Response

Re: Ready for guns

Hi Cash, "The plans show a servo with a large pulley driving a smaller pulley on the gun, this way you have a 120 degree servo driving the guns roughly 270 degrees, but I might see if I have the room to just direct drive the gun with a modified servo, or a store bought 270 degree servo " When faced with the same conundrum on my destroyer many years ago I found that gears were a better, more reliable option. Repeatable movement, easier than modding servos, and much cheaper than buying special servos😉 Slowing the servo travel down is recommendable though, otherwise the barrel twitches back an forth like a fly swatter!🤔 Pic shows X and Y turret drive. The pulley drive to Y gun tends to slip☹️ as the are smooth, almost polished so little grip. Mod required! Cheers, Doug 😎 PS the mountings are ball races left over from car restoration days😉

4 years ago by RNinMunich

Response

Re: Fire Monitors final fitting

Thanks Mike, That's how I originally built it. That slipped as well. Then I found that green silico rubber like 'stuff', which can be easily cut to length and the ends glued with cyano. That worked OK, for a while, then started to slip. Maybe I'll have to rough up the small brass driving on X and Y turrets? "I think I'd better think it out again!" Doug 😎

4 years ago by RNinMunich

Forum

Martin Westquay's Piper Cub ;-)

Hi Martin - the OS10 will definitely be Super Cub rated - bags of power there - just don't overprop. Interestingly enough I have a water cooled head for an OS - not sure if its for a 10 or 20 - looks like a 10. Also has what looks like a back plate with two water intake fittings and all the bolts etc. Both components obviously original parts . Never found either a motor or taker for it . Price was R9.52 in 1982 (now roughly 50p !!!) Wot no steering wheel - we had those in solid wood - piece of pipe, cable ,two and a pair of eyebolts. Shows you us colonials were much more civilised - although the local soap box derby was run by the members of SOE (Sons of England society)

5 years ago by redpmg

Forum

LED Lighting tip

Hi Martin, There's a saying over here amongst ship model builders, which translated means "Ship modellers will collect and save anything that won't start to stink after a few days!"😉 I do the same as you with old video recorders, PCs, dead garden solar lamps etc etc. Great sources for motors, LEDs, power supplies, fans, connectors, ribbon cables, cogs n ..... I also browse around the flea markets here; great sources for odd bits n pieces. Have found boxes of assorted cog wheels and , once even a whole tray of miniature 5V relays. Which I used for a home made controllable switchboard in my destroyer. See pics! Carry on recycling👍 Cheers, Doug

5 years ago by RNinMunich

Response

Re: Z-39 German WW2 Destroyer

Hi Rooky, Bit late getting back to you on this - bin kinda busy🤔 I hear where you're coming from (as our colonial brothers might say. Sorry Ed 😉) Back then there wern't no Action Electronics / Component Shop so I just did what seemed logical! Worst (and smelly😝) part was making the circuit board. No PC, CAD or even photo-reactive circuit board back then. Yep, I know the Servomorph. I've bought one to experiment with on a Plastic Magic project. To drive the gun turrets on a 1/350 King George V battleship, where there ain't enough room (never mind weight margin) to mess about with cogs and . I'm thinking two micro servos, Y lead, or even independent A+B and X+Y turrets. My German Turnigy re-brand has two pots that I can assign to these! Many thanks to Colin-H for sending me the KGV kit in a wonderful package of 'stuff' as recompense for renovating and converting his Taycol Supermarine motor. Was like Christmas all over again 😊 Cheers, Doug 😎

5 years ago by RNinMunich

Blog

Steering Mechanism

I thought of a few ideas on how to make the rudder servo controlled. However I thought i would stick to using the chain drive. You can see from the pics I manufactured a square tube with a slot in the top. From wood made a block that would slide freely inside the tube. I anchored the chain to either side of the block using ring nails. A drive pin was put through the slot into the block. The servo and drive mechanism fitted onto a base plate which fits into the hull. Four were fitted to deck and plastic straws used as guides. Effectively this works like the real thing.

5 years ago by Hillro

Blog

Windlass Construction

This was put together using plasticard, brass wire and pins, heat shrink sleeving, wooden dowels, brass sheet. Cogs from a misc batch bought on EBay, etc. The are the end of golf tees, a tip from model boat mag. It was quite a challenge considering the scale of it however the finished result I think looks quite effective. The scale is slightly larger than it should be, mainly because of my limited skills.

5 years ago by Hillro

Forum

CNC boat kits...?

Having built (well, assembled really) i am currently building a small CNC router with 3D printed parts. See https://reprap.org/wiki/Cyclone_PCB_Factory. Currently redesigning to be driven by GT2 belts and as I have some reservations about using 3D printed gears from the point of view of back-lash and wear. The stepper motors are driven from an Arduino Mega running the GRBL g-code interpreter. There are a host of free g-code generator tools to be found on the internet. Some of them are a bit "knife and fork" but there are some useful ones out there and there is lots of helpful information too.

5 years ago by Delboy

Forum

Kingfisher by Norstar upgrades

Ron, Nice looking setup. I see you have a belt drive, I like that. I have tryed to set one up but had some problems with the the belt slipping off. I was using a neoprene O ring and plastic . Have you had any trouble with yours? Regards, Joe

5 years ago by Joe727

Forum

servo

Great idea Steve, I was thinking on the same lines as that's how my dad's 22 ft fishing boat was controlled using cables in tubes with in the corner and a forward steering wheel / helm in cuddy / cabin.

5 years ago by Colin H

Response

Emerald - ''Round the Word'' ocean racing yacht.

Main Sheet Modification: Yachts of this nature, would be fitted with a Traveller, which would be used to help shape the Main Sail. Also, the route of the main sheet, has a lot of twists and turns to get out of the cabin and up to the Boom. Plus, it has to pass through the tube and bend at its edge. The starting point of the control would be from the cockpit, especially if it is a Single Handed yacht. The ideal place for the traveller, would be on the roof of the cabin. To keep physical disruption to a minimum, I decided to use the original boom running gear . The termination of the MainSheet would now be at the traveller on the cabin. 1. The cleat was removed from the cockpit, and the eye bolt was replaced by an S hook, screwed to the cockpit deck( see picture 1). 2. A hole was drilled in the cockpit, adjacent to the cabin hatch, and in a direct line with the main Sheet control system. This will allow the main Sheet to pass directly from the cleat. Through the pulley assembly (withought going round the pulley), and straight aft to the cockpit. 3. A brass tube was glued into the hole, flush with the cockpit surface and extending inside, towards the mainsheet control system (see pictures 1 and 2). 4. The Traveller was formed from a length of brass rod, (approx 300mm long), formed to the same curve as the cabin roof. Slide the pulley onto the rod so that it runs freely. Make a 90 degree bend at each end, the length of the traveller apart. These 2 legs will pass down into the cabin roof, leaving about 10 mm for the pulley to run from end to end. Plus about 10mm at each end of the rod, which will be bent up against the inside of the roof and glued. (see picture 3 & 4). 5. Mark the cabin roof where the traveller is to be mounted. I chose to mount the traveller directly under the boom pulley. I have made a revised sketch which is taken from the original plans for guidance. See picture 5. Note: make sure the pulley is mounted on the rod between the two bends. 6. Drill the holes in the cabin, pass the ends of the rod through the holes. I put a 10mm piece of wood under the traveller rod, next to the hole. This allows you to hold it securely, while you bend the rod out, on the inside of the cabin. Apply plent of glue or resin to secure it. Do the same at the other end of the rod, and leave to set. With the cockpit removed, and the mainsheet control system in place, take the free end of the main sheet and pass it through the new hole in the cockpit. The cockpit can be secured by the 4 locking . Now pass the mainsheet through the S hook and up to the boom. Adjust the S hook to suitable angle. When the yacht is rigged, the mainsheet is passed up to the end of the boom pulley, along the boom, over the pulley and down to the traveller pulley. With the tx/ex active, pull the mainsheet right in, and the trim set right out (this allows for final tightening).Secure the mainsheet to the eye of the pulley, ( I use a figure of 8 knot ). Now adjust the trim on the joystick to pull the main Sail tight. Finally, run the servo right out, and back in a few times, to make sure it works properly. Move the boat round so the wind cones from a different angle, and watch the traveller as the sail is pulled in and out. Now you are ready to sail. May your wake be long and straight. Ray 😎

6 years ago by East-RN

Forum

Fitting Propshafts

Mornin Ed, 1 to 1. Basically cos that's what I've got in those big nylon cogs. Want to use the nylon ones cos they are wide, so more freedom of movement aligning them, and they should be quieter than metal gears. Think they came from old printers! Bought a batch of assorted cogs and at a flea market here years ago. Now they're coming in handy😊 Main purpose is to get the drive down to the propshaft which is mounted very low down in the hull as can be seen in the pics above 😲 Cheers, Doug 😎

6 years ago by RNinMunich

Forum

Spektrum, new, useless...

Hi Martin, First your last question😉 "What DO you do with a 3rd channel?" Example: 5 foot destroyer! 1 Throttle. 2 Rudder 3 Gun rotation, servo and 4 Torpedo tube rotation, servo and 5 Smoke switch, servo and microswitch (Smoke could be linked to the ESC to free this channel for the ASDIC pinger!) 6 Split into four functions (by misusing the gear down lever on my Graupner MC-10😉) for Whoop whoop, Fog horn, searchlights and signal lights, NAV lights. All switched via a home brew decoder / switch board and 5V relays! Alles klar? 😉 Re the DX5e; if I were you I'd let a (supposedly?) Spektum trained guy look at it first. With luck he'll have a service manual or at least a circuit diagram, which I don't 🤔 and should know the binding procedure backwards. I could only do some rudimentary tests without the circuit diagram, and make some educated guesses. I could at least try binding it with a variety of Rxs, including my Spektrun RXs which all work faultlessly with my DX6. Up to you, will PM my address anyway. I could at least check, with a simple RF meter, if the damn thing is transmitting at all! Just thought - if you're going to smash it anyway ........ 😉😁 Cheers, Doug 😎 PS: 4th attempt at the prop shaft for the cutter also failed 😡 She just does not want to get her bum wet!! Too long 'on the shelf' 🤔

6 years ago by RNinMunich

Forum

Charging NiMhs, one for Doug?...

Evenin' Martin, Just back from 'nosh' with Gisela, my camera girl in the vid! She's mean like that too, keeps me hoppin' about like the proverbial cat on the proverbial hot stuff 😡 Can't wait to see the rotating teddy👍 Put a couple of mini Cam lenses in his eyeballs and you'll get a terrific 360° First Person View from the driving seat😁 Re Sea Scout, I took your advice and did the hull in Royal Blue (no navy knickers!😆) or what passes for that here. Anyway I'm pleased how she turned out. OK, I admit I accidentally turned her into a Sport Fishing Boat😁 She's 24" what scale do you think that makes her? I'm looking for crew figures and stuff to fit out the cockpit but I'm not sure what size to look for. I thought maybe 1/20 i.e. a 40 footer? Waddya think? Re Kako; while recently trying (fruitlessly🤔) to make space in the workshop (got two renovations on the go in parallel - saves getting the same tools, rattle cans an' stuff out twice!😁) I ran across the original Kakos and Mabuchis I used in my scratch 53" H class destroyer Hotspur in 1966. She ran off a 4.5V EverReady flat (form not volts😁) battery until Granny took pity and bought me some 6V Lantern batteries! I ran 'em up on a power supply and they turned but now sound like mini football rattles! Think they need new big end shells 😁 Jeez, how many guys under pension age have ever been down to the bitza bazaar looking for 50 thou oversize bearing shells and compression and oil control rings?? Pics show her Sea trials in Radnor Park pond, Folkestone, Kent, summer 1966. Sorry about the quality, only had a Box Brownie 127 in those days and could only afford Gratispool free B/W films🤔 Pentax? Canon? Sony? Not to mention Digital? HD? Wassat? 50 years on I got all three😉 I like Lupins too, preferably the blue and purple ones. BTW, for your steering guy's arms you don't need a separate RC function or channel! You just need a coupling from the rudder control to turn a pulley and cord which turns a suitably scaled pulley attached to the wheel axis. The arms are fixed to the wheel and go with it! Dead simple (to write anyway😁) and no lecktrickery! 😊 OR you could just put one of his hands on the wheel and the other on the throttle. Then use a 'Y' cable to split the ESC cable into two. Connect the second output to a servo which moves the throttle lever via a push-me-pull-you-rod, and cord or gears or whatever. Sure you can figure out the mechanics better than I. Whatever, have fun and don't electrocute yourself, keep your socks dry😉 Cheers, Doug 😎

6 years ago by RNinMunich

Forum

Steep angled rudder shafts

Bring it out like the old auto steering geared quadrant with the pulley combined with or connected to a spur gear engaged with the teeth on the quadrant.Two small swiveling/self aligning under the deck to allow both sides of the wires/cords to emerge through fairleads and take 2 turns round the pulley.Make sure the have deep grooves and close fitting shields or even totally enclosed to avoid the cord jumping off. The problem is keeping the gears engaged at the sharp angles involved.Perhaps some sort of flap hinge can be incorporated to allow the required movement

6 years ago by onetenor

Forum

Steep angled rudder shafts

Ron, there is nowhere near enough space for that and also the twisted arms would still move through a strange path. I have snakes, but they don't seem to work as well as the man suggested. So, I've ordered a universal joint in steel which fits a 4mm shaft. I will take a short bit of 4mm out of the top on which will be the arm I've made, but that will need a bearing (just thought of that as I typed) otherwise it will flop about all over the place. Damn! More space I haven't got. Looks like the pulley idea might be the only way of working it, but getting access to those would be very awkward. I have very little space back there. We're in the lazarette and that was bend double territory on the real boat. The only other way would be to actuate the tiller on deck, once again with . I'm making the tiller currently. I may have to look into a deck operated system, with the line coming out of the middle of the deck and then via a pulley on either bulwark. Cheers, Martin

6 years ago by Westquay

Forum

Steep angled rudder shafts

Cables and pulley(s) would likely be the way to go as per some full size systems. The cables running from servo arms out to Port and Starboard and running over then down to stern and over two more under the gunwales then to rudder arms. Using more as required. The servo arms being set fore and aft and swivel to change direction. I can't draw it on here but it is quite logical to follow. Good luck👍

6 years ago by onetenor

Forum

Bristol pilot cutter mascotte

Thanks hammer have used the heat shrink like that on a previous boat and i tend to use the grimb tubes for the nylon line. i did think of making the but just couldn't get my self motivated to do it. i have my next project ready for starting and thinking will have to make everything for this one.

6 years ago by kmbcsecretary

Forum

Bristol pilot cutter mascotte

I think you're right Ron 🤔 only just barely visible - a good argument for NOT painting it black! 😉 Fully understand with the - there are so many of them, would have done the same 👍 Keep up the good work, cheers Doug 😎

6 years ago by RNinMunich

Forum

Bristol pilot cutter mascotte

Way to go man!!! At the risk of becoming monotonous 🤓 Brilliant woodwork and fittings 👍 Did you make the yourself? Looks like stainless, if so Hat Off Sir 👍👍 PLEASE DON'T PAINT THAT LOVELY CLINKER BOAT!!😲 It would look Soooo good varnished to your usual standard, and I'm pretty sure from the photos of the original that only the canvas cover was blue. Surely the boat itself was varnished. More power to your rigging, Cheers Doug 😎

6 years ago by RNinMunich

Forum

HMS HOOD by Trumpeter

Even tastier with the Frankfurters, and Colemans Mustard I trust😜😋 Steve: I found a cheap way to mechanise the two aft turrets of my H class destroyer Hotspur, using one servo with a pulley, a couple of smaller on the turrets, about 2:1 ratio to give at least 180° rotation at the turrets, and a spring loaded nylon cord around the . I'll see if I can dismantle her over the weekend to make some pics. I plan to try something similar with my 1:350 Hood, also Trumpeter and also excellent detailing. Another way is to use one micro servo per turret, connected with Y cables if you want a synchronised Broadside; A+B and X+Y turret. Then use the servo travel adjustment at the TX to maximise the rotation. You can then move all four on one channel or two channels for 'Independent Firing" fore and aft. I will use the two pots at the top of the Turnigy i6 TX for this. On Hotspur I used the left stick left/right. I plan to do this in my Graf Spee, Belfast, Hood and Bismarck. Maybe also the ack ack turrets on Ark Royal!? Will knock up some test jigs sometime 🤓 Cheers Doug 😎

6 years ago by RNinMunich

Directory

(Other) Sidewinder

Another of my Foam hulled, own designs using an own design Azipod thruster with B/L motor submerged and running in water. Steering by sail winch servo via geared , can rotate unit 360 degrees. Hope to put build write up in MB mag. Wierd model that turns in its own length and is powerful enough to clear the weeds on the pond (and break ice!) (Motor: Own Azipod Drive) (10/10)

6 years ago by ronrees

Forum

rotating radars off mast

Hi Seafarer, a few basic questions! Mast for what boat/ship? Dimensions / pic or sketch of the mast? Space for drive motors/gears/ etc? Hint: for the radar on my 1:72 destroyer I used an old servo; disconnected the feedback, and removed the mechanical end stops so it rotated continuously and drove it with a single 1.5V dry cell (alkaline), lasts for years😉 But in my case the scanner aerial sat on the director tower on the bridge, not on a mast, so simple direct drive coupled to the servo (hidden in the ridge) output shaft with shrink sleeve. Does a sweep in a little under one second. What type of radar are you trying to simulate? Cheers Doug 😎

7 years ago by RNinMunich

Blog

M.V. TEAKWOOD

The only remaining area requiring significant rework was the bow. Decided now to concentrate on getting the shape and dimensions correct. Made a template from a steel wire coat hangar, shaped to follow the Teakwood bow profile. Cut a mating recess in the upper bow and bulwark, fitted the template into it using CA glue. Once fitted and relatively rigid, cut a piece of styrene to fit into the space between the hull and the template. Epoxied the styrene into place at both the template and to original Velarde hull bow profile. This gave a nice looking bow from the side elevation, one that is also strong. Unfortunately, when viewed from the underside, the usual nice smooth water entry is not apparent. Had two ideas to attempt to blend the bow into the hull sides properly. The first was to cover this transition area with thin styrene and then feather it into the bow and the hull. The second was to use the modelers secret weapon, wood filler and do the same. After either approach planned to cover the whole area in thin glass-fibre cloth and sand down until smooth. Mocked up the styrene installation and decided to abandon the idea. The styrene makes the bow transition bulky, it also became quite clumsy around the upper area. Thought would try the wood filler approach instead. Shaped the rough filler with sand paper, it worked out relatively easily as it required little rubbing down. The modification worked out well and the bow looks satisfactory from both the side and underside. Decided also to replace the pulley drive arrangement with a toothed belt system. Have never tried this before and, as a friend of mine had a selection of belts and , thought would be useful experience to try it. One question perhaps somebody can help me with – what colour was the deck on this vessel? All my pictures showing the deck are in black and white!

7 years ago by Rowen

Response

Decks

👍 Don't forget the at the end!

7 years ago by RNinMunich

Forum

Working radar

Hey guys!!! I'm looking on the web to find a way to build a working radar for my 1/32 Statia Relaint tug. I don't like the idea of feeding the radar movement from the bottom with a rod but rather with or a micro motor with low rpm that would fit under the radar base. (Third photo to the right). By the way, the radar base will be aproximatly 3/4"-12/16" I know you guys have,the answer to any of our rookie questions. Thank you for your anticipated cooperation.

7 years ago by chugalone100

Forum

Working radar

Hi Julian, don't know exactly how much room you have under the radar mount but I still think you will need a couple of ! Motor mounted out of sight underneath the mast - shaft running up the mast to pulley #1 - pulley #2 mounted at end of the boom underneath the the radar mount. Choose ratio of diameter pulley 1 to 2 according to the space available and final rotation rate (RPM) you want. Strong rubber band to connect the two . Didn't need this method for my destroyer radar cos it sat right on top of the Director Tower, but used the pulley principle for gun turret rotation to connect two turrets together! 👍 One servo with extended rotation arc and two . Cheers Doug 😎

7 years ago by RNinMunich

Forum

Working radar

Dennis: Thank you for your feedback about the radars. I believe you have your hidden under the pilots cabin. I have very little room for that type of set up, so I think the best way is to purchase the small motor that Doug recommended without any mayor wiggling. Show me some pictures, or I believe I have seen your set up in this forum. Thank you Julian😎

7 years ago by chugalone100

Forum

Working radar

Hi Chugalone, Have a look at this, describes 3 solutions. #3 using two is the best if you want to hide all the works, but more fiddly to build. Happy fiddling, Doug 😎 http://www.shipmodelers.com/uploads/3/2/2/2/3222171/workingradarformodelboats.pdf

7 years ago by RNinMunich

Forum

Working radar

Hi chugalone100 It would appear you have already worked out that some sort of pulley may be an option. Angled small gears may also work but there may not be the space available and you would probably need to make your own. I did buy from http://www.gizmoszone.com/ some very small (6mm) planetary geared motors that run on 3volts and are certainly suitable for your purpose via a pulley system. Using 1.5 volts gave a very realistic speed. Using one of these motors should allow you to use two small on the mast, where I suspect space will be limited. I would make sure you will always have access to the and belts as they will almost certainly need servicing over time. Hope this helps and please post details of the setup. Dave

7 years ago by Dave M

Forum

Sailing a straight line

I appreciate all the good ideas and suggestions. I'm going to work through the list in an order which I think will be easiest and/or most effective. Starting off with increasing the rudder size by mechanically attaching something grossly oversize. if that works, I'll reduce the size step by step to find out what's the minimum size that makes sense. The rudders at present are oversize compared to the plan of the original. One of my early fixes attempted was to attach a 1" deep brass plate about 20" long under the bottom centreline of the hull as an external keel. I considered that would make a big improvement, but it made no difference. Steering control has a servo rotating a toothed pulley. The toothed drive belt goes around it and the two rudder . The toothed belt ensures the rudders move and stay synchronized. Roy

8 years ago by Trillium

Forum

Sailing a straight line

It's certainly not a silly thought, but it would be major rework. So if that were to be the only cure, I'd have to live with the present behaviour. The screws and the rudders have been moved forward of their correct scale position to place the rudder posts inside the walls of the passenger compartment. I considered it the least offensive compromise to give access to the rudder posts. Moving the rudder posts outboard to the screw centrelines would mean major rework to the walls and deck of the superstructure, as well as the hull. Even with the rudder posts in their adjusted position, they are close to the walls and there was not enough room to swing a rudder arm. Rudder control is arranged using toothed belts and on the rudder posts.

8 years ago by Trillium

Forum

electric v drive

Thanks pmdevlin,nice bit of engineering especially the motor cooler the belt drive would take a fair bit of power from the motor but you wouldn't have to disturb the propshaft alignment when changing motors or , good photos thanks again. Steve.

8 years ago by Stour-boy

Forum

electric v drive

Thanks Gents, I will put this project on hold for a while and think about the system whilst doing catchup on my other boats , when I think about it a V drive is not required with an electric motor ,but a parallel drive is a good idea as it puts the motor lower down and reduces the length of the drive and also gear ratios can be varied provided the can be readily changed Have a good new year. Steve.

8 years ago by Stour-boy

Forum

electric v drive

HI Steve You will be able to source what you want from Technobots http://www.technobotsonline.com/-and-cams.html. They may not have the actual drive unit but certainly sell the and cogs. They have a sale on at present so should help ease the cost. Dave 😀

8 years ago by Dave M

Blog

Needed 3 small metal . Turned a ali rod with a 1/16 packing piece between one jaw. When down far enough move the rod around 180 deg; turn down to same size, the result will be a perfect oval. Could have done the same with a 4 jaw chuck, but the packing is a lot quicker to setup. Next remove the packing, and cut a grove with a thin parting tool, move then part off. Centre spot for the 1mm holes, place packing in the grove so it doesn't squash. The problem is holding, (could have done it in 4 jaw) but solved as the photo. Not many chucks will hold a 1mm drill, so I have glued it in to a brass tube. Twist thin wire through the holes & form a hook one end & eye the other.

8 years ago by hammer

Forum

robbe dusseldorf fire boat Wanted

MFA used to do nice Olympus 2:1 toothed belt drives, but no longer. I have a set in a Rother class, nice engine Sound. SHG models sell the belts and , had thought of those. Also there was one on direct drive for sale on here, I asked what the motors were and got no reply. if I get it wrong I can reduce the speeds on my Spectrum transmitter to compensate.

9 years ago by Derek

Forum

robbe dusseldorf fire boat Wanted

The fitting kit for the dusseldorf consists mainly of , thread, tension springs and other bits and pieces to operate the monitors. Generally the forward monitor is operated seperately by two servos - one for rotation and the other for elevation. The rear two monitors on the cabin are arranged in the kit form to be operated in tandem by a further two servos. it then requires a 6 volt pump bought seperately or 12 if you use 12 volt electrics to feed all three units. I do have a Dusseldorf but have no intention of selling at present. You can fit quite a lot such as all lighting operating as in full size boat, radar scanner, scanning searchlight, towhook, dinghy crane, etc.,etc. Very unlikely that you would be able to find a fittings kit these days but if you can obtain a set of the plans there is sufficient detail from which to work out the servo layouts and pulley sizes required.

9 years ago by jgs43

Forum

Focus

I have a Dragon Force 65 which is similar, but uses on the deck whereas I believe the Focus uses a winch below decks with fore and aft connections. Can't find an on line manual, but one appears to be supplied with the kit. I did find a YouTube video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XyXCHtHOk3Q which may be of some help. This shows a servo winch with an enclosed drum with connections for fore and aft sheets. Have seen them in use at my local club and they appear to work but can sometimes jam if the sheets are not kept taught. This is a popular model and hopefully another member will be able to supply a copy of the manual or pics of their set up. Dave

9 years ago by Dave M

Forum

Focus

Can anyone help me the Winch servo on the Joysway Focus. I have got a Focus hull with Rudder and sail servo fitted. What I do not have Is any Instructions as to how to connect the two sails to the Winch servo. I have had a look on line and are mentioned and continuous loop. Can anyone help.

9 years ago by randhbarker

Forum

Joysway Focus Help needed.

I have a Joysway Focus In bits. The problem I have Is that I do not know how to connect the two sails to the winch servo. I have done a little bit of research, and the loop system has come up a lot but I can't find any diagrams to put me on the right track. Can anyone help.

9 years ago by randhbarker

Response

Velsheda

HI Nasraf, Brass is mostly from Cornwall Model Boats with a few parts direct from RB (Poland) and the last remaining from Deans Marine. The 4 hand winches ate still being turned from brass stock and yet to be fitted. The gooseneck is hand-made from brass sheet and was about the most difficult thing as I do not have access to brazing equipment. I still need to make a kick strap as this gooseneck allows too much movement. Sails are made from a Hospital Cotton bed sheet. The mainsail is in 5 sections, each having a different curve top and bottom to attempt to get the correct billowing and twist. I was surprised at the reception issues and haven't yet ruled out a dodgy receiver (sourced on ebay!) I'll report back on the satellite receiver placement later in the week. We have a Night Sail on Wednesday so I can test my deck lights! Neil

10 years ago by NeilHodson

Forum

LOUIS HELOISE

HI terijay How you choose to control your sails is down to personal choice plus you have already committed two controls, one for the rudder and one for the motor. if you have a four channel transmitter receiver this leaves two spare controls. I have tried multiple sail control on my Cariad but found little benefit and a great deal of concentration when sailing. Your model carries a fair amount of sail and whilst a sail lever system may cope a more effective solution would be a closed loop drum winch with the sails connected to the loop. This system has little chance of failure and provides plenty of pull to the sails even in a strong blow. I mount my winch servo on a board and run the cord from one drum round a pulley at one end of the board then to another pulley at the other end and back to the other drum. I find a piece of plastic electrical casing running between the acts as a good guide for a slider for attaching the sheet lines. Depending on the take off point you may need a return loop to keep both sails working the same way. You will only need about 6" of travel to allow your sails to extend to 45 deg. The other benefit is that you have only one sail control. I usually leave my fore sails to find their own position, using a rod or rope across the deck with the sail connected by a sliding loop and bowsie for adjustment. Good luck and please post details of your progress 😀

10 years ago by Dave M

Blog

Director class tug

A paddle-propelled vessel is just an interesting subject, and these tugs were probably the final development of paddle propulsion. This will be a 'scratch' build, but the hull is from the Kingston Mouldings range, and many of the fittings will be from Mobile Marine Models. The superstructure and other scratch-built parts will be styrene, with the odd piece of brass. I have a windshield washer pump to supply one of the monitors, and plan to fit a sound system. Having purchased the hull, the first task was to assemble and test the drive train, and at the same time fit some frames to the hull. The main structure of the drive train is 0.080" styrene, with .125" plywood added under the base for stiffness. Each rotating train is double reduction using toothed belts and , powered by Electronize 365-14 motors. (Belt drive is not as compact as gears, but definitely quieter.) The servo operates a clutch which engages both paddles. The clutch is a gear on a swinging link which is pushed into (or out of) engagement with port and starboard drive trains. A test on the water with just the bare hull was succesful, although probably overpowered on 12V.

10 years ago by Trillium

Forum

Pulley Blocks

I have been in the workshop taken some photos. Unfortunately something is blocking popups from my own computer very strange. So for now I will try to explain in words not my best subject. First I cut a strip of wood the thickness & with of one side of the block about 12inches long. Cut this in half for two 6 inch pieces. Next a strip the with of the block & touch thicker than the pulley to be used, about 4inches long. I make my own out of brass on the lathe. On very small blocks I may only use a nail (fixed) for a pulley. Cut the 4inch length into half inch pieces. Lay one of the 6inch pieces flat on the work surface glue a half inch on top at one end. Measure the diameter of the pulley plus the cord & allow a little more for clearance. Then glue another half inch piece on, continue until the end. Glue the other 6inch piece on top & weight down till set. Then shape as much of the end block as possible using a file & sandpaper. Fit the pulley before parting off, then start on the next.

10 years ago by hammer

Blog

Cariad Bristol Pilot Cutter

Started over a year ago, built from the Chris Brown fibreglass hull and plan. Got sidetracked with the Olympic build but completed this year. As well as the sails there is a small electric motor to help with recovery on calm days and to avoid the occasional water plant bank! There are two winches controlling the sails - an arm winch works the mainsail with a drum winch controlling the fore sails. I have tried to make the running and standing rigging as accurate as possible and made all the / deadeyes. The deck is planked with pine strips and mahogany veneer covers the rear cabin and cockpit. Masts are pine suitably dyed. I made the sails from the plans supplies but am not happy with the finished result and will remake in time. I have had several sails in most conditions and the model sails but not as well as I had hoped - not down to the design - probably my poor sails. There is 4.5Kg of lead in the hull and I remove this to assist with transport. Today was a very blustery day and I was lucky to make it back to shore as the boat was blown flat and shipped a lot of water. This entered via the rudder post and rear cockpit so a rethink is necessary. There is a solid keel so recasting the lead so it is all outside the boat and attached to the keel should bring the CoG much lower and Improve stability. I show the model "as is" on one of the quieter days on the lake but will show more details as I progress.

12 years ago by Dave M

Directory

(Pleasure Craft) Fairey Huntsman

Wooden Hull, built in the 70's. Used to have a Merco 61. On a tooth belt 14T and 16 T . (Motor: EMP 50/65) (ESC: Hifei Swordfish 120amp) (10/10)

12 years ago by olly49

Forum

PROP SPEED

HI John Welcome to the site. Gregg's advice is spot on. 😊 At about 6' your model will look superb on the water but it needs to move at a scale speed. Good though the Decaperm is you already have a 550 motor and I have used this type of motor with a belt drive reduction unit that the model flyers used in their electric flight models. 😀 Unfortunately I don't know of any suppliers in the UK but possibly in the States you will find one. if you have any flyer friends or local clubs they may still have some discarded units, as they now prefer brushless motors such reducers are not required. 😉 Another alternative is to make your own from small timing chain belts and geared . if you are not too concerned about a belt slipping and you have access to a lathe make your own and use a Hoover type belt. The flat version works best. As to speed, this will be in the hundreds of rpm and will depend on the pitch of your blades, the weight and shape of your model and depth below water. if the draught is not great there will be a tendency for the prop to cavitate so slow revs are essential when starting. I have nearly completed a 1:96 model of the RMS Olympic and that is 8' long. I have three high tork direct drive motors (777) driving similar size props. Ballast is 56Kg so your model weight will be similar. if the 550 proves insufficient you can always upgrade to a 700 or higher. 😀 Why not start a build blog on this site and share your experience with others. Good luck

12 years ago by Dave M

Response

MOTOR INSTALLATION

Hi You can get suitable and belts from MFA/COMO Drills. 01304612132 or web www.mfacomodrills.com. I have used similar belts and on several of my models and they produce a really positive smooth drive. Good luck. Dave

13 years ago by Dave M

Forum

Replacement motor - suggestions?

yep sound like the graupner unit. They always were noisy even from new. I have one somewhere but will never use it, if I can find it you are welcome to have it. Personally I would use a small 200/300 motor with a direct drive or possibly a home made reduction using and o rings. dave

15 years ago by Dave M