Caloo, CalAA, Oh Frabjous Day!

Footy Class General Discussion (Footy)
1

He chortled in his Joy.

Well I may be over-reacting a bit; you have told me millions of times not to exaggerate:D

I’m happy that the AA rule has gone. There was nothing wrong with the firm intent of it - to make Footying widely available in the world so that no-one was excluded by poverty or unavailability of batteries.

I believe that I am the single person most affected by the rule:confused:
I have built two Footys which are sized exactly and specifically to fit AA cells, ZBF and Sloice. On hearing about the decision of assembled Footy voters I rejoiced and immediately finished Sloice (pics attached If I can winkle them out of the camera)


Sloice with “bustles” fitted and rough carved. The Hull is the Balsa meat in the sandwich which has a “sanderson slot” to allow nearinfinite adjustment of the mast and keel position


Not TOO wide


Borrowed sail; mast needs to be further forward:D

Exactly a year ago I wrote a screed about the options for powering Footys, and have just re-read it to see if it might help now with information about the options - attached.

There is no crying need to change away from AA cells for the current generation of boats - I would strongly suggest dropping to three primary cells (Energiser Lithium or duracells) to reduce weight.

My view of the likely effects of the rule change?
Short term: People will fit lighter batteries in their boats - possibly 4AAAs , 3AAs or one LI-po or Li-ion cell. Boats will float higher, bob more and may sail a little better. The option of replacing the weight saved in the bulb will slightly improve stiffness and buld ratio, making a slightly better Footy

Medium term (1 to 3 years)
Boats developed to suit new rules - which effectively mean that batteries, like servos before them become VERY small limitations in design or stowage.
I do not expect anyone (except possibly myself) to use single 100MAH lipo cells (0ne gram; smaller than a stamp) and change them for each race:D:D

Long term
Footys will be able to develop in the sleeker, mini-marblehead direction
Wide, Chumbly, footys will continue to exist (some with AAs in) and compete and win

And you, what do you think?
andrew

2

Andrew - thank you very much for that. I know that a great many people are concerned about the implications og high-tech batteries for a variety of reasons - many of which are out of date.

An up-to-date analysis by someone who obviously has tremendous knowledge of the subject can only be to the good!

:zbeer::zbeer::graduate:

3

Here are some thoughts:

  1. It is not likely that single heat battery packs will be widely used in the local racing that predominates the majority of model yacht sailing. More likely the use of this type of battery system would be used at regional, national, or international events by top tier competitors. The use of these batteries could be discouraged through the sailing instructions for an event. Here in the US racing runs more or less continuously and holds are granted only for repairs (sometimes with a strict limit of one hold per every six races). With this practice clearly outlined in the sailing instructions, i.e., not allowing any time between the last boat finishing and the start of the next heat, the time to bring a boat in, change batteries, and relaunch is minimal. To ensure that one had enough time to swap the batteries out and put new ones in (along with whatever other tasks had to be attended to) one would have to place in the front of the fleet consistently in each heat. Failing to do so, and having to sail on the same battery, would mean risking running out of power during the next heat.
  2. One offsetting factor would be the necessity to swap batteries in and out quickly. So the simple, lightweight sticky-back hatch covering would have to be replaced with a hatch cover that could be removed and resealed, which would negate some of the weight savings of using ultra-light batteries.
  3. Swapping very small batteries between heats is not easy, particularly in inclement conditions. When the weather is cold and damp and your fingers are somewhat numb, when the wind is blowing pretty hard making holding the boat still difficult, when the pressure is on because the last boats are about to finish the heat so you have no more time to fiddle with anything, can you change the batteries? This is the scenario that I design all the inter-dependent components in my boats to function in, because not to do so means that you are unprepared. The fewer things that you have to concentrate on the more attention you can devote to racing strategy and tactics.
4

To return the complement, nice one Neil!
:zbeer::zbeer::graduate: and NO :devil3: (for once)!

5

I love the stand Andrew, very Pythonesque.

6

Graham, has Andrew sold you that parrot yet?

7

He did; it’s a Norwegian blue, and very good at sitting.:smiley:

Neil
My comment about changing cells at each race was lightly intended - I have about 10 110mah fullriver Lipos but would not use them to drive 2 servos. But if I did I would leave them on deck with a velcro patch or use bahoma fittings (Two micro-magnets which attach the battery and also are the terminals)

We also run several races betrween pauses in the UK, and I agree completely about the need to eliminate things which need checking

andrew

8

Andrew… about this parrot…

and the foot… I keep hearing raspberries whenever I look at it.

9

Hi Andrew - I would be reticent to put LiPos in my hull where they could get wet, short out and perhaps self ignite. But putting them on deck would scare the be-jesus out of me. Not so much for the loss of the boat as for the unholy toxic mess in the pond and the embarrassment.

10

Neil,

Again, I was not really proposing to do that, but can’t see any reason not to:

Water,even salt water cannot short them out - there is only 4volts per cell pushing, and the resistivity of the water is so high that no significant current can pass

Lipos are sealed in an envelope, and the recommended method of safe disposal is to puncture the envelope and immerse in water, preferably salt. Can’t quite see where the toxic mess comes in. The speed boaties use them by the kilogramme, occasionally sink and I have never heard of any problem from their use.

Not (really not) looking for a worrying discussion of how Li batteries are going to end the world:D
andrew