Todays Boating

[ashley needhamParticipant @ashleyneedham69188]

Todays boating. A hive of activity at the pond with no less than three nbew/rarely seen persons attending as well as Trevor, Chris and myself.

​Carpet carrier, with MFA 540/1 installed. Going well, OK, its a bit slow, but was only on 7.2 Nimh, my 8.4 or 9.6 would have made some difference. BUT it was trouble free, it was probably only drawing 3A and for something I don't use often, is all right. Pleased to hear someone liking the Apache`s on the quarterdeck!! Noticed a split on the port rear vertical edge….needs some attention with superglue, filler and grey paint.

​Invincible misbehaving. I think the 12V SLA`s may have finally had it. It cut out at full throttle (MFA 800 on X50 props, but was ok at 3/4 throttle. Seemed to be a bit all or nothing and I bashed the stern into the jetty, and this now needs some repair. Will be tricky to get right as the whole thing was sprayed with Halfords spray paint, so I am hoping to get away with with just re-spraying the flat stern section. There is an ominous bulge at the bottom that MAY be water related….if so it may be a bit more drastic than a quick repaint….
​I have changed the props to 40mm three blade brass as well, in order to tame the beast somewhat, as the reversing power is a bit fierce to say the least.

​There was a MAN with TWO SMALL BOYS down today. He has a something or other (Keilcraft ????) sea commander, a converted to proper radio RTR speedboat (Toys r us) and two very small speedboats, these being "the lads" boats.

​The lads were more interested in faffing about with "their" boats, rather than running them (you know, holding on to the bows and shushing the props in and out of the water, as small boys do). Once their interest had waned on the fast front, I offered the keener of the two a go on the flack-lander, and was not surprised, despite the fact that's its dead slow, he played with this for three times as long as he did with the others. New toy, or just more interesting??

​Trevor`s new project not showing much improvement in certain areas despite some motor mount mods, and there was considerable fettling going on with files and a razor saw behind the workbench (wooden seat). We may tinker on Tuesday and no doubt will try yet more mods out.

Ashley

 

Edited By ashley needham on 14/05/2017 17:46:17

[NoelParticipant @noel26080]

I was the MAN!

Hello, and thanks for letting my youngest have a go on the landing craft.
He had been sulking because his battery had run out, but he didn't want to play with either of the other 2 boats available. I hope to remedy these sulks in future by having an extra battery for both the boy's speedboats so they get EQUAL run times. This is the thing with two boys, everything has to be THE SAME!

The blue river cruiser is a Wavemaster, which is a Les Rowell design. I believe mine was kit built, but not sure who produced the kit as I only have a torn shred of the original plans! It was started by my father's boss in about 1960-something but he never finished it, gave it to Dad in the 90s after a house move, and Dad never finished it either (being more of a glider man), giving it to me some years ago, and I placed it in the garage until last year when I got it out and finished off the coach house parts, sealed and painted it and added the deck fittings and moving parts!

This is my first foray into boats since the Academy Viking kit I made as a kid in about 1990. I arrived at the prop, shaft, and rudder sizes by taking the hull down to Addlestone Model Centre and trying all the bits they had until I had a fit-out that looked about right. I went for a nice big Torpedo 850 motor so as to avoid any chance of underpowering! Sunday was the first session with a 12v battery, and that seems to give a nice turn of speed. A bit of water was found in the aft compartment at end of the day, so assume this must be coming up the rudder tube now its moving at fast planing speed? Cannot see any other cracks or ingress routes.

Unfortunately the Wavemaster seems to have hit something lying low in the water whilst it was up on the plane, as there is an impact point on the keel about 1/3 of the way along and general distress and splitting to the plywood. Have PVA'd this up and it now awaits some touch-up paint.

The other blue boat is a ToysRus toy that started all this off when my eldest bought it with his birthday money last summer!
Unfortunately despite the £40+ price tag, performance was extremely poor and consumption of AA batteries excessive! Plus despite being 2.4Ghz, it was not proper proportional RC.
It was the crushing disappointment of this toy that led to the finishing off of the Wavemaster, and the purchase of the small speedboats.
Nevertheless the toy looked quite cool and has a decent shaped hull, so rather than waste it, I whipped the innards out (apart from the geared motor setup) and put in a proper ESC, DSM receiver and a steering servo.
With an old 7.2v NiCD pack it now just gets up on the plane, but as I think some people saw at 12v it really flew – although the big NiMH battery wedged in top did not help stability.
With a smaller 11v lipo pack I think it will run well – remains to be seen if the motor tolerates 12v, but that will be the last modification if I have to,

I will be down at Bushey Park again soon, probably Saturday this week, but it was nice to find there is a scene here and some others to chat with! We have been down a few times this year but on Saturdays and never found anyone else boating. The first time the boats went in the water was at Stoke park in Guildford but a recent trip there found the boating lake with about 6" of water in it and a bit grim to say the least.

Will be re-commissioning my old plastic Academy Viking too!

Noel

Edited By Noel Reeve on 16/05/2017 14:25:16

[ashley needhamParticipant @ashleyneedham69188]

Hi MAN. Nice to see you. Interesting tale indeed, and also a tale of mixed success on the RTR boat front.

​As we discussed, it does pay to buy a slightly better boat as the cheaper ones, or ones as sold in Toys`r`us and similar outlets are usually not up to standard. Thyat said, better boats are or can be very good, and for the price, unbeatable.

​More than a few boaters I know buy these things just for the components, as the quality is all there and you couldn't but the bits separately for the price of a complete outfit (Hence my Hornet cat, which was bought by Andy simply for the outboard motot and esc.

​Saturday mornings the Whitton club are in Bushy park sailing, generally, and Sunday for the rest of us. As it happens I am away for the next two week-ends on the trot and wont be there.

​Carpet carrier has has its underwater section, rear, re-fibre-glassed as there were some splits showing, and a little section at the front. Hopefully when I get back Monday the stuff will be a bit less sticky.
Yesterdays tinker time on the pond useful. Had the German LFM lander out, going really well on a MFA 540/1 motor and 7.2 stick, 35mm three blade brass prop, but it is very light. Carpet carrier has same motor type of course now and …goes…not very quick, but quick enough, the motor sipping amps lightly, which is good.

Ashley

[NoelParticipant @noel26080]

ah maybe I will stay away from Saturday morning if there is sailing. Will go in the afternoon as the speedboats can be a bit mayhem, although the boys are getting better with them.

[ashley needhamParticipant @ashleyneedham69188]

Went to Lowestoft over the week end. Found by chance (info leaflet) the existence of a maritime museum.

​What a place! Fantastic. Stuffed full of models, well over 100 incl a 1/4 (?) scale lifeboat.

​Professional builders models, amateur/home built models, ranks of fishing boats of one sort or another, lifeboats…and refreshingly mostly the older rowing sort, Christopher Cockerels actual design workshop (all the machinery that was in it, in a same sized corner of the hall), some great amateur dioramas, memorabilia of all sorts, hull plate half-models. A mock up of a boat cabin, with Decca equipment and all the rest of the gubbins, stacks of info on the walls, small models, pictures …..There was just so much. A small selection of photos has been added to my album but this does not do it justice. A wonderful place.

The shells outside are recovered 12 inch items from the German bombardment in 1916.

​Ashley

[harry smith 1Participant @harrysmith1]

Hi Ashley

So they did not mine you going in, but, you had to shell out a few bob to get in the door going by the photo!!!

You photo's only want me to add this place to my bucket list.

Harry

[ashley needhamParticipant @ashleyneedham69188]

Yes Harry…..

A fascinating place. Oddly enough, or not, even, my favourite models were the trio of galleons as pictured (sorry, didn't get a good snap through the glass). They were crude, but lustily done, loads of decoration and rigging…there was so much going on. Hardly scale, but does that matter?

The half ship hull plate models were interesting. Sorry about the semi naked woman (in album)

Ashley
 

Edited By ashley needham on 23/05/2017 15:44:47

Edited By ashley needham on 23/05/2017 15:46:13

[harry smith 1Participant @harrysmith1]

Hi Ashley

I sea ewe u keeping a breast of things !!

I am sorry to say I have gone to the dark side and made DM happy.

Yes I bought a Fairy, but, it was wheelie cheap !!!

[ashley needhamParticipant @ashleyneedham69188]

And what sort of motor is in this Fairy??    Ashley

Edited By ashley needham on 24/05/2017 16:37:20

[harry smith 1Participant @harrysmith1]

Hi Ashley

The would be a DM slow 540 with a elve-o-matic gearbox running Fairy skinny wheels.

The rear end has a real wine in it. also!!!

Gas lamp headlights, none of this new electric stuff!!!

Harry

[ashley needhamParticipant @ashleyneedham69188]

Bit of drama in the boat shed. Whilst prepping some boats (on tues) for today (thurs) , looked in the Toyboata box and there were loads of ants in it!!! herald box loads more, proj No1 similarly.

Emptied boxes, shook out ants, hoovered up ants in boats. Hoovered more out day after. Other boxes were clear of ants.

​Not sure how this has happened, not had an ant problem in the shed before (celcon block building really), so it may have been that they have crept in whilst the boxes, or one of them, was sitting on the grass allowing the box and boat to dry….

There wasn't THOUSANDS of them, just dozens, so I hope that's the last of it….

​Ashley

[harry smith 1Participant @harrysmith1]

Hi Ashley

I had the same problem with my ride on mower but thousands of ANTS!!!

Two hours to hot wash and dry the ride on and clean out the little shed.

Added a full container of ANT POWDER around the shed, no more ants at present.

I have returned from the dark side and sold the Fairy Truck.

Well the Model Boat Mag arrived this week with your Hydroplane in it.

Very interesting boat along with the other boats in the article.

You British Summer(WINTER) arrived down under, but, we got 16 C today.

So the boat engine cover got a bit of vanish after I warmed up the spray can in hot water and the cover sitting in the sun for 1/2 a hour.

Had five days up at ST Helens on the east coast of Tasmania with fine weather and found some great spots for model boating (all salt water).

A number of these spots you can drive and park within metres of the water(no park fees).

We did go to the RC Flyer's Club at St Helens and had a great day.

[ashley needhamParticipant @ashleyneedham69188]

Hi Harry. Interesting??? Of course!

​Spent pleasant morning boating with Mr Colin (red carpet, bunting, dancing girls….the usual). Spent some time thrashing his latest model around while in vain he tried to get some decent shots. Cor, it doesn't half go¬¬

​Took several projects, secret and in-secret to demonstrate: Pontoon boat demonstrated to be as fast as claimed (and as shiny). Flying camper van performing best ever (and unusually no capsize). Latest mods as regards rear floatational lift working well (after I had put the right battery in!!!!).

Ashley

[Colin BishopModerator @colinbishop34627]

Yes, very much enjoyed seeing Ashley's various projects in action, he is a very ingenious man.

Missed the dancing girls but there were several deer in the lake….

Colin

[harry smith 1Participant @harrysmith1]

Hi Ashley

You luckily duck you got MR. COLIN and we in AUSTRALIA only got PIPPA and HUBBIE!!!

Sorry Colin, you missed the dancing girls, maybe you required new glasses!!!

The only deers we get at our canal are old dears walking the dog.

I have been playing with a Turnigy TGY-IA6 Version 2 (FLYSKY) transmitter/receiver.

Added the temperature, voltage(main battery boat) and Optical RPM sensors.

So I can move the temperature sensor from motor to ESC as required, but, the car ESC's have an electrical fan on top so I do not think that I will have problems in that area.

As for the motor only over size props will get motors to hot, these brushless like the rev.

The battery voltage sensor with the onboard alarm (great if you can hear it) will give me a read out on the transmitter as well the other two sensors.

I do have the GPS/ SPEED/ AMP unit, but, it is totally separate unit (all from Hobbyking) and does not match in with transmitter/receiver setup.

This would be a great package unit if it was all in one for setting up a boat.

Second deck on boat project with the vanishing going OK.

Four coats on the engine hatch with a wet/dry rub down this morning.

Out in the sun for half a hour and adding more coats.

Rub down the main deck and starting to vanish this as well.

Would like the deck right before winter, I cannot see me getting the bottom and sides done before Spring.

Harry

[ashley needhamParticipant @ashleyneedham69188]

Harry. I would love all those gizmo`s in a couple of my projects, to see whats going on rather than guessing, would make some things much easier to tweak and get them running at optimal performance.

Winter!!! 16 degrees and SUN ???? You don't know the meaning of winter lad!!

Good luck with the varnishing.

​Yes, the small herd of juvenile deer visited us at the jetty, egged on by those STUPID people who feed them. You have to keep an eye out as now and then they just run across the pond at the corner by the jetty and woe betide any boats that are in the way. If it doesn't get tramped by deer then the geese will capsize them as they flee the scene. Our pond terrapin was sunning himself on the log again.

Ashley

[ashley needhamParticipant @ashleyneedham69188]

Have spent some time re-fibreglassing the bottom of the carpet-carrier hull. As you know, this was knocked up from man-made board simply to float the carpet carrier top (see album) and is crude to say the least. One layer of resin/glass may had been applied as the easiest way to fully waterproof the hull but what with bumping and rough handling a couple of what look like cracks have appeared. They may not actually have been cracks, but I didn't want a soggy hull so some remedial work was called for. It has taken two weeks for the stuff to lose the tackiness that you get, and after a quick rub down with hot soapy water and 400 grit wet`n`dry, a coat of best gloss black was applied yesterday and its dry this morning.

A bit of touching up with grey primer and that will be that.

Several other models could do with a layer of something hard on top, the Lotus for one. I think I will go for Z-poxy this time though.

​New batteries are on order, some 9.6V ones to replace my one 12v Nimh. The Lotus, both carriers, Fantome and Nelson use 12v, but will run quite happily on 9.6v as none of them are performance orientated and mostly troll about at 1/2 throttle.

​The only thing I am making right now is a headrest (!) for my SEA SKUA (name changed for security reasons). Trevor has almost completed the decoration for his PUFFIN and CORMORANT and we should be in a position to get some pictures of the three boats on the water together which will be illuminating and you MAY see them at some time, possibly.

Ashley

[Trevor HollowayParticipant @trevorholloway99134]

Ashley and other Bushy Boaters,

I am aiming for the full flock effect tomorrow, reasonably early start as I have to leave sharpish for lunch.

[ashley needhamParticipant @ashleyneedham69188]

Yo dude. Skua fully prepped and ready to go, with headrest!!!.

​Advice to boaters….by 1000 the car park will be full if its blazing again….

Ashley

[ashley needhamParticipant @ashleyneedham69188]

Well well. Drama on the pond. Project no x ( cant remember which one it is now) turned turtle (again) but runs nicely upside down, at least once pointed in the right direction! SKUA managed to get swamped by carless starting, and I should have bought it back in then to empty. But oh no, I left it so it would conk out. Rescued by lander (the first boat I make sure is running ok!!) using the long string and cork trick. I do need a bit more power though as it strugged to turn against the wind, the trouble with this is that if I lend it for small-child use it is too quick….what to do?? Possibly a 380 instead of the 385 and a smaller 3 blade plastic prop might give me a bit more but not too much?

​Carpet carrier running well, goes very adequately on its 540/1 using an 8.4 Nimh. needs a touch more ballast forrard, difficult as the front has been filled with builders foam. I could simply cut a hole in this I suppose to add lead, will see.

​Trevors GANNET lost its prop and adaptor, so we were unable to do a photoshoot. Decided it may well be easier to make a set of three custom stands to photograph them together on the jetty rather than en-mass on the water. It is very difficult to get a good formation for photographic purposes , especially given the nature of the boats.  Peter had no issues with yacht and fishing boat however.

​Joined later on by the MAN Noel with two small boys, one of whom likes the lander. He had an assortment of rtr, proper launches and wotnot, all running quite well.

Nice day. Boats already dry from just sitting on the grassy knoll.

​Ant problem seems to have gone after a last hoover this morning, no ants in sight lunchtime. Fingers crossed/wait for possible last batch of eggs to hatch (guess).

Ashley

Edited By ashley needham on 04/06/2017 14:05:39

[ashley needhamParticipant @ashleyneedham69188]

Because I have had the temerity to continue "todays boating" on the forum for such a long time, it is currently on 99,100 odd views.

​What happens when it gets to 100,000 views??? will it implode or go viral?? will the counters simply reset to 1??

Will I have to start "todays boating 2" ??? what might I call a new todays boating thread??

Ashley

[harry smith 1Participant @harrysmith1]

ASHLEY'S DAILY MAYHAM

[Dave MilbournParticipant @davemilbourn48782]

What sort of a word is that, Harry? It sounds like a new tabloid newspaper. "Mayhem" is the name of a different model boat forum, while "Mayham" is either a joint of cold meat stuck onto the end of a month or our esteemed Prime Minister's attempts to make speeches like Churchill's.

Ashley
If you change the title then you automatically disqualify the thread from the Guinness Book of Records as potentially the longest-running Internet forum thread. Imagine if Patrick Moore had suddenly decided that "The sky at night" was a lousy name and changed it to "Stargazing with Fat Paddy". Similarly "The Archers" has clung onto its original title despite there being only one or two actual family members left – and most are unreasonably old; Lillian and Peggy must both be at least 100 by now!

NO – "Today's Boating" it is and should remain so in perpetuity. It's almost an institution!

Dave M

Edited By Dave Milbourn on 05/06/2017 08:38:26

[Dodgy Geezer 1Participant @dodgygeezer1]

Posted by ashley needham on 04/06/2017 21:21:01:

Because I have had the temerity to continue "todays boating" on the forum for such a long time, it is currently on 99,100 odd views.

​What happens when it gets to 100,000 views??? will it implode or go viral?? will the counters simply reset to 1??

Will I have to start "todays boating 2" ??? what might I call a new todays boating thread??

Ashley

 

The number will be not be stored in the computer in decimal format, but in binary form. In binary, the maximum decimal value that can be held in n digits is 2^n – 1 (the '-1' is because we start from zero). So, if you were limited by the binary storage format to 16 bits, you would have run out of space at 65,535, and if you have 17 digits, you would run out at 131,071. Decimal 100,000 is a notable figure for humans, but has no significance whatsoever in binary.

In practice, your system will probably either use a 32 bit or 64 bit signed binary integer to store that item of data. For 32 bit, the maximum decimal value that can be held is 2,147,483,647. So you have a long way to go before you overflow the internal system storage.

Internal storage is not the only restriction. Your web page will have a data field into which the number is put, and a defined display area for it to be displayed. Depending on how these are defined, the number might be truncated from either the front or the back at some point, or might cause an error condition. I don't really fancy wading through your Javascript to find out….

 

See also such Google answers as https://www.reddit.com/r/answers/comments/dkof8/what_is_the_longest_running_thread_on_the_internet/

 

 

Edited By Dodgy Geezer on 05/06/2017 09:27:59

[ashley needhamParticipant @ashleyneedham69188]

Chaps. Thanks for that. We will just have to wait and see , eh??

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