Okay thanks. I'll give it a try.

Greg 👍

Try vinylweld
😉

I have just had a look at how I am going to cut the PVC sails. I noticed that one of the luff pockets is not welded properly at one end of the sheet. Can anyone recommend a suitable adhesive for PVC sheeting?

Greg 👍

Hello Ron,

The kit does come with printed scale plans which you saw in the previous post. Unfortunately the drawing for both the hull, mast and sails are on the same two sheets and not that easy to ready.

Greg 👍

Greg, does the kit come with a sail plan printed out? I saw the pdf on the previous email but it doesn’t show a sail plan.

See this AWK plan (14 pages) scrolling down to page 10 to see a sail pattern for Four sails, the tallest used in light winds, the shorter used in strong winds.

Hope this helps.

https://footy.rcsailing.net/awk/awk-article.pdf

Ron

Hello Bill,

Thank you very much. Why did I not think of that! I don't know, have your hand operated on and your brain goes south!!! 😁

I'm with you on the sailing front. I'm not interested in competitions.

You take care.

Greg 👍

Hi, Greg,
If I understand you correctly, it sounds like you need to separate the tube into two sheets, each with a luff pocket, by cutting through one layer only adjacent to on near to each luff pocket.
I'm not interested in competitive sailing, so I'm going to turn mine into a gaffer. I'm just going to buy some rip stop kite material and start sewing. The end result should look much prettier,to my eyes, anyway.
Take care,
Bill.

I need some help. Today I decided to take a look at making the sails from the plastic material supplied with the kit. Before looking at the instruction sheet and the plans I had a look at the links previously sent to me about making sails for the Footy. I have to be completely honest and say that what I saw in the way of plans, diagrams and instructions might as well have been written in Swahili 😊 as they unfortunately made no sense to me. So I returned to the instructions and plans provided with the kit. As I have said before the instruction sheet is very limited in detail and explanation.

The help I need is from someone who has made sails before for the Footy from plastic sheeting or who has made the sails using the plastic from the kit.

I know that I have to cut the sails out from the sheeting but reading the instructions I don't see how that is done. The plastic material provided is a flat tube with Luff pockets welded down either side. The length of the plastic is just over 500mm long and just over 250mm wide. Each Luff pocket is about 25mm wide. So what I have got is a flat tube with a pocket welded on each side. With the plastic in front of me rigging instructions 7 and 8 do not make sense and this is were I need the help. I have to cut two sails from the plastic tube but I just can't see how it is done.

I have attached the instructions sheet and the plans so please could someone take a look and hopefully point me in the right direction.

Greg 👍

Hello Ron,

Having read what you have said, your comments make a lot of sense so I will stick with plan A 😊.


Greg 👍

Greg,

Since this is your first Footy, my suggestion is to keep the sails that came with the kit. Then, after getting the knack of how these little ones sail, you could upgrade. There are several combinations of sailing rigs to use with a Footy.

Peter was telling me if you use a swing-rig or una-rig with a wire arm and a sliding attachment to increase the travel and reduce the shock on the servo then any 9 gram servo will be fine.

Notice he used two terms, Swing-Rig and a Una-Rig, both are rigs you should become familiar with before selecting the style of sails.

http://www.sailfootyuk.com/make-simple-soft-sails-for-a-balanced-swing-rig.html

Una-Rig

http://www.sailfootyuk.com/make-simple-mcrig-sails.html

My thoughts

Ron

Doug you should realise that Caroline wouldn't mind at all, in fact she would probably do the awkward bits for me.
Today a lot less painful so the hot water exercise is definitely working.
We both collected our new glasses this morning, amazing what we can see now, we both managed to read the small print at the bottom of the test sheet.
So will be back to modelling again very soon.
Cheers Colin.

Now I am about to continue with the building of the Footy I have decided that I don't like the plastic sails that came with the kit. Does anyone know of ready made material sails available to purchase? I have had a search online but came up with nothing

Greg 👍

Hello Colin,

Thank you for your comments. I seems that there is a new school of thought on how persons should recover from surgery and accidents. So within reason and being sensible I am going to recommence building some of the smaller boats and aircraft kits I have.

Greg 👍

"... on my bike 8 days later ..."
On yer bike Colin😁 Pedal with your hands😂🤣
Ref exercise in hot water-
Just try doing some boat restoration work on the dining table - that should get you into plenty of 'hot water' 😮😠💥🤕😭
😎

Glad to hear your hand is getting some light use again, my physio tells me that I should always try using the bits of my body that have been repaired or are healing, but not to ignore the pain, if too bad I must stop.
In November 2018 I had a knee replacement, and was walking the next day and on my bike 8 days later.
My recent accident slowed me down, but the hand is almost back to full use, just have to do regular exercise in hot water.
Looking forward to seeing your progress soon, cheers Colin.

Hello Ron,

Thank you. I managed to get done what you see in the pictures before my surgery. The good news is that my occupational therapist told me last Friday that I can start to use the hand again for simple tasks. It seems that they and the surgeons now have a new way of thinking when it comes to post operation care and rehabilitation. They now want patients to start using their hands as soon as possible after surgery. When I had the same surgery done on my left hand I was not allowed to use the hand for a long time. So, having said that I am now starting to continue with my projects albeit still a bit painfully. As long as I don't do too much at a time I'll be okay.

So, on with the Footy. I think I now have a better understanding of the construct but if I need help I will certainly contact Peter Shepherd.

Greg

Greg

Your footy is coming along nicely. I heard from Peter Shepherd, who is with the Uk footy association. Hopefully he is willing to help you.

Ron

Hello Bill,

Sorry, I'm a bit late in replying. Had a bit of computer trouble which needed sorting.

Thank you for the information. That helps a lot. Concerning your question about the sail material, it is a clear plastic sheet with a luff pocket already in it. The sails have to be cut out as per the plans.

The hull is ready to receive the radio gear but I first need to apply some coats of sander sealer before I can do the RG. I have decided to stain the mast and boom etc with a Sapeli stain and finish with a satin varnish. The hull will be painted and possibly finished in a high gloss yacht varnish.

Greg 👍

is this any help flysky tx and rx data for all models

Hi, Greg,
How's it going?
Did the sails or sail material come with the kit?
If not it looks like they're using mylar drafting film or similar, together with mylar sticky tape.
A quick run through the nomenclature.
The main sail is the big one at the back, the jib the smaller one at the front. In both cases, the luff is the front edge of the sail, the leech the back edge, and the foot the bottom edge.
The booms are the moving horizontal spars.
The gooseneck is the fitting below the main sail boom, which swivels in two split pins pushed through holes drilled in the mast.
A bowsie is the little sliding fitting akin to those used on tent guy lines to adjust their length. It might be dog bone shaped or it might be a little ring with three holes. The kicking strap is the loop of line with a bowsie which runs diagonally from about half way along the main boom to the little ring in the bottom of the gooseneck. It's purpose is to keep the boom from lifting, and it is not attached to the sheet, ie the line attached to the sail servo, although it does look to be in the sail plan. The luff pockets are the seams along edges, or luffs, of both sails.
I think that just about covers it, but if I've missed anything, don't be afraid to ask.
All the very best. Look after yourself.
Bill.
P. S. My email address is bill46isherwood@gmail.com if you'd find that easier.

Hello Doug,

Thank you for clarifying my query. The company that said they had to check was RCModelz. Now I know it is compatible I get one for the Bob.

Greg 👍

Hello Colin,

Thank you for the link to the video. The video was very helpful understanding a bit more about radio gear. I have subscribed to his channel and hope to learn more.

Greg 👍

Hi Greg,
Re "I checked on the FlySky website and they don't show the receiver at all ..."
Don't know which FlySky site you were on but I found this on right away on their main site So it is still available😉 .
Decisive criteria for compatibility with your TX (FS-T4B) is the use of the same protocol for the frequency hopping system. FS-T4B and GR3E (or GR3F) both use the AFHDS system so they will work together.
Just Google GR3E (or F) and you will find many 'In Stock/Available' offers for around 7 or 8 quid. Happy 'Bobbing About'⛵
Cheers, Doug😎
https://www.flysky-cn.com/gr3e-canshu
https://www.flysky-cn.com/plane
https://www.flysky-cn.com/receivers

Hi Greg, try this link, it was helpful when I got my flysky units.

Cheers Colin.

That did not help. I checked on the FlySky website and they don't show the receiver at all so I must assume that it may be discontinued.

Okay, move to plan B. The only problem is I don't have a plan B.

Greg 👍

Hello Dave,

Thank you. I had read that also so I thought it must be okay. but whilst communicating via email with the supplier they said they did know if it was compatible and would have to contact the manufacturer. I replied that my TX model number was shown in the description so it should be okay but never received a reply. So I thought I would check on the forum.

What I don't want to do is buy it and find the details in their listing was wrong.

I just thought that I could short cut the process in case they forget to reply by asking members' advice.

What I should have thought of was to check on FlySky's website so I am going to head over there now.

Greg 👍

Hi Greg
As you have an FST4B transmitter.
The website lists:
Compatible Transmitters: FS-i4, FS i6, FS-i10, FS-GT2E, FS-GT2G, FS-T4B, FS-GT6B, FS-T6, FS-TH9X, FS-GT2, FS-GT3B, FS-GT3C
So it would seem it is both suitable and compatible.
dave976

In addition to the servos and battery box I am going to need a receiver. I have the FlySky FS-T4B transmitter and as I understand it I need a receiver that will take the two servos for the rudder and the sails. I have seen the following 3 channel receiver available. Could someone tell me if this receiver would be suitable for what I need and would it be compatible with my transmitter?

https://www.rcmodelz.co.uk/fs-gr3e-2-4ghz-digital-radio-receiver.html

Greg 👍

Yes indeed Greg, it makes sense to buy a few Tower Pro mini servos at the same time. They should really be fine for your small and " slow" models. ( The scale effect always means small models always look faster than the big ones!).

However, please as ever be careful not to buy from any doubtful sources on EBay.

With best wishes. Dr John F. Leeds and Bradford. MBC. 😊😊😊

Hello John,

Thank you. So if you use them in your 70cm boat then they will be fine for my 4cm craft. There are other 400mm boats in the range that I am interested in so it would be worth getting a few to put in the cupboard.

Concerning racing or faster boats, I am not interested in speed. Just a leisurely wonder round the pond is all I am after.😁

Greg 👍

Hello Dave,

Good advice. Something I had not thought about. I will have a look online for a seller. I understand that I will also need a 15gm servo for the sails. Do you have a recommendation for that size servo?

Greg 👍

Hi Greg,

Yes indeed, I am using a Tower Pro mini servo without any problems in a 70 cm river launch.

Obviously this would no apply to an outright racing or much faster model which would need a more powerful rudder servo regardless of hull size.

Please not that servos of all brands seem to come in three main sizes.

In decending order of size these are " standard" then " mini" ( approx 1 inch long) and finally "micro" ( approx half an inch long - and too small for for the rudder of almost all model boats).

Hope this helps!

John.

Hi Greg
You can get some good deals on E-bay but not all vendors sell reliable items. Tower Pro make perfectly good servos and if you buy from a reputable supplier in the UK and pay the full price you will have a full spec and reliable servo. In my experience the cheap versions are usually seconds that are bought and sold in bulk with little on no quality control and even less aftersales service. You could be lucky and receive fully working servos but reliability may be lacking and I have a box of several servos that fall into this category. I can and have repaired many servos and often I can make one good one from good parts taken from failed devices.
dave976

Hello John,

Thanks for letting me know. I need two for the Bob and I also have 400mm long Police launch that I will be starting so I assume when you say that the servos are suitable for small boats then they will be okay for the launch.

Greg 👍

Hi Greg,

I have used Tower Pro mini size servos with success in a variety of small models. They seem absolutely fine and are even cheaper the more you buy at once.

Clearly there are servos that a faster movement, better resolution of more outright power - but they invariably cost substantially more. Most small model boats simply do not need them.

With best wishes. Dr John F. Leeds and Bradford. MBC

I see on eBay that there are really low priced servos. I think the make is Tower Pro. Has anyone used these servos? What are the pitfalls with cheap servos?

Greg 👍

Firstly, thank you to all those who wished me well for my surgery.

The surgery went very well. I am able to type with the left hand only so please excuse any mistakes.

Thank you to all that gave me advice on the servos and battery. I am always very grateful for the help and advice.

Greg 👍

Sorry Greg,

I forgot the battery. Again you are looking for lightness rather than duration. Hence a small 2S (7.4 volt) LiPo or 4 AAA Alkaline cells 6 volt) would be fine.

John F. 😊😊😊

Hi Greg

I hope the surgery went well.

Most Footies are built for light hearted racing; and even if you are only sailing for fun, I would suggest you try to make a competitive model to make it even more fun when others join in.

Being very small, a light overall hull weight should be your aim. This permits maximum keel ballast weight for fast sailing.

A mini size servo would be fine for your rudder while a standard size nylon geared servo would be fine for the sails.

The Model Yachting Association MYA website has links to Footy hints and competitions. Good reading while you recover!

Dr John F. Leeds and Bradford. MBC. 😁😁😁

Contact

peter.shepherd@sailfootyuk.com

http://www.sailfootyuk.com/cheddar-steam-club-day.html

Greg hope your surgery goes well today and results will be successful.

Regarding servos, I contacted the Footy sailing organization in the UK to ask which servos are recommended?

I will pass along what they say.

Ron

Hi, Greg,
For what it's worth, I'm putting in a new 15kg servo, £9.99 on ebay, for the sails, and a standard 9g servo out of my aircraft spares box for the rudder.
4xaa cell battery holder for power.
Bill.

I need to get two servos and a battery for the Footy. Can anyone tell the sizes I need?

Greg 👍

Strange! I'll have a look again at my messages in a day or two after tomorrows surgery.

Greg 👍

Yes I had the same thing yesterday, couldn’t open any messages.

Hello Ron, I'm sorry but although I have email notification that you have sent a PM nothing is showing when I go my message area.

Does anyone know how I can get my messages back that I seem to have lost?

Greg 👍

Hello William, Thank you. I'll be typing more posts in a few days. Albeit with one finger and not two. 😁

Greg 👍

Yay!!!!
Good luck with the surgery!

Although I had a disastrous start in trying to assemble the hull I have now managed to fit the hull sides and bottom together and applied the adhesive. I next have to fit the transom and the bow frames which I will do once the glue has set.

So just prior to my surgery tomorrow I have done the first part of the hull assembly so I'm a happy bunny again and not about to throw the kit out the window which was yesterday's plan.😁

Ron. If you read this. The message you sent me yesterday I can't access. In fact all my messages seem to have been deleted. So I can't read what you sent or reply. Sorry.

Greg 👍

Greg there are Footy sailing clubs in your country, see the map as to their locations. These groups could be an excellent choice for learning how best to build and sail Footy’s, plus which designs, sails or configuration works best.

http://www.sailfootyuk.com/

Ron 🇨🇦

https://www.mya-uk.org.uk/mya-clubs/#mya-clubs-map/?view_363_page=1&view_363_per_page=500