Todays Boating

[ashley needhamParticipant @ashleyneedham69188]

Thanks Richard. It is not grubby enough for i/c…I may grub it up just a bit.

Ashley

[ashley needhamParticipant @ashleyneedham69188]

Mixed some brown with the silver and took the edge off, varnished over with matt varnish and now it does look much better.

My coff/ cold still hasn’t completely gone after a week although it’s almost disappeared so I have reluctantly stayed in this morning and not gone boating. Did get out the Titanic and Mintanic but thought better of it.

I think something like the Mintanic would be a great starter boat for a child and budding shipbuilding dad/grandad-with-shed. Make a plan do you think? As usual no feedback from original article to show whether bods thought it was a rubbish thing or a good idea.

Ashley

[Richard SimpsonParticipant @richardsimpson88330]

Ashley, I think feedback from articles is generally pretty limited nowadays.  It can be a little demoralising if you let it but we just have to accept that there is less interest in our hobby nowadays and fewer Grandads wishing to participate in hobby activities with Grandkids.

All we can do is to continue to promote our own particular areas of interest in the hope that someone will benefit from it somewhere and draw our own self satisfaction from that.  I think most have accepted that craft based hobbies are in a slow but inevitable decline so all we can do is enjoy it as much as we can while it lasts.

In this months magazine there is a good example of a Grandad building models for his Grandkids but, what caught my attention when I read it, was the Grandad appeared to do all the building while the Grandkids simply operated the finished models.

[Chris FellowsParticipant @chrisfellows72943]

Trouble as well is that it appears, as we know, that most of the magazine readers don’t visit this forum and won’t bother writing a letter/emailing the magazine as it will only appear in next months at the earliest and may not at all.

As well as the Mayhem forum I look at the Mayhem Facebook group now and again and the visitors are in the main a completely different set of folks, there’s hardly any common ground.

[Colin BishopModerator @colinbishop34627]

Even before the Internet there was very little feedback from build articles in the magazine. Reader’s letters were mostly bound up with the politics of the various model boating competitions etc.

There is not a great deal of overlap between readers of the magazine and members of the forums, they seem to be different tribes.

Lindsey has reintroduced Reader’s letters and does seem to get some feedback but it is usually on specific models.

Since the 1980s I must have contributed a couple of hundred pieces to the magazine but hardly ever got any feedback whatsoever and what there was could be negative such as disagreeing with the results of the Model Engineer Competitions. I did however get a very nice letter from the Commandant of the Britannia Royal Naval College for my article on their models and somebody else liked my visit to HMS Belfast.

Whether it is the Magazine or the Forums, only a tiny proportion of the readership/membership make any contributions, the vast majority are simply consumers.

We notice on here that activity has dropped right off since Mortons fumbled the conversion. A lot of people simply didn’t come back after all the hassle. Activity on Mayhem has also faded away, probably just due to people getting older or dropping off the perch. It will never get updated to a better platform now and at some point it will end up being turned off and all the accumulated wisdom lost forever whereas you can still get copies of the first Model Maker magazine published in 1950. Hard copy does have its uses.

I am nominally a member of Facebook but only because of issues affecting our housing estate. It is a dreadful dog’s breakfast and horrible to use. As an ex programmer I find the user interface just awful. Forums are better as generally the content is laid out in a reasonably logical and accessible way

Colin

 

[Chris FellowsParticipant @chrisfellows72943]

My wife and I stopped using Facebook on a personal level sometime ago, though we have a few friends that still do. I use it mainly for the user groups across my varied interests and it does have its uses.

I’m not suggesting for a minute that Model Boats Magazine has a Facebook user group as they are hopeless for research in the main and particularly for build blogs but they are more spontaneous and I think folks would comment/feedback on magazine articles etc. But whilst they can be quite active there can be a lot of drivel on there sometimes and poorly informed people offering advice.

This site is still giving me grief and sometimes I feel like giving up on it. It’s fine on the PC but I’m finding that with my Android tablet I’ve started having problems logging in again and not being able to update my blog but also the site’s not updating and can be days behind my PC! I’ve cleared the cache and history but it’s made no difference. I use the PC to update my blogs as I have my photos on here but the rest of the time I mainly use my tablet so it’s very frustrating.

Chris

[ashley needhamParticipant @ashleyneedham69188]

My issue with Facebook is that comments are short, perhaps a snap or two, and within a few days are swallowed up by succeeding comments/posts. It’s very ephemeral.

To stay in the minds eye you have to work at it. Become a Facebook bunny…every day…my life is great look at what I am doing now…or collecting…or making. A bit like a forum with only one topic heading and one thread, on which everyone post, no matter what the subject.

I am on Facebook but never posted. I have joined groups like ” where can I go dancing tonight,” in order to advertise our dance group,  but it’s almost like a job trying to keep it current.

Last feedback I had was that geezer saying he didn’t see the point of my Walrus…moan moan..its not a boat..it didnt fly…  lord knows what he thinks about my GP hull tops.

Issues now and then logging in/staying logged in on Android phone and tablet, but not to get upset about.

The BEST feedback that us lot down here (collectively) get is at the pond from the public, some of which come down and make a point if looking at the boats.

Ashley

[harry smith 1Participant @harrysmith1]

Hi All

My problem is the search engines that websites use, you get all the rc stuff if you type in rc boats !!

As for model boats you get models/boats/cars/women, etc.

When I first used a computer on line if you typed in “rc boat” thats all you got !!!

As for Facebook, I have no wish to befriend  every man and his dog every time I log on !!!

Yes, model boating is slowing die-ing but I will still enjoying it whilst above the ground!!

Just finished another boat, sold one, bought another.

So I only have 33 working boats at present !!

Stay warm me lads, it’s only 21C down south in Tasmania.

Harry

[ashley needhamParticipant @ashleyneedham69188]

Not talking to you Harry…its 8 degrees here.

Only 33 working boats…tut tut…been taking it easy eh…all those barbies!

Those boats look very nice Harry…not sure what the first one is called though. Second one could do with a driver?

Yes, Search engines on ‘T Internet. Sometimes hard work.

Cheers, Ashley

[harry smith 1Participant @harrysmith1]

Hi Ashley

The first boat is my version of the 1850 LS Dolly from Windermine in England.

It’s listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the oldest mechanically powered steamboat in the world.

The 6 to 1 geared MFA brush motor, 2S Lipo battery, Quicrun 60Amp ESC and receiver all fit under/each side of the boiler area which is a spray can top.

The second is a 1929 Chris Craft Commuter launch with the driver up forward.

[ashley needhamParticipant @ashleyneedham69188]

Almost Harry…Windermere! (May be the cursed predictive text bug).

I have gone over to those Quicrun esc after you championed them. Good price, no whining on some motors.

Like the spray can boiler!

Ashley

[ashley needhamParticipant @ashleyneedham69188]

Despite the heavy frost on the car,  Sunday was very nice at the pond and sunny with it. Parking due to a run was tricky however.

There was thin ice on the surface, but a bit of icebreaking using Peters big fishing boat had us a usable space.

Guess what I took ???? The Mintanic and Titanic!!! Mintanic unfortunately underpowered and not heavy enough for ice breaking.

If only we had the Tups….was ideal…no rubbish on the ice, and they would have easily coped with the frozen/unfrozen surfaces.

Ashley

[ashley needhamParticipant @ashleyneedham69188]

No boating Sunday before last due to it being cold and drizzly, however this  (last) Sunday we were out for a couple of hours..one boat apiece as it was cold.

Mintanic for me, with its SS Paris top on..although it doesn’t stop it being called a titanic by the public!

I was thinking that if I had made the Mintanic 6 inches longer, it would proportion up so much better and actually look quite good…HOWEVER of course it was made to go in a builders bag for boating by bike during lockdown, so it is what it is. It does of course make an ideal boat for a younger person, being relatively child proof for the “detail” and tough on the water besides being easy to make AND having the swappable tops.

As I think I said in the Mintanic article,  If only I had not incorporated the fore and stern risers and superstructure sides in the hull, it would have made the basis for my GP hull however the flat sided bow would then look odd .

Work continues on the Long Tail boat. Painting, which always takes the time. Mechanically. Everything is made but it is likely to need extensive testing and probably some mods. Also needed is a driver which I may have to make unless a lightweight poseable figure can be found. The underside of the hull has been left in ‘the wood’ as I forsee the addition of strakes underneath to enable a straight line to be held. Most of our airboats feature a sharks fin underneath and it makes a huge difference to handling.

Ashley

[Richard SimpsonParticipant @richardsimpson88330]

When you say ‘long-tailed’ boat, do you mean one of these?  This was built in 2006 by a club member sadly no longer with us.  I’m sure it was made from a magazine plan, maybe even a GG plan.  I’m sure I remember him adjusting the plan for some reason or another and he found steering challenging, but it certainly made for something a bit different.

[Ray Wood 3Participant @raywood3]

Hi All,

I think 35 is the current tally of boats but I’m scared of actually counting them 🙂

Trouble is I can’t stop building 🙁

Regards Ray

[Colin BishopModerator @colinbishop34627]

Trouble is I can’t stop building

Sounds you are just the man Angela Rayner is looking for then!

Colin

 

[harry smith 1Participant @harrysmith1]

Hi All

I think I have about the same as Ray with another one heading to the slipway from Ye Old Merry England.

It’s 29 and 1/2″, another old diamond in the rough !!!

Guess what it is ???

Harry

[ashley needhamParticipant @ashleyneedham69188]

Richard. Yes that’s the thing…a GG plan eh? Possibly?

Mine is an ASHLEY plan of course, the design is too simple to bother building someone else’s plan! The propulsion is the thing, and at the moment, mine is slated to have a big V-8 on it….

Best not to count ’em Ray and Harry!  How do you count my GP hulls though?

Ashley

 

[harry smith 1Participant @harrysmith1]

Hi Ashley

A big V-8 would look the part, I d’not think a MORRIS 1000 wood work in both ways!!

Counting GP hulls is easy by using fingers and thumbs, if ewe runout use your toes !!!!

So Saturday we are starting up our boating barbie, so I ordered a nice sunny day with 30C of course !!!!

Like the long boat, have spare 1450kv motor.

Harry

 

 

[ashley needhamParticipant @ashleyneedham69188]

Harry. As usual I hate you. It’s 2 degrees here!

Long tail motor. The lovely 1/10 scale V8 and 540 motor are too heavy, so an 1820 kv brushless has been fitted and some artistic fiddling will have to take place now. It does mean I have a theoretical 233 watts to play with rather than 50 or so that a 540 puts out! Yes Harry. Probably 1450 would be a better fit. But it’s only 4 nuts and bolts to change out, the Leopard motor has the shaft out the stationary end which is what I needed.

control/ maneuverability. Should not be a problem using the special ‘ Bushy park,’ fixes we have developed over the years.

What IS a concern is getting a nice rooster tail at speed. Boat is not small at 27 inches, not including 10 inch shaft ( of unusual construction)….

Meeting Trevor for  a ” show n tell” today and we will likely review the build so far and  discuss a few of these issues in a free and  forthright  exchange of views ….

Ashley

[harry smith 1Participant @harrysmith1]

Hi Ashley

I think our guys would build one about the 35/40″ mark and about 6 and1/2″ wide.

V8 of course with 8 exhaust pipes !!!

Harry

PS we had 2 days of 33C followed by a couple of 15C, it felt like winter !!!

My weather Apps has Hobart, London and Brisbane setup on it.

 

[ashley needhamParticipant @ashleyneedham69188]

Never thought about it before, but a 4300mAhr Nimh is 50g heavier than a 3700 mAhr Nimh.

Is it obvious? I suppose I don’t use Nimhs where weight is an issue, but for instance the saving would be advantageous in something like the Sunderland or BHA.

With the advent of owning Lipos it’s not really worth buying lower capacity Nimhs just save weight.

Additional thoughts on the previous Long tail pictures. The shaft falls somewhat short in my estimation of being ,” long” and probably needs to be at least twice as long as it is?

Ashley

[ashley needhamParticipant @ashleyneedham69188]

Good value??? Widget to go in your electric drill. Sanding pads, velcro attached, 50mm diameter.

Madrel with rubber top and foam top for contour sanding. 250 plus discs p80 down to flour grade. Tenner off ebay.

Nice at pond today,  not too cold. Sunny.

Ashley 

[ashley needhamParticipant @ashleyneedham69188]

Tested longtail on Tuesday and can report steering is great! Not particularly tight but ok. More work needed on the up/down shaft arrangement due to to excessive play in the temporary servo rods.

Next Tues I will test it again and we will have a better idea of how it might need to be ballasted, and to play with more props.

The dayglo yellow paint started to come off the sides. Not melt. But it just seemed to lose adhesion, however it is art acrylic, and not my usual craft stuff (which was ok).

Ashley

[ashley needhamParticipant @ashleyneedham69188]

Dayglo paint removed. As easy as spraying the sides with water and using a filler knife to push the paint off after a few mins. Has been repainted a pain flat “buttercup” yellow.

Two ball joints have been added to the tilt mechanism and the play is now non existent. One of the things to note about the test was the change in attitude as the boat gathered speed. The nose rises quite a bit and thus the angle of the dangle on the propshaft changes, and with 10 inches sticking our the back it makes a big difference.

Boat was tested on a 2s, so there’s obv more oomph available on a 3s…what could possibly go wrong? I need an S45 and X45 props, and a few surface piercers to try out…eventually.

Sourcing a figure/ figures next task, 6 or 7 inch ones.

Ashley

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