Marine Models: Volume 10, Number 11 – February 1938

D Wi YZ YMhdl b disly 4 Unis AAAS IN l é t bo 5 , Z4 4 y ZZGY y SMRUBAATMAS Wt t t ti p s tie Cid “bipftls@ NGS “tap QQ INCORPORATING Vol. X, YUy, ,YZzZyZ JY,Y THE MODEL YACHTSMAN Sevenpence FEBRUARY, 1938. No. 11. S — s |wo a =] e s tee Sart fans Pas Ee ctiTRieaia teessnest sss MARINE MODELS PUBLICATIONS LTD ae FETTER LANE, LONDON, E.C.4 DENNIS AND SMITH BOAT MAKERS FINGER Fiat Face, 1 } 1 Elliptical, 1} Polished Brass PLANES . 16/.- each, Ground Iron Ready for Use. The Plane necessary for Fine 83, jt Finish. GOSWELL ROAD Telephone: – – post extra. Work. LONDON, E.C.1 CLERKENWELL 4457 FINEST SOFT PINE | | racine Model Yachts Specially selected for J. ALEXANDER & SONS Model Boat Building. 26, Victoria Parade, Ashton, Preston, Lancs. All thicknesses from (30 years’ experience) ALSO Prime Honduras FITTINGS SPECIALISTS Mahogany “ Alexalight ’? Metal Spars Practical Sail Makers. Accessories. CHETHAM TIMBER Co. Ltd., 70, FINSBURY PAVEMENT, Send Stamp for Lists Racing Model Yachts WHITE HEATHER E.C.2 LONDON Power Boat Hulls. METROPOLITAN 7418 TRADE SUPPLIED MODEL SAILING CRAFT A Waterproof Glue Profusely Illustrated with 7 Complete Designs, 163 Diagrams and numerous Photographs. No more sewing joints. A permanent and Sotid Waterproof Craft. Price 25/-, postage 9d. Breaking strain in wooden joints, moist and normal, over 1,100 Ibs. per sq. inch. By W. J. DANIELS and H. B. TUCKER. The Best Textbook for Model Yachtsmen. ORDER YOUR COPY FROM: Marine Models Publications, Ltd., 52, Fetter Lane, London, E.C.4 Also Heat and Acid Proof. RECOMMENDED BY “MARINE MODELS.” Tin containing 2 oz. 8d., or 4 Ib. 2/1, post free, from Anglo-American Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., GALEN WORKS, DINGWALL ROAD, CROYDON. Phone: Croydon 3118. Trade Enquiries Invited. When replying to Advertisers please mention MARINE MODELS. CHNISAL, neers ex Vol. X, No. THE 11. Published on the Seventh of each Month DIAGNOSIS OF By SAILING February, 1938 FAULTS YARDSTICK E the early days of the I.Y.R.U. rule, a well-known East Coast yachtsman ordered a new 6-m. She was designed, built, launched, and then came the trial trip. There was a smart breeze, and the boat left her moorings close-hauled on the starboard tack across the river. On board were the owner, his brother, the designer, the builder, and a paid-hand. The owner was sailing the boat. Half-way across the river he suddenly said, ‘Ready about, we’ll go back to the moorings now.” “ Why? ” asked the designer. ‘Because she’s no earthly good,” replied the owner. “ But,” said his brother, ‘ you have only sailed her half a mile; how do you know she’s no good?” “By the feel of her,” replied the owner; “and if you think I’m wrong, I’ll sell her to you now for half what she cost me.” “Done,” said the brother. And so she changed hands, but the owner was right, and the boat never was any good at all. How did that man know instinctively that is was useless to waste time and money on this yacht? Although not a designer, or theoretical, he was very experienced, and one of the best helmsmen of his day. Moreover, on another occasion he bought a boat that was considered no good, made some slight changes and put her right into the first flight. Now, what told him was what he described as the ‘feel of her,” but more explicitly put, it was that sixth sense-—boat-sense—that puts a man right in sympathy with his craft and tells him all about her in a very short time. Everyone, however, has not got this sense. In fact, it is possessed by very few. One man, | know, who had it, was never a great success as a model-yacht skipper, because he had insufficient patience, and, once he knew all about his model, would put her aside and want to build another with improvements he had thought of. No doubt this article will be read by two classes of model yachtsman—the expert and the novice. The former will read it to pick holes in my reasoning, and the latter in the hope of learning something—so I will address myself entirely to the latter. The novice must not be discouraged if he does not bring home prizes. Winning prizes is all very well, but this is not the object or pleasure of model yacht sailing. In fact, there is far more fun to be had from a morning sailing by oneself, or a little private match for two pots of beer with a friend. But whether one is sailing in a race, cruising alone, or sailing with a friend, one does want the boat to behave herself properly. In model racing, speed must always be secondary to reliability, and many an old-timer in the hands of an expert picks up quite a few prizes through the reliability of the boat and good handling by the skipper. 272 MARINE One question which may puzzle the novice is, whether a bad performance by his boat is the fault of the skipper or the boat herself, and, if the latter, whether the fault is curable or incurable. If the boat has an incurable fault, there is only one thing to do: get rid of her. I do not suggest that the owner of a bad boat should sell her to his brother, like the owner referred to in my story, but break the hull up after removing the fittings, lead, sails, etc., for use in a new boat. If the hull is broken up, it should not be difficult to arrange to have the same Register number allocated to the new boat, so that the sails can be used. This sounds remarkably drastic, but really it is a waste of time and temper to persevere, once it has been definitely ascertained that a boat is no good. It may be discouraging to a novice to break up a boat he has just built or acquired, but it is still more discouraging to try to make a hopeless boat sail properly. Everything, therefore, depends on correct diagnosis of sailing faults. For the correct diagnosis of faults in sailing, a start should be made by observing the boat’s behaviour to windward. Choose a suitable day—preferably an off-day, when there is no racing, and as few other boats as possible on the lake—with a steady moderate breeze, just sufficient to heel the yacht to a fair, but not excessive, angle. The procedure at this point is exactly the same as if you were tuning up a new yacht in the ordinary way. Trim your sheets so that both booms make the same angle with the centreline, say, about 20° for a start. Point your boat at an angle of 45° to the wind, let her sail off, and observe the result. At about 45° the sails should be full and drawing, but if not, let her head go off until they are before you let go. If the boat foots well (moves nicely through the water), but is not pointing high enough, try the effect of tightening both sheets slightly, still keeping the booms parallel. If the boat will not go to windward unless her jib is harder than the mainsail, to keep her from luffing up until she goes in irons (sticks head to wind), the rig is obviously too far aft and needs to be moved forward until she will sail to windward with both booms at the same angle. There are two ways of moving the rig forward, either by giving the mast less rake or by moving it bodily forward. Most models have adjustable mast slides, and so it is an easy matter to experiment until the correct position is found. On the other hand, MODELS if the model will not point, and needs her jib eased off, the rig has to be moved aft. The wind, as shown by the yacht’s flag Owing to the when sailing, is deceptive. yacht’s forward motion, it appears to be more ahead than it really is, and a yacht sailing at about 45° off the wind looks as if she was eating into the wind’s eye, with her flag blowing fore-and-aft. If the yacht sails nicely at about 60° off the wind, but cannot be induced to point closer, it is possible that both the rig and the keel are too far forward, in which case the remedy may lie in altering the keel and moving the rig aft. Before such drastic treatment, make sure that the yacht is floating on her designed waterline, and then try the effect of a few ounces of ballast right aft, and if this makes her worse you can try its effect right forward. For the nonce this can be temporarily put in position on deck, but if it produces the desired result, then it will have to be permanently fixed inside the boat. Another cause may be that the headsail may be too large in proportion to the mainsail. This can be tested by trying a smaller jib before going to the expense of an entire new suit of sails. Once the yacht is tuned up to sail to windward reasonably well in a steady breeze, her behaviour in gusty weather should be closely observed. Suppose she does her stuff nicely as long as the wind remains steady, but turns tail and bolts directly a heavy slam comes. This is one of the most aggravating faults,and generally means that the hull itself is wrong, and therefore incurable. Before taking desperate measures, try the effect of inserting a short length of rubber cord in the jib sheet. An elastic jib sheet will also sometimes cure a boat that tends to luff when the wind falls light, but in this case a lighter rubber is wanted, and, if necessary, a cord check line can be arranged to limit the amount of stretch. A tendency to luff in slams may possibly arise from too small a jib, and an inclination to wander in lulls from too large. On the other hand, boats that are very heavy and large, hulled with small sail areas, sometimes are impossible to get to windward at all in very light weather, though they perform all right directly it freshens a little. The latter is one of those things that are usually incurable, but as ghosting to windward in an almost flat calm is not often called for, other good qualities may prove a compensation. (To be continued.) MARINE SHIPS’ MODELS 273 ANCHORS By A. P. ISaRD, A.M.I.Mech.E. (Continued from page 250.) T will be remembered that in an earlier article it was stated that anchors are generally divided into two types—Solid and Portable—the former having had our attention. Of the portable type, and the word * Portable” is used to define an anchor capable of being taken to pieces, one of the earliest examples offering interest is that of Captain Hall. The general appearance of this anchor is very similar to the usual solid pattern, but was specially designed for the purpose of reducing weight down to man-handling capacity. It was constructedin two halves, which were joined together at will by means of iron rings, bands or hoops. This anchor was split lengthwise down the entire centre of the length of the shank, the two halves being kept together and in place by a series of iron hoops or bands passed and forced down the shank, thus binding the two halves together. The stock was then slipped over the square and the shackle bolted into place. Usually the crown was fitted with two half-lugs (i.e., a lug on each half-anchor), through which a bolt was passed, securing a small shackle to which, if desired, a tripping line might be bent to facilitate breaking-out. Among the many advantages claimed, the two halves could be separated, and each half used as a stockless anchor, and they could even be laid out with bower cables bent to ‘them. For kedging purposes, each half, being of man-handling weight, could be easily carried out in the ship’s boats, and, upon arrival over the spot, the two halves could be quickly joined together before the anchor was dropped. In bad weather, it was contended that, owing to the weight of the complete anchor, it could not be boat-handled at all. Another contention was that if the anchor be separated, and the two halves used as separate anchors, two anchors having a much greater holding power than one. Lastly, the two halves made for easy stowage aboard ship. It is obvious, however, that very considerable shank strength was lost in an anchor capable of separation in the manner shown, and, in this connection, it will be seen that when a half-anchor was used, the shank would also be of half cross-sectional area with consequent loss of proportional strength, while, at the same time, the palm offered the same holding area. In actual practice, the half-sectional shanks became quickly and badly bent, sometimes even suffering complete destruction by parting from the crown. The bending of the half-shanks rendered their quick and easy fitting together an impossibility, and they had to be returned to the dockyard for straightening and repair, the damage being beyond the capacity of the ship’s workshop equipment. The Porter anchor is somewhat similar to the well-known Trotman, consisting of two parts—the shank, and the crown arms and palms. The crown with the arms and palms is inserted in a fork provided at the bottom end of the shank, a bolt passing through, thus forming a fulcrum about which they have an oscillating movement. The arms are fitted with external horns, as shown in Fig. 11, for the purpose of ensuring a certain q and positive nipping action. Note that when one fluke is in action, the other is forced hard up against Figure 11 the shank. MARINE 1F / \/. hi ve 274 MODELS _ Referring to Fig. 11, notice particularly the curve of the arms. Cotsell appears to have worked to quite a different setting, and seems to have used the same as for the well-known Cotsell Admiralty anchor. This is of the solid variety and very efficient. Cotsell’s rule for determining the various curves and proportions is interesting and Fig. 12 illustrates the method. We will use the previous Fig. 11 to work to since it is more or less accurate in its proportions, and also for comparison purposes. First draw two lines parallel to each other and with a distance apart equal to the small of the shank of the anchor in Fig. 11, and mark these lines a and b. At any convenient place on these two lines draw two equilateral triangles with sides equal to the length of the arm of the anchor; these two triangles are Figure 12 With an anchor of this design it 1s neces- sary for the shank to be fitted with a buckle or iron ring of the shape shown in the sketch, * for the purposes of what is known as “ fishing’; the word is descriptive and requires no further explanation. Eventually this anchor was experimented with by Mr. Trotman round about 1846, when he developed the general idea and made several improvements, the most important of which consisted of joining the horn and palm outwards and beyond the blade, resulting in a still larger surface for forcing the anchor arms open and greatly assisting its nipping propensities, This is an important anchor, and the modelmaker would do well to study it carefully. Note that the shank, crown and arms are all rectangular with rounded edges in cross-section shape. The drawing shows a wooden stock, which is correct, but later anchors, and of lighter weight, often were fitted with metal. An alternative iron stock is shown and marked a in the drawing. This is simply a straight bar tapering to its ends terminating with balls; it is slipped through a hole in the square and secured in place with a washer and key. Cotsell’s improved Portable anchor is much the same as Trotman’s, that is, the arms and crown are in one piece and oscillate on a pivot at the end of the shanks; the important difference is the setting and shape of the arms and palms in relation to the shank. marked CDE on line a, and FGH on line b. From the points C and F mark off CI and FJ, the distance being equal to the size of the throat. Now join I to D and J to G with straight lines and bisect ID and JG accurately at the points marked L and M. (Bisect these lines with compasses in the usual way, as shown.) The bisecting lines will be at right angles or perpendiculars to the lines ID and JG at L and M. At the point of intersection of these two bisecting lines at N, and using this point as centre, describe an arc with radius NJ—this arc will be DIJG. Now with centre P and radius PL, describe the arc LR, and similarly with centre O and radius OM, describe the arc MS. Draw the line DT equal to twice the length of ID and the point T between the line a and b will be then the centre of the shackle bolt. The arc DIJG is the external curve of the crown and arms of the anchor, and the straight lines LD and MG form the flat lands for the formation of the palms. Comparison should be made between this solid anchor and the portable in Fig. 11. Note the distance between the points of the arms D and G, the portable anchor opening out in action to practically the same as with the solid anchor, but at the same time the total amount of space required for stowage of such an anchor is much reduced and consequently its weight also. (To be continued.) b< MARINE yy me i yf A) as i om Pk rai tr PAN 8 Cen! MODELS : | ? liek S 275 = a, } > ad *) EYJ ksj aH (Continued from page 254.) ATURE obviously intended man to use N the decimal system, since she gave him ten digits and ten toes. Yet a great many people, particularly wood workers, prefer eighths of an inch to decimals of an inch. From the point of view of a designer of model yachts and steamers, obviously decimals are far more convenient than any other fractions of an inch. When it comes to skilled metal workers, however, we find that work is carried out to thousandths and ten-thousandths of an inch, measurements being taken by means of micrometers reading to a degree of accuracy that the human eye cannot hope to equal. As measurements may be given one way or another, the undernoted table giving the decimal equivalents of sixty-fourths inch will be found very useful. of an Nowa table such as this is well worth preserving. If one has no particular use for it to-day, the time will come when it will be useful. If one has a spare end of metal or other material which “may come in some time,” one puts it away in the junk-box. Yet so many of us come across most valuable tips in this and other journals, and, because we have no immediate use for the tip, recipe, table, or whatever it is, we let it pass, and when the time comes that it is required, can’t find it anywhere. This is a very great pity, but there is an easy way out provided one is ready to go to a little trouble occasionally. My suggestion is to keep a sort of scrapbook and carefully paste these pieces of information into it. The best form to use is a loose-leaf book with alphabetical index sheets. They can be bought in the ring-back Decimal Equivalents of Fractional Parts of an Inch. és & & bs . . ‘015625 | i. 1265625 03125 | & 1. +28125 | #8 … 046875 ‘0625 | 2 -296875 -3125 FA 078125 | # -328125 2 ‘09375 ; ob 34375 lo # é ‘109375 | t 125 | és 140625 | # = 515625 UF ‘765625 a 546875 bt ‘796875 88 ‘859375 at -890625 375 4 a -6090375 390625 i 640625 ‘359375 625 } } § ‘875 2 15625 | a 40625 3t ‘65625 ae ‘90625 At -171875 } at -421875 1 ‘671875 ae ‘921875 ue 203125 1875 | # 453125 88 -703125 at 953125 £ -21875 8 46875 28 ‘T1875 a ‘96875 4 234875 =o 484375 43 -734375 ua : ‘15 ] | «=| ‘4375 984375 1-0 276 MARINE note-book form. These books are a bit expensive, however, and it can be done in a much cheaper way by using a newspaper cuttings book, or even an ordinary cheap scrapbook. The cuttings book is the better, of course, since it has an index, and the paper is usually sufficiently good to write on. If an ordinary scrap-book is used, the pages should be numbered, and everything indexed for easy reference. A very cheap book is liable to prove a nuisance in the long run, since the leaves may come out, or the binding prove weak. In fact, if one can afford it, a reasonably good book will prove an investment. It is not a bad plan to paste a big envelope inside the back cover of the book, and drop the cuttings into that until one has half a dozen or so to go in, and then make a do of them. This will save constantly get- ting out the paste pot. In addition to the scrap-book, the modelmaker will find an ordinary penny note-book very useful to take temporary memoranda concerning the job he is doing, material re- SOME Mr. MEMBERS OF THE MODELS quired, and, if desired, one page can be set aside to enter the cost of all materials purchased so that one can see what a job has really cost. By thinking a job out beforehand, and noting down the various operations and the order in which they can best be done, one saves oneself much labour and makes things easier. This month I want to tell readers something about one of the most interesting boats in the London District. The model fast day launch “ Fairycraft ” is, of course, very well known, but her history and method of construction are decidedly unusual and worthy of being put on record. Her owner, Mr. Arthur Davis, of the Victoria M.S.C., built her soon after the War, and she ran consistently until 1936. Mr. Davis is a very old hand with model boats, and graduated from sail to power. In 1903 he joined the old Alexandra M.Y.C., which then had its headquarters at Victoria Park. In 1907 he was bitten with the power virus and joined the Victoria M.S.C. His VICTORIA M.S.C. IN_ 1908 Arthur Davis (owner of ‘* Fairycraft ’’) is in centre of back row. Fourth from left is Mr. William Smith, builder of ‘‘ Fairycraft’s engine. How many others can you recognise? MARINE MODELS 277 | MODEL DAY CRUISER ** FAIRYCRAFT “” (Mr. Arthur Davis, Victoria M.S.C.) A fine action photograph showing boat’s the action through the water. first boats were all steam-driven craft of comparatively small dimensions. The year 1908, when the group of members of the V.M.S.C. was taken, was rather an eventful one in the history of the club. At that time the “ Wembley “’ Cup competition was one of the most important events of the year. The club had entered, but had very little hope of achieving anything, since the fleet was by no means strong. Each club had to send a team of three boats, and, while the Victoria had two worthy representatives in Mr. “* Ted’? Vanner and Mr. Cousins, the third boat presented considerable difficulty. Now it happened that Mr. Davis, while on a tram one day, amused himself by folding his ticket into the shape of a boat, and from this conceived the idea of making a one-piece hull from tinplate by folding. Working at great pressure, he completed the turtle-backed steam launch with the squat funnel seen in the photograph, and she formed the third boat of the team which went to Wembley and brought the trophy home in triumph. The Shield in the centre of the picture commemorates this victory. He is seen right in the centre of the photograph, wearing an overcoat with a velvet collar, whilst Mr. ‘Ted’ Vanner will be seen looking over his right shoulder. During the same year Mr. Davis acquired a petrol engine from Mr. William Smith (commonly known as “* Petrol ’’ Smith, from his devotion to early petrol engines), and duly installed this in a metre hull. With this boat Mr. Davis won numerous prizes. Then came the War, during which model boats were, perforce, laid aside for more serious matters. On resuming civil life, four and a half years later, Mr. Davis again felt the itch to build, and the petrol engine was taken out of the metre hull and, in due ‘course, installed in “ Fairycraft.” This boat’s hull was also built on the one-piece principle, but this time of three-ply. As mentioned, the hull lasted extremely well, but early in 1936 she crashed head-on into the diving board which, up to the end of the 1937 season, formed one of the “hazards” at Victoria Park. This accident did not wreck the boat, but shook her up badly, and also removed much of the paint. which protected the wood. Water percolated, and she gradually deteriorated until, at the end of the season, Mr. Davis decided to rebuild her entirely. Her swan-song, however, was noteworthy, since, at her last appearance at the Grand Regatta of 1936, she won the 100 yards Nomination event, and carried off the Steering Competition with three successive bulls. During her career “ Fairycraft’”” won the best part of 30 prizes in open events, and always ran with great regularity. Of course, she was always very well cared for, but, never- theless, her long life is a testimonial to the success of this method of building. It is, 278 ‘ MARINE however, just as interesting that her engine was the original one Mr. Davis acquired in 1908, and this selfsame engine is still going strong, installed in the new “ Fairycraft,” which Mr. Davis built to replace his old boat. Before giving particulars of this method of hull building, I think it will be of interest to give some particulars of the engine, which is probably one of the oldest model petrol engines still running, and has scarcely been modified since it was first built. It was built by Mr. “ Petrol’ Smith in 1908, and such good material and workmanship were put into “se ** FAIRYCRAFT “’ with Deckhouse show Engine Installation. removed to MODELS it that, not only is it still going as well as ever, but very few repairs or replacements have been needed, though it has been run hard and continuously. It is a square engine of approximately 30 c.c. capacity, fitted with an automatic inlet valve and surface carburetter. At that time the only sparking plugs available were fullsized car plugs, and one of these is fitted. Ignition was originally by trembler coil, but when this wore out it was replaced with a Stuart single spark coil and condenser. This is practically the only modernisation that has been carried out. This is a slow-running engine, and has a large, heavy flywheel, with which she can be slowed down to a point when the engine just ticks over. The head and valves are water jacketed. The cylinder barrel was made from a Chater Lea cycle bottom bracket. The engine lies flat in the boat, driving through bevel gears. Lubrication is provided by a hand-pump with springloaded plunger. As was common with many engines of that date, the timing gears are not enclosed. Petrol engines are unsuitable for the types of prototype model I usually deal with in these columns, but, for launches of this type, can be quite suitable, provided they are efficiently tamed. The engine of a prototype model must be silenced properly, reliable, flexible, and as vibrationless as possible. It is, therefore, obvious that a racing engine would not answer the purpose. I mentioned that Mr. Davis has his engine flat in the boat, and this also is an important point, since there is a lot of weight in the head of a petrol engine, and, if installed upright, this top-weight detracts greatly from the stability of the craft. In a speedboat, engines are run all out, but in a prototype boat should be running well within their limits. Further, in a prototype model, water-cooling is essential, which means additional weight, though this is by no means as much as might be imagined, since the amount of water is very small, and most modern air-cooled engines have very large fins and overhead valve gear. Another point in favour of installing a petrol engine flat is that, when the engine is upright, the large flywheel gives a very awkward angle to the shaft. Most stock engines, however, are primarily designed to run upright, and _ therefore require modification before they can be installed flat in a boat. The main interest about “ Fairycraft’s ” (Continued at foot of next page.) MARINE MODELS 279 PLYWOOD HULLS FOR MODEL SPEEDBOATS By ANON. HE present article does not pretend to deal with the design for model speedboat hulls, this being a question | leave to more expert pens than my own. | am, however, setting down here a few notes on the actual woodwork involved, in the hope that they may be of service to fellow-readers of this Magazine. The most usual material used for these hulls is plywood, as it is strong, light, pliable and obtainable in useful sizes. | Now there are many qualities of plywood, some being waterproof (i.e., put together with waterproof glue or cement), and other qualities very far from waterproof. A plywood merchant once explained to me how plywood is made. The logs are placed in a sort of huge lathe and revolve between centres. An immense knife blade, the full length of the tree, is then used to take off a spiral shaving, the thickness of which depends on the veneer which is wanted. When the soft core of the tree is reached the machine is stopped, the core taken out and thrown away, and a fresh log inserted. Meantime, however, a sheet of veneer of great length, the full width of the tree, has been produced. From these veneers plywood is made, and the only limit to the size of sheets produced is the size of the presses in which they are made. Plywood can be three, four, five, seven or more ply, since it is only a question of the number of thicknesses that are glued together. In order to give stiffness and also counteract the natural curl of the spirally-cut wood, the different plies (or layers) are set with the THE ENGINE ROOM (Continued from previous page.) engine is its age, and, as great progress has been made in engine design since, I need not On the other hand, the method of hull building evolved by Mr. Davis is one of great simplicity and well worth describing in detail, as it may appeal to many readers. I should mention that the photographs of Fairycraft ‘’ used to illustrate this article were taken by Mr. Mills, an old member of the Victoria M.S.C., and were kindly lent me by Mr. Davis. (To be continued.) occupy valuable space in describing it. grain alternately across the sheet and longitudinally. In recent years, since the invention of casein glues, better quality plywood has been cemented with this in place of the ordinary glue used previously. For certain purposes, however, plywood made with ordinary glue is still preferred, since casein often stains the wood. This is particularly so when one or both faces of the ply are made of fine veneers—burr walnut, figured wood, and the like. Whatever glue is used, however, the gluing is done under immense pressure. Not only does this ensure a good glue joint, but it also has the effect of compressing the fibres of the wood, rendering it stiffer and less porous than ordinary timber. It has also the effect of making it heavier proportionately. In the case of special plywoods, such as those faced with cedar, oak, mahogany, etc., the plies of hardwood, at all events, are not cut as described above, but in the ordinary way, parallel with the grain of the wood. Sometimes these special plywoods are ordinary plywood faced with a veneer, or they may be specially built up with one, two or all plies of the required wood. As far as our work is concerned, the finest possible material is “ Aeroplane” three-ply. This is usually made in sheets 6ft. x 3ft., and is obtainable in various thicknesses. This is absolutely waterproof, and of the finest possible quality. Unfortunately, it is very expensive, but, if one looks round woodyards that specialise in plywood, occasionally they have seconds or rejects that are obtainable very reasonably indeed. Often the flaw is very slight indeed, and in a part of the sheet one can arrange to fall into the waste. The inspectors usually mark the flaw, possibly with a blue chalk ring, so it is not difficult to see what is wrong. It may be said that this long discourse on plywood has little to do with hull building. Yet this is not so, since it is necessary to know something of this material in order to understand its advantages and disadvantages, and use it to the best effect. Until casein glue was invented, full-size boatbuilders rightly considered the use of ply- wood in building extremely bad practice, but to-day it is used for a number of purposes for which its nature renders it very suitable. Amongst these are cabin lining and panelling, 280 MARINE cabin tops, and the construction of certain small hard-chine craft. The great advantages of plywood for these purposes are absence of warping, freedom from contraction and expansion, and the fact that sheets can be obtained far wider than ordinary boards. This makes for absence of joints and seams. Plywood is also immune from splitting, and has great strength in proportion to its weight. For though a sheet of plywood weighs considerably more than a sheet of ordinary wood of the same thickness, it has many times its strength, which enables scantlings to be cut down and weight saved. Plywood up to a certain thickness bends easily, and is very rigid if thick enough material is employed. It is easy to work and consequently an economy of labour. On the other hand, plywood does not provide good holding for fastenings, and, in particular, screws should never be put into it, though they can be put through it. By this I mean that it is good practice to put a clearing hole through plywood for a screw that is screwed into a timber behind the plywood, but bad practice to have the screw-threads biting into the plywood itself. If the threads are biting into the plywood they tend to force the layers apart. Probably the greatest disadvantage of plywood is that its edges should at all times be well protected in every way. If exposed to knocks they are liable to peel off layer by layer, and if exposed to wet or damp, this is liable to creep into the sheet between the layers and cause disintegration. In full-sized craft only waterproof plywood is used, and though, on occasion, the model hull builder can ‘“ get away with it” using non-waterproof plywood owing to the short time his craft is in the water, he is, nevertheless, advised to use waterproof plywood for his work. In model sailing yachts plywood is seldom used, owing to the shape of the hulls. It might, however, be used for sharpies, and also might have its uses for decks. On the other hand, a well-built model yacht’s deck is supported by deck-beams pretty closely spaced, and can be under }in. thickness pine, so it is difficult to get plywood of lighter weight, though I have seen 1/20in. three-ply used with great success. Model speedboat builders are very fond of three-ply as a material. I am, however, not sure that flash steam merchants would not be better advised to use tinplate because of the MODELS heat, but for internal combustion enginedriven craft, it has many advantages, provided the hull is built properly. A round-bottomed craft, such as a yacht, is more or less a barrel construction, but a hard chine hull is in the nature of a box girder, in which deck, sides and bottom all play their part in giving strength. Provided a properly designed framework is used, the skin can be very thin indeed without detracting from the strength. In other words, there must be sufficient longitudinal members and “ frames” to stiffen the skin and prevent working. One has often seen plywood speedboat hulls that give to engine stresses, or have bottoms that lose shape in running at speed, thus altering the planes and producing effects unplanned by their owners. It is not so much a question of the weight of framing used, as its bracing to secure rigidity, and a number of light, well-designed frames are far stronger than heavier frames widely spaced. Far too frequently one meets cases of plywood being used for frames. When the sides and bottom are fastened to these, the screws or nails are put endwise into the plywood and expected to hold. It is bad engineering practice ever to put a screw into the end grain of wood, and it should be avoided whenever possible, but in the case of plywood it is still worse than ordinary wood, since the screw levers the plies apart as well as holding poorly in the end grain, so it should never be done. It is not even advisable to put a nail in this way, even if it is only one of the tiny nails used in model boat-building. Therefore the framework of the boat should be of ordinary wood. Whenever possible, a frame should be arranged to fall in the same plane as a deckbeam, thus forming a quadrilateral brace. A complete frame may be considered as being composed of the “floor” (inner transverse member from chine to chine), timbers (sides), and deck-beam. It is not advisable to cut a complete frame out of one piece of wood, as the grain of the sides will then be end grain. It is better to build up of four separate pieces. At the junction between deck-beams and sides, and between floor and sides, the deckbeam and floor should extend right across the boat straight, and no attempt at mortising the corners is advisable. If desired, the corners can be halved, but in that case care must be taken when putting on the skin not to put fastenings into the halved portions, but into the chines and inwales close on either side. MARINE Light, diagonal bracings will assist in making the frames absolutely rigid. Where there is a camber on deck-beams, it is necessary to make them straight across the bottom, as, otherwise, they will tend to drop in the middle, and push the sides of the boat out. Even if the deck prevents this, it introduces unnecessary weakness. The same applies to floors. Probably a model speedboat will have no keel unless she is built with a pointed bow, when there may be a keel forward, running to nothing about a third of the length from the. bow. In such case, the keel member should be arranged to overlap the two longitudinal girders which serve the double purpose of stiffening the boat and acting as engine bearers. These girders should be carried right aft to the transom to stiffen the after-part of the boat, which is subjected to great strain from the thrust, etc. Whenever glue is used in a model hull, it should be casein, such as that advertised in this Magazine by the Anglo-American Pharmaceutical Company. I mentioned that the edges of three-ply should never be left exposed. Forward the edge of the sides will be housed in a rabbet along the stem or forward transom. This rabbet need not be difficult to cut, since the rabbet-line can be done with a tenon saw. For the transom, I suggest a different technique. Put a pine transom first, making the boat about 1/16in. short of its full length. After putting on the sides and bottom, trim them flush with the transom, then glue in place a false transom of 1/16in. mahogany. This will protect the ends of the plywood and also make a nice finish to the boat, as this outer transom can be varnished. Along the chine it is not so easy to protect the edges of the plywood. It can be done by cutting a rabbet along the chine stringer. If the worker has a rabbet plane, this is not such a formidable business. Another way this might be done, is to put on the bottom first flush with the sides of the chine stringer, followed by the sides overlapping it. Finally, a tiny square chine rubber can be ovut along, fastened through to the chine stringer. am fully aware that this is unorthodox, but, actually, the British Powerboat Company fit all their speedboats with a chine rubber, which is claimed to make the boats very dry, and run better. It has the effect of throwing water sideways clear of the boat, and I see no particular reason why it should have a MODELS | __281 It similar effect with a model speedboat. might, however, not be feasible on a model hydroplane. The chine stringer should be square, or nearly square, in section. If not square its greatest dimension should be the vertical. The inwale, besides stiffening the gunwale, serves to support the deck-beams, and should be 2 to 24 times as great vertically as thwartships. The inwale (or “ shelf”) serves a very important purpose as a longitudinal support to the boat, and should not be too light. If the deck-beams are dropped the thickness of the deck below the top of the side (or ** sheer”), the deck can be let in flush. In such case the edge of the plywood forming the side can be protected by putting a beading (covering-board) round the deck about 4in. thick mahogany. If the deck itself is run out over the sides, it is still advisable to fit the covering board. Round the deck openings it will be also advisable to put a little coaming similar to the covering board. It will be seen that two ways of protecting the edges of three-ply are recommended, either by sinking it in a rabbet or sandwich- ing it between two pieces of ordinary wood. As I mentioned, three-ply does not afford good holding for fastenings, and wherever possible (especially where much strain is being encountered) fittings should be screwed to the main members of the structure. If this is not possible, a square of ordinary wood should be glued on the inside of the hull or underside of the deck. When, however, a stiffening piece is being put inside, it will make for additional strength if the stiffening piece has at least one edge butted against one of the main members of the frame. Where a bolt is being put right through with a nut on the inside, the plywood used for hulls still requires backing up with a stiffener to prevent the bolt tearing out. Actually, a round-headed bolt or screw, with a washer under the head, is more suitable to use in plywood than a countersunk screw or bolt. Where, however, it is necessary to use a countersunk head it is desirable to give the inside of the hole a lick round with a small varnish brush to prevent water penetrating the wood. In fact, it certainly does no harm to do this with a round-head screw. The hole for screws in plywood should be made clearing size to avoid tearing the wood outwards. By the way, an ordinary bradawl is not so good for plywood as a pointed awl, and a triangular or square awl better still. In 282 MARINE hull-building, the little brass nails used will be found to penetrate better if the point is snipped off first—almost incredible, but really a fact. One essential of every hull is to get the thing true with both sides alike. Now if the worker tries to juggle with a lot of loose, disconnected bits, he is deliberately making his job more difficult, and also lessening his chance of turning out a good hull, since, unless properly erected, it is almost impossible to line-up properly. This means the use of a building board. To make a building board, take two pieces of wood—one, say, 4in. x lin., and the other, say, 3in. x lin., rather longer than the boat. Screw together firmly in the form of a T with the wider one on top, mark a centreline down the centre and erect transom, stem (or forward transom), and frames on this. The easiest way to do this is to screw alongside the frames, etc., 4in. long pieces of wood, lin. square. Draw pencil lines at right angles across the building board to enable you to get the various members squarely in position. Put a single screw through the pieces of wood from the top to hold in position; then turn over the building board and put two screws through from the under-side. Take out the screw on the topside. When the boat is ready to come off the building board, it is then an easy matter to remove the screws from the under-side. It may be necessary to use packing pieces to raise the frames, etc., to line up, and, in any case, it is better to have the boat a little above the buildingboard for convenience of working. During building, the stem of the T can be held in the vyce, thus setting both hands free for the job. No joints should be made wood to wood, except glued joints. Otherwise varnish or lead paint should be used as a protection. If glue is not being used for any seam, both surfaces should be luted with varnish or paint and put together wet. Glue must, of course, be put on clean, bare wood, so if a surface has already been varnished, varnish should be used, Just two more little tips. If you do not want the fastenings to show in mahogany— say, round a mahogany covering board—use tiny No. 0 copper nails; drive these nearly home, and then snip off the heads. When these are down flush, they will be almost invisible unless you look for them with a magnifying glass. MODELS For model boat-work, always use yacht spar varnish. Ordinary varnish blooms (shows white) in water. As a priming for varnish, use a half-and-half mixture of varnish and turps. For rubbing down, paint or bright (varnished) work use water glasspaper. A super-smooth finish to enamel or varnish can be obtained by rubbing down with a damp chamois leather, using finely-powdered whiting. This is, of course, just the final finishing, and will not take the place of preliminary work. The secret of good finish is a good base to work on. REVIEW Sailing Ship Rigs and Rigging, by Harold A. Underhill. Brown, Son & Ferguson, Ltd., Glasgow. Price 7s. 6d. The title page states that this book contains ‘** Authentic Plans of Famous Vessels of the Nineteeth and Twentieth Centuries.’’ Although correct, this statement might be misleading, since none of the wooden clippers (which were surely the most famous of all sailing ships) figures in the book. In fact, with the sole exception of the snow ‘* Runnymede *’ of 1845, the plans given are of vessels from 1870 onwards. With this minor criticism, we have to congratulate the author and publishers on a most admirable volume. If the model-maker has Kipping’s two text-books on his shelf, he can safely add this work to supplement them. Kipping’s ‘‘ Masting ’’ was published in 1866, and deals with ships at the end of the wooden ship era, about the time when the first iron sailers were just coming in. In placing Mr. Underhill’s book next Kipping’s on his bookshelf, the model-maker will be paying a well-deserved compliment, and with the three volumes he should be able to solve practically any rigging problem on models of vessels from about 1850 onwards. The volume itself consists of four sections: (1) Description of various rigs, with 32 sketches of typical craft; (2) Collection of 33 sail plans, covering many different types and rigs, and including many well-known craft from the ann Preussen *’ to the barquentine ‘* Waterwitch”’’; (3) Diagrams, draw- ings and tables naming masts, spars, sails and rigging with notes on the development of square rig; (4) Glossary of terms. Naturally, the second and third sections are the most interesting and useful to modellers, and in both the reproductions of Mr. Underhill’s drawings are extremely clear, so that every rope can be seen. If this volume goes to a second edition, we would suggest some notes as to when channels went out, when wire-rigging superseded hemp, and the rigging screw ousted deadeyes and lanyards. In the case of one of the minor (yet no less interesting) rigs, the Thames barge, the example selected, though having a most interesting history, does not seem to us really typical, since the mizzen is decidedly smaller than the average. Anyhow, this is a first-rate book, worth 7s. 6d. of any ship-modeller’s money. MARINE MODELS ‘““GLASGOW ”—A TOPSAIL 151 283 SCHOONER OF TONS By G. W. MUNRO a teres, ee wm, (Continued from page 261.) E shall continue the scantlings of our \X/ Schooner by starting this month with the outside plank. All the bottom plank in amidships, up to the Danzig oak thick stuff under the wales, to be 24in. in thickness. The hoodings are to be the same thickness, also the garboard strake is to be 24in. in thickness. The bilge plank is to consist of four strakes on each side 4in. thick. There are to be two thick strakes under the wales, and the wales themselves are to be four in number, each 5in. thick. The black strakes —all the plank of the topsides to be of English oak, and each side to have two—are to be 4in. next to the wales and the one above 3in. topsides are to be 24in. thick. one paint or sheer strake The There is to be 12in. in breadth, including the mouldings, and 3in. in thickness. The sheer strakes are to have 3ft. scarphs, bolted edgeways, with three 3in. diameter bolts, All the outside planking to have no less than 5ft. shift of butts, and three strakes of plank between each; except on the bow or buttock, where they may occasionally be contracted to 4ft., but three strakes must be continued. Butt bolts—all the butts in the bottom are to have two copper bolts in each, one of gin. diameter in the butt timber, and one of jin. diameter in the timber next the butt, to go through all and be clenched on the ceiling plank. Extra bolts—to have a bolt every 3ft. in each of the bilge planks, driven through all and clenched; Zin. in diameter, and of copper. All the butts in the wales and the topsides to be bolted in the same manner as the butts in the batten plank, with the only difference that the butt bolts in the topsides are to be of iron. All the butts in the after-hoods in the bottom to have two copper bolts, to pass through all, and be clenched where they can be got at; they are to be 3in. in diameter. The narrow fore hoods are to be single bolted with jin. diameter copper bolts. The treenails to be all of the best English oak, [4in. in diameter. Inside Work.—The keelson is to be of Danzig oak, and to be in two heights: the lower piece to be 12in. sided and 13in. deep, and the upper piece I14in. sided and 13in. deep. The keelsons to be of sufficient lengths to bolt both to the stem and half-knee, and all the scarphs of the keelsons are to be 6ft. 6in. in length. The scarphs of the lower pieces to be properly secured before the upper pieces are laid on. One of the uppermost pieces of the keelson must be of sufficient length, and so placed as to extend under the foot of both the fore and the main mast; likewise all the scarphs must be placed clear of the keel scarphs and the scarphs of each other. The lower pieces to be stopped down to the floors with a few small bolts, until the upper pieces are fitted; and the whole is to be bolted through both keelsons, every other floor and keel with I4in. diameter copper bolts. The ceiling is to be all English oak; to have one strake next the limbers 3in. thick. These strakes to be bolted down to every floor with 3in. diameter bolts. To have four strakes 10in. in breadth and 4in. in thickness, two to run from stem to stern on each bilge. Thick stuff; there is to be one strake at the first futtock head. The middle strake, or the strake right on the joint, is to be 10in. in breadth and 4in. thick. And the strakes above and below the one at the joint are to be 34in. thick. There is to be one strake to run from stem to stern. The others may be reduced to the thickness of the ceiling plank, 6ft. from the stem and the stern. All these strakes are to be bolted with iron bolts, in. diameter, every two feet throughout the whole length. The ceiling from the last-mentioned thick stuff to the clamps for the ’tween deck beams is to be 24in. thick. Clamps for the ‘tween deck beams: there is to be one strake, lin. in breadth and 4in. thick, to be hook scarphed, and this scarph to be 4ft. long. The scarphs in the clamps for the hold beams are to be bolted edgeways with three in. diameter bolts. And the clamps to be bolted to every timber with in. diameter iron bolts. (To be concluded.) erXxon!Ha}I’m2i 8sfoe’i=pl‘/4abEF0;): ‘4 fie 7 apsPet ‘-‘o=‘fSrfy7—/NsaG'” 1a1e.¢’In|Hhi |!!1ie;|St’|‘1 :!’. oieHiHTe eoat.vh7aesea\DZzSoSyCogSO7=A.iWe44/?6f+)\yN¥}4’Ilin’G’H~H;Msobs‘as‘:’1t!2w6Iv‘|\|t5bA.1\Myfhy}![|–mO=-—3FN=Fd2eaiLJR+”aIe1=/fae‘8+})lsTv|5odlTWa!Y]t3o.41{_»t\’!=s)Ap.“4g;Aya/\S:2\’|!1{5pw-~ofh4$eiJhnC-&p‘—(‘;/HC—_’iLJf4ytlHbte’Lh7, w s = c e d s i c n s e w o e e . 5 r ‘:! 4|E‘CiUaN\N‘e’Y‘“tri\\l. he p aJ’p‘t:e|A4)pims:’e“dr4ay’t[ ;ter iAaaltbs‘i!’ e’‘’ ‘‘ | t‘ ‘ TWt a Iarce|iosSEee he 1PONGY ‘F t1s to\ yWe;: s H‘I! )i| ‘’}r|! ‘p I ‘” 4( MARINE =a :.‘4(‘si1-!5 | I ‘ H ‘ on a SuyE S 2 ‘iN’|=a/evyb ‘hpae’\({FAB!SgLt}y»Yn ‘\Si(|ya»lms! i-1.rTx | | 284 MODELS :;‘1anN| 4p-—+b©]h{F7}! — + FH MARINE a | 1 MODELS | | a ie 285 TOPS AIL iv Ge | SCHOONER ay 1 _ “GLASGOW” eo afc Sly 151 TONS ‘ T ‘ “im ‘ ‘ l T ‘ ‘ ‘ | ‘ From the original drawing By P. HEDDERWICK Do. for Tonnage Breadth of Frame Do. for Tonnage Depth of Hold aa as De Oe aie a | Ca an atl Ge: SS Oe Ds a A a 64’ 71’ 21’ 22’ 13’ CF WO Length of Keel © DIMENSIONS : Os ie ‘ i \ | ‘ -~–+—\ ate i = –T– | t b:Of.|L80°!6-l{Z9g€7ao¢nE1s24 [,b9e||62(Sb91fe[tmhl5rcE]PMAsoT:.Lry]5BOa-zstB87-20p6°4)yiPl.Z)azFYq;o8wn: 7EO°09-1]$*/4|tczHeomTngidS8B;P¢bZlO-F07z|4t$ A|[T9re|esffiomfAalvmWais).l)cNrc]eLXopeRl)PPiSt!.[ofur)|ATeWTnPe}[riso-fozmaIe-iz)cNl]:XYfWps|tPy[||Tf.ioceIeTltb|TAPusisWoV9-![f[rNag)scbia]oLXbPVRzr 286 MARINE MODELS |M”[P‘mT;WS4I7Y)}]’ |taf.F[€oPrveci90zbs]8:-md°)T - – aw id 3 { 4 Wn EayoIW0S:38“m|91426fjSb|FPleor.[apsaio!Nl7E]-sefTw95s|pczz,=tAELILWCN3d~1Jt)S>iz91($5-7oHLMFSIN“ONBIOLSWAMA MARINE B“aOyse—Cgmo-nprDN+=I)L.Wi’ MODELS 287 288 MARINE MODELS Oa Ms. ces: = Aner = \4 = f = ows KA [As the space available for Club News and Racing Reports 1s limited, Club Secretaries are requested to make their reports brief andto the pomt.—EpITOR, MARINE MopELs. | BRADFORD M.Y.C. We are very pleased to report that our sailing water is now up to its normal height once more. The following open events have been arranged for the Easter and Whitsun holidays, and we shall be glad to welcome members from other clubs to take part in the races. No waders required :— April 15. 4-class team race, prizes. 16. A-class ** Bradford *’ Cup, and 2 prizes. 17. 10-r. ‘* Claro ’’ Cup, and 2 prizes. 18. 6-m. *‘ Wade “’ Cup, and 2 prizes. June 5. 36in. Rest., 3 prizes. The club events are as follows :— April 10. (Sun.) A-class *‘ Temple ’’ Cup. May 1. xs 10-r. “* Hirst:’? Cup: 8. »» 36in. Rest. ‘* Brayshaw ’’ Cup. 21. (Sat.) ‘* Mirfield *’ Trophy. June 4. », ‘* Sidney Carter ’’ Cup (1937). Jit. », 20. Ms 4. », July 2. », Oct. 30. (Sun.) Nov. 6. » 13, , Dec. 27. CITY 6m. ** Vernon Dawson “’ Cup. A-class ‘* Atkinson ’’ Trophy. ** Sidney Carter ’’ Cup (1938). 10-r., prizes. 6m., prizes. » A-class, prizes. 36in. Rest., prizes. 4-class team race, 4 prizes. J. P. CLAPHAM. OF BIRMINGHAM M.Y.C. The Ninth Annual General Meeting was held at the Chamber of Commerce, New Street, Birmingham, on December 10th, 1937, the Commodore, S. P. Drury, presiding. The Minutes of the eighth Annual General Meeting having been read and signed, the Hon. Treas. presented the Statement of Accounts and the Balance Sheet. The financial position showed an improvement notwithstanding additional _ liabilities undertaken by the club. In reviewing the activities of 1937, the Hon. Secretary made reference to the sailing of the National 10-rater Championship on our water at Whitsuntide, being the fourth year in succession the water had been used for that purpose. Those who saw the last heat of the 1937 race, will long remember the fine sight presented by the eight pairs of boats on the water at one time, making the winning line ‘‘ in one.’’ The ** McDonald ‘’ Trophy contest called for comment. It maintained its popularity, eight clubs being represented, the Trophy going to Birkenhead. The event of the year, he pointed out, which was of a peculiar interest was the race between our first Marblehead boat and a 36in. Unrestricted boat. This was the result of a challenge to test the racing qualities of these boats. The 36in. had this year been a winner at Llandudno, and by that it must be inferred that she would be no mean oppo- nent to the boat of the longer L.W.L. When the race was sailed, conditions were as_ near perfect as could be. Five rounds were sailed. Result: Marblehead, ‘* Oundle,”” 19 points; 36in. Unrestricted, ‘* Saba,”’ 6. A Oundle ‘”is plank-built, from the MARINE Mopets ‘* Pocahontas,’’ design. ‘*‘ Saba’’ is a ** bread-and-butter ’’ built boat, designed recently by E. B. Savage, approximating more to the ** John Evans ’’ type, rather than to ‘* Santabel.’’ The sequel: Mr. Savage has designed a Marblehead, and the boat is building—in fact, is well under way. During an interval in the business of the meeting the club Trophies and Prizes won during 1937 were presented. The election of officers and committee for 1938 resulted in the following changes taking place: Added to list of Vice-Presidents, S. P. Drury. Commodore, E. W. Builder. Vice-Commodore, A. Osborne. Hon. Auditor, E. A. Bates. Racing Hon. Secretary, H. E. Williams. Added to Committee, E. A. Bates. In considering the coming season, the possibility of sailing the ** McDonald’’ Trophy contest at Whitsuntide was agreed to, in the event of our water not being required for another purpose, and acceptable to us. ** Ronald ’ ’ Trophy. The first race had been won by ‘* Cunior”’ (J. H. Cunningham). It was presented to the club by Mr. D. G. M. Walker, for annual competition by the Marblehead boats; the replica to go to the first winner of that type. Until we have sufficient Marbleheads the class to compete is decided by Annual General Meeting. Is there a possibility of the replica being won this year? If not, the 6-m. will sail for the Trophy, as Se 10raters did this past year. CLAPHAM GOES M.Y.C The club’s Annual General Meeting was held on January 9, and was rather poorly attended. No doubt the ancient Clapham custom of holding a meeting on a fine Sunday morning had much to do with this, and we suspect that the excellent sailing breeze prevailing at the time proved too great a temptation to many. The chair was taken, as usual, by Mr. A. J. Hugo, and thanks +o his able management, the meeting concluded its business in a comparatively short time. Two changes were made in the list of officers: Mr. F. H. Fitzjohn replaces Mr. J. Wagstaff, as Measurer, with Messrs. D. Knight and N. D. Hatfield as his assistants, and Mr. D. A. Macdonald takes over the Secretaryship from Mr. C. V. Hooper. Will other clubs please note name and address of new Secretary, as follows: D. A. Macdonald, 54, MARINE Chestnut Grove, Balham, S.W.12, and advise him of any inter-club races for which entries from Clapham are invited. M. A. C. DARLINGTON M.Y.C. The club started its winter programme, after long delay, on January 9. It had been intended to race for the Vice-Commodore’s Trophy monthly, start- ing in September, but each time races had to be cancelled through excess of weed, or lack of wind, or water. As we usually get our best sailing during the winter, and the only times when there has been any wind the pond has been frozen, we have felt hardly used! However, we are away at last! Four hardy (or foolhardy) skippers turned out on a very discouraging morning, and had some good sport. Wind light and tricky, just not raining; course, a close reach and a run. As the pond-sides were very muddy, retrimming was not a pleasant job. We finished before dinner-time, just as a nice steady breeze sprang up. Competition for this Trophy is keen. It is awarded for the highest aggregate points in the monthly races from Septem- ber to May, and last season was won by two points on a total of about 170. O. H. WICKSTEED, Hon. Sec. HASTINGS AND ST. LEONARDS M.Y.C. The Annual General Meeting was held on January 6, at the Metropole Hotel, thanks to the kindness of the proprietor, Mr. Gildersleeve. Our President, Rear-Admiral H. E. Dannreuther, was, as usual, in the chair, while we also had the pleasure of the company of Mrs. Dannreuther, who presented the various Trophies. Also present were: Councillors Goldman, Dr. F. B. Lewis, J.P., and W. C. Gentry, and about 60 of the club members. During the evening Councillor Goldman formally- presented the club with the Trophy for Open International Marblehead Competition. Commodore and Mrs. Adie were then presented with a Trophy in recognition of their services to the club in connection with the 1937 M.Y.C. Exhibition, while our secretary, Mr. Balcombe, was the recipient of a silver cigarette case in appreciation of his work for the club since its foundation. Mrs. Dannreuther then presented the Club Trophies to the various winners and, in return, was asked to accept one of the club’s silver badges as a memento of the occasion. The club is still handicapped by the want of a good sailing water, although there are indications of better prospects, but we shall have to be content where we are for the next season. The footand-mouth restrictions have now been lifted, and some members are again to be seen at Ecclesbourne Reservoir, in spite of the mud. Several new models have already made their appearance, and there is every indication of enthusiastic attendance during the coming season. : H. P.’V. LONDON MODEL YACHT LEAGUE The Annual General Meeting of the London League was held on January 15, at the ‘* Woolpack,’’ Moorfields. The five constituent clubs were well represented. The report of the year’s racing showed that conditions during the past season had not been satis- 289 | MODELS factory in regard to the successful conclusion of several of the meetings. It was therefore decided that during the coming year the races for the ** Stanton ”’ Cup. should be held on a Sunday in respect of the rounds held at Highgate, Kensington and Wimbledon, and on a Saturday at Clapham and Forest Gate. The position will be reviewed at the next Annual General Meeting. The election of officers brought to light the unwelcome fact that Mr. A. J. Ford did not wish to He continue in his position of Hon. Secretary. has, for the past three years, carried out his duties in a highly efficient manner, and it was with regret that the delegates bowed to his decision. The officers for 1938 are: President, Mr. W. Bliss; Vice- Presidents, Messrs. Cooper, Hood, Hugo and Piper; Commodore, Mr. H. G. Howard; Vice-Commodore, Mr. C. V. Hooper; Hon. Treasurer, Mr. O. Stein- berger; Official Measurer, Mr. J. Sutherland; Hon. Secretary, Mr. J. H. Yorston. Finances are giving the League no cause for worry, and a similar programme to that of last season will be carried out. Fixtures are as follows :— First Round—M.Y.S.A. (Kensington), Sun., Mar. 20. Second Round—Clapham M.Y.C., Sat., April 30. Third Round—Highgate M.Y.C., Sun., June 26. Fourth Round—Forest Gate M.Y.C., Sat., Sept. 3. League Championship—South-Western M.Y.C., Sat., Sept. 24. Fifth Round—South-Western M.Y.C., Sun., Sept, 25 It is hoped that this season will see all rounds satisfactorily concluded in their entirety. | me ie Y.M. 6m. O.A. (SURBITON) As reported last month, the racing season is now over, and sailing recently has been intermittent only. The weather has been most unfavourable, and but. one week-end since the Annual General Meeting in December was sufficiently clement to ° tempt any but the hardiest of sailors out-of-doors. The models under construction should have benefited accordingly, and we understand that one at least of the five will be launched this month. Of the remainder, we have no immediate news except that work on Mr. Daniels’ boat has been held up by illness. It appears that in the early part of the new racing season at least, the ‘‘ last year’s models ”’ will have it all their own way, but these com- prise a goodly company for, in addition to ‘‘Naiad,”’ ** Fantasy ’’ and ‘‘ Aktis,’’ previously referred to, the fleet includes other notable craft. Mr. Gosnell still pins his faith on *‘ Janet,’’ and hopes also to pin the national flag to the leech of his mainsail at no distant date. (Chorus of rival skippers, ‘‘ Sew, sew “‘!) ‘‘ Janet ”’ sailed so well in the 1937 Championship that no one who saw her performance, especially in the last stages of the racing, can doubt that Mr. Gosnell’s hopes are well justified. Capt. Inglis’ ‘‘ Turner *’ boat, a very handsome craft with black hull and bright metal spars, should also prove a worthy opponent for the best. She might well be included with the new boats for, though she sailed last season in several races, we feel sure that with a little more ‘*‘ tuning up ”’ she will do even better than in the past. Amongst the older boats, mention must be made of the Secretary’s ‘* Mary-Too.’’ Although nearly 10 years old, 290 MARINE she scored five wins in six starts last season in club racing, a record of which Mr. Feltwell may well be proud. We trust that this ‘* mustering ‘of thé fleet’’ at the Rick Pond will not be regarded by our Staders +e as mere pointless ostentation. There is a purpose in view, which we may now disclose. We have a number of attractive open races during the season, and, although these have, in the past, been enthusiastically supported by Eastbourne and Gosport, we would welcome visitors from the North, and we feel certain that nothing is so likely to achieve this as a frank account of the quality of the racing, both as to boats and skippers, likely to be encountered at the Rick Pond. Fleetwood’s hospitality has been largely enjoyed by our skippers. Why not give us a chance to return it? Bradford, Huddersfeld, Birkenhead and Birmingham are all within reach of Surbiton over a long week-end. The *‘ Glenham”’ Cup race will be held in May, and the actual date will be advertised later in these pages, but it 1s not too early now to make up your mind to be represented. Come to the Rick Pond and have a good time. If you take away a ** pot,’’ we can promise that it will not be with tears we shall fill it. CALEDON. THE MODEL YACHTING FLEET B’ the courtesy of Mr. W. H. Bauer, Registrar of the M.Y.A., we are again able to give readers the numbers of yachts of each recagnised class now appearing in the Association’s Register:— New Registrations Total No. during 1937. registered. 10-rater ae ae 78 A-class a sb 12-metres q o 6-metres 36in. Restricted 30in. Restricted Ls a oe 36 459 8 222 236 2255 47 67 — 412 316 9 In connection with the above figures it must be pointed out that the figures given can only be considered as approximate, since many boats have been broken up or _ transferred to non-affiliated clubs. The re-registration of others is overdue. If readers compare these figures with those of previous years, therefore, certain discrepancies will be noticed. This is also due to the fact that there are blocks of unused numbers, which have been left blank for various reasons. MODELS Looking at the figures, it will be seen that the 10-rater is still much the most popular class in the country, and that only in the little 361n. Restricted class has anything like the same number of new boats been built. The 6-m. class has not made quite the same degree of progress, as represented by new constructions, as in 1936. This may be due to the fact that an extra large number were built in 1936, owing to the change of rule rendering many old boats obsolete. The 36in. class a year ago was only just ahead of the 12-m. in point of numbers, but it has now gone right ahead of it, and appears to be gradually overtaking the 6-m. and A-class. The same nine boats of the 30in. Restricted class still appear on the Register, and as there seems little likelihood of the class becoming popular in organised club racing, it seems almost a farce to have a class of nine boats dignified by recognition as a national class. By the time these lines appear in print, it will have been settled by the Annual General Meeting of the M.Y.A. whether the International Marblehead class is to be recognised as a British National class. It is, however, now used by eight or more clubs in the kingdom, and there must be a considerable number of the boats in existence. MESSRS. DENNIS & SMITH Se newly-founded firm of Dennis & Smith (see Advertisement Columns) intends to cater extensively for model-makers’ requirements in the way of tools and materials. One of the principals, Mr. Dennis, was manager to Messrs. Gray, of Clerkenweil Road, so should have full knowledge of what is needed. One of the firm’s first productions is a range of finger planes. These are specially intended for hollowing out model hulls and similar purposes. Having used planes of this type, we can speak with experience of their great utility. They certainly do far better and faster work than the small roundbottomed wooden planes often used. As a matter of fact, however, by no means all model builders even possess these wooden planes, but rely entirely on gouges. Our advice is to invest in a pair of finger planes immediately. They will soon save their cost in labour. The planes advertised are extremely well made with brass bodies, and have irons that are real irons (not merely looking like them). When one first looks at a finger plane, one may doubt whether they are ‘‘ man enough” to hollow-out a large model, but in use it is astonishing what these little fellows will shift, and the speed with which work can be done. MARINE S URE! You never can tell. Since our last effusion burst upon an astonished world (of model yachting) various remarks, clothed in lamblike concern, but obviously ** meant sarcastic,’’ have reached us. Secure in the possession of an unpuncturable epidermis, we cast them aside in contemptuous disregard, with sorrow for ungrateful humanity. Yow! The hardy “salts ’’ of Saltcoats deprecate any suggestion of a close season in model yachting, and many members of the local club have gaily continued cruising on every available opportunity right through the winter—rain, hail, snow or tempest notwithstanding. We admire their devoted hardihood. Among these enthusiasts Capt. Jas. Blair, the well-known Clyde yachting skipper, was prominent, sailing his model with all the verve and enthusiasm he would display handling a trim yacht during the Clyde fortnight. There must be some fascination in the “‘ little ships ’’’ when men of his calibre exhibit such intense interest in them. Have we not constantly before us such instances? ‘‘ The sajlor home from the sea,’’ spending his leisure, not *‘ down at the farm,’’ which is the fabled lodestar of seamen, but building and sailing models. And how many clubs find their staunchest support in practical sailors? Whatever substratum of truth there may be in the *‘ pull ”’ of the frozen North, or the Dark Continent, or Coral Islets, one thing is certain, and that is, no sailorman is ever content away from the restless life and murmur of the wave and shipping. Even model shipping. After which digression (we cannot help it, Mr. Editor), we will get back to Saltcoats. An excellent feature of the winter activities is a gathering of members every Wednesday evening at the yacht room. Here, in an atmosphere of cordial sociability, many and varied discussions pass the hours away in a valuable exchange of ideas and opinions. (On model yachting subjects and problems, Mr. Editor.) There are a number of new models under way, and the fleet will be increased by six 6-m., a 12-m., and one A-class, when the summer season opens. The club committee meets regularly every fortnight, is invariably well attended, and there is a general resolution to make 1938 the ‘* best ever.”’ The club desires us to convey ‘‘ the best of luck and the best of everything in this and every year “’ to all friends, adding ‘‘ although by the time this appears 1938 will be well under way.’’ Certainly. Good wishes from sincere friends are always welcome, and never too late. At the West of Scotland the stocks hold two new sixes and there are also two or three A-class under construction, which should ensure interesting comparisons Whiteinch. from when There active is the conventional a racing tendency ‘‘ Open is resumed to break Regattas ’’ at away on the part of the club members, and a reluctance even from participation in Championships, and to en- MODELS 291 courage inter-club matches instead, as being more conducive to sportsmanship and good feeling. This is due to the far from cordial atmosphere that has prevailed at several ‘‘ open ’’ events lately. It is an unfortunate reality which needs to be faced; glossing it over will never improve conditions. One of the most inclement evenings experienced this winter mitigated against the usual large attend- ance at the West of Scotland club presentation of prizes and social gathering held on January 14. The Secretary’s review of the past season commented upon the satisfactory progress of the 6-m. class, which had provided the most consistent entry in club races throughout. As has already been mentioned in our last issue, *‘ Clutha’’ was the most successful of the fleet. Mr. A. W. K. Rodrick’s ** Violet,”’ and Mr. P. J. McGregor’s ‘* Nike,’’ also had a successful season, running second and third respectively in the aggregate points. Other winning 6-m. were: ‘* Charmée *’ (C. F. Arthur), *‘ Dubitas “’ (J. McKinnon), *‘ Itsit *’ (J. Brackenbury) and ** Invicta ’’ (G. W. Munro). In open competitions ** Violet ’’ took second place in both the Scottish and British Championship. The 12-m. class, on the other hand, has been almost entirely dormant, and the fleet remained anchored in the boat-house, except for the two old stagers, ‘* Sybil ’’ (Mr. A. W. K. Rodrick), and ‘* Hinba ’’ (J. McKinnon), who hammered away at one another and kept the 12-m. flag flying, albeit somewhat limply. The two 12-m. Cups, however, were each contested by seven competitors, and the ** Ailsa ’’ went to Commodore A. E. Campbell (*‘‘ Ellora ’’), with J. McKinnon (‘‘ Hinba ’’) taking the ‘* Calcutta.’’ The A-class continues to make progress, and, while it is still not numerous, the races are keenly contested in a sporting and friendly spirit, which is most refreshing, and the prospective advent of several new models wiil enhance interest in the class this year at Whiteinch. The ** Saskia ’’ Cup, presented by Mr. A. S. L. Young, M.P., went to ‘* Edithe ”’ (P. J. McGregor), for the second successive occasion. ** Trex ’? (A. W. K. Rodrick), second, and ‘* Gem ”’ (G. W. Munro), third. The ‘* Lewis’s “’ Cup was won by ‘‘Flo”’ (H. Miller, against entries from Paisley and the West, inch, and retained by the same model at Challenge Saltcoats), at WhiteSaltcoats, upon the subsequent challenge by the West of Scotland club. Something for any owner to be proud of. A cinematographic display by Mr. C. F. Arthur was somewhat tantalising, as after a par- ticularly enjoyable hour or so, a valve, or it may have been a lamp, gave out and the second half of the programme had to be abandoned. It is interesting to learn that our friend Mr. John Black is building a 6-m., and we sincerely hope he will endeavour to enter it for the ‘‘ Robertson ” Cup race in Glasgow this year. If it is possible for him to attend personally and sail the race our We understand the pleasure will be magnified. 292 MARINE — MODELS model in | question is from the design of the 8-m ** Gipsy ’’ (which raced ‘* Caryll ’’ for the ** Sea- wanhaka ’’ Cup) from the boneth of Frank C. Payne, of Boston, modified for the 6-m. rating, and her dimensions are: overall, 66in.; waterline, 40in.; beam, I14in.; displacement, 26.6 lb.; sail area, 1,160 sq. in. A challenge to a match has been presented to Mr. A. Arroll by Mr. Black, and, doubtless, will be accepted. How appropriate it would be if both these outstanding skippers could also meet in the ‘** Robertson ‘’ Cup. How about it? Quite a few new 6m., inspired by Wm. M. Smith, of Largs, are under construction, and the performance of these various examples will be keenly watched during the coming season. One is on the stocks at Saltcoats, two at Largs, and several designs have been provided for American owners. Some interest is manifest in the new rig, originating in Norway, in which a stayless mast revolves by means of a sheet at the foot when reefing is requisite. The mast works in a drum below deck with bearing wheels at the deck level, and no foresail is carried. Boats so fitted are said to be exceptionally fast to windward, and Uffa Fox, the small-boat expert, commends it very highly as representing a progressive innovation. This idea is worthy of experiment with models. We always look forward to the American News page from C. O. Brook month by month. It comes as a breath of fresh sea air itself with its breezy phraseology, redolent of the robust virility of the New World. Or, is it not so new? Anyway, it brings a novel interest for us, and a viewpoint of worth, forbye. As it happens, remarks with regard to the 50-800 class coincide with our own incursion into the topic in our last issue. There is no need to labour the matter, but we hope we have made it understood that we have no shadow of a desire to retard the 50’s, and, in substance, largely agree with the opinions expressed by our confrére. And now, ** C. O.,’’ what about joining friends Black and Arrol, and bringing that 6-m. you are now honour-bound to build, over to Bonnie Scotland for the ** Robertson ’’ Cup, this season? Real hands across the sea, and we might provide a whiff of Scottish nectar to cement the fact. We have just returned from seeing the film ** Captains Courageous,’’ and would recommend any model yachtsman, or anyone else, in fact, who has not seen it, to do so at the first opportunity. The sea scenes are vivid and wonderfully produced, and there is a lesson for all of us in this picture. (Perhaps Mr. Editor will be charging us advertisement rates for this.) Appertaining Huh! exclusively to Model Yachting? SCOTICUS. HOW TO DESCRIBE AN ELLIPSE HE Dictionary describes an ellipse as a ale regular oval, and it is the shape one gets if a tube is cut off at an angle. Occasionally the model-maker requires to draw an ellipse for some purpose—for instance, an oval funnel, or hatch. There are various methods of doing this, but the most convenient is the old method with a piece of string. Many readers may know this, but it may be new to others, so it is given here. Suppose it is required to draw an ellipse having a length of AB and a breadth of CD. Draw these accordingly, having their intersection at E. With centre C and radius equal to AE (half the longitudinal axis) describe a circle, cutting AB at F and G. Insert two drawing pins, or something similar, at F and G. Take a piece of string and make a loop having a length equal to AG. Put this over the two pins F and G, and, inserting a pencil in the loop (as at H), test for length to ensure that the line will pass exactly through the points, A, B, C, D. The ellipse can now be drawnin full. The diagram will make the modus operandi perfectly clear, and, as a matter of fact, the ellipse in it was drawn in this way. A NEW CLUB AT CHELTENHAM E hear that a new club has been formed WV under the title of the Cheltenham Model Engineering Club. It caters for model loco, aero, and marine enthusiasts, there being a special Marine Section for the latter. Both power and sail are included, and it is hoped to obtain the use of the lake in Pittville Gardens. There are already over 20 members, and marine modellers living in Cheltenham are requested to get into touch with the Hon. Secretary, J. S. Burgess, 3, Melton Road, St. Marks, Cheltenham. FOR SALE 36-in. RESTRICTED CLASS YACHT, NEW. Bermuda rig. Full keel. Good design. Soundly constructed. Sails and fittings first class. £6/0/0 complete. Apply: J. Grosse, 108, Great. Guildford Street, London, S.E.1. Telephone : Wat. 6540. MARINE MODELS AMERICAN 293 NEWS By C. O. BROOK (Hon. Secretary, Eastern Division of M.Y.R.A.A.) HE venue bids for 1938 look interesting. So T far, Charles Farley, Secretary of the M.Y.R.A.A., has heard from Berkeley (Cal.) M.Y.C. and Long Beach (Cal.) M.Y.C., asking for the National Championship event of the 50-800 class. Grand Rapids (Mich.) M.Y.C. wants the Aclass Championship, Boston (Mass.) M.Y.C. wants the A-class Challenger races, and Deeper Hudson (N.Y.) wants the dates of August 6-7 held for their regatta in the 50-800 class. They start to *‘ shoot ”’ early to avoid being left in the ‘** soup.”’ December 30 has been set as a ‘‘dead-line’’ for clubs who seek to gain any of the National races. Secretaries must not blame the M.Y.R.A.A. Executive Committee if they do not vote in their favour for events, if you sent in late. Notices were sent out. Looks as though we had to be on the job in the future. Have not heard from South Jersey M.Y.C.. about the pool being built for them; we should like to know what progress they are making. The Seaforth M.Y.C., sailing at Belmont Lake, L.I., N.Y., is a new club with 16 members, all sailing the 50-800 class. Another new club is the Atlantic M.Y.C., of Amityville, L.I., N.Y. Both have sought membership in the Eastern Division, and the M.Y.R.A.A., so here’s good luck to both new clubs. Secretaries are: of the first, George Embertin, 351, Vincent Avenue, Lynbrook, L.I., N.Y., and of the second, C. A. Heisterkamp, Room 512, Empire State, Inc., New York City. Mr. John Black, President of the International Model Yacht Racing Union, has asked that the agitation re the 50-800 class rules cease. Many want the rules changed back to their original standing, but minor changes were felt necessary, and, according to Mr. Black, have been approved by Roy Clough, Hon. President of the Eastern Division, and the originator of the class. Well, argument over any matter shows interest—let the arguments wax long; but let them be friendly and constructive. The Canadian National Authority were extremely grateful for the manner in which the Americans made welcome their representative, Mr. Tom Honey, of the Dominion. We had loads of that welcome for all that might have come from other shores. 1938, we hope, will be the time of several Nations meeting the Americans at Boston. We hope that skippers who have the fun of sail- ing in events each week, will also have the success of the sport at heart enough to register their models. Howa skipper cart go on, season after season, and not appreciate this simple obligation is beyond me. The sport needs these finances to carry on for you. Why not “carry on, old Top? “’ 1937 shows 114 A-class and 292 of the 50’s registered; that isn’t even one-fourth enough. Fifty cents a year for a 50, and $1 a year for an A-class is not a lot to pay for a season’s fun. Just received a letter that had to be translated before I could read it. Senor Enrique Julio Aguiar, of Calie Washington, No. 275, Montevideo, Repub-lica O. del Uruguay, wants information on where to buy fittings for models—(advertisers, please note!). I have advised him to get busy on a model yacht club. The rest is up to the advertisers. I also called his attention to this Magazine for advertise- ments—so it may work both ways. South Jersey M.Y.C. has just gained a whole family as members—Mr. and Mrs. Ed. Kershaw, and their son, Nelson. They sawa race last spring, got interested, built two models and joined the S.J.M.Y.C. They have almost completed their third model, so that all three members of the family— Mom, Pop and the boy—can enter as a unit. It is with the deepest sorrow that I have just received a letter from our friend Bill Bithell, Jnr., that his Dad (and Mate) met with a very serious accident. He fell 14 feet, landed on the side of his head, and has been in the hospital ever since. He is, at time of writing, paralysed on the right side, and has lost his power of speech. I am sure everyone who reads this will join me in hoping for a very speedy recovery for this veteran skipper. Our sympathy extends to his family—may they soon have Dad safely home with them. Commodore Archie Downie, of the Jersey City M.Y.C., is an enthusiastic official. How he boasts about the members of his club, taking no ‘* glory unto himself,’’ should make those members work like cess. Trojans Well, to we make found his term them a of real office crowd a suc- when they came to our event. Charles E. Wanker, of the Prospect Park M.Y.C., is another of these enthusiasts with the A-class. He asks me if I ever heard of the ‘‘ Eagle ’’ Cup. Yes, skipper, and a few more letters like that and I’ll have to enter the 1938 races for it. I can only hope for a mild day that does not leave me gasping for breath in bilge water under the seat. I am no ** spring chicken,’ except when I am in a party of ‘*‘ hands ’’ from the old men’s home. I’d like to possess that Cup, and perhaps I may. And just now I received a letter from a Chas. R. Lombard, of 186, Cottage Street, South Portland, Maine, asking for information about model yachts. He has evidently started to build a model of the J-class ‘* Rainbow.’’ I made haste to advise him to forget the ‘‘Rainbow”’ and to build to the 50-800 class and the A-class. Many beginners make the same mistake, and end up sadly discouraged—building a prototype model to exact scale and expecting it to sail—they just won’t do it with success. That young “* vet.,”’ Bill Bithell, is building a new A-class, with the avowed intention of taking the Challenger event. He builds a nicely balanced boat, and knows how to get the most out of it. Certainly those who compete will find their work cut out for them—no matter who enters. It will be more than a test of boats—it will mean the utmost in skill of sailing with a minimum of error. The Long Island M.Y.C. have made plans for many trips in 1938. Those boys don’t mind travelling, and distance means nothing to them. All that matters is that they have entered in the events. They have some mighty able skippers, and boats to match. I believe Tex Foster is the first in their club to attain an A-class model; we can look for them to compete in more events than ever now. We are in hope that the U.S. Government, State, County and Community officials will soon rub the sleep from their eyes, and realise that model yachting is an International sport. Then, and then only, 294 MARINE MODELS can we hope to secure suitable bodies of water to sail on. As our Ambassador, K. Baumgarten, of the Washington M.Y.C., recently found, ** When they do become interested in the sport enough to listen to the facts, they immediately call in some * landscape artist,’ who proceeds to lay out a pond with rock gardens in the centre, several fountains spouting all over the water, and massive weeping willow trees along the bank, and several hundred row-boats for visitors—and the pond in a deepened valley, surrounded with hills.”’ Perhaps that is cynical, but we must be patient with ‘* kindergarten pupils.”’ I am, like the Editor of this Magazine, somewhat astounded that there are readers like the one referred to in his Editorial in the December issue. Yet, the first time I wrote to the Editor, I clearly remember a crude sketch I sent him of my impression of the attitude of a few writers, to wit: making mud cakes for someone, and handing them to the Editor to hurl. It does seem unfair. After all, an Editor is a human being. Really, folks, he is not a machine, neither is he a quadrupedal animal. He works day after day, and into the wee hours of the morning, to make something by which you and I might be entertained, and from which he might make use of his ability to provide the necessities of life. Why, then, when he writes something which he believes his readers want to know, must he receive sharp and stinging rebuke from one or two of his readers. From my point of view, and those of most whom I talk with, there is not one single item by the Editor that warrants any but kindly comment. I can sympathise with him more sincerely, because after each article that appears with my signature, I receive a letter from some quarter ‘‘ scolding ’’ me for inaccuracy in names, dates, scores, etc. In this connection, I might say that I have to depend on club members to acquaint me with data, or I make careful copies from the Press. If these are not correct, I beg your indulgence; some of the writing is not legible, or the writers make a mistake, which they never “* proofread “’ for correction, and, since all these articles are sent in voluntarily by the writer, I beg those who send me matter from their events, to read their letters a second and third time to catch mistakes; and, when written in long-hand, to ask someone else to ‘‘ try ’’ and read it. After all, we are making a serious effort to build the sport with no thought of personal gain. Let’s not be harsh with Editors and scribes; let’s argue, friendlily, all we will, but leave the sharp retorts out of discussions. The model yacht club I mentioned in the December issue has gone ahead with rapid step. This now bears the name, Schuyler Model Yacht Club. They have completed 12 of the 50-800 class models, and 18 of the 30in. class. They have adopted a flag—navy blue triangle, with a yellow band completely around it, and the letters S.M.Y.C. in red on the blue field. Some of their models are of exceptional merit in both construction and finish. From February 18-26, model yachtsmen will have their first opportunity to take part in the Sportsman’s Show, held at the Grand Central Palace. This has been made possible through the efforts of that veteran skipper, Fred Pigeon, of the Boston M.Y.C., who secured a space 100ft. long. This shouid give greater impetus to the sport, as there are several hundred thousand spectators expected to attend; and that is something. THE ‘*‘ BROOKLYN DAILY EAGLE ’’ CUP The dates engraved on the plinth go back to 1896, and the Trophy is now sailed for by the A-class OBITUARY THE LATE Mr. B. E. GARBUTT I regret to have to report the sudden death, on January 14, of our Co-Treasurer, Mr. B. E. Garbutt, at the age of 58. Mr. Garbutt was universally loved and respected by all with whom he came in contact, and I am sure all his friends will join in an expression of the deepest sympathy with his widow and other members of his family. Mr. Garbutt was one of the pluckiest men I have ever met, having carried on for the last few years against continued ill-health, and, in fact, died only a few hours after his return from the bank of which he was branch manager. Regarding his model yachting activities, he was an ardent disciple of Rear-Admiral Turner, and built two A-class and one 6-m. to his designs, the workmanship and accuracy of all three being as near perfect as it is possible to be. In addition to the above, he has built several beautifully-finished show models of early square-riggers, and was actually engaged in completing another one at the time of his death. J. P. CLAPHAM. MARINE MODELS 295 THE FLAW IN THE “A” CLASS RULE E publish below some of our readers’ opinions on the subject raised by Dr. Theodore W. _ Houk in his article published last month, It will be seen that considerable differences of opinion exist.—EpIToR, M.M. IMAGINARY QUANTITIES. Sir,—The discovery of an anomaly in the A-class rating formula is amusing, and Dr. Houk, of Seattle, must be allowed his little joke. Let us see, however, where we must go before we reap his promised advantages in a 50in. L.W.L. A-class model. Its minimum displacement to avoid penalty is 41.8lb. approximately, and his danger point is not reached until her all-in weight is reduced below 5.21 lb. This is lighter than most of us can build to, I fear, and it leaves a negative quantity for ballast probably. Never mind. Dr. Houk’s allowance of sail has been penalised to about 650 sq. in. already, and I suggest that any advantages derived by reducing the all-in weight still more below this gossamer figure in order to increase the sail area to any amount the designers wish are purely imaginary. Moreover, his 20ft. sloop is imaginary, as it is evident at sight that she cannot be granted a certificate. So here we are left with imaginary craft, imaginary lumps of ballast under immense sail plans that will lie flat in the water and possess imaginary driving power. Imaginary quantities are tricky things to deal with, and here is an old chestnut for Dr. Houk to try on his financial advisers, as I notice he bursts into finance in his letter. The square root of minus one is imaginary and is known as iota—the Greek letter i without the dot. It is a fact that iota pounds sterling raised to the power of iota, i.e., an imaginary golden sovereign raised to an imaginary power, strangely enough becomes a real quantity equal in value to an American dollar at the pre-war rate of exchange. Recently, Mr. Pike, the Hon. Secretary of M.Y.A., announced, if my memory serves, that there was an error in the formula for the quarter-beam length calculations. His squib is equally damp. ** KAPPA.”’ A FAIR WIND THROUGH THE RULE Sir,—The loophole in the A-class formula pointed out by Dr. T. W. Houk reminds one of the story of the East End tailor who was asked by a friend, ** How’s business? “’ and replied, ‘* Splendid, dear boy, I went bankrupt last week! ”’ Now if one looks at things logically, it is impossible to have a model yacht with a minus displacement, unless one fills her with helium or hydrogen, when she will become an airship! But actually the ¥D in the A-class formula is not necessarily the actual ¥D of the model, since in the case of a boat which is less than the prescribed minimum dis- placement L.W.L., allowed the actual without ¥/D is penalty on mulcted any given by a penalty equal to the deficit, and therefore it is quite possible mathematically to produce a boat whose ¥D for rating purposes is a minus quantity. This happens when the actual 4D of the boat is less than half the minimum prescribed (/D, and, since we are dealing with ¢/D and not D itself, it means that the displacement of the boat must be under 4th of the minimum displacement permitted without penalty. If one tries this over boats of normal length (as we know it to-day), the result is ridiculous, since, although unlimited sail is possible, there is insufficient displacement left even to build the hull, leave alone provide any lead ballast. Dr. Houk’s instance of the 20ft. sloop is, of course, a deliberate exaggeration, but his other example of a boat with 120in. L.W.L., 60 lb. displacement, and almost unlimited sail, is perfectly possible. Here, however, he has not made quite the utmost of his opportunities, the ideal being, of course, to arrange so that the 12¢/D=-—1. With this he could get 66 lb. displacement. I have not designed a hull on these lines, but I would suggest as likely dimensions 24in. body depth amidships, 12in. beam, 18in. draught, 4,000 S.A., and height of hoist increased to, say, 120in. above deck. The boat to only have short overhangs, and be rather canoe-type, with a deep fin keel. As Dr. Houk justly says, such a boat would cause a great sensation and be decidedly formidable to what we have hitherto had. Since she would have at least 30 lb. lead and a very deep keel, she would carry her canvas all right in spite of the narrow beam, and as there would be plenty in hand she could be given even greater draught, if necessary. This will not work out with boats of between 50in. and 60in. L.W.L., but will with boats of 100in. I had not time to check up on a full range of sizes, but 120in. seems just what the rule now calls for. Taking this as the happy medium, boats much above and below lack the necessary displacement. On this L.W.L. given 66 lb. displacement the greater one makes the S.A., the greater is the minus rating of the yacht, and the greater the penalties one can take for excess draught, and height of hoist. So one would just increase sail, draught and hoist ad lib. to the limits the hull will stand. If a rating formula is stated mathematically, those who draft the rule must be prepared for designers to take advantage of its mathematical possibilities! It has been contended that this is the only perfect rating rule, since it has never been necessary to alter it in any respect. And here is a loophole for a ‘‘ Behemoth ”’ to sail through! Well, the sponsors of the rule had best get busy before [I also venture to think ‘* Behemoth *”’ is built. that even if a restriction is added to prohibit /D being reduced to a minus quantity, the rule is not all the promoters expected, since even the present boats are far larger than was expected. Congratulations to Dr. Houk, but why was nobody smart enough to spot this before? AMATEUR. 296 MARINE THOSE A-CLASS MODELS CORRESPONDENCE MODELS! What’s happened to our dear old A-class? Once thought to be a bright and gay class— Nice handy boats that could be lifted, Carried, carted, moved or shifted, Without a lorry, truck or crane Into a pond and out again. Our Mr. Houk has changed all that, Since he has found that mathematics misapplied can cheat the rule. (He must have been to a good school.) Now we have boats of giant size With which to sail for any prize, All fitted out so snug inside, Some ten yards long and two yards wide. How changed this sport since first we knew it— I always said we’d live to rue it. Just take a look at my new boat— (I’ve found no pond yet where she’ll float) MR. P. The rules for the Square-rigger Championship were agreed upon by the Marine Superintendents of the White Rose and Larcom Lines, and for some years provided excellent sport. During these years the Larcom Line lost. In 1936, however, our ship, ‘* Miramore,’’ acquired the title, and we were immediately faced by a demand from the White Rose Line for a series of changes in the rules. These have now been embodied in a spectacular and public challenge. My directors do not agree to the necessity of making the suggested changes, but are not prepared to encourage a controversy on this issue, which is of restricted public interest. They are prepared to discuss change at any time, but insist that such change cannot come about by unilateral action through the medium of a challenge, and they con- But competition’s very keen, Many new-comers are on the scene. ‘* Endeavour One,”’ *‘ Endeavour Two,”’ ** Queen Mary,”’ and ‘* The Skylark,”’ too, Compete for every A-class cup, And hope to clean the whole lot up. The ** Y.M.’’ Cup Committee’s frantic— We sail their race in the Atlantic With boats of every size and stamp— Schooner, liner, drifter, tramp. America, the prophets say, Will next year take the Cup away, With boat designed by Mr. Houk, Manned by nine sailors, plus the cook. Just look around you at our fleet, You’d hardly call them small and neat; No pond can give us any scope, Deep water is our only hope. Now look at my boat, ‘* Minus Ten,”’ With room aboard for twenty men And see those masts that reach the sky— There’s Mr. Houk—he’s high and dry. THE VICTORIA LARCOM REPLIES Sir,—My directors will be-grateful if you will give space in your columns for a very brief reply to the challenge you printed last month from Mr. D. J. Boyle. sider such a challenge unconstitutional. To admit that losers may change the rules is to destroy the sanctity of sport. Yours,. \etc., PHILIP LARCOM, Manager, Controversy Dept., Larcom Lines, Inc. ALTERATIONS HE Victoria AT Park ViCTORIA PARK Lake is known to model T powerboat men throughout the world. The excellent photograph, by Mr. J. Vines, gives an idea of its present appearance, and shows Mr. J. Skingley and Mr. E. Clark discussing progress. The Victoria Club’s boathouse is behind them. PARK LAKE DURING ALTERATIONS MARINE MODELS i “SUPER”? MARINE MODELS In Peace or War the Steam Trawler is one of the most useful members of the glorious company of ships that sail the seas, and here is a Trawler in Miniature. Built for heavy weather afloat yet a picture of fine model building. In two sizes : | 25 inches: Clockwork – | 30 inches: Electric – £11/10 Electric – £12/12 – £180 Steam Hundreds of fascinating ships and accessories are described in ~- £220 useful marine S.5. Cararocue 6d. free BASSETT-LOWKE LTD. NORTHAMPTON tanchester 26, corporation st. Model Yachting Association EVERY JOB NEEDS A SKARSTEN ‘SCRAPER The 1938 M.Y.A. Fixture List will soon be in the printer’s hands. It will contain, in addition to the list of the With Hook-shaped Renewable season’s fixtures, a list of Affiliated Clubs and Individual Members. In order to have this list complete and avoid any » Scraping Edges. Hooks omission, will those concerned kindly send to the Hon. Secretary. any changes of sailing waters or addresses, extended for Corner Scraping. while their SAVE TIME— SIMPLIFY WORK remittances for Affliation fees should be sent to the Hon. Secretary at their earliest Nothing better for superior smoothness and refinishing. convenience. A full report of the Annual General Meeting will appear in the March number of MARINE MODELS. FOR RE-SHARPENING SKARSTEN W. J. E. Pike, Hon. Secretary. 248, Burrage Rd., Plumstead, S.E.18. Sold at Ironmongers, SCRAPER FILE Paint Shops, Builders’ Merchants, and Ships’ Chandlers, or write to : SKARSTEN MFG. CO. WELWYN GARDEN CITY – HERTS. To the Subscription Manager, MARINE MODELS, 52, Fetter Lane, London, E.C.4 Please send monthly, post free, for 12 months, a copy for which I enclose remittance 7s. 6d. (if Overseas, 8s. 6d.) Please write of MARINE MODELS, Name vervrcsrsssssscscscccssrsssssssseeees distinctly, When replying to Advertisers please mention MARINE MODELS. ii MARINE SKARSTEN MODELS NEW SAILS SCRAPERS HERE are certain tools with which users seem ESSRS. Chas. Drown & Son have always + to have been content since their invention, M plenty of work in hand. At the same time hind general progress, usually because it is so difficult to eradicate faults that these have been taken as inevitable. Scrapers are a case in point, and for many years there was virtually no change in advance. The usual thing is to put off ordering sails until the last moment before the start of the many years ago. Such tools seem to lag be- fundamental design. Thus, it is interesting to note the enterprise of The Skarsten Manufacturing Co., of 1, Hyde Way, Welwyn Garden City, Herts., whose scrapers have in a short time become world renowned. They have attracted attention as their revolutionary design has introduced new possibilities of speed and convenience into work with which the scraper is associated. Skarsten Scrapers have many interesting points, but only a few of them can be mentioned here. It may be said, of course, that no scraper is of use unless it can be bent to a definite hook, and thus the practice has been to leave the blade comparatively soft, so that the user can more or less skilfully achieve this hook by bending. In Skarsten Scraper Blades, however, precisely the right hook is made in process of manufacture, and the steel is hardened to very fine temper afterwards. Thus, both form and temper are right, hence the extreme speed, convenience and fine finish claimed for these scrapers. Skarsten Scrapers were really designed, however, in the same way as safety razors—for the reason that people found other blades difficult to sharpen properly. All Skarsten Scrapers are fitted with interchangeable blades, which can be renewed as often as desirable, the process of change taking a matter of seconds. On the other hand, every blade can be effectively sharpened more than one hundred times» with the special file provided. Thus, this scraper permits the user both to sharpen and change his blades. There are many forms of holder for the blades, each of which has its special application, and many sorts of blade. Thus, a complete range of scrapers is available for every purpose. it is advisable to order new sails well in new season, whereas there is usually no reason why they cannot be ordered well ahead. This avoids any risk of disappointment. Prompt delivery has always been a feature of Messrs. Drown’s service, but early ordering relieves pressure at the last moment. We hear that the beautiful suit of sails on Mr. A. Arroll’s A-class, of which we recently published a fine photograph, is made by Messrs. Chas. Drown, who were also responsible for the sails of Mr. Gib. Trout’s immense model schooner, *‘ Smiling Morn.”’ To be successful in model yacht racing, a good design, good building, perfect equipment and clever handling are essential. As far as sails are con- cerned, Messrs. Drown have plenty of testimonials that speak for themselves. Editorial and Publishing Offices : 52, FETTER LANE, LONDON, E.C.4. Telephone: Central SUBSCRIPTION 9914. RATES Inland, 7s. 6d. per annum; U.S.A. and Canada, $2. Overseas, 8s. 6d.; EDITORIAL Contributions, Correspondence and Club News for publication must reach our Offices not later than the 16th of month previous to publication. The Editor does not undertake to publish all matter received. Where a nom-de-plume is used, correct name and address of sender must be enclosed. The Editor does not undertake responsibility for photographs, plans, or articles submitted, but every care will be taken to ensure their safety, and we will endeavour to return same if postage is enclosed. CHANGE OF ADDRESS W° call attention to the notice appearing in our Advertisement Columns, announcing that Mr. W. H. Bauer, the well-known maker of model yacht fittings, changes his address on the 9th instant, to 512, King’s Road, Chelsea, London, S.W.10. Mr. Bauer’s new workshop is served by G.O.C. Services 11, 22 and 31, and the nearest station is Earl’s Court. We are asked to mention that this removal will cause no delay in the execution of orders in hand, and, owing to the greater convenience of his new workshops, will enable Mr. Bauer to give a better service than before, if possible. Mr. Bauer also undertakes restoration of prototype and period models. Among his recent restora- tions was ** Dorcas,’’ barge model, belonging to Mr. Adrian L. Silas, illustrated in the September numbez of this Magazine. TECHNICAL ENQUIRY BUREAU Queries involving technical matters will be referred to the experts in charge of various departments of this Magazine. Long technical replies cannot be given unless a fee of 2s. 6d. is sent. Enquiries necessitating an answer by post cannot receive attention unless accompanied by stamped addressed envelope for reply. ADVERTISEMENTS Terms on application. Special Announcements of Regattas, etc. rates for Club SMALL PREPAID ADVERTISEMENTS Private advertisements for our For Sale and Wanted Column charged Id. per word. Minimum 2s. Box numbers, c/o MARINE MODELS, can be used if desired at an extra fee of 6d. Advertisements must be received at our Offices not later than the 16th of month prior to publication. Published by the Proprietors, Marine Mobets Pustications, Ltp., at 52, Fetter Lane, London, E.C.4 Printed by C. Arthur Sanders, 27, Portugal Street, London, W.C. R.M.S. “QUEEN MARY” provides an attractive Model for your sideboard Probably no other ship has ever attracted such attention or produced such keen interest as ‘““ Queen Mary.’’ She therefore makes a splendid subject for a model. The hull is shapely, and the detail work in the sides extremely interesting. The difficulty of paint- ing in this fine detail is overcome by the provision of specially printed paper sides. Included with the outfit are parts for making a glass showcase. Complete outfit <4'6 post 6d. MAURETANIA. Kit of parts for making similar to the “*Queen Mary,’’ packed in an attractive box. A hardwood hull with decks ready- shaped, 8 in. long, and all pieces for bridge, deck houses, funnel bases, etc., a costs (Ready-shaped hull can be supplied separately, price 1/6, post. 3d.) set of 46 lifeboats and two steel masts. Obtainable from any Handicrafts ae or direct from (Dept. M.M.4) Price 5 -, post. 6d. BRITANNIC. Ready-shaped hull and fittings, similar to the box. ‘‘Queen Mary,’’ in an attractive Including shaped hull 7} in. long, 16 pieces already shaped for bridge, deck houses, funnel bases, etc., a set of 28 lifeboats and two steel masts. ANNE RD. - HANDSWORTH - B’HAM. ESS Price 4/6, post. 6d. HANDICRAFTS When replying to Advertisers please mention MARINE MODELS. rCB 181938 MR. BAUER’S NEW ADDRESS ON AND AFTER FEBRUARY 9th THE WORKSHOPS WILL BE AT 512, KING’S ROAD, CHELSEA, LONDON, S.W.10 BUS SERVICES: 11, 22, 31. NEAREST STATION: WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP | AGAIN WON WITH SAILS BOND’S THE MADE OF STOCKISTS XolL. SAITLCLOTEH OF OHLSSON ENGINES WATERPROOF : UNSTRETCHABLE UNSHRINKABLE Definitely faster and points higher. Lasts out many ordinary sails. These super finished engines are right-upto-date in design and performance. The engine is 5/8 in. bore, 7/8in. stroke, and the complete engine with tank coil and condenser weighs only 14 ozs. The crankshaft is hardened for long wear and the A Few “A” Class X.L. Results : International Championship, 1935, 1st; 1936, 2nd ; 1937, 1st. Allen Forbes Trophy (International), 1935, cylinder 1936, 1937, all 1st International, all 1st : 1934, U.S.A. Eastern Championship, U.S.A. Mid-West steel billet. 1935, 1936, : The Ohlsson Engine is suitable for Model flywheel is fitted. Championship, 1937, P And many less important events. Boats if a Dimensions : 1936, 1st ; 1937, 2nd machined is throughout out of a Wing and Wing Cup (International), 1937, 1st Scandinavian EARL’S {COURT Height 4-7/8in. Width Ljin. Length including tank and coil 7} in. ist Price, complete with carburettor, tank, coil, condenser and sparking plug, ready to run. Postage 6d. / / Send for our 1938 General Catalogue which contains 200 ey Used all over British Isles, India, Australia, pages illustrating the wants of the Model Maker including New Zealand, Canada, U.S.A., Scandinavia. all tools and materials. BOND’S Sails made at ordinary rates, O’ Price 6d. EUSTON ROAD, LTD. 357, EUSTON ROAD, N.W.1 WwW. G. PERKS, CAERNARVONSHIRE Telephone: EUSton 5441-2. Established 1887. —_——— a ey CHAS. eb a DROWN pee & SON Model Yacht Sail Makers A World-wide Reputation for nearly a Quarter of a Century 8, ULLSWATER RD., WEST NORWOOD, LONDON, S.E.27 When replying to Advertisers please mention MARINE MODELS.