CladioD.
I have moved the mast back a bit on my boat. The main is a bit smaller and the jib a bit bigger than the original boat.
//Lars
We tested the 12mR in the Swan pond today. She looked good in the water. Rudder works fine too. If I’m lucky the Carr sails will show up tomorrow. I can’t wait to test sail the boat.
Looking good!!
Do you have a colour scheme in mind or will she be staying white?
Cheers,
Row
For now she will stay white. I put an American flag on the deck. I’m posting some more pics.
Spent the morning installing the sails. Very windy right now. Will try to test sail later this afternoon.
Finally sailing!
Hi Larsli68,
Congratulations on a phenomenal achievement - she certainly looks fabulous!!
How does she perform / handle? Neutral, weather or lee helm? From the pictures it looks like fairly light wind but can you tell how she’s likely to handle higher wind strengths with a ‘full’ sail plan? Sorry, so many questions!!
From an aesthetic point of view I think her looks could be improved (if that’s possible!!) with the addition of a boot top stripe (thin line around the waterline) just to differentiate between the topsides & below the waterline - it’s a purely subjective opinion - and perhaps the inclusion of a cove line. Referencing your pictures again, I absolutely love the way she’s displacing the water - the perfectly defined bow & stern wave coupled with the mid-ships ‘hollow’. While modern designs have shown us that this is relatively inefficient (the movement of large volumes of water) I’ve always thought it demonstrates the ‘power’ of the hull & looks simply stunning!
All you need to do now is persuade a few friends to build scale 12m’s of the same size for some competitive match racing!
Regards,
Row
Hello Row,
No problem with questions. It’s fun to have someone interested in this project! I had to move the jib forward “2 clicks” about 6mm for her to balance. I sailed her again last night in heavier winds. She carries her sails beautifully.
I think 5-6m/s will be limit with this set of sails. I will post more pictures and hopefully also a video. My brother video filmed the boat last night. I’m thinking of painting the hull light blue, like the original, keep the below waterline and the deck white.
I was just very ready to sail her, therefore kept the paint scheme basic for now. I have also played around with the thought of a blue hull… because I have a can of dark blue two component paint at the house…
My next project will most likely be Australia II in scale 1:12. I will keep Columbia ready to sail and build a copy of this rig for Australia II. I will most likely build a one off next time. No mold, to keep the cost down a bit.
Here is a link to a couple of youtube movies showing her sail. My brother was nice enough to shoot some video when I sailed last weekend.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vHGIG_TVGLg
Building Australia II in scale 1:12. Thanks Claudio for the drawings!
Don’t mind at the contrary, glad to hear !
Good luck expecially with the Fin and Foil construction .
ClaudioD
Thanks Claudio,
I will do my best to make a very accurate keel design. I was 15 years old when Australia II won the Americas Cup. It has been a dream for a long time to build this boat.
Thanks again for your work with the drawings!
Planking has begun!
Larsli68,
You’re making good progress on what is, almost certainly, one of the most important yachts in America’s Cup history - John Bertrand will always be one of my yachting heroes!
I’ll try to catch up when time allows and I’ll definitely be interested to see how you deal with the ballast/fin construction.
Good luck with it,
Regards,
Row
Thanks Row,
He is for me too. I will definitely do my best to sculpt the keel and wings like the original. Right now I’m working on the bow. Shaping it from a solid balsa “lump”.
This picture is from last night.
Getting the bow to the correct shape was a lot more work than I had expected. The drawing plus pictures of the boat and the tank test model helped greatly.
Posting a couple of pictures of the soon to be ready for glass fiber “plug” of Australia II.
The hull got a layer of Epoxy tonight. I opted for a little bit thicker fiber glass after measuring the thickness of the planking. Tomorrow I will sand the hull and start shaping the keel.
I have a surprise method for making the keel. Check back tomorrow for more pictures.
Well, you’ve certainly got my attention, I’m intrigued by your ‘surprise method’…
Guess I’ll have to keep checking here to see what you’re up to!!
Regards,
Row
I didn’t get as far as I would have liked tonight. The center portion of the keel is made with a prototype machine in ABS plastic, from a 3D shape I created from Claudio´s drawing. I used SolidWorks to 3D model the main part of the keel. The front and rear part was too involving to model (I have not designed professionally since 2006). I’m hoping to start sculpting the wings this weekend. The keel is very rough at the moment…
Ok, impressive stuff, but, please forgive my ignorance, what’s a ‘prototype machine’? If I were to take a semi-educated guess I’d probably come up with 3D printer - is that the same sort of thing or is it entirely different?
Other than that, keep up the great work - I’m looking forward to seeing the sculpted wings. When you’re happy with the overall keel/ballast shape is it your intention to use it as a plug to then cast in lead?
I think I’ve now got 25mins of free time so am off to the ‘workshop’ to some much needed tidying & then rather a lot of head scratching is I try to work out what it is I’m supposed to be doing next!!
Cheers,
Row