i just finished planking this weekend sanded filled and i’m in the process of epoxying the hull. letting the second coat dry at the moment. so i guess my question is, does anyone have any tips from here? everything from how to set up the rig to servo and sheet setups. i’m also going to be using 4 channels so do i want a jib twitcher and backstay, or run the jib on one channel main on another, than make a choice for my 4th channel?
plans so far: I want my rudder to be belt driven so i have absolutley no play. i was thinking of running my channels as follows. twitcher, backstay, sheets, rudder “no specific order”. carbon rig, one wire stay per side attatching about 6/8-7/8 of the way up the rig. i’m conflicted whether to go masthead or frac jib. my foils are going to be carbon and come from great basin. I also wanted to use a fast winch but if there isn’t an affordable and fast one, than i’m not against using a sail arm i’d just rather not. any links or ideas are appreciated.
`cheers
Victoria “t” no longer a one design, and dedicated express 27 foredeck
i thought the title explained part of that, but its a mistral design, us one meter. i’m going to be racing it so i want everything to be as up to date, smooth running, and simple as possible. i thought more of the tech people woulda jumped on this topic…
updates: almost on my last epoxy coat, getting it ready to come off the shadows so i can work on the inside.
Victoria “t” no longer a one design, and dedicated express 27 foredeck
if you are looking for every little peice of speed. maybe you should look into another class. I have a us 1 meter. i built advance. and yes it is balsa and fibreglass. i am using a wood dowel for a mast. the boat is a joy to drive. but i dont race it. it could be me but my IOM will eat it in most winds. i dont want this to become a IOM vs us 1 meter. just thinking maybe you should look at what you have. i am using a servro with a stainless steel rod hooked up to the rudder. and after 5 years. not a single problem. the winch i use is the hitec. and I find this overkill. if you want a fast winch and strong. rmg is the best winch out there. just real expensive. you will have to decide if you wanna race. you might want to look at getting a rmg. i personaly dont think you need it
cougar
Well, if you want to race your USOM, you have to keep it simple and light. By simple I mean two channels only (sail and rudder), forget about twitcher and backstay adjuster, they add to much complication to the equation. You need a fast winch (I use the Futaba drum ? 50% of the people love it, 50% hate it,?? I love it) and a mini rudder servo nothing more.
For the rig, if your mast is stiff enough I would avoid the stays, and go with a masthead. But definitely post on the USOM yahoo site, lots of good info there?? in the file section you can find the Minuteman mistral modifications and plans?. Very fast.
i’ve been posting on the one meter page and those guys are mighty helpfull. i’ve found out i need to fill the areas now where the hull has sagged between shadows… what will work well for this bondo maybe?
Victoria “t” no longer a one design, and dedicated express 27 foredeck
I’ve used bondo in the past, but it’s definitely not the best solution, it’s heavy and adsorbs water. The best solution would be using epoxi resins with fillers, there are some that are extremly light and designed for sanding. Check the west system web-site.
Remember for a USOM the keyword is “light”
I use epoxy with lots of micro-balloons. You have to add as much micro-balloon powder to the epoxy as you can, without making the mix completely unworkable. This is because micro-balloons are light and sandable, whereas epoxy is heavy and difficult to sand when the material around it is much softer. The epoxy/micro-balloon mix is purely a filler in this context - not structural and possible not even waterproof.
I use a piece of pliable plastic, such as you might cut out of a plastic food container, to shape the filler to the form of the hull, and therefore minimise the amount of sanding required afterwards. Beware of sagging, and sand it as soon as its hard enough - but not so hard as sanding is a problem.