icyuod2

i was skimming through a woodworking forum and came across this little jem.



has anybody built one of these bugs before? i'd like to take a crack at the 6" model
i found this site
http://themodelyacht.com/forum.htm
i'm pretty sure i can fumble my way through the build with the available pic's, but i was hoping for alittle guidence via the forum.
anybody have pic?plans?advice?

this will only be my second boat build.
thanks

tigerbay

That is an awsome little boat.[8D]

Makes a footy look too big.[]

I might even have a crack myself

icyuod2

did ya see the old pic's of the 2 footers?


i figure i'm gonna start with a 6"er. i'm gonna take his advise and carve the first one. i'll cut shape 3-4 seperate pieces and glue them together-top/bottom. the top pieces should be easy to hollow out/remove most of the meat inside and out with a jigsaw.

i have dimensions for a 12" er. i figured if i just used 1/2 the dimensions for a 6"er, i'd be good. what do ya think?

icyuod2

well i figured since there was a flood of responses, i'd document my build. since its only my second boat build, and i dont know how to sail, i started a 6" bread and butter hull.
i started with 3 pieces of lacewood (why, cause thats what i had. ) i folded a piece of paper in 1/2 and cut out 1/2 the shape of the first piece. (unfolding the paper gives you a symetrical hull shape) after i traced the image to my lacewood, i cut down the same piece of paper for my second and third piece. i used a jigsaw to do the cutting. on my second piece i set the angle of the jigsaw to 15*. the third piece 30*. this allowed me to do some of the shaping of the hull while cutting out the pieces of wood.

heres the 3 pieces glued together

the top 2 pieces i cut out the centers

and then started to sand and shape my hull using, sanding drums,sander,dremel and sandpaper wrapped wood dowels/blocks to get the shape.


heres the hull roughed out.

tigerbay

I will follow this with interest.

icyuod2

ok so today i worked on the boat alittle more. i keep searching for the 6" plans but no luck. these are all best guestimates based on pic's etc.
with that i cut the dimensions in 1/2 (1 foot plans)

i started by gluing a block of wood inside the boat where i planned on mounting my main mast. the author suggests using a tube for the mast, but i couldn't find anything the right size.
i threw a couple supports into the boat for the deck.(1/4"x1/8 stripes of maple) and laminated a deck on the boat. i figured this is the test model and probably too small to rc. i'm gonna use it to learn and hopefully build a larger rc version next. for the same reason, i'm not gonna spend alot of time on this first "test bug"
heres the decked boat. i left just alittle overhang and rounded it off.


i dont have access to any pretty deck fittings, so i hit the hardare store.
i picked up hardwood dowel and a small brass pluming sleeve that matched the diameter.

to taper the mast, i just chucked the 1/2" dowel into my drill (had to sand the end to get it to fit) use a few layers of paper to prevent burning your hand. dont go too fast, we dont need any broken fingers.


i cut the sleeve in 1/2 with my dremel. a perfect deck fitting for the mast. i think i might even use the scrape to spice up the mast.


now i am running into some difficulty with how the rigging attaches to the top of the mast. i cant see it in the pic's.
i'd love to see what you guys have on your rc sailboats.

icyuod2

after finding this pic
http://www.radiosailing.org.au/our%2...l%20Yachts.htm
i think i'm going to drasticly reduce the height of my mast.
i've settled on 17"

tigerbay

I found this pic of a six incher. It will allow tou guestimate some dimensions.

http://roberts-model-ships-and-boats.com/balmainbug.htm

I just googled it.

icyuod2

thats an awesome little bug. and it helps lots. i've found a few bugs on on the web myself. the sails seem to vary from 12-18" (3 times the length of the boat).

i settled on 17" with a 10" bumbkin.

to make the tapered bumbkin i once again chucked hardwood dowel into my drill and hand sanded the taper. when i finished i used a block of wood and course sandpaper to sand 4 flat sides. (most of the sand done on the top and bottom. ) i didnt sand the bumbkin square. its actually an 8 sided piece of wood. the sides dont quite meet up, so all the corners are rounded.

i actually picked up some sample packs of red mahogany stain and have been staining the masts as i go.

i was lucky enough to have some thin brass in my junk dresser. i cut out strips with the cutting disks on my dremel and used a small brass vice to bend my bumbkin straps.


i also cut out a piece of brass to go around the sleeve i'm using for my mast.
spruced up up alittle with a chainsaw file.

used the same file to recess an area for an eye.


couldn't find any detailed pic's of how the rigging attached to the mast/bumbkin so i came up with my own method.
i was lucky enough to have a steel leader the right sive for my boat. (ajusted the bumbkin alittle)

here what i did. i turn down the end of the bumbkin and slid a piece of brass tube over the tip. i used a very small drill and put a hole through both the bumbkin and brass then inserted a hardened steel pin (broken drillbit) i did the same with the mast.
the steel leader fits over the brass and is held inplace with the pin. the other end clips on the eye.

i also fashioned my own way of ajusting the tension on the bumbkin. 2 more brass pluming sleeves.

to tighten the tension, i hold the bumbkin vertically and squeeze the bumb. and line together. the second brass sleeve drops down and holds the line tight inplace. i think it adds a nice touch also.

its starting to take shape.

not bad for a few hours work.

IanHB

Icyuod2, well done mate, good work and true modeller ingenuity with your use of methods and materials.
Have you given thought yet to the keel slide fitments?
For readers who don`t yet know, one of the unique things about Balmain Bugs and the reason they can handle such huge sail area is that the keel can be positioned differently for various headings thereby maintaining balance and directional stability.
This is also the main reason that there are few examples of Bugs made R/C. Making the sliding keels servo controlled is a formidable task.

I have attached a couple of pictures that may be of some assistance as far as the rigging goes.
I will try to find some more detail on the sliding Keel bits.
Best wishes from NZL.

IanHB

Dug up a couple more photos that may help your build.

icyuod2

thanks for the kind words.

those pic's are awesome and help out large! i'd appreciate any pic's of the more complicated parts of the rigging (mask connections etc.)

after looking at your boat, i can see i need some smaller screws.lol
like i said previously. i'm new to rc boating. this is a test model. i'm not spending alot of time or money on the project. i want it to be functional with hopes to use it to learn to sail. this winter i plan on taking on a footy with blanked hull. hopefully it will be a full rc boat with a remote keel. i have a couple idea's, and a few friends with full access to metal shops. the rc plan is to build a small 4 pulley assembly. (2 small pullies in the keel rail, 2 in the boat) i figured if i attached 2 cables to the keel and the servo, the entire assembly would work much like the steering in an old cable steer boat.

the 6"er, well i found a good pic of the sliding keel and have a friend that going to fashion a couple of clamps and a rail for me. i'll make the rest of the keel. (i make damascus knives when i'm not playing with boats. )i figure i have it under control.
any other info or pic's you have would be greatly appreciated. could we start with a shot of thow the foots connect to the main mast? thanks again, i really do appreciate it.

icyuod2

thank you very much for the extra pic's. they were very helpful.

i havent had much time to work on the boat, but the few hours i did were very productive.

you'll notice i'm doing things out of order. jumping back and forth between tasks. with cash being tight this month, i've been using things i have around the house. its the reason for the sporadic build.
using the same thin brass, i wrapped a piece of dowel. drilled through the clamp and mast and pinned it all together. i soildered a small piece on the underside also. (for extra support)

i used another brass sleeve on the mast . (i noticed in your pic's the brass was eating up the mast.)

i'm not sure what this is called, but it was an easy build. 4 holes in some brass flat and a bent piece of brass dowel. the 2 pieces are soildered from the underside. i did however leave an extra 1/2" of wire on the underside of the flat. there epoxied right into my boat hull for extra strentgh.

i did find some smaller screws. i ended up laminating a veneer strip to the top of the boat (to hide the old/filled screwholes for the mast.) to be honest i think its a nice touch.

i made the slide for my keel out of an old plant hanging bracket. (dollor store) i juct cut out a section with my dremel. its hardened steel and powdercoated black. 5 screws hold it to the hull.
hull got a coat of paint. (red white and gold) oh i almost forgot, the balck of the boat was covered in veneer.(even though i painted over top of most of it. all the string on the boat is makeshift.. its nylon and its horrible. i have to locate something different. any suggestions on string/cord?

the build hasn't been without its problems. i painted it 3 seperate times (paint bled real bad) each time i sanded it back to bare wood.
that stupid clamp i made for the mast, took 8 attemts at bending it around the wood dowel before i got it right.

the builds coming along. i have to say, i cant wait to try and make a rc footy with a 4' sail.

icyuod2

i'm back.

the rudder was an easy build. its 1/4" ply. zipped it up with the jig saw (it should be obvious by now, i dont have alot of tools.) its connected to the boat with 2 small eyes and a hollow brass tube. (to keep weight down) its not complete.


i still have to pin the brass straps (bent pieces of brass) to both the brass tube and ply. i have the drill bits i used holding it inplace. i'm not sure what the small brass piece is ontop of the tube. i found it in my junk dresser. it fit the rod so i used it. theres a small hole drilled through it and the tube.the brass wire is my spring, that will allow you to set the rudder in one of 5 fixed positions.
i gave it a coat of paint, but i'm not happy with it(bled under the tape.) anybody know a good tape for masking? i'm currently using the green masking tape, but it sucks!

now the next part of the build was pure luck.
i had to replace a lock on my front door. while at the hardware store, i saw this brass safty latch. its made for a very effective easy to build sliding keel. i just had to screw it in place and cut it alittle shorter. the pieces are held on the keel with 2" #4 screws and the bopat with 1"#4 screws. the lock also had a bent piece of steel between the 2 pieces to prevent it moving in the package. i left it inplace and it keeps the keel from sliding. it requires a fair amount of force to move the keel. i'm yet to add the stop screws.



so i guess its back to mast building for me.

btw, i was starting to worry about weight. i dont have all the sails, masts or counter weight. i dropped it into the tub to see what shape i was it, and theres wstill lots of bouyancey. i have to push down with 3-5ish lbs of force to flood the deck.

IanHB

Hey man you are doing so well and working very quickly.
I have found another couple of photo`s which may be of interest to you.
The craft shown in these photos is owned by Jack Woodward a wonderful craftsman who used to live in Sydney Australia and had a workshop where he built and repaired older wooden model yachts.
I have included a picture of part of his workshop.

icyuod2

with any "test" project theres always a little back tracking/revisions.


the spring on my rudder was snagging the rigging. i changed it just aittle.

i also cut down the brass slide lock and added a set screw.

i also desided to go with bigger screws. its the reason the brass spacers showed up in the bottom of the boat. the wood was to thin for the larger screws.
i'm outta brass, and dont have the steel for the counter weight. again i'm skipping forward to work on things i do have the materials for.
a quick pine stand cut with my jigsaw, and the sails.

keeping with the affordable build theme, i used an old pair of cotton drapes. i didnt pull them off the window, these found there way to my "rags" box months ago.
i dont like telling people i sew. its just not congruent to my long haired, bad ***** persona.
but yes i broke out the sewing machine.
the main shape of the sails are made from single pieces. i hemmed all the edges. (even go the lingo down.lol) to hold the dowel in the sails, i cut off the hem of the drapes. folding the cut under the hem, i stitched them in top and bottom. with the dowel slid into place, i sealed em up.


the sails are stitched to the mask with waxed kitgut (commonly referred to as catgut)



i figured i'd coat the sails in scotchguard or silicone spray for dry suits. i figured it would help extend the life of the cotton. who knows it might also make for a better sail.

now the rigging is confusing the heck out of me. every picture is set up differently. there not just little differences.
back to finding more pic's

thanks agian for the pic's ian. they have been key in this build.
well back at it. i'll keep ya posted.

oinkitt

I have made a number of the boats - if you require and info please contact me.
A number of things you have done are not correct

narwhal

Hi
I'd like to see pictures of your boats, I agree the one shown is all wrong, he should read Stephen Crewes book 'Sydney Harbour Model Racing Skiffs' they are period boats and not amenable to modern interpretations. I have just finished a 2 footer and would be happy to share the pictures and build details with anyone interested. It sails beautifully, and will be on show at the Wooden Boat festival in Hobart - February 6,7,8.2009
The Narwhal[img][/img][img][/img]

oinkitt

Hi - I have sent you a PM with my email address

Trakka

IANHB spoke earlier of Jack Woodward.

Jack has relocated down to Hobart way in Tasmania.

Don't know contact details but no doubt you'll find him at the wooden boat festival(s).

Cheers,

Andrew

susquach

My Feedback: (1)

Neat thread!!! And thanks to all who take the time and effort to post great photos. They are an enormous help.

BTW, regarding the masking tape "bleed under" that was asked about....the solution is simple and inexpensive. Tack down a length of Scotch brand masking tape to an appropriately sized piece of glass or plexiglass. With a straightedge (can be just a piece of hardware store aluminum or steel) strip the edge with a sharp razor blade. The resulting new edge will be perfect for creating a SHARP edge to your paintwork. You can use the method for masking curves by simply stripping out 1/8", 1/16"...whatever...width tape. It's a bunch cheaper than tapes sold by body shop suppliers. For an even finer edge (as in microscopic) use a good quality electrical masking tape, spray the edges with clear to seal before final painting. In short, Scotch makes really good masking tape, but does a sorry job of cutting the tapes edges. Hope this helps you improve the looks of your paintwork.