I’m not new to R/C, or sailing, or even buidling ‘R/C’ for that matter. But am very new to building RC sailboats! So, with that, I’m gonna have a few questions!
I used to sail; racing… Dingies mainly (Lasers, ALbacore, Fireball), so i know all about that… I build & fly R/C planes, and have dabbled with R/C cars… So, I’m good with building, and the R/C stuff.
And, I finally got my Victor models 24" blackhawk finished! Now, I’m all set for the summer!
And, I was surfing lookign for other ‘r/c sailboats’ stuff, and I stumbled across these ‘Footie’ things.
Next thing I know, I have the Papaya, the Cobra, and the Razor plans all printed up. And with a few sheets of Balsa from my ‘plane stash’, I now have the hulls in assembly.
Thanks to Bill Hagerup for the posts, and insteration to get started on this!!
I have a Papaya hull, and I built it mostly of pieces of balsa joined together to make the panels. Now is the hard part- figuringout where to mount the servos and radio and battery pack. Making the keel will not be too hard after I find the table saw. then make a rudder and mount everything, glur it together, seal everything, paint, add a deck and the rig.
It seems to me that you have all the correct credentials. I too started much where you are now, that was two years ago. You will find these are addictive little suckers. It wouldn’t surprise me if you build all three. (I would leave the Razor till last. Bills Cobra is a superior design.) Anyone who has raced with me will tell you about “Gary’s boat box” which contains at least three if not more designs at any one time. A backup boat means that you don’t travel a good distance & become a spectator. I like to play.
Last weekend I, & others, competed for “Fred’s big Toephy” here in the UK. I used, initially, the boat that won me the Euro Grand Prix. David Wilkinson turned up with his new “Papaya” for it’s maiden voyage & kicked my but, which was a little embarrassing. So, I think you are on to a winner there. Check out the racing tab on the footy web site for details & pictures.
If I was to give you any advice it would be to spend a lot of time looking at what is already out there, steal all the ideas you like the most, (this is the only place on the planet where plagiarism is not a crime) then find a way to make these ideas SIMPLER. The simpler your boat is the less likely it is to go wrong, & the quicker & easier it is to fix when it does. There is not a lot of time between races. Secondly, the forces exerted on a footy are TINY. Only make it as strong as it needs to be. It is very easy to over engineer these little craft. Most of my boats are built from 1/64th ply & balsa. 30 –50 grams finished before ballast, radio, etc.
That should be enough to get you started. This is the best place to get the gen, just ask. Most important, HAVE FUN.
yes, the Papaya & Razor are moving ahead… Albeit, lowly (school & work must come first!) The shop is covered in dust from Mr. belt sander meeting daggerboards & rudders…
I have one 0.23" kite spar, and another to be purchased probably tonight. Need to make up the fin boxes & mast steps…
Servos selected (from the assortment!)
And I dread what the sail will look like. I have a friend who’s a quilting nut… So, I’ll probably have 3 sail sets: One ‘A’ rig, one ‘B’ rig, and one ‘Breezy Sunday afternoon’ one!
