Best wood choice for long skinny & functional spars?

[Patrick Matthews]

Well, not really spars... but the stringers in a fishing boat's outriggers.

 

I'm building "Pilar" in 1:12 as a functional RC model. Not for real fishing, unless a carp happens to jump in the back... but the enormous outriggers Hemingway installed on Pilar translate into 39 inch long assemblies of 0.083" (2mm) square stringers.  Actually, the box-girder section is only about 23" long, but it's still likely to bang into things.

 

I'm about to start building them in cherry, but I wonder if something else would be more appropriate?

 

 

[druxey]

Metal, perhaps? There are square section brass tube or rods available.

[grsjax]

Sitka spruce or maybe yellow cedar.  Birch is also a possibility.

[RichardG]

Tricky. I agree with Druxey metal seems the best option. I'm not sure if you can get long enough pieces. I suppose you could solder shorter sections together using the box section brackets to help. To make it look like wood, this site has lots of metal paints and patinas in a variety of colors that might work https://sculptnouveau.com/collections/finishes

 

And please be careful, those look like they could take an eye out.

 

[Bob Cleek]

Most of the brass stock box tubing is sized so the next smaller size fits perfectly into the next larger size, That make soldering sections together a piece of cake. 

 

If this were a display model (and I shudder to think how much glass it would take to display it in a case,) I'd say any tight and straight grained hard wood (hard... wood, not just "hardwood") would work.  Bamboo might do well if you could get it in long sections out of a large species. You'd have to scarf pieces together to get them long enough. (Think old time fly fishing poles.) That said, if it's going to be an R/C model, you want something that has some strength because no matter how hard you try, they're going to get whacked sooner or later. You'll have to do some engineering experiments to see if the metal tubing isn't too heavy. You don't want to have a lot of weight aloft that could cause the boat to turn turtle. You can compensate for that some with some ballast, but stability is going to be an issue no matter how you cut it. 

 

Nice boat to model! There was a made for TV moving called Hemmingway and Gellhorn. It's on all the streaming video channels, some for free. It's not all that bad a movie. Worth checking out if you haven't seen it.  https://www.amazon.com/Hemingway-Gellhorn-Nicole-Kidman/dp/B00C58QKAY  There's some shots of the boat the set decorators worked up for the movie shots. I watched them work up close in the boatyard. I used to be a "boat wrangler" for the movie people when I was working for a yacht brokerage, so I had somewhat of a professional interest in it. They did a good job from a movie standpoint, but the brightwork was all faux painted and they didn't spend much time on the side that wasn't going to be on camera. It was a an old hulk they hauled off  the mud in the Petaluma River here in Sonoma County. I think they patched the holes in her bottom with plywood and wet patch. It didn't run, of course. That's no problem in the movies, though. just lash an inflatable with an outboard alongside out of camera range in you're in business.  It worked for the movie but the boat wasn't a sistership to Pilar by any stretch. As they say, "It created a compelling impression." 

[grsjax]

I didn't think of bamboo.  Great idea.  Bamboo is very strong even in thin sections. 

[Patrick Matthews]

Hard, tight fine grain, springy... maybe holly? 

I can work brass, but this will be wood.

 

[Louie da fly]

I agree about bamboo. Per http://www.ijstr.org/final-print/nov2015/Comparative-Analysis-Of-The-Tensile-Strength-Of-Bamboo-And-Reinforcement-Steel-Bars-As-Structural-Member-In-Building-Construction.pdf steel is 2 to 3 times stronger than bamboo, but weighs 6 to 8 times as much .Overall the tensile strength of bamboo per unit of weight is 3 to 4 times that of steel.

 

I occcasionally use it in ship modelling. It's very tough and strong.

[Patrick Matthews]

Well, since I already started, I finished one outrigger in cherry. Satisfyingly strong and light, but I'm sure a false step could see it crumpled.

The tip is a real fiberglass fishing pole... well actually, an ice fishing rod blank... perfect size!

 

 

3 feet of outrigger, light as a feather:

 

 

 

 

[RichardG]

Very good. 

 

Are you planning to have this in a display case?

[Patrick Matthews]

We RC'ers model FUNCTION as well as form... the boats get moved around too much to bother with display cases.

 

Get your boats wet!

 

 

Keep those models out and ready to use:

[Louie da fly]

That's a beautiful piece of work. And it appears nice and whippy.

 

Please make sure you report back on its performance after you've tried it out in practice. People need to know . . .

[mtaylor]

22 hours ago, Louie da fly said:

That's a beautiful piece of work. And it appears nice and whippy.

 

Please make sure you report back on its performance after you've tried it out in practice. People need to know . . .

Yes, report back... hopefully with a video.

[Patrick Matthews]

As above- may not be the BEST wood choice, but I used cherry, as with the rest of the cabin. Added the brass reinforcing straps and mounting hardware, and now I can display the outriggers up or down. BTW, that was a whole 'nuther detective job, figuring out how Hemingway rigged the outriggers... not obvious from available photos.