Our only Footy is sailed by a guy who was having major issues controlling it. Basically, he was giving it too much rudder. Be that as it may (and he wasn’t really listening to me - something I’m used to) I suggested using a Phil Bolger concept (full-scale plywood boat designer - if you wanna be intrigued, check him out on the Web…vool boats) and adding a tip plate to the rudder. It worked! More control, probably at the expense of more drag - but the Footy owner was happier.
There is nothing - absolutely nothing - half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats. Kenneth Graeme, Wind in the Willows.
Thinking on rules etc for our comp.
Not sure if it should be here or be done elsewhere on the web…
Cheers
Brett
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Hi Brett -
seems most “action” is here (unless there is a forum site I am unaware of) and would be a nice place to start. After all - the MultiONE got it’s start here so why not your idea?
Fewer rules are better if development class, and with so many already built, a one design may be out of the question - although it is a far cry from scraping out an “illegal” “M” Class or IOM ![:D]
Resist temptation to add just one more rule.
Length, draft, sail area/or mast height, overhangs, may be all you need.
That way we can add canting keel, spinnaker and moving ballast with foils ! [8] [:-idea]
Thanks, Larry! I was trying to figure out how to convince my friend, Ned, to build a footy. Looks like you’ve given me the answer, 'cause his darn J boat rolls away in the slightest breeze. A footy is the perfect solution…Bill
<blockquote id=“quote”><font size=“1” face=“Verdana, Arial, Helvetica” id=“quote”>quote:<hr height=“1” noshade id=“quote”>Originally posted by Larry Ludwig
They are also handy to keep your boat from rolling away on it’s stand. [:D] www.LudwigRCYachts.com
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Don’t tell Korsgard - or those will be the next landyacht idea ! [:D]
You could pull a BUICK with one… heheheh I had a battery come unplugged with Endeavour, and had to row out after it… I held it while my partner steered with an oar and we came back doing about 7 kts… Endeavour, the rowboat and both of us laughing our @$$ off. [:D]
Some notes from my e mail friend Richard from the Southwater club in the UK for those of you considering designing/building/sailing fooys etc.
I notice that the forum has really sprung into action lately with a number of new boats and a lot of design discussion. As you know we have been sailing and racing Footy?s for quite a while here at Southwater in a wide range of wind and water conditions. Forum members may find the following of interest:
? The concept is extremely practical and has produced a cheap boat capable of operating in most weather conditions.
? It is fun to race or just sail. People at the lakeside are quite intrigued that such a small boat can go so well and are always asking where they can buy one - ready to sail of course!
? Racing on small courses is easy to setup and run. The only rule is to avoid contact wherever possible ? it seems to work.
? Skippers who would be intimidated by formal IOM racing are happy to Footy race.
? As is the case with all yacht racing, the best skippers tend to win more often than not. However, all enjoy the close up action.
? Most of our boats are Brett?s Bobalong design. Easy to build and guaranteed to sail if care is taken. If instant success is the requirement, go no further. Standard radio gear is easily accommodated with this design.
? Other designs have been developed, but speed differences are small. Better handling is probably their main advantage.
? The boats are powerful upwind in a blow, but have a marked tendency to dive going downwind in the same conditions. Long keels and big rudders all make this worse by contributing to unwanted drag. The standard Bobalong keel length and ballast bulb is a good compromise, as is the rudder size.
? The boats will tend to leeward when attempting to beat in very light airs. Build up boat speed on a close reach first before heading up and sail with a soft touch to preserve speed and heading.
? The most critical area and one not much aired on the forum, is rig/sail design and build. Here lies the difference between success and total failure.
? The rig must be very free and the sails capable of moving easily from tack to tack. A light carbon mast and carbon rod forestay will help as will light free running sheets and sail ties.
? Sail material must be light, but stable.
? A slightly higher aspect ratio rig on the Bobalong with the same area will give an improved performance in most conditions, and in light airs can make all the difference between sailing or not.
? The boat needs to be well engineered in all areas. These small boats cannot tolerate mechanical problems of any sort if a good performance is expected. Drag reduction everywhere is also a must if you want to be able to sail in the widest possible weather range.
So, no surprises ? just attention to a lot of detailed points in the design and build process, the same for any racing yacht in fact. However, because the boat is so small the need for good sails cannot be over-emphasised. If I had to point to one make or break item, the sail/rig combination would be it.
Surprisingly, all what was said above, is also said on another German forum, the MicroMagic one!
A small 50cm boat, now being built [;)]…
it seems that the “small” boats are a growing class!! all over the world!
There seems to be lots of interest in the Footy. With this in mind, I was wondering just how many people have actually built one?
This seems like a really successful grass-roots phenomenon by all the talk, but I’m curious how many are on the water these days.
It is winter in the USA so most of us are looking at frozen lakes, mine is waiting for the ice to melt then it will sailing, it will come out to an AUW of 14oz.
It does sail great in my bath tub though
Hey, Vinny, have ya tried changing the fan speed to see how she’ll do in different wind conditions? [:-idea]
My bathtub isn’t quite wide enough to tack properly on the upwind leg, so I may have to convince my wife that we need to extend the deck and install a family-sized hot tub for next winter. [:D]
[:-clover] I have to join the brag line please please.
Here are some photos of my effort. No lead fitted yet and the fin is not cut to the correct length either.
[:-baseball]
Your boat looks really neat, Ian. How about more info on design and build techniques?
It’s great to see the wide variety of designs we’re getting here. Based on Richard’s comments, I’m hoping that because these boats are so small, hull design isn’t a major performance factor. If that turns out to be true, we won’t have to all move to similar designs in order to have a winning boat.
I’ve attached a couple pics of my comp entry in progress. It was designed in Hullform, targeted displacement is 600 grams, plug was laminated from 1/4" MDF. It’s almost ready to make the mold. The idea is to make a sort of semi-scale MiniTransat 6.5.
Rob Amaral, who sails with Rick Moynahan, sent me these pics of his beautiful footy a while ago. Since he hasn’t posted here, I decided to share them with the group on his behalf. He designed “Sneaker” in Hullform, then built her out of balsa, covered with a layer of glass. I think you’ll be impressed…Bill
Let’s have some fun!
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