fin section on a borrowed Enigma hull. The increase in stiffness, and hence length, in the M class has allowed the large increases in stability without an increase in overall weight (the mass is concentrated in the ballast) and this in turn has allowed the development of the narrow hulls (which are unstable but have low wetted areas and thus friction drag) seen on the modern RM and 1M. Whilst it is true that this development has been spurred on by the availability of cheaper and discusses fins 1: The new eye-bolt fitting from Sails Etc adapted with a thumb screw to allow easier adjustment but … 2: … be careful if your wish is for an adjustable jib sheet lead as the nut overlaps the track and could trap a sheet. . 3 & 4: Although it is not easy to make comparisons on the hull shapes, the differences between the fins of the RM Enigma No.70 and the Paradox No.199 are Thanks Graham….. he nice thing about model yachting is that even the biggest suppliers are able to give a personal service. Only a clear to see. The Paradox fin is also considerably deeper although I have a feeling that No.70 had couple of weeks ago I discussed with Graham Bantock my need for a Sails two fins for use on different lakes. etc. traek slide with a thumbscrew rather than their standard fitting and low and behold, a scoop!; the first pictures of Sails etc. latest 5: The shape of the rudder is as important as the fins and the fitting – a track slide with eyebolt and adjustable locknut. Well not quite earth elliptical shape seen on this Shaft design is probably quite effective. shattering stuffI know, but it The large profile would makes rig changing on my also contribute to the latest One Metre a lot quicker (no I’m not lateral resistance as going to tell you why!) and I’m sure a lot of you will think of a lot more applications. Just one word of warning, whilst having an adjustable slide might have an immediate application for a jib sheeting eye, the lock nut extends beyond the edge of the standard track leaving a nice place for the well as improving directional stability. 6: Yes I know this shot appeared recently but . it’s the’best one I have to demonstrate the need for a fin to resist torsion if the ballast is hung off centre. The rudder and fin shapes are also interesting as I notice that the Walicki fin seems to have moved away from the elliptical Fins, the introduction …. to rest with cost and I suppose there is some justification for this if one simply compares a timber fin costing around £15 with a moulded fin of £45. This comparison however is not like for like as a timber fin still needs a certain amount of trimming and finishing. I hope that the reader will not have missed my reference to a moulded fin, rather than carbon-fibre one, as it is the continual reference to high-tech materials and carbon in particular that is the most As regular readers will know, I’ve been promising to have a look at building your own fin for what seems an age, however, carbon-fibre on it’s own that makes boats go fast, or their fins more hydrodynamically jib sheet to catch. Such problems are solvable and I’ve got what I needed, so there yu Price is to be confirmed but if you’re interested call Sails etc. on 01376 571437. during the past season several other issues have come up that have made me postpone the article. With the end of the year now trailing edges of earlier upon us and with minds turning to new projects, perhaps now is the most boats. appropriate time to go into print. Those that have helped with the preparation of this article may well wonder 60 “expensive” carbon-fibre fins within the IYRU One Metre Class in particular. The source of the problem really seems misleading part of populist theory. It is not efficient, it is the design of these elements in combination with the hull, ballast and rigs that brings success. The benefits of modern composite construction techniques have contributed to both process and solution by allowing significant reductions in weight whilst improving strength and stiffness. This has made it easier to build longer fins stiffer carbon-fibres in particular, there is nothing to say that if, for example, carbon had been banned from One Metre fins, some bright spark wouldn’t have eventually developed a thin fin built from a timber material costing four times as much. So what is it that we should consider in the design and construction of a fin? Whilst some of the theory needs to be discussed to help in understanding the more practical aspects of moulding a fin, I would like to cover this separately and in more depth as the second part of this article. In this part, I have decided to look at the process of construction as this will probably do most to dispel the more misleading statements one hears. Firstly I must correct one omission in that no mention has been made of the rudder. Whilst most of us probably think of the rudder’s only purpose being to steer the MODEL BOATS JANUARY 96 boat, it’s profile and cross-section are as important as the fin itself. Neither should be lateral resistance. Lateral resistance is a The major restriction, apart from available skills, on the design and fabrication of the component parts of a yacht (whether it is sideways in a fluid would offer resistance but no lift. Lift is generated by the crosssection of the fin moving through water in the same way as a plane’s wing moving through air and the calculation of this lift is a function of the fins area. A bit of a conundrum then and something I will try to explain both in more detail in the next part of this article. What a fin actually does is provide a means to balance the side force generated by the rig. Without the equal and opposite developed in isolation. two or twenty two metres long) is economically available materials. Knowing the properties of the materials, the designer can then apply his expertise in developing the most effective application of those materials within the known parameters. In our case, the parameters are the rules applicable to each of the MYA/TYRU recognised classes which, in most cases, function of the profile of the fin, i.e. it’s total area and distribution or shape. A fin pushed most of the successful skippers use fins that have evolved from the development put into the design of the Roar Edge and Paradox Marblehead designs. They have a thickness to chord ratio of about 7.5% although the profiles are very different (The Roar Edge is elliptical and the Paradox tapered). I have also seen a number of fins made with parallel leading and trailing edges but I have more cramming to do beforeI will understand whether this was a deliberate piece of design or simply an easier way of making a mould. There is an awful lot of data available to those wishing to design their own fin, including the NACA profiles that most designers refer to. Again I will cover these in my next missive but for now, I will let the following piece demonstrate the contention that it is easier, and therefore cheaper to mould a fin than build one from timber. First Steps The purpose of this article is to break down any preconceptions that moulding a fin is a dreadfully complicated process that Involves high-tech or expensive materials. Whilst some may feel that the time, effort and skill is beyond them as individuals, there is really little to stop a group of club members pooling their resources to manufacture fins at a very competitive unit cost. Before going on to look at the process. it is probably sensible to deal with some of the basics. I don’t intend to give you a blow by blow account of 7: The design of a fiz influenced by many factors, but for an all round performance profile, the optimum ts a balance between minimising leeway to windward and drag off wind. 8: This fin was made by Paul Tickner from an experimental Roar Edge mould. It is typical of the elliptical profiles used by Roger and many other European designers. The same fin is supplied by PJ Sails, shortened for use on One Metres. 9: The fin fitted to the prototype Shaft RM had parallel leading and trailing edges, possibly for ease of construction. 10: This photograph illustrates Stollery’s approach to making a plug. The ply is fixed to the melamine board oy locating pins, the holes for which can just be seen. One can just see the lines on the plug which indicate the position of maximum thickness of the section and it’s position relative to the chord width. 11: Gel coat applied to the two halves of the fin mould, which incorporates an integral ballast weight. side force provided by the fin, the yacht would simply drift sideways. The keel and rudder should be designed with an optimum area and planform shape which balances the side force of the rig for a carry their ballast at the end of a relatively long fin. This introduces a requirement for the keel to be both strong and stiff with a need for torsional rigidity if the ballast is hung off-centre. The reader may also have heard a lot of references to “lift” generated by the fin but I’m afraid most of us laymen confuse lift and MODEL BOATS JANUARY 96 minimum drag caused by skin friction and form. In practice a greater or lesser degree of guess-work enters into the design process. Most fins on ballasted yachts are designed for an optimum performance to windward. As a boat sails further off the wind, the sideways and heeling forces reduce to the point where the fin becomes a hindrance. So how can this best be summarised? The design of the keel and rudder need to be developed together. They need to be stiff enough to resist bending (and twisting if the design involves torsional loads) and have enough area to offer adequate resistance to leeway (without causing more than the minimum possible drag through friction). The section also needs selecting carefully to minimise form drag. Although use is a function of availability, mix ratios, costs and the tools as all of this can be obtained from the supplier of the resin system you opt for. Our starting point will be the assumption that the reader knows little about moulding things. Most of us have heard about G.R.P or glass reinforced plastic and I myself often refer to high-tech construction but what is 12: The dressmaking part. Patterns for the various cloths to be laid up in the mould. it? The material itself was developed during the war to the point where it became useful for day to day applications. GRP is now used in the fabrication of boats, architectural details, shop fronts, vehicles, visual displays, bus shelters and portable buildings. As a product, it has been commercially available in the high street for at least 25 years, so one can hardly describe the process itself as cutting edge technology. The use of the generic term GRP is normally applied to a moulding formed by laying varying weights and weaves of glass fibre mat or woven cloths bonded together by the application of polyester resin. Like reinforced concrete, the constituent parts 61 referred to as high-tein ch? why do they get probabl al properties, thein have different structur 13: Cutting the patterns y lies more myth answer the Well than sion compres in better being resin is fairly straight i ight composites lightwe h althoug fact, than Their fibres. the for rsa vice-ve and tension forward process which combination gives the most efficient with speed ted associa be to seem always results… and sexy looking products. This might be strength to weight ratios, although strength TAS. in the cloths to that will be applied of the mould each half (except the large glass fibre filler to the left of the photograph. can also be a function of the final shape. limitations in how Glass fibres also Se. have they can be’ laid into moulds because they because it is much easier to mould tighter curves and intricate shapes with carbon particular shapes. racing. springy which are inherently stiff and affects the practicality of moulding Polyester resin sets after the addition of an activator (also known as catalyst, hardener or accelerator) fibre, as well as the fact that lightweight by cutting edge composites are developceed and Grand Prix industries like aero-spa Carbon-fibre as a material is more which triggers the exothermic 15: The mould and patterns for the rudder together with… reaction. The number of fibres and their direction in the weave of any particular cloth or mat affects the strength, so the fibres are sold by both weight and weave. Over the years, manufacturers have developed a number of stronger materials, the most 16: …the cloth pieces applied to each half (except the shaft and spacer material). commonly known of which are Kevlar and carbon fibre. These fibres are considerably stronger than glass strands and when woven into cloth, can produce lay-ups with much higher strength to weight 17: Construction of the moulding starts with the bulb which… 18: …is then wetted out. expensive than glass but it is much easier to use. It is a very soft fibre in use and lends itself to tighter curves than glass. It also stays in place once wetted out with resin. These attributes make it much easier and quicker to lay-up by hand than fibres such as glass. The use of epoxy demands more controlled and cleaner conditions than is necessarily the case with polyester. Whilst I have heard epoxies described as carcinogenic and demanding of considerable care in use, apparently it is the phenols present in some epoxies that are particularly undesirable. Suppliers recommend using barrier creams in addition to special cleaners and disposable equipment. One should also note that any cloth, glass or carbon, will contain small fibres which float off into the air and which can be breathed in. So wear a mask and handle carbon with a lot of care as the ratios than GRP. However Kevlar fibres do not bond as easily, so these are best used with a different type of resin known as epoxy. Epoxy resins are two part resins that also set by chemical reaction. They have better adhesive properties than polyester and are stronger in compression, however like polyesters, they can be comparatively brittle in their final moulded form. You will therefore find that a lot of manufacturers of light weight hulls use a two layer lay up of carbon fibre for strength and back this up with Kevlar to prevent splitting. So if these material are readily available, splinters of the strands are far more painful than any piece of timber. Again we could discuss this in a lot more detail but there is plenty of technical information and advice available from the suppliers of the various products. also smells! At the end of the day whatever resin you prefer to use, the objective is the same. We are looking to fabricate a light and strong structure that can be reproduced, with the additional benefit of reduced finishing time. Apart from the careful selection of cloths and lay-up, I would also add that the objective must be to use the minimum amount of resin as this is the major contributor to the weight of the finished product. We have already looked at the concept of design but I felt it might be useful to add some of Roger Stollery’s thoughts on the matter as he has a wonderful way of keeping things in perspective. Obviously Roger is well known in model yachting circles as one of the innovators in both vane and radio yacht racing. Roger is an Architect and regards himself as a student of yacht design and a builder of boats, so I was interested to find out about his approach to fin design. It is when one visits his workshop and talks about the various yachts gathering dust on the walls and ceilings of the room that one can see the process of development and only two would say that a tidy workshop is essential wooden fins to be seen! Roger himself describes his ideas as evolutionary and empiric, always searching for ways of intrinsic part of the process, so cleaning is a relatively straight forward process allowing tools to be reused. The down side with polyester is that mouldings can be affected by heat build-up in the setting process. It Apparently, Roger didn’t take the design of fins sections too seriously until David Hollom tested various fin and hull sections and it was found that Roger’s TOP design didn’t measure up. Roger concluded that the As for polyester, well although most of us in any process, one will see from the photographs that hands seem to become an making things both quicker and simpler. MODEL BOATS JANUARY 96 62 19: The unidirectional carbon cloth is then lad in the mould… 20: …it’s end spread into the bulb to strengthen the connection… 21: …followed by wetting out with resin and finally… 22: …rolling, to ensure the material is fully saturated. 23: The first layer is followed by two others as described in the text andfinished by the application of the GRP mats to fill the top and leading edges. 24: The flat edge illustrates the section of the moulding. He pal Coat i Ee 8 + problem was the fin and this in turn prompted him to take advice and start designing fins to particular NACA 00 sections. Just as importantly, he started to make more effort to build them accurately. This immediately and dramatically improved performance. It resulted in winning events and allowed Pitstop to be the highest placed UK yacht in 3rd at the 1991 RM European’s in Finland. Improved fin design was a high priority for both Graham Bantock and Roger in developing their boats for New York at that time. The Plug. Once you have determined a profile for the fin, then the first step must be to make an accurate plug from which the mould will be taken. You will see from the photographs that Roger fabricates his plugs in two halves MODEL BOATS JANUARY 96 using 1.6 mm birch plywood cut to an exact profile. As the two halves have to be joined for comparison and fabrication of the mould, it is essential that locating pins are positioned precisely. Roger does this by drilling through the base on which the plugs are built. The ply is then sanded away to match the shape of the buttock lines (vertical slices) set at 0.53 mm centres on the drawings, the different ply layers giving an accurate indication of the shape and fairness. Once the plug is shaped, it is faired then waxed and positioned on the building board of melamine faced chipboard to form an accurate centre-line. It is also worth noting that the port side moulding is slightly smaller than the starboard half to allow for an extremely fine taper on the trailing edge of the fin. Those that have cut their hands on the back edge of a new RM fin know just how fine an edge can be achieved but this does raise some practical issues as sharp edges are prone to damage and difficult to repair. Whilst the sharp trailing edge is the ideal, the alternative is to make a fin or rudder with a squared off edge. Avoid rounding off trailing edges as this generates a lot of drag. After applying the initial coloured gel coat, a second coat of a different colour is applied as a warning when sanding later. The first structural layer of the mould is applied using a light glass-fibre tissue. After this one builds up the layers so as to produce a strong mould that will resist bending or any deformation. It is worth noting that any hollows in the plug can be removed by sanding the bumps created in 63 25: The process is repeated for the starboard half to which the spacer is added. This is… 26: …followed by the ballast and… 27: …finally the bolting together of the two halves. 28: The rudder follows a very similar process, although the need for… 29; …strength is reduced. The lay-up is changed to one layer of carbon… 30; …followed by one of Kevlar. Producing the moulding Having made the moulds, it is now time to make the product and this starts with more preparation of the moulds by wiping on a release agent or polishing with a product like original Simoniz wax. the mould. However all bumps and other flaws should be removed at the early stages. Once the mould is complete and before it is separated from the plug the two halves are aligned by using the locating pins between each side of the plugs mentioned earlier. The moulds can then be drilled and bolted at their flanges. Then, with the plugs removed, they can be sanded using fine grades of wet and dry, followed by polishing to produce an extremely smooth surface. This is the most labour intensive part of the operation as there is no short cut, the finish improves with effort. However if this all seems a bit too much for your first project, Roger is prepared to lend a moulded GRP plug to clubs for the construction of the fin and rudder moulds (details at the end of this article). 64 Roger uses polyester resin as he finds it very easy to use with plenty of tolerance to temperature conditions. The first job is to apply what is called the gel coat to the mould, which for hulls is normally coloured to give the finished surface. Roger suggests that producing a moulding is a combination of dressmaking and painting, so the Gel coat is applied by brush ensuring that the mould receives an even layer that totally covers the surface. The moulds are then set aside whilst the gel coat starts to set. Fortunately polyester is not quite as demanding to use as epoxy, so Roger uses this setting time to cut out the various cloths used in the lay-up. As one will see from the photographs, RS has a number of patterns from which he marks out the shape of each layer onto the cloth for cutting. The lay-up of a fin is probably the most difficult part as the mix of different weights and weave of cloths produces composites of very different strengths. I have mentioned in previous articles that Graham Bantock and his colleagues at Sails etc. actually produce sample panels of various weights and combinations which are all tested to give an indication of their strength and stiffness. For the rest of us mortals the process is probably more trial and error, although a quick lake-side chat with either Graham or Roger will probably save one disappearing down a blind alley. For the Edge’s fins, Roger uses a mix of carbon fibre, Kevlar (rudder only) and glass mat plus an interesting glass product which expands acting as a spacer between the two sides of the moulding. You will also note that the keel mould includes an encapsulated lead which makes completion of the boat very straightforward. This is where we return to the construction process as with all our various patterns cut out (better illustrated by photographs than words) we check that the surface of the gel-coat is now tacky and lay in the first bit of cloth (190 g/m2 plain weave carbon cloth) within the mould for the ballast. The keel lay-up starts with the first layer of 190g/m2 uni- directional hi-modulus carbon followed by a similar weight diagonal weave cloth which increases torsional stiffness. Each layer is applied dry then wetted out by applying resin by brush. One has to balance the need to apply resin thoroughly against increasing weight, so after applying the resin, each layer is rolled to ensure that the resin saturates the cloth. It is in this part of the process that the more specialist manufacturers gain an edge by developing building processes such as vacuum moulding that ensure minimum amounts of resin are forced through the lay-up. The carbon lay up is finished by the third layer of plain 190g/m2 plain weave with all the lower ends of the patterns being cut and spread out into the ballast capsule to ensure a proper connection. This half of the mould is then completed by the laying in of the leading edge and fin top reinforcement of patterns cut from 300 g/m2 chopped glass mat. The process is then repeated for the other side, except that the ballast and spacer are now introduced, wetted out and MODEL BOATS JANUARY 96 31: Again, a GRP filler is added to the trailing edge and… 32: …the head isfilled with carbon off-cuts in resin (sounds like something from a deli!) 33: The process is repeated for the other half except that the GRP spacer and rudder shaft are now fixed and… 34: …the two halves are bolted and screwed together in the same way as the fin. 35: Once the resin has set (over lunch if my memory serves), the moulds are separated and your left with a sexy looking fin, with… 36: …only the resin flash to sand-off before it can be fixed to the yacht. fittings. Well I hope that my jottings and photographs are an adequate response to any misgivings the reader might have in taking on a project like this. One only has to look at the lay-up of Roger’s fin which is very simple in comparison to something like the Paradox fin manufactured by Sails etc. (this is made up of three mouldings including a corrugated core which are then placed in a compression mould to produce a hollow but extremely strong and light fin). It maybea little less structurally efficient but this simple approach will yield major performance gains at little extra cost in comparison with the timber profiles that some seem so attached too. The refinements of the Paradox fin come at more cost in terms of time and effort although it is true to say that the technology is not all that complicated. I also doubt that the retail cost really reflects the intellectual effort that has gone into the concept, however what this article is really about is demonstrating the two halves of the moulding brought together, when they are bolted and clamped. The “low-tech” alternative to the material spacer shown in the photographs is to use a balsa (grain on end is good in compression), spruce or foam (closed- cell) central spar but be careful of resin absorption, which can inadvertently lead to weight increases. MODEL BOATS JANUARY 96 The rudder is built in a very similar way, although the lay up is different and the mould allows for the building in of the rudder shaft. It is also worth having a bucket for all the threads and off-cuts from carbon cloth as these don’t get wasted. Roger chops them up and uses them for reinforcement at the head and trailing edges of the rudder, as well as in various that you don’t have to win the lottery to build a boat that can compete with the best. If you wish to take advantage of Roger Stollery’s offer of the loan ofa plug, then he can be contacted on 01483 421801. My next article will take a closer look at the theoretical side of design. Until then I’d like to firstly express my heart felt thanks to firstly Roger for all his time and help in the preparation of this article and secondly to Graham Bantock, who once again kept a close eye on the technical content. Finally, I close by taking the opportunity to wish you all a very merry Christmas. 65