The radio installation is quite simple comprising the battery, receiver, a sail winch and the rudder servo. Unlike my other models there are no custom electronic mixers, lighting, sound effects, pumps etc so it should be reliable ๐
The rudder was built from three layers of 1.5mm balsa. The middle layer was made from offcuts. It had a hole to accommodate the rudder shaft with a piece of brass sheet soldered to it to prevent rotation of the rudder on the shaft. The completed rudder was sanded to shape, coated with epoxy and glass cloth and then painted.
I've included a photo from earlier in the build to show the arrangement of the rudder servo and the link to the brass horn which is held on the rudder shaft with a grubscrew. Fitting the horn onto the rudder shaft in the completed model was a bit of a challenge as it is located under the rear deck. I hope I don't have to remove it ever again ๐ค
I've also included a photo from earlier in the build showing the sail winch arrangement as it is difficult to photograph in the completed model. This proved relatively easy to install through the small central hatch. Threading the sheets through the two fairleads and below deck to the winch was achieved using a long pair of tweezers to grab the cords below deck.
The battery sits on the other side of the keel box, and the receiver is velcroed to the bulkhead.
With everything in place, the next step was to attach the sheets to the winch drum and adjust them to the correct length. This is when it all went wrong! The winch servo would not respond to commands from the TX. I know I should have tested it before installing it, but modern electronics are so reliable I missed out this basic step. Eventually, I removed the winch from the model and bench tested it, but it still wouldn't work.
A phone call to the supplier on Tuesday afternoon to explain the problem resulted in an immediate promise to send a replacement which duly arrived on Wednesday morning. The replacement worked just fine. So, a big THANK YOU from me to Components Shop for their excellent customer service.
All it needs now is the sails......