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. 2 lal -= we % nuary 19860 ‘Ja ® (-R. 85p U.S.A. & Canada $2.75) , wab> MODEL MAGAZINE ~_ Launching Day a ,, e | for Steam Ship ” ze ‘Si ll Fu S# US PA 1920 ’59H.M. Cis & syibgece “T SAILWINCH. * Fully proportional * Three 1 | sizes of drum available _ * Compatible with virtually all R/C systems (state which) * Drumcanbe setfor any number of turns * Suitable for RM and R10R or scale boats. * £29.84 complete or £1 7.94 Mechanics only. ho LD ELECTRO 5S,UNIT 10, ¢ TE UNITS FROMWAWOR TFORD, HERTS. = \ \NDOWN ROAD, IV DR E IN RB TU L A E R A Y O J N E N A C U O Y W NO IKE THE ORIGINAL! _ ; JUST L turbine engine for model ships Designed and builtin High performance steam Japan, 4 subsidiary of World Media Inc CHANGEABLE PITCH INE V2 TYPE STEAM ENG14m m length: 48mm, Shaft dia: 4mm, 300g . Screw dia.: 62mm. Pitch inifinitely changeablefrom (forward) O to 1.3x screw dia. (80mm) and (reverse) O to 1.0x jet oiler. Wada Works Inc., SBURNER SET TURBINE & BOILER/GAwidth : 81mm, height: 110mm, weight: 00rpm. Operating speed: Turbine 30,0-in valve for forward, re. Built Transmission 3,000rpm d regulation. Maintenance free. verse, stop and spee Original turbine sound! , Boiler capacity: 850cc, length: 230mm, width: 80mm height: 110, weight: 1100g. ator. Two safety valves. level indic Gasburner. Water ol. as opSteam volume contr Pressure gauge available tional. For ships from 1 to 3mm long. £108.00 USS198 SCREW screw dia. (62mm). Shaft dia/ length: 4mm/250mm Shaft and stern tube can easily be shortened. All metal corrosion resistant. tries must he by Bank Draft or Money Order in Stg. bore, 13mm stroke. Built-in steam Shaft dia.: 5mm, length: 80mm, width: 138mm, height: 118mm, weight: 900g. Operating speed: 3,000rpm. and All parts are made from solidbrass , as durable material such etc. copper, stainless steel, for Original Stephenson control half forward, reverse, stop and speed. Suitable for ships up to 2.2m . FACTORY DIRECT PRICES long £36.05; USS68. £84.00 US$158 , INC, MODEL CRAFT DEPT. , JAPAN.J HAMA 4231WOR YOKO382 X 362,Tele LDM 276 x: 28 US Funds. Allprices exclude our +1. qe) 669-81 ttance from all: coun*immediate Delivery. We send goods worldwide byorairmail.;Remi “ parcel handling. 2 cylinders, double-action, WORLD MED IA PORT P.O. BO Model Boa by William Mowll =The Launch, June 2, 1981 Thrashing water and clouds of steam at the long awaited launching of SS Gt. Britain. The completed model will be on display at the Model Engineer Exhibition. Alllaunch photos by Ray Brigden. 1844, the headache of pondering on nearly four years’ spare time and getting the completed ship through the N DECEMBER work spent, and all the publicity which the lowering Upper Lock, to the relative promise of free- building programme has received as the Immediately it was apparent that all the dom ship ballasting in the River Avon, was a serious has grown through the different toasting of ceremony, the vessel calculations preceded into the had been the water. over matter, depending upon wind and tide as stages, | felt | shared by proxy some of the well as “‘the altering of the masonry of the lock,’’ as Brunel so delicately put it. The crowds were there, tens of thousands of people, on both sides of the lock, despite a severe frost anda biting east weight which Brunel felt on that day. The locker and 12 in the aft brought her to the model was capable of a similar wide range correct level, making an all up weight of missed at an from walking up the aisle by the demands of wind. The curiosity as to whether or not early stage in the building schedule and the official photographer, the ship longed to “the fat weasel, grown too large to be re- long since forgotten. be free at last, but had to be held back — leased from its hole’’ would ever emerge generous. Six pounds in the forward chain of possible disasters, from the spectacular 62lb. Just like the bride who is waiting at explosion to downright, the door of the church, but is prevented abysmal failure, through some small detail One must, as restrained even, whilst shutters clicked at possibly go wrong, however, plan ahead unscathed, was enough to hold the atten- though tion of both the optimistic and the pessimistic alike. The success or failure of human even though the weather report was un- two frames a second. Her final release brought the original favourable and gusting winds threatened to words of the ‘Liverpool Mail’s’ correspon- endeavour has always had the element of possible disaster as one of its major attractions for the spectator. The macabre ques- spring a mast before the model was even dent to my mind: nothing can shipped into the transporting van. For this “The contours presented to the eye are of purpose, believing in the old adage that the more damage is caused to models in transit beautifully rounded in her lines with a tions silently and secretly pose themselves — will she sink, blow up, keel over, break than her back or just plainly refuse to budge? have to perform, | built an 8ft. x 2ft. launch- Brunel wrote a rather nervous letter to Guppy a few days after the undocking ceremony, in which he said, “‘If all goes well we shall all gain credit, but ‘Quod est scriptum, most exquisite grace — fine and gentle sheer, she sits upon the water like by any operational tricks they may a racing gig.” ing ramp, with the idea that the model could (Liverpool Mail, December 12, 1844) be handled much more easily like this and To be truthful, | had not thought of this even launched on the ramp in a familiar model ‘pontoon style.’ Its width protects the yards operate as a sailing and the stunsail booms and even provides a canvas alone, but as with the full size ship simply and vessel which could effectively under est manet’ — if the result disappoints anybody, | shall have to bear the storm and all that spite and revenge can do at The little bit of ‘springiness,’ so essential to in counteract the harsh ride in the back of an charm. Her stunning good looks actually Admiralty.” average van. cast a charming spell on the The night before the launch of the model, 18 Much photography, even the uncorking her day, she does so with ease and launching party as we all saw for the first time the Model Boats swan-like grace of her movement through the water. The mischief of live steam soon changed the whole atmosphere at the pondside with its special brand of humour. From cold, the boiler took about 12 minutes to come toa working pressure. This was already well established, but how, Oh how, would the propeller perform — therein lay the all im- portant question? Quite suddenly at the stern there followed the sound of a thousand bubbles being thrashed and that fountain of foam so much a part of the original, was there in perfect miniature. It was so much more than | could reasonably have hoped for in total realism and the turn of speed which was to follow made everyone laugh. She is grossly overpowered, re- quiring the gas burner to be turned right down to what can only be described as a The purpose-made launching ramp described in text, carried at the bow (in white) by Chief Engineer Geoff Sheppard. At right, Geoff fires up forthe first time in earnest after the many trials. -_ very low light in order to muzzle her. This is of course due to the efficiency of the ‘Sheppard’ return flue boiler and its proven ability to produce a large volume of steam for what is a very greedy but powerful engine. Manoeuvrability with the addition of a large, false rudder, bolted onto the original allows an 8ft. turning circle — some say it was even less; working on the performance of the prototype, which took half a mile to run a full circle, this modification has to be fitted for use in relatively confined places. It Right: the tension shows on William Mow/ll prior to first release under steam power. Below: under full control. is the only concession and compromise of which | am ashamed to say, simply came this replica as against the prototype, and undone. She is not, of course, finished and gives the model a lively response on the already there helm. pumps and reversing gear and stanchion Far from being the operational nightmare is talk of mechanical feed rail and ship’s bells — butI’ll have none of it | had imagined, the model worked like a — it’s three o’clock in the morning, and I’m dream, as though sharing some of the same off to bed. magic charm as her big sister. She was totally water-tight at the end of a four hour session, with the loss only of one backstay /T WAS A GREATIDEA TO DRESS UP AS BRUNEL AND_QUEEN V/CTORIA TO LAUNCH THE GREAT BRITAIN’! Next month: Finishing Touches a 4LOST THE 7055/1) /75 O.K. FOR Yo January 1982 19 nice model of HMS Bulldog; the wind was really blowing during his run causing Bulldog to roll realistically, but Mac’s handling and keeping a good scale speed gained him a deserved second place in the scale class. Some close scores were being returned in the stand off class, Peter Wright of Dewsbury Club sailing a Bugsier Tug and Kevin White from Northampton with HMS Alacrity had returned equal points for third place; both were recalled to the water for a re-run — but they tied yet again. David Metcalf settled the duel by awarding a trophy to each of them and recording them joint third. Second place was taken by Lawrie White from Hertford with the L/oydsman tug. Lawrie was only one-third of a point ahead of Peter and Kevin and just two-thirds of a point ahead of Lawrie was Steve Kitely from Leicester. Steve’s was the last run of the day and he had the advantage, there only being a slight breeze on the water as against the earlier gusts, but he sailed Colin Bishop of Berrylands Society demonstrates how to clear two hazards with his fine model of the fruit ship, SS Granada, scaled up from MAP plans. an excellent round and perfect scale speed with his freighter gave him a clear round and the national title in the stand off class. An added bonus for Steve was a visit to the event by Roy Greaves, Director of Cougar Craft, Robbe kit distributors, who presented Steve with a huge trophy for the best kit model. But the greatest effort of the day came from the smallest competitor, 12 year old Andrew Murch from the Dewsbury club, competing in the junior class, Andrew sailing a Graupner E/ke fishing boat had a clear round to take the junior title. END OF SEASON REPORTS First Scottish Championship for Radio Marbleheads The Championships were hosted by Inverleith Model Yacht Club, Edinburgh, on Saturday, September 12. The wind varied from nil in the morning to light airs at lunch time, which settled intoa light south-easterly breeze in the afternoon. Needless to say, we had a strong south-westerly wind on both the Friday and the Sunday either side of the event. As for weather, the day started dull, with showers at midday, ending with brilliant sunshine in the afternoon. The entry consisted of eight yachts, six from the host club, one from Kirkcaldy and one from Stirling. The models being sailed were Seahorses, Ashantis, and a Trapper, which gave an interesting comparison of design approaches. Right from the start a terrific battle commenced between Maurice Pettigrew and Robert Brown with rarely more than a few January 1982 points between them all day. At times one was reminded of a Grand Masters’ Chess Championship as first the one and then the other manoeuvred into the lead, each manoeuvre being beautifully countered by the opposing skipper in order to gain the advantage once more, both leaders constantly being worried by Jack Robertson and William Simpson continually at their heels like a pair of well-trained foxhounds. The final outcome was, a first place for Maurice Pettigrew by three quarters of a point from Robert Brown, who came second, third place being taken by Jack Robertson, designer of a popular local racing dinghy. That well-known personality Hugh Shields, alias ‘The Lone Scot,’ was present at the waterside, studying form, which gave credance to the rumour that a blitzkrieg is secretly being mounted in Greenock preparatory to next year’s championship. 25 Jerome Grainger’s 3.5cc hydro had its fair share of post attacking and survived to run again another day. My own 3.5cc Square One hydro was fast, and a delight to handle, though it only ran for 1%, laps at each attempt, and despite lots of advice and help we didn’t find out why. Great things were expected from Frank Gill after his wonderful 15 seconds record at Naviga the previous week with his 15cc /sotope, and we weren’t disappointed. The record stood at 42.76 seconds and in his nine attempts Frank smashed it every time, ending with 27.44 seconds to take the fastest time of the day Mono Trophy and the record. In the same class, Roy Horden, with an OPS powered Mastodont tried valiantly to catch up, ending with a creditable 33.93 seconds. The 15cc hydro class was next, and my turn. I’ve had a big Crapshooter for 2’/, years, and although it is extremely fast when it goes, it is course-shy, and until the 110 event this year it always failed to return a time. It was superb. | actually got three timed runs, the final one being the best, 25.07 seconds for twice round the 220 course. It was incredible — it must have been doing 50+ down the straight and its rooster wentall round the course, a personal highlight for me and the crowd of very friendly onlookers. The last class to run was the 35cc petrol, sole competitor was Arthur Shaw, who had also recorded a remarkable 20 seconds around the Naviga course the previous weekend. A moment from the Scottish Radio Marblehead Championships at Inverleith Pond, Edinburgh. Our other visiting celebrity, Mr. E. Brooks, a well-known early post-war OOD at Gosport and Fleetwood A Championships, expressed his delight at seeing the host club pioneering yet another stage in the development of model yacht racing in Scotland. The unanimous opinion of the competitors was that the event had been a great success and that they looked forward to it being sailed again next year, now that it was established. A. C. Mackenzie, Radio Control Commodore, Inverleith MYC Kingsbury Water Park Model Boat Club Open Scale Regatta. August 21, 1981 We approached this regatta with not a little trepidation as the first of our two scheduled open regattas had literally been wiped out by a blizzard, so what had the weather God in store for us this time? Should | offer up a sacrifice? — the wife perhaps? No, she was helping with the raffle. The kids next door? I’d never get away with it. Ah, well! So, whistling ‘Blue Skies’ for all | was worth we sallied forth into the early morning mists. The weather was perfect! Boy — can | whistle. We had 39 boats booked, and 38 sailed the fairly difficult course of 20 hazards, including our new fully-adjustable 8ft. square harbour, designed to give approximately the same Because we were having a ‘lazy’ day, all competitors were allowed as much time as they could manage without stopping on the water, and Arthur had a tankfull of petrol — you can guess the rest. He just kept trying to clip the buoys, all 12 of them and he had to beat 39.8 seconds. He just kept plugging away. In the end it was worth it, for he ended up with 36.96 seconds, some three seconds improvement. | was only sorry that the other promising hydros didn’t turn up for the best conditions I’ve seen since running hydros. The venue is superb, and the people round the pondside were the most friendly and interested people | have ever come across at a regatta. If only we could always pick the right day! 440 Results 2.5kg D. Selby 51.5 secs. 2.5kg Hydro D. Selby 45.57 New Record 3.5cc Mono Mono G. Heward 38.15 (1980 36.00) 3.5cc Hydro J. Grainger 39.62 (1980 30.9) 15cc Mono F. Gill 27.44 15cc Mono R. Horden 33.93 15cc Hydro G. Heward 25.07 35cc Petrol A. Shaw 36.96 New Record British Record and FTD, Mono Trophy British Record and FTD, Hydro Trophy New Record Geoff Heward relative manoeuvring area for all sizes of boat. Not, of course, the monsters John Hughes is renowned for. He gets special allowances for his leviathans. Two new annual shields donated by the club members were up for grabs, as well as trophies for first, second, third, exact scale; first, second, third, stand-off senior; and first and second junior, the first place winners in the two premier classes being awarded the annual trophies — don’t forget we want ‘em back. We did not award trophies for the ladies this year. Perhaps we might give a ‘best lady’ award next time, although there is a school of thought that the ladies — God bless ‘em — should compete on equal terms. The debate goes on. The results of the day’s sailing proved to be very much a two-club affair with Leicester taking first and second places in senior stand-off, and second junior place, and Peterborough taking first place in the junior competition, and sweeping the board first, second and third in exact scale; though it must be said that in the latter case it was the superior Leicester Scale Model Boat Club, Abbey Park, August 16, 1981 The Sunday morning dawned with the organisers in an optimistic mood, following last year’s successful first regatta. Much work had been done in the preceding weeks, just leaving the job of laying out the course to be done on the morning of the event. The course differed from the previous event in several aspects, one being a fleet of 575 yachts moored together and allowed to drift slightly in true marina fashion. This left the skippers with the task of choosing the safest route through the ‘575s.’ Another innovation which caused problems to the competitors, much to the amusement of the spectators, was our bow mooring dock. This consisted of a small rectangular dock, which the competitor’s boat had to go in to and reverse out of. However, in the dock the boat’s bow had to touch a protruding beam; this would light a bulb. The boat could then be reversed out completing the steering ability of the Peterborough club members which carried the day. The highest scoring exact scale boat in static judging was, in fact, a very nice raised quarter deck coaster built by Mr. K. Bury of Sandwell Model Club. obstacle successfully. But woe betide the competitor’s boat which hit the beam too hard, a Results enabled us to start only siren would sound deeming the obstacle failed. We were pleasantly surprised when competitors started to arrive just after 9am which 11 minutes later than planned. The first competitor started in bright sunshine which lasted all day, although the wind did cause some problems. The competition Exact Scale 1st R. Dean Minesweeper Peterborough 628.3 points was very close, especially in stand-off scale, where competitors were having good rounds 2nd Master P. Blake ASRL Peterborough 3rd Mrs. C. Blake Cabin Cruiser Peterborough 626.5 570.0 coming out on top. 1st S. Kiteley Coaster Leicester 606.5 points Stand-off scale Exact scale 2nd S. Adcock Frigate Leicester 597.0 1st D. Metcalf ist R. Dean ist S. Hilton 3rd |. Smith Sun Tug Coventry 589.5 2nd D. Abbott 2nd J. Hughes 2nd R. Brigden 3rd M. Finnis 3rd R. Thayne 3rd P. Blake and bad rounds, and vice-versa, Dave Metcalf with his Seaforth Clansman eventually The final results were as follows: Stand-off Senior Junior stand-off Ladies’ prize: 1st E. Middleton, 2nd C. Blake. Junior 1st Master P. Blake FL8 Peterborough 2nd Master S. Hilton Bussard Leicester 580.5 points 520.0 We would like to thank the Kingsbury Club for the loan of their turning dock and Gordon Lewis for manning it all day. Also thanks to the Council for their help. We hope that all 47 competitors enjoyed themselves and will return again next year. Our thanks are due to Harvey Middleton and Malcolm Baxter who ably coped with the ‘on the water’ judging, and again to Malcolm Baxter who also acted as one of three exact scale Steve Kiteley, lan Adcock static judges. We believe everyone had an enjoyable day with us and hope to see you all again next season. Thanet Model Boat Club Regatta — September 27, 1981 The best laid plans of model boat clubs can go astray when weather takes a hand, and this | must remember that tune. Gordon Lewis. was definitely the case at the inaugural regatta of the newly-reformed Thanet Model Boat Club. A combination of gale force winds and heavy rain reorganised the general programme. At 440 Yards Records Day, October 4, 1981 times these conditions placed the accent more on surviving than competing. The last of this year’s Records’ Days — the 440 yards was held at The Lake, Llandrindod To make this both a club event and acompetitive open regatta we had planned to combine Wells, and as if to make amends for the stormy weekend we had for the 110 yards, the venue the most popular classes of sail and power, the scale section demonstrating their skills was absolutely perfect, very warm, with only the slightest breeze, leaving a flat calm lake, during lunchtime. which for me provided the most enjoyable day’s boating of 1981. At 9.30am we started with Naviga F3E steering. In freshening winds a variety of boats braved the sharp chop. Roger Cumbers took his Sesqu/ clear in 120pts to hold the lead for As expected, only six competitors turned up, but with their families and friends we made a fair intrusion on the bankside. Dave Selby had put out the course on the Saturday, so on arrival we were almost ready to go. Everyone got the chance to try his boat first, on what turned out to be a leisurely day. Dave gained the first two records, which included hitting a half-full pop-bottle, and a near miss on the landing-stage. He wrote off his F/ying Banana Unlimited hydro when it attacked clear in 46, the first place was beyond doubt. Heavy rain at lunchtime did little for the scale enthusiasts, although some fine models were seen sheltering around the pondside. Meanwhile Peter Hodgeson, the sailing secretary, was whipping up enthusiasm for the a post. 26 Southend. Steve White of Thanet was close behind with 137. This seemed to be the final order until John and Eric Bennett of the Cygnets arrived at 11.00. After John’s first round, ‘ Model Boats weights of wind to build up a picture of the strengths and weaknesses of each design. Earlier tests have shown that some of the models with average or even slightly below average performance in heavy wind can show a clean transom to most of the others in lighter winds, or viceversa. Although at this stage performance details must remain unpublished, one noticeable feature has been how often, as in full-size, only a few feet separate boats which have been racing for 20 minutes or more, and this despite the enormous variation among the designs, which range from Model Yachting Association News a sere t “All at sea’’ – the pilots of Project Acorn 12m trials yachts precariously perched in one of the chase boats in 20-30 knot winds and one foot rollers. 50 to 80lb displacement and are much more varied in shape than any of the class model fleets. The yachts in most cases broadly reflect their designers’ ‘signatures;’ Dick Priest’s boat is a large and handsome classic design in the style of, perhaps, Cavalier, and Roger Stollery’s and Chris Dicks’ have more than a passing resemblance to Lollipop and Revolution respectively. Dave Hollom moves further away, though it is still possible to discern touches of Eclipse in his model, while Graham Bantock’s appears to follow modern small |OR practice rather more than typical model shapes. Phil Morrison’s design has something of Marblehead shape about it, while the two models of actual 12m prototypes, Lionheart and Sverige, |ooked and sat on the water very much like the full-size and performed very noticeably like their prototypes. Full-size 12ms are notoriously unresponsive to helm and it is perhaps permissible to say that the model yachtsmen’s models proved infinitely superior in this respect. Even so, there were C= the last three or four months, the various 12m models of Project Acorn have been completed and tested to varying degrees. Some have put in many hours of sailing already, and despite a number of misfortunes, the project is coming together to the point where some lessons are already being learned. Two of the boats were severely damaged by vandals, as re- ported, two others have been modified and one was never built anyway; this was the model of the last Australian contender. Despite the Victory Syndicate having bought the full-size yacht, we understand that there were objections to a model being made to the lines. However, it has proved possible to borrow a model, to the same scale, of the Swedish 12m Sverige, and in fact this model has provided a great deal of interest as a com- parative yardstick. Seven of the eight existing models gathered at the Grafham Water Sailing Club for three days of trials late in October, the first time most of them had been together. Regrettably, Chris Dicks was unable to be present, but the others got in a fair amount of sailing, despite extremely strong winds and low temperatures. The Grafham Club deserves a vote of appreciation and gratitude for their hospitality and co-operation, opening the bar and serving hot meals as well as providing workshop facilities and rescue/chase boats. The lake is, from memory, about three miles long and something over a mile in width, with the club premises about halfway along one side. On the day your correspondent attended, an anemo- meter on’the clubhouse roof was registering 20 30 knots gusting to 30, though two others closer to water level were averaging 12-15 gusting to 20; the wind was north-westerly, with the clubhouse thus on the lee shore with long foot-high rollers and many breaking crests. This wind was fairly constant for the entire three days, although it day eased a little during late afternoon on thefirst and for a longer period on the third. A scale factor of about 21, is applied to the models, so that 12k actual is equivalent to 30k full-size, close to the limit which would postpone racing. Somewhere around 5-7k would be ideal for the model tests, and it was bad luck that the wind should be so much stronger for this whole period. Apart from very over-scale waves, it meant that the trials had to be conducted under reduced sail, B or even C rig, though right at the end A rigs were put up just to give them an airing, if nothing else. Possibly the most useful checks in view of the conditions were long legs right across the lake by groups of boats, with no tacking or manoeuvring, simply keeping them as close to the wind as they would lie while footing at maximum, or Steering downwind as fast as possible. With legs of around a mile, this could certainly show which yacht was the most weatherly or the fastest runner, and by maintaining one course any difference in skipper ability or tactical sailing could be eliminated. The results of such tests (some of which were made with spinnakers for the runs) indicated where something useful could emerge from racing matched pairs round a long triangular course, but the process needs to be repeated in various rather more near-misses and collisions than normal with models, partly due, no doubt, to the form of waves experienced during these trials which at times carried even these heavy yachts bodily sideways, delayed turns or sometimes slewed them off course. The wood Morrison boat was holed by the grp Swedish yacht, near the bow but well above water, on Wednesday; on Thursday the same two boats were involved ina far worse calamity when the wood boat, running between three beating yachts, again collided with the Swedish one. The glass bow poked straight through the tape patch over the previous hole and ripped out the side from waterline to gunwale for a distance of about two feet. There was onlya tiny scratch on the grp yacht’s bow, but the other promptly sank in 15ft. or so of water. Fortunately there was enough air trapped in the after hull for the masthead to bob up a few seconds later, and the rescue boat was able to move in swiftly and grab it before it disappeared totally. The Stollery model was also holed later on, and it might seem prudent to glue a small sorbo ball over the sharp bows of all the yachts before entrusting them to the mercies of experienced fullsize 12m sailors, which it is understood will form a major part of the trials programmed during the winter. As would be expected, there were some in- genious touches in the application of the 12m rule, and all the boats were practical. The most extreme visible touch was a heavily cantilevered flat bulb, used for very sound reasons, commented on by the Sunday Times as “meaning a 28 ton bulb supported at its rear end by a wafer” or words to that effect, but this was a shade exaggerated. It would pose a structural problem, but mainly in respect of cost. All the other boats could be built for about the average for a 12m, one would think. There is little doubt that the venture has already provided much food for thought, full size and model, but it is also clear that it needs to be ongoing so that promising trends can be developed or modified. One suggestion has been a bi-annual Model Boats trials or championship meeting open to any 1/10 models of designs fitting the 12m rule; as a personal suggestion, the possibility of running arace for the international one-design EC12 class during such a meeting might be a thought. Thisis a smaller scale (1/12, about 5ft. oa) model of an earlier American available in 12m for which grp hulls are Britain, where we also have the current World Champion in the class, in the person of John Cleave. The purpose of suggesting this is that it would broaden interest in what might become a 12m weekend, by giving non-designers the oppor- tunity of participating. To become really popular, it would almost certainly be necessary to introduce an event for slightly smaller models, say 1/15 scale (which would produce models in the 14-24lb range), which would also answer some of the points about scale yachts which have been raised during the last year. This is not to detract from the continuing Acorn trials in any way, but merely to give more enthusiasts the opportunity of taking an active interest. Although serious research would require 1/10 models, smaller ones could throw up ideas which could be worth further investigation, and the more people participating the greater would be the pool of experience on which to draw. The America’s Cup has public interest, so that if anything like this was to be launched, useful publicity for model yachting and even some model sponsorship might be forthcoming. It’s worth a thought. IMYRU badges Just available are some very smart IMYRU stickers, suitable for attachment to the deck of a boat or the outside of a car, etc. They are selfadhesive and weatherproof and consist of a red and white IMYRU pennant with blue letters, ona 3in. diameter white ground with a blue border. They really are very colourful and have the additional point that if preferred, the pennant itself can be cut out and used without the background. Price is 30p each plus post, three for £1 including post, for overseas members three for USS$2 including seamail; if required,a sum can be sent (IMOs, cheques etc. made out tol MYRU) and the nearest appropriate number of badges will be sent. Source is Vic Smeed, PO Box, 6 Rickmansworth, Herts. WD3 4RE. 36R Class We hear unofficially that the 1982 36R Championship is virtually certain to be sailed at Birkenhead, and that some new boats may well be built for it. Support for this class is surprisingly patchy, some clubs having none at all and others having half a dozen or so. Yet experienced skippers who started with larger classes and only later try a 36 are unanimous in their reactions; these little boats have to be really sa//ed and they are a source of considerable pleasure. The class is still an ideal introduction for youngsters but certainly not beneath the dignity of old hands. A case in point was the Metropolitan and Southern District Championship at Hove in October, which was a most enjoyable meeting. There were 14 yachts, five of which were sailed by juniors, and everyone had a great race. Earlier in the season there were 15 at Clapham, also enjoying themselves. There is something very relaxing about racing 36s, possibly because their actual speed is a little less than the bigger End of season As this is written there is one open race re- preter will be available. One case in point is that | maining (on November 22) for RMs and what will did not fully understand being told to do penalty the RM skippers do then? Some have raced some- turns for a penalty in one race and! where every weekend of the season andit is good disqualified and put down intoB to see such enthusiasm. Race entries have stayed to pay, but one | thought that was quite fair. was therefore fleet, a hard price high, from all reports, and this was evident at Beware if you are sailing, as you will also be Guildford club’s last the expected to understand the judges, and the fact Mermaid Trophy on 20 that you might not understand will be replied to open of the November year, 1. Over skippers battled it out in a spanking top-suiter which stayed all day, enabling a full three-fleet with a “Gallic shrug of the shoulders.’ On the Saturday evening, a dinner was schedule to be sailed between 10am and 4pm. arranged at a nearby motel and almost everyone Top four were Tony Owens, Chris Dicks, Rob attended; the food was good and even if we did Owens and Tim Fuller, but they had to be on their not mettle with a very strong entry including most of especially liked the camaraderie that is present at perhaps fully the well-known south and south-eastern names. such meetings and the helpful attitude of the Only one post-publication race appears on the MYA Regatta List, for A Class at YM 6m OA on in the RM Class but it seemed that everyone was December 6. presented with a small bottle of Ricard and their Dunkirk (reported by Tim Fuller) thought, European skippers. There were three main prizes names The meeting at Dunkirk was an excellent understand the speeches. | and place a friendly announced. regatta and Altogether well | worth attending. chance for English skippers to find out exactly what the sailing water and conditions were likein readiness for the World Championships at the same venue in July of 1982. Ten British skippers attended, and considering Final places 1. P. Jahan 17.4 2. T. Owens 38.1 the apparent keenness of some 35 skippers to enter the ‘worlds’ next year, this was a poor turn out. | still feel that selection for the Paris (Present Naviga W/C) Danson (GB RM Nats winner) 3. T. Fuller 76.7 ‘worlds’ New Forest (GB R1OR Nats winner) should include more than just the results of one 4. P. Taillez 127.7 Flandre one-day open event and | feel a selection com- 5. E. Servella 150.7 Creteil mittee could provide a much better fleet than any 6. C. Dicks 153 Clapham one result. Skippers could supply details they 7. G. Flas 153.7 Bruxelles wish considered for selection, and the best quali- 8. R. Smith 9. M. Trulin 161.4 161.7 Paris fied should take their places as representatives of Leicester their country, in both classes of yachts if they are 10. O. Faucampre 179 ~—“ Flandre so qualified. | do expect that as usual, only about 21. J. Cleave 234 New Forest (World half of the skippers who put in to attend will actually go to the event, and lalso believe we may 29. J. Richards 311 EC12 Champion) Danson well be allocated a few extra places, because of 32.M. Golding 324 Chelmsford other countries not taking up their allocation, so 33. R. Potts 337 Danson in the end almost everyone who wishes to go will 44.D. Snelling 393 Chelmsford probably get there anyway. 45. M. Dicks 409 Clapham The meeting was run on a friendly basis with a total of 60 entrants and | am sure everyone en- The Olympic method of scoring was used i.e. joyed themselves. It was unfortunate that only one of the three judges turned up, and | can only winner — no points, second — three points, third — 5.7 points, fourth — eight points, etc. and have praise for the one judge who struggled whilst having this system gave almost no chance through the days of racing, giving judgement on of any sail-offs, it did give skippers very large as many incidents as he could see and control, not scores if they dropped into the bottom fleets. an easy job. The racing next year will be from a platform connected to the shore, somewhat Class 2 Racing familiar to the platform at New. Forest and about There have been a few cracks on this subject three feet above the water level; competitors will but also some serious discussion around the allowed to leave this platform whilst meetings. One club, it is understood has spent sailing. This will lead to better control of the meet- two club evenings arguing the subject, even with not be classes, although relatively it is as high and they are just as exciting in a blow. There must be a good many gathering dust in clubhouses and attics, and anyone who takes the trouble to hunt one down and refit it, will be amply rewarded by ing, which is good, and judges will also view the a certain amount of heat. Though unrepentant, it racing from this platform. One strong word of warning, the French quite rightly, will control the draw to readers’ attention a leaflet setting out the meeting in French and you will be expected to basic (or minimum) rules which is available from the fun it will give them. speak at least enough French to get by. Protests Chris Jackson, 5 Crofton Court, Cypress Road, will also be in French although probably an inter- South Norwood, London SE25 4BB. (He does January 1982 is not proposed to dwell on the subject, except to 31 move around doesn’t he?). This leaflet covers just nine rules (plus protests, scoring and penalties) a knowledge of which would keep a beginner out of trouble 99 per cent of the time. As such it repre- sents a much more digestible introduction to R/C racing, and as Chris says, could well form a basis for a Class 2 if required. Anyone who would like a copy should send a stamped, self-addressed foolscap envelope to Chris and enclose a second stamp to help defray the cost of printing the leaflets. The rules are extracted from the full MYA rules and so will not have to be unlearned in the future. Thoroughly recommended, even if you only race with a friend on the local pond. Race of Champions, New Forest October 17/18, 1981, reported by Tim Fuller The race of champions is an invitation-only meeting where skippers who have finished in the first four of their district or in the first four of the Nationals, plus last year’s winner, are invited to sail against each other during one weekend of intensive sailing. Sixteen out of the 25 invited skippers accepted their invitations and arrived at the New Forest; it was raining and blowing agale. However over the weekend conditions slowly changed for the better, to end on the Sunday with age score to give an accurate overall percentage position. The second day’s sailing was raced in two fleets of eight boats, the first A fleet being the top eight skippers of the previous day. There was promotion and relegation between the two fleets of three boats and an overlap in the scores of two points, so that A fleet scored ¥, to eight andB fleet scored six to 18. As there was less worry about the time elapse of each race, a much bigger course than that at the Nationals with two very long beats was used. Once again the standard of sailing was very high, the judging was good and arguments non-existent. Tony Owens won the second day although his lead was not quite so big as the first day; the overall quality of the skippers can be seen from the fact that every skipper had at least one race in ‘B’ fleet, and that theA fleet wins were spread between six different skippers. Everyone had eleven long races on the second day, giving each skipper 26 races for the weekend and making the event well worth travelling along distance for. During the second day there was one protest, not about the interpretation of rules but about the relative position of yachts at a position of four boats’ lengths from a buoy. All skippers were invited to sit in on the protest and it became apparent that those skippers who had seen the incident were divided 50-50 in their opinion. It was decided that there would be a match race between the two protesters, Barry Jackson and Tim Fuller, to decide the point and it provedtobea very close race with Tim managing to just stay in front over most of the course and Barry making a real fight back over the last leg so that both boats were neck and neck for the finishing line. Tim luffed on the line to push the bumper of his boat the two inches in front of Barry that he needed to win. Exciting stuff! In conclusion then an excellent weekend’s sailing for everyone, no hassle and lots of races. Dave Waugh can take the credit for running a very smooth meeting which in my opinion was the best event | have ever been to. | must add that | think 16 is the maximum number that can be accommodated for an event of this type because if all 25 invitations had been accepted, we would have had to sail 320 races on the first day, and not even New Forest could do that! Perhaps there should be a priority of invitation so that a high position in the district event means you are asked before another skipper lower down, up to a maximum of 16 boats. PS: For those who try and draw conclusions it should be mentioned that all the ten different designs of boat were all tuned and set up well, and that the finishing positions came about because of skipper ability and not design of hull or sails. | would bet that Tony Owens could have taken any boat at the meeting and still won. force one-two winds and sunshine. Sixteen skippers is the highest entry ever for this event, and as the first day was match pair racing, where everyone had to sail every other skipper once, there was some worry over whether there would be difficulty in getting through the required 120 races. However due to the excellent running of the meeting by OOD, Dave Waugh, and the professional and sportsmanlike attitude of the skippers, the event ran very smoothly and efficiently. The skippers’ attitude showed that when everyone knows what is expected of them and exactly what is going on, there is just no room for argument or aggravation. On the first day everyone had 15 races and if any penalty situations arose, the guilty skippers immediately accepted they were wrong and there was not even the whisper of a protest. As it was avery cold day a stop was made for a hot lunch in the clubhouse and this again helped to keep spirits high. New Forest can probably claim the record for the most radio races ever sailed in one day! Tony Owens was the winner of the first day, with 14 out of 15 wins, followed by three in second place with 11 runs each, Tim Fuller, Rob Owens and Rob Smith. These scores were reduced to a percentage of a possible total sothat they could be added to the second day’s percent- THE E.C. 12 METER STORY Chris Jackson looks at this interesting yet little known class — in which Britain has the current World Champion YONE reading Model Boats magazine in recent months would oon realise that there is a considerable interest in radio-controlled model yachting which is not attracted to the highly competitive and complex Marblehead class. In many cases the interest is from people who have in the past tried aircraft or power boats, and faced with noise and cost problems look at sail as a new challenge, without the problems associated with their former interest. Perhaps they have tried the exisiting ‘“ARTF’’ kits which are available and this has whetted their appetites for something a little more substantial; but still within the range that allows transport in the family car, and solo operation. Once committed to a hull they need to 32 be sure that it will not date and will be able tocompete on equal terms with any other similar yacht. On the other hand they require a feeling of having built the boat, and the freedom to apply a personal finish to their own craft, and lastly the design must resemble a full-size yacht. This interest has led to regular suggestions of a newclass or design, and the resultant chaos would be fascinating if they all went their separate ways without an overall rule to control the basic dimensions which govern yacht performance. In all this comment it seems to have been forgotten that there exists an internationally accepted class, meeting all these criteria, and giving within the rule the freedom to complete the boat to individual taste. In the hope that a little publicity may provide the impetus to starta Model Boats local fleet in your area, the following comments may explain how the A deck view of John ee E.C12m can meet so many ofthe needs of the fun-sailing enthusiast. Cleave’s Championship winning boat. % ; History ¥ In order to win the Americas Cup, many U.S. designers have tank- tested models over the years, and some time ago a model used for this purpose was found by members of the American M.Y.A. Al- though out of date by the latest standards, because it was a full keel design, it had elegant bow and stern overhangs. More important it was the right size, being 43in. on the waterline, 62in. overall, and displacing 27lbs. weight; in other words around the same size as a Marblehead. The extra weight allowed a greater flexibility in building, and the smooth keel line and draught of 8in. allowed the use of many waters where weed and depth don’t even go near the 18in. clearance required for an RM. With a keen class secretary, who recognised the potential for such a boat, behind it, the class prospered in the U.S.A., Canada, and Australia, where we understand more than 600 are registered. The class became the subject of international interest when talks between the!.M.Y.R.U. andthe American model yachting authorities started to try to bring their rules and regulations into phase. Adopted by the international body, it was a class at the Canadian Sail 80 meeting, and a miniature Americas Cup was run at Newport during the last defence of the Cup. Both these races were won by John Cleave, the sole British entrant. Performance It is vital to remember that it is not intended to provide a rival hot class for the RM, and indeed the American rules make it clear that the spirit of the class is friendly competition without driving loopholes through the existing rules by adding clever ideas to ‘improve’ the basic simple rig. Having talked to John Cleave it is clear that the boat handles well in moderate wind, the storm suit being needed to maintain control in the harder stuff, and it is entirely seaworthy. The essence of aclassis that all are equal, and the rules ban any cutting of the GRP hull or extensions to the rudder, thus ensuring that all boats sail on equal terms. In many ways it is similar to the very earliest Marbleheads and nobody complained about them at the time. Indeed, | have met a few skippers who still fancy their chances with an old design in light weather against a modern bulb-keel boat. ease of transport if you use Groovy or Vy/et mast sections. The lead is cast into the inside of the hull moulding and it is therefore possible to use the simple technique of lead sheet or lumps glued in with resin if you can’t manage a casting in solid lead on the kitchen table! Sails can be obtained from any of the suppliers who advertise in the magazines, and Graham Bantock actually made the rig of one of John Cleave’s boats, so he has the patterns already available. £. L. Jones also offer a complete range of yacht fittings suitable for this design and would, no doubt, be happy to offer a price for a kit of parts. The Future Clearly with an exisiting U.S. fleet of some size, the class must continue for some years to offer a design covering the full range from local club or solo sailing, right up to major races. This flexibility must make it a serious contender for the yachtsman who has grown out of the ready-made market but feels unable to build from scratch because of time or limited facilities. As a matter of curiosity | have checked the design against the 6m rule about which Vic Smeed is waxing lyrical, and itdoes measure to this class as well, so it could have a second life in a mixed fleet of radio 6m boats which are slowly appearing in various parts of the country. Availability This has been, until recently, a major problem, but a plug has now been imported to the U.K., complying in all respects with the original mould, indeed the very first one. Shells in GRP with a rudder can be obtained fromE. L. Jones, 8 Marline Avenue, Bromborough, Mersey- side, at a current price of £30 plus carriage. This leaves the builder to construct a deck from ply or lime planks, over beams and inwales glued in the usual model boat manner. A copy of the class rules is included with each hull, showing the correct dimensions for the deck, and the mast and sails. The standard mast is deck-stepped, of 72in. height, and could be in two pieces for The photo shows the deck layout in close-up, from which it is clear that the basic design offers the potential for any treatment, from purely functional to the other extreme of dummy winches and hatches. To anyone who is slightly worried by the overall size of the boat, | can only say that whilst smaller yachts have their place in the order of things, they quickly become overpowered in any weight of wind, and a reasonable size boat soon becomes highly desirable if you want to sail regularly. And of course with the weight allowance on this hull you can use standard modelling timber and epoxy or GRP resins, avoiding the more expensive items required on other boats. Just the job for a winter building programme don’t you think? NOW UNDER NEW MANAGEMENT We are continually expanding our range to provide a better service to the modeller. PRECEDENT — SHG — AMPS — VERON — DUPLEX — GRAUPNER — ROBBE — M.F.A. — AEROKITS. Plus a full range of accessories and fittings. * NEW YEAR SPECIAL OFFER * ONE ONLY: AMPS Tigre Shark with AMPS /O.P.S. .60 outboard. S.R.P. £264.00 — NOW £159.00 FOR A GREAT DEAL MORE COME TO: 448 CRANBROOK ROAD, GANTSHILL, ILFORD. Tel: 01-554-8167 MAIL ORDER WELCOME January 1982 > # EFFECTIVE a
