Looks like you've got your hands full with that one, Jack.

Geoff

Thanks for that, lovely little boat, and from the side view on the plan I can see why it gets onto the plane so well.
Geoff

This is a model built from a small kit from SLEC it gives a lovely little boat at 16 inches long which when powered by a 400 on 6 volts readily gets on the plane. A nice kit to build and a lovely little boat to sail. Fitted with oversize rudder for use in steering competitions.

The final Chapter, (delayed)

Thank you Nerys for reminding me that my blog has lapsed, but the model has now been finished’
Progress had been good up to the point when I had to, (well wanted to) break off to build a small model for the Club steering competitions at Woodbridge. So in about the space of a month I built a SLEC ‘Mr Tom’ which has improved my performance in the comps. A picture of the culprit is attached.
But with the yacht I did meet a stumbling block in the fixing of the weight to the keel. I had determined by trial and error the amount of lead needed to bring the boat to the waterline and set about implanting this in the keel.
I had acquired some sheet lead flashing and was able to knead this into a shape to fit within the existing keel. I cut the required aperture and fixed the lead there with hot melt glue and then set about covering it over with hardwood cheeks. This produced a fin that was now far too fat and being hardwood was very difficult to thin as it was attached to the hull, a place where it had sat in glory almost from day one. I was now left with a model yacht with an ugly fin and absolute disappointment that this aspect had not allowed me to continue the good work that I had achieved so far. So, ruthlessly I sawed off the offending part leaving me with a flat-bottomed boat. A new fin was cut in outline from the same timber as the keel and this would be butt jointed and dowelled back onto the keel. The lead was placed within the fin and fixed as before. Two thin cheeks of .8mm ply were glued to the outline of the hull and were able to be tapered to a reasonable fore and aft thickness. This was all covered with Eze-cote and heavyweight model tissue to enable a good surface to be obtained. Gone now was the lovely hardwood varnished keel and the new fin was painted to blend with the lower surface of the hull.
The in-house seamstress was persuaded to make her first set of sails ever. The main was laced to the mast from bottom to top and the jib threaded with its own stay. The curved gaff was two laminations of hardwood around a .8mm ply insert which protruded below the gaff to enable the top of the main to be glued to it with canopy glue. This seems to be holding OK.
It was then a matter of completing the rigging and getting everything in place. And testing the radio functions. All performed well although the two-turn winch does not pull the sail through 90 degrees a good arc of control is available. The motor, driving the prop through a 2 to 1 reduction via a rubber band and pulleys worked well.

The maiden voyage went off without incident, although on the day, the wind on the Woodbridge Pond was very light and fickle, the usual state sadly, it being surrounded by trees. It sailed well with what wind there was, and the motor proved useful in executing 180 deg. turns.
At one point I was able to come along to the windward side of a DF65 and gently ease the motor on leaving it almost standing still! The motor powers it at a respectable speed and so far am happy with the performance but would like more wind to get a good feeling for it.
It only remained to bring it home and break open the Champagne and name this ship DAME NERYS which is Dutch for Lady Nerys, I told her I would do it!

Nice paint job, and I love the hull shape
Geoff

Try Fishing weights on E bay, sold in ingots

Geoff

Hello Nerys, try Howes as below, they have a series of winches, in vaying turns at £9.99

Geoff

https://howesmodels.co.uk/product/2-turn-standard-size-drum-...

https://howesmodels.co.uk/product/2-turn-standard-size-drum-winch/

🔗

Thank you Nerys for your compliments. Yes I will be adding ballast to the keel, but am not certain as to how much. The plan shows a waterline so think I will ballast it temporarily inside and then transfer the weight to the foot of the fin. There will be a certain amount of weight within the hull, mainly the battery, a 6v Nimh which will be placed at the very bottom of the hull. There is a full size sail winch as well, a bit of an overkill for a boat of this size, but cheap at 9.99 and runs just the right amount of sheeting out.
Best wishes, Geoff.

Hello Again,
A little while since I let you catch up with progress on the Dutch Auxiliary Yacht, and I have been involved in adding the mahogany planking to the sides and a solid mahogany transom. The latter task was a bit tricky but was able to use clamps and rubber bands to help the glue bond.
The planking was 5mm x 0.8 mm over the existing .8mm ply side. This went quite well and was only the second bit of planking I had done, so was reasonably pleased with the result.
At this point I must say how much encouragement and how many constructive ideas I have received from Nerys. Her encouragement has been in the form of making my Dutch yacht have a Dutch look to it and has advised that I make leeboards for the boat which I have done, (not operational) and through experience she has advised that I deepen the rudder so that is more effective, so a second deeper rudder has been made.
All this has made me search for images of Dutch boats on the Net and I am amazed at how many different designs and variations there are to look at and follow. Leeboard shapes and design are legion, so I have opted for what seems to be a suitable design for my boat. I am hopeful that with this wide variety available I will be able to evade criticism of things, ‘not being right’. The leeboards will have brightly painted head and foot, which seems to be the thing.
Work has gone on well beyond what I am showing here and so my next blog will follow relatively soon, I hope. The final picture shows paper mock-up of the sails with other bits just taped in place and it is beginning to look like the picture on the packet! (Had there been one).
Some of the delay has been as a result of the Woodbridge Model Boat Club reconvening and so have been sailing instead of building, which has been good.
Thanks for your continued interest.

Geoff

I find Rustins Outdoor Clear Varnish very good, dries in 30 minutes, can be thinned with water if required and brush wash up with water.

Geoff

Thank you for this comment Nerys, I have been wondering whether to bother with the leeboards but your lovely gentle persuasion has made me come to the conclusion that they must be added. Have already looked out some nice hardwood for them. "Were you ever a used car salesperson?!!!!!
Best wishes
Geoff.

Martin, Thanks for this, Nice finish for this wooden hull.

Geoff

Slowly making progress
It seems as I have not posted an update for nearly three weeks, so my apologies for being a bit lax. Nevertheless, I have not been slacking, it just seems that the tasks I have completed since last blog have been time consuming, and have not produced much of photographic interest.

The deck has been planked with 5mm wide planks and these have been sourced from slats from a discarded wooden blind, the finished stripped from its surfaces by belt sander, then fine sanded and cut into 5mm strips on the Proxxon circular saw.

The planks were butted edge to edge and stuck to the frames with Evo Stik waterproof glue, planking over the apertures for the forward hatch and mast box, leaving me to rediscover them later. Planking was taken as far as the rear of the cabin and then the rear section completed, by using the slats at full width, but scored at 5mm intervals to simulate planks.

As this wood is quite white I have just varnished it with Sikkens outdoor varnish, which is clear and water based and brushes are cleaned in water. Don’t like spirit cleaners these days.

A mahogany cover has been made for the forward hatch and has to be detachable for access to the Rx.

Following this work the floor boards were made for rear well and were built in three sections, two at the fore, either side of the engine, and one into the rest of the well to the transom. The boards, as used for the deck, were laid on .8mm ply to make life easy and to keep the shape.
The seating and back rests were glued to the formers and again using the wood from the slats but this time, stained as antique pine to match the boarding at the rear of the cabin. This will be varnished as above.

Finally the ‘engine cover’ has been built and finished with the stain to match. The top of the propshaft, with a rotating collet, is not fully covered and may present some health and safety issues, but people will just have to be careful!!

That just about brings me up to date now but would like to leave this gem with you.

From, ‘Build Yourself a Model Boat’, published in 1950. ---'In these days of motor cars and wireless sets, most men can solder.’ We still have the motor car and wireless sets, but can most men still solder?

Geoff.

Doug, Sir, Fleet Admiral, With the greatest respect this old codger is some ten years older than yourself, but I know what you mean!!!!!!!

Regards
Geoff.

Hello To Martin, and others who serve us on this site.
Thank you for all you do, but I don't think many of us realise who much time you put in to dealing with what needs to be done. But I don't feel that you should spend too much time doing research for people, if they have a computer to send a question, then, in my view, they have the means to find the answer for themselves. Surely this is part of our hobby searching for information or data, and of course some questions I have seen are just, asking a question for the sake of it. We see them in all hobbies. Please make time for yourselves, we want you to do that.

Regards,

Geoff.

Love it Robert, nice build and finish, looking good.
Glad you are getting on with the kit, it is a joy to build isn't it?

Regards

Geoff.

Super job Martin, Inspirational.

Regards

Geoff

Good job here Martin, some thoughts and inspiration for me on my next build. Looks like your friend could finish up with a super model.
Regards Geoff.

So far so good, Robert, You will find it should it all progress as per plan as they say.

Best Regards

Geoff

Robert, Thanks for enquiry, for this kit I used Gorilla wood glue and this is what I always use now. It is relatively thick, but is good to use. Otherwise in places where you may feel something a bit thinner is more suitable then evo stik waterproof is a good alternative. For the speed controller I used a car model from Arrow models this works very well but would recommend an Mtronics Viper Marine 10, currently discounted by Howes models from £27.99 to £20.99. I am using a 7.2v Mn 2000 which I never manage to exhaust in a sailing session. If you purchase an MFA motor and it comes with a fixing, this will not be needed ads the appropriate bulkhead is already drilled for the motor to be fitted directly to and and is in line with the propshaft. The motor, shaft and esc can all be obtained from Howes and a battery as well. I always use Overlander batteries and these are available from Howes too. Obviously choose a shaft at the same length as the kit item.
The prop in the kit is minute so try to get a prop of similar dimensions with a 4mm boss.

Best regards

Geoff.

PS. Decant some of the glue into a small pot, rather than struggle to get it out of the bottle each time and apply with a small brush. Store the brush in a jar of water so that it is always ready to use after a quick wipe to get rid of the water. See my Morston Blog on for a full description of the method I use.

https://howesmodels.co.uk/product/mtroniks-microviper-marine...

https://howesmodels.co.uk/product/mtroniks-microviper-marine-10-boat-esc-electric-speed-controller/

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Hello Robert, I built an Aeronaut Diva last spring as my second boat in Lockdown. It was a joy to build and a pleasure to sail. I would suggest that you upgrade the kit propshaft by using a 4mm shaft instead of the one supplied in the kit which is flimsy and if used with a decent motor vibrates a lot at middle speed. If you fit an MFA 385 she will plane quite easily. If you want a more sedate model then a standard 400 will do. I found the windows a bit tricky and for best effect use a good canopy glue. (I found out too late!) See mine in my harbour.
Best wishes and follow the instruction book and you should finish with a nice model.

Geoff Lambert

Thanks for these suggestions Nerys. I might like to try her on the water first, nevertheless thank you for your continued interest. Would the leeboards need to be operational or just to enhance the look of the thing.

Best wishes

Geoff.

The more I proceed with this project of scratch building the more I realise that I have to make my own way through the build without a nicely illustrated Handbook.

But it does give the chance to switch from one part of the build to another. The cabin has now been built, top planked and varnished and two doors made. I think I may only have room for one door in the cockpit due to having to enclose the 'engine'.

As far as the hull is concerned I have added the two top side sections, sanded and shaped all smooth. The bow blocks have been added, and similarly carved to shape. The whole hull has been given a coat of eze kote.
In the meanwhile I have been making one or two of the fittings for future use.
As I go through this hull building, I wish I could have had some sort of jig on which to build the skeleton of the hull, but it has curvature on the deck and so a flat jig would have taken some time to construct. But some distortions have crept in due to having to build the hull 'in mid air'. I will do my best to disguise these as I go along.

The cockpit panelling at the front has been added also. I have included a mock up pic to give a little idea of what the craft will look like.

The build goes on.

Geoff

Can highly recommend the HA kits Nerys.

Geoff

Martin, I am glad to see the legend of the Digifleet servo on your rudder. I bought a Digifleet set in 1982 for sailing yachts at Woodbridge. Two or three other members bought similar sets at the same time. Almost to a day the batteries failed in each set after ten years.
Glad to see the progress you are making and it all looks good, wood is a wonderful medium isn't it.!

Best regards
Geoff.

Have had many years of experience in fitting wing spars into wing ribs slots on model aircraft!
Geoff

Thanks for this Ron, I have not yet decided how the cabin with mate with the deck, but the decking will pass around the sides of the cabin. I have decided to do this as, from the plan the cabin looks a bit tall for this type of craft, and so it will reduce the apparent height of this part of the boat. I intend to make two cabin doors that will be stuck to the rear of the cabin and will extend into the footwell. However must not give to much of the story away just yet! Best regards
Geoff.

A Step Further.
Having decided to build the cabin as a detachable unit rather than build to the hull, it gave me a chance for a bit of light relief from the hull building.

So setting about the cabin I drew the outline of the base and built the cabin much as I had done with many model aircraft, over the plan, This worked well and the unit comprised four sides and three roof cross bars. The pic shows this built to this stage. Portholes had been cut into front and two sides. These will be copper washers stuck onto a an acetate ‘window’ and then this stuck over the drilled holes in the sides. To complete the cabin it will be roofed with .8mm ply and then this planked with mahogany veneer.
Back to the hull, the bottom planking has now been sanded smooth and the .8mm ply sides added, as far forward as former 1. The triangular void at the bow will be filled with balsa block.
Sub frames for the deck bow section have been filled with 3mm ply to receive screws for bowsprit fixings and ply apertures to support the deck planks around the forward hatch and the mast box. (Please excuse wide angle lens distortion on last pic.) More soon

Geoff

Thanks Martin, absolute sense, thank you.
Geoff.

Steady on Martin, I have found with Ha Kits that it is best to fit all that you want to fit before you add the side skins, That is Rudder and servo, prop shaft and battery placement etc. These kits go together well and don't overlook, in your blog, that novice members may be wanting a straightforward build to follow on what the manufacturers acknowledge is a beginners kit and upwards. Otherwise they lend themselves to personalisation in a good way.
Best regards,

Geoff.