Spritsail barge Veronica

[Geoff SleathParticipant @geoffsleath41411]

Hadn't realised it was quite so long since I updated this build log. The barge is now fully decked. I have been taking a few photos and I'll upload them in a day or two.

One thing that's been giving me some problem is the bulwarks. I've made a big mistake and misread the drawings! I thought they were 6mm wide (6" on the full size) when in fact they're 3mm wide and inset from the edge by 6mm. I discovered this after I managed to make a pair of laminated sides from strips of spruce cut from 3mm x 76mm x 1200mm sheet. That took some thinking out too until I remembered I had a guide for my bandsaw which allowed me to cut a long straight line (it's not very good on my old Burgess BK3 but it more or less worked).

At least the former I made from chipboard should work for the 1.5mm bass at lot easier than it did for the 3mm spruce! SLEC must think it's Christmas all over again from the number of orders I'm sending them. There's nowhere round here any longer where it's possible to buy suitable wood so it's mail order or nothing.

I feel a real wally! I've wasted loads of time on this. Still, as I always say (too often!) those who never made a mistake never made anything and I made a lovely job of the 6mm bulwarks, too. It was really hard getting them round the bow. At least I didn't do anything to the actual hull.

Geoff

[Dave MilbournParticipant @davemilbourn48782]

Happy 75th, Geoff. You don't look a day over 80……………….

Dave M

[Geoff SleathParticipant @geoffsleath41411]

Thanks, Dave … I think

At least I'm giving your former associates at SLEC/Precedent a bit of business. They're still selling the Funfly in both glow and electrically powered formats. I built a couple myself – excellent models.

Geoff

[Geoff SleathParticipant @geoffsleath41411]

Thanks, Dave … I think

At least I'm giving your former associates at SLEC/Precedent a bit of business. They're still selling the Funfly in both glow and electrically powered formats. I built a couple myself – excellent models.

Geoff

[Ray Wood 3Participant @raywood3]

Hi Geoff

Glad to hear your pressing on with Veronica, just heard from Barrie at Traplet they will be sending me the correct version of the drawing for the hull Your pictures are always welcome to inspire us.

I saw an advert Peter Simmonds is selling his SB Westmorland and was tempted to short cut the process and buy it !! But she who must be obeyed didn't give it the green light.

Christmas holiday didn't see the Nijhuis Vulcan build, but I did finish off the wings and retracts for his Hurricane I started last Christmas and is now ready for covering.

KR Ray

[Geoff SleathParticipant @geoffsleath41411]

Yes, I'm feeling slightly guilty for not up dating on my (minimal) progress. I have a small Nikon digital camera which is so easy to use in the workshop that I take fairly regular shots. It was bought for my wife, really, but it's so easy to use and carry we both use all the time and I leave my heavy Minolta at home.

I've tried using 1/32" Chartpak tape to simulate planking on the leaboards and it's quite successful. Just put the tape on at the right spacing and spray filler primer over the top. Then all you have to do is peel off the tape and leave a groove to indicate where the planks join. I'm intending to do the same on the hull but applying 40 metres of tape doesn't seem like it's going to be the most enjoyable part of the build. Scoring the planking on the deck was bad enough but it looks OK. I hope it still shows through the paint.

I'm really doing this for the building. I doubt if it will actually get sailed a lot as there'll be no racing in this area I don't suppose. I raced 1 metres for a couple of seasons and that was great but just sailing my yacht around would be boring. There's a lot more to flying aeroplanes – perhaps the risk of dumb-thumbing and crashing is part of it *shrug*. I think buying a ready built barge, even one as good as one of Peter's would be, wouldn't cut it for me.

Is your Hurricane electric or glow? I have considered the Dynam foamie Hurricane and may still get it but the loft is pretty full right now even though my bigger models are in the garage. I can't think where Veronica will be kept

btw as mine isn't really scale and will be, in effect, just a typical example, I'm thinking of naming her Acinore 5 or perhaps Acinore V

Geoff

[Ray Wood 3Participant @raywood3]

Hi Geoff

I'm the same as you when it comes to buying a finished model like the barge with regards to foamie's, but my flying habits have changed so much with the advent of electric flying. I flew with a club every week for 25 years having a 20 mile drive each way to a farmers field where we could make a noise without upsetting people. Now I fly more than ever with an electric Acrowot & Wot4 only 5 minutes walk from home ! The sad part is I have built around 150 RC aeroplanes in the last 40 years and these Foss marvels fly better than anything I've ever built !!

Still now I'm trying to keep all the plates spinning on the model front and now sail my boats at the Chantry MBC at Bluewater as a day visitor which is great as my wife can go shopping

The Hurricane's going to be IC with an OS 70 Four Stroke, a fighter not making a noise would seem alien concept.

KR Ray

[Ray Wood 3Participant @raywood3]

Hi Geoff

Hope your getting on ok with building Veronica ? I'm afraid I've cheated and brought one of Peter Simmonds excellent finished Veronica's as advertised in MB's last month and we had a great days racing with her at AMBO's first race day of 2015 on the Silvermere Lake in Surrey with a good bunch of guys, Happy days

Regards Ray

[kenneth thompsonParticipant @kenneththompson]

Having just read all of the above comments about The Veronica plan, cd, wood pack, am I to believe that those errors have now been put right? I’m hoping that they have, as I’m thinking of buying this perticular package to start making The Veronica. Cheers for now Ken

[Geoff SleathParticipant @geoffsleath41411]

My Veronica build has come to a complete halt. I've competed the hull, including the deck. All ( which is quite a lot!) that's needed is making deck fittings and the rig (masts, sails etc). I've fitted a sail winch and have a suitable servo for the rudder as well as one for the sprit adjustment. I have, however built several aeroplanes – most of them electric conversions of kits intended for liquid fuelled engines – a quarter scale Percival Mew Gull and a pair of 58" (sixth scale) DH Moths – a Tiger and a Gypsy for example. My problem is that I have a great place to fly but nowhere really good to sail – ie every day with no restrictions and easy access.

As to the corrections to the drawings and CNC cut parts for the Veronica I can only go by what I was told at the time when Traplet (as was!) gave me a full refund of the near £100 I paid for the drawings, the DVd and the CNC components. Thay told me there had been a mix-up and some old files had replaced the later, presumably correct, ones. I guess Sarik Hobbies will have the correct files. IIRC my drawings and the wood pack match so both were wrong. You could always order the drawings first and check that the hull formers are correct before getting the CNC wood pack.

Geoff

Edited By Geoff Sleath on 23/12/2018 16:59:58

[Ray Wood 3Participant @raywood3]

Hi All,

Crickey ! Where did that 4 years go, I also had the drawings replaced with with the corrected revision of the Chines width , so the SARIK drawings & and wood will be fine 😊

Regards Ray

[Tim RoweParticipant @timrowe83142]

Hello Geoff

I am taking a bit of a break from model aircraft. I have some part complete boat projects and having just sold my Jeanneau I got the itch to get back on the water.
My IOM could be back together quite quickly and a friend of mine has one so we thought we would do some gentle evening racing in Puerto de Andratx.
I will be posting here a bit more and maybe you will give Veronica a bit of a dusting off. I love these barges, nearly bought one to live on back in the eighties but in the end bought a Luxemotor from Holland and did a four year stint on that. I think it is the sprit sail that does it. Used to sail Optimists a very long tome ago.

Tim
AKA Levanter (on the dark side!)

[Ray Wood 3Participant @raywood3]

Hi Roger

This may interest you, as it has Tim 😄

Regards Ray

[Tim RoweParticipant @timrowe83142]

Hi Ray

I have looked up the Veronica plan on Sarik and thought it was quite expensive at over £40 or have I missed something.

I have lots of photos of Thames Barges so I may well have a go at designing my own seeing as I always seem to deviate when it comes internal structure.

Where can I find the rules that govern the main classes of TBs so I can be compliant?

Tim R

[Ray Wood 3Participant @raywood3]

Hi Tim,

The great thing about barge classes, is the only criteria/ rule is the scale 1/24th & 1/32nd which equates to 42" & 30" long . And they must be a scale representation of the real thing. I will dig out the Veronica plans as I have 2 sets and put them in the post, Bank Holiday here so just chillin today 😀

There are 7 sheets which cover everything you need including the rig in detail.

Regards Ray

Edited By Ray Wood 2 on 27/05/2019 08:47:53

[ROBERT WAGER 1Participant @robertwager1]

Good day all

I hope I can call upon your experience for some guidance. I have been following various builds and threads on Model Boats with regards to Sailing Barges

To begin I have no RC sailing experience; I have built a number of RC electric power boats; but lately have had an interest in traditional sail. To this end I have been looking at a Thames barge as a start; in particular the plans of Cecelia Jane. Since I live in Canada most people have never heard of a sailing barge let alone built one.

I have redrawn the plans to gain experience with the various parts and there function also ensuring that everything fits.

My main questions at the moment concern the fin keel. What I have drawn to date is a winged fin of 40 sq. ins area and depth of 8 ½ ins below the boat keel. Wing weight of 7 lbs estimated. Do these dimensions fit with current practice or can you provide details?

Can you provide material and thickness of the fin?

Can you provide details of how the fin penetrates the keel and held in place?

What is typical all up weight of a 42” barge?

Thank you for your attention

Robert Wager

[Ray Wood 3Participant @raywood3]

Hi Robert,

Celia Jane is a big bulky Coastal Barge which is well known for it's poor sailing performance, but the wing keel at 9 lbs and more like 50 sq ins should work ok and are usually GRP moulded and lead filled. You maybe interested to look at the AMBO Facebook group where Noel Adams has just started fitting out a GRP Celia Jane and will make it sail properly Many photos of keel attachment arrangement's on the "Thames Sailing Barge Thread" for your reference.

All up weight of 42" barge in the region of 15lbs approx

Good Luck, keep us posted.

Regards Ray

[ROBERT WAGER 1Participant @robertwager1]

Thanks Ray; your input helps; will follow up with the AMBO site

Robert

[ROBERT WAGER 1Participant @robertwager1]

After some thought; why draw a barge (just reinventing the wheel); this has already been done; most likely better and I could. Now to my request does anyone have plans for a barge that they are willing to share?

Thank you

Robert

[Geoff SleathParticipant @geoffsleath41411]

My Veronica build is still stalled – partly because there's really nowhere convenient to sail her if she were finished. OTOH there's lots of places (for now!) where I can fly model aeroplanes legally.

A barge hull is basically a box with a bow and stern grafted on fore and aft. It has to be flat-bottomed so that it can take ground when the tide falls (In the past we've chartered 26' yachts and sailed the East Coast rivers and there's a reason they were bilge-keeled and have echo-sounders as standard ).

The full-size barges make way to windward with lee boards to limit lee-way; that doesn't seem to work with models so a fin keel suitably weighted is needed and similarly an extension to the rudder to give it more bite. The rig design can be copied from photographs. I was going to work out how much lead I'd need in the bulb keel once I'd finished the rig and hull completely so I could weigh it and know how much extra weight to displace the volume of water to get it to float at the design waterline.

I think the free plans services like aerofred.com and outerzone.co.uk publish some model boat plans even though their main aim is aircraft. They're in .pdf format so easy to print out on A4 multiple sheets – though it's a bit of a pain to stick them together

Geoff

[Ray Wood 3Participant @raywood3]

Hi Robert,

I'm afraid the saying you get what you pay for is true in this case ! The SARIK Veronica plans are 7nr fullsize sheets showing every aspect of the hull, fittings, rig & sails and at £41.00 is a bargain in my view the materials alone will cost you £200 + radio equipment, even if you make all the parts yourself.

Geoff,

Plenty of time for both floating & flying  (Hurricane build going well )

7 lb keel if fine for Veronica

Regards Ray

Edited By Ray Wood 2 on 03/10/2022 20:58:18

Edited By Ray Wood 2 on 03/10/2022 20:59:37

[Geoff SleathParticipant @geoffsleath41411]

I think it's probably worth buying the Veronica plans from Sarik. IIRC there are 7 large sheets with lots of detail. I bought the drawings, DVD and CNC cut parts for about £90 – but I was refunded the whole lot because of the errors in the hull formers detailed earlier in this thread so I can't complain. Perhaps that's why Traplet went to the wall – my fault!

Nice Hurricane, Ray. I sold an unstarted Balsacraft Hurricane kit at the weekend and acquired a Fielser Storch one. I have a bigger Warbirds Hurricane unstarted kit which is way down the queue – and I'm not getting any younger!

Geoff

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