JB,

Very nice finish, worth all the time and effort. I wonder if the camera auto focus was confused by the reflections of your highly polished surfaces?

Graham93

Hi Nerys,

I also hope I’ll be able to attend for one of the days- haven’t decided which yet. Would be nice to meet up.

Graham93

Rick,

Yes he will. Trouble is that he is now back at school so not sure when he will have time. His diary is busier than mine 🙄

Exactly right Michael. Wood moves with changes in temperature/humidity. I thinks some sort of flexible joint is essential.

Graham93

Before Finley returns to continue with the construction. I need to install and align the motor and propshaft.

The instruction booklet suggests fitting a 1500kV brushless motor which surprised me as I was expecting it to call for a brushed motor, but I thought 'why not?' so a suitable motor and ESC were ordered.

First job once the motor arrived was to make a mounting bracket. I found an old domestic radiator mounting bracket in the scrap box. A short length cut from this gave a strong, lightweight right angled bracket. Four holes were drilled and tapped for the motor mount, and another four holes drilled and countersunk for screwing the bracket into the hull.

The motor has a 4mm dia. shaft and I'd already found a 30mm propeller, left over from Crash Tender commissioning, which had an M4 thread. Based on these part dimensions, I decided to use a 4mm propshaft and a 7mm dia. outer tube. With the tube in situ, but not glued, a hardwood wedge was made to match the angle of the tube. To align the motor shaft with the tube, an alignment tool was made. This is simply a length of steel which was turned to be a sliding fit in the propshaft tube, and with a 4mm hole to slip over the motor shaft. With this tool, it was a simple matter to adjust the heights of the wooden wedge to align the motor shaft with the propshaft tube. The wedge was then glued into position.

While the glue was drying, two phosphor bronze bushes were turned for the propshaft. With these fitted, and the alignment tool used to ensure everything was in line, the propshaft tube was epoxied into position.

Finally, the alignment tool was replaced with a universal coupling, and the other end of the shaft was threaded M4 so that the propeller could be attached. A quick check was carried out with the ESC attached and powered up. All seems to be OK so far. 🤞

The videos are great Michael. It must make all of the time and effort seem worthwhile when you can see it on the water like that.

Graham93

Hi JB,

I like the casting technique. 👍 Might have a go for fairleads on the Rescue Launch

Graham93

Hi Rick,

Yes, he did enjoy it. So did I, but it was exhausting having to keep watch over him every second and having to answer the endless questions "What's that for Grandad?" 😍

Graham93

The first thing to do is "Read the Instructions" and study the parts to work out what goes where😉.

The micro chisel works well to release the laser cut parts from the plywood sheets. Less risk of cut fingers and somehow we managed to avoid any bruises.

The parts are accurate and easy to fit together with very little cleaning up required. The first challenge came when fitting the centre keel to the underside of the hull bottom. The keel is in two pieces which are spaced to leave a gap for the propshaft. There is no hole in the hull bottom for the propshaft to pass through so the keel pieces were used to work out where to cut the hole. A length of 7mm dia. brass tube was used to ensure that the hole was big enough and in the right place. The keel doublers were added to strengthen the area around the shaft tube. Additional keel doublers were needed to accommodate the 7mm tube. These were cut from scrap ply.

Having completed the basic hull framework, the next instruction in the manual is to fit the side skins. However doing that at this stage would make fitting and aligning the motor much more difficult. Better to sort out the motor mounting while there is access through the sides of the hull. It is a shame that there isn't a note in the instructions explaining this as an inexperienced builder would likely press on at this stage and then have the challenge of having to fit and align the motor through the restricted deck access hatch.

As I needed some time, (and peace and quiet 😁) to sort out the motor mount, 'we' decided to move on to assembling the cabin. Finley cut out the parts using the chisel, I held them in place while he applied the superglue. I didn't end up with too much on my fingers and managed to peel them off the model several times. 😊

The cabin is built in situ but needs to be removable to gain access to the inside of the hull. Masking tape was applied around the access hatch before the cabin pieces were glued in place to ensure that it didn't end up permanently attached, despite the liberal application of superglue!

By the end of the day we had made good progress. Finley went home and wouldn't stop telling his Mum and Dad about the boat. He wanted to come back the next day to carry on construction, but I need time to sort out the motor mount, and the rudder servo mount, before he returns.

Sorry there aren't so many photos, but I had my hands full!

Michael,

That’s an unbelievable low price. I’ll be interested to hear how well it works.

It’s surprising how the costs add up when you add motor, esc, etc to the price of the kit. I’ve probably spent 10x the cost of your kit.

Graham93

A few weeks ago, while looking after our 7 year old grandson for the day while his mum and dad were at work he asked (several times) if he could help me building my boats. As I'm not currently building anything, we had to find other things to do build (Lego) for the day. After he had gone home, I started to think about a boat he could help build.

I had come across HAkits in a couple of blogs on this site so found their website and decided that their Rescue Launch would make a nice model for a 7 year old. The kit was duly ordered and arrived a few days later.

Building from a kit like this is a bit of a departure for me as I usually scratch build my models. The kit was well packaged but there didn't seem to be much in the bag. Three sheets of laser cut ply, a few sticks (rubbing strakes), some plastic window frames, a sheet of clear acetate with a template for the windows and an instruction manual.

The instruction manual will look familiar to any 7 year old who is used to building Lego kits. It has numbered steps, each with a drawing of the assembly showing the next piece to be fitted. Each of the laser cut parts is identified with it's name etched into the surface. However I did notice that in some cases the name of the part used in the instructions is different to the name etched into it. For example assembly step 3 says 'glue the bow former .. in place'. The required piece is etched with 'bulkhead 1 support'. Guaranteed to confuse a 7 year old (and his grandad occasionally 😉).

The pieces need to be cut from the ply sheets with a Stanley knife. I didn't like the idea of sending my grandson home with bandaged fingers at the end of the day so decided to make a thin 'chisel' from a snap-off blade mounted in a dowel handle. This should allow the pieces to be freed from the ply sheet using a hammer with less risk to little fingers.

So now I'm ready, waiting for the return of Finley....

Looking at the photos, it looks like a universal AC motor. These have the armature and field connected in series. The little white box looks to have just two connections and is likely to be an interference suppression capacitor. A bridge rectifier would have four connections.

I don’t understand the voltages you have measured.

Graham93

Martin,

I can sympathise. I don’t know how much time I spend on-line, but I know it is too many hours so I have been trying to cut down recently. Trouble is, it is additive 😔

Graham93

Martin,

I'm amazed at how much progress you have made in such a short time. I haven't had much time recently to follow your build, and now I get to look at it you have planked the deck, the well deck, made a door with hinges. It all looks fantastic!👍

It seems like you certainly have your MoJo back 😁

Graham93

Thanks Martin, Nerys,

I'm glad you like it.

Nerys, It's reassuring to hear that the rigging is realistic. That's down to finding lots of photos on the Internet, and having a copy of the book 'Gaff Rig' by John Leather.

Graham93

Semi-scale inspired by the design of gaff rigged pilot cutters. Based on plans from Gary Webb (bearospaceindustries.com) it took 6 months to build.

Hull is ply sheeting over ply bulkheads. Three channel RC - two sail winches plus rudder. Removable rig, keel and rudder plus retractable bowsprit for transport. Overall length 58in, hull length at deck level 43in, beam 12 3/4in. Sail area is 1180 sq ins.

Lots of scale like detail added to the basic plan including anchor winch, tiller, skylight, gooseneck, deadeyes, working blocks with brass sheeves...

A couple of videos produced by Buxton Model Boat Club member Phil:

https://youtu.be/VgHNemEOfn0

https://youtu.be/gcM6U8VguXs

Full blog here:
https://model-boats.com/blogs/86653

https://youtu.be/VgHNemEOfn0

🔗

https://youtu.be/gcM6U8VguXs

🔗

blogs/86653

🔗

Hi Martin,

Thanks for the reminder. I’ll do that later today.

As for ‘what’s next?’ That’s a good question. I’m taking a break from model building for the next few months. I need a break from it and there’s lots to do around the house and garden. I’ll be sailing when I can, but not building. Doesn’t stop me thinking about what’s next though. I have a few ideas 🤔

Graham93

Thanks Nerys,

I am pleased with the way it looks, and how it sails although there are a few teething issues which need to be sorted. The tracking of the headsails needs some attention to make it smoother and the main sheet traveller sometimes jams at one end or the other. You can see that if you look carefully at Phil’s previous video. I also think the stern is a bit high out of the water. I’ve made some adjustments for these issues, but haven’t been able to try it out since.

Graham93

Doug,

“Has Ted fallen overboard???😮”

After his first outing Ted wasn’t feeling too well so has decided to self isolate for 10 days.😂 I think it was probably down to not having his sea legs, rather than having picked up a virus 😮. Of course it could also have something to do with his big head being in the way of the on-board camera! I’m sure he will be back soon.

Graham93

Martin,

You are right about Ted 😆 That water is deep 😉

Thanks Phil, nice photos from the camera boat. Looking forward to the video.

Graham93

Nerys,

It’s not clear from the photos, but the bear does ‘steer’ the boat using the tiller - at least that’s how it looks from a distance.😉 😂😆

Graham93

Thanks everyone for the positive feedback. I’m glad you enjoyed the blog, I certainly enjoyed the build, even if it did take a lot longer than I expected. I am pleased with the end result, although whatever I build, there are always things I think could be better. I expect I’ll tweak a few bits here and there and possibly make a smaller lighter keel for light winds.

JB, it will be my favourite on windy days. The rowing boat is the favourite for windless days 😆.

Graham93

Doug,

Thanks for the offer of a Pilot bear for the Cutter, but a little too big I'm afraid. He would have to duck everytime the boom swung past 😂🤣

Graham93

At last, the day arrived! The weather this morning for the Buxton area looked to be ideal with 10mph winds forecast.

I don't have access to a Transit van or similar 😊 so the boat has to be transported in bits and assembled at the lake side. It is a bit of a squeeze to fit it all into the car.

The large, yellow sided case keeps the mast and sails safe during transit. It is a simple pair of wooden frames hinged together and covered with twinwall plastic sheeting which I just happened to have in the shed. Also in the car is a folding stand for use at the side of the lake, and a launch cradle made from copper pipe.

At he lakeside, assembly involves fitting the keel, rudder, mast and sails. It takes around 15 minutes to complete - possibly less in future with a bit of practice.

Once launched, she was away ⛵👍. The wind was a lot less than forecast, maybe 5mph with some gusts. She did struggle a bit on such a gentle breeze. When it did blow, she was fast and responsive, outrunning the video chase boat on occasions.

She is named 'Ellen' after my grandmother. Oh, and the helmsman? The designer, Gary Webb (bearospaceindustries.com) has started a bit of tradition of having a bear as helmsman 😀

Hi JB,

I've just measured the fin length. It's effectively 16" so the torque will be closer to 12 ft lbs.

Graham93

Martin,

It is a shame it needs a keel but it should make it stable. It would need a lot more weight in the hull to achieve the same stability, but then it would be too low in the water. The keel is easily removable, so I will be able to experiment with alternative shorter fins/lighter keels if the initial trials show that could be a viable option.

I painted the fin dark blue so that it wouldn’t be obvious under water - and I had plenty left over after painting the gunwales 😀

Weight training today 😂🤣

Graham93

Phil,

You should have just enough time to get your camera batteries charged 🤞. I have to work out how to load it into the car🙄

Graham93

Unlike traditional Pilot Cutters, this plan calls for the model to be fitted with a fin and weighted lead keel.

I left this part of the build to the end for two reasons. I needed to know the weight of the model before the keel could be cast, and I didn't like the idea of messing about with 4+kgs of molten lead😮.

The plans give a target weight for the completed model of 8.2kgs (18lbs) including a keel weighing 4.5kgs. With all the extra details I've added to the hull it has turned out heavier than the design weight (No surprise there then 😉) so to keep the total weight of the model on target, the keel weight needed to be reduced to 4kgs. To compensate for the lighter keel, I decided to extend the fin length by 50mm.

The fin is made from 3mm aluminium sheet. This was cut out using a jigsaw fitted with a metal cutting blade. The large hole at the top of the fin reduces the weight a little, and provides a convenient hand hold. The three holes at the bottom are to provide a key for the lead keel.

A wooden mold was made from scrap timber and the fin clamped in place. 4.5kgs of lead was melted and poured in - very carefully! Once cooled, the mold was removed and the keel was then shaped using a 'surform' tool bringing the completed weight of the keel down to 4ks.

Thin balsa sheet was glued to both sides of the fin with contact adhesive and then sanded to give a streamlined cross section to the fin. The completed fin slides into the keel box below the hull and is held in place with two steel cross pins fitted through one of the deck hatches.

The completed assembly was finished with two part epoxy, glass cloth, and several coats of navy blue paint from a rattle can.

There is a rudder servo and two winches to control the sails.

The sheet to control the main sail is routed from one of the winches through a fairlead in the deck just behind the mast. It then passes through two blocks attached to the boom and terminates on a traveller just abaft the main cabin.

The three fore sails each have two sheets attached. One sheet from each sail runs down the port side of the deck, through a fairlead in the deck and is then tied off on a loop driven by the second winch. The three remaining sheets from these sails are routed in the same way, but along the starboard side of the deck. These are tied off on the other side of the loop below deck. Running this winch from one end to the other tacks the foresails by pulling the sheets in on one side and letting them out on the other.

The plans suggest that the fore sail winch is controlled from a rotary knob on the transmitter so that the sails can be tacked. I have put together a custom electronic mixer that has two operating states. In one state, it allows direct control of the winch from a rotary knob on the transmitter as suggested in the plans. In the other operating state, the fore sheet winch is controlled in tandem with the main sheet winch from the same stick on the transmitter. A switched channel on the Tx reverses and offsets the signal to the winch thus tacking the fore sails at the flick of a switch! It will be interesting to see if this works as intended.

The electronics is installed in two wooden boxes which slide into runners below the deck. The construction and mounting of these was shown earlier in this blog. I've used magnetic reed switches to turn the power on/off as in my other models. This allows the power to be turned on and off using a magnet above the deck and avoids the need to find somewhere to hide a toggle switch.