I always use concentric brass tubing from my local hobby shop, with a solid insert soldered in at the upper end and a flat filed on it to which the ‘grub screw’ can make a solid seating. I also drill a hole across the end with a retaining pin through it, to retain the rudder against the ultimate catastophe.
I am using the graphite rudder shaft that Mr. Heron provided in the kit. I usually use solid brass myself, with a flat for the grubscrew. I grind the flat using a cutoff wheel & Dremel; edge-on. I am also using as much carbon/graphite stuff as I can reasonably use to go with this new concept of boat.
Maybe it’s my homemade tiller? I soldered a wheel collar to sheet brass for the tiller, and maybe the grub screw is just too small for the shaft and drills a little hole instead of compressing it?
thx
Finally got a bit of time to make a new site (waiting for composite supplies)
It will be an ongoing project (like everything else)
The shafts used in the Lajablesses that have them, are off-the-shelf, hobby carbon rod blank. These shafts are of the pultruded, unidirectional kind.
Just like in the days of on-road pan cars, that used similar rod blank for rear axles, over-tightened grubscrews were murder on them.
Eventually, the hubs all went to “pinch”-style and “clamp”-type fastening systems.
On my personal vessels, I use similar-type ways of mounting control arms onto the shafts. On small torque-loaded applications (like footy boats),
I make my tillers from composite plate, and bond them directly to the shaft.
No failures have occurred using similar methods
:zbeer:
Well, I’m currently out of supplies, so all builds are temporarily halted. What to? Sail me Lajabless Footy all day of course. From 8:00 am, to 4:00pm.
God bless li-pos.
First off, some info for other Lajablesses.
I’m finding that the Lajablesses work great with a keel about 8"
(23mm) long, to the bottom of the bulb. That’s where mine is now, after the more experienced pointed my build error, with my too-long-a-keel racer.
Other more experienced men have stated that the shorter keels help stop nose-diving. It is true. My longer (illegal mistake) keel did it, this shorter one does not, and it’s the only change that was made.
Today was great. The boat excellerates like a rocket. Like all Footies, hard gusts still want to make it bury into the water; however, unlike most that I’ve seen, the Lajabless does not want to tail-end-up like a duck looking for food, it remains level and just ploughs (plows) through the waves, going down wind, and when driving hard up wind. It just mashes it’s way to where ever it’s headed for. I likey! Wave piercer bows might be a future experiment. No hobby-horsing for this vessel.
She planes on downwind waves as well. My first racer last year seemed to do it, and today the latest boat does it often (mind you fairly large-ish waves are needed; 6-8 inchers, and good even wind supply).
The boat jumped a wave as well. I saw the keel and everything. It happened when going upwind, I threw in a tack at the same time I crested a wave. I actually said “Cool” out load, then checked to see if anyone was around giving me that, “This guy is crazy cause he’s talking to himself-look”.
I tried to reproduce it again, and I did. Just tack over a wave at speed.
Any hoo, if this is a little rambly, I appologize. I’m just in great spirits from a great day sailing. So to all Footy owners, sneak out for a sail, and have a good one. :zbeer:
Ha ha that made me laugh, because i’ve done it many a time.
I think i may follow your lead on my next build and try a shorter keel as sometimes my Razor resembles a submarine!
Keep up the good work
:zbeer:
Due to customer feedback, I have increased the quality in the steering department. This new system of course will not increase the current prices of the Lajabless kit.
Here are some pictures of the prototype rudder shaft / tiller combo, that will now come on my production hulls.
I have gone to a 5mm rudder shaft, to increase strength.
Bonded into the shaft is a new machined aluminum drive-square, that fits into a square hole, on the included carbon fiber tiller arms.
Prototye pictured.
Nigel,
Please don’t apologise for rambliness - you were clearly still up there on the experience
- thanks for sharing; know how it feels, but not frequently enough:D
andrew
Nigel ~ come on spill the beans ~ we want photos of c/k’s!!!
Rgds
AndyT
Is it or isnt it i will only find out when i get to the Post office tomorrow?
Rgds
AndyT
No. It’s not.
I only just finished the mold for the c/k open hull.
It’s on the site under “Papabois”.
I was just giving you the chance to say the name “Papabois”
Just in case other viewers had not had the chance to surf to your page
Rgds
AndyT
Nigel, I hate to put a damper on your enthusiasm, but whatever “Papabois” will be a canting keel boat cannot be a Footy. Perhaps you’ve overlooked rule C.3a and E.2 which expressly prohibit your experimental canting keel on Footies, even if it is self actuating and doesn’t require a third servo to control.
Their will be a locking device, that can be installed for legal-racing, and removed for sport-racing.
In fact, If I offer it, it will come with the bolt-on Anti-cant-bar. It would drive the cost way up, to repeatedly build the keel leverage-system.
I will leave the canting mech, up to the skipper to build. I’ll show how I’ll do mine, and that could be used fer inspiration.
Nigel … given that you’re breaking the rules, why not break them entirely and install an internal ballast that can control forward and aft trim (also regulated by your gyro) thus combating the likely to ensue nose down issues that your platform will struggle with downwind
I’m not breaking the rules :devil3:
The keel can be locked, and the rudder / battery rule has been changed (I think). :rolleyes:
Internal ballast is an interesting idea; however, just to do the canter, I’ running very close to my displacement weight.
@Tmark: How’s things? Got the BlueSky(s) running for tis spring?
Had an Email from a lad in Bomanville, wondering if there will be any Footy gatherings around here. Hopefully in the GTA, some more Footy-itus will spread.
assuming 
you have the 100’s of hours to figure it out and 100’s more to machine and test it … install your radio gear, power, gyro etc on a sliding tray …lock it when it needs to be class legal … or engineer into your canting keel mech the ability to also slide aft …
Nigel for your info I have attached the 2009 Footy Rules
Rgds
AndyT
Would it be possible to get someone to ‘translate’ the rules into plain English for us- non-legal blokes? I might give it a go myself sometime.
thx