Emma by Peter Cane - RADIO - one-metre sprit-rigged sloop designed by Gary Webb

[Peter Cane]

If you woukd like to see Emma sailing then go on to you tube and Type in " Emma, rc sailing sloop by Gary Webb".

Gary has quite a few vids out there now on how to do this and that with boats he has dedigned.

Gary is a full scale boat builder and exceptional modeller.

He models to very clear cut clean lines with practicalities coming foremost.

I ordered up the plans from USA electronically so received them pdf and had them printed out to the correct size.

Emma is a very simple hard chine boat and made from door skins as opposed to the really expensive 3mm birch ply from the model shops.

So she is rugged but cheap to build.

I cut out the four bulkhead patterns from the plan.

I leave around 6mm on the perifery ( sorry  my false teeth fell out saying that so I ended up spelling it wrongly).

Then glued onto the ply and fretted out with my electric fret saw.

The crotch of this hull is to build the fin box first and then glue it to the centre two bulkheads.

The sides if the fin box were first treated with fibre glass matting for water proofing and strength.

The centre two bulkheads were then glued on to it.

The crotch was first  C A glued to hold it together and then a fillet of 5 minute epoxy applied on every joint.

Strong as an ox!.

The sides of the hull had three small holes drilled biw and stern to enable the two sides to be stitched together with copper wire from an earth cable.

After stitching, the sides were held apart and the crotch unit CA d in its marked position.

It was then epoxy filleted at all joints.

Finally the two other bulkheads were fitted in thr same fashion.

The hull bottoms were then cut out and glued on using the same procedure.

 

 

 

[Peter Cane]

The deck was cut out and dry fitted into position before the bottom skins were added.

This was to hold the shape.

Next, the hull was epoxy puttied along every joint to firm yet another fillet.

The wire was removed from the bow and stern and the holes filled with epoxy putty.

Gary did a lovely clean job with the epoxy putty using shaped sticks like lolly pop sticks to form the fillet.

I ignored ( forgot ) this and made an awful mess that hurt my pride!!

 

[Peter Cane]

It was advised at this point to brush penetrating epoxy on the bottom of the deck and inside the hull to seal it.

I being a tight skin flint used several coats of thinned Dulux undercoat followed by eight coats of Dulux high gloss.

That oughta do it!

I have got to the stage now whereas the gunwales have been masked off with red tape and then painted with chocolate coloured enamel.

I have done two coats and will do four in total.

I find waiting for paint to dry frustratingly tedious.

I suppose it could be worse by me sitting in front of it and watching it dry!!

All of the cut outs within the hull have already catered for the fitting of the two beams that hold all the radio and winch servo etc.

You can see to the left of the forward centre bulkhed two small holes.

These are for the winch lines.

The holes were cut into a block of bone and the bone block then glued into its cut out in the bulkhead.

So this is where I am right now.

All that untidy epoxy putty now hidden with paint.

Phew!!!.....that did bug me to realise that I can really mess things up without trying.

But as a kind person said to me........." Pete.....what goes on in a captain's boat hull is his business only"

I will remember that one next time I do a boo boo.

I hate fudging things up but hey....it happenz!!!

Pete

 

[Peter Cane]

I have made two stands for Emma.

The one you see above which is to help with the build and then display.

The other one is a folding tressle that holds her steady at the pond side with keel attached.

I will not picture that as I am sure you know what I am referring to.

Pete

[Peter Cane]

I have removed the masking tape to reveal the chocolate coloured rubbing strip.

The hatches are now complete ( without handles) and are a nice tight fit.

The jib stay is now apparant.

The deck now fits the boat.

By design, the sail winch fits perfectly between the bearers.

By design and having made the mould from wood for the lead casting as per plan , the fin with its cast lead bulb materialised favourably so much so that the whole model can ballance on its lead keel as per photo.

( without a blast from wind when least expected.)

There was a blast that sent Emma floorwards with a few scars to  prove it....hey ho!!

 

It weighs 8lbs but needs to be 6 lbs.

I will adjust the differerence.

Here are the pics.

Pete.

 

 

 

 

[Peter Cane]

The model is balancing  purely on its lead cast keel on the garage floor.

Pete

[Peter Cane]

Emma is now painted and a main mast has been fashioned. The radio gear is also installed.

The rc gear is all held in by two screws securing the entire rc block.

The deck will be screwed on so it can be completely removable.

The cast lead bulb on the keel weighs 7 lbs.

The cabin roof and both hatches are removable.

The flared and bent brass tube is to house the jib stays to the winch.

It was a feat of engineering.

I had to buy a flaring tool set, a tube bender and a gas torch to anneal the KS brass tube which is hard brass.

I had to make several attempts at it.

The first was with some copper tube from ebay which arrived at the incorrect size so Slipped through the flaring tool.

I tried ks alluminium tube with the bender but that just flattened at the bends.

I tried the ks brass tube cold but that also flattened at the bends.

I then annealed the brass tube and voila!!!

That poxy bit of tube you see caused hours of frustration, many days waiting for stuff to arrive and cost me $150 to make!.

I have done it now but there is a lot to be said for kits.

Although at the current time there is no kit for Emma.

The mast looks to be massively thick and cants aft quite a bit.

I have made all as per plans so it should be okay.

It is 16mm thick and tapers to 10mm at the top.

Only the fore and sides of the mast are tapered.

The aft is left as is to coincide with the sail Luff.

Pete

[Peter Cane]

Thanks for the three likes already and especially Chris C who recommended going for something simpler, within limits and can be finished relatively quickly.

So here she is!!

Nearly there.

Sails to make now.

I have nylon spinnacker cloth but having browsed the Larry Robinson sail making booklet  he does not advocate using it. 

The book is a bit beyond me at this stage as I am not interested in racing yachts nor plotting out sail camber on a pc.

I will leave that to the big boys who know what they are doing and need next.

I might just sew them up from cotton poplin as did Gary the designer and brains behind this boat.

His all sailed perfectly with hand stitched sails.

I might get into using sail blocks and inducing a camber to the sails if I get interested in racing.

But this is not a racing boat and I am not bothered if everone sails past her.

She is just a nice old boat that sails nicely and that is all I can wish for.

Pete

[mtaylor]

From here, it looks like you have climbed right up on top of the learning curve and it's a run to the finish.

[Peter Cane]

MT . I know you are always busy keeping a check on the forum but it is always nice to hear a few words from you.

Don't know about reaching the top of learning but so many thanks mate.

Pete

[Yambo]

On 11/9/2019 at 1:14 AM, Peter Cane said:

 

Sails to make now.

I have nylon spinnacker cloth but having browsed the Larry Robinson sail making booklet  he does not advocate using it. 

 

She is just a nice old boat that sails nicely and that is all I can wish for.

Pete

 

My sails are spinnaker cloth Pete. I'll probably make another set of sails sometime soon out of cotton (maybe a couple to compare different materials) but the current set move her along just fine.  

 

You asked me how I bent the sail line tubes - I annealed the tube the same as you did and bent them round a pulley wheel that I had lying around.  Flaring the ends was a different matter though and I might have to see if I can borrow a flaring tool for the next ones.  I'm reluctant to buy one as it won't get a lot of use.

[Peter Cane]

1 hour ago, Yambo said:

 

My sails are spinnaker cloth Pete. I'll probably make another set of sails sometime soon out of cotton (maybe a couple to compare different materials) but the current set move her along just fine.  

 

You asked me how I bent the sail line tubes - I annealed the tube the same as you did and bent them round a pulley wheel that I had lying around.  Flaring the ends was a different matter though and I might have to see if I can borrow a flaring tool for the next ones.  I'm reluctant to buy one as it won't get a lot of use.

Thanks for your input Yambo.

As far as I can conjecture, we make a model sailing boat.

All is good and fine but then we come into "sail making "

Which is an art in itself.

Like said, I am not a racer nor do I wish to win anything.

I just want to bimble along with a nice ol boat.

I have not yet compared cotton sails to rip stop spinnacker nylon.

My thoughts about it are as follows.

Purely theory you understand!

Whereas nylon sails cannot " breathe ", cotton will do.

So when we sail the boat and go " about " or " jibe" I will imagine a nylon sail will react more fiercely than a cotton sail?

Do you see what I am getting at?

I think that the " old stuff "

Is more foregiving ie ( cotton)?

I do not actually like the modern Mylar or whatever it is sails, as they are designed for competition.

To my mind, a sail should look like a sail and adorn the boat it moves.

I know!!...I am old fashioned.

And proud of it!!!

Re the tube bending and flaring.

To flare the tubes ,you need the flaring tool and that is it!.

Its a bugger but there is no way around it.

Re bending the tube!....

I still cannot understand why the tube kinks when bent cold and does not when annealed.

Its all science I guess.

But now I know what to do!

Pete

[Peter Cane]

A dangling of Emma mastery!

They are all tapered, sanded, stained and two coats of varnish.

I remembered what my wood work teacher told me when I was a boy ( still am !!!)

Always thin the varnish and apply it thin thin thin.

It is a natural mistake to think......" I want this glass finish so I will whack it on as thick as I can "

Wrong approach!!!

I had my best days varnishing ever!! Today.

It has taken 69 years to varnish to this standard with out a brush stroke visible.

My guardian angel is with me today.

Just a fluke but I am so pleased.

Pete

 

 

[Jim Lad]

Just found this one, Pete.  She looks a rugged little boat.

 

John

[Peter Cane]

Hi John.

Here you are looking at the modern day equivelant to a Vic Smeed design.

This one is by Gary Webb a very experienced yachtsman, builder and modeller.

If you have the inclination you can check out his You Tubes under "Sail Tails ".

Gary has designed a number of boats that are all cheap to build and sail well.

Pete.

 

[Peter Cane]

This is Emma's rudder construction.

Pretty sturdy!

On the first piece of alluminium bar I tried to drill the holes for the three cross pieces and they were so badly aligned it went in the bin.

I ordered another length and this time read the instructions..." File a flat on it first and centre pop it".

I should have known better as I was a fitter!.

Must be an age thing.

Pete

 

[Ian Kirkham]

Hi Peter, I'm in the process of building an Emma in Perth. Just put the bottom of the hull together. Great photos of your build. I was wondering what you used to seal and paint the outside of the hull and the deck.

[Omega1234]

Hi Peter

 

Emma looks like like a really nice design, full of charm and character.  I can’t wait to see her sailing!

 

Cheers

 

Patrick

[juansystem05]

I bought the plans from Gary and created a 3D model in order to get parts for laser cutting. I cut them using 3mm baltic birch plywood as this was a material I used a lot in my business.

However I wonder if the hull will be too heavy, being that door skin wood is a lot lighter