Ragbird.

It's taken a few trips to the pond to get my correx built creation "Ragbird" (named after my favorite band)  sailing well, the sail came from my Paddle Duck footy which sailed very well but the mast position was copied from a full sized plan which took all the guess work out of finding it's position. Even set this far forward it still sailed violently into the wind so i added a jib which is good for easy trim adjustment. Note that the main sail doesn't have a conventional boom but a loop of piano wire in the style of a sail board which saves weight.

 

Awk Footy

When I spotted some scrap correx (corrugated plastic sheet)  at work and knew exactly what I wanted to make  with it. The Awk Footy has a sleek 5 plank hull rather than our fleet of Papaya III's  boxy 3 plank.  The only problem was it was twice as thick as the correx on the AWK plans! http://footy.rcsailing.net/plans.php Being lazy I didn't bother with the former either and just formed it best I could with my hands and covered the whole thing in PVC tape that I had left over from a RC glider kit.  So it's not quite to plan and the raised edges on  deck sort of just happened. I hope to use a carbon fiber mast on this maybe from an old kite.

New Rudder

You can clearly see that the old rudder was under size ( the runt of the batch of 8 that I originally cut out) when you compare it with Jake's yacht, i would not only expian why i can't complete a gybe/tack with a constant breeze but also why my boat suddenly changes direction in turbulent winds.  I  designed  the new swept back one myself , it has a mahogany center core and balsa hydrodynamic (wing  shaped) shaped sides!  You never know it might even work! It's hardly what you would call balanced! But being a Footy shouldn't put much strain on the servo ,in all this I've learned  Footys by nature need all the stability they can get! Btw my boat only looks clean because the photo is over exposed, it's actually filthy! White isn't a practical colour when you sailing in mucky ponds!
PS Have just sliced off that tip at the bottom bcz it would add nothing but drag.  I'll have to make that weight a bit more sleek at some time ....and intend to experiment with AAA batteries.

Return to Hove Lagoon

We have been sailing this summer on a pond with kind permission for a good friend but as nice as it is to have a private pond in a pretty garden on our doorstep because it is in a valley the wind is so turbulent sailing a course is near impossible. Yesterday evening Jake and I sailed again on the Hove Lagoon right next to the sea shore wit it's constant breeze, Jake's boat behaved impeccably but thorough I could trim mine to reach straight across the lagoon wit no rudder correction it wouldn't quite complete a gibe or tack, I am suspecting the fact that the rudder is slightly shorter than Jake's so I am building a new one from a mahogany off cut (from guitar making.)
The Arun Queen braved the salt water and had a go at travesing the much choppier larger lake, I'm glad I wasn't actually aboard or I'm sure I would have been sea sick! Some water did get in and I have spent some time flushing it out with tap water before any rust sets in!

Arun Queen update.

I treated myself to a proper battery for the Arun Queen and also added a voltage regulator so the receiver can run from it too , there was no BEC when this receiver was made  in 1972! I bought a 7.2 volt battery but really should have got a 9 volt as I didn't account for the voltage drop through the speed regulator 6 volts still gives a nice slow cruising speed and I wired a (very) crude bypass switch in so I get a boost for top speed.

Saling on the "Wild Garden " Pond

Footy sailing has been quiet this spring  not only because of the weather but because we don't have a local lake to sail at but a good friend from our church kindly allows us to use her pond. The wind there is a little turbulent and very gusty though so though very pretty far from ideal for sailing, I think we need to visit the Hove lagoon again if we want some predictable and faster sailing.

Arun Queen in the sunshine/ Insurance

A return trip to Sumner ponds, this time with all the leaks fixed! The laptop battery seems to go on forever but I will buy it a new one that's safer to charge soon. I would just like to add a bench to the top deck for passengers to break up the space. But basically I think she is finished!
Is there anyway I can insure my glider and boats on the same public liability policy? Other wise I will insure the glider but NOT the boats, joining both model aircraft and boat clubs with separate insurance costs too much for the amount I use them so as Horsham Council insist on it I won't be sailing at Southwater or joining the Horsham Dabblers. I believe that the fleet can use the church insurance but when I'm sailing on my own...