Water Baby ‘A’

[Andrew NorthParticipant @andrewnorth38453]

Hi all,

New to this forum but was struggling sorting the above yacht out, so thought it was only polite to subscribe and say hello

My dad made me this back in 1968 so I'd been around 6 or 7 depending when Dad finished it

1st problem I have is did Dad file for a MM number? is there a resource that can be searched to see if a Mr Stuart North registered this yacht and what number was allocated to it?

2nd problem is I have no idea what rudder system Dad had on the original, I do know it wasn't the vane system as shown on the plans I have

Sadly, the boats rigging and sails are beyond repair, also at some stage in it's life the mast was broken and looking at the Heath Robinson repair (probably by me as Dad was an engineer and wouldn't do the bodge that it was) so my better half is making a new set of sails, I've made good the mast repair today, I do have some "newish" plastic bowsie's but they are 15mm not the 11mm originals. I do need to locate somewhere to get the small hooks that were at the ends of shrouds etc, hopefully looking through some of the model boat builder sites will sort this one out

I'll try and find more pictures of the yacht as Dad was also an amateur photographer, so when he passed I inherited thousands of negatives which need scanning

Regards

Andrew

[Andrew NorthParticipant @andrewnorth38453]

[Andrew NorthParticipant @andrewnorth38453]

I did find a newspaper cutting with the yacht in it, looks like there will be a negative and probably others as mom sent this pick to the local newspaper – it's still not clear what sort of rudder control it has, probably some form of a Braine gear as I sort of remember being able to set the direction it sailed in

[Ray Wood 3Participant @raywood3]

Hi Andrew,

My dad made the same A version which was bread & butter pine construction, really heavy sits very low in the water !!

with the 35 oz lead keel very old school design, but I'm thinking about the B version plank on frame hull from balsa class clothed , so watch this space

The MYA may have records of the MM class sail numbers registered ??

Regards Ray

Edited By Ray Wood 2 on 06/09/2022 19:02:21

[Andrew NorthParticipant @andrewnorth38453]

Posted by Ray Wood 2 on 06/09/2022 18:59:08:

The MYA may have records of the MM class sail numbers registered ??

Ray,

As it happens I spoke to mom earlier today and she confirmed a few things

Dad didn't register the yacht, so no number for me

Secondly she knew dad had made the Baines gear, she had to get a book from the library about them to build it, so now I get to recreate one.

I can actually remember dad casting the keel weight using an old pot and a camping gas stove in the garden, I had no idea what he was doing but fire was involved , the first time I knew about the yacht was when he gave it me, which is when the first picture above was taken

I was also considering making the B version, but purely for display, so would probably go for something stronger than balsa, and also go for a varnished finish

Regards

Andrew

[ashley needhamParticipant @ashleyneedham69188]

Andrew, what charming photos! No child would be as happy today with a sailing boat with no r/c…or even just a sailing boat come to that.

Winning a £1 photo prize…how times have changed.

As Ray suggests, a set of professionally made sails would look nice, however would not be in keeping with the home-made look?

Fishing tackle shops and D I Y jewellery stands the places to look for hooks and swivels!

Did your dad use commercial fittings or was it all hand made?

Ashley

[Chris FellowsParticipant @chrisfellows72943]

Andrew, you were lucky, the newspaper photo I have was when I was entered in a bouncing baby competition!

Nice that you still have your yacht and that you're bringing it back into working condition, mine has long gone.

Chris

[Andrew NorthParticipant @andrewnorth38453]

Posted by ashley needham on 07/09/2022 07:49:16:

Andrew, what charming photos! No child would be as happy today with a sailing boat with no r/c…or even just a sailing boat come to that.

Winning a £1 photo prize…how times have changed.

As Ray suggests, a set of professionally made sails would look nice, however would not be in keeping with the home-made look?

Fishing tackle shops and D I Y jewellery stands the places to look for hooks and swivels!

Did your dad use commercial fittings or was it all hand made?

Ashley

Ashley,

I'm not so sure kids today wouldn't enjoy a yacht, apart from having nowhere to sail it, Redditch used to have 2 boating ponds, ones been filled in a built on, the other is now a nature pond. I do know all my friends children & now grandchildren are fascinated by it when they have visited me over the years.

The bowsie's are definitely commercial, but as dad was a tool maker all the wire components could have been made at work, Redditch was pretty famous for springs back in the day (as well as fishing gear and needles) I do know that all wire components are damn tough which makes me believe dad probably made them with a Mil Spec wire – if I could find the catalogue be brought the plans from, I could check, it's somewhere in the house but I still have boxes of stuff that haven't been unpacked since I last moved, which was 27 years ago

[Andrew NorthParticipant @andrewnorth38453]

Ashley,

I actually found the catalogue, no cover so not sure which one. but it has plans for Model Boats, Space age & vehicles – some of the adverts at the back show really old diy radio control gear – but no parts like bowsie's etc

Looks like dad was considering

1. Star Class Yacht 20"
2. Leo 30"
3. MM Class 25"
4. Sigma 24"

[Andrew NorthParticipant @andrewnorth38453]

After a week of looking at my yacht, it's time to start some work on it, sails are in production by "she who must be obeyed" also various items are hopefully in the post to enable me to get on with the project

My work starts with building a new stand as the typical L Bracket one is well past it's sell-by date and doesn't hold the yacht securley, as CAD is my thing, I scanned the station profiles from the drawing and converted them to CAD and came up with

This will be made from Oak salvaged from a Victorian Table top, then varnished (need a touch more practice with the scroll saw first though)

Edited By Andrew North on 15/09/2022 23:18:10

[ashley needhamParticipant @ashleyneedham69188]

Andrew. Thanks for your comprehensive reply, I see you have the domestic sailmaker on the job.

Thats a great catalogue and a good resource in itself. When I find things like that I scan them so ensure they don’t get “lost” again and have laminated a few items again to make sure they stand out in amongst a sea of stacked paper.

regarding kids and model yachts, I think that the parents need to be as keen as the children to encourage this sort of activity and part of me says this is the problem. We have seen proper pond-yachts on the pond now and then but mostly the adults were of the more mature variety and get as much enjoyment as the kids from watching them. Normally it’s the adults that try to take the kids away to the swings and slides despite that the children want to watch the boats.

Ashley

[Andrew NorthParticipant @andrewnorth38453]

Next time I get the scanner out I plan on scanning the whole catalogue and put it in an album on this site, so there will be another backup (I have many many books spread throughout the house)

[Andrew NorthParticipant @andrewnorth38453]

A wood worker I'm not, but stands rough cut, just need a visit to the router, also Brain's quadrant roughed out

[ashley needhamParticipant @ashleyneedham69188]

It looks like the deck is screwed to the hull. Could it be removed or are the screws too rusted to deal with?

Stand larger than I envisaged looking at the previous picture!

Ashley

[Andrew NorthParticipant @andrewnorth38453]

I was debating removing the deck, screws are brass but it looks like it was glued and screwed. I'll probably just remove the deck furniture, lightly sand to give a key for the new varnish, this will leave some of the aged look and I don't have to remark the deck boards.

If I had access to a band saw, I would have made the stands thinner, but will fair the edges to the hull to give a better fit, also routing the edges will hopefully soften them a touch

[ashley needhamParticipant @ashleyneedham69188]

Glued AND screwed. Belt and braces eh! The brass screws might clean up ok.

I think the stand looks ok, it needs to be a bit chunky. Will you line the insides with felt ?

Ashley

 

Edited By ashley needham on 17/09/2022 11:03:49

[Andrew NorthParticipant @andrewnorth38453]

Like I've said previously, dad was a toolmaker, so everything tended to be over engineered

Yes I will be lining with hopefully baize, I'm actually after an old pool/snooker table baize for lining dad's Engineering Toolbox – another project in progress

[Andrew NorthParticipant @andrewnorth38453]

Had a bit of time this afternoon, so did some more work on the stand, just needs some finish sanding and 6 coats of yacht varnish.

Pretty pleased as this is probably the first real woodwork I've done since 1976 – even used electric & hand tools without loosing a finger

[Tom WestonParticipant @tomweston47594]

Hello, I am new to this group, I have a water baby, built around 1965 by my grand father. I have lost the plans and self steering gear, not sure if the plans showed how to build the vane self steering gear. The yatch was registered because the blue nylon sails have a number on them, I think mm 219, need to check and send a photograph. I was wondering what to do with the yatch now because it sits in the garage loft, is there any club in the UK, north west, where it could be sailed?

[Richard SimpsonParticipant @richardsimpson88330]

Hi Tom and welcome to the forum. How far are you from Batley in West Yorkshire?

[Andrew NorthParticipant @andrewnorth38453]

Posted by Tom Weston on 27/12/2022 16:17:16:

Hello, I am new to this group, I have a water baby, built around 1965 by my grand father. I have lost the plans and self steering gear, not sure if the plans showed how to build the vane self steering gear. The yatch was registered because the blue nylon sails have a number on them, I think mm 219, need to check and send a photograph. I was wondering what to do with the yatch now because it sits in the garage loft, is there any club in the UK, north west, where it could be sailed?

You've probably read my journey above, very similar to yours, except is was my dad that built it. I'll dig the plans out and scan the part of the steering and post it here later (only put them away a few days ago for xmas lol) My refurbishment is on hold at the moment as I don't have a suitable place to varnish it until the warmer weather returns

[Tom WestonParticipant @tomweston47594]

Posted by Richard Simpson on 28/12/2022 10:13:20:

Hi Tom and welcome to the forum. How far are you from Batley in West Yorkshire?

I am in Knutsford, Cheshire.

[Richard SimpsonParticipant @richardsimpson88330]

That's actually only an hour away from the Kirklees Model Boat Club. I actually travel two hours but I'm the first to admit that is rare! The reason I travel two hours is because it is a particularly good club with very good facilities and an active calendar.

Check them out here:

Kirklees Model Boat Club

[Tom WestonParticipant @tomweston47594]

Posted by Richard Simpson on 29/12/2022 22:43:44:

That's actually only an hour away from the Kirklees Model Boat Club. I actually travel two hours but I'm the first to admit that is rare! The reason I travel two hours is because it is a particularly good club with very good facilities and an active calendar.

Check them out here:

Kirklees Model Boat Club

Thank you for the reply, I had not realised it was that close, I may well give it a try during the week when the weather is warmer.

[Richard SimpsonParticipant @richardsimpson88330]

Tom, the Kirklees Club meet on either a Thursday afternoon or a Sunday morning.

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