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V ay 2117 ‘ wiK’?s TOP SELLE VaG rm Oui \ mee | MY \ 1) Lady Elizabeth A Professional model : Ev 3 @ nstitution \ ay t. xg ba : 1@y } a \\ \ Pe sa & Kensington Palace provided the backdrop » for the ‘95 RIOR Nationals hosted by the MYSA on the Round Pond. any identifiable source. There are rumours flying around of one group getting together The Dann-3 design is now available in moulded form to to manufacture the appropriate gear and I have heard of a long lost Model Boats plan for home building a vane, however I suspect the real killer is the number of suitable boats that are being bought by collectors or for various stages of construction from David Taylor. that all important shop display. If free-sailing stands any hope of surviving, then I suspect the solution rests in the hands of those that own the boats. It would be nice to see some of them come out of storage and sail rather than disappearing into the auction rooms, from where they seem to wend their way across the Atlantic. The first GRP version of the Dann-3 powers along on a reach. Far right: The Stiletto, which this reporter feels is certainly one of the most attractive One Metre designs around just now (except for my Single Malt of course!) is only available by the combined use of an halfnelson and copious amounts of alcohol. future events. This would mean a minimum of five heats for events of over around 50 R36R see your boat in the melee at the windward mark. The other idea is passive observing, There appears to be a ground swell of interest in this class that has basically been decimated by the advent of the 1M. This is entries, however it might make it easier to something that Mike waxed lyrical about sometime last year. Passive observing basically means that the race observers note contaets between yachtsand marks but do not hail the yachts involved. This puts the emphasis back on the skippers as they will not have the advantage of being able to ignore a rule infringement that has been missed by the race committee; not until the end of the race anyway when they could be disqualified. Passive observing is a big change but could work if it goes hand in hand with the deletion of the rule obligating skippers to protest in the event of a contact between two yachts, however I’m heading towards expressing my personal views rather than reporting facts. It has been agreed that PO will be tried at 3 designated events during the coming season; so you can all look forward to hearing how the idea works in practice, hopefully from someone else! The first GRP version of the Dann-3 powers along on a reach. teams with the “hot-shot” helping and encouraging the other members of the team. Some clubs have already tried the idea with varying degrees of success, but it is one to be encouraged so contact MYA Racing Secretary Keith Skipper on 01284 704482 if you want to know more. The other idea is to organise various seminars within each of the MYA districts to help clubs and members with race management, rule application, boat handling, building, tuning and tactical skills. The “but” is that being an entirely voluntary organisation, most of these are likely to remain on the wish list for a long time, although I must add that is good to see the MYA being able to turn it’s mind to constructive ideas rather than getting bogged down in admin. Returning to the pace of racing, there is a move to limit EORS heat sizes to 18 for The other significant news is the publication of the long awaited MYA Handbook. A version of this has existed for some years, however the new one contains all the class rules plus every document used by the MYA in it’s administration and race organisation, A copy is being issued to every club but if you want your own, then they are available from the MYA supplies officer for £18.00 including p&p. Call David Hackwood on 01642 595577. Vane Sailing I’ve always made it clear that I have little knowledge and even less experience of this side of the sport but have listened with interest to those that cry out for more to be done for this declining hobby. Unfortunately those that enjoy free-sailing are not helped by the lack of suitable venues and the fact that you can buy neither a vane or boat from partly due to the fact that some unknown skipper has won the championship for the past two years running (and Graham Bantock hasn’t) and also the fact that the past events have really been good fun with lot’s of racing and few delays. Anyway it was interesting to see that this year’s Sails Etc catalogue includes a reference to a “classic” R36R design and it will be exciting to see how this manifests itself. | thought the reasoning behind this was that Graham wanted to have a go for the title, however it transpires that GB’s idea is to produce a boat with a touch of nostalgia that would have appeal to the modeller and fun sailor, especially those that cannot afford to buy the older free sailing boats for the reasons referred to earlier, I quite like this idea and look forward to seeing the prototype as and when it becomes available. For the racer and those that are interested, this year’s championship is to be held over the weekend of 11/12th May, again at Market Bosworth, so brush the dust off your boat and get it working or sell it through the MYA second-hand boat list (see end of this epistle for details). One Metre This class continues to attract both beginner and expert alike with just about every newcomer to the hobby looking for a quick start via a second-hand boat. There are a huge number of designs available through the various model plans services and of course this is one of the few classes where a good home-made planked hull can compete with the very best from the professionals. Last years results seem to suggest that the most competitive UK designs are the prototypes of the Metrik Magic and MODEL BOATS MAY 96 -oePhn yore ot Tonto tan be expected to featureat the SrOnt oF ma. Crossbow, Parasite (Dereck Priestley), Bubbles in various modified forms, Red Wine (Sails Etc), Single Malt and the Stiletto. The Crossbow is now available moulded in GRP (but no one wants to let on about who is making it!) and there seem to be several variations of the Metrik Magic available. Rumour also has it that David Taylor is now producing hulls moulded in glass/epoxy from the Nigel Gilsen designed Dann 3 (see Yacht Lines July ‘95). Anyone interested can contact David on 01275 845533. The jungle drums are also beating out a rhythm that suggests that there will be a new Alex Austin design available later this year and suspect that one of the first boats will be seen in the hands of Peter Stollery. Whether the new boat will be a continuation of the Bubbles theme is a matter for supposition, but watch this space. Sad news is the demise of Performance Model Yachts in Scotland who have built many, including your reporter’s, Single Malt designs over the past 18 months. Just goes to show that the British Gas pension is just too good! This also means the retraction of the RM Whisper design, an even greater loss, however the good thing is that they’ll only be a few of the fast Single Malt sister ship’s around to beat. . Having said that, I reported last year that Sails Ete were evolving a one-design concept based on the Red Wine, to be known as the Tinto and had speculated privately that this might undermine the sales of Red Wine/Single Malt. Whilst there are other reasons why one should consider these more sophisticated sisters, the Tinto production moulds became available last year and Sails etc. are now marketing the design in this country as a One Metre kit, with the possibility that the boat may well develop as a one design. Construction is very akin to the Jazz resulting in flat deck layout and a reduced price when compared to the Red Wine. MODEL BOATS zai We Red Woihe. andedds se v0Fat défivatives, such as Si MAY 96 ents tits coming ear Tony Abel is marketing a very narrow One Metre, the Mandarin, which we look forward ~ to seeing at some time in the future and ‘m still told that one can buy mouldings of the very attractive Stiletto design (despite the fact that the builder says he hasn’t got time to make them!). Some serious arm twisting might get you a Stiletto, the lines of which are to be extrapolated into a new RM design. By the time this is published Chris Jackson should have launched his Antipodean designed hull which is very much in the skiff mould (arrow head shape water line on plan, low rocker, wide stern sections) and the opposite of the current design trends of the UK. It’s always interesting to see someone (else!) try something different and again, look forward to brining you more news about this particular boat. I’m sure we will continue to see lots of new designs in this class and there is no shortage of mouldings and kits available at very reasonable prices. However it’s still a 0.5m too short. On the racing front, there’s quite a lot to look forward to. The European Championships are being hosted by Fleetwood MY & PBC from 26th – 31st May and the Nationals make their way to Cleveland RYC (Middlesborough) on August 24th – 26th. I also suspect that the ranking events will continue to attract strong support with skippers wanting to qualify for the next worlds planned for New Zealand in 1997. At least it will give some chance of getting a sun-tan. Marblehead Readers may recall my review of the Marblehead class last year together with the reference to a rule revision. The consultation has now been completed and the new rule should be confirmed and published by the time you read this. Apparently it will look very different but I’m told that none of the revisions will have any real affect on the design of future boats or their strangely (for a development class) restricted rigs. The only contentious issue left for the TYRUMYRD permanent committee to decide was a possible move to restrict draft but again have been informed that they have not embraced this idea. The World Championships were held in Australia in January and Graham Bantock did it again by hanging onto his title for the third time in succession! Congratulations GB. There is however hope for the rest of us because it was a close run thing with GB only clinching the title in the last race. I don’t intend to give a race report here, especially as I don’t have a clue as to how it went, however one can conclude that with current stability in the designs of the yachts, skill is becoming the major factor in taking this title. With the Whisper design now unavailable, the UK fleet will continue to be dominated by the Paradox (Sails Etc) and Roar Edge designs (full kits and boats available from Paul Tickner on 01483 423468). The Stark (Housemartin Sails) is another very reasonably priced option and there are several older designs that will perform well in all but the lightest of winds. Chris Dicks has of course produced the Blade design (which I understood would be made available after the Worlds) and certainly this boat looked very quick at last year’s Nationals. It has also been refreshing to see some other people having a go with their own designs, one of which was performing very well at the last Mermaid trophy, despite the fact the hull was planked and must have carried a slight weight penalty. Just goes to show it can be done! The Roar Edge and Paradox were designed for the ‘92 worlds, so we appear to be in a period of stability in terms of hull, fins and rigs. This may well focus people’s minds on weight savings, although there is really very little left that can be pruned without Above: David Wilkinson’s home designed and built Gluon 2 showed great pace at last year’s Mermaid event, proving that this class is accessible to the more adventurous amongst us. Above top: Martin Roberts took an amended version of the Stark – Starkers – to the RM Worlds in Australia where he finished 6th overall. The boat has a raised and slightly Hlared bow profile, adding buoyancy and an anti-plunge bow a la Roar Edge. Above left: The rather jazzy scheme and paint job on Paul Tickner’s own Road Edge doesn’t seem to have slowed it up. The Edge is available from Paul in a range of colours that would have made Henry Ford proud. ~ pets) schampiouships opened, up the debate about. boats measured in tw classes. O7 isa Paradox, the suecessful RM design from Sails Etc, rated as a RIOR. Sas a conventional aiid rather-elderiys ‘quire Kay design that Bantock took the ‘95 RIOR title sailing his Paradox (No. 195) design with a shroudless conventional rig, only a fraction of a point ahead of Peter Stollery sailing a Roar Edge (No39) with an extre mely: large Stollery pattern swing rig. J-Sann 4, the Dann 6. The boat and rigs seem Atlas which will operate on 4.8 – 6.0 volts rather than the conventional 7.2V. This to be very reasonably priced, so if you are interested, Nigel can be contacted on 01473 reduces the number of cells to five, saving 464204. weight. and before you ask, also consuming less power with Whirlwind claiming up to 50% Bits & Pieces never been to an event or sailed one in anger, something I must put on my “to do” list for the less drain in the prototype. Unfortunately I can’t substantiate these figures because although I’ve been lent one of the winches for trial, it was cold and blowing old boots and I lost track of each pack’s usage. coming year. Funnily enough I was chatting to a well known Skipper only recently and we agreed that this boat might be even more fun than the R6M. It’s certainly bigger! Now of course some of you will immediately say this means that we will have to replace all our battery packs, but Whirlwind will be producing an in-line gadget that will I’d like to have been able to write something about the A Class but I have simply Winches were referred to earlier, and whilst the link between the device and weight saving may seema little tenuous, bear with me and step down the voltage from your existing 7.2V packs, allowing for some mix and matching. somebody wins with something radically different or (2) stronger materials become Looking closely at the crop of current RM designs, there seems little opportunity to save any more weight but this doesn’t stop the more inventive skippers coming up with various ideas and taking a closer look at the components that make up the average boat. When it comes to the electrics, most of us are restricted by what is commercially versions. Other news is that Whirlwind are to extend their guarantee to twelve months from date of purchase and that the electronics now incorporate an auto reset device that protects against reversed polarity (by the technophobic or colour blind amongst us) and most overload situations. In fact the new winch doesn’t even have a power connection available. Most re-yachts keep gear down to a minimum, typically winch, rudder servo, receiver and batteries. Battery technology changes extremely rapidly and it is now possible to buy battery packs of 400mah capacity and almost half the size of the conventional AA pack. It was with this in mind that Whirlwind winches took a lateral look at the problem and have developed a new winch, to be called the Olympic, Low-profile any more as it reverts to using the receiver battery connection. The case layout has also been improved and the adjuster controlling & America’s cup winches Used by the Winners of all the Major Domestic & International Competitions now ATLAS the New addition to the Range already a winner at RM World Championship hirlwind | @ ® Send for Details For SAIL WINCHES and R/C Keith Skipper 26 Sebert Road Equipment to suit all Classes Bury St Edmunds come by so as IJ have reported in the past, I maintain on behalf of the MYA, a list of model yachts offered for sale. The service is run batteries for marginal gain. The combination of the Atlas and in-line gadget will allow the competitive skipper to, where rules permit, change to small packs in light airs and use existing 7.2V packs in the heavier stuff. Although the weight saving is not an issue in the 1M class with it’s minimum weight rule, the reduced power consumption should allow most skippers to get through a full sailing day with less battery packs. The Atlas will also be available in Hi-speed and Hi-Torque available that will allow the production of deeper efficient fins that in turn facilitate a reduction in ballast weight and hence displacement. @ on top of the casing. For catalogue and price list call or fax Whirlwind on 01284 704482. Second-hand boats are somewhat difficult to Other than the weight saving, I wasn’t quite sure of the markets for two ranges of winches, however there will remain a lot of us with 7.2V gear that will persevere rather than go to the expense of replacing all our all shall be revealed. The modern RM is pretty well honed down to it’s minimum weight and will probably remain this way until; (1) of Yacht and Scale Boat IP32 7EB the number of drum revolutions positioned Another exciting photograph – this time of the new Atlas winch and drum from Whirlwind winches. Apart from the sexy holes in the drum, free of charge to MYA members and for a trial period, is being extended to all-comers providing the yacht advertised is one of the something akin to MYA recognised classes. You can advertise your boat by sending details of the boat the avid weight saver, (including class, number or age, details of electrics, rigs and/or sails, name, club and telephone number as well as asking price) to 59 Esher Road, Hersham, Surrey KT12 4LW. makes it easier to align If you want a copy of the list, please forward an S.A.E. to the same address. Entries will crotch-less knickers for the drum has a moulded square that with the servo spindle. Simple things. be kept on the list for three, normally monthly, publications. And finally, a hint for the photographers amongst you – avoid a polarising filter with the latest generation of auto-focus cameras. The polariser trips up the mechanism as the lens rotates and wastes lots of film, which is another reason why I haven’t completed certain articles. That’s it for this month. I’m off now to wipe the dust from my next project and look forward to seeing at least a few of you on the circuit this coming year. HFM MARINE Thames Sailing Barge 33″ Scale Sailing Barge Kit Ideal for 2ch Sailing Mail Order Tel/fax 01284 704482 VICTORIAN STEAM GUN BOAT Reviewed in December issue. Simple wood hull, pre-cut hull panels, 200 white metal & brass fittings, printed ply parts, propshaft with oiling tube, brass prop. Full instructions & full size plan. For electric or steam propulsion. £115.50 + p&p. Ideal for SVS steam engine. Double acting, twin cylinder with R/C valve. Ready built with boiler, heated by solid fuel tablets or can be converted to gas, £119.50 +p&p. £225.00 + £8.00 p&p for kit & steam plant. R. M. MARINE 20 GREENFIELD ROAD COLWYN BAY CLWYD TEL. 01492 530363 / 622370 For Catalogue of Hulls, Fittings etc. send £1.50 MODEL BOATS MAY 96 Kit Includes: Detailed Formings, Metal Fittings Coloured Sails, Full Instructions Available from: All Good Model Shops Trade Enquiries to: Punctilio Products, Harrowbrook Ind. Est., Hinckley, LE10 3DS 01455 637878 Send A4 SAE for details
