Radical new mini

Price to thrill ratio

50 years of "progress?" and the price has gone up HOW much? Less really is more B

 

Got that right--

 

Found a picture of this scow. Looks like a whole class? http://www.cscow.org/

 

On a slightly different note

Anybody here had any experience with radio controlled yachts. I'm wondering if a Scow Mini based One Metre Class (IOM) r/c yacht may have some merit.

Of course the big thing with r/c yachts is "no crew to hold it upright". That said Raisons Mini doecn't look to have much lead in that canting keel.

There were a few Scow based IOM's back in the early 90's. They were fast down wind but had trouble going to windward.

Any thoughts would appreciated

Tony

 

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Tony, in order for a scow to work properly it has to be able to be heeled to reduce wetted surface. I built one at 36" with a "Power Ballast System" and a very small keel to ensure self righting. You could control the heeling with the radio. To really perform well I think an RC scow not only needs a "Power Ballast System" but needs to be much longer-probably 5'. So I don't think a legal IOM version would work well....

 

To tie these two subthreads together

In the 1950s the great UK model yacht designer H.B. Tucker came to much the same conclusion as David Raisons, arguing that blunt stem was optimum for fixed LOA classes. The first model was called "Donald Duck" and the general planform was known thereafter as "Tucker Ducks." The attached plan is from 1960, and is of interest also because it was one of the first commercially produced fiberglass model yachts in the UK.

Tucker Ducks were successful but not overwhelmingly so, and the form gradually died out. Their heyday was in the free sailing era, and it would be interesting to see if they would demonstrate greater advantages under radio.

Cheers,

Earl

 

Funny you should mention the Ducks. The first book on yacht design I ever owned was the old Lewis and Priest book about model yachts. They mentioned the Duck series of Marbleheads. Apparently they were good in flat water but useless upwind if there were any waves. This is why they became unpopular after a brief time.

 

Scows? Ducks? Logs of the tea clippers of more than a century past, contain entries reporting being out-sailed and out-pointed by raggedly looking chinese junks. Junks somewhat resemble oversize pram dinghys.The chinese thought it strange, that westerners (barbarians)designed ships based on a fish form, sharp nosed. The Junk, designed by civilized folk (chinese)is based on form of a duck which floats on top of water, not under water like fish. Maybe public library this; Out of print: 'Junks and Sampans of Yangste River' by W.R.G Worcester, a british customs officer in China at the time. Many plates of line-take-offs and also he had many 2 meter long models built by the actual shipwrights that built the big junks (some were 300 ft long). Models said to be in British Maritime Museum. Enjoy.

 

Yobarnacle welcome to the forum--Junks and sandpans are no doubt very capable vessels but primarly (mostly used for) coastal freight carriers and fishing certainly not for ocean crossing speed. I also question their capability in heading into it in rough water. There would be no competition between say a big clipper and a big junk, the clipper also a freight carrier was designed for blue water speed. It's a case of designing for a specific purpose. A similar case could be brought forward for a big fore and aft rigged clipper verses a big square rigged clipper when heading to windward. I grant you the junk rig from all indications is much easier to handle.

A yacht is not determined by the vessel but by the care and love of her owner---

 

Thanks for the comments Doug

 

G'day Earl
Donald Duck style is similar to what I've currently drawn up but a bit nervous about committing too. As far as R/C yachts are concerned the Raison boat concept (blunt bows) would likely stop the boat when sailing in any sort of chop unless it had bow sections similar to photos of Doug Lords external ballasted one.

The reasoning for possibly going out on a limb design wise is that the International One Metre class in my view has designed itself into a corner with only minute gains in speeds in each new design that come out. I wonder if there might be a good gain down wind offset by a small loss up wind with the scow style. The thing with the IOM class is like all r/c yachts they carry enormous keel weights compared to full sized designs. Probably the only ones that might compare are Americas Cup Class yachts.

 

I am not a proponent of the junk hull. My motorsailer is an Albin 25 built 1972. I have made her into a dbl ender and 30 feet long and other modifications. My purpose was in pointing out bluff or square bows are not recent innovations and are quite seaworthy. But also don't under estimate the ancient chinese seamen either. American indians are oriental. Scroll enamel on teeth. Walked across on an ancient land bridge? Maybe. The chinese did invent centerboards, the balanced rudder, the mast tabernacle, the fully battened sail, watertight compartments, and the lowly insignificant magnetic compass. Now I am not chinese, I'm of viking descent. Another great seafaring people. Give credit where credit is due.

 

Reread my post Don't think I gave them any discredit but likewise nothing wrong with western boat designs either and they did not learn from the Orientials as that engineering history was basically lost in the great withdrawl period. As such western boat technology basically evolved on it's own merits and I might add produced superior craft over a shorter time in history. a thousand years ago the Chinese also built a water powered clock that had an accuracy equivalent to any mechanical clock of recent times but they did not invent and market Timex Watches However we did steal and perfect their firearm and gunpower technology possibly to our own detriment--Cheers Geo.

P.S. any photos of your boat, be interested in your mods. --I am a motorsailer builder/owner and fan

 

'IntrepiDos' is a work in progress. I intend to make a blog with all photos start to finish, when finished. I modify something and sail her, then modify the modification.
So far, I have added a pointy stern that began as the bow of an Oday daysailer2. Part of the daysailer cuddy got inverted under the fore deck as a self draining anchor locker. Acess through unsealable bow hatch.
Cabin windshield glassed over (replaced, eliminated)and new Bowmar hatch in cabin top.
Aft cabin became head with fore and aft companionways.New small aft cockpit has bimini enclosure for privacy for bathing.Self drains.
Forward cabin much enlarged by eliminating forward head and half the space formerly used as galley.
Mast moved aft and cutter rigged
Rudder moved aft and enlarged.Keel extended aft in former rudder space.
Electric propulsion. Battery powered. Solar, wind, and water generators. But mostly dock power for recharging overnight.

Next stage, installation of a diesel fueled absorbtion freezer that uses quarter gal diesel per day from 30 gal diesel tank. Reverse osmosis water maker. Diesel heater and looking for diesel absorbtion air conditioning.

Really I should have put this under a different topic. Better yet a personal blog.
Dave

 

Ya I have partially side stepped the post also --Sorry guys-- restless night -- broke the strings on my guit box threw my schedule off --Dave good place to post is under "boatbuilding" be interesting to see your project" I got one going there which is also a bit out of norm-- "Building The Nancy G".
Back on topic as I posted before i have encountered good rates of speed in the blunt nosed lifeboat sailers i have built. I attribute this to a beam wind causing her to heel over to a point where the bow is clear of the water and the forward side section acting more like a long upturned scow skidding over the water (Lift)rather than piercing it thus possibly reducing the forward resistance of that action. Under these conditions she would keep up with and outsail much more streamline and lighter boats.While not put into highly technical terms possibly this is exactly what is happening in the case of this racer.