The Model Maker: Volume 17, Issue 4 – January, 1940

G Volume Number ~ January, 1940 BY C. O. BROOK HAT a nice day of racing we had over at Port Washington, N.Y., with the Mill Pond M. Y. C. handling the event, and E. Phil- lips Sr., of the Mill Pond club holding down the job of officer of the day …a tangy Nov. 12 .. . What weather to sail in! The winds were in- clined to follow the day—a lazy, shifting breeze that flirted about from south to southeast at 6 m.p.h. and then slept for several minutes, only to lift a slight ripple over the pond as it sought energy enough to drive the models along. There were five clubs and nine skippers at the line (all models seasoned A class veterans) with the following results: Club and Skipper Points Atlantic, Gordon Curry _–__—————– 33 Mill Pond, E. Phillips Jr. ____–_–______-__– 29 Prospect Park, Frank Donnebacher _–_—— 24 superior to the so-called “Berge” gear, the type used by Sam Berge of Norway with considerable success. The sport, regardless of the absence of reports from club secretaries, is growing at a steady pace, as witness the 1940 suggestions for championship events: Skiff sailing championship, A class, X class and M class, with a possibility of the 6-Meter class also . . . the same number of events for pond sailing championships. . . and, in addition to that, suggestions are coming in for races in each class where “strip-rigs” will be used in a championship event in each class in pond and skiff sailing, where boats will be allowed to carry only jib and main sail, with no beating gye, no vane and no spinnaker .. . and from the same source, a championship event for all but the X class wherein skippers will be per- Long Island, Tex Foster ___-____–_———- 21 mitted to use every gadget they can conceive Mill Pond, C. Baxter ______-______________-_-_- 21 and secure. Montclair,-C 2 Northe Yet no one minds … a clear sky with bright Fall The reason for these suggestions is the seeming unfairness of competition where one boat sails a course aided by vane, spinnaker or gye, while its competitor sails with only jib and main. One side comes back, properly, I suppose, with the response that each skipper has a right to rig his boat with vane, etc., if he chooses. The other fellows claim it is more fun striving to pit their sunshine and good friends, plus a keenly con- skill tested race . . . even in light airs . . . well, what =. S22 Sees 16 Deeper Hudson, C. O. Brook ______—_–_—– 13 Prospect Park, E. Bull ____-.—__–__—-__-_– 10 Mill Pond, J. Muir ___-__–_-__-_________-___- 8 At noon the host club served a tasty lunch and hot coffee. It was a cold job for the feet, since wet feet are part of Port Washington sailing. in balance and sailset against skippers Each old familiar face equally or more skilled. It is like the old argument of_the fin keel boat versus the filled-in with a glad greeting .. . I’m glad I follow model garboards .. . an argument, thanks be, that will yacht racing . . .I find the better side of life. never be settled. Ah, we love to hear these “ex- more could one ask? We notice a rapidly increasing use of the vane perts” point out how absolutely correct they are. steering gear, and, from the results of races, me- Where there is no argument there is no interest. thinks the vane will have to be considered as The only rig I have ever felt should be abso- much a necessity as the sails to any craft if we lutely barred is the so-called sliding rig. This is, expect to stay away from the bottom of the in my opinion, far from sporting, and never per- score sheet. So many are in use that they are on mits a skipper to find the proper balance of his the market commercially, and I quite agree with boat. one of our Coast skippers that the International We notice frequently at events when a skipper A class race of the future will be won only by arrives at a pond without a mate, that he has to those skippers who use the vane gear, as well as spend a great deal of time instructing the “bor- those races in classes where the vane is per- rowed” mate how each of the various fittings on mitted. The new type vane is, in my opinion, far his model works . . . and a thought comes to mind January, 1940 133 … Why not a universal deck-plan, where every the maiden’s hand could be put to work doing builder will use the same type gear, from stem the club’s washing. The president of the Eastern Division suggests to transom, using manufactured fittings (which we find cannot be duplicated at home except by that clubs pay more attention to the expert machinist, properly equipped with if they desire said John to support them . John Q. Public, the necessary dies, etc.)? . .. Every jib-steerer, and it is necessary. Why not set at least one day beating gye, quadrant, sheets, etc., are all ar- each year, say in early June before school closes ranged alike so that when a club lends you a and the youngsters are away on vacations, and mate, granting that all models are so equipped, have a race for both young and old who are in the only instruction needed would be which side no way affiliated with clubs? In each case where . and universal sig- this has been done the results were always nals for instructions from skipper to mate to worthwhile, and, too, you are following the first avoid yelling from shore to shore an important rule of the M. Y.R. A.A. Consitution. . .. “To of the pond he will take . order that cannot be heard encourage, promote, etc., model yacht designing, (and how many building and sailing.” . . . Right? times this happens! ). of ponds. Invariably the local newspaper will work with you and Sometimes we hear rather poetic descriptions spread the news before the public, and your One writer describes the San Fran- club is marked on the map. cisco basin something as follows: “A delightful basin sheltered in a valley . . . gorgeous lily-pads Another good tip from the president is the casting reflections in the water, and great forest idea of selling the clubs, not the individual, to the trees clinging affectionately together to keep the public. lilies from catching cold.” We can imagine try- commissioner to ask for a pond; he shows said A man goes before the state park ing to sail a race between water-lilies . . . or commissioner a whole string of names of com- can we? petitors in several events … perhaps as many as And from another Coast club: “Our 100 names from various states … and the com- pond has a nice bend half way down the course” missioner asks, . . sort of a maiden’s elbow effect; you sail to “Do you want me to spend the first joint, then you shove off to the palm of $100,000 of the people’s tax money to build a the hand or the shoulder, as the case may be. pond so that 100 people can sail four or five We might suggest a group of lakes such as the times a year?” There can be only one answer. Finger Lakes of Northern New York, with Bal- So now we are trying sell them the idea that timore’s Washwater Lake at the end . . . then “Here we have seven clubs, all growing, needing EYE FOR THIS HooK STRe’D 7-—-t w WEN “GUY”1S “SET” BOWSER YE FOR USE L”o5.p. BRASS* SQUARE *” 1-De BRASS SQVARE TVBE L—1%4″—_ 134 FILED & BOOM NOTCM TO HOLD SLIDE AT END OF BAR © WHEN OFF GYE g—inn AWRY TO ALLOW FOR LIFTING T° RELEASE |oF use Approx. }5°° ————_______| ON PorRT TACK = BoT TOM OF TYVeE CH SIDE NOT IN ee BEATING Gye DESIGNED OF S410E By TEX FOSTER, W3-13 ATLANTIC | Ave Richmond Hill, NY. Nov 1929 5″ The Modelmaker a place to sail . . . with thousands of youngsters anxious to take part”… and it makes a better selling point. We are, in a sense, trying to sell an idea to the public . . . and not trying to induce the public to build a place for us to sail. And, as I promised in the last issue, we have here a beating gye from the brain of Tex Foster, with the pond stick poked out 9 ft. aft. Man, you should learn to control yourself, or you’ll do as Harry Stout of the Philadelphia M. Y. C. did in 1937 . . . jumped overboard and swam out to his model because it got into a similar fix… and he almost grabbed it before yells from shore woke him up. president of the Eastern Division. The word gye The Deeper Hudson M. Y. C. just held its sounds so much like the American slang of guy annual election of officers and again it has select- that it is frequently mentioned in this vein . . ed that veteran worker for the sport, Charles Heisler Sr., as its commodore, with H. V. D. (Doc) Allen, vice-commodore; Paul Heisler, rear commodore; Bill Spears, secretary; and Charles Heisler Sr., re-elected treasurer. Fred (“Pop”) Gould is fleet captain and steward, and “Doc” Allen is measurer. This looks like a hence the use of both spellings in the drawing. This gye is not only extremely rapid in its handling, but is neat and compact on deck. Unlike the British gye, it does not have to be unshipped from side to side; it is always there, in place with the flick of the hand. The dotted line on the deck plan shows the points to which the boom is hauled inboard by the pressure of the elastic band. When a very fine lineup, and we wish them every success. We have “Mama” just Heisler learned that Herb Bowen, (wife of Charles Sr.), Bill slight gye is needed, the quadrant hook is not Spears, Wilbur Hopkins and Gordon Belgrave used, or the bowser is slipped aft so that only slipped forward and a slight pressure of the wind are also building new boats this Winter . . . and two new members were taken into the club. Well, the club is growing, and that’s as it should be. We find, too, that Vic Hanner of that club on the sails hauls the rudder over and puts the won the Commodore’s Trophy for high score for boat about. the season of 1939. That’s two legs on that mug very slight pressure is exerted on the tiller. When quicker gyeing is needed, the bowser is For beating without the guy, or when running, the hooks at the boom are lifted from their re- spective eyes and are hooked into an eye located forward of the slide. The quadrant hook is for Vic. And John Hamilton, a new member and novice at the game, won the Hopkins Trophy. Over on the New England coast, our old friend Charles Farley is pepped up over the activities slipped into a similar eye aft on each side. For down East. clarity, notes are made on one side of the plan Book as he did the 1939 issue, and when Charlie only for each segment but in assembling, both edits . . . boy, he does a job! port and starboard side are rigged alike. He will again edit the 1940 Year K. Baumgarten of the Washington M. Y. C., The small slide is filed away on the underside, along with Farley and Ballentyne (Boston and so that the extended lip of the slide which en- Washington M. Y. C. respectively), has been ap- gages in the notch on top of the slide bar can be pointed to a rules committee by the M. Y.R.A.A. lifted enough to clear the lip and slide into the and will doubtless clarify present rules. “off” position. The skipper without a gye at the And hot news… straight fromm Carrol Sweet, pondside is invariably making circles on the secretary of the M.Y.R.A.A…. the X class windward leg of the score card instead of the and the 6-Meter class have just been officially usual 3 points. adopted by the M. Y.R. A.A. However, there We look with longing at the delightful picture will be no national championship event in either in the October issue of the Milwaukee M. Y. C. class, but there will be divisional championship clubhouse, with our old friend Walt Moss, jungle races …in the Eastern Division, at least. What hat and cane, evidently wondering if Click is say there, Midwest and Pacific Divisions? going to click for him, or go behind the finishline pole . Boston has four new X’s building . . . and, as . . and the nonchalant chap with Farley so naively puts it, “Don’t forget to have folded arms is holding his breath, prepared to the X and 6-Meter news in THE MopELMAKER for smile and say, “You made it”… or look with the next issue and I will subscribe at once.” … sympathy and say, “Too bad, Walt.” And in pic- O.K., Charley . . . here it is. ture No. 4, a skipper has turned jitterbug. That’s eight M class building . . . boy, what workers a good stance, Elmer. they are. Boy, how your lungs And Boston has Bill Bithell and Fred Pigeon of that ached from holding your breath . . . you thought same club are building new A’s. sure they wouldn’t clear. Well, so did I when I asks looked at the picture. I hope you didn’t bite the Championship event for 1940. old dudeen in half or trip the chap behind you January, 1940 the venue for the Boston also National A Class And that’s that .. . ’til next issue—‘“C. O.” 135 KEY-LOCKED QUADRANT Model yachtsmen will pie Medel Yacht find this method of fastening the quadrant very satisfactory. LL too frequenty one sees a model racing the tube. The rudder is mounted in an approved yacht skipper lining up his craft’s rudder manner on the post (see illustration), with the at the pondside, or hears him bitterly complain- rudder end countersunk for the pintle bearing. lost because his quadrant has Carefully tap and thread the quadrant end of loosened on the rudder post and he was unable the post to a depth of 34” to accept a round to make a solid adjustment. Rudder assemblies headed brass bolt in its full length. are a real problem, as even the best available the post, with rudder attached, in the tube and books on the subject of model yacht construction screw the pintle plate in place. Scribe a spot on ing of a race Now insert slight this particular feature, or pass it over the post 46” above the upper end of the tube entirely. where it emerges from the deck, and at right It can be appreciated that the writer had the angles to the centered rudder. Two light pieces above experience one season although his quad- of wood clamped along the skeg and overlapping rants were soldered, wedged or bolted, and so he the wooden portion of the rudder will ordinarily concluded to improve on the situation, if pos- hold it in the correct position. Remove the units sible, and developed a key arrangement which and drill a small hole completely through the seems to have corrected all his troubles, espe- post at the scribed mark. Snugly fit a short piece cially as it has been most satisfactorily used on of brass wire through this hole projecting on three different boats during the past year. either side the thickness of the quadrant sleeve. The features of a good rudder assembly are Put this key in place. that the rudder be exactly squared with the The quadrant sleeve is a 1” length of brass quadrant and centered on the boat, that it work tubing cut from the original length of rudder freely without binding, that it be securely fas- tube. tened to prevent slipping, and that provision be hole, centered for the rudder post, and extends made for easy dis- be removed from the hull if necessary. Quadrant the quadrant. Secure- Washer ly solder the sleeve in place. The quadrant comment was as this installed pee Hull piece Clearance during construction of the hull and the projected deck %”, slip and the sleeve over the rudder post on the rudder tube is necessary, Now quadrant Sleeve has these features. Little tight-fitting from the under side of ra Screw mantling so that it may key-locked The sleeve is mounted in a Rudder until wire it rests pin. on Lay the the assembly on a flat sur- face with the tail of the quadrant and the above wooden where and rudder perfectly erect alined. it has been cut off and Scribe spots on the end filed square. of the sleeve where it The rudder post is a solid brass touches the pin and rod _ that remove this unit from works easily, but not the post. With a small loosely, inside the rud- der tube, and it should be cut 114” longer than 136 round file the size of I OOOOIIOOI OD = OCOD the pin, sink a shallow Pintle plate Bearing channel across the face The Modelmaker