Birthday boat

[Bob Abell 2Participant @bobabell2]

How about a box without walls?

ie…..A rigid framework to protect the model and still stack easy?

it would be lighter and easy to handle and would preserve the worlds rapidly diminishing Hardboard trees!

You know it makes sense!

Capt Sensabell

[Amy jane SeptemberParticipant @amyjaneseptember49770]

Oh well…

Silly busy at work, and time off for a sick daughter, so no progress to report. (Back on track now though…)

Sam's birthday is at the end of next month, so the plan is to get the boat back on the water next week or so and test, fine tune, PLAY with it! I think she's still under propped, and I'm hoping to get a bit more out of her yet. Sorry Captain Sensabell and young Ashley, boxes and skippers may have to wait until Christmas!

Amy j

[ashley needhamParticipant @ashleyneedham69188]

Amy J. you are such a nice person.

If you dont have time to carve a driver how about a simple flat silhouette type arrangement with your face stuck on either side, as a stand-by?

Ashley (wheres my anywayup cup gone to??)

[Amy jane SeptemberParticipant @amyjaneseptember49770]

I try, Ashley. (Sam often tells me just how trying I am!)

The last of the painting is done, and the squabs are in the cockpit.

The new prop is under construction….

Starting with a couple of s/s nuts with slots cut in them

And a couple of 1mm s/s blades welded in.

(Yeah, I did the welding, can you tell?)

I made up a simple jig, to check the pitch is the same on both blades. not sure what the pitch actually is, but about 40 degrees.

The diameter is the same as the previous prop, the blade area slightly larger, but quite a bit more pitch. I'll give her several runs on the water, and adjust the pitch as required. ( if the weather comes right….) Dead line is the 29th, so fingers crossed.

[Bob Abell 2Participant @bobabell2]

Very inventive of you, Amy J

But I don't like the idea of two blades gyroscoping about, held together with a home made weld?

Would have been safer, had the blades were made in one piece and twisted with pliers?

Bob

Similar to this…..

[ashley needhamParticipant @ashleyneedham69188]

Bob. I think, given the smallness of the blades and the relative low speed of the motor, that the blades will be ok. After all, what harm could come..other that a blade breaking off and piercing the boat causing it to sink???

Thats a good shape you have there Bob (great shape, Amy).

Amy. Normally there is decreasing twist out from the boss, so the blade angle decreases(as you know). Would a brass prop enable a better prop shape, and be easier to make? You could even consider making a dog-drive, and be able to use plain tube for the boss. Two projections on the shaft could be easily effected by a couple of weld spots filed down, the boss tube simply needs a couple of locating slots in it and a nyloc at the end to hold it in place

Pink seats…

Ashley

[Amy jane SeptemberParticipant @amyjaneseptember49770]

Thanks Bob and Ashley.

I think the welds will be fine, my welding doesn't often break!

There is a slight amount of helical pitch in the blades, but given the coarse pitch, the difference between the root and tip is not great. I agree brass would be easier to shape, (I don't much care for working with stainless) , and I have plenty of it, but I'm not set up for brazing or silver soldering. The nuts for the boss makes the prop self tightening.

Yeah, pink seats!

[Dave_PParticipant @dave_p]

I take it you are not welding the prop using the car bonnet as a workbench

Only jesting. The model is looking great.

[Amy jane SeptemberParticipant @amyjaneseptember49770]

Hi Dave

Given the state of the paint work on my car, I don't think it would much matter!

Incidentally, this is the prop…..

that was on the boat, in this photo…..

It shall be interesting to compare performance!

[ashley needhamParticipant @ashleyneedham69188]

Yes, and there was hardly any pitch on it at well !!!

Ashley

(great shot)

[Amy jane SeptemberParticipant @amyjaneseptember49770]

Hmmm, I'm thinking I might have to flatten the pitch on the new one somewhat! Time will tell….

[Diede van AbsParticipant @diedevanabs87670]

Amy Jane – please, PLEASE make sure you film your next runs! I am dying to see this boat in motion!

[Amy jane SeptemberParticipant @amyjaneseptember49770]

Hello again

Diede, Getting a video shouldn't be a problem, getting it on the forum may be! I don't have a you tube account, and wouldn't know how to begin uploading it any way. (Though I'm sure I could work it all out). We shall see…

The boat is now finished (yay!) The last little jobs being to install a snorkel for the carb, just in case the air below gets a bit fuggy (Sorry, forgot to take a photo), and to make the hold down screws for the engine cover.

….cleats make for handy thumb screws!

So now we wait. The weather here is gret and grindy, with no sign of improvement for the next few days at least… oh well…..

Aj

[Len Morris 2Participant @lenmorris2]

Dear Amy,

You have posted some very nice comments on my Resurgam thread so I thought I would have a look at yours. Read the whole thing. Excellent! Just publish it as an unabridged book. It embodies all the essences of scratchbuild – inventiveness, stubbornness and gung-ho attitude – with a bit (or probably a lot) of skill and knowledge thrown in!

It's done. It works. It looks fantastic! It's so big and powerful that I bet it could pull a water skier. Be fun to try!

I read your next project is going to be a small electric. Make it a submarine. I just wonder what will come out of your head!

Len

[Amy jane SeptemberParticipant @amyjaneseptember49770]

Hi there Len.

Thanks for your lovely comments, does me good to read them! I've certainly been enjoying your thread.

A tentative start has been made on the next project, a small open fishing boat, so maybe the sub after that? We have a lot of Little Blue Penguins around here, and I've often fancied the idea or making one. Minimal floatation, and mechanically mixing the flippers to act as hydroplanes and ailerons…..

Aj

[Len Morris 2Participant @lenmorris2]

See, I knew it, who would have thought of a penguin sub……brilliant!

Len

[Amy jane SeptemberParticipant @amyjaneseptember49770]

Hello me hearties! Enjoying your warm weather? We're getting some sub zero nights here at the moment, this was my poor car this morning!

Weeellll….. I had real, real blonde moment this week! Got the boat all going, good long bench run, with the cover on, no problems. Lugged her into the car, raced off to the wharf after work, all excited like….

Da. Blinking forgot to blinking well check the blinking tide! I can't get away from the moored boats at low water, so good sense had to prevail. I put her in the water any way, and took a few shots. (She's at anchor, and the crew is off for a swim, Ashley….)

Here's one for Bob, with the transmitter for scale.

Any way, the tide will be good next week, so I shall try again.

Aj

[Bob Abell 2Participant @bobabell2]

I like your frosty work bench, Amy!….lol

Your launch is an absolute credit to you……Really well done…..True scratch building at it's very best!

It looks the part tied up too…..What's that little black box on one of the pix?…….lol

I'm amazed that none of your NZ kinfolk have not made a comment…..Is there a logical reason for this?

All the best, AJ

Bob

[ashley needhamParticipant @ashleyneedham69188]

AmyJ.

Great pictures. The size of the boat coupled with the scale water conditions and no crew make these very realistic photos!

Ashley

[Amy jane SeptemberParticipant @amyjaneseptember49770]

Thank you very much for your comments, really very kind!

Bob, No kiwi would seriously consider publicly admitting to building toy boats…..

Amy j

[IAN_IParticipant @ian_i]

Hi AJ…

Great pictures ….thanks for sharing.

Ian

[mike farrellParticipant @mikefarrell21522]

Hi Amy What a lovely boat ,you have done justice to the past time. Exception is your reference to toy boats . That's what little boys play with ,big little boys play with Radio Controlled Boats and in your case a well constructed and in the wrong hands deadly weapon . Still not sure how fast it will go so looking forwards to the video

Well done Michael

[Amy jane SeptemberParticipant @amyjaneseptember49770]

Waaaaaaa waaaaaaaa stupidpieceofwaaaaaaaaaaaa,(sob)grrrrrrrrrrrr sobwaaaaaaa……….

[Dave MilbournParticipant @davemilbourn48782]

O dear. Has it had an accident?

[Amy jane SeptemberParticipant @amyjaneseptember49770]

Hi Dave, No, not yet, though it very well may…..

I had the boat all set up on the jetty, perfect weather, small group of onlookers. She roared into life after the usual two or three pulls, ran for 30 odd seconds then stopped, and hasn't gone since!

She has spark,

she has compression,

I've gone as far as swap the carb with the one off our identical generator, the generator ran fine, the boat didn't even fart pop.

The plug is dry, so I'm thinking reed valves at this point. (The ignition is solid state, so what are the chances of the timing being out?)

A shot of ether down the carb, or the plug hole does nothing

If it is the reeds, (I haven't taken the reed plate out yet) then I'm in trouble. The chances of getting a replacement, (It is a cheep chinese engine) is unlikely, and I can't really disable the generator to fix the boat, other than just to try it.

So here I am, Friday night, the boat locked up at work till Monday, Sam's birthday on Tuseday.

Very,very dissapointed.

[Author]

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