Newbie

[Amy jane SeptemberParticipant @amyjaneseptember49770]

Hello there, new to model boating, new to the forum, let me introduce my self. My name is Amy Jane, and I have one whole model to my credit!

This is my little "Annalisa" 30"x4", displacement of 20oz, scratch built to my own design. R/c useing the radio and motor from a cheap toy car. Small beginings I know, But I'm pleased with her, and she gets along very nicely indeed. I have another under construction, a battery-less side wheeler, using a very effcient motor, a solar panel and capacitor.

looking forward to getting to know you all,

thanks

Amy jane

[Amy jane SeptemberParticipant @amyjaneseptember49770]

[Paul TParticipant @pault84577]

Welcome Amy Jane

The Annalisa is a lovely model and the design looks excellent, I would very much like to see the lower hull so is there any chance of some more photos?

The side wheeler will be of interest to Bob.

Paul

[Bob Abell 2Participant @bobabell2]

Hello Amy

A very good effort for your first model!

The recycled Rc set from a toy boat will be a source of problems……Interference and limited range etc

As my good friend Paul pointed out, I would interested in your paddleboat

More photos please

Bob

[Paul TParticipant @pault84577]

Amy

A solar powered paddle boat will be a very interesting project and I am looking forward to seeing your design specs, particularly the power to weight tradeoff and the choices of materials for the construction.

Paul

[Amy jane SeptemberParticipant @amyjaneseptember49770]

hello again, thankyou for the welcome. I'm sorry Paul, no more photos at the moment, the model lives on the boat, but I shall be down there at the weekend, so will take some then. The under body is pretty much what you would expect, long straight keel, shallow draft, flat floors and a quick turn at the bildge.

You maybe quite right about the toy car radio, Bob, but as I use her when we are out on the big boat, there are no freqency hash ups, and the dinghy is always handy! The range is better than I expected, she gets hard to see before I lose contact. Here are some photos of where I'm up to on the paddleboat.

The hull is very simmilar to a cornish pilot gig, it would be hard to find a hull more easily driven! 37" x 5". The electrics are from a german made 'educational toy' , Fisher technic. The specs are: solar panel 3v 240mh, capacitor: 2.3v 10f , motor 3v with a 20ma idle current, built in reduction, with a massive 50 rpm shaft speed, but loads of torque. So paddle wheel was the only option (other than oars!) The motor runs for ten minutes on the capcitor alone! So all very effcient , but flea power non the less.

Couple of questions, if I may. Given a very slippery 37" hull, and a 5 1/2" diameter paddle wheel, what sort of paddle wheel rpm should I be aimming for? How deep should the wheel be immersed? and finally what sort of blade area?

thanks once again

Amy jane

[Amy jane SeptemberParticipant @amyjaneseptember49770]

Sorry Paul, forgot to mention construction

The hull is carved, one complete side first, mostly by eye, but often using a set of lines plans, normally from a fullsized boat, as a guide. The lines are then transfured to the other side with card templates and a lead bar bent to shape, from a block of ploystyrene. I then stretch a leg of and old nylon stocking over it, tying or pining where needed. The whole thing is then epoxied. Quick, simple, cheap and I can make what ever shape takes my fancy!

[Bob Abell 2Participant @bobabell2]

Hello Amy

It may be advantageous, if you take a look at my paddler builds for JDAW and Great Eastern, for reference?

Your paddle diameter is about the same size as my JDAW and runs at about 60 rpm, + and – 100 %

Paddle size about 20mm deep x 60mm wide

Blade immersion about 20 mm

Your model looks rather narrow for a paddler, as paddlers have an instability problem!

To solve this, you may need a weighted keel……….See my builds

Just wondering why you are using solar power?

Regards …..Bob

[Amy jane SeptemberParticipant @amyjaneseptember49770]

Thanks Bob, yes I'll check out your builds, this is all new to me, so the more I can learn the better! Thanks for measurements, gives me a good starting point. the paddle speed is a little higher than I was expecting, so I'll try a 1:1 drive from my 50 rpm motor.

Why solar? I was given the electrics a while ago, and I thought it would be a more interesting project than a toy windmill!

Yes, I expect she will need a ballest keel of some discription

thanks again

[Amy jane SeptemberParticipant @amyjaneseptember49770]

Hello again. As requested, here are some underbody photos of 'Annalisa'

There has been but little progress on the paddle wheeler, basicaly just kit setted the paddles, will glue them up tomorrow.

Keeping in mind the stability issuses that Bob pointed out, and the fact that the shaft will be at deck level, I've tried to keep them as light as possible. The pieced up rims will be cut down to 3/4" wide, once glued, and there will be two blades running rim to rim, between each of the full cord blades. There will be 1" diameter ply hubs either side. Am I on the right track with this? Also a lesson in paddle terms might be helpfull!

Thanks

[Amy jane SeptemberParticipant @amyjaneseptember49770]

Oh yes, Bob, I've been looking at your Great Eastern, most impressive! A standard for me to aspire to, perhaps? lovely. Looking forward to seeing how the t.v. doco goes.

[Bob Abell 2Participant @bobabell2]

Amy

Where is the hole for the drive shaft?

Would like to see a drawing of the assembly, before you go too far?

Bob

[Amy jane SeptemberParticipant @amyjaneseptember49770]

Hello Bob.

The journals for the drive shaft will be at deck level, mainly due to the fairly low motor speed requireing what will be over sized wheels in order to obtain a reasonable hull speed. The shaft will be driven, 1:1 gear ratio, by two gear wheels, with the motor directly below the paddle shaft. I think I would prefer smaller, lower, faster turning wheels, but I don't think there is torque enough to gear the paddles up.

Your thoughts?

Thanks

[Bob Abell 2Participant @bobabell2]

Amy

It's normal for the drive shaft to be at deck level

Take a look at my…..Project Glasgow

Plenty of info there!

Bob

[Amy jane SeptemberParticipant @amyjaneseptember49770]

Thanks Bob, that'll keep me going for a while!

[ashley needhamParticipant @ashleyneedham69188]

AJS. You are on your own for this sort of thing. You are using non-standard motors and hull..The RPM is a bit low for "normal"paddlers (from what I have read), and I suspect your hull may be fairly heavy as well (in a displacement sense, not heavy as per on-the-scales type heavy.

You are doing a one-off and so, although you can take a lead from Bob. he is working with much more power and to a proven design (albeit he is making a model of a proven design).

I would suggest that you build in as much adjustment as possible and the ability to fit (for instance) different paddle types etc etc in as possible. Partly to ensure it works in the first place, and then to maximise performance secondly.

All the solar powered craft I have ever seen have been very very light foam jobs and so on.

This should noty deter you though. There is nothing like thinking outside the box. (see my album)

Ashley

[Paul TParticipant @pault84577]

Ashley

AJS is thinking well outside the box with her design in using the capacitor. This will be a very interesting project especially if it works as well as the theory suggests.

[Paul TParticipant @pault84577]

Amy

Your Annalisa has a superb hull and as you correctly say it is very hydrodynamic..a great 'swim' as an old boatbuilder friend used to say.

Paul

[chris webb 1Participant @chriswebb1]

welcome to the website amy, nice boat you have there, and as long as it doent sink then your doing well. most of us scratch builders can testify to that one. my first attempt i got the ballast wrong and my german destroyer decided it wanted to be a u boat.

[chris webb 1Participant @chriswebb1]

Oh and I forgot to salute Bob on your fantastic Great eastern. Tried looking on you tube for that bbc coast episode but i couldnt find it. Could anyone post a link to it if they have it.

[Amy jane SeptemberParticipant @amyjaneseptember49770]

Thank you for the feed back, Gentlemen.

Ashley, The displacement,to LWL, will be 35oz, give or take a little, so by no means heavy. I agree that this is all very experimental, and will be very trial and error, But I think (hope) I can get it all to work. Yes, making paddle wheels, gearing etc easily adjustable/interchangeable sounds very sensible. If it dosent work out I can always adopt a more conventional set up!

Thanks for the complements Paul, I dont mind those at all! (Constructive criticisim is always welcome too) I've been playing with her quite a bit, and am having fun. She is quite fast, probably more than scale speed, and runs with very little wake.

Thanks for the wellcome, Chris. I've had one sinking scare with her, I was runing her amongst the moored boats, against a fair bit of tide, when the aerial got caught in a mooring line. The tide rolled her over, and because I neglected to secure the battery pack, she stayed that way. A mad dash in the dinghy. No harm done, lesson learned, battery pack now secure.

[Bob Abell 2Participant @bobabell2]

Excuse me, Amy for slightly intruding on your thread?

For Chris Webb

Hello Chris, here is a video of Great Eastern from last year`s club regatta

**LINK**

Bob

[Amy jane SeptemberParticipant @amyjaneseptember49770]

My pleasure, Bob. I enjoyed your video.

[Amy jane SeptemberParticipant @amyjaneseptember49770]

Hello again. A little more progress. A new radio was purchased, ( a mini radio?)

Quite good value at $15,(about 7 quid) with lots of usefull parts. The cars steering gear was modified to turn the boats drive motor on and off.

The boats steering gear will be driven by the cars drive motor. The paddle drive motor is set up.

I only had one gear wheel, so I cut the other from a piece of 3/16" perspex. (yes, it runs absolutely fine) I gave it a run today, with the solar panel in the bright sun, and found the motor running closer to 100 rpm than the 50 I originally thought, and it took a good hard pinch on the shaft to stall the motor, so looking quite hopefull.

A coat of paint on the boat.

more soon

Amy jane

[Amy jane SeptemberParticipant @amyjaneseptember49770]

Saturday morning and hubby and kids are off to sports, so a couple of hours to work on the boat. I've set up the steering gear. The car's drive motor, (with the wires swapped to work off the rudder stick on the transmitter),runs a nut up and down a length of threaded rod to work the rudder. Granted, as a servo it's neither self centering or proportional, but works well enough in practice. ( this is Annalisa's arrangement too).

The paddle wheel drive is completed, and ready to install

and the rudder is made, ready for final shapping, once the glue dries. (I really should get some 5 minute epoxy!)

Amy jane

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