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19 February 2010 - Article submitted by Mark Rogers

Hi Don

Some build pics for you. Build is underweight by 200g at present. Trying to keep it down so I can use a IOM lead bulb @ 2.2kg.

The red boat is a Marblehead circa late 70s that’s undergoing a resto. How things have changed!

Working with Rod Carr sail maker in the US on sail plans for the T50 to suit our windier conditions here.
Will also use his “A” suit design that won the 09 US vintage Marblehead championships.

Regards
Mark

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19 February 2010 - Article submitted by Karl Texler

My apologies on untidy layout. Will be corrected shortly. I thought it was more important to get content up. :(

Hi Don,

For your interest. Great to talk to you over the phone.

Cheers!

Karl

Here's a bit of a blurb:

"Osprey" was my first RC model yacht. I was inspired to design and build her after seeing SARYS members racing near my home at West Lakes, South Australia. She is a Marblehead (KA 109). I designed her in 1976 (when I was 14 years old) and finished her later that year. She was built out of balsa planking over plywood framing and dynel sheathed. I registered her for the nationals, but was never satisfied with her performance. After an accident which flooded her electronics (and knocked me out just before nationals), I rebuilt her in 1977 (new deck, bow, keel, rudder, and rigs). I raced her the following season. Rick Doorey built the turnbuckles, but I built the rest of the rigs and made the sails (out of drawing grade mylar). I was very much mentored by Terry Seabrook. She is still functional today.

Inspired by Terry Seabrook's design "Sea Lynx", I designed and built "Osprey II" in 1978. However, she was a disaster, the bows were too fine, the run aft too wide and she nose-dived at the slightest provocation. She was finally broken up in 1987.

In late 1980, I designed "Osprey III". The hull was built out of epoxy resin soaked cartridge paper (over balsa shadows) with unidirectional glass sheathing and microballoon fairing. I started building the internal bracing and foils, but my (repeat) final year of school got in the way, and the project was shelved. I still have the hull and the bits and pieces. She has eliptical bow sections, a single chine running aft and was designed with a raised cambered foredeck (much like the modern yachts).

In 1984, I designed and started construction of a 1/12 scale sailing model of Australia II. The hull was built of WEST resin soaked balsa over balsa frames, sheathed in unidirectional fibreglass and microballoon fairing. However, my university studies got in the way (I had moved to Perth) and I stopped construction just as I was framing up the deck. I still have her, and she seems to be the most likely of my stalled projects to be resumed.

In 1987, I made contact again with SARYS, having landed a veterinary job in Adelaide. Inspired by what I saw (especially the Bantock designs), I designed and started building "Osprey IV". The club (through Rob Guyatt) was good enough to lend me a metal building board. Her hull was built over ply shadows and is monocoque strip planked balsa, WEST resin soaked and sheathed with unidirectional glass. However, I changed jobs and had to move to inland Victoria (no sailing possibilities nearby), so this project was shelved too. I still have the hull, and it seems comparable to modern designs - if I wanted to race, this is the one I would finish off (but I have to get a club going first!!). Unfortunately a carbon fibre mast I bought for her has succumbed to years of mishandling during transport and storage and is now irreparably crushed.

One of these days, (I keep telling myself) I will finish at least one of these projects. I will stop procrastinating about it ....maybe day after tomorrow!!  

Karl Texler's Vintage Yachts

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06 January 2010 - Article submitted by Mark Rogers

Hi Don
[personal comment deleted]
Got the T50 kit, the photos don’t do it justice. It’s got everything, bulldog clips, pins, brushes, tapes, gloves, drill bit, rat tail file. Very impressed. The manual is 117 pages. The planks are pre steamed to curve.

Going to get started soon, promise to take lots of photos.
Regards
Mark

Photo's of the kit are available to view by clicking on the below link.

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26 December 2009 - Article submitted by Yahoo "cupclassyacht" users' group

The following question and one answer that was given has been lifted from the Yahoo groups group cupclassyacht. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/cupclassyacht/message/1031  Even though it is based on USA experience, just substituting a couple of boat classes I feel make the topic just as relevant here in Australia as well.

Question:
Hello group. My name is Dennis Clarke. I have over 37 yrs of sailing experience, but only about 10 mins at the helm of a model sailboat and that was about 10 yrs ago. As for model building, we would have to go back in time to 1943 when I built my first sailplane, so we can say it is virtually Zilch.
 
As I am into my 81st orbit of the sun on spaceship earth, I thought I should take up a less physically demanding, possibly warmer and certainly drier sailing experience than rounding the marks in my 5 meter racing dingy.
 
What I wish to know from the group is - Which is the easiest Victor model to build for a neophyte modeller?
 
If I wish to be involved in RC sailing competition in the Toronto/Canada area, I have been advised to build a Soling 1M, but I am not sure I want to be involved in competition anymore. Anyway those races take place on weekends when I am in Colour a small town on the shore of Lake Ontario, with a wonderful harbour, scores of keelboats, which sometimes needs crew.
 
The model CUP Boat, which appeals to me, is the Blackhawk 34. Have any of you built one? How does it rate against the other Cup Boats in light to medium winds? Lastly, if anyone has the experience, how do the Cup Boats compare to the Soling 1M from the point of, 1/ ease of construction and 2/ performance?
 
Any and all information would be welcome and to all I wish safe and enjoyable holidays – Dennis

One Answer:  Other answers are available at the Yahoo Group website. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/cupclassyacht/message/1031
Hi, I am going to make a strong suggestion to you. You say you are unsure as to whether you wish to compete. To me, that indicates that you still entertain the concept so I would not rule it out. Here's my reasoning. If you buy something other than the Soling then you will not be able to compete if that is all they sail there. I sail on a pond with a lot of 1 meter boats so I keep one. But every now and then I like to take my 10Rater down and sail it because there is nothing else in the model boat arena that is so much fun to sail. Needless to say, the 10R just stomps any 1 meter into the ground and that does not sit well with the other guys. So if you just want something to sail I recommend the Soling 1 meter (S1M). As to the problem of building you can solve that by ordering your boat from VMP (Victor Model Products) already built. Yes, it is more costly but ready to sail when you get it. If the costly part bothers you then most of the guys at the pond will help if you ask. You may even be able to find a building jig that you can borrow. The latter will help you keep things square as you build. Here's the drawbacks to the S1M: it's essentially a dog of a boat. We no longer see them on our pond as the Voyagers etc beat them consistently. We have a couple of US1M (US 1 Meter) boats that in the right hands will walk away from any other 1 M boat on the pond. One other consideration concerning the S1M is that it is roughly a keel boat as opposed to a fin and bulb boat (such as a US1M). That feature means that you can sail the S1M where there are occasional weeds in the pond and you would not want to do that with the US1M. Also, the S1M has a shallower draft than many of the fin and bulb boats. I hope this helps give you some things to think about if you are still not sure about competing.
Should you make up your mind to never compete do remember that VMP will build many of their boats to ready to sail configuration. There are other manufacturers that will also do that. So, here's another suggestion. Get on to the AMYA (American Model Yachting Association) at www.theAMYA.org and check out all the boats in the various classes. If you find something you like then go to the Classified section and see if there is one for sale used that will not cause you too much trouble to acquire. When looking give a lot of thought as to where you are planning on sailing. If you expect to sail in only one location tailor you choice simply to that. If you expect to go to many locations remember draft and weeds. One of the clubs in the Denver area is heavily involved in fin and bulb boats. When their pond became scummy and had a lot of weeds they sort of had to disband.
Considerations of size: You are 81 so the larger boats tend to get heavier. In my mid 60's I built a "J" boat and it weighed 87 pounds ready to sail. I sold that to a much younger man. I am restricting myself to boats no heavier than around 30 lbs. My 10R is around 12 lbs which is about the usual weight of an S1M (The 10R has a 70 inch hull and the S1M has 39.37 inches). The S1M has something like 10" draft and the 10R has around 18". As I said look at all the boats.
Other considerations of draft: The less the draft, the more "tender" the boat in higher winds. The EC12 is a gorgeous thing. But with a 54" hull and a 9" draft it will get tender in a hurry; I guess that is why the competitors in that class have up to 3 suits of sails for the varying wind conditions.
Considerations for LWL (loaded water line): The longer the lwl the more difficult the boat is to transport. My "J" had an over all length of 101.5 inches; it was a beast to transport. The 10R will not fit in my little Toyota; it takes my van to carry it and its mast. The flip side of this point. The shorter the lwl, the slower the hull speed and the more difficult it is to sail. In fact, my first mentor in sailing (I have never done any sailing in full scale boats) model boats claims that there is a break point at the 1 meter length. Under that all the boats are squirrly; and my experience confirms that opinion. In fact, I think that the optimum boat for a beginner is a plain jane M (Marblehead). There are not many of those around as the class is completely dominated by 3 to 4 thousand dollars a pop boats from Germany. However, the downside to a plain jane M is the fact that you are still dealing with a lot of draft, somewhere around 20 to 22 inches.
Other boats to look at especially: The RC Laser is by far the simplest class to get into. There is no building allowed. The boats are over 40 inches long and come with a variety of sails available for various wind conditions. They even come with a bag to carry them around in. I don't remember how deep their fin and bulb are but it isn't a lot. The US1M can usually be had used in a more or less ready to sail configuration. (For used boats check out the classifieds on the AMYA site.) These are possibly the very best of the 1 Meter boats and are usually much cheaper than an IOM (International One Metre) which is also a very good boat. Again, stay away from the under 1 M boats unless you think your responses are still tip top; they take a lot of concentration. If larger boats are attractive, the Santa Barbara is a keel boat that is very pleasant to sail. They weigh in at under 30 lbs and class rules keep the sail area to very manageable dimensions. The EC12 is a bit smaller than the S/B and if you have a couple of rigs then they can be sailed any where. If you think you must go under 1 meter then the most popular boat is the Victoria. The kits are not difficult to build but here's the rub: the instructions will cause you to do things that are actually injurious to happy sailing. The Victoria is a good little boat and some of your S1M friends can help yo with rigging considerations. You will also need some help with sail winch considerations.
Bet you didn't think you would get all this. As my wife could tell you, I have a bad case of verbal diahorrea.
Bill Young
Open Class Secretary of the AMYA

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20 December 2009 - Article submitted by Don Leitis

The following pictures have been published as a result of increased interest in construction of yachts by individual modeller's.

Australia II Build
Construction Photo's of Victor Model Products - Australia II   By Don Leitis
Options shown in the link below are available from the album. Enjoy!

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19 December 2009 - Article courtesy of Tippecanoe Boats Ltd

A couple of most enthusiastic fellow yachties have provided me with a link to some more T50 construction photo's, Photo's that I found to be most educational.

T50 - Construction Photo's
These photo's are courtesy of Tippecanoe Boats
Tippecanoe Boats, ltd. 4305 Nordum Rd., Everson, WA 98247 USA phone/fax 1-800-206-0006 1-360-966-SAIL
Home 

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12 December 2009 - Article submitted by Steve Crewes

I had the good fortune recently to communicate with a fellow radio yachting enthusiast who has just purchased a "Tippecanoe T50 MOD" radio yacht, eligible to sail in the Marblehead Class. I'm sure Mark won't mind me mentioning his name, (fingers crossed), and I look forward to receiving more photo's when his own boat arrives and Mark stamps his own mark on the new boat. The photo's below come courtesy of Mark who obtained permission from Will Lesh, Tippecanoe Boats designer and trans-Atlantic sailor for me to use these pictures. Thank you Mark, and thank you Will.

The Tippecanoe T50 MOD
Tippecanoe Boats, ltd. 4305 Nordum Rd., Everson, WA 98247 USA phone/fax 1-800-206-0006 1-360-966-SAIL
 

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11 December 2009 - Article submitted by Steve Crewes

Apparently this breathtakingly beautiful craft started life as an "A" Class yacht.
Click on thumbnails for larger images, then on your browser's [back <-] button to return to this page.

Above photo's courtesy of Steve Crewes

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