Hi Guys,
So I've decided to do a scratch build of a J, Endeavour II.
Confessions up front, I have little or no experience with RC yatchs, so this is partly for the fun of tracking the build process but also provides an opertunity to ask questions. I dont think I will have too much trouble with the hull, I probably need some assistance when it comes to rigging and trimming.
I'm in Cape Town South Africa and there are very few RC model clubs in the area so this is largely for my own enjoyment of building and sailing

All comments are most welcome.

I managed to get a set of plans from John Hanks from AMYA, I have decided to scale down the drawings and do a model that is 1700mm LOA.
The start of the project was to take the drawings and re-capture them in CAD so I could scale them to the desired size.

So this is going to be a plank on frame with some slight differences. I have basically decided that once the hull is planked, it will be glassed with fibreglass and epoxy and then taken off the frame. This will leave an empty hull that is not cluttered with the frames. The approach has some challanges but also some benefits such as weight saving.

Once I had the drawing scaled I had the forms printed out and glued to some MDF which will be used to create the frames.

The strongback has been build and the frames / forms attached

As mentioned earlier, this J is going to have an LOA of 1700mm, about 2/3 the size of the full scale model. Pic of my son below adding some perspective

The majority of the planking will be done with teak, just because I have a good stock of timber lying arround.
Planks are 3mm think and about 8mm wide.
Planking has started on the sheerline.
From here on, things are likely to slow down a bit. I can only put on a couple of planks each evening since they need to dry before the next ones go on.

Thanks for the build thread!

I'm watching.

Hey Adrian ...great start, I will be tagging along with you too as I have a J-Class next on my list of "boats to build".

Finished scratch building two IACC 120's earlier this year & enjoying sailing in the sun at the moment.

I noticed that you are planking all way to the bow which is fiddly tight area, one idea is to make this area out of solid block of balsa (easy to shape) which will save you lots time and make your planking easier, same goes for the stern also, as I understand you planning on glassing over the planking.

Take my hat off to you using teak ....sounds like a hell of a lot of sanding (hard wood) further you talked about saving weight, have you considered saving further weight by using the firbeglass only & using the framework, planking as a plug only ?


Cheers Alan

Hi Alan,
I will do the stern from a solid block, the bow is largly done, I will post some pics this evening. Some of the twists in the planks are quite tricky and I'm also trying to avoid steaming anything.
As for the teak, I love the look of it and dont mind some extra effort. At the end of the day this will also be a show piece so the glassing will be a clear coat so the timber can show through. The attached pic is a kayak I did a few years ago. this will basically be done in the same manner

Ok now I understand clear coat (expoxy without fibreglass) looking at your prevoius kayak build this will be great looking display model also ... watching with interest

Cheers alan

Hi Alan,

Just a note, the epoxy coat also uses fibreglass. The kayak was done with a 200gram twill glass / cloth. If done correctly, the glass becomes transparrent and once it has been wet sanded with a coat of good urethane, you cant see the cloth.

Adrian -

nice job on the kayak. Just about to start on my own "Wee Lassie" (design) which is a solo, double paddle stripper. About 11 feet long, and final weight expected to be in the 23-28 lb. range, although I am also considering extending the foredeck a bit.

Regards, Dick

4 Planks on. There is quite a twist at the stern but I think the worst is over for now.

Some of the "Craftsmen" on here absoulutely floor me. GREAT job!! Will be watching this build with Mucho Gusto!! Ron

Ron,
When are you going to start a build thread on your J boat?