Hi Captn, sure the schooner is still on the slipways, but mean time . A pilot cutter modern ,WWII landing craft. An IOM based upon the Fireball design , and last of the slipway was a RG65 constructed from a free plan in model boats mag called "OMEGA" Design from someone in Tasmania thats without the items in the metal work shop

Hi Folks
Sunday past, I took my Optimist out for the first sail of the year . Drove 40 miles to find a flat calm. Stayed 2 hours but not a much as a ripple. Bummer, it didn't get wet. My Samson tug is approaching completion. Still having problems with paint. No rush it's only 35 years in the making. Yesterday morning I went for my first indoor freeflight session, since mid Feb 2020. Had a great morning flying.
Regards and stay well
Rodney.

Good to see you are getting out and about, but not to a non-event.

Finally been jabbed and other than some minor reactions, seemingly good to go.

Have had some really good sailing weather, albeit it mid-winter and somewhat chilly.

Have taken the jib topsail of Diana as it is a real P.I.A. generally and without she is turning into a real greyhound.

The Cutter is ready to go after some sheet adjusting. My two mates are getting along with theirs and when complete, the Three Amigos will go out and put on a great showing.

Couple of videos from this week, Eric's sloop was my second build.

Diana on the go (2 min 38 sec)

Anna June 7 2021 (1 min 57 sec)

Hi RODNEY ,WHAT news of that steam boat you were looking in to ???

Hi CP
Miranda is still sitting in my lounge. I need the boiler tested . I attended a motorcycle show a while back and there I met two members of the local model engineering society with a partly built loco. I learned that if I joined the society I could get the boiler tested there. Needless to say Covid put paid to that for a while but I will use their offer. I have a few projects to start/finish before I do that. I was loaned recently a few early model boat magazines and I found Miranda on the front cover of a MAP plans handbook from 1983/1984 and of course there were details of the boat and the engine therein. With the boat came the Model Boats issue with the article on the engine. In a Jan 1972 issue of Model Boats I found an advert for the Graupner Optimist which gave me an approximation of when my model might date from, plus or minus a couple of years. I intend to go sailing this weekend with the Optimist and I hope to get it wet this time. I hope to complete my tug in a couple of weeks and will post a couple of pics then.
Stay well
Rodney

Good going Rod , MAP (Model Aeronauticle Press) no longer in existance all their plans were taken over by Sanikhobbies.com If you type into search engine Miranda model boat . Loads of pics come up showing loads of finnished Miranda's & engines GRAUPNER , German model supplier is still going ,should be able to get em on line Regards C/P

Hi CP
Had a look at Sanik and will have a better look later. Took the Optimist out again on Saturday and this time it got wet. I will have to look it over as it needed a lot of weather helm, I suspect I will need to move the mast. This is the first outing since I rebuilt it. I thought that it was going to stay dry again but the breeze pick up but was a bit fickle. I will probably take my Monsoon out next time.
Regards
Rodney

Hi Rod , thing to remember with Optimist is she is an old design coming from the mid 1960s my young days when could not afford boat BUT studied all the catalogues , She was in our Rip Max catalogue , as they were importers of all Graupner products , Regards C/P

Is there no shipshape forum anymore? I can't find it

Nah, she went down, ever so slowly about 3 years ago, except for we few survivors. This thread is where we hang out, albeit nothing like the heydays of Shipshape.



The Joysway DF65 and DF95 tore great holes in her 8 y.o. hull and Hobby King scuttled the Shunbo range of budget plastics, the main reason it was iwas created in the first place.

Hi all you long time ( NO SEE) Shipshapers Just us oldies floating around & treading water , BUT mostly found to be constructing real boats (Made O wood ) so heave too old shipshapers and climb aboard Regards C/P
PS Some even into steam boats

As above ref steam boats , I have always had a hankering to model a Mississippi stern wheeler engine ,&to that end made a start on one a couple seasons back But then came to a halt as no info on the inlet and outlet valves .the fullsize ones were a bit complex and involved a system called California cut off Its a way of altering the valve timings to give differing steam amounts to the cylinders for greater power (when starting ) or small amounts of steam when under way ) Not something I wanted to incorporate in a model as there is virtually no benifit to model size . engine still most of the cylinders were made and put aside until I had worked out how to construct the valves ,several ideas came to the drwg board , and eventually got dropped , Now having sat in the corner of the workshop laughing at me have just started work on the project again in making the stern wheel , Machined up the paddle boards see pics

Hi Folks
My model boat club was invited to sail (yesterday) on a lake in a private estate, a journey of about 75 miles from home. This was a new venue and a good turn out was requested, so I headed off with my Monsoon. Spent a pleasant day chatting and watching, but no sailing. No wind, but that was a blessing as there was an abundance of weed. Nearly all the power boats ran foul of stuff that couldn't bee seen. Perhaps I will get it wet the next time somewhere else.
Stay well
Rodney

Hi Rod

Thanks for that report.

And yes, when inviting distant folk to your local venue you should also invite the wind.

We are back to sailing tomorrow, just getting out of our 6th lockdown. I should say, relieved a bit from it as there are still conditions, but it looks like its something we have to live with, hey ?
Mal

"yep"same problem here last couple O weeks , invite the wind BUT NOT The WHU-FLU regards C/P