Dick, Earl:
It´s all OK
In this class (thanks god!!!) we dont have Pandora´s box
:zbeer:
Just an informational post regarding Class sail numbering …
I have posted on the official US RG-65 website, my apologies for the “screw-up” and an alternative that I hope will be accepted by the registered members. :dunce:
Basically: the four members that I registered with different sail numbers will be “grandfathered” into the class with two sail numbers. (no one had more than two numbers assigned) All new members registering as of today (11/23/08) will be registered with one sail number regardless of the number of hulls they have. :graduate:
It is my hope the general members who have registered boats will accept this variance and we can resume assignments more in line with the “International” rules… I’ve asked for any dissenting votes. If you have a registered boat, and you DISAGREE with this suggested correction - please place your “NO” vote on the class website. :bag:
One possible answer to this problem would be to issue a single permanent sail number, to an individual skipper, for each class of boat he/she intends to campaign. Since sail numbers are only necessary during competitive events, they should only be issued to individuals seriously intending to compete. At event registration, each competing skipper would present the boat(s) he intends to campaign during that event, each bearing his individual sail numbers. Each entry would be issued an “event sticker” upon completion of inspection and registration.
I believe this would eliminate a whole lot of bookkeepping for AMYA staff, help identify skippers in photos of events by their individual sail numbers, eliminate the possibility of duplicate numbers on sold boats, and reduce the number of sail numbers issued to boats which never get finished or are never used in competition. When a boat is sold the skipper keeps any sail bearing his registered sail numbers unless the numbers can be effectively and completely removed without damage to the sail(s).
Richard Thaxton
AMYA #14705
Region 6 Assoc Dir.
US1M #325
Hi Richard -
It’s a great idea and unless I’m missing something (other than numbers already assigned), should work with reduced work. When I was secretary for the 18 Square Meter Catamaran Class, we used the last 3 numbers of our US Sailing membership number, and since it was International, the number was preceeded with the initials of the country. I’ve also seen a few classes where there are a lot of numbers, and the guys started using the initials for their home state - thus as example - you would be assigned CA 705 as your sail number.
Just an update - two of the four guys have agreed to “hand back” one of the assigned sail numbers - and I’m still waiting for the other two to let me know. Hopefully they will also agree and this will be a non-issue.
I’ll let “you” take that one to the Board - not too many there happy with me lately. :rolleyes: I’ve been reconsidering my desire for AMYA membership renewal by end of December.
With all those MicroMagics there, there must be a few skippers that wanted to make and sail something a little different. Thats a very attractive one-piece hull on your blog.
Until now, nobody found an anti-virus to RG65.
:):)
A possible antidote for the virus is feverish, over-the-winter building.
I had a touch of the virus, and it seems that symptoms go away while I was actively building. If I stop for any length of time, the symptoms of the virus seem to reappear. Of note, when one starts to feel the onset of the virus, reading and searching the internet for foums, blogs and links to the RG-65 also reduces it’s terrible effects on mind and body.
The antidote noted above is a rumor of course… nothing found in the Medical Journals. 
Hey - a great tongue-in-cheek way of introducing the class… post it as a possible health warning ! 
It’s been a bit, and I’m now on hull build #3 - which will be for my son-in-law.
The same design as previous - JIF65 - but with a little twist. The original design is easy to build to, and with all the flat surface panels - (2 sides, 2 bottoms and the deck) it goes together easily if care is taken cutting out the pieces.
While I have no problems with the flat deck, I acknowledge the ease in which it can become the “down elevator button” if the boat happens to “trip” down wind. So just thought I would experiment, and found I kind of liked the design change, and may go a bit more curvature for my own, Hull #4. After gluing up a strip fore-deck, (raised about 1/2 inch at rear of deck) I think my next one might be something with an inch or inch-and-a-half crown to it.
From the end of the fore-deck toward stern, I will drop back to a flat deck to make fitting of the hatch cover easier. I also will change the “method/process” of the deck build.
On this one, each 3/32 thick strip was individually cut and glued in place starting in the center and working out towards the gunwales. Next time I think I will layup all strips on a piece of glass and once it is wide enough, transfer it to the hull and put the bend /crown into the deck using tape to hold in place while epoxy cures at the time it is added to the hull. With the strips being so thin, it was difficult to edge glue them. If laid on glass, held in place by tape and epoxied, the epoxy would be able to be drawn into the seams but the top and bottom sides would not be in any kind of torsion, but would be flat against the glass. This in turn would eliminate a lot of careful sanding to get the deck smooth.
The photos you see below are of the deck after first coat of un-thinned, slow cure WEST System epoxy. It will get a second coat before I begin to scrape and sand to get all strips to be smooth and flush with their neighbor.
Depending on how well the scraping goes (I use sharp edge of freshly broken window glass as scraper) I may elect to add just one layer of thin glass. If it looks good after scraping/sanding then perhaps only a coat or two of gloss varnish. As requested by future owner, the remainder of the boat is scheduled to be black, with bright yellow trim.
In the photo from the stern, you can see the amount of crown of the deck. Pads on either side are for shroud attachments - keel trunk yet to be fitted.
Dick,
Are you gluing the strips for looks? Surely any 3/32 veneer/ply is going to easily go around that curve on one piece!
As you suggested, do as much of the work you can before gluing onto hull - put the finish on the outside of a one piece foredeck to final gloss, coat the underside with epoxy, and while still “softish” glue onto hull. This method means you are doing all the hard work of smoothing etc while able to place the foredeck on a hard flat surface. Heaps easier!
If you are after a strip planked look, again glue all together (adding strips of masking tape across each plank, and glue all together in one go, press down on a flat (glass?) surface to even the heights of the joints), and finish the top before gluing onto hull.
Trying to finish a very thin “unsupported” surface is very difficult (and usually heavier).
Jon
I made my plank deck much like Jon. I laid out the planks on a piece of window glass and put a strip of masking tape over each joint. Then I turned it over onto a concave surface which opens the joints a little. Apply a coat of resin and turn it back on to a waxed/plastic window glass. Put another piece of window or something heavy on it to flatten it. Let cure. Peel the tape off and sand until as thin as you dare. Then apply one lay of light glass(1 1/2 oz or so) on what will be the outside of the boat. Don’t peel it off the window til you’ve finished. With the glass on the outside it puts the wood in compression when you bend it so the wood won’t split. If you’re brave/foolhardy you can get a very thin deck that seems to be as durable as a glass deck.
Don
Don & Jon -
This one was glued up just as you would a strip hull … piece-by-piece over a couple of deck templates which are on top of the hull templates at the two front “stations”.
It is strictly for show - as first two hulls had flat balsa sheet decks. As I build each one, I try a few ideas - so when I get to my hull (#4) I will have decided on the idea, how easily it went together and if it added to the look/feel of the boat.
I tried a strip-build hull for the JIF design, but without strips along the gunwales and chine line - I quickly found great difficulty in edge gluing the strips where the sides met the bottom of the hull. Impossible to keep a straight line without some kind of backing.
What I intend to do - and it is mostly for 'Glitz & Glitter" - is to build my hull with 1/32 sheet balsa like the previous hulls. That will get me the shape needed for the design. THEN - I am looking at buying a sheet of veneer - something exotic - but not the burls or bird’s eye figured veneer. Brazilian rosewood has my first choice, with a stripe figured sycamore for deck. At least that was the idea - but now with the “looks” of the strips clear finished for deck, I am reconsidering the sycamore since the figured stripes would run across the width of the boat - and that won’t look too nice.
So at the moment, it looks like a reddish/brown side hull and bottom, some sort of light colored strip decking and I might even opt for a balsa laminated wood mast and boom/club - but with a few tows of graphite inside the laminations. Jury is still out on that one.
Obviously with the cost/effort to add a layer of thin, unbacked veneer, it “HAS” to be clear finished. Again - in my boat I’m looking for an eye catcher first - a winner second.
By the way - there may be a few “kits” popping up around the US. I know some California guys are doing laser cut JIF 65 panels and bulkheads, another class owner is thinking of molding the BLUE SPLASH design in glass, and I am toying with importing a carbon hull and deck kit that currently sells for about $200 (US) in Europe. Waiting to see my cost plus shipping and any import fees before making a final decision.
Also we have an owner who is producing the ASKOOK design in glass too - he’s been selling them on eBay.
Hi,
yesterday my new RG65 hit the water for the first time. The hull is based on the Vanquish-lines which were modified and adopted for the RG65 bei Ulrich Burbath. It was laminated from Carbon by Uwe Koch (http://www.rc-station.de). The deck (not yet painted) is made from glass (1x49g/sqm, 2x80g/sqm). The mast and main boom are from 6mm carbon fiber tubes (Excel), the jib boom from 4mm. The sails are taken from my old Laerke65 (25g/sqm Mylar) and will be replaced soon.
The keel is made from a 47mm aluminium rotor blade for helicopters with a 420g keel bulb
The boat is equipped with a Multiplex-synthesizer receiver, 4xAAA Eneloop batteries, a Graupner c261 servo for the rudder and a GWS IQ-200 MG for the sails.
Total weight is 870g so far with the deck unpainted and the bumper still missing. A heavier keel (550g bulb) for stronger winds is nearly ready.
Unfortunately, there was very little wind yesterday during our Year’s End Race. Just right to test if every thing is working, not enough to test the sailing properties …
It looks as though it could carry a bit more ballast. I think the top Brazilian boats are up to >700 g ballast The variety of designs is getting very confusing, but yours seems to be one worth keeping in mind.
Hi, Martin,
you are completely right. I had a lightwind keel mounted which is approximately 100g lighter than the standard keel. It is good for light wind conditions, because you are reducing the wetted surfase significantly. This improves especially the downwind properties (… and yesterday no ballast was need upwind, too).
With the standard keel the boat will end up with slightly below 1000g, which is quite optimal for this type of boat. I think something around 1100g are possible with this hull. So for strong winds you can use a bigger battery.
Greetings Haegar, a nice job my friend.
Do I spy some Micro Magic parts around the gooseneck and booms?
I bet you just can`t wait to get her out in a breeze and see how she performs.
Please keep us informed on your trials.
Best wishes from New Zealand.
Hi,
yes, most of the rMM parts are just right for the RG. The gooseneck is perfect, only the fittings for the clews (These parts are called “Klemmwinkel” by Graupner, even in English) are not so good, because they do not allow the sail to move freely when tacking or gybing. I use wire hooks instead which have some kind of coil spring to clamp it on the boom.
Of course I will test the boat in a breeze 
, but now it has become winter here. Today we had around -4 degrees at noon - not the right weather to get a boat on the water. The smaller ponds are already frozen 
Hi Haegar
It is also very definitely winter here in Switzerland too so I’m thinking about boat building/modification.
So far on my modified Laerke design I have been using the Graupner ‘klemmwinkel’ left over from my Micro Magic. To overcome the problem with restricted sail movement when tacking or gybing I have simply melted a slightly larger hole in the sail clew. This has worked reasonably successfully but your solution to this problem seems better.
Is a coil spring clamp lighter than the Graupner klemmwinkel?
Please would you let me know where I can buy some of those 6mm diameter coil spring clamps?
Thanks
Phil
Hi, Phil,
contact Uwe Koch of the rc-station (http://www.rc-station.de). He can deliver these clamps. The clamps are available for 4 und 5 mm booms.
The coil spring clamps are around 0.1g lighter than the Klemmwinkel. I am not sure, if this does really matter
Bigger holes may be a solution, but they make sails more sensistive against mechanical stress. Up to now I had not the guts to rely on melted holes at the clew in strong winds. I always use tubular rivets with 2mm diameter in the corners of the sails.
Hi, Phil,
I just recognized, that you are using a swing rigg on your Laerke. Does it work? You are talking about a modified Laerke. What have you done?
I cannot imagine that a swing rigg works quite well on a hull like the original Laerke hull. I have no experience by myself with swing riggs, but my impression is, that swing rigge are working quite well only on narrow hulls in light winds.