Paddleducks
Old Yahoo Group => Yahoo Messages => Topic started by: Tony Mattson on June 20, 2005, 09:52:35 PM
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Well some interesting threads developing here!
Re: Bollard pulling - you're right Paul, re keeping it simple at first.
Then fine-tuning once the complaints to flow is a sensible approach ...
I guess the only proviso is that complainants must have a "better
alternative" to propose before their complaint is listened to. (It's all
too easy to criticise if you don't have to come up with a better
alternative).
Spring scales - way to go! I'll raise this at the next committee
meeting. Interesting site by the way, Phil. Our club sec has tried
making his own version of a vac-u-cam type boat. He runs a video camera
that he operates with remote control. He gets some spectacular video
footage, but sweats blood every time he crosses the wakes of other boats
on the pond - low freeboard and expensive videocams don't go hand in
hand!
Re: Planking Decks - coming from a background of building static
tallships, I've always planked my decks - tho' confess to not bothering
with joggling (yeah, tut tut). I arrange my planks on edge, fair them
down to an even width, seal the edges with sanding sealer or a thin
spray of varnish then use a thick felt tip permanent marker to blacken
one edge. The sealer seems to cut down on pigment bleeding into the
grain of the planks, while the pigment down one edge provides a hint of
caulking. I touch up the ends as they go down to simulate end caulking,
then fair the deck off before adding trenail details (well using a fine
tip felt pen to simulate trenails).
I've been interested in David's approach - gluing black cartridge paper
to the planking edges, etc. - but haven't tried this yet. I've read that
when you sand the deck down the black paper can stain/discolour the
planks as the paper is abraded away. David, have you found this?
One of our more experienced club members does the whole nine yards -
joggling margin planks, trenailing with bamboo skewers (he runs them
through a draw plate to get their diameters down), and caulking as he
goes with black thread - the result is stunning, but then the effort
involved is also stunning! He sometimes shortcuts by adding a black
pigment to his white glue before fixing his planks down. Like a tiler
uses grout, he spreads the blackened glue over the deck with a little
hard rubber squeegee. Once dried he fairs the deck using a scraper or a
fresh cut edge of a piece of glass. Once again great results but a bit
messy.
cheers for now
Tony
Auckland NZ
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Hi there Tony.
I think if you used very soft wood you could possibly get some of the
sanding dust from the paper embedded in the wood. Hopefully you won't have
to sand much away if you have cut and prepared your strips well in the first
place!!! However I believe that if you use reasonably close grained wood and
decent paper it is not a problem. At least it hasn't been for me. As I
suggested previously, please do try out your materials and methods before
getting into full scale production of such an important part.
I am sure that I have read in Model Boats that the tug side of the hobby
always use a spring balance to test for bollard pull. The balance is simply
fixed to a peg on the shore, and a length of cord to the tug. Would be very
interesting to watch the balance and see what effect cavitation has on the
pull, as you increase the speed of the paddles. Is there a point at which
more speed means less pull?
All the best
David