Fisher 34 motorsailer

[geconParticipant @gecon]

I suppose this is where I should have started the first thread about the Fisher 34 last year. Scratch building from plans of the Fisher 46 drawn by D Metcalf. The photos on Album show the build so far. There's still no cabintop or wheelhouse on deck. I'm currently staining, oiling and varnishing the decks and bulwark capping strip. After that, the hull will be upside-down for a while for glass laminating and painting the hull and keel.

When that's done, I'll start on the cabintop and wheelhouse construction. Last year I said the yacht would be ready by Easter! I'm now adding a year to that.

I have managed to install 3 winch servos and a rudder servo. 2 of the winch servos for genoa control.

I'm also putting together a kit yacht, The Comtesse by Krick Ro-Marine. That should be ready to test sometime this summer. I'll be writing a few Words about that in a 'kit build' topic. Some photos of that are in Album under 'Comtesse'.

George

 

Edited By George Edward Connery on 07/05/2020 15:10:51

[geconParticipant @gecon]

R/C near scale yacht

[Ray Wood 3Participant @raywood3]

Hi George,

Good to see your new thread for the Fisher, I think you may have issues with the Genoa sheeting to a winch, as it's a long sail which needs to go a long way round the mast to change tack ??

I will be following with interest, photos please 😃✔

Regards Ray

[geconParticipant @gecon]

Hi Ray,

You won't believe the number of hours I have spent pondering this issue! I think I now know what to do, we'll see.

In my Fisher 34 album there is a photo on the second last row showing the innards of the aft hull section. Here you can see the mainsheet pulley in the centre just forward of the mizzen mast support hole. A little further aft (to the left in the photo!) you can see, both port and starbord, two more pulleys. These are for the 2 individual genoa winches. Each winch can pull in/let out about 45cm of sheet length. The winches are moved independentlyof each other. Obviously the leeside winch has to be slackened off as the windward side (to weather) is pulled inn. In theory the clew of the genoa should be able to move through 40-45 cm. This should allow a reasonble amount  of genoa adjustment. 

A little elastic cord here and there should help to absorb any inadvertant assimetric hauling  of sheets. Both winches can be let out to enable the genoa to open up a bit for running with the wind or at least with wind abaft the beam. The Fisher is not known for it's sailing performance and this model will be tru to scale  I'm sure.

Hmmm…. bet there'll be some of comments on this.  Probably, everybody else who has a yacht already knows all this and have forgotten to tell me!   Hope nobody reads this!   

I have just opened a new thead for the Comtesse too. I suggested earlier that they would be under 'build blog' but they ended up as 'scratch builds' and 'kit builds'. 

George

Edited By George Edward Connery on 07/05/2020 19:37:05

[Ray Wood 3Participant @raywood3]

Hi George,

I have also tried to work out a solution, but if your going for 2 winches that may work with 1 each side, fouling the mast I would think is the issue, or sheeting out one side before pulling in the other !! Or you could end up with winches fighting each other 😈,

I favour a self tacking jib on a horse, which is what I'm going to do on my cat…

Regards Ray

[geconParticipant @gecon]

Hi Ray,

The Fisher is miles too heavy displacement to be content with a self-tacker. Also I want it to look more to scale. I'm thinking more about being able to move it in the breeze occasionally, in a scale and sedate manner – rather than avid sailing! If you look at the photos of the real thing (in my album) you will see that it probably sails as well as a……TSB !

George

Edited By George Edward Connery on 07/05/2020 19:59:47

[geconParticipant @gecon]

The deck and bulwark capping has been given a third -and last- coat of varnish today. A few dust particles here and there but not noticeable unless viewed in strong refelecting light. Finish has been aproved by the Admiralty but only because she is tired of seeing the F34 on top of the hob. Luckily it's induction so she can't switch on and fry the keel.

6 hours on the hob and then 4 days hardening time (Fisher -not admiralty) before she does a half-roll (again , Fisher not Admiralty) ready for glassing the nether regions (still Fisher).

Has to be on the hob with vent on 'half-ahead' for air polution reduction. Still too cold outside for open air paintwork.

George

[geconParticipant @gecon]

Starting up the Fisher build again this week. Comtesse is now 'afloat' and I have at least a yacht to sail during any fine summer picnic days which may inadvertantly occur!

Epoxy and glassfiber cloth are top of the list of 'jobs-to-do' for the Fisher. Never done this before, so I'll be refering to Dave's info' from an article he wrote in MB and another article by Larry Simmons, ehow.com.

George

[geconParticipant @gecon]

Started epoxy/glass cloth work this afternoon. See that I'm going to have to get a lot better at this PDQ! However, got plenty of sandpaper in store and it's good excercise anyway! Tomorrow's session will include testing some thickening agent mixed in to the epoxy. I expect that once the first epoxy layer and glass cloth is done the process will be less hectic, so actually looking forward to that bit…..I think.

Probably need about three aplications of epoxy and sanding to get a good fininsh. The third coat of epoxy will contain a white colouring agent….(pigment?) After that it'll be primer and white gloss enamel.

I feel that I'll be building the hull twice…once in wood and once in resin. I don't really have the facilities for this so that's why the next project, a Colin Archer, has an ABS hull. Not really 'correct' to build a CA without a wooden hull but it's got to be ready formed ABS -or nothing- after the Fisher project. I'll probably start up some Colin Archer work while resin on the Fisher hull is hardening but, I won't bore everyone (who?) with build info' or photos of a boat everyone has seen a hundred times already.

Will post a Fisher-photo when the hull is white!

George

[geconParticipant @gecon]

Well, hull is now white-ish. Given first coat of epoxy primer. Never used this before so was a bit surprised that it did not flow out like paint…nor like the previous coats of epoxy. The product I'm using is -as in some of my previous layers of gumf- usually used in full size fibreglass yachts. Tim will no doubt recognise these properties from his experienceswith the 'real thing' whereas I'm surprised almost every time I mix a 2-pot of something-or-other!

2nd coat goes on -without sanding- in 4 hours. After that, it's up to the gods. I'll be sanding down and applying a coat of standard (yachting -quality) enamel undercoat. I'll just have to see what happens and sand it all off again if it's a mess.

George

[geconParticipant @gecon]

Got a bit 'hung up' on fitting out the dinghy for the forthcoming Colin Archer. Had not planned so many small details for this dinghy but surprisingly I enjoyed myself. Developing glaucoma in right eye is a nuisance when working on small details. Anyway today it's back to 'large' details….sanding down the white epoxy primer and then the first coat of white primer is going onto the Fisher hull.

I don't expect the hull will look much different until the topcoat is on and the side cappings and rubbing strakes are in place. Off to produce som white dust on the balcony floor!…+looks of disapproval from the Admiralty.

George

[geconParticipant @gecon]

Just for info (most forum members probably knew this years ago / I'm usually the last to know ) after 3 hours sanding and 2 hours tidying up all the dust I can say that I don't recommend using epoxy primer unless you know that you absolutely must use it. Of course, it's supposed to be used outside / at the boatyard not inside on the balcony, irrespective, I'm finished with that particular product for a good while. I must give credit though, it filled most of the potholes in the hull quite well!

A final sanding with finer grit will take place this evening or tomorrow OUTSIDE and away from people/houses/cars et. al.

I'm really looking forward to getting the Fisher hull painted and turned right way up again so I can start work on the cabintop and wheelhouse. The rest of you will be looking forward to me being finished with whole the project so that I stop ranting on. Talking/writing to oneself helps greatly with the quarantine-blues I notice.

George

[Ray Wood 3Participant @raywood3]

Hi George,

We all love talking to ourselves via this forum, it's some sort of weird therapy, the whole social media thing helps if you don't want to or can't talk to real people 😀 I'm sure no one is listening so no harm done 😉

Have you tried attaching you photos to you posts ?? I've looked in your album the Fisher is a super project 👍

Regards Ray

[geconParticipant @gecon]

Good morning Ray and thank you for your kind words regarding the Fisher.

My first posts (last year) included a few photos of the F34 during laserbeam-line-up of the frames. I got the impression -after a few days or so of seeing what other members do- that the 'tidy' way to postings was to write text in posts and submit photos to Album so that those few who wanted a photo could have a look. This way the post was not 'cluttered' with photos 'no-one' wanted to see anyway. I felt it was using up space on the Forum side. Of course it's only space 'in cyber-space' and not on paper! So it probably doesn't really matter.

I hope to post a photo next week of the F34 hull painted white and with mahogany side cladding in place. I may just risk an uncontrolled outburst and attatch a photo here!

Have a good weekend,

George

Edited By George Edward Connery on 03/07/2020 08:41:06

[geconParticipant @gecon]

A bit behind schedule as usual but the first coat of gloss white has at last been applied, Was out yesterday and bought three of the most expensive paintbrusshes ever! About £15 each. I think I will get a nice finish with these. The brush I used for undercoat last week was a cheap one and the surface looked like a ploughed field -of snow. Sanded off most of the undercoat each time (3) to try to get a smooth surface! I'm a slow learner, -or just too old to learn…. sorry.

George

[geconParticipant @gecon]

 

 

Edited By George Edward Connery on 11/07/2020 16:45:11

[Eddie LancasterParticipant @eddielancaster]

Hi.George, have you tried using wet and dry paper used wet? You just have a sludge that can be wiped off using a paper towel and a sponge.

Regards.

Eddie.

[geconParticipant @gecon]

Not yet Eddie, but thought to use it after the next coat of gloss. The paint is enamel (Alkyd) and it is to dry 48 hours before next coat (without sanding). Looks reasonable now (but not flawless) after 1st coat of gloss.

Should I use the wet and dry (used wet) BEFORE the second coat do you think? Wet, 'wet and dry' between EACH coat maybe?

Which grit? I have 400, 800 and 1200 on hand. 1200 is almost 'polishing' I'd say.

I think a total of three coats will be enough. Or?

Regards,

George

[Eddie LancasterParticipant @eddielancaster]

Hi.George, I can only tell you how I do it, after the hull is glassed and finished with finishing epoxy resin I take the humps off with 120 grit used wet, that is then followed with 240 grit, again used wet to get as close as I can to a complete matt finish, I then use high build primer filler from a rattle can misting it on with three coats to build up to a full coat, 90% of this is then sanded away with 240 grit, again used wet, any low spots showing at each stage is filled with Humbrol filler, a very fine quick drying filler applied with a craft knife this is again sanded down with 240 grit always used wet, I do this about three times, the final coat of primer filler is then rubbed down with 400 grit paper and a final coat of primer either red grey or white, depending on the final colour, is applied and rubbed down with 800 grit before the final gloss topcoat.
As you can see as soon as the wood is sealed all the sanding is done wet and I would use the same scheme if I was brush painting with enamel paints.

Hope this helps.

Regards.

Eddie.

[geconParticipant @gecon]

Many thanks Eddie, I'll put on my strongest (+3.5 ) reading glasses tomorrow and inspect the surface in good light! Probably have to wet sand the first gloss coat before proceeding. Then a coat or two more should suffice. Any small scrapes still visible will be called "quayside encounters" or "weathering"

Regards,

George

[Eddie LancasterParticipant @eddielancaster]

That sounds like a plan.

Eddie.

[geconParticipant @gecon]

Update 14th July: F34 hull received a second coat of gloss without sanding down the 1st coat -as per instructions on the tin. Today the hull was wet sanded with 240 and 400 grit. Looking better now. Not sure how much more elbow-grease will be deployed on the hull finish. Starting to get impatient -want to move on to some more fiddely stuff above the waterline. No new photo of sanded hull…looks the same as above!

Many thanks to Eddie for the hull finishing info earlier. I have not wet sanded since repainting my 1967 Lotus Elan S3 Carnival Red in……1973.

More gloss white next week, maybe the whole hull painted white with simply blue lines for W/L mark and boot top strip. Maybe I'll have blue 'antifouling' on the hull section below the W/L.

Suggestions (polite variety) accepted with thanks.

George

[Colin BishopModerator @colinbishop34627]

My 1:1 scale yacht had the usual white hull with light blue underwater antifouling and a royal blue boot topping , a colour scheme which I thought was quite smart.

The boat also had a narrow dark blue  'pinstripe' round the hull just below deck level to accentuate the sheer of the hull.

Colin

 

Edited By Colin Bishop on 19/07/2020 15:53:41

[geconParticipant @gecon]

Thanks Colin, my 1:1 Fisher 34 had a 'sand' hull (as pictured in Album). The hull colour was already decided when I stepped in to buy her. I would have chosen white with blue trimmings if I had been able to. That's why I have chosen white/blue now. My mood when I've done all the white will decide if I will apply yet another two layers of paint -two coats of blue 'antifouling'- or if I take the 'quick fix' and just add automotive -Halfords type- stripes in the W/L – boot top region!

My add-on wing keel is now in white undercoat. I may apply blue to that first and see if it helps me with the decision.

George

[Colin BishopModerator @colinbishop34627]

It's nice to have the choice, there are lots of attractive alternative colour combinations. Personally I think that a boot topping diividing the topsides from the underwater body makes for an attractive colour scheme and breaks up the 'bulbousness' of a typical yacht hull very well. Let us know what you decide,

Colin

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