(Snip)
> It wasn't until I took the finished model to my local pond that I
> found out just how top heavy I'd managed to make her.... She heels
> over at an alarming rate when turning!
>
> If I was doing things again, I'd build the hull and add the motors
> and paddles etc BEFORE doing any work on the superstructure. I'd
> then conduct sea trials as the superstructure was being built so I
> could see if she handled okay before spending many hours (and
> dollars)that may need to be redone if things get too top heavy!
> I'd do these tests again and again after adding each new part of the
> upperworks.
Eddy!!! Nobody could have said this better!! In fact what happenned
to you with your beautifully built "Director" Class sidewheel tug
happens all too frequently. The unique idiosyncracies of these models
demand they be approached in an entirely different way to conventional
screw powered models!
Following dozens of hours of painstaking construction, I have
witnessed the excitement of modelers evaporate into despair as their
magnificent model sidewheeler embarks on its disasterous maiden
voyage! The on-the-water performance is so bad that within 15 minutes
the once proud owner hastily scoops the offender up and scurries away
in embarassment. Once home, the hapless ship is condemned to the
"Model Boat Hall of Shame", never to be seen on the water again!!!
Sound familiar?
On the other hand, there is almost nothing to beat the vision of a
fine paddlewheeler model performing flawlessly on the water with the
same grace, elegance and motion that its full size counterpart once
possessed.
18 months ago I purchased my own "Director" paddle tug as a used model
for $25.00 Canadian (that's now about $3.00 American isn't it?!)...I
had absolutely no experience of model paddlewheelers but felt elated
at such an absolute steal until I discovered WHY the previous owner
was so keen to relieve me of my money. You couldn't have wished for a
worse performer on the water - an unmitigated disaster!! Unstable,
noisy, slow, a waddling lurch far worse than a drunken sailor on shore
leave, she was a total embarassment to operate in public. Eventually
EVERYTHING had to be stripped off the boat leaving an entirely bare
hull. The superstructure, funnels, sponsons, paddleboxes all so
painstakingly built by the previous owner were far too heavy and had
to be unceremoniously dumped. Even the 1/4" brass shaft joining the
paddlewheels at deck level and 1 1/2" brass gear created terrible "top
hamper" issues and had to be "deep sixed!"!! In fact, anything above
the paddlewheel axis was viewed with utmost suspicion as a potential
contributor to C of G problems and instability!
As you can read in numerous past postings to the group, I spent hours
at the pond carefully adding each component and testing the model
exactly along the lines Eddy has described. Unless you're a genius at
math and physics, this is the ONLY way to go. Now, with her single
channel, rudder activated twin engine command system, allowing the
boat to spin 360 on her own paddlewheel axis, my "Director" now
behaves so perfectly that even a three year old can run her
effortlessly. In fact the boat is so much FUN to operate I still
havn't replaced the working superstructure used during the water
testing phase a year ago.
Understanding the problems and finding the solutions led to my
starting "Paddleducks" in an effort to share my experiences and maybe
prevent similar disappointments to future model paddler builders.
> Once the warmer weather comes in the spring I'll be making some
> MAJOR modifications to my model to get it to handle properly, so
> please take heed if you don't want to end up in the same position as
> me!
>
> Regards
> Eddy
Thanks again, Eddy..yours is a classic model paddlewheeler cautionary
tale!
PJ
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