Springer tug - Waverley!

[Eddy Matthews]

The springer tug craze seems to be sweeping the world at the moment...... So here's an unusual twist on the "normal" springer designs..... Built by one of our own Paddleducks members!!! Dare he show his face again? 

[Eddy Matthews]

I have to admit that I like it - It's quirky, it's unusual, and most of all it's a bit of fun!

Sometimes we can become far too serious, so something that's built as a bit of a laugh is always good in my book! 

Regards
Eddy

[steamboatmodel]

Hi Eddy,
Has the fellow run the springer Waverley yet, is it duel paddle control?
Someone suggested a paddle wheel springer on one of the other forums and from the response you would have thought he had committed heresy, personally I think it looks great.
Regards,
Gerald

[Tug--Kenny]

                It's time to come clean

                     Its MEEEEE !!!

The blog follows as I have been spurred on to make one. I wasn't sure whether you would be interested.



                   WAVESPRING

Over on ModelboatMayhem's site we have a craze going for Springer Tugs.

These delightful little craft's Hulls must be made to a specified shape and dimension. It is then up the the builder to design and construct a top deck of any design.

I have, so far, built four of these, with one winning the best in show at the Mayhem 'Bash' this year. I enclose some snaps to show you the general range I've built.


When Waverley was coming to an end, I thought "why not build a Waverley mini springer".

I set about making a new hull from 3mm plywood and clamping and glueing it together. I always leave this to cure for at least two days as the forces involved in curving the timber are quite strong. When cured, the wood was sealed and then spray painted with red oxide and several top coats to achieve a nice smooth finish.

The deck was cut to sit over the raised comings to prevent water seepage. The cabins were cut from 3mm ply to simulate the original shape, as seen from afar. The whole assembly was only meant to be a representation of the ship, rather than a miniature version.

The whole top section can be lifted off for access to the innards.

The paddle wheels were bought as a kit and are made from brittle plastic. This is not a very strong material, as I found out when I dropped it on the bench and it snapped a section. I decided to make some brass hoops for the rims and epoxied them all around the edge. When dry, the whole lot was sprayed brown. They are attached together to a 3mm shaft which goes through the boat.

I had considered separate drive gears for them but the technology and costs were too great for the project, so I've opted for free wheeling blades, and a propeller type of propulsion.

At the moment the motors and servos have yet to be fitted, but at least it floats allright in the bath.

I will keep you informed as we progress.

cheers

ken

[derekwarner_decoy]

OK all.....no self respecting PD would have missed the bone carpeted work bench with the electrical distribution points every on 347 mm spacing would they ! 

So your admission here Ken......."It's time to come clean Its MEEEEE !!!" was not needed 

...................Derek

[Eddy Matthews]

Lets face it Ken, the prop just HAS to go!! Get those paddlwheels driven properly!!

Eddy

[Tug--Kenny]

Funny you should say that .......   took it away this afternoon and now fitting a direct drive paddle motor and gearbox.


I found a suitable motor in the junk box from an old copier and it had a gear system built in with twin drives on the sides. How lucky is that??

ken

[Eddy Matthews]

Good man Ken - I knew we'd convince you to power it the right way! 

Eddy

[ancoaster78]

Hehe, never heard of a springer tug till now, love it, looks like a lot of fun!

[Tug--Kenny]

                WaveSpringerley


Here she is with her new name, nearly finished (are they ever?)

We have completed the rigging and the electronics. The paddle wheels are driven by a geared motor to a differential gearbox. If one wheel stalls, the other reverses.!!!  The radio is a four channel set at 40Mhz and the motor is controlled by an electronic speed controller, with fully proportional forward and reverse. The rudder is fitted to a servo and swings 160 degrees. We have not tried her on the lake yet, but she will be going out to watch over 'Big Sister'.

Here are the stills following her progress to date. (126 - 132)



I have made a You Tube film which you can see on ..........

    http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=LXmaVt8wcOY


Enjoy

[Vin]

I do like the whole idea Kenney.  I've not come across these before. I think it's a great idea. I particularly like the police boat.  My grandson wants one, so I might be building
Cheers
            Vin

[steamboatmodel]

More on Springers
http://www.rcgroups.com/dock-talk-56/
Springer Class R/c Boats
Regards,
Gerald

[Tug--Kenny]

Today I fitted the line trimmings and her name plate. (35)

The paddle boxes were removed for final painting, and are now white. (35)  The decoration for the front face will be applied later.

Glad to have brought these Springers to the front, Vin. They are indeed a lot of fun and you can let your imagination run away with you

ken.

[Walter Snowdon]

Hi Ken, very nice!!! (And I dont like tugs , so thats praise!), You mentioned the wheels were a kit- Tell us more! Where from and how much?.regards, Walter.

[Tug--Kenny]

Hi Ken, very nice!!! (And I dont like tugs , so thats praise!), You mentioned the wheels were a kit- Tell us more! Where from and how much?.regards, Walter.

Hi Walter,

The wheels were obtained from Ebay at a cost of of £16. I've checked back and it was a 'one off' sale by the guy. I think he must have got them elsewhere, rather than selling them all the time.

Here is the only picture I took of them, but a description might be in order.

They were supplied as pressed out wheel rims/ loose blades/ loose spokes. They were made of a rigid, brittle plastic which didn't take to kindly to super glue. I did drop one when assembling the parts and it snapped very quick, so I decided to make some metal rims from thick copper wire. These were expoxied in all around the inside and outside edges. When dry and hard, it was sanded to a smooth finish.

All in all, it's not a very good product, but it looks the part as long as its not overworked when under way. I should imagine it will shatter when hitting a submerged object.

I should have copied the sizes of the pieces before assembling it, then I could have made a brass version, easily.

Cheers

ken