Build Log first sailboat build - footy Razor

Footy Class General Discussion (Footy)
21

Ok, so the rudder arm is too close to the transom. I can’t put the servo at the rear (too tall), so what options here?

Remove the rudder and move it? Don’t like that idea too much, but it may be the best option.

Start over - really don’t want to do that, but I’m sort of picky about stuff, so that is an option too.

Put the servo midships and use a double servo arm like this poor drawing below. I think it will work, but probably too much play in it, although kevlar doesn’t stretch much.

Feel free to give me ideas here…

22

Use a whiptaff (see, among other things) thread on this site.

:zbeer:

23

Wel I decided to take apart the rudder and fill the hole in the hull. I went with the rudder mounted on the outside of the transom. (see photo).

And… I got the keel done! I used an 8 oz. Torpedo sinker and cut it lengthwise with a contractor’s style razor blade and a hammer. It cut like butter. Then I used 1/8" balsa for the center piece and epoxied the sinker to it. I used 2 pieces of 1/16" balsa sandwiched over the 1/8" balsa and other than final sanding, it’s ready to be fit into the hull…

The keel & bulb together weigh in at 216g and the empty hull as is right now weighs in at 24g.

24

lay the servo on its side with the control horn pointing straight up when the rudder is amid ships.

on my v-12 I put two wooden blocks on either side of the servo with a screw eye in each block and then used a rubber band hooked in the screw eyes to hold the servo down.

Its light, and easy for low stress applications.

other wise you’ll have to put the servos in the middle of the boat were they have the most clearance.

Are you using the standard servo’s I sent? if so you want to consider the mini servo’s for a future upgrade

25

Hi Justin

It is 2 late now as you moved the rudder, but an “L” shaped rudder arm might have worked. It does have some non-linear action as the rudder angle increases, the rudder angle changes less per degree of servo rotation.

Ideally, you would like reduced sensitivity when rudder is at zero angle. It gives finer control when sailing straight. Spektrum like controllers have features to reduced sensitivity when sailing straight.

26

Ok, I put in the eel & bulb. Then I built a new rudder, same method, a 1/8" piece of Balsa, cut out a path for the rudder wire in the balsa & epoxied it in. Sandwiched with 1/16" balsa. Put the Rudder on and the linkage arm is in place. I put in the servo trays and built up the servo linkage for the rudder. It works! About 45 degrees of throw each way.

I took that stuff out and put on coat(s) of paint. The main color is tan, the accent will be red. ($1 per can Wal-Mart special). While the paint is curing for a few days, I will work on the sail and mast box…

Starting to get there. If I’m lucky, I will sail it before the holidays!

27

Justin, You appear to have both the bulb and the rudder on back to front.:smiley:
Or am I missing something…:confused:
Best wishes.

28

Been that way since the stroke… bass ackwards… :irked: Well, chalk it up for trial & error… I think I might stick to photography… :wink:

But I think I will put this project in the file cabinet for a while… The circular file cabinet…:lol:

29

Justin,

Don’t do it!
Your razor has never read a book on hydrodynamics - it does’t know the difference! I suggest you complete and try it!

The rudder you can loosen the tiller and turn it round, and there is really no actual need to worry about the bulb - its basically a weight, its there in the right place and working as a weight:D

At the speeds footys travel the changes in drag resulting from different shapes of bulb are almost certainly minimal - lots of respected boats sail well with a more-or-less lump at the bottom of the fin.

Go for it!
andrew

30

Justin, it does not matter mate.
As pointed out, at our speeds the rules dont necessarily apply. Turn the rudder around just because it will be hard on the servo with that much up front.:scared: Dont chuck it, sail it.
Your next one will be a winner. :graduate:

31

Guys, I’m not chunking it… yet…

I am thinking about it. I’m not really worried about the keel. The rudder thing is the problem. I really don’t like the looks of the rudder hanging way out the back. Just looks too hokey to me, so I will figure out something…

I am gathering my thoughts for a post on all of this later…

32

Really, this has been a learning experience. Any time you learn, you shouldn’t be too upset. Not learning anything would be upsetting.

First of all, I would recommend for any first timer, with no knowledge, to buy a good “Kit” boat or “RTR” boat, unless they have extensive modeling experience and some good tools. Part of the problem has been having no tools and the rest is no experience. Just looking at photos doesn’t work for me. I haven’t grasped the theory behind the build, by looking at photos.

I believe that a model kit, with bulkheads/frames would have been easier. The Razor was actually hard to do. Gluing five pieces of wood together and getting it to come out without warping, twisting, etc. was really difficult for me, especially with no dimensions or drawings showing the actual contours. I might have done better with a hard chine hull by having a few frames to glue around.

I really stopped and looked at the thing last night. First of all, the bow has a real twist in it, so that means the whole boat has a twist in it. The keel is not true, but because of the initial twist in the hull, the keel will never be true. As it is right now, it would probably go in circles well, but it will never run true.

I think that if I had built a model with frames on a base, the boat might have been truer to form with less warping and I think that if I had used better sense, I would have realized that a kit would have been better for a first time build. A kit with plans, instructions and all the parts pre-cut probably would have been a better idea. Hindsight is 20/20………

As I say, I have learned much, some of it good, some not. Everyone is different and I see many of you are good builders. I see some excellent models here. I see some of you aren’t good builders, but you accept what you have and make do with them. I see some of you have the knack for taking a little of this and that and making it work and work well. I fit into a different category. One of the 2%.:wink:

It all started because I was convinced that I could build one cheaper than I could buy one……. Well, that’s another fallacy. It has turned out to be more expensive than a Victor V-12, or some of the other boat kits out there. When all is said and done, since I bought all the wood, glues, carbon fiber, tools, etc., it’s been more expensive than a kit.

If I continue in modeling and I hope to, I will buy a kit first and make that. Then I might try making one from scratch sometime, but not unless I can come up with detailed plans and instructions for it…… The idea of making a toy without knowing anything in advance can happen, but the idea of making a very good, realistic, working model from scratch, without any prior knowledge is just wishing and not very sensible. The best stuff I see out here is from people who know how to sail and understand what it takes, before they go out and make a model……

I will finish this boat, to see it through. Just the way it is, without making changes and let it go at that.

I have digressed from the theme of this build log.
[FONT=Arial]My apologies for that. [/FONT]

33

Sail is made, needs adjustments…

34

Justin - I can’t say that boat building ever gets easy. The more experienced you are the more ambitious your building goals become. But take heart in that there is a progression of knowledge and skill, and the more boats that you build the better your results will be. You will undoubtedly make mistakes, they will just become more expert ones but still bother you none-the-less, perhaps more than others would notice. That will lead you to build the next one.

Sail the one you’ve built, you will probably find that it isn’t half bad. Work from your list of things you can improve upon. If you feel bulkheads would help then make some cardboard templates of the boat you just built in the locations you want the bulkheads. If they are skewed then true them up. Remember to reduce them to account for the skin thickness of your panels. Then try to build another Razor with the bulkheads. You will discover other construction anomalies that you had not anticipated, but that is boatbuilding! Welcome aboard.

35

Justin,

Don’t despair, my “Cobra” was also warped & twisted, and to make it worse, I cracked one of the side panels trying to fit a temporary frame in it while building the deck frame. I was able to pull much of the twist out when I added double side panels to the inside, by clamping it on a flat surface before the glue on the added panels dried. I was tempted to crumble it into kindling several times, but was able to resist the urge, and actually have finished it and raced it in two regattas. No, it didn’t finish in the top 3 places (actually it was more like 5th in one regatta and probably worse in the other), but I was pleased with the fact that it finished at all, since several others didn’t, and the boat sailed better in the second regatta than it did in the first. You can probably pull most of the twist out if you can think of a way to clamp it straight when you put the deck on. As it is, my own boat is 3/8" wider on one side than the other, but since no one else has noticed, up to now I’m the only one that knows! Ooops! I guess the cat’s out of the bag now! I do think building a hull on a strongback board makes it easier to get things square & true.

A good builder is one that can correct his mistakes better than a mediocre one.

Regards,
Bill

36

I made a new rudder. Hope it’s better… Installed the servos, rudder linkage, batteries, receiver and the mast box today…

The mast box has holes for 2 different sized masts. I made the first sail as close to the MacRig that I could. I also made a second one with a little bit stiffer rods to see what it does… I mean, by now this first boat is all just a learning curve, so I might as well play with it…

Next is the deck and cover for the components…

Hopefully I will get it done by the end of next week…

Do I need to bring the antennae out of the hull with a tube, to get reception better?

37

hey those electronics look familair…:slight_smile:

how are going to handle the thru-deck for the rudder linkage…it looks like its above the deck

and you might need a longer servo arm for the sheets…although if you have a Mc rig i guess not…

38

Churchill, as is well known, loved to paint in oils. In 1948 he published a little book entitled “Painting as a Pastime” in which he gave a marvelous bit of advice to people who pick up an interest at or near retirement:

                "...if...you are inclined -- late in life though it be -- to reconnoitre a foreign sphere of limitless extent, then be persuaded that the first quality that is needed is Audacity. There really is no time for the deliberate approach....We must not be too ambitious. We cannot aspire to masterpieces. We may content ourselves with a joy ride ... and for this Audacity is the only ticket."

Or, in the words of Samuel Beckett:

“Try. Fail. Try again. Fail again. Fail better.”

I often think that in future centuries some archaeologist is going to dig up the Albuquerque landfill and wonder what in the world all these little boats were for :slight_smile:

Cheers,

Earl

39

Hey, those electronics Are familliar:D

The linkage will come thru the deck. I have cut an opening for it. I don’t know how I will cover it yet.

I’m going to use a sheet system like this, From the thread: http://www.rcsailing.net/forum1/showthread.php?t=4740

I already set it up on a board and used the components like a jig, to see how it would work. It’s just the right throw to let the sail out a little past 90 degrees and draw it back in with no slack… Got to get lucky sometime… Only my sheet will go under the deck and come out just before the anchor point on top of the deck…

Thanks marc;)

40

Or as they say down here in TX Make 'er work, Git 'er Done!!

Thanks, Earl;)