Search Results

The new optimised Alternative boat build When I play golf, if I drive off the tee and lose my ball because of an errant swing, why is it that my second attempt is nearly always perfect making me wonder why didn't I swing like that on my first shot! It's kind of like that when you build a second boat. The first attempt is full of small errors, air bubbles, lifted glass at the bow and stern, too much epoxy used, etc. The second boat has errors but it is much better and lighter. I started the second boat yesterday afternoon and unwrapped it this morning and what a beauty she looks. If you are interested, here is what I did with a few pictures. I started by repairing the old hull plug, patching up some damage when I cut the previous boat off the plug with a dremel. After a rub down and 5 coats of release wax it was good as new and ready for the layup. I cut out 3 sheets of 124gm S glass from a paper pattern I made earlier. I acquired 3 sheets of brown paper which were from a delivery of an old flower arrangement (my wife's!). With care, I cut the glass cloth straight onto the brown paper from the paper pattern I made earlier. The cloth was cut with no mess. In addition to the cutting, I drew a centre line with a felt pen and perpendicular lines (to the centreline) for the bow, stern and edge of the foredeck. This is done to allow easy alignment (when laying down the cloth onto the plug) with a centreline drawn down the keel of the hull along with a mark to indicate the foredeck. The brown paper not only seperated the 3 layers of cloth but also allows the cloth to be rolled up and carried as well as protecting the edges, keeping the cloth flat and clean. (Image 1) Last summer on the first boat build, I cut the glass outside on a table, did not use any paper or protective cover and ended up with strands of glass fibre all over the patio! With the cloth prepared, I was ready to lay the hull up in the garden shed. Yesterday it was about 12 degrees which is just warm enough to work with epoxy. I needed a workbench to clamp the hull upside down (Image 4), a piece of wood hanging from the shed ceiling to screw the plug support post to work on the deck (Image 3), paper towel to wipe up mess, acetone for cleaning, nitril gloves to protect my hands, West System epoxy (slow cure), three plastic pots (I use fromage frais pots), a 2 inch paint brush and an aluminium roller for removing air bubbles, peel ply for wrapping the epoxy, screwdriver and electric drill for mounting and dismounting the plug. With all the bits together on site, I was ready to go. After mixing the epoxy using the self measuring plungers that you screw on the resin and hardener tins (3 pushes of the plunger will do one layer of glass) I applied resin to the hull side of the plug, being careful to wet the curves of the deck. The epoxy will not lie smooth on the wax and will pull back into globules looking a bit messy but it won't matter. Taking the first layer of cloth and with the boat mounted upside down on the workbench, hold it over the hull aligning the centreline, bow, stern and foredeck marks before laying the cloth down on the epoxied plug. (Image 2 3 and 4) Gently smooth out the cloth with the paint brush and work out from the centre until the cloth is flat all over. This is quite fiddly but by taking time and being patient the cloth will lay out perfectly. Next step is to go over the cloth with the paint brush (be very gentle) and wetting the cloth where dry, removing air bubbles as you go. Use the epoxy sparingly as excess resin just adds weight. Finally go over the hull with the aluminium roller to get any missed air bubbles. Now remove the plug from the workbench and screw to the bar dropping from the shed ceiling. Initially fix the hull upside down and then carefully allow the plug to rotate down while supporting the cloth over the deck, until the deck is level. (In my first build last summer, I picked the plug from the workbench after wetting the cloth on the hull, rotated it so the deck was uppermost, raised it up to the supporting bar and the glass cloth fell off onto the floor. You have been warned!) Before you work the cloth into the deck with the paintbrush, cut away any excess. On the first layer I used a 1 inch overlap. On the second layer, I butt the ends of the cloth (ie no overlap) and on the third layer use an overlap again. In this way you avoid too much weight along the centreline of the deck. On my first boat I ended up with 6 layers of cloth on the centreline which produced a strong boat but heavy in the ends. Work the cloth into the deck with the paint brush in the same way as the hull, until flat and smooth. Sorry there are no pictures of this as my gloves were coated in epoxy at the time! Check over the hull and deck in good light to make sure there are no air bubbles and the cloth is tightly bonded at the bow and stern. Leave the plug until the epoxy remaining in your mixing jug starts to go stringy. When this happens, the first layer of cloth will be stuck nicely to the plug and won't move when you apply the second layer. The longer you can leave it between layers the better. Half an hour should be long enough. Wash your paint brush, gloves and roller in acetone and mix the second batch of epoxy. Bin the 1st mixing pot. For the second layer, drape the cloth over the hull taking care with the alignment marks and brush out as before using just enough epoxy to wet the cloth. Repeat for the third layer remembering to clean tools in between. I use four plunges of epoxy for the last layer because I wanted the outer layer slightly wetter. Any excess would be absorbed by the peel ply. Finally wrap in peel ply. I used 10 metres of 100mm wide. Overkill I know but it did an amazing job even though the hull look a bit mummy like. (Image 5) At the same time as laying up the hull, I made the components in Image 8. 9. 10. 14, 15 and 18. The fin box was Dave Creed's work. A thin sheet for the bow stern and bulkheads The mould for the deck layout above the fin box and final deck Strip of S glass for bonding the deck Reinforcement for the fordeck understanding the jib tack eyes The radio pot and forward bulkhead Paper template for forward bulkhead I peeled the peel ply off this morning to discover a hull with no air bubbles, perfect adhesion at the bow, stern and foredeck. In all the process took about 3 hours All I need now are two coats of epoxy primer rubbed smooth and I am ready to pop the hull off the plug. Here is the rough finish prior to sanding The finished hull popped off the mould safely in its supporting jig with the deck taped together to hold it secure It all looks good and I know that the hull is useable so I can pay the second design fee and fit the boat out. Having added two coats of epoxy primer, it is time to rub it all back to the surface of the S glass to make the hull as light and as smooth as possible. Up to two hours sanding. Joy! but the end result is worth the effort. After painting on 250gms of High build epoxy primer, I sanded 200gms off on Saturday. The result is a very light smooth hull which you can see through. The hull will remain in this condition until the deck has been finished and all the holes drilled. Then it is time for the vinyl wrap in metallic blue. Can't wait to see how it ends up when cut off the mould. Once the hull is off the mould it goes straight into a support jig, with the frames cut from the design plan. This jig is marked and used for setting the fin position and rudder. (Image 7) The foredeck and aft deck is bonded using 1 layer of 124gm s cloth (Image 13). The hull is strong and ready for the fin box, bulkhead and adjoining deck and radio pot to be bonded in. On Sunday I cut all the access holes, (Image 33) and added two further layers of S glass around the fin box area in the hull, bonded the deck with an extra layer of S glass at the jib take off point and fitted the transom I put small reinforcing plates in the deck at the stern and put 1 layer of S glass about 1 inch wide down the centre of the foredeck. All up weight of the hull with all glass infrastructure but ex fitting will be around 400gms, considerably lighter than my first hull especially in the ends but heavier than the professional hulls. Having said that the hull is very strong, light in the ends and should be competitive. Todays job is to fit the fin, bulkhead, deck moulding and radio pot and a post for the jib tack take off point. On course to finished hull by end of week. A long day sealing the bow and stern, (Image 18 and 19) strengthening the foredeck, building an ultra light foredeck post (Image 14), cutting a slot in the hull (Image 21), measuring and shaping the forward bulkhead (Image 15 and 16) , fin case and deck. Lots of pictures below in a slightly random order. Tomorrow I hope to bond in all the pieces and then the only other major jobs are to fit the plates for the servo and rudder stock which will likely be done on Wednesday. Then a final rub down and drill all the holes for the deck fittings. Finally after that I can wrap the boat in its metallic blue vinyl. Its an experiment but I am sure it will be worth the effort and if it doesn't work I can always paint it. Fitting the fin Yesterday was all about getting the fin box fitted. Alignment of the fin in exactly the right position with the design measurements and having it vertical is the most critical job on the boat. Get this wrong and the boat will be hard to balance and may sail higher on one tack that the other. The boat in my jig is set up to be level on its water line, ie there is a horizontal line connection the bottom of the bow and bottom of the stern. The leading edge of the fin sits perpendicular to this line. Get the jig right and everything is easy. On the plan there are two measurements, one from the hull to the leading edge of the fin and then one from the tip of the bow to the bottom of the fin where it enters the bulb. Set these measurements and the fin leading edge should be perpendicular tp the waterline of the boat. I was less than a degree out. See image 24-27. To get the fin exactly vertical looking from the stern, I level the boat at the shroud point and use a level on the fin to make vertical and then use masking tape to secure it. Gravity helps in picture 27. The string in the picture is used to measure from the bow to the fin but I did have to make holes in the jig. Tomorrow, I can fit the final pieces of the deck and the bulkhead. Finishing the bonding Yesterday was gluing day. Fitted the forward deck, pre drilled bulkhead, radio pot holder and mainsheet post. Only one small error. I forgot to seal and reinforce the top of the fin box I have the fiddliest job to do that today plus final fit for the servo mount and rudder stock mount. Nest jobs are to pre drill all the fitting holes, apply filler where required and final sand ready to apply wrap. When fitting the mainsheet post, I accurately measured a centreline at the deck and then did the same with a string 6 inches off the deck. Then using a set square I was able to get the mainsheet post upright and aligned with the fin case, back stay, jib sheet eyes and jib attachment points which are all marked up. Fingers crossed the sails will set the same on both tacks. Hull weight so far is 420gms. Old hull weight at this point 620gms. Maybe 350gms is achievable with a slightly thinner layup. I was generous with the epoxy at the base of the fin but this is where the correctors with be anyway. Estimate approx 400gms of correctors will be required. Tidying up Final bit of reinforcement went in yesterday. Not much to show as boat looks similar to day before but with addition of rudder stock and servo supports. Giving the hull a good t cut to look for any rough spots and then the metallic blue wrap Little remaining jobs to do after the wrap like final fit of fin and add the electronics and fittings Finished the build With the final jobs knocked off on Friday the hull is ready for wrapping. I spent today sanding and cleaning the hull and deck, final fit of the fin and rudder which ended up exactly according to the design plans and are both in line with each other. Tomorrow will be wrapping day. Ordered the new PG tubes from Potters Solutions and a couple of bits and bobs from Sailsetc. Once the boat is wrapped I can set up the new rigs using existing fittings apart from the shrouds. Then a bit of in house tuning and I am ready to get on the water. Its not a wrap The wrap failed. There is so much curvature in the hull and deck, you need to stretch the wrap so much before application and you need several pairs of hands, so it's back to the paint spraying. The boat is finished bar the spray and as Mr Gibson said you are far better off with paint as damaged vinyl is impossible to repair. He should know he used to wrap 18 footers amongst other things. Why didn't I speak to him first. The dream was there, the experience was missing. Loved the metallic finish but it is not to be. Onwards and upwards and off to watch the 18 footers race round Sydney harbour in the JJ Giltinan. On the computer of course Decision time on paint It has been a long process trying to sort the paint for the boat. I could use my tried and tested 2 pack polyurethane which I know is hard durable and the right solution, but I do want to spray to keep the decks looking smart. As you know I tried using vinyl wrap but the curves of the boat proved too much. The search took me to spray cans of epoxy, enamel and other finishes but I came across an industrial acrylic based paint in a spray can. It is designed for repair of industrial coatings indoor or external. Its a risk I know but I prepared a sample this afternoon and it has great colour, is hard, flexible, great UV properties and resistant to scratches. The date sheet is here: http://www.farnell.com/datasheets/3165638.pdf So on it goes tomorrow and we will see how the paint performs. The pictures below show the new spray look on a sample and the effect I am trying to avoid when painting 2 pack Polyurethane. I will show you the result tomorrow and then see how it wears when we get sailing. Der neue optimierte alternative Bootsbau Wenn ich Golf spiele, wenn ich vom Abschlag fahre und meinen Ball wegen eines falschen Schwungs verliere, warum ist dann mein zweiter Versuch immer perfekt und ich frage mich, warum ich nicht beim ersten Schlag so geschwungen habe! So ist es, wenn man ein zweites Boot baut. Der erste Versuch ist voll von kleinen Fehlern, Luftblasen, abgehobenem Glas an Bug und Heck, zu viel Epoxid verwendet usw. Ich habe gestern Nachmittag das zweite Boot gestartet und heute Morgen ausgepackt und was für eine Schönheit sie aussieht. Wenn Sie interessiert sind, hier ist, was ich mit ein paar Bildern gemacht habe. Ich begann damit, den alten Rumpfstopfen zu reparieren und einige Schäden auszubessern, als ich das vorherige Boot mit einem Dremel vom Stopfen abgeschnitten hatte. Nach dem Abreiben und 5 Schichten Trennwachs war es so gut wie neu und bereit für das Layup. Ich schneide 3 Blatt 124 g S-Glas aus einem Papiermuster aus, das ich zuvor gemacht habe. Ich erwarb 3 Blatt braunes Papier, die aus einer Lieferung eines alten Blumenarrangements (von meiner Frau!) stammten. Vorsichtig schneide ich das Glastuch direkt auf das braune Papier aus dem Papiermuster, das ich zuvor gemacht habe. Das Tuch wurde ohne Schmutz geschnitten. Zusätzlich zum Schneiden habe ich mit einem Filzstift eine Mittellinie und senkrechte Linien (zur Mittellinie) für Bug, Heck und Kante des Vordecks gezeichnet. Dies geschieht, um eine einfache Ausrichtung (beim Auflegen des Tuchs auf den Stopfen) zu ermöglichen, wobei eine Mittellinie entlang des Kiels des Rumpfes zusammen mit einer Markierung zum Vorschiff gezogen wird. Das braune Papier trennt nicht nur die 3 Stoffschichten, sondern ermöglicht auch das Aufrollen und Tragen des Stoffes sowie den Schutz der Kanten und hält das Tuch flach und sauber. (Bild 1) Letzten Sommer habe ich beim ersten Bootsbau das Glas draußen auf einem Tisch geschnitten, kein Papier oder Schutzhülle verwendet und landete mit Glasfasersträngen auf der gesamten Terrasse! Mit dem vorbereiteten Tuch war ich bereit, den Rumpf in den Gartenschuppen zu legen. Gestern waren es ca. 12 Grad was gerade warm genug ist um mit Epoxy zu arbeiten. Ich brauchte eine Werkbank, um den Rumpf auf den Kopf zu klemmen (Bild 4), ein Stück Holz, das von der Schuppendecke hängt, um den Steckerstützpfosten zu schrauben, um auf dem Deck zu arbeiten (Bild 3), Papiertuch zum Aufwischen von Unordnung, Aceton zum Reinigen , Nitrilhandschuhe zum Schutz meiner Hände, West System Epoxy (langsam aushärtend), drei Plastiktöpfe (ich verwende Fromage Frais Töpfe), einen 2-Zoll-Pinsel und eine Aluminiumrolle zum Entfernen von Luftblasen, Abziehfolie zum Umwickeln des Epoxids, Schraubendreher und elektrische Bohrmaschine zur Montage und Demontage des Steckers. Mit allen Teilen vor Ort war ich bereit zu gehen. Nach dem Mischen des Epoxids mit den selbstmessenden Kolben, die Sie auf die Harz- und Härterdosen schrauben (3 Stöße mit dem Kolben ergeben eine Glasschicht), habe ich Harz auf die Rumpfseite des Stopfens aufgetragen, wobei darauf geachtet wurde, dass die Kurven der Deck. Das Epoxid liegt nicht glatt auf dem Wachs und zieht sich in Kügelchen zurück, die etwas unordentlich aussehen, aber das spielt keine Rolle. Nehmen Sie die erste Stoffschicht und halten Sie das Boot mit der Oberseite nach unten auf der Werkbank montiert, halten Sie es über den Rumpf und richten Sie die Mittellinie, Bug, Heck und Vordeckmarkierungen aus, bevor Sie das Tuch auf den epoxidierten Stopfen legen. (Bild 2 3 und 4) Glätten Sie das Tuch vorsichtig mit dem Pinsel und arbeiten Sie von der Mitte aus, bis das Tuch rundum flach ist. Das ist ziemlich fummelig, aber wenn man sich Zeit nimmt und geduldig ist, wird das Tuch perfekt angelegt. Der nächste Schritt besteht darin, mit dem Pinsel über das Tuch zu gehen (sehr sanft) und das Tuch an der trockenen Stelle zu befeuchten, um dabei Luftblasen zu entfernen. Verwenden Sie das Epoxidharz sparsam, da überschüssiges Harz nur das Gewicht erhöht. Fahren Sie abschließend mit der Aluminiumrolle über den Rumpf, um alle fehlenden Luftblasen zu erhalten. Entfernen Sie nun den Dübel von der Werkbank und schrauben Sie ihn an die Leiste, die von der Schuppendecke abfällt. Befestigen Sie den Rumpf zunächst kopfüber und lassen Sie dann den Stopfen vorsichtig nach unten drehen, während Sie das Tuch über dem Deck stützen, bis das Deck eben ist. (Bei meinem ersten Build im letzten Sommer habe ich den Stecker von der Werkbank genommen, nachdem ich das Tuch am Rumpf angefeuchtet hatte, drehte ihn so, dass das Deck ganz oben war, hob ihn bis zur Stützstange an und das Glastuch fiel auf den Boden. Du hast wurde gewarnt!) Bevor Sie das Tuch mit dem Pinsel in das Deck einarbeiten, schneiden Sie überschüssiges Material ab. Auf der ersten Schicht habe ich eine 1-Zoll-Überlappung verwendet. Auf der zweiten Lage stoße ich die Enden des Stoffes zusammen (dh keine Überlappung) und verwende auf der dritten Lage wieder eine Überlappung. Auf diese Weise vermeiden Sie zu viel Gewicht entlang der Mittellinie des Decks. Bei meinem ersten Boot hatte ich 6 Lagen Stoff auf der Mittellinie, was ein starkes Boot ergab, aber an den Enden schwer. Arbeiten Sie das Tuch mit dem Pinsel auf die gleiche Weise wie den Rumpf in das Deck ein, bis es flach und glatt ist. Leider gibt es keine Bilder davon, da meine Handschuhe damals mit Epoxy beschichtet waren! Überprüfen Sie Rumpf und Deck bei gutem Licht, um sicherzustellen, dass keine Luftblasen vorhanden sind und das Tuch an Bug und Heck fest verbunden ist. Lassen Sie den Stöpsel, bis das in Ihrem Mischkrug verbleibende Epoxidharz beginnt, fadenförmig zu werden. In diesem Fall klebt die erste Stoffschicht gut am Stecker und bewegt sich nicht, wenn Sie die zweite Schicht auftragen. Je länger Sie es zwischen den Schichten lassen können, desto besser. Eine halbe Stunde sollte ausreichen. Waschen Sie Pinsel, Handschuhe und Rolle in Aceton und mischen Sie die zweite Charge Epoxid. Entsorgen Sie den 1. Mischtopf. Für die zweite Schicht drapieren Sie das Tuch über den Rumpf, achten Sie dabei auf die Ausrichtungsmarkierungen und bürsten Sie es wie zuvor mit gerade genug Epoxid aus, um das Tuch zu benetzen. Wiederholen Sie dies für die dritte Schicht und denken Sie daran, die Werkzeuge zwischendurch zu reinigen. Ich verwende vier Tauchgänge Epoxid für die letzte Schicht, weil ich die äußere Schicht etwas feuchter haben wollte. Jeder Überschuss würde von der Abziehlage absorbiert. Zum Schluss in Peel Ply einwickeln. Ich habe 10 Meter von 100 mm Breite verwendet. Overkill, ich weiß, aber es hat einen tollen Job gemacht, obwohl der Rumpf ein bisschen mumienartig aussieht. (Bild 5) Gleichzeitig habe ich die Komponenten in Bild 8. 9. 10. 14, 15 und 18. Der Flossenkasten war das Werk von Dave Creed. Ich habe heute morgen das Peel Ply abgezogen und einen Rumpf ohne Luftblasen entdeckt, der perfekte Haftung an Bug, Heck und Vordeck hat. Insgesamt hat der Vorgang ca. 3 Stunden gedauert Alles, was ich jetzt brauche, sind zwei Schichten Epoxid-Grundierung glatt gerieben und ich bin bereit, den Rumpf vom Stecker zu knallen. (Bild 6 und 7) Wenn alles gut aussieht und ich weiß, dass der Rumpf brauchbar ist, kann ich die Designgebühr bezahlen und das Boot ausrüsten. Nachdem Sie zwei Schichten Epoxidgrundierung aufgetragen haben, ist es an der Zeit, alles wieder auf die Oberfläche des S-Glases zu reiben, um den Rumpf so leicht und glatt wie möglich zu machen. Bis zu zwei Stunden Schleifen. Freude! aber das Endergebnis ist die Mühe wert. Nach dem Lackieren auf 250 g High Build Epoxy Primer habe ich am Samstag 200 g abgeschliffen. Das Ergebnis ist ein sehr leichter glatter Rumpf, durch den Sie hindurchsehen können. Der Rumpf bleibt in diesem Zustand, bis das Deck fertiggestellt und alle Löcher gebohrt wurden. Dann ist es Zeit für die Vinylfolie in Metallic-Blau. Ich kann es kaum erwarten zu sehen, wie es endet, wenn die Form abgeschnitten wird. Sobald der Rumpf aus der Form genommen ist, geht er direkt in eine Stützvorrichtung, wobei die Rahmen aus dem Konstruktionsplan geschnitten werden. Diese Vorrichtung ist markiert und wird zum Einstellen der Flossenposition und des Ruders verwendet. (Bild 7) Das Vor- und Achterdeck wird mit 1 Lage 124 g Tuch verklebt (Bild 13). Der Rumpf ist stark und bereit für das Einkleben des Finnenkastens, des Schotts und des angrenzenden Decks und des Radiopots. Am Sonntag habe ich alle Zugangslöcher geschnitten (Bild 33) und zwei weitere Lagen S-Glas um den Finnenkastenbereich im Rumpf hinzugefügt, das Deck mit einer zusätzlichen Lage S-Glas am Fockstartpunkt verklebt und den Spiegel montiert Ich habe kleine Verstärkungsplatten in das Deck am Heck gelegt und 1 Schicht S-Glas etwa 1 Zoll breit in die Mitte des Vordecks gelegt. Das Gesamtgewicht des Rumpfes mit vollständiger Glasinfrastruktur, aber ohne Montage, wird etwa 400 g betragen, erheblich leichter als mein erster Rumpf, insbesondere an den Enden, aber schwerer als die professionellen Rümpfe. Allerdings ist der Rumpf sehr stark, leicht in den Enden und sollte konkurrenzfähig sein. Die heutige Aufgabe besteht darin, die Finne, das Schott, die Deckleiste und den Radiopot sowie einen Pfosten für den Ausleger-Tack-Startpunkt zu montieren. Auf Kurs zum fertigen Rumpf bis Ende der Woche. Ein langer Tag Versiegelung von Bug und Heck, (Bild 18 und 19) Verstärkung des Vordecks, Bau eines ultraleichten Vorschiffpfostens (Bild 14), Schneiden eines Schlitzes in den Rumpf (Bild 21), Vermessen und Formen des vorderen Schotts (Bild 15 .) und 16) , Flossenkoffer und Deck. Unten viele Bilder in einer leicht zufälligen Reihenfolge. Morgen hoffe ich, alle Teile zusammenkleben zu können und dann sind die einzigen anderen wichtigen Arbeiten, die Platten für den Servo- und Ruderschaft zu montieren, was voraussichtlich am Mittwoch erfolgen wird. Dann noch ein letztes Mal abreiben und alle Löcher für die Decksbeschläge bohren. Danach kann ich das Boot endlich in sein metallisch blaues Vinyl einwickeln. Es ist ein Experiment, aber ich bin sicher, es wird sich lohnen und wenn es nicht funktioniert, kann ich es immer malen. Anbringen der Flosse Gestern ging es um den Einbau der Flossenbox. Das Ausrichten der Finne in genau der richtigen Position mit den Konstruktionsmaßen und die vertikale Ausrichtung ist die wichtigste Aufgabe auf dem Boot. Wenn Sie das falsch machen, wird das Boot schwer zu balancieren sein und kann auf einem Wind höher segeln als auf dem anderen. Das Boot in meiner Jig ist waagerecht auf der Wasserlinie aufgestellt, dh es gibt eine horizontale Leinenverbindung zwischen Bug- und Heckunterseite. Die Vorderkante der Flosse steht senkrecht zu dieser Linie. Machen Sie die Vorrichtung richtig und alles ist einfach. Auf dem Plan gibt es zwei Messungen, eine vom Rumpf bis zur Vorderkante der Flosse und dann eine von der Bugspitze bis zur Unterseite der Flosse, wo sie in die Wölbung eintritt. Stellen Sie diese Maße ein und die Vorderkante der Finnen sollte senkrecht zur Wasserlinie des Bootes stehen. Ich war weniger als einen Abschluss draussen. Siehe Bild 24-27. Um die Finne vom Heck aus genau vertikal zu bekommen, nivelliere ich das Boot am Wantenpunkt und verwende eine Wasserwaage an der Finne, um sie vertikal zu machen und dann mit Klebeband zu sichern. Die Schwerkraft hilft in Bild 27. Die Schnur auf dem Bild wird verwendet, um vom Bogen bis zur Flosse zu messen, aber ich musste Löcher in die Vorrichtung bohren. Morgen kann ich die letzten Teile des Decks und des Schotts montieren. Abschluss der Verklebung Gestern war Klebetag. Das Vorderdeck, das vorgebohrte Schott, der Radiotopfhalter und der Großschotpfosten wurden eingebaut. Nur ein kleiner Fehler. Ich habe vergessen, die Oberseite des Flossenkastens abzudichten und zu verstärken Ich habe heute die fummeligste Arbeit dafür und die endgültige Passform für die Servohalterung und die Ruderlagerhalterung. Nest-Arbeiten bestehen darin, alle Passlöcher vorzubohren, bei Bedarf Füller aufzutragen und den abschließenden Sand zum Auftragen der Umhüllung bereitzustellen. Beim Anbringen des Großschotpfostens habe ich eine Mittellinie am Deck genau gemessen und dann dasselbe mit einer Schnur 6 Zoll vom Deck entfernt. Dann konnte ich mit einem Set-Quadrat den Großschotpfosten aufrichten und mit dem Finnengehäuse, dem Backstag, den Fockschotaugen und den Fockbefestigungspunkten ausrichten, die alle markiert sind. Wenn Sie die Daumen drücken, werden die Segel auf beiden Seiten gleich gesetzt. Das Rumpfgewicht beträgt bisher 420 g. Alter Rumpfgewicht zu diesem Zeitpunkt 620 g. Vielleicht sind 350 g mit einem etwas dünneren Layup erreichbar. Ich war großzügig mit dem Epoxid an der Basis der Flosse, aber hier sind sowieso die Korrektoren. Schätzungsweise 400 g Korrektoren werden benötigt. Aufräumen Letzte Verstärkung ging gestern rein. Nicht viel zu zeigen, da das Boot dem Tag zuvor ähnlich sieht, jedoch mit Ruderschaft und Servostützen. Den Rumpf gut schneiden, um nach rauen Stellen zu suchen, und dann die metallisch blaue Umhüllung Nach dem Wickeln sind noch kleine Restarbeiten zu erledigen, z. B. die endgültige Anpassung der Flosse und das Hinzufügen der Elektronik und der Armaturen. Fertig gebaut Nachdem am Freitag die letzten Arbeiten erledigt sind, ist der Rumpf bereit zum Wickeln. Heute habe ich Rumpf und Deck geschmirgelt und gereinigt, Finne und Ruder fertig montiert, was genau nach den Konstruktionsplänen gelandet ist und beide aufeinander abgestimmt sind. Morgen ist Wickeltag. Bestellte die neuen PG-Rigs von Potters Solutions und ein paar Kleinigkeiten von Sailsetc. Sobald das Boot gewickelt ist, kann ich die neuen Rigs mit vorhandenen Beschlägen abgesehen von den Wanten aufbauen. Dann noch ein bisschen Inhouse-Tuning und ich bin bereit, aufs Wasser zu gehen. Es ist kein Wrap Der Wickel ist fehlgeschlagen. Es gibt so viel Krümmung in Rumpf und Deck, man muss die Folie vor dem Auftragen so stark dehnen und man braucht mehrere Hände, also geht es zurück zum Farbspritzen. Das Boot ist ohne Spritzer fertig und wie Herr Gibson sagte, sind Sie mit Farbe viel besser dran, da beschädigtes Vinyl nicht repariert werden kann. Er sollte wissen, dass er unter anderem 18 Fußzeilen umschloss. Warum habe ich nicht zuerst mit ihm gesprochen. Der Traum war da, die Erfahrung fehlte. Liebte das Metallic-Finish, aber es soll nicht sein. Auf und ab und ab, um die 18-Fußer im JJ Giltinan um den Hafen von Sydney zu rasen. Natürlich am Computer Entscheidungszeit beim Lackieren Es war ein langer Prozess, den Lack für das Boot zu sortieren. Ich könnte mein bewährtes 2-Komponenten-Polyurethan verwenden, von dem ich weiß, dass es hart und langlebig ist und die richtige Lösung ist, aber ich möchte sprühen, damit die Decks schick aussehen. Wie Sie wissen, habe ich versucht, Vinylfolie zu verwenden, aber die Kurven des Bootes erwiesen sich als zu viel. Die Suche führte mich dazu, Dosen mit Epoxid, Emaille und anderen Oberflächen zu sprühen, aber ich stieß auf eine industrielle Farbe auf Acrylbasis in einer Sprühdose. Es ist für die Reparatur von Industriebeschichtungen im Innen- oder Außenbereich bestimmt. Es ist ein Risiko, das ich kenne, aber ich habe heute Nachmittag ein Muster vorbereitet und es hat eine tolle Farbe, ist hart, flexibel, tolle UV-Eigenschaften und kratzfest. Das Datumsblatt ist hier: http://www.farnell.com/datasheets/3165638.pdf Also morgen geht es weiter und wir werden sehen, wie sich der Lack verhält. Die Bilder unten zeigen den neuen Spray-Look an einem Muster und den Effekt, den ich beim Lackieren von 2er-Polyurethan zu vermeiden versuche. Das Ergebnis zeige ich dir morgen und schaue dann, wie es sich beim Segeln abnutzt. Probleme mit der Batterie Die Rumpfausstattung ist komplett mit Kiel und Ruder, die perfekt ausgerichtet sind. Als ich die Elektronik testen wollte, begann ich den Akku aufzuladen und bemerkte sofort, dass er anschwoll. Ich habe die Batterie draußen entfernt, da es interessante Geschichten über das Explodieren von Batterien gibt. Zwei weitere auf Bestellung. Der Fortschritt wird angehalten, bis nächste Woche neue `PG-Holme und Batterien eintreffen. Seien Sie gewarnt, behalten Sie Ihren Lipo/Lifo-Akku im Auge, wenn Sie ihn längere Zeit nicht aufgeladen haben. Wenn sie Anzeichen einer Ausdehnung zeigen, holen Sie sie aus dem Haus. Im Radiotopf Ich habe einen Artikel von Darren Paulic gelesen, der auf Facebook RC Sailing Group gepostet wurde und hier gefunden werden kann. Funkgesteuertes Segeln im Salzwasser. In dem Artikel sprach Darren darüber, wie wichtig es ist, Ihre Elektrik aus dem Wasser zu halten und mit Vaseline oder Silikonfett abzudecken . Er legte eine Schicht Neopren auf die Unterseite seiner Batterie und des Empfängers, um sie vom Boden des Radiotopfs fernzuhalten, um sie vor jeglichem Wassereintritt zu schützen. Ich dachte einen Schritt weiter für eine einfache, saubere Lösung und fand heraus, dass Sie einen klebrigen Klettverschluss verwenden können, der selbst an Correx klebt, um die Batterie- und Servokomponenten getrennt und vom Boden des Topfes fernzuhalten. Sie können auch ein kleines Stück am Ende der Empfängerkabel anbringen, um sie für eine optimale Funksignalleistung in einem 90-Grad-Winkel zueinander zu halten. Denken Sie daran, die Batterie auf der Mittellinie des Bootes zu positionieren. Bild 38 und 39. Probleme mit der Winde oder Bedienungsfehler (Bild 40) Zunächst einmal ein großes Lob an Bill Green (RMG UK), der einen super Service bietet und so schnell auf Anfragen reagiert. Als ich mein Funkgerät zerlegte und wieder zusammenbaute, um es auf das neue Boot zu übertragen, konnte ich nicht herausfinden, warum, als ich meinen Sender an der Winde drehte, sich über eine Umdrehung bewegte. Schalten Sie den Sender aus und er kehrt in seine ursprüngliche Position zurück. Ein Anruf bei Bill sollte das Problem lösen. Er sagte zu Recht, ich solle die Windenbegrenzungen nach dem Handbuch programmieren, das ich vorher nicht hatte, und sehen, was passiert. Das habe ich gemacht, aber es hat das Problem nicht behoben. Duh, ich erinnerte mich schließlich. Auf einem Emsworth-Trainingszoom hatte ihr Mann Richard Ballas, der ein Radiogenie ist, davon gesprochen, den Failsafe-Modus am Sender einzurichten. Auf diese Weise können Sie das Ruder und die Schot auf dem Boot so einstellen, dass es sich im Kreis dreht, anstatt in die Ferne zu segeln, wenn das Boot das Funksignal verliert. Ich hatte dies vor ein paar Wochen eingerichtet, aber vergessen, was es tun würde. Jedes Mal, wenn ich den Sender ausschaltete, wurde die Schot eineinhalb Umdrehungen gelockert und das Ruder um 25 Grad gedreht. Schalten Sie den Sender ein und Schot und Ruder kehren in ihre ursprüngliche Position zurück. Problem gelöst, jetzt muss ich nur noch die Windeneinstellung bei voller Takelage feinjustieren. Aktuelle Gewichte bisher: Blanker Rumpf lackiert 460 g Beschläge und RC 373 g Ruder 32 g Birne und Flosse 2500g Rig Schätzung 235 bis 300 gms Schätzen Sie daher 365 bis 400 g Korrektoren ein. Hier ist das Boot in seiner ganzen Pracht. Next Section Build the rigs

Craig Richards Tuning guide (Page 2) A Rig forestay tension: The A rig is the only suite where I change forestay tension. The rest have the forestay as tight as I can get it until I start worrying about breaking the boat or having the mast go out of column. You never want the forestay to pump or flog upwind, so for each increasing wind condition you go just a bit tighter so that you get a bit of sag, but no pumping. At the very top of A, the tighter the better and do not let it sag. The sag and a loose jib cunnigham seem to put a bit more fullness into the front of the jib and with very sensitive telltales you can see that the fuller the jib entry the longer the flow seems to stay attached to the leeward side of the jib. This is particularly helpful in very dirty air with lots of wind switches etc. The forestay length on my boat varies from 1138 to 1132mm from the lightest to strongest conditions. My go to setting when I am unsure turns out to be 1135 just as the rigging guide suggests. It will also depend on how much your backstay stretches, I use the below on my backstay: As Per Krabbe has kindly pointed out, dyneema lines are prone to shrinking. I have marks to quickly put the rigs into the boat (last minute change before heat etc), which I do check before each regatta, but over a few days the lines may still change length. I have a fairly good feeling now for what the rig should look like, but it's probably a good idea to check the lengths regularly. This is how I set up my main sheeting angle on the A rig: I put the palm of my hand against the aft quarter of the boat and when sighting from astern I have my fingers parallel to the backstay. With my hand in this position the main boom just touches my fingers. No measurments, no confusion and very easy to repeat. Yes it's wider than just about every tuning guide suggests, but at this point I am just setting up consistent sheeting angles of the main and jib (to follow in next post) With the main sheeting angle set, the jib is then trimmed such that the hole in back of the jib boom fitting is over the first knuckle on the deck. It's close to 60mm between the middle of the mast and the inner edge of the boom. In my case its also exactly the width of my three middle fingers. I posted some pictures Sue Brown took, but the posts seem to have disappeared. I seem to have put the link on my main profile and not this group ..lol. http://www.flickr.com/.../in/album-72177720308506905/... I do sail with the setting I posted. Here is my go fast mode: I run 20mm foot depths on the main and jib as a starting point. In this mode I want the boat to run with absolutely neutral helm. It can hunt the breeze slightly, but must never luff up and slow down. I never want to be pulling the bow down with the rudder. I may trim in and and push the bow up. This is absolutely the best VMG mode in the absence of other boats. You will go faster and end up higher than a boat that sails only in pinch mode. I use the bottom draft strip a lot. I want to see the maximum depth at 50% and a clean straight entry after the mast. If the fullness is further forward I flatten the foot of the mainsail further If the boat is running with a bit of weather helm as the breeze increases I will first flatten the main off to about 10mm and if that does not work I will change the trim to let the main out slightly further, but leave the jib the same. I will also flatten the jib down to 10mm at the very top end of A, but only after the main is already down to 10mm. The neutral helm also has the advantage that when I am unsighted and cant see the boat it is still sailing flat out without my input. This is also a big advantage when the boat is too far away to see clearly. That lower tell tale on the main is a great trim indicator. It should fly at a slight up angle on the weather side of about 20 degrees. In this photo it says I am sailing a fraction lower than optimum and I should push the boat up with the rudder. The neutral helm has one further huge advantage. As I tack, once I am on the new heading I seldom need to keep on some weather helm until the boat gets its speed up again and starts tracking. The boat also tacks much more cleanly as a result and I stall less when I make a mistake. I.e. its much easier to get the boat going again from a bad tack. And a great picture of John. He sheets the main in a bit more than I do, but the jib is still quite wide. This is probably his pinch mode though and if he dropped the main slightly so the jib is over the deck knuckle we would be quite close in setup. One difference is that the entry angle on the main on Johns boat at the first draft stripe is a bit wider than mine, so he would need to sheet a bit closer. My entry looks a lot flatter, so I can sheet the boom out a bit and still have a similar entry angle. This could be because I have a bit more mast bend coupled with less luff curve. I actively set my mast bend so that the luff at this height moves behind the mast. I.e. the luff sits on the centre line, not to leeward of the mast. Notice how flat he now runs his main foot depth. I was running 20mm, but John looks to be even flatter. It's also a great picture for showing the twist in the sails and a perfect example of how the twist in the jib parallels the back of the main. Active trim: My high mode has the jib width at 45-50mm, about 1cm - 1,5cm in from my best VMG mode. I have the ratchet set for the mainsail trim on my radio. I Move the trim/throttle stick on the radio so that it is two ratchet clicks up. This is the radio setting that I want to see my VMG sail setting at. I use the subtrim buttons on my radio to move the sails to that setting. With the trim all the way in I now want the jib to be at 50mm or perhaps even 45mm in very flat water. Depending on the radio, two clicks may move the trim in more than the desired 1-1.5cm so you would need to change your throttle curve. The radio I used at Fleetwood did not need it, but my newer radio moves the sheet too far and I have set a throttle curve. If there are boats around me and I need height, I will start with the boat at two clicks out and then once it up at full speed, I start to bleed the boat up as I trim in. Often you can carry a high fast mode for a length of time, but if I hit a bad wave or header and the boat slows then its immediately trim to the two clicks position, get the speed back and then work the boat up again one or two clicks. If I am in clear air and chasing then I found the boat very fast at two clicks out and did not trim in much The higher trim mode is also very useful if you get THAT boat below you that is racing only you and the fleet disappears into the distance whilst they try and luff the heck out of you. Your race is still toast, but at least it does give you some time to find a gap to tack away in. If you do have some space to leeward, then even with the wider trim you may be pleasantly surprised to see that you don't lose height and will roll over them quite quickly. I'll try and do a bit on twist, but here is a hint that I do not have enough twist in the top of my jib. Camber stripes are your friend. The bottom windward telltale is running at the angle I like, but the top one suggests I have mucked up the trim. It should match the bottom as closely as possible. Mains twist. Finicky beast. Half a turn on the vang can make a surprising difference. I can only suggest a starting point and then fiddle with small changes until the boat looks and behaves to your preferences. Looking at the boat from behind when the boat is on the water and using the picture of John's boat as a template would be a good start. Looking down the backstay from behind the boat, I want the main leech to parallel the backstay between the top two battens. It was difficult to take a photo, but fairly obvious in real life Jib Twist. I like the jib leech to parallel the back of the main for as far as possible. The upper third of the jib should also parallel the main entry angle as far as possible. Top of jib and upper third of main should start to luff at the same time as you head up into the wind. Earlier I posted a near perfect picture of John Tushingham and now I hope he forgives me for posting one a bit more ugly This was taken a month before the Globals and I think I had an edge on boat speed in this race. I never saw his boat look like this in the Globals and want to use this to point out how top sailors like him are prepared to adapt and experiment. In this photo we have similar rake, but I am running a more bent mast, with flatter sails. A much finer entry for the main as a result, which should result in a cleaner and wider slot between the back of the main and the jib. The difference in speed was very small, but even a cm or two of extra speed helps get your nose out in a crowded start and makes you look like a better sailor. Compare this to his globals setup B-Rig Quick reminder that these are my settings and opinions and are not the only way to do things. I was not very fond of the B-rig, but took the opportunity to go out and sail whenever there was enough wind in the evenings. After a few sessions of just buggering around with silly settings I started to really enjoy these sessions as the B-rig has such brilliant contrast between just sailing and sailing fast and once you found the faster settings the boat itself became increasingly easier to sail. I went into the first B-rig race at the Globals not knowing if I had got it right as I have had nobody to sail against. In short it was a very pleasant surprise and I had speed to burn. As the regatta wore on I made a few mistakes (getting off the lee shore etc) and started to second guess myself and changed the setting to trim a bit narrower, which was a mistake in retrospect, but I was not too stessed as I could still hang in for a top 3 in most races. The fastest boat was probably sail number 121. A bit inconsistent, but when he got it right had a definite edge towards the end of the regatta. There could be some advantage to the icarex sail material in these conditions, but if anything this boat was sheeting the jib wider than I do when it was flying. If you set the B-rig up anything like the A, the first thing you will most likely notice is lee helm and the first attempt to fix this would be to pull the main up to the centreline. It does balance the boat, but the groove becomes very narrow and it's hard to keep the boat going fast and tacking can become a bit harder. What worked for me was. As much aft rake as possible to take out some of the lee helm. I wanted the flattest entry angle possible with the maximum camber back at 50% in the lower third. So I bent the mast to take out all the luff curve. All 5mm of it. The tightest forestay possible, just short of breaking the boat. It makes the boat easier to tack and also takes shape out of the jib keeping the entry flatter. I wanted the widest main I could get away with and to keep things consistent I start with the main boom against the palm of my hand when my fingers are parallel to the backstay as normal. Most of the other boats do sheet a bit closer. Good, I feel I am faster. With the main boom in this position the jib boom is now over the side of the boat. 65-70mm between the mast and jib boom. I do have a 'point' mode where the jib may come in to 55-60mm, which could be used off the start line, but once clear I am sheeting out again. The jib is flat, 10mm-15 mm foot depth. The jib twist is still parallel to the back of the main, but you can twist it off a bit more at the very top of B rig conditions. The main is flat. I run 15mm, but JohnT is even flatter at 10mm or less. There is a fair amount of twist in the main, which you can get away with as with the luff curve taken out by the bent mast the slot is already very wide. The more twist you have, the faster the boat, but the limit is when the top third starts to backwind. I start with the main twist setting as follows. With the main at the VMG setting, sighting up the backstay a line drawn through the bottom two mainsail battens is parallel to the backstay. Run out of time. Will add a bit more later In the meanwhile here is a nice picture of John, over the start line , but a nice example of a fast setup B rig Sheeting Angle: More detail to follow, but its wider than you think. Three fingers will no longer do the trick. B rig: Backstay and mast: Bend that baby. Luff curve matches back of mast the entire length. Standard or 'stock' luff curve. Flat sails. Jib down at less than 15mm foot depth. I run 15mm on the main. JohnT was flatter. B-rig: More mast curve: B-Rig Main twist: Phone camera perspective mucks thing up, but a line through the ends of the bottom two battens is parallel to the backstay B-rig: Mast Curve

Vor einer Veranstaltung Bestimmen Sie, was Ihr Ziel beim Segeln ist Kenne dein Rennregeln und Taktiken Verwalten Sie Ihre Investition mit der sorgfältigen Bootswartung Mit dem Rechten schnell segeln Bootstuning und Setup Kennen Sie Ihre Funksteuerungen Wirksam Bootspraxis Stellen Sie eine konsistente Einrichtung sicher mit Checklisten Wissen Sie, wie die Das Wetter wird dir helfen Sinnvoll Verweise

The finished product Das Endergebnis

Working up the Alioth. Boat 1 This journey with the Alioth is not about 3d printing but about working up a boat to make it competitive. My objective with the Alioth project was to work the boat up in stages and see how speed developed. There was no speed edge to start with in fact the opposite was true to start with as there were some deficiencies in the set up, but confidence is building as I optimise the boat and I see it get faster. First a caveat on the story below. If I was to do the same again, I would have bought the fins from Juan and fitted them as standard. This would give me a balanced boat. I saw the new fins fitted on a new Alioth at the end of 2024 and I have to say I was totally impressed. Save yourself a lot of trouble and go with Juan for the full boat and foil package. You won't regret it. The kit on the boat Alioth hull in Polymer PLA assembled by Paul Barton. The hull is so strong you can give it a good punch with a fist. Alioth standard fins (these were early generation fins) Winch is RMG fast 290 H1 with 45mm spiral drum Spars are PG 11mm Roller bearing gooseneck on A rig Coreless 20g Digital Metal Gear Dual Bearing Mini Rudder Servo - DFMGD1 BG Sails The Journey Now the boat is close to full race mode. It has been an interesting journey to race a vanilla standard boat, no finishing on the hull just a clear coat or 2 and no sanding. All the rigs were set with the boom band at 150mm from the step which made for a rather ugly look with the booms high and pointing up in the air slightly. The look wasn't improved on the A rig with a prebend in the mast that was more like a kink than a smooth bend and made the boat very hard to set up and sail. It did not have an edge as you can imagine. After the Hampton Court charity day, I trashed the A rig and converted it to a B rig. Then I carefully prebent a new A mast and set it up with 62mm spreaders. The result was an impressive looking BG mainsail which could be set twisty and deep for a chop or flat for a breeze on flat water. There were no hard spots causing any creases in the luff as the mast bend matched the luff curve. The challenge with prebending devices is that you can get an immediate bend at the 600mm point. The bend needs to be progressive and other than bending by hand I know of no device that can achieve this. If anyone knows a way, please advise me how it is done. The A rig mast bend matches the luff curve with no hard spots. This is the limit of bend before the sail breaks down. This Mainsail was first use in 2020 and used for practice over the last year. Pretty impressive duration and still looks superb. All three rigs had 15mm taken off the bottom of the mast to bring the boom band to the deck. It is still 70mm or so from the measuring point on the deck. I needed to shortened the gooseneck housing to lift the kicker adjuster off the deck so I could get my fingers in to adjust. Here you can just see the rake of the fin and mast and how the boom band sits just above the deck. FIngers crossed it will be perfectly balanced The jib attachment point was lowered so the jib boom is as close to the deck as possible. There has been quite a bit of discussion about end plate effects which I do not buy into because as soon the boat heels or gets into chop, the wind is blocked and disturbed by the hull turbulence. However with the jib boom low and the main boom low and parallel to the deck, the centre of effort of the sails is as low as possible. The look is good and a good looking boat is often fast. Time will tell. You cannot achieve a main boom parallel to the deck on the standard Alioth settings. The mast is too upright and if you try raking the mast you just create weather helm. To achieve the mast rake the fin has to be raked back approximately 2 degrees. Using a standard Alioth fin I shaved 2 degrees off the aft edge of the fin where it enters the fin box and added a front edge fillet using Isopon car filler making for a nice secure fit. The 2 degrees was measured with a protractor acquired in my university days. Remember to adjust the bulb angle, 2 degrees up from back to front should do it. Of course if you rake the fin 2 degrees, you move the bulb back 8mm relative to the hull which will effect the position of the correctors. When I first launched with this configuration, I removed the correctors to see how the boat would sit and was delighted to see it sat on its marks, so I added the 70gm of correctors back on the aft side of the fin box, considerably forward of their original position. The final job was to finish the hull. I had two choices. Either sand the 2 pack clear coat on the hull which was recommended by my builder, 3D printed RC Yachts, who is a licensed builder or go the whole hog and take off the clear coat and thin the hull to reduce weight and paint again. I chose the former as it was a lot quicker. The hull finish is superb with just a hint of evidence of the the two hull joins. I filled any groves with Isopon car filler. To sand the hull I started with specialist finishing paper. It has a lubricant coating which prevents clogging and saves a lot of time over wet and dry sanding. The main advantage is you can easily see the high and low spots. I used 320 grade specialist finishing paper and then polished with 1500 grade wet and dry and T cut car polish. The other minor job was to add an additional fairlead for the jib sheet. The boat only came with two fairleads so I reposition one for the B rig and added the 3rd for the C rig. Each jib boom now goes out 85 degrees on the run. I had to drill a new set of holes forward on the jib boom for the A rig. The boat is now in a position for me to check the balance which I am hoping to do tomorrow if I can find an ice free lake. What is left to do Consider the right fin, rudder and bulb shape. My early generations Alioth blades have a reverse camber at the aft end of the chord. I believe the new clades are good. The bulb has the max chord 25% from the front. There are a few choices for the rudder, e.g. John Gill (UK) who makes a nice product as well as a rig tension meter, Robot,Yachts (UK), Dave Creed (UK), Craig Smith (Australia). Need to do some two boat testing before making any decisions on this front. Once I have checked the balance and got the boat footing nicely and we get near some meaningful regattas , I will bend on some new sails as the final stage of optimisation. Of course all this work is combined with as much practise as I can fit in. It is the nut on the end of the tiller that gets the boat round the race course and all the speed in the world won't make up for bad starts and poor tactics. The sheeting set up - Feeding the main and jib sheet through the small guide hole in the upper left of the radio pot holds any loose sheets away from the winch and drum. Here you can see the 3 sheet lead positions. The numbers on the deck were hand drawn and cut. If I was to build another Alioth what would I do In constructing the hull, remove as much redundant plastic as possible and sand the hull well to reduce weight as much as possible before painting. The printed hull is approx 1mm thick. There are two options for sheeting systems. On deck sheeting where the sheets enter the deck behind the foredeck bulkhead. This will keep the boat dry. The other method is under deck sheeting with the deck entry points on the centreline of the boat. They let a tiny amount of water in although nothing significant even in wild weather. The boat does need rinsing inside after salt water sailing. Personally I like the latter set up. Other than that I would do the same as above.

A checklist of everything to do before and event Some notes on measuring your settings I put this section in, because as a newcomer I was confused over how to measure some of the settings. e.g. was the jib foot measurement from the foot of the jib to the side of the boom or the centre of it. So just for clarity I show the measurements for a Britpop. All measurement are from the BG web site. Different designs will have there own measurements to achieve perfect sailing balance. To emphasise the importance of this, take a lesson from Zvonko Jelacic who won the 2023 Europeans. Every morning he would be seen with his boat fully rigged laid horizontally on a table and measuring all his rig settings before he went sailing. To get the mast rake accurate I use a a measuring stick. There are two measurements, one from the deck to a measured point on the mast. A second from the bow (at the back of the bumper to the aforementioned measured point. The marks on the rig stick are the same for the Alternative plan. See pictures below Measuring main/jib foot depth, jib boom angle and leach twist, mast ram, main boom angle Jib foot and the mainsail foot are measured from deepest part of sail to the side of the boom. Jib leech twist is measured from the topping lift wire. Jib boom angle is measured from the centre of the mast to the inside of the boom. Golden rule is the A rig should be just inside the shroud, B rig centred on the shroud and C rig pointing outside the shroud. Mast ram is measured from the 1st sheet loop. Measure the main boom angle from the centre of the post to the side of the boom ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS, start with the base measurements recommended for your design. Only with experience and talking to the experts will you learn how to fine tune from there for the wide and varied conditions we experience. A couple of mm adjustment here and there can make a huge difference to performance. Lastly and there is probably some debate on this in some circles, measure your rig tension. I bought a rig tension device recently and was amazed to see the impact of one turn of a bottle screw on the rig tension. Of course once you have it right, put locking nuts on the thread into the bottle screws and you will achieve the same tension when you rig the boat. It is only worth checking again from time to time in case the wires stretch or the boat appears to slow. They are available from johngill1003@gmail.com . I thoroughly recommend these to you and no, I am not on commission.

A directory of associations, boat builders, sail makers, fitting suppliers, building, tuning and racing tip sites. The Starting Point and references My plan for the boat was to sort the rigging and sails so that I have a reliable package which I can put on the water and race with confidence. The boat was only sailed a few times times by the previous 2 owners since 2016 so there is a lot of work to do. Here is a starting jobs list. Fair top of rudder so it fits flush to the hull. Fit Futaba Servo and new 1000mA Lifo battery Check all the electrics are working smoothly and calibrate winch Replace endless sheet cord and adjust lead approach to drum so there is a direct line with no friction Replace all sheets Replace backstay and jib leech topping lift with wire. Check weigh boat Calibrate sheeting angles Check all mainsail heads are set to just below top band. One or two of the fittings may need replacing as they look a bit dodgy Tune all rigs and calibrate and log settings Test sail and check boat is waterproof Buy more deck patches. The jobs were straight forward and I had loads of spares so no additional cost. If the hull is competitive which I believe it should be then I think an order for new sails will be on the cards as well as a lightweight swing rig and maybe a gismo to control leech tension upwind. For now I will work with what I have and assess whether the investment will be worth while. Looking around on the web I found the following references Marblehead section on the MYA Web site. This provides links to all the relevant Marblehead web sites Pimp my Marblehead by BG on the MYA web site Great information on how to pimp up older designs. More from the man himself on pimping. Here is the web link but have put extracts of the text below because it adds to the jigsaw. Its well worth reading the full article HERE Originally Posted by Brad Gibson on RC Groups.com Weight - Anything with a designed displacement upwards of 5 kg ready to race will struggle in light winds. The current competitive parameters for an all round design live between 4.4 - 4.8 kg with the most recent winning designs sitting in the 4.7- 4.8 range. - Any hull weight with radio and rudder installed ready to sail, less rig and fin/ballast, should not be more that 900 - 950 grams. The better boats live within the 780 - 840g region. - Beam Waterline should be no greater than 160mm. Current designs are as low as 130 -150mm Hull weight is 840 grams, less rig and keel. Overall designed displacement is 4.9kg. - With a newer thin profile stiff fin we go a fraction deeper on the fin and shave 100 grams off the lead. Lighter boat, similar righting moment with less drag. Win win! - The original Bantock rigs are stiff as hell for their weight so very little to do there other than modernise the sail plans to modern ratios if you desire, and replace sails accordingly. The original rigs were set some 85mm off the deck to the lower mast bands, so we follow what works on our IOM's and modern M's in cutting down the goosenecks to get things as low as we can. These last points are more fine tuning but give us a little more from the boat across the wind range. Sailsetc/Bantock swing rig plan How to program an RMG Smartwinch

Tuning tips from one of the worlds greatest sailors, Ken Read at the Newport Model Boat Club Dragonflite 95 Spring Clinic 2024 `(Good to see he has studied the tuning tips from our 2023 Global Champion, Craig Richard s) VIDEO Synopsis For a simple one design boat, who would have thought there was so much to think about. Measure the rake multiple times a week. Rig and setup the boat at home away from any wind to make sure balance is right A rig average rake 1135. Set the backstay before measuring the rake Use a rig stick Set the mast right back at deck level. Keep the backstay the same and tighten the jib luff bowsie slightly as wind builds. Moves rake from 1135 to 1132. Only 3mm. In light weather ease backstay 2-3mm Mainsheet bridle - glue in place so ring is level with boom eye. Makes sure it is centred Jib sheet eye on boom is well forward of deck sheet eye. Main boom out just under 90. Jib boom at 90 degrees. On a windy day sheet in slightly Main halyard. Use a single line so it can swivel and set just below silver band so the sail can pivot Use cord instead of the metal sail ties Making changes. Do down wind and behind yourself. Static loads are so much higher on shore than on the water. Learn where the max bend is on the backstay and mark as a reference. When on the water if you have heavy weather or lee helm you have not got the original set up right. If you change the rake you have to change the topping lift. 2marks on topping lift, 2 marks on headstay and 1 mark on the backstay. With these marks setup is quick and easy. Jib tack. Get as close to the deck as possible Jib cunningham - never used because the sails are board flat. Deck measurements 3 marks on the deck for sheet locations. The marks run down the boom. Make a mark with the boom and then draw 3 1 inch lines on starboard side with a ruler in line with mark to jib tack. Set up consistently to those marks. Use for course tune to get rid of weather or lee helm and a repeat reference if boat is fast. Foot measurement. Use fingers. 1 to 1.5 fingers. Measure and check with your fingers Check vang sailing downwind on the water. Taping a hatch. Start at the back and work forward so you create a water ramp. It is possible to roll gybe the boat. Jib weight pushed right in to avoid getting hooked up in a crash. Tacking in a breeze, you have to let the sheets out. High mode fast mode - Ken just uses the throttle

DF 95 Tuning numbers If you search on the web for DF 95 tuning you can get similar images to the one below. I use it as a guide (ignoring the mast gate positions) to establish some starting points and then adjust as I feel fit. As I get comfortable with my setting I will mark up the cords so I can achieve similar setting on each outing. But the best way to set up is to copy Craig or find the fastest boat on the day and set up similar to that. How do I set the boat up Having raced twice now at a TT and the first day of the Nationals at Poole with top 2 results, I can conclude my light weather set up is OK. The following pages show how Craig sets his boat up and there are many useful tips there. However whilst I have copied quite a bit from his work the are some things I do a little different. I use the table above for foot depth and boom angle. So I start with the mast 2 notches forward from the back. I do this because my luff curve on the main is not shaved like Craigs so I need a bit more mast bend. This sets the mast rake so there is no need to measure bow bumper to the crane. With the jib luff slackish, I adjust the backstay to put in about 5 mm of bend so the mainsail sits nicely agains the mast. Then I apply enough forestay tension to keep the top of the jib is stable in the strongest gust of the day. This will stop the top of the jib wobbling which we all know is dead slow. Then I check my boom angles and foot depth from the chart and make sure the rudder is straight. The last thing I do is holding the boat, sheet everything in to make sure the setup looks OK and then gradually head the boat up into wind to check the jib tell tale and the tell tail I have at the top of the main react in unison. Then I know the boat should be balanced. I put the boat on the water to see how it sails upwind. If I have lee helm, I apply a tiny bit of kicker until the balance is relatively neutral and the reverse if there is weather helm. That is pretty much all there is to the set up. It is very easy to over complicate. Far better to go with your setup and focus on the sailing. These are one design boats and there is much to be gained by sailing smart. How do I sail the DF In summary, I think lower and faster upwind is my mantra usually with the sheets eased a notch or two to get better VMG. I do have a high mode for getting off the start line and sailing in the stronger gusts but rarely use it. Starting In a one design boat I have become more aggressive on the start line. In the past I have hung back but find you lose too much distance if the line is biased like it was at Poole. So on a very port biased line I want to be the pin end boat but this does require a level of skill and timing. If the line is squarer and there is no advantage to go left I want to be one of the starboard end boats so I have positional control on the fleet and always look to find a gap on the start so I can tack when I like. On the first beat I will try and stay to the right of the fleet so I do not get forced left by starboard boats and have to take pot luck coming into the mark on port. Of course if there is a favourable left side shift or more pressure I will head that way. On the reach or run in lighter conditions I find the boat does like heading up in the lulls and bearing away in the puffs as this maintains a better overall speed. I have used the technique in dinghies, yachts and model yachts. It all comes down to manipulating apparent wind. There is a lot more on tactical sailing round the course in the section "Racing and IOM". This winter I will rearrange the site so it covers IOM, DF and Marblehead and have racing as a separate section. Overall message is keep everything simple and focus on sailing fast when your boat is on the water.

How I chose a design and built my IOM Building an IOM. (Click on a heading) Introduction and cost Acquire the plan Build the plug First Alternative Build The Optimised Alternative build Build the rigs Add the sails Weigh and check measure The end result

Working up the Alioth. Boat 2 First of all thank you to all those who have bought a coffee to support the web site for the long term future. This is not a commercial site and I make no profit from it but I do need support to ensure its longevity. People tell me that it is a great source of information and the only site of its kind, so if you do enjoy it and get value from it why not pop over to Buymeacoffee . It takes any currency. If you do thank you. If 10% of the 5000 plus visitors bought 1 coffee, I could do so much more with the site This is a story about going backwards to go forwards. Move from a well set up boat to one that had to be developed and optimised. I am not a designer so some of the steps could be seen as labourious but every stage was tested and each change offered improvement. Spoiler alert, the story is still ongoing. None of this would have been possible without the help of Paul Barton. He is probably one of the most experienced 3d printers of the Alioth in the UK and is a brilliant ideas man. Of course we would not be doing this had it not been for the creative thinking of Juan Egea. Not only has he come up with a great design but opened the door for home building once again and allowed IOM’s to become freely available to new owners (for a reasonable licence fee of course). At the MYA AGM last year, I had a chance to buy an Alioth. It was a completely standard boat, sprayed with clearcoat but un sanded, with an old Alioth fin and bulb. I thought what better way to rest the Britpop than to buy the Alioth and sail it over the winter with the Britpop rigs. When I started to sail it, I was hooked on the design but my boat setup had some issues. I sailed a bit with Craig Richards but he was months ahead of me and truth be told a better sailor. My boat needed to sail with the rigs at zero degrees rake for balance which meant the booms pointed upward and it all looked rather ugly. Having the boom band 150mm from the step meant the boom was too high. I also had a poor A rig with prebend that occurred mostly around the 600mm mark, more of a kink than a bend which was created with rollers. The end result was a poor performing boat. The first thing to do was to rake the fin aft 2 degrees so I could put some rake on the mast. Unfortunately this moves the bulb back over a centimetre so the transom dropped in the water. Then I lowered the boom band to just off the foredeck above the mast ram. I had to the rakethe fin a degree forward to get the fore and aft balance better and that resulted in weather helm which to be frank was slow. With the Britpop it was easy to power off upwind and drive hard. With my set up I had the opposite and every time I took my eye off the boat it slowed. Craig had moved his fin aft so he could rake the rigs and achieved a balanced boat and was quick from the start with his V3. Eventually after struggling at the the ranking event at Eastbourne, I bit the bullet and moved the fin leading edge rake to a full 2.5 degrees (the aft edge was dead perpendicular to the waterline and then I moved the bulb forward 1.5cm to achieve balance and keep the stern just out of the water. I was then able to test the following week and had a balanced boat with the bow and stern just out of the water. To measure things accurately (see the instruction at the bottom of the article), all you need is paper, pen and a right angled set square. Once you have the dimensions, it is easy to replicate on a new boat. The boat came with under deck sheeting which gave me some issues, tangles and restricted range of movement which took a while to sort. Since trying it out I would prefer on deck sheeting in another boat as you can see any wear on the sheet and quickly repair any fraying cord. Having sorted all of this I ended up with a boat on weight but a bulb 25gm lighter than my Britpop. So after 6 months I got the boat set up that I wanted it. Remember I am not a designer and have to work by trial and error. I also get nervous about moving things around although my confidence is building on this as my knowledge builds. In a way it is good to fiddle as you learn on the journey whereas sailing a setup boat with instruction is quick but ones learning is limited. So what to do next. We heard a rumour that Juan was going to release a file for a 2 piece boat which would make it lighter and stronger. After some gentle persuasion we got the file and printed the boat which I could put together just before the nationals. I wanted a Craig Smith fin which is the lightest available and a Robot bulb. I could not fit a Smith fin to the current boat as I had glued the fin insert for the Alioth fin into the fin box but it would fit nicely in the new boat with a customised insert and this would allow us to vary the rake from zero to 2 degrees. The only thing we lacked was time. Putting an untested boat on the water 3 days before the Nationals was fraught with risk and so it proved. Other things we did to the new boat were to fit on deck sheeting, put the pulley in the centre at the back of the boat to minimise drag in the water, move the shroud base in a few mm as the eyes had the potential to damage other boats when healed over and it would not hurt to bring the shroud base in a bit. As a consequence I shortened the spreaders on the A and B rig and modified the jib tack fitting on the boom so I can get the jibs booms as close to the deck as possible. Then it was a case of going over the boat and minimising windage as far as possible. There was a structural change. After Juan had cracked his boat near the shroud area having been hit by a Venti without a bow bumper at an event earlier this year, Paul changed the aluminium posts that provided triangulation strength at the mast and shroud area replacing them with wires so that if there was impact in this area, the boat could flex and not split although the Polymax is extremely robust. I have hit a piece hard with a hammer and seen no damage or even a mark for that matter. It was a race against time especially as we had a couple of issues with the gluing. While Paul was sorting the boat I went through my rigs and did everything I could to and make sure the setup was good. New Cunningham design, lower the bottle screws, get the booms as parallel to the deck as possible. One mistake I made was to try 80lb fishing line to attach the jib luff to the mast. Unfortunately, the bowsie kept slipping the day before the Nationals so I went back to my trusty thicker cord. I had put the same on the backstay and had to replace that as well. One of the challenges I had was running the sheeting system under the deck using PTFE tube bent through 180 degrees. The winch could not handle the friction but then it was suggested I apply silicon grease to the cord and that solved the problem. So I picked up the boat on the Saturday before the Nationals, with the biggest job, fitting the fin and bulb in the afternoon but I had my map/diagram laid out on the floor with the optimal positions from the previous boat so I could position the fin and bulb accurately knowing the boat would be balanced and with the fore and aft weight distribution correct. What I did not realise at the time was that the bulb cant to the waterline was at 2 degrees when hand fitted but when I secured it with the nut the bulb cant increases to nearly 4 degrees. I only realised this after the nationals. One little check would have shown me the issue with the bulb. One thing I was able to do was accurately measure the bottom of the bulb in relation to the waterline and calculated I would have a 2 mm gap in the tank. The on-deck sheeting was a pleasure to set up and worked well although the way I had set the winch up meant that you had to move the stick a long way to ease the sheet making precise adjustment upwind difficult. Also the mix for a high mode was not working properly. I did not have time to fix that. I did drop the shroud bottle screws to the deck to get them out of the slot and that meant fitting longer shrouds Also checked the mast was a firm fit where it entered hull at the deck and happy to say it is rock solid. One final tweak was to the transmitter rudder control. I have a habit of over steering just after the start so I have introduced 20% of exponential to the steering. I had a quick test sail on Monday to check the sailing balance and that the boat sat in the water correctly. The transom was just out of the water and the bow 25mm out. I had 200gm of correctors to play with which I would position when the boat was measured. The boat was measured in Gosport on the Tuesday. It was exactly 1m long and the bulb 2mm above the limit and the rudder just inside the perpendicular from the transom. I had got something right. We had time to precisely locate the corrector weights. Wednesday was spent practice sailing at Frensham and then Thursday I raced at Gosport. That is when I got concerned about speed. The boat was just not powering off the start line. Yes it was shifty but I was getting rolled by boats around me. Not much I could do but live with it and take it to the Nationals. On the Friday at Poole there was a decent breeze and this is where I learnt that 8mm was not enough prebend in the mast. The jib luff sagged, the leach opened too much and the result was a boat slightly off the pace. I could have increased the prebend for the weekend but if I snapped the mast I would be off home. Thankfully the forecast was for light winds. The first day of the nationals was difficult (a polite way of saying bloody frustrating). After the seeding race I was put in C heat and progressed to B the A and stayed in A for two more races. The things unfolded. I was demoted to B then C and took 3 attempts to get out of C and then two attempts to get from B back to A where I stayed for the rest of the regatta. In summary, I was getting great starts but lacked pace and dropped back into the fleet but once back in A fleet after my excursions was always able to find a way to stay there. The result from the Nationals was not what I wanted but I was going through a commissioning process, so 14th is OK. The boat was not as quick as I would like, and I was able to nail down the reasons why and quickly fix on Tuesday. So, what was the list of things to do after the Nationals On mast bend, 8mm of prebend proved to be too little to support a firm jib luff and leech when sailing upwind. I wanted to use the same mast but with more prebend without using my rollers. I have found with the rollers that you have to get the roller settings to a certain point before the mast bends permanently. It is very easy to get hard spots, so I thought it time to bend the mast by hand. Surprisingly it is not that difficult to achieve a smooth bend by bending the mast carefully around my middle. So my 8mm turned to 15mm over 600mm and I put a gentle reverse bend into the whole mast. Only a few mm. The result when rerigged was stunning. Complete control on the jib leech and the ability to set any bend I liked and no hard spots on the mast. I will not be using rollers again. I also discovered the bulb cant was nearly 4 degrees rather than the two I thought I had. I took the bolt off, and the hand fitted bulb was 2 degrees but what I had not realised was there was a high spot in the slot on the bulb and when the bolt was tightened the bulb rocked and increased the cant. I also need to increase the weight of the bulb by 15gms. There is a hole in the slot which I can fill with lead shot so should be able to get the bulb and fin to full weight. I fiddled and reprogrammed the winch, so I was able to have full control sheeting when sailing upwind. That also restored the mixing which gives me high mode. I will put a blog up on that later. Those three things alone will surely increase the performance of the boat. All this done, I am ready to test the improvements. The journey continues. 5 months to the worlds. How to measure fin and bulb position (see picture below) After a ranking event where the weather helm caused me issues, I ended up raking the fin 2.5 degrees and moved the bulb just over a centimetre forward. This required careful trimming of the slot in the bulb but with a Dremel you can do a neat job but how to get the bulb in the right place Take 2 A2 sheets of drawing paper and tape them together along the shortest edge. Lie this on a wooden floor and place the boat on it. Use the top side as the waterline. The bulb draft limit is 3mm below the bottom or the A2 sheet. Using a right-angle triangle or T square, put a mark on the water line of the boat at the bow at the point where the designer says the bow should kiss the water. Align the boats water line with the top edge of the paper marking the exact bow and stern position. If you do this right, you will be able to move the boat and relocate with precision. Once you have the waterline established, raise the fin so it is parallel to the floor (3 dvd boxes should do it) and recheck the boats position. Also it is worth checking at this stage that the boat is 1m long. Once the boat is in position, you can mark the four corners of the fin, then mark the tip and back point of the bulb so you can measure the cant. Each point is marked on the paper using the adjustable right-angled triangle which also allows me to measure precise angles. This Alioth design requires the bottom of the leading edge to be a certain distance from the bow by drawing that line with the fin in that position and marking the front point of the bulb is, I had my starting point for the bulb position. I then marked where the centre of gravity of the bulb should be so I can line up the C of G of my new bulb in the same place with a raked fin. When I changed to a bulb with a different length, I was able to position its centre of gravity with ease.

Here is what you get in the Alternative plan Erwerben Sie den Plan Nachdem ich mir all die verschiedenen Designs angeschaut hatte, kam ich zu dem Schluss, dass alles, was einem Britpop ähnelt, die beste Option sein musste, da ich völlig unwissend war. Also habe ich das Alternative Design von der gekauft BG-Website und das gab mir alles Ich musste das Boot mit dem richtigen Rigg bauen erstellen Messungen. Was bekommen Sie in den Plänen? Designhinweise Decklayout Deckplan mit Ausrüstungspositionen Seitenansicht mit allen Maßen vom Heckbezugspunkt Rumpfrahmen Vorschiffsrahmen Rumpföffnungsvorlagen Mast-Rigging-Layout Ausleger-Layout Anordnung des Hauptauslegers Ein zusätzlicher Artikel auf der BG-Website sind die Rake-Einstellungen für die Alternative Nachdem ich alle Pläne hatte, war ich zuversichtlich, dass ich alle Informationen hatte, die zum Bau des Bootes erforderlich waren.