Kurt, Hate to say this, but at 8 oz for the bare hull, that is way too heavy. My last boat was 3 oz and I thought that was about 50% overweight for a bare hull/deck. I would like to be about 2 oz for a all up hull and deck. then add radio, rig and bulb/fin.
So I’m only 5 oz. heavy
I can deal with that, not a serious RG competitor (yet).
But honestly, for a built up wood boat and my first foray into
the class I think think its not that big a deal.
Kurt
I will try and address all of the replies since my last post.
With regards the “buttons”, they were what I had on-hand and I needed something to easily open and close the hatches. If they interfere with the lines, I will replace with something that does not impede the function of the sails.
With regards to access, I agree that access to the interior is important. I think if you look at how I have laid out the electronics and the access hatches, I can get to interior whether pond-side or in the shop. I also think that if you laid out the components as Brian designed, and use the removable covering over the open bays, you can access all of the electronics as well.
With regards to finishing, I am currently thinking about several light coats of urethane. I may use a stain to bring out the wood, that is if I can keep the glue off the exterior. I may paint the bulb and keel as the lead needs to be sealed and paint is a better option than urethane.
I have not weighed the boat, as I am not so concerned about saving grams. I have been judicious in my use of glue, but I accept that this is a built-up wood kit and will not come close to a glass slipper in weight.
My boat is a prototype, the same as Kurt’s, so I made a few modifications to the kit. I did have to change some of he panel pieces for fit and finish. And I chose to make access hatches, which was a personal preference and not a necessity.
I have the rudder assembled, just need to do some sanding. It seems to line up well will the hull. I will post pictures after I put the keel together.
Scott
Scott - you might be surprised that wood can be competitive weight with glass and maybe even some carbon boats. Keep in mind you are using “nature’s composites” and wood grain provides its own structural benefits, whereas glass needs several layers plus resin.
Regards, Dick
I have built a few boats. The glass ones were all overweight by a hundred grams or so(IOM). Then on the last one I decided to float the plug to determine where the fin and mast should go. The plug was 1/8" red cedar planks. I built all the interior parts and the deck with 1/8" ply(doorskins). I basically just threw it together. I waterproofed it with lavish coats of varathane. The boat turned out 120 grams underweight. Fiberglass and resin are heavy. They are still the way to go for many reasons but just because a boat is wooden doesn’t mean it has to be heavy.
Don
Kurt,
You are right on track…the sailing weight of the boat should be between 1000-1100 grams. That is the design displacement so no need to worry. My hulls are coming out about the same…maybe a tad lighter.
Brian
A lot has happened since I last posted way back in early May. The boat hull sat idle for some time as I assembled the rudder and keel and added the extensions to cradle. This process was moving slowly, but then got turbocharged in order to have the boat ready for the regatta in Richmond Virginia on 4 June. Unfortunately, I did not capture the building process during this frenzy, so I will I will try to recount the steps it took to complete the build in order to put a bow on this build log.
For the keel, I assembled the two halves around the supplied carbon tube, which created a nice airfoil shape. The tube extended about three-quarters of an inch from the bottom of the keel. I inserted the extension into a hole I had drilled into the assembled lead bulb and then used epoxy to join the bulb to the keel. The kit includes a bolt for the keel so that it can be removed for ease of transport; however, I chose to epoxy the keel in permanently–simply a preference of mine. The rudder was assemble in the same manner as the keel, except that the carbon tube extended from the top of the rudder in order to pass through the hull and be attached to a quarter-scale servo control horn.
I finish sanded the boat and prepared it for painting. I choose to use a Poly Shade stain and polyurethane all-in-one product in a Pecan finish. I put on three coats urethane. Overall impression is “not bad”, but you can tell it was done in a rush (the week before the regatta). I painted the bulb black using a Krylon rattle can.
Between finish coats, I put together the mast and boom assemblies. The kit comes with a fractional Sloop rig with all of the hardware for the vang and rigging.
Once the hull was dry, I quickly added the deck hardware and got the running rigging in order. I hooked up the rudder as a pull-pull, using small fish hooks for attachment to the servo horns.
The night before the regatta I added the bumper with some epoxy and roughly shaped it to match the hull. At this point, the boat was fully assembled (I hesitate to say complete because there still was and is some work to be done).
So, how did it sail?
The boat had never seen water until the day of the regatta; I had no idea if it was watertight or if it would sail. I arrived early to the lake for a water trial. It floated! It sat right on the expected waterline! And, no water intrusion! Now for the sailing…
At first the boat was way out of tune. During the rush of the final assembly, I had made the jib boom too short for a topping lift and I had placed the jib deck attachment point to close to the main. As a result, the jib sail shape was off and the slot was not easily maintained. Additionally, the bumper was not faired cleanly to the hull sides. Most of my finishes prior to lunch were near the back of the fleet. Not all of the blame can go to the boat–I am sure the skipper had some influence on the results as well.
During lunch, I moved the jib attachment point forward and put on a topping lift. I was able to set the sail shape and get a better slot and get the main an jib working together. For most of the races after lunch I was able to finish in the top third–remember, I was sill at the helm. The boat held it’s own against Rangers, JIFs, a Viperfish, and a Blue Splash.
In summary, with a little more work the boat will be in good sailing shape. It weighs in at 1100g–the top end of what is planned, but not too shabby. The hatches I added remained watertight and the ‘buttons’ did not interfere with the control lines. The boat received plenty of complements on its appearance!
I currently have the sails off the boat in order to put a new jib on and to permanently affix sail numbers and logo.
I want to thank Brian Simms for offering a product that any skipper would be proud to build and sail. Also, I want to thank Brian for his after purchase support–anytime I contacted him, he responded with helpful advice and encouragement. Thanks to all the followers of this build log and to those who commented and encouraged me; hopefully you found something useful in the posts–even if it was just humor.
Scott
Nice looking build. What was your bulb weight?
Scott.
Your boat looks great and I’m glad to hear that it is competitive as well.
Did you glass your keel? and if so did you stain the wood first?
Would be nice to see some on the water pictures 
Kurt
I’ll look through my photos from the regatta and see if we have any on the water shots…
Kurt,
Hopefully Marc has a picture or two of the boat on the water…one of the members of the Richmond club took some pictures, but they are long distance or my boat is obscured. I will try and get some photos during out next club outing. I did not glass the keel, but I would suggest doing so; it has a good deal of flex/twist without glass–it did not seem to hamper the performance though. If you are rubbing on stain, I suggest staining first, then laying the glass. The glass can be applied with clear polyurethane The natural or stained wood is a perfect finishing touch. Even with the rush job I did, the overall appearance is a head turner. You boat is looking great by the way!
With regards to the bulb, I did not weigh it before the assembly so I don’t have that data.
Scott
i got one of those bulbs. it is 584g
sorry scott no close ups…
I finally got a chance to take some pictures of the boat on the water. Craig Huzway prepared some clean looking numbers and logo for me–thanks Craig!
Scott
Hey Scott,
Looks Great!
Brian