Racing Sparrow RS750

[speedy_w_beans 4272]

Nice work with the lead pouring.  Really a nice project through and through!

[Jonathon Gillham 4607]

10 minutes ago, speedy_w_beans said:

Nice work with the lead pouring.  Really a nice project through and through!

Thanks, that was probably the most frustrating part since it took about a month per attempt and if it went wrong it was another month. Also really sarisfying when it works though

2 hours ago, TwistedxSlayer said:

This whole thing is ace. Love it.

Thanks, its been a really fun project, but more involved than a kit build thats for sure.

[Jonathon Gillham 4607]

So it has been a long time between posts, but the Racing Sparrow is all but finished.

 

It hasn’t seen the water yet, and I’m not sure when it will see the water, but my wife wants to get a display cabinet made for it.  It needs something, it is about 850mm long and 1400mm tall so hard to fit anywhere.

 

I took some photos of progress but was pretty haphazard so will post what I’ve got.  It covers everything from fibreglassing the deck, painting, making the keel, fitting the keel, making the rig and sails.

 

The deck was finished by fibreglassing it for strength, and then more bog to smooth it out.  Just one layer of fibreglass and minimal bog as I didn’t want to increase weight.  I could have just left it without the bog as it is just more weight really, but it does make it look a lot better having a smooth finish.  There was also work done on the bow to smooth it out since that was attached separately.  I also had to make the lip around the hatches to help stop water getting in.

The keel needed a sheath made to go over the aluminium rod to make it more streamlined, and look better.  This was just made with balsa and then a layer of fibreglass for strength.  Next was fitting the keel to the hull which was the most nerve-racking part of the whole build.  While pretty much everything can be fixed if you get it wrong, this can’t.  Its glued in permanently with epoxy resin/filler, and if its not straight then it won’t sail straight, and I doubt I could cut it out without doing irreparable damage to the hull.  I screwed some wood to my windowframes in the garage to support the keel bulb while the epoxy cured.  This meant I could spend some time lining everything up and didn’t have to hold it while it dried.  Luckily, it went really smoothly. 

 

You can see in the picture the rudder is also fitted, upside down.  That was just made with 1.6mm balsa glued to a rudder you can buy, basically a square piece of metal with a pole sticking out.  The pole created a bit of a foil shape to the rudder which is apparently a good thing.  Once again, a single layer of fibreglass for strength and some bog to smooth it out and get a nice shape.

 

By now its actually a proper boat and it just needs painting and the rig.  Painting was sort of straightforward, once I learned how to paint.  First was the primer filler, and then used enamel spray cans and masking tape.  The paint itself is basic because I got vinyl cut decals for it, so just a red hull and white deck.

Once it was painted the deck needed the fittings which are made from split pins and washers.  You drill holes in the deck as per the plans (if you refer to the earlier pics showing the deck structure, you’re drilling into the balsa blocks that were glued in previously).  I used a stainless M6 bolt for the mast step, with a nut so I could raise the mast and tension everything.  Lastly there is an eyelet and a hole to run the cables from the servo to the booms.

 

That stand was made from a knitting bag.  Found one for $5 on trademe (NZ’s ebay) and cut the bag up and made up some Velcro straps to act as the cradle.  Ok, my Mum made the Velcro straps…

 

Next up was the rig.  That was made with a 1045mm aluminium rod, a few bits of brass rod for the topper and spreaders, some boxed section of aluminium and fishing line and crimps.  There was a template provided, so it involved drilling holes and then attaching brass rod or fishing line to it. 

 

The booms are made from square aluminium sections, with holes drilled and split pins to tie stuff to them.  You attached the main boom by gluing a block of wood in the end and then using 2 split pins, quite clever except the boom is permanently attached to the mast.

 

The spreader is just a section of brass rod with some slots filed in the end to hold the side stays which is pushed through the mast and then bent backwards.  There is something about the angle and tuning the rig using the spreader, but I don’t really understand it.

 

The topper is a piece of brass rod with a loop of wire pushed in and then flattened to hold it in.  This is then pushed through the mast and the end flared so it stays in there.  This hold the backstay.

 

The forestay is attached by feeding the wire through the hole near the top and out the top, then crimping a loop in it and pulling it back down so you have the forestay coming out, to be attached to near the front of the yacht.

 

The sidestays are made just by drilling a small hole right through the mast and feeding a wire through, then putting a crimp on the outside on each side.

 

Once the mast was assembled it was a case of fitting it and then attaching the stays using fishing swivels.  It can be removed but its not that easy.

 

The sails are made from mylar film which is used for preserving documents.  It was just a case of cutting out based on the plans and tying them on.  Once they are on then I needed to make 2 pleats in the mainsail which give it some shape and act like the battens in a 1:1 yacht.

A friend of mine arranged for the decals to be made at his work and he came and fitted them for me.  I think it looks great and its turned out better than I could have hoped.

 

I have made the hatches and have some magnets to use to hold them on.  Then I just need to run the lines from the servo to the sails and tune the sails, whatever that means.  There are a few things I will need to look at, like I have no idea how tight the mainsail should be to the mast.  If its too tight I think it’ll rub on the mast and not move around it, but too loose and it probably loses power.  Probably.  But what do I know.

Also, excuse the mess.  We've just had a month of house renovations which meant stuff being dumped from room to room while work was being done.  Its still not back to how it should be.

Anyway, its been a lot of fun making this over the last 16 months or so, and I’ll have to actually put it in the water at least once to prove it works.  But in the meantime it looks great, I just need somewhere to display it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Busdriver 6209]

Good work. I have a half built Aeronaut Hansjole which I really must revisit. along with the 1/12th Caterham, the 1/48th scale planes and 1/24 scale cars. Oh I almost forgot I think i've got 3 rc projects still going on and 2 to start!!!!!