Member postings for Who Boot

Hi Colin

You're right, I was quite active about 10 years ago (for a short time) before family responsibilities took over. Now I'm in a position to engage more in hobbies than I've done for years.

I started a project in 2013 of a model yacht called Goblin in a free plan in MB by Glynn Guest, and it's this you probably saw on this website. There's a photo, if I recall, of the not completed model tested in my bath and other photos of it. After a hiatus of 10 years, I took up the project again this year and finished it in the summer. I renamed the model from Goblin to Ty'n Llyn, in tribute to my late mother's home. The meaning of the Welsh name Ty'n Llyn is house in the lake, which I thought is appropriate for a boat. I wrote about it to MB magazine and the editor kindly asked me if I would write an article about it. So, the article appeared in the August 2023 issue.

During the covid lockdown I built a native American canoe, also hailing from a plan by Glynn Guest in MB. Lots of people pondside have liked this intriguing design, the sight of two model guys paddling.

My next plan is an airboat, and, looking further into the future, building a sister yacht to Ty'n Llyn.

Thank you everyone who's sent in comments to my query about designing model boat plans. If comments require brutal honesty, then bring them on. I want to hear the plain truth, and this is what I've got. So, yes, thank you for that.

The type of boat I have in mind, and which I will definitely build, is an airboat. I didn't think that there would be much money to be made out of designing model boat plans, and the fewer the plans, the less returns. As I'm only talking about one plan, I did suspect that any profits, if any at all, would be pittance. My motivation to build, however, would comes out of a labour of love because building model boats is one of my chief hobbies. Designing and building will be on a trial and error as per suggested in the comments, and involve adapting the plan after some of the building. And yes, I agree with all the requirement to write text and photograph every stage if planning to publish. As I'm doing it for myself, I don't care how little per hour a one off payment from someone would translate to if they took up my plan. Thank you Ray for explaining how MB magazine work with a contributor who submits a plan. I wonder how Sarik works with someone who offers them a plan? If Sarik accepts it, do they give a one off payment or do they pay a percentage each time a copy is sold? An alternative way to sell is of course through ebay. But I would only sell there if my plan was to the same high standard as expected by MB and Sarik. If the costs to bring a plan up to standard are too high, then I will forget about it. But more importantly, I will still have designed my own airboat, and hopefully go on to design other models too.

Hi

I've got an idea to create a R/C model boat plan of my own design, and then sell copies of it. My plan would be of a simple design that even beginners would be able to build. I've never created my own plan before, let alone try to sell copies. I have built several boats from other people's design.

I don't run any kind of business related to modelling, thereby I don't have any platform of my own to host, market and sell model boat plans. Neither do I have any digital technical drawing tools to create a plan to industry standard. I'm imagining that I would draw up the design, decide on the measurements, etc. using pencil, and then send it off to some business that can refine the plans with their technology, and print it. And then I arrange with the same business or another one, for them to host it in their plan service, and when a copy is sold, the proceeds are divided between the host and myself (the designer) along agreed percentage lines.

Can anybody advice me on how to go about designing and selling model boat plans please? By the way, I don't mean to go big. It would be a garden shed enterprise. Thank you.

Ray

I notice you have another scale model yacht design in January's issue of MB, and it's called Eventide. I will buy this issue to read and learn about it. It's another interesting and good looking model.

Hi Ray

Many thanks for reading my posting and taking the time to reply. It's true, anybody can post things on Youtube, and the fact that they are there is no guarantee of quality or exaction. It can make it hard for anyone like myself to find relevant tutorials or whatever on Youtube.

I like your Wild Duck model design and had thought of building it myself. I thought long and hard about it but unfortunately my rather confining home precludes I don't have enough room for many models. There are several models I've had to abandon any ideas of building for lack of space. I have just enough space for one more boat, the one Bermuda sloop I'm building. If I were to carry on, then the solution is either build a small shelter for the models in my small backyard or move to a bigger home. I have six R/C model boats, all at the moment on the floor of my lounge.

What type of tape, presuming it is a tape, you have used for the jib luff of Wild Duck?

Hi,

Can I have some advice please on what material to use to create a hem on the luff side of the jib sail in a Bermuda sloop? The forestay rig will run through the hem to hold up the jib sail. One Youtube video for the Wild Duck sailboat shows the owner using a lightweight two-sided pressure sensitive fuse tape to create the hem. As if this wasn't enough, he then goes on to sew it. What would be your methods of creating a hem for the luff of the jib sail, and out of what would you make it?

I have learned I can cut and seal the edges of ripstop nylon by using a soldering iron, but what would you use to create the holes in ripstop for the gromits?

Thanks for the responses that have come in after my last thread, much appreciated. I'm sure my sails will be held together by glue instead of stitching, and I'll search for the wire wine glass charm rings. I had to read to see what reefing the sails meant and I find that it means basically lowering part of the sail down to reduce its size in accordance with meeting weather conditions. That's another sail option to hold in mind. Thanks for suggesting it.

That's an interesting model you've got Ashley, an amphibious car is it? Does it sail across dry land as well?

Hi Nigel, thank you for making that clear. I have a lot to learn about sail making as I'm just starting, but am looking forward to it.

Ripstop sounds good but the sewing would be a problem for me as I don't have a sewing machine. My hand sewing is pretty rudimentary and whilst I've done it for work that doesn't have to be either accurate or pretty I wouldn't like to try it out on sails unless I get lessons first.

I found this morning that someone else had asked a similar question to mine earlier and one of the respondents suggested making sails out of the same material as kite making and gave a link to a website www.kitebuilder.com, so I will also look at that. I think Mylar is used a lot in kite making, which has been cited in my replies.

Nigel states that Ripstop has one side looking duller than the other and to keep it inside the seam. Does that mean you would recommend folding a sheet of Ripstop to make a sail double-sided?

Also what are people's opinion about the luff edge of the mainsail, should it be wrapped around the mast or not? From observing Ray's model above, Wild Duck, the mainsail appears to be attached to the mast with wires. Personally I prefer it that way but obviously wrapping it around the mast works too.

Thanks guys, I'll look into these types of small cameras, see what i can find and which I prefer. I'll let you know in due time, and hopefully share photos I will have taken.

Hi, I'm currently building a model boat which is big enough to fit a small camera inside when it is all closed up with the cabin fitted on top. I don't mean for the camera to stay inside and take photos when it's sailing, nothing like that, but just to take photos with a camera and a remote shutter switch held by me. I like taking photo of interiors of scale model boats and which could be mistaken for the interior of a real life-size boat. I don't mean to use such photos to fool or mislead anybody else, I just want them for my own satisfaction and to impress friends. I have been able to take photos of the interior of some of my larger model boats when the cab or superstructure is off as it enables access, but not when they are fitted in place because I don't have a small enough camera nor the remote control to fit through a convenient narrow passageway or hole. Can anyone suggest suitable equipment please?

Hi

I want to make my own sails as it will be cheaper than buying off a commercial maker and more fun but I'm unsure as to what material to use. My yacht is going to be a fun model not a racing one thereby I 'm not looking for the most expensive material but a good economical one. I've read of one modeler at least using bin liners, so that's one option. I'm not adverse to buying material made for sail-making as long as it's not too expensive and there are cheaper options available apparently.

Hi David

Thank you for going to the trouble of explaining quite a detailed procedure. Because it is something I've not done before I don't quite follow what to do ; is it the bending tool that gets drilled with a 5mm hole? How deep would the hole be? I'm sorry you're going to have to explain that a bit further to me please before the message gets through to my lack of understanding. I've no doubt the explanation is clear to somebody who knows the subject better than me.

Hi,

Can anybody advice me on how to bend brass rods to make a crankshaft for a model boat? I have two 5mm brass rods of 12 inch length and I wish to bend them so that they are identical. Previous efforts to bend metal rods of this size using only my hands when the rod is held in a vice are error prone. Whilst I managed to get similar shaped crankshafts it was obvious they weren't identically shaped and getting them to be so is important. There has to be an industrial way with all its accuracy to enable modellers to bend brass rods which might mean using some special tool or other. Can anybody advise me please?

P.S. the crankshafts are to go in a model canoe as per plan in Model Boats October 2016 called Waddler and built by Glynn Guest. There is a wooden paddle fitted on each crankshaft. Guest used metal knitting needles for the crankshafts which are great materials to use but if you can't bend them to be identical or near to identical the first time, like happened to me, the needles won't stand too much bending and shaping before they snap.

Many thanks for the information Malcolm. I do have horns for the servo and sail arm. I don't have a sail to fit to my yacht yet but I will make a copy of your instructions above and keep them for when I come round to attach the sail to the servo arm.

Hi Malcolm, thank you for posting with that useful information. Now you mention it I remember seeing horns (not necessarily with the servo I mention) and should still be somewhere in my possession. I will look through my spare boxes. I will let you know when I find anything and see if I have any that fit the said servo and sail arm.

Hi,

I'm building my first model yacht as per a plan in Model Boats magazine from a few years back. The R/C items in the plan are not prescriptive and it can be left to each modeller decide what their own preferences are or go by what they can obtain. I have a Prolux S-5009 servo and sail arm. However, it is clear that the arm will not fit directly onto the servo and therefore needs some item to fit between them. The sail arm has holes to fit the four small screws that comes with it but there are no holes in the servo to fit these into. Can anybody advise me please on what I need to complete this fixture?

Thanks, Haydn.

Dear David

I agree with Andy, yes, those photos make me think I'm looking at a real hanger - wawh! I'm glad that you have posted those photos, for I know now it can be done, and it inspires me. Did you publish any more of your interior shots of models in MB? And can I see any interior pictures online or anywhere else taken by the National Maritime Museum?