Todays Boating

[Trevor HollowayParticipant @trevorholloway99134]

Ashley, I found my hovercraft too sensitve to the unevenness of the ground with associated prpoulsion requirements, let alone if there is a cross breeze.

Co-incidently there is an auction of cars and memorabilia at Brooklands tomorrow, popped in yesterday lunchtime and saw some – will be back today for a better look (I work next door and get free weekday entrance), you will have missed the car rides up the banking and test hill, well worth the £1 each !

[ashley needhamParticipant @ashleyneedham69188]

Trevor. You are echoing the sentiments of most hovercraft users there I think. Control, or lack of it..wind effects. Large, I am sure, is better for a model, but then the power requirement leaps up a notch. Hence abandonment of the SRN4.

Brooklands was good.. could have gone for car ride, but the queues were horrendous so we didnt bother. A right motley assortment of cars as well!! Cobham bus museum though..well impressed..brand new hangar sized tent..loads of absolutely pristine busses..big, proffessional info boards. Far cry from thier last home.

Charging batteries for tomorrow.

I did stop off at Addlestone models on the way to brooklands to get 1.5mm ply. Sheet of 300×1200 was £8. which is the cheapest I have seen anywhere (near), and is then about…£50 for the equivalent 1500×1500 sheet from Travis Perkins (for instance)…a bit more expensive if you can collect nearby but not so far removed if you want it posted. Bought two sheets.. realised on measuring up that proj4 can get away with only one sheet..so have a sheet staring at me saying "goo on…make something with me". Suggestions on a postcard plse.

Ashley

[ashley needhamParticipant @ashleyneedham69188]

Foiled (almost) again.

Boating in a bag tomorrow, via cycle. Mrs N has to have an MRI scan (knee) and called to confirm an appointment today and they said there was a cancellation can she come in tomorrow 10am.

Yes I should have put my foot down but what can u do?

I have put a front on the box for the TBD, and wedged it in with foam so we should be ok as long as I dont drop it, only a 15 min ride. May put the Hornet in a rucsack, as there is nothing to break on that one!

I need some 3 inch thin card tube.

Ashley

[ashley needhamParticipant @ashleyneedham69188]

Blast! After making the effort (not too much trouble with two boats on me bike) , I had the TBD and Hornet ready to go..but the pond was 1/2 weeeded up!! Didnt look too bad for half of it but there were just masses of clumps floating underwater. Every time we went out it was a fouled prop job. Oddly not the usual green slimy stuff but short fibrous stuff. Handily, although it cut down speed it did not actually stop the prop turning so no one got stuck, BUT we spent most of the time chatting and mulling over various new projects and ideas for same.

More thought needed on D-day… My landing craft was made from a total of 19 pieces of flat 4mm ply.. 5 for the hull, 2 for tank deck and end bulkhead, 10 for the rear platform and cox`ns box and two for the front "bulwarks". A days work if you dawdle. Plans? suppose having everything the same scale would be good… 1/35 or 1/32 to allow population with kit tanks/soldiers/trucks.

Next week. Will be loading up with flying boats I think….

Ashley. still need 3 inch foam tubes or card tubes..or a source of anyway

[Andy CParticipant @andyc56856]

Hi Ashley

Seems like weed is becoming a big problem at the lake. Is there no way of getting them to clear it out??

Andy

[Paul TParticipant @pault84577]

I also suffered a side wind disaster with my hovercraft, I was doing some action photos of the hovercraft going down a slipway and into the canal which was great until the hovercraft went beyond the protection of the slipway bank and got caught in a side wind.

It flipped straight over and drowned, I managed to recover it but the model had suffered terminal damage,

Paul

[ashley needhamParticipant @ashleyneedham69188]

Andy. Weed only an issue due to low water flow and all this hot weather. Lakes next to pond not bad.Has not been a particular issue for last few years!
Paul. Model hovercraft…tricky.!
Ashley

[ashley needhamParticipant @ashleyneedham69188]

Fellow boaters and croc owners.

Tomorrow I am hedging my bets with the pond vegetation by taking the BFB2 (completely water rudderless), the Foam flyer (skeg only, not likely to get fouled) and TWO aircraft carriers. Invincible and Carpet.

I have modded the carpet carrier ski jump outboard side, and cut it away somewhat which should make it look much better. I need to put a towing eye on the Carpet carrier in order to have TWO carriers together..Berengar having unfortunately now given up boating. Too busy killing zombies, or contributing to the estimated 52 tons of grenades used every day to blow people up (virtually, of course).

Megga exited by the return from A CHAP of some STUFF for project no3..fantastic and the way to build boats (or whatever) and IF it works out ok I think you will be impressed. . Project no4 was started ahead of schedule as I was waiting for these bits to come back and now having got the bits back and seeing just how much work needs doing on them I think project no4 will be finished before no3. Perhaps I should re-label them. I am currently soldering bits of brass together for no4, and of course do not have sufficient of the right sizes of bits to hand. I have loads of bits mind you but I am loath to spend another hour travelling just to buy a 12 inch bit of 3mm round brass tube. Its just a matter of laying all the parts out and thinking hard.

Hope it doesnt rain tomorrow, or I shall be well peeved.

Ashley

[ashley needhamParticipant @ashleyneedham69188]

Well., Had car loaded with two aircraft carriers, the BFB2 and Foam flyer. Guess which two i did not get out !!

Weed still present in large quantities, and causing propblems for those that strayed too far. Good crowd today. Ray, must get a "bike boat". Plse make  note.

Thanks to some nifty castng by Barry and his cut down "poachers" rod and weight, two boats and a crocodile were rescued. I sense that there will be some dusting down of skimmers and wotnot for next week. In fact, a skimmer would or should be the ideal thing and make short work of the weed beds. Perhaps we shouldnt have ratted on Barry and said something to the police who came and took him away for illegal fishing, but we were larfing so much it was difficult. Hope you didnt spend too much time in the cells..

BFB2 now going ok now the extra foam has been stuck on the bottom and my "invisible" spray rails fitted, and the plane returned dry internally to the landing strip..and the floats were not swamped, as they had been previously.

Regarding next years "D Day" celebrations. I have started to make a new landing craft, with an eye for "mass production", using 4mm ply, a 385 motor and cheap 2mm propshaft (40mm prop), in order to keep the cost down so that possibly some others could join us at the pond next year, or indeed other groups could consider doing something themselves. A plan will be issued in due course; This will not be a definative plan, just a "starter" so that anyone considering making something has a reference to use and know what they are building will work ok. It will not be perhaps historically very accurate (although it looks like the TRUMPETER kit version) but obviously this will be up to the builder.

It may be that we might organise a display of WW2 craft (models) on the side and do a few fun things… Landing craft racing, towing comp and a slalom etc etc

Any thoughts and suggestions welcome of course, nothing complicated. Could be a good way to introduce small members of the public to the RACY hobby that is model boating ! (or anoraks as the missus says). Reiterate.. will put out a thread specific to this event in, poss feb or March

We will need an Admiral on the day…Colin????

Ashley    

  disclaimer; this post contains adult humour and events reported on may have been ENHANCED  or ENLARGED UPON somewhat in order to accentuate the comedy of the post;  No boaters were harmed in the making of "todays boating".

Edited By ashley needham on 08/09/2013 19:19:40

Edited By ashley needham on 08/09/2013 19:21:19

Edited By ashley needham on 08/09/2013 19:23:35

[raymond broadfieldParticipant @raymondbroadfield80452]

Hi Ashley,a nice pleasant morning spent at the pond yeserday and speaking to you,also it has encouraged me to look at getting back into the hobby and reactivate my models after a good few years away,but it looks like I'll have to brush up on the latest technology motors, esc's, etc. shame about all the weed in the pond,at least the croc.does a good job making the Canada Geese back off,

Regards Ray .

[Paul TParticipant @pault84577]

Ashley

What are the overall sizes of your proposed mass production landing craft?

Paul

[ashley needhamParticipant @ashleyneedham69188]

Paul. The one I am making is 20 inches overall, and the width is 5 inches (plus the thickness of the ply either side) and 5 inches high (bottom of hull to top of the "bow".

An LCM3 was approx 50 foot long and so 18 ish  inches would be about scale in 1/32 but this is cutting it fine for bouyancy and equipment installation. My original (the one in my pictures) was 2 inches longer so I decided to at least be somewhere on the scale mark. 18 inches would probably work with thinner ply and smaller motors.

Cutting 5 inch strips therefore gives you virtually all the big bits, including the tank deck floor, and then a few odds and sods are needed for the cabin and assorted strips here and there. Approx 35mm draught (to mix measurements)

It might be nice to have some infantry landing craft but these might be a bit small for comfort on the pond, especially if it is breezy. My German LFM is a right whopper (se pictures) and that is about 10 inches too short for scale!!

Ashley

Edited By ashley needham on 09/09/2013 21:41:00

[Trevor HollowayParticipant @trevorholloway99134]

I am going for a LCM1 at 16" to 17" long and a bit narrower than 5", with some careful equipment selection it should be bouyant enough as is balsa construction from 4" wide sheets.

Hopefully we can get a varied selection of craft on the water with some tanks and infantry loaded up.

[ashley needhamParticipant @ashleyneedham69188]

Trevor should be fine. 4mm ply is weighty stuff hence the size. An infantry lander will need lighter materials ..card?? must see if there is anything slightly larger to make.. the other LST i have seen are all big ships. will have a surf. OR I could just make a two-tank LCM ! For fun I want to put our TOG2 tank in one boat so this will need to be larger for a start. I need to borrow a standard Nim 7.2 pack on Sunday to get the balance on the prototype (all mine are compact types) Ashley

[Trevor HollowayParticipant @trevorholloway99134]

Standard – thats the key word.

I'll drop one round (I have an old 1200mAh that seems hardly worth charging up).

[Paul TParticipant @pault84577]

Ashley

This LST might fit the bill

**LINK**

Flat bottomed and flat sided it would be a fairly easy build and very impressive on the water.

Paul

Edited By Paul T on 10/09/2013 13:47:34

[Trevor HollowayParticipant @trevorholloway99134]

Paul, the scale we were looking at is 1:32 so it would be rather impressive !

[Paul TParticipant @pault84577]

Trevor

Such a model would provide a focal point to the scale landings and could easily be built in sections if necessary.

Paul

[Trevor HollowayParticipant @trevorholloway99134]

Hmmm, a big grey box in three sections (maybe removable middle section so that it can be used at 2/3 the length) would seem "doable".

[ashley needhamParticipant @ashleyneedham69188]

I am not sure i have the time to do a monster build. I have two projects on the go, and then there is a monster build programmed in for next year. BUT a stretched lander (as trevor suggestss) to accomodate 6 or so tanks or my entire collection of universal carriers/trucks may indeed be doable. I will check the 4mm ply stocks and do a bit of drawing.one sheet of 4×8 be enough or shall I get two in??.perhaps 4 of us could do a 4 foot section each!!..Ashley

[Paul TParticipant @pault84577]

Ashley

If you are all working to the same set of plans then there is no reason why more of your chums could not be involved in a big build, split the build up into 'bite sized' chunks and let everyone do their own little bit.

A hull in three sections and separate islands of superstructure would make the build easily manageable.

Paul

[ashley needhamParticipant @ashleyneedham69188]

like the new aircraft carriers?? I am not sure we will muster up the requisite number of tanks to man such a magnificent vessel…
There MAY also be an issue with various builders sections matimg properly..
Ashley

[Trevor HollowayParticipant @trevorholloway99134]

Something half that size (approx 4' – 5&#39 would be tempting in two halves.

[Paul TParticipant @pault84577]

Ashley

Exactly like the new aircraft carriers, its called modular construction and provided every individual builder follows the standard design and gets the scale right then there should be no problem in fitting all of the bits together [especially if you design in a little tolerance at the points of connection]

Trevor

It could be built with 3 or 4 hull sections allowing the overall size to be much larger.

[Trevor HollowayParticipant @trevorholloway99134]

One problem I have is lack of storage space, also most of my modeling is done working on the chest freezer lid !

Biggest practicle size for me would be 6' long (ie 2 off at 3' bolted together) at 1:32 scale this would come out at 192' long – I'm open to D-day suggestions.

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