Fisher 34 motorsailer

[ashley needhamParticipant @ashleyneedham69188]

I rather like the tiling, it looks quite striking.

i would not paint over it…I could see an issue with not quite getting the edges properly and it would be very difficult to do anyway.

This year when you are spending many happy boating hours with it in the sun, no doubt the darkness of it will fade a bit….

Ashley

[geconParticipant @gecon]

You're right Ashley. Even while I was writing about trying to paint over it I was regretting such a mad idea!

Yes we'll wait for the sun. I'm not so sure that sunlight will subdue the grey on the 800 grit wet&dry. There are so many other divergences from the full size version that I'll call it 'artistic freedom' and get over it PDQ.

I've got enough to do to get all that wiring and R/C gear fitted. The roller furling genoa system has also strained the grey cell somewhat but I have drawn up a plan -which might just work! Strange that I cannot find anything on this on google/youtube -or maybe it's because everybody else has more sense than to try such a thing!

It's not an important feature but, the idea was sparked last year by Ray writing about a sailboat with bare poles and that made me think of being able to furl and reef all sails for motoring. If it doesn't work, I'll revert to 'ye olde' wire forestay.

George

[Ray Wood 3Participant @raywood3]

Hi George,

Fullsize practice must be to have an aluminium tube round the forestay to which the sail must be attached and a roller drum at the base with a line and a swivel at the top, which is feasible. My only concern is how you would keep the tension on the sheet as you furl the sail, tricky I should say ? what material and thickness are your sails going to be made from ?

Regards Ray

[geconParticipant @gecon]

The alu' tubes 5mm and 6mm arrived in the post yesterday. The swivels, bottlescrews ++ were bought in last summer. The idea of a forestay inside the alu' tube has been scrapped due to difficulties i tensioning it between swivels placed top and bottom of the tube. The swivels will have an extra function as bearings which allow the whole tube to rotate and roll on the sail.

I'll post a photo of my rough sketch-plan. Not sure if it easy for others to decifer though! The roller drum will be a metal bobbin used for underthread on a sewing machine. These bobbins also come with sail thread sold by CMB.

Furling the sail will be done maually -not by winch/servo and therefore not under sail. Furling will be done by letting out both genoa servos and while stretching out the clew of the genoa by hand, pull in on the furling line which will be led aft to the cockpit via small brass screw-eyes on the top of the capping rail…I hope!

The sailcloth is from Amati via CMB. "sailcloth for modern yachts -bought it in 2019! It's quite light and thin and probably nylon.

Well, there's the usual long-winded reply! Haven't taken the photo yet as I thought I would spare everyone for that but as Ray is so keen!…… a photo will arrive!

George

[geconParticipant @gecon]

Sketch showing idea for furling genoa stay. The plan is to use a 5mm alu' tube inside a 6mm alu tube. This should be stiff-ish and is light in weight. The 6mm tube has inside dia. 5.1mm !!

Have not managed to push the 5mm tube into the 6mm tube yet but working at it with WD40, stern-tube lube and 1200 grit wet&dry! There seems to be a good bit of alu' dust and gunge inside these tubes from the production process.

I'll may try warming up the 6mm and coolingdown the 5mm when I have ascertained the respective lengths of the tubes. The 5mm will be cut about 15mm shorter than the 6mm outer to make sockets to house the swivels/bearings. They'll also be a deck-level bottle screw which is not on the sketch.

Any comments or suggestions on this are welcome, as usual I'm only guessing at the construction method ! Keep in mind though that I have very limited workshop facilities.  Admiralty suggests that other facilities/faculties are not much to shout about either.

George

Edited By gecon on 21/01/2021 15:50:31

Edited By gecon on 21/01/2021 15:51:20

[geconParticipant @gecon]

Today I regretted starting such an ambitious project for the first (maybe 3rd or 4th actually) time since stating off in sept 2019. I have 2 speed controllers -one with the BEC wire disconnected. As mentioned earlier, I decided to fit fuses in the battery wires to protect from the big melt-down.

It took me four hours of on-off trouble shooting to find out that the other speed controller with the BEC intact to supply the receiver and servos, had a blown fuse fitted into the fuse holder! All my past experience as an aviator….when the first thing you check when something doesn't 'power-ON' is the circuit breaker (fuse). OMG I'm getting really old!

Anyway it all works now, but what a stressfull afternoon! The next project, the Colin Archer, will have much less complex 'electrikery' and every other yacht thereafter. Thers's so much wire all over the place.

It now weighs in at 9 kgs. There will be little freebord left by the time she's lauched!

George

Edited By gecon on 22/01/2021 20:33:51

[Chris FellowsParticipant @chrisfellows72943]

Hi George

The moon landing utilised less tech than this build!

Chris

[geconParticipant @gecon]

….And with much smarter blokes doing the 'teching'.

Noticed a good bit of metal-to-metal noise from the propshaft. Might be the thrust collar is too tight against the end of the tube. Might be resonance. Now's the time to fire up the shaft greaser!

Talking about fire… I seemed to notice a bit of orange-ish light from the back of the speed 400 bowthruster motor. Only tried it for a couple of seconds. It's low down in the bilge below fuse boxes and servos and it's non-removeable!  Can a previously unused motor be orangey-red due to new brushes??

Might have to disconnect it and just keep it down there as ballast! I've blown some aerosol canned-air through the motor in case there's sawdust or metal particles causing the trouble. Might even be some resin on the impellor causing some resistance!

I'll do some more testing with that before I give up and disconnect the supply to the thruster. Fuse should protect other items if the motor stalls. 

George

Edited By gecon on 23/01/2021 09:11:36

[geconParticipant @gecon]

Trouble at mill…..

I first thought that I had installed a fuse (7.5A) which was already blown. I installed a new fuse, switched off the hall lights, applied power the the speed controller and saw a tiny white light in the new fuse -just as it blew! Interchanged the speed controllers to check that both were OK – and they were. So there is probably a fault (short) in the bow thruster speed 400 motor. Maybe I knakkered something when I first tried it?

Anyway, all seems OK if I remove the speed 400 from the circuit. I cannot get the motor out from it's housing in the bilges so that's that. No bow thruster function. Might try applying a low current directly to the motor terminals just to see of it turns but I don't expect much luck there.

Had enough mind games for today. If anyone has a good idea about the above then fire away.

George

[geconParticipant @gecon]

Lot's of diversions so far this week, shovelling snow, gritting pathways++. Managed a couple of hours work on the masts each evening though. Half the time goes to trying to work out what's actually required and then mounting items in the right order. Good fun though -clean and mechanical-…no glue and paint etc.

Some of the split rings were very difficult to attatch -due fingertrouble/wrong technique I suppose. Have made several sketches to workout how best to attach sails to rollerstay and masts. Have some sliders bought in 2019 from CMB.

Looking also at making sails with some built in camber.

[geconParticipant @gecon]

Working my way up and down the masts today, hardly any interuptions for once. Cut the main and mizen booms to length too and added some rigging brackets. Expecting to be fully 'rigged' by end of Feb. Expecting to use most of March to design and sew sails.

George

[geconParticipant @gecon]

Info about spars:

Due to available mast dimensions at the time of planning the Fisher spars in 2019, I had to choose the same dimension for the main and mizzen mast,19mmX10mm. The next available smaller dimension was then chosen for the booms, 12mmX8mm.

Could be that there is greater choice available in the UK but I had to order what I could get hold of here in Norway. Plenty of round alu' tube available of course, but I wanted a scale-like oval cross-section spars.

Not that I think anyone is even remotely interested!

Just one more week of freezing Wx expected here, then we should be back to a '+' prefix before the temp' figure. Not that I think anyone is even remotely…etc. etc.

Wish all a fine weekend.

George

[geconParticipant @gecon]

The bow thruster fuction is now working. Located a short circuit across wires from a large filter placed across the terminals. Not sure that you even need these filters with 2.4ghz R/C.

As I have read elswhere, these small thusters make quite a bit of noise and resonance! 

George

 

Edited By gecon on 11/02/2021 06:54:07

[ashley needhamParticipant @ashleyneedham69188]

FGerorge. I am sure everyone is interested! It’s the sort of info you file away for the future.

The rigging and tackle looks great I must say.not me area of expertise, but very neat.

I felt for you regarding a possible non working dead bow thruster. A fair few of my models are compromised by the need for good access, but it does give peace of mind.

i might reiterate Chis’s comment re all the electricky stuff on the hull!

Ashley

Edited By ashley needham on 11/02/2021 09:42:55

[geconParticipant @gecon]

Hi Ashley, rigging/tackle not my area of expertise either. Don't think I have an 'area' -not even a 'dot'- unless maybe "long-winded replies"?

Next builds-in-waiting, 2 Colin Archer 'work-it-out-on-your-own-kits', will be less complex. Only one motor; less string and 'electrickery' below decks.

Lastest news:

    Admiralty has granted a temporary weekend-permit for essential aligning and rigging (of the yacht) to be carried out upon the kitchen table.   A bit too crouded to do it in the closet.     (deleted to invalidate inuendo complaints).

Safe weekend to all,

George.         PS, corks on spreaders are to protect eyes during build -not for floatation!

 

 

Edited By gecon on 12/02/2021 08:17:29

Edited By gecon on 12/02/2021 08:20:40

[geconParticipant @gecon]

Came out of the closet -so to speak- on Friday afternoon. Unfortunately one or two incedences have hampered progress a bit but managed to fit the triatic stay and thread a few sheet blocks here and there.

New idea for roller furling headstay construction will be attempted today. Mothering Sunday in Norway combined with Valentines and "Shrove Tuesday" which is actually celebrated today on a Sunday will all cause delays in production.

Seagulls-view photos of triatic stay with mizzen spreader/tiebars and a general aft quarter view will hopefully appear below – above!

George

[geconParticipant @gecon]

Mk IV version of roller furling headstay assembled today. Still som nuts and bolts to tidy up but just had to get some photos done so I could look at them. Surprising the number of faults/discrepensies you notice by studying a photo contra looking at the work 'live'.

Post just the overall photo here. 'Sideways' detail photos are in album if anyone wants a look.

Next work will be testing out genoa attatchment methods.

George

Edited By gecon on 14/02/2021 17:19:10

[geconParticipant @gecon]

Made a bloomer with the the main boom dimension. Thus emphasizing that 'size isn't everything/one can have too much of a good thing'

Surgery without an anesthetic has already been performed and the boom now clears the lower shrouds!

George

[geconParticipant @gecon]

The Fisher is now fully rigged. Mast rake to be set after the roller furling genoa is made and attached. Triatic stay to be routed aft of the radar dome which will be fitted to the mizzen within a week. A few other photos posted in album. George

Edited By gecon on 20/02/2021 21:56:10

[geconParticipant @gecon]

Don't know why some of the text above became 'bold'. It was not intended. It'll probably sail without the sails due to all the wire! Adding an extra photo of the wirey yacht.

George

[Dave HarrisonParticipant @daveharrison24862]

What a fantastic looking model George, you've really done it justice. I can't wait to see some pictures of her afloat and underway

[Will Mason 1Participant @willmason1]

Great job George, very accurate.

My parents have a Fisher 30, so although a little smaller than the 34, I can relate to what a Fisher should look like.

Look forward to seeing some on the water shots.

Will

[Chris FellowsParticipant @chrisfellows72943]

Yes, looks superb George and is a credit to your building skills. You needn't have worried about the Treadmaster, as now with other things in place it looks as it should.

Like others I'm looking forward to seeing it finished and on the water.

Chris

[geconParticipant @gecon]

Thanks gents for the kind words. I must admit that I am pleasantly surprised with overall impression of the Fisher. I hope the last finishing touches will make it a good SOS (stand-off-scale) yacht.

There's been a couple of days delay due to Admiralty ordering a colour change to the sittingroom bulkheads, but I'm still planning for 1st April launch and -I hope- flotation tests…it's displacement is becoming rather significant" (yacht, not Admiralty).

George

[geconParticipant @gecon]

The 'art' of sailmaking was started on sunday and the Admiralty and her sewing machine was is action sewing the dark blue cloth tube which will eventually cover the aluminium tubes of the roller forestay. Unfortunately I forgot to take å photo of the process!

Photo shows sailcloth laid out for measurement and cutting.

[Author]

Posts