PREFACE
Click for Vintage Model History , the Vintage Model Yacht Group and the AMYA .Click for Duckwork Magazine. See Mark Steele's article on J-Boats and my laser cut frames.
Click for unusual French model boat videos . Click for PhotoShows, YouTubes and photos. The 1942 Popular Mechanics Starlet 36"article shows an ideal boat to introduce young people to model sailboats! The Moville Rowing Club of Moville, County Donegal in the Irish Republic which is part of the UK, about 22 miles from Northern Ireland's border, plans to provide Starlet 36" kits to local boys and girls clubs. Contact Paddie Gillespie who organized the project to share your experience in working with youth gruops. See the PhotoShow for the Starlet 36" and other Star models being discuss. And, see the J-Boat histories. Pawel Dejnak of Poland developed a complete program for young people to build and race Opalek Footy Class models based on his kits in only one week! Watch the Opalek Footy PhotoShow of his very well done program, a model for troop leaders!
Contact Milton Thrasher, 4258 Hearthstone Drive, Sarasota, FL 941 966-9172 mthrasher@verizon.net
J-Boats Svea of Sweden and Lionheart are the featured boat models this week
The Sensational J-Boat Svea
Svea is being built in aluminum of the famous 1937 Torre Holm J-Boat design.
Svea will carry the sail number J S 1. LOA 41.50 m LWL 26.55 m Beam 6.40 m Draft 4.57 m Sail Area 704 m2 .
Svea is one of the best looking J Boats ever designed. She is being built for a Swedish and Dutch six owner consortium. Torre Holm's 1937 philosophy will be very apparent as the yacht comes to life seven decades later. The Hoek Design Research Program showed that Svea’s hull will be one of the fastest upwind of all the J Boats she is launched. Svea is sure to be among the top new contenders on boat speed and handicap. She is under construction and planned to be launched in 2012.
When the lines become available, I will post them and laser cut frames will be provided for Svea in the same 3 sizes as the other J-Boats offerred at 1/16th scale of about 102"; 60" and 48" with decks and deck houses.
The J-Boat Lionheart frames are made from the lines created by Pietro Bastiani. He uses DELFTship software to create them as shown in my J-Boat PhotoShow that includes 3D Solid Modeling views.
Click for the PhotoShow of the full scale Lionheart compared to other J-Boats.
See the J-Boats Svea and Lionheart PhotoShow for details and other J-Boats' construction details.
Lionheart - the latest full size J-Boat that was launched in 2010
The price for the 30 to 31 frames and keelson is $300 for the 8' 8" size. 60" and 48" versions use every other frame for a total of 16 each. 60" versions are $225. 48" versions are $175, all plus shipping.See the Ranger layout for how the 102" J-Class Lionheart frames are made in two parts on 18 plywood sheets for the 30 frames. The decks and deck houses are being developed and will be priced by March 1st.
PhotoShow
Click for J-Boat Lionheart data by the builder
Click for Yachting World coverage of the Lionheart commissioning in June 2010.
Click for Lionheart engineering and construction details.
Laser cut frames and parts are now available for each of these designs in any scale you wish.
Lionheart is the newest and largest of the J-Boats at 144.36' loa. Click for the Lionheart story. She is based on the Ranger F design by Wm. Starling Burgess and Olin Stephens that was never built. The design was evaluated with performance predicting software versus other J-Boats and found to be potentially the fastest.
The Lionheart's maiden voyage on July 18, 2010 on YouTube is very enlightening.
See the Lionheart laser cut frames based on Pietro Bastiani's lines drawing that he created using DELFTship marine design software. There is a PhotoShow of the lines and 3D solid model rendering. Several naval architects have been very positive about these lines.
Dean Derusha and Pat Murphy set up Pat's 106" J-Class Lionheart frames. Pat gave this report:
"Dean and I just quickly put the frames together since he has not had time to do his yet. The parts snap out very easily and are smooth as can be. No sanding necessary.
I am going to document every step in the construction. Dean and I talked about our developing a group of builders that would be willing to help each other and thus show that even a NON-MASTER MODELER like me can do an excellent job. Seeing the parts go together so easily was great and made the build seem less daunting. The parts are all numbered and lettered, and tab A fits into slot B, etc, etc."
The "Book" contains the plans for all of the America's Cup J-Boats and earlier Americas Cup Yachts including The America, Magic, Columbia, Whirlwind, Weetamoe, Yankee, Enterprise, Shamrock V, Rainbow, Ranger, Endeavors I and II and all of the 12 Meters. I also have Black Magic and other 1990s deep wing keel designs like America 3, Abracadabra and Young America.
Study the many J-Class Models racing in August 2011 at Mystic, CT.
Study the many excellent AMYA J-Class Models onWWW.THEAMYA.ORG
I provide frames for the new Lionheart 142' J-Boat, Ranger 1937, Rainbow 1934, Endeavour 1934, Magic 1888, Columbia 1899 and The America schooner 1851. Orders pending: 12 Meters - Constellation, Heritage, and Intrepid; NY 30 and Buzzards Bay 25, Endeavour II, J-Class Ranger, The Luciole II at 70", Charles W. Mower's Number Boat 22, decks and deck houses for many of the available frames sets. The 30 frames in 18 12" x 24" panels for Ranger are shown below. They weight 18 lbs when estimating the shipping cost from Sarasota, FL. The first set was sent to Lee Keen of Morehead City, NC on 12-20-2011. We anxiously await seeing his work. He is a master carpenter who does interiors for Jarret Bay Boat Works, a luxury yacht building company in Morehead City, NC.
Study the J-Boats detailed on Wikipedia well referenced article.
Click for Where are they now? for the America's Cup yachts.
Click for the August 2011 J-Class Racing at Mystic, CT to see some of the best.
Click for the J-Class models built by John Hanks and Bob Eger.
102" J-Class Ranger provides an example of my AMYA J-Class Laser Cut Frames
Click for Ranger sailing
Click for The Ranger Story from Dockmaster Models.Click for Ranger vs. Velsheda
Ranger was my first AMYA 8' 6" J-Class laser cut frames to be delivered.
It requires 18 sheets of 12" x 24" x 1/8" plywood for the 30 frames required. The larger frames are made in two pieces to take the minimum of 12" x 24" panels of white birch plywood. Okume plywood is now available for $50 more.
Frames are available in other sizes from the same layouts. 102" Ranger frames are $300 plus shipping. 60" Ranger frames are $225. 48" Ranger frames are $175. All are plus shipping.
For new J-Boat designs that I have not yet made, there is a $75 set up charge. That covers the costs CAD/CAM services.
See my PhotoShow for deck houses for large model yachts. They are provided in 1/8" white birch plywood for $120, in Okume for $135 and 1/16th" plywood for 60" and smaller boats in white birch for $90, in mahogany for $115. White birch takes mahogany stain very well. See the images that appear lower on this web site. Other deck houses can be provided as layouts for them become available. I am developing the layouts for the Lionheart deck and deck houses at this time.
My Columbia 50" customer provided his copy of "The Book" making this possible. Another customer committed to a Columbia at the AMYA 1/16th scale standard. That is for America's Cup re-enactment match races.
The Ranger History
Ther Ranger design waa based on Burgess's scheme derived from models tested in Stevens Institute towing-tank during partnership work with Olin Stephens. The final design had elements of both men's ideas. The design lines wer established by August, 1936; keel laid in December, 1936. She cost $500,000; had a steel hull, flush riveted; heat-treated steel rod shrouds; translucent bakelite deck inserts. She lost her mast on the delivery cruise off Cape Cod. It was replaced with new one in 21 days, She used the wheel, rigging and sails salvaged from Rainbow and Enterprise. The same No. 1 main was used on all three J-Boats. Harold Vanderbilt's 3 J's all used the tender Bystander which also served the 12 Meter defender candidate Vim in 1958, challengers Gretel (1962) and Dame Pattie (1967). She was launched May 11, 1937 at Bath Iron Works as Hull # 172. The cost was funded solely by Harold Vanderbilt. He named her for the US frigate Ranger, commanded by John Paul Jones. She was the largest displacement J-Class. She was hauled at end of 1937 and never sailed again. She was sold for scrap in May, 1941 bringing only $12,000. A Ranger replica was built in 2008 and is racing with other J-Boat Velsheda and Shamrock V which is creating a big interest internationally in the J-Boat racing circuit that has been developed.J-Boat Rainbow defeated Endeavour I in 1934
The Rainbow lines were provided by Russell Weaver of Annapolis, MD who bought a set of frames for an R/C 78" Rainbow model. I will provide him a deck and deck houses as soon as I get the layout from Paco Labrador of Spain who trades .dxf files for laser cutting layout. AMYA J-Class 102" Rainbow r/c model laser cut frames - $300, 60" - $225, 48" - $175 plus shipping.
Builders' Notes for finishing laser cut framed models
Send me your e-mail address to receive a .pdf copy of Tom Houle's "Building and Racing Radio Controlled Model Sailboats". Copies of it appear on EBay from time to time. It is an excellent but out of print booklet how to build a number of sailboats. It includes the International One-Design Class. I found Rolf Andersen's IOD mold and photos and bought 4 fiberglass hulls to start making my 48" IOD models. When the mold wore out, I provide bandsawn frames and then laser cut frames. From there, the laser cutting projects mushroomed! The rest is history!Why larger models have become so popular:
Large model airplane engines are less expensive than smaller ones. That accounts for why the large model airplanes have become popular lately. As to sailboats, the publicity for the new replica J-Boats has caused a significant increase in larger size model activity. The increased number of model yacht clubs and regattas seems to have caused the recent increased interest in the larger models. Comparatively, the larger laser cut frames are less expensive per frame than for maller models. The same identicqal winches and radios are used so you get more bang for the buck in the larger model sizes.
J-Class Lionheart and Ranger frames show significnt differences in the hull design! The Lionheart frames are more "V" shaped while the Ranger frames are more rounded.
The Lionheart has a more rounded transom while the Ranger transom is less rounded.
Regarding the bottom of the keel from the bow to the deep keel:
Of the J-Class models that John Hanks has built: Ranger, Rainbow, Shamrock V, Endeavour and Endeavour ll, all have a sharp keel line or with an edge. The Lionheart should be the same. The lines are different for all of the designs this feature is common to all of them.
The laser etched lines of the deck shine through paint and very vividly through clear varnish. The groves can be filled with black epoxy to give the look of caulking. When strip planking, black contruction paper can give that same look.
Most large yachts have toe rails inside the covering boards at deck edge.
Examples of models built from laser cut frames offered on this web site:
Felca 66" by Jean-Claude Sermeus of Belgium.
Jean-Claude has introduced us to the Fulmar, a marvelous model boat featured in a magazine held by Patrick Foley that has deck houses and many features that others will want to replicate. Google for the French Magazine HMG which has the Fulmar on its front cover of an issue a few years back. The plans are available for sale for about 30 Euros. I look forward to receiving an order for the Fulmar at say 60" loa. I will forgoe the fee for doing the CAD/CAM layout in interests of having this model available to those who have expressed interest.
Columbia Defeated Shamrock III in 1899 and Shamrock IV in 1901
The Columbia at 50" loa will be rigged with multiple headsails and a topsail.
It is for a buyer near Fresno, CA who has many r/c models in his collection.
Andrew Charters of Charleston, SC provided the diagram for sail controls to handle the complex rig. I will post the diagrams and details in the near future.
Click for the Columbia sailing in 1899. This historic video was made by Thomas A. Edison who invented "movies" from many stills linked together.
Shamrock V lost against Enterprise in the 1930 America's Cup Races
Click for the Shamrock V History and see her deck layout. Click on the left hand margin image for a full length copy of the original Camper and Nicholson drawing of 1934 as noted on the right hand edge. This is provided for model builders to place my deck houses and Dean Derusha's Harken fittings. 1903 Americas Cup Reliance vs. Shamrock II
The 200' Reliance was designed by Nathaniel Greene Herreshoff, the Wizard of Bristol. She was 200' loa with a 200' mast and 17.000 sq ft of sail. She is the tallest gaff rigger every built. She beat Shamrock III after their two races on August 25, 1903. A third race was cancelled for lack of wind. She exploited a loop hole in the 90 Foot Rule for the races which allowed long overhangs fore and aft that increased her waterline when heeling. That is why you see her heeling over in the photo with the large quarter wave.
Click for the PhotoShow of the Reliance and two other historical Herreshoff yacht designs.
Reliance laser cut frames are offered at 48" - $175 and 60" - $215 plus shipping using lines from "The Book".
Click for Lines drawings.
Ranger 102" frames now available
Click for the J-Boat Ranger promotional video. The first set of AMYA J-Class Ranger 8' 6" laser cut frames were delivered to Lee Keen of Morehead City, NC.
It took 18 sheets of 1/8" x 12" x 24" to make the 30 J-Boat Ranger frames. The price is $300 plus S&H for 8' 6" to 9' 6" r/c models. The 60” Ranger laser cut parts are $225 plus S & H. The 48" Ranger laser cut parts are $175 plus S&H.
I can now supply frames for all of the America's Cup Boats up to 1986 including J-Boats and all of the 12 Meters frames using the lines in "The Book". Velsheda is the only one that I am still looking for. I also can provide "Black Magic, the NZ 1990s deep winged keel design which was the last of that type before the catamarans.
See the Endeavour deck houses and parts PhotoShow. I now offer the above deck parts alone for $135 in 4 mm Okume plywood or white birch for $120 plus $15 shipping in the USA.
1930 - 1937 Americas Cup J-Boats and modern day replicas have been racing
Be sure to view the J-Boat Association's web site for photos and history of the modern aluminum replicas.Click for the Velsheda versus Ranger races at Newport, RI.
Interest in the full scale J-Boats is heating up with many regattas planned.
The new aluminum replica of the Rainbow that beat Endeavour in 1936 is being finished in a Dutch yacht yard. Find more photos of the replica Rainbow by searching with Google for "J-Boat Rainbow". She was 127.7' long.
I offer two sizes of J-Boat Rainbow laser cut frames at 6' 8" and 8' 6" loa. I can provide other sizes as needed.
J-Boats racing at Mystic in 2008, the last Mystic race in 2008, and at Sacramento in the 2009 Nationals.
A new AMYA J-Class model has been recently launched. Click for the Nick Mortgu's photos of her.
How to make the 44" Amati J-Boat Endeavour a Successful R/C model
This Endeavour model sails beautifully with sufficient stability for winds over 10 mph.
Patrick Foley built it from laser cut frames I provided. He installed the 7# lead ballast provided by Hans Berger. Hans makes them for the 48" Canterbury J-Boats based on the Ranger design. He did a slight modification to ballast to fit the profile by removing a 1/4" from the rear to match the rudder post profile. And, he changed the profile in the forefoot area to make that look ok. The keel was deepened by the depth of the ballast approximately 2 1/2" - 3". He drilled five 1/2" holes in the rear of the ballast so that the boat would sit on her lines. The final weight of the ballast was 6 3/4 pounds +/-. After bolting the ballast to the keel, he fiberglassed over it and the rest of the hull. The ballast is indistinguishable from the rest of the keel.
Three of the Amati Endeavour style frames have been delivered to Patrick Foley, Pietro Bertrand of Mont Tremblant, and Dave Wickland of www.sailclassics.com. And I will be providing the Endeavour I frames based on the lines from "The Book" for r/c sailing 3" deeper for R/C. The ballast can be #9 lead shot or the builder can make a mold from the planked keel area and create the lead ballast which can be more effective.
Pietro Bastiani provided diagrams for controlling the double headsail rig of the William Fife Tiuga. That plan can be used for any of the double head sail rigs I show on this web site. I will post them later on.
AMYA J-Class Models
A new AMYA J-Class model has been recently launched. Click for Nick Mortaghu's photos of it.Click for the 2010 AMYA J-Class RC National Championship races. This video shows many of the very large models being launch. It is perhaps the best available on YouTube to see the variety of models that meet the AMYA J-Class rules.
Click for the American Model Yacht Association and the AMYA J-Class for more information about the largest of the AMYA Class models.
The AMYA J-Class models are 1/16 scale. That is 3/4" to 1'. The hulls are from 7' to 8.5' loa weighing from 65 to 97 pounds. Link to www.theamya.org/boats/j/.
John Hanks,AMYA J-Class Secretary, reports that the AMYA J-Class has grown significantly in recent years. Sixteen J-Class models were entered in the J-Class NCR in October 2010 at Chicago, IL.
The lead ballast is removable to make it easier to handle these very large models. They are launched with some ballast installed and the remainder added after launching.
Eight new J-Class models were registered this year alone! Shamrock V is the smallest of the 9 designs.
The AMYA J-Class is expected to announce that the J-Boats that were modified to conform to the J-Class rule may be raced with the original 10 AC race designs.
The new Lionheart J-Class lines were drafted by Pietro Bastiani of Liguria, Italy for me to creating laser cut frames. He uses a free marine software system called "DELFTship". Click for details at DELFTtship. It can produce 3D solid renderings and tables for evaluating the design in addition to lines drawings! It will be interesting to run several of the real J-Boat designs through that system.
Smaller size J-Boat laser cut frames include the Endeavour 44" and 48" J-Class hull frames are $175. 60" J-Class frames are $225. Above deck parts are $110 in 1/16th white birch or $135 in 1/16th Mahogany. The 8' size J-Class frames are quoted individually depending on the extra parts required for the individual boats.
The Endeavour frames and parts as shown below are available within 3 weeks of receipt of payment for 46, 48 and 60" models. The layout of those parts are shown. Other sizes are quoted upon request.
Now that 8 of the famous J-Boats can be modeled from official plans, plank-on-frame model building has been taken to another level. Link to AMYA J-Class web pages for more information about this premier model sailboat class.
Learn the history of the J-Boats at Story of the J-Class Yachts.
Various sizes of laser cut frames and parts are now available for the J-Boat Endeavour. This beautiful J-Boat was launched in 1934 and lost to Rainbow after 6 races. She was rebuilt and is being refitted in New Zealand as shown in the photo.
The frames and parts are available in almost any size. The 44" model is large enough for radio control. The keel can be made deeper to improve stability if desired.
My 44" J-Boat Endeavour Construction PowerPoint slideshow is provided free to those interested in building a J-Boat model from laser cut frames. Contact me for a copy at mthrasher@verizon.net.
The varnished cabins were made by John Dowd of the UK and not laser cut. See his Web site at www.john-dowd.co.uk
Endeavour UK 4 was launched in 1934. She lost against Rainbow after winning the first two races although she was the faster boat. Her crew struck for higher wages forcing the owner to hire inexperienced crew members. They were not able to handle the heavy sails allowing Rainbow to squeak by after 6 races.
Greatest LOA, tallest rig (158 ft. from deck). Flush-plated steel hull, steel framing, planking, mast, wood Park Avenue boom, steel centerboard, pine decks. Fortunately she was spared and fully restored later.
Click for Endeavour’s history and current refit in NZ.Click for J-Boat Scuttlebutt
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J-Class Information
Click for Materials List of items required to complete J-Class models by John Hanks, AMYA J-Class Secretary.Sails and Hardware Supplier Recommendations
ROD CARR, SAILMAKER 3011 - 177th AVENUE NE REDMOND, WA 98052-5825 RodCarr SailsFor the 60” J-Boat Lionheart, he recommends sail plans with a triangle area of 1200 sq. in. same as the EC-12 on a 72” Goldspar mast. The rig height is the same as the overall length distributed 61% in the main and 39% in the jib. Include "Model Yacht Sails" in the email subjects to avoid spam filters. Provide phone numbers. Phone: 425 881-2846 Mon-Fri 9 AM - 5 PM PST.
Ray Osmun - GoldSpar aluminum masts 3506 Fox Rd, Huron, OH 44839, 305 743-5720 Ray Osmun
Dean Derusha, Miniature Hardware 989 980-9423, Scale Model Co. PO Box 656 Freeland, MI 48623 Dean Derusha
Miniature Harken fittings in 3 scale sizes will be shown on 3 model sizes: 48", 60" and 106". See www.photobucket.com/modelyachtworld file: the challenge
Larry Ludwig 10’ masts and equipment. http://www.ludwigrcyachts.com/spars.htm
Airfoil masts, same as Ray Osmun's "GoldSpar" and original Vortex spars. Large diameter 120" in mill finish. 72" Airfoil masts are clear and black anodized and mill finish. The 96" and International One Meter masts are round 72" clear anodized only.
RMD Marine Bob Dudinsky RMD Marine 727-360-4193 RMDMARINE@TAMPABAY.RR.COM
EC 12 hulls and hardware. 18 Bellevue Drive, Treasure Island, FL 33706
Ken Bauser KBSails@aol.com 203 575-9882, 32 Woodstock Street, Waterbury, CT 06704
Sails for most classes, Carbon tapered masts, Star 45 and Comet 36" vintage one-design, the Star Class little sister based on the Comet Class lines
Patrick Foley recommends Model Expo in Orlando, FL for ship/boat wheels in different diameters. He found one suited for his 44" model of Endeavour. Binnacles and such are from Cornwall Models UK but may be too small. A great source for many parts is SailEtc in the UK. Roger Cousineau makes very nice brass parts.
Roger Couseneaux Model Boat Fittings High quality brass fittings for sailboats boats over One Meter.
IOD Documentation There are a lot of useful tips in the IOD Assembly Manual at IOD Manual See AMYA Classifieds and check other Suppliers listings. Check out the http://www.jclasssolentregatta.com/ for videos of past events and schedules for future events. Click for AMYA Quarterly Newsletter 12-1-2011 That was the year I returned from 3 years of sea duty, with one year in Korea on US Navy destroyers. I resumed model and big boat building. I built a Star Class #3909, a full scale boat from scratch in western red cedar and covered with fiberglass before it hit the water. It was launched in time for the July 1958 Larchmont Yacht Club Race Week. I tracked big boats racing in SORC like Salty Tiber while crewing on large boats on Long Island Sound. Finisterre's dimensions are LOA: 38'-6", LWL: 27'-6", Beam: 11'-3", Draft: board up/down: 3'-11"/7'-4", Displ: 18,640 lbs, Sail Area: 713 Sq. ft. The model will be 1.5" to 1' scale with a well to install a titanium fin and bulb keel. That is instead of deepening the keel for stability as was done by Andrew Charters and Patrick Foley's Gloriana as shown below. To recall the mid-1950s SORC era, click on Finisterre vs. Hoot Mon. I remember that these decidedly different designs raced nip and tuck. Finisterre was designed and built in 1954 for Carleton Mitchell for single-handed sailing and cruising. She exceeded her owner’s expectation and astounded the yachting world by winning the Bermuda race three consecutive times: 1956, 1958 and 1960. Her 1956 victor was the first ever by the smallest boat. Her design turned the trend back to smaller, beamy centerboard boats as evidenced in the 1958 Bermuda race where a 111 boat fleet was jammed with Finisterre-type boat. Unlike many legends in the past Finisterre still races and cruises. The laser cut frames will be based on Finisterre's lines from WoodenBoat Magazine with a fin and bulb keel style extension to improve the stability for r/c racing. Check Google for the Finisterre story on YouTube for these famous boats and the famous skipper, Carleton Mitchell. He has given up racing and is devoting his time to painting. We note that Charlie Morgan and Dennis Connor have also gone to the avocation of painting or is it their profession? I would have expected them to go into sculpture! Jerry created these step by step 82" Vagabond A Class construction PhotoShows: PhotoShow 4 , PhotoShow 3 , PhotoShow 2 and PhotoShow 1 . Use the "View and download" link" to save the pictures you want. He sent the Vagabond plans for me to post in the near future. See his nifty way of setting up the frames using a metal rail to hold the frames in the correct spacing. The white foam sections were replaced with 1/4" plywood frames. A 4 J-Boat Regatta Series for the 100 Guinea Cup
The J-Boat owners have started a Regatta Series for 4 J-Boats that end in July 2012 in Cowes for the 100 Guinea Cup. Read about this at the J Class Yachts Blogspot.
Endeavour and Superyacht Cup Videos
J-Boat Ranger reproduction sailing
J-Boat Lionheart sailing
Lionheart's Maiden Voyage
Shamrock V sailing alone
Endeavour versus Shamrock V
Shamrock V Sailing ! Hanuman - Endeavour Sailing
J Class Yacht in Big Seas ! J Class Yachts - First clash
J Class Off Yarmouth, Isle of Wight! Velsheda at Superyacht Cup
Ranger Superyacht ! Wally 130 at Sardinia
Finisterre, The Three Times Newport to Bermuda Race Winner Laser Cut Frames - 57.75" LOA
Click for Finisterre RC model frames for Carl Brosius of San Francisco. He will build a fin and bulb r/c model at 57.75" r/c model. Finisterre is the Sparkman and Stephens' small yawl rigged phenomenon. She was designed for shallow water cruising but won the bi-annual Newport to Bermuda Race an amazing three times. She was launched in 1954. Four boats have been built to her design!
Jerry Hendrickson of Kaufman, TX is building two 82" Vagabond A Class models
Click for a PhotoShow of Jerry Hendrikson's track lighting rail to hold large J-Class models that are built from laser cut frames that I provide.
Charles D. Mower Number Boat 22
The Number Boat 22 is one of the finest of the Number Boat series at 28'. There are a few still available including one that is being restored at Hall's Boat Company on Lake George.
I have received the lines drawing for the Number Boat 22 from the Antique Boat Museum of Clayton, NY's Curator, Emmett Smith and am now able to over laser cut frames and decks in virtually any size. Herb Miller has ordered frames for a 2" per 1' model at 56" loa. It will be powered by a weed whacker engine.
Meanwhile, see the YouTube videos of the Number Boats racing on the St. Lawrence River.
The Everett Smith Boat Company may have 3 of these fine boats on-hand and a new one being built. Click for the Number Boat 22 PhotoShow. It has the photos found on-line thus far.
The Number Boat 22 is 28' long with 8' beam. We are studying the many photos found on-line which are included in the Number 22 PhotoShow. Click Number Boats to see these fine boats racing again on the St. Lawrence River.
Fay and Bowen's 28' is another boat similar to the Number Boat 22. There were 5 of them at the Lake Hopatcong Yacht Club in NJ where I raced in the Star Class in the late 1950s. I remember them as arriving on Saturday nights for dinner with 3 couples in each in their finery. I built my own Star Class # 3909 and was interested in these fine boats as a possible next full size boat project. Too bad I did not follow through because these boats now sell for well over $100,000.
Tour this web site the easy way via a PhotoShow
Click for the tour of model boat PhotoShow of laser cut frames.
Among my current projects are the Charles D. Mower Number Boat series and the SS Central America. She sank in 1857 with 425 men lost, 153 women and children saved.
The SS Central America story is told in the PhotoShow included below.
Contact Milton Thrasher, 4258 Hearthstone Drive, Sarasota, FL 941 966-9172 mthrasher@verizon.net .
The Historical SS Central America Side Paddle Wheeler
The SS Central America, 278' long, 40' beam, 2141 ton displacement, was built in 1853. She was launched as SS George Lucas but renamed SS Central America. She was carrying as much as $150 million in gold and 578 passengers and crew from Panama to NY City. She came to an untimely end in 1857. The packing gland on the starboard paddle wheel failed admitting more water than the bucket brigade could handle. The water soon put out the fires and steam was lost. At that time there were two hurricanes converging on her. She was 200 miles east of Charleston, SC in 8,700 feet of water. Several sailing vessels came to her aid in spite of the bad storm, taking off some of the passengers. But, she went down with 425 lives lost. All of the women and children were saved. The loss of the gold caused the financial panic of 1857.
A successful salvage effort was mounted in 1958 by Thommy Thompson. The currents were minimal allowing remote controlled deep water surveying equipment to find her without any significant sediment coverage in the over 130 years of submergence. The lines drawings and existing models of the Central America make it possible to provide laser cut frames and other parts for this historical vessel. The paddle wheels and covers and some other parts are included with these frames. Deck houses and hatches are also available separately. The model is 3/16" to 1' for a 50" long model.
The frames and parts can be made to other scales with the minor changes required for fitting the parts together.
Larry Demaline provided the photo of his 50" model and drawings for this very interesting vessel. He was honored at the christening of his model by the attendance by Thommy Thompson who recovered the SS Central America gold. He was able to keep 92% of it. The History Channel's "Mystery Ships - Ship of Gold" tells the amazing story. Four good books are available about this vessel. I recommend the "Ship of Gold in the Deep Blue Sea" by Gary Kinder listed in Wikipedia. Click for my PhotoShow that shows four different models of the SS Central America and photos found on-line. The History Channel runs their video "Mystery Ships - Ship of Gold" occasionally. It is available from Amazon.com for $10.95 including shipping.
The SS Central America's History from Model Shipmasters Website
On September 3rd, 1857, 477 passengers and 101 crew on board (578 total) the Central America left the Panamanian port of Colón and sailed for New York City. The ship was heavily laden with over three tons of gold.The cargo included about 5,200 recently-minted $20 "Double Eagle" gold pieces produced in 1857 at the San Francisco Mint. The gold was mined during the California Gold Rush. There was a smaller quantity of other historic gold coins that circulated in the Wild West. The cargo also contained privately-made gold coins and ingots produced by government-supervised San Francisco Gold Rush-era assayers.
On September 9th, the Central America was hit by a Category 2 hurricane off the coast of the Carolinas. Two days later, 105 mph winds shredded all her sails. A leak in a seal for a paddle wheel gave way to seawater and her boiler could no longer maintain fire.
Bucket brigades were formed and her passengers and crew spent days and nights fighting a losing battle against the rising water. In the morning of September 10th, two ships came to the rescue. 153 people, primarily women and children, made their way in lifeboats. With 425 people still on board, the Central America sank at 8 pm that night.
Unable to meet payrolls or pay creditors because of the loss of the gold cargo, New York banks began to fail. Stores and factories began to close, touching off a financial crash in the United States and Europe. It was "The Panic of 1857."
The ship was located by the use of Bayesian search theory and a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) operated by the Columbus-America Discovery Group of Ohio, that was sent down on 11 September 1987. Significant amounts of gold and artifacts were recovered and brought to the surface by another ROV built specifically for the recovery. Tommy Thompson led the group. Thirty-nine insurance companies filed suit, claiming that because they paid damages for the lost gold, they had the right to it. The team that found it argued that the gold had been abandoned. After a legal battle, 92% of the gold was awarded to the discovery team in 1996.
The total value of the recovered gold was estimated at between $100 and 150 million. A recovered gold ingot weighing 80 pounds sold for a record $8 million USD and was recognized as the most valuable piece of currency in the world at that time.
Click for PhotoShow of Larry Demaline's very exacting 50" model and 3 other SS Central America models. It shows many memorabilia items as well as the ship's design.
Amazon.com has this History Channel VHS video about the SS Central America. I received it within 4 days. It is and an excellent presentation of the tragic story and the recovery of all the gold by Thommy Thompson, a remarkable young man. He solved many technical problems to make it possible against all odds. Meanwhile, read the story of the Ship of Gold through history found on-line.
Survey These Model Boat Web Sites
See my laser cut parts for many types and sizes of model boats.
Review the Vintage Model Yacht Group web site. Learn about lines drawings and plans that I can provide laser cut parts for.
Join the American Model Yacht Association to receive their excellent quarterly newsletter and the monthly e-mail newsletter from the David Brawner, AMYA President who races J-Class models. See the many available newsletters.
Go to the J-Class Website has many detailed photos of the 2011 National J-Class Championship.
Join the Tampa Bay Ship Model Society and receive their excellent monthly E-mailed newsletter for $12 annual dues.
My other web site at www.angelfire.com/fl5/modelyachts shows other models and frames I offer including models of the Chesapeake Light Craft's Skerry. It is a model of the same design of the full scale Skerry's using the "stitch and glue" approach. The 73" Vanja A Class model is shown in some detail along with the mold I offer at cost. I am hoping that those who like larger r/c models will want to sail these Vintage A Class models as shown in the 1936 Popular Mechanics article by George Baron, designer.
Click for Sparkman & Stevens review of the resurgence of interest in J-Boats.
Resurgence in full scale and model International One-Design Class sloops
There are now three builders of full scale fiberglass 33' 5" IOD Class. A new wooden IOD full scale was built in Nova Scotia for their new fleet. I continue to get requests for the 48" IOD r/c models. And, Brian Sims of Vision Sails of Louisville, KY and I are developing an IOD 48" a fin and bulb keel version. Brian makes lead fin and bulb keels for other models. He will trade one for the IOD 48" fin and bulb frames. The dead wood is eliminated and the deeper keel and balanced rudder are provided for giving more stability for r/c sailing. Brian notes that there are a number of classic sailboat lines used for modern racing yachts. They need less crew with the larger mains and smaller jibs than those with large genoas.
The IOD 48" display models by Herb Miller is now available for $800
I once again offer fiberglass IOD 48" hulls with 3" deeper keels for more stability under r/c. Bare hulls are $350 plus shipping. Ready to sail r/c models are $2750 plus shipping. Laser cut frames in any scale are available as shown later on this site.
The International One-Design Class - 33' 5" classic day sailers with cuddy cabins
The International One-Design Class was started in 1936 by Cornelius Shields at Larchmont Yacht Club in NY with a fleet of 25 boats. They were based on the design of the beautiful 37.5' 6 meter Saga that Corny had seen in Bermuda designed by Bjarne Aas of Norway. Corny specified the cuddy cabin, no Genoa jib and a similar but smaller boat. He convinced the 25 Sound Interclub Sailors to switch over to the IODs in one fell swoop! So, instantly the IOD Class was launched.
Many of the America's Cup skippers of the 12 meter era learned their skills in the IODs. They included Bus Mosbacher, Bob Bavier, Jr, Bill Cox, Arthur Knapp and Corny himself. Fleets were developed in Bermuda and then Marblehead, San Francisco, Edinburogh, and Oslo. International Championships have been held every year except during WW II.
Click to order the IOD History book now available.
Corny's original boat, the Aileen, is still sailing very competitively having been restored by me in 1991 and then again in 1976 by Len Crawford, and finally done professionally by Bruce Dysan of Marblehead. In 2006, the Aileen proved to be the fastest of the IODs in the Championship at Larchmont Yacht Club's boat rotation. Tony Huston, who once owned her, won that Championship. The Aileen is now in Nova Scotia with the new fleet and doing well.
Upon retiring to Sarasota, FL, I decided to take up building and racing model boats. The plastic Soling 1 meter models were very popular. But, I thought an r/c model of the IOD would be more graceful and interesting. So, I built two hulls and made a mold of the better of the two. That was to provide fiberglass hulls for those who finished them for themselves. I finished five for those who wanted completed models as presents. But, to my knowledge there never has been enough IOD models in one place to establish an active racing club. I recently shipped the first set of frames to Australia. Kendall Allcott's IOD Joyce is shown being built and sailed on YouTube. I have a Roxio PhotoShow on-line that shows many things about the IOD models.
When the mold was worn out, I provided plans and band sawn frames for building these models. A few years later, a friend laid out the frames for making laser cut frames. I continue to offer the laser cut frames in several sizes and formats. The IOD 48" is the most popular. Smaller sizes with a center profile for making display models are provided. There continue to be a number of people each year that order the laser cut frames to build their own. They are attracted to the elegant design and the shallow draft that does not catch weeds due to the shape of the keel.
I think the IOD model boats have been a success. See the many IOD models elsewhere on my web site as proof.
Click for the The Ion’s - The Big Little Class article from Motor Boating of January 1964.
Click for the Cornelius Shields and the IOD founding.
Patrick Foley's IOD One Meter - A bright star in the universe of model IOD's
Patrick Foley of Greensboro, NC, veteran US Navy pilot, who has made many model airplanes, built this beautiful IOD One Meter. And, he has recently completed a 44" Endeavour R/C model. He chose the IOD for his first model boat to be made from laser cut frames. He makes as much of the model parts by himself as practical. His current project is the Nathaniel G. Herreshoff designed Gloriana also shown on this website.
He wanted the One Meter size so he could race against others in his area near Elon College who race other One Meter Class R/C models. The IOD 48" layout was reduced to provide for a One Meter size model which worked perfectly with no other changes.
He made his own sails. He strip planked the deck with maple and walnut. Fittings are from Roger Cousineau, Midwest and Worth Marine. The mast is aluminum from the EC 12 Class. He fiberglassed the hull and applied several coats of resin to the interior that waterproofed the balsa wood planking.
He is the first to finish an IOD cockpit per the construction plans. His very handsome model has dark green topsides, red bottom, white waterline, and natural wood deck. The on/off switch and battery charger port is conveniently located under the companionway hatch cover.
Click for more IOD models.
His next model was the R/C 44" J-Boat Endeavour from my laser cut frames shown below. He is now working on plans to build a 48" model of the Herreshoff Gloriana, a breakthrough triple headsail gaff rigged design of 1981.
New layouts for International One-Design Class 36" and 48" laser cut frames
International One-Design Class frames for scale models have deeper keels for r/c sailing/racing.
Our new supplier for IOD laser cut frames provides a "T-rail" strip for aligning the frames on a building board. It assures perfect alignment and straight hulls.
The IOD models are exact to scale except for 3" deeper keels for improved stability in winds over 15 mph. The www.yahoo.com/groups for IOD_Model_Yachts shows many models that have been built from laser cut frames that are planked in basswood or balsawood and covered with fiberglass.
The frames are very easy to assemble as they are notched to fit the keelson and the control strip. The preferred ballast is #9 lead buckshot that is epoxied inside the planked hull.
YouTube Video by Kendall Allcott of New Zealand of his IOD 48" from laser cut frames
This video is by one of the best IOD builders showing how he made his IOD 48" 'Joyce'. Click on http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I9adcnlrMS4. Kendall and his friend, John Gilmour, each built them for match racing. Mark Rogers of Australia has ordered at set of IOD 48" frames. Contact: KenAllcott@xtra.co.nzClick for the IOD PhotoShow of many things relating to the IOD Class and scale models made from laser cut frames.
The resurgence of interest in IOD models is perhaps influenced by the recent announcements of the J-Boat Lionheart and the new 8+ feet long AMYA J-Class models and because IODs appear to be much like smaller versions. I provide a new IOD Assembly Manual for those considering the building of plank-on-frame IOD or other models. My original IOD Assembly Manual was written for those starting with a fiberglass hull. See the other IOD sections later in this website.
Starlet 36" from 1942 Popular Mechanics, Star 1 Meter and Star 45 Models
The Starlet 36 is a wonderful first boat model for young people. You built it very inexpensively with band sawn or laser cut frames and #9 lead shot ballast by following the very detailed instructions. Go to www.angelfire.com/fl5/modelyachts for the full article from Popular Mechanics.
Paddy Gillespie is arranging to provide Starlet 36 models to young boys and girls clubs in Northern Ireland. He visualizes having workshops where they can build their own model boats from kits provided. Assuming that the project is successful, they may offer 48" models the following year.
I will provide them a prototype kit free of charge that they can produce locally. Their plan is much like that of Pawel Dejnak's with his Opalek Footy shown later on this web site. I also mentioned to him the stitch and glue models of the Skerry double ended model that can be rigged for sailing as shown on my web site at www.angelfire.com/fl5/modelyachts">.
The Starlet 36 laser cut frames are like those in the Popular Mechanics article with step by step instructions. All 8 pages are available at www.angelfire.com/fl5/modelyachts/Starlet36.html . They are jam packed with good information and should be printed out to study as you plan the size and detail level you want to work to. I studied these plans while at Maury High School, Norfolk, VA in 1942. And then used them as a guide for building a 6' Star Class model while at Penn State. The lines are very simple for planking the sides and deck with sheet balsa. The arc bottom is planked with strips.
My PhotoShow shows the article and some Star One Meter and Star 45 Class information as well as two Star Class boats I have owned. Study the Star 45 YouTube that shows the way these models are built.
Herb Miller of Marathon, Florida made this Star Class One Meter display model. It may replace the one I started for a client in Switzerland. Herb Miller has fitted the keel into a slot on the bottom for safe shipping overseas. He provided a moveable rudder and tiller. See it at the Star Class One Meter models PhotoShow.
Gloriana - The 1891 Herreshoff designed very successful triple headsail gaff rigged sloop
The Gloriana won all 11 of her first year's competition. She was a break-through design with
her cut away forefoot. This allowed her to carry a lot more sail within the current rule.
Patrick Foley ordered frames for his 48" Gloriana model with a 10% wider beam
and deeper keel for added stability. See his two other r/c models on this web site.
Andrew Charters built his Gloriana 8' 4" loa, 5' 9" lod, LWL 45.5", Beam 14", depth 11.5",
mast height 73.5" with top mast, 47" without to deck, deck 3.5" above LWL, main boom 52", main gaff 30"
Comments by Patrick Foley:
Andrew Charters built his 8' 4" Gloriana by fiberglassing the foamed frames. He made his frames out of 1/4" wood. He uses high density foam that can be obtained from outdoor sign making shops. Frequently they have scrap pieces that can be band sawn to fit nicely between the frames. After shaping the hull, he removes the wooden frames and replaces them with Styrofoam... Then he covers the entire hull with sheet rock mud...then sands it...then paints it with latex paint. He then Fibreglasses it with 3" wide fiberglass and West System epoxy and then sands, sands, sands. To remove the foam, he pours gasoline over it which dissolves it so that he can pour out the remaining go. That makes a lighter weight hull...but one still needs to replace a number of frames to strengthen the assembly. Some frames were left out to make more room for sail control equipment and internal ballast.
Some recommend using #9 lead shot for ballast. It is safer than pouring molten lead!
Andrew Charters builds mostly schooners. The AMYA magazine published diagrams of his schooner sheeting system. It is my understanding that his system for Gloriana will be in the upcoming quarterly issue.
Gloriana's system consists of two closed loop systems. One is below deck for mainsail control and one is above deck for the 3 headsails. All 3 headsails are tendable with his system.
On my 44" LOA model of Endeavour, I employed a much simpler system for control of my staysail and jib. I tend the staysail with a separate servo mixed with the mainsail servo. Thus, both sails operate through the throttle servo of my model airplane computer radio. The clue of the jib is simply connected to the foot of the staysail at midpoint via a loop of line. When the staysail moves, it drags the jib with it and wind causes it to flop over for the proper overlap. It works fairly well.
Click for videos of the New Zealand Classic Yachts. See what it is like to sail these beauties live!.
Click for
Felca - The German sloop designed by Max Oertz that won the 1906 Coupe de France
Felca was a 10 Ton gaff rigged sloop with two headsails similar to Gloriana show above.
Patrick Bigand's article about the event and his Ar Men model is at Classic Model Yachts.
Frames for the Felca model at 48" are $175 and 66” are $225 plus S&H.
Felca was designed by Max Oertz, a famous Classic Yacht Designer and early aviation expert. He lived from 1871 to 1929 and was the designer of the Kaiser's yachts.
Born 20th April 1871, Max Oertz was a naval architect, a builder, engineer, and later a pioneer of aviation, with experience in Finland and St. Petersburg before developing his yard near Hamburg.
Around the time Oertz was working in Hamburg the Kaiser developed a keen interest in yacht racing – and not just as a participant. He wanted to develop a yachting culture in Germany that could rival that of the British and Americans. Max Oertz played a leading part in that development and his name became inseparable with the emergence and rapid development of the German yacht industry at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th Century.
He designed many class racing yachts and later he was given the prestigious job of designing the Kaiser’s schooner, ‘Meteor IV’, to race against ‘Britannia’. His output was both prodigious and successful.
Other well-known Oertz designs are ‘Felca’, ‘Lims’ and ‘Samoa’.
Dragon Class Laser Cut Frames now available
Click for the PhotoShow of Billings Boats' Dragen Kit which sells for about $250. You need to buy the wood kit and the metal parts kit as well.
My laser cut frames can be planked with balsa or basswood and covered with fiberglass in virtually any size. I recommend making the keel at least 3" deeper to improve stability if finishing them for r/c sailing. I recommend a minimum size of One Meter for R/C versions. 48" would be even better.
The Dragon Class is very popular in Europe, particularly Ireland, UK, Germany and The Netherlands where they have large fleets. There are many Dragon models available on EBay. Laser cut frames can be made in any size for R/C, display and half models to suit your needs.
The Dragon was the 3 man keel boat in the Olympics from 1948 to 1972 per Wikipedia. There are many photos available on-line by searching for Dragon sailboats.
The International Dragon Association has an excellent promotional page at www.intdragon.org and racing in Melbourne, Australia.
The 2010 European International Dragon Class Championship was held in September last year in Ireland. Click for Championship Race 4.
Ted Persons' Dragen model made from the Billings Boat Dragen kit is a good example of a display model at 32" loa. Radio Controlled models are better if made at least One Meter or more loa with a deeper keel for better stability. There is a small r/c adaption of the 32" Dragen on YouTube which shows that it needs a deeper keel for stability.
I can provide laser cut frames enlarged to virtually any size within reason with deeper keel sections for r/c models that will stand up to winds as high as 25 mph.
There is an excellent example of how the Billings Boats Dragen kit was modified for R/C at RC Groups. Imagine the same boat at One Meter or 48". This makes a sailing model that can compete favorably with others of that size.
These photos are from the Doomerick NL website, builders of very fine Dragon Class boats.
Click for a video about R/C Sailing of a Billing Dragen model.
Contact Milton Thrasher for a free PowerPoint slide show of his International Dragon Class laser cut frame kit.
60" Vigilant 22 square meter r/c model laser cut frames and parts - $225 plus S&H
Did you ever see such a good planking job of at least an 11' model boat?
Click for 
Vigilante 22 Click for Skerry PhotoShow 1 and Skerry PhotoShow 2 .
Uffa Fox's Vigilant reference online.
Click for Wikipedia's history of the Skerry's.
Be sure to watch the YouTube video of Lothar Mentz of Germany's Skerry 22 Square Meter r/c model. The Vigilant, a Uffa Fox design, is shown in the PhotoShows. Contact Lothar Mentz for more information. PhotoShow 1 includes 22 and 30 sq mtr boats and details of Lothar Mentz's Skerry.
Lothar has indicated that although over 50 years old, Uffa Fox's Vigilant is not considered out-of-date. Uffa Fox's 30 sq meter Swallow is also shown in the Skerry Photoshow 1 as well as construction drawings of several other Square Meters.
Uffa Fox's "Thoughts of Yachts and Yachting" includes the lines for two of his Square Meter yachts. They are very successful with long overhangs and narrow waterlines but are very light with small sail areas. Read about Uffa at Classic Yachting and 22 Sq Meters at www.sk22.nu.
Click for the 60" r/c Square Meter model by Luis Perez that can be found on YouTube. It is typical of Skerry models you can make from laser cut frames. Contact Luis Perez of Canada for more information.
Go to FaceBook for "Scandinavian Cruisers" to learn about the new SC 20, the 2 man day sailer Skerry type boats made in China. There are also SC 30 and SC 40 Skerry types. There are photo galleries of the 3 SC sizes at SC 20, SC30 and SC 40. The SC 40 gallery shows display models of the SC 40 and SC 20. I provide laser cut frames, cabins, keel and rudder for all three models in any size you want. They are based on the actual lines of the Scandinavian Cruisers!
Search YouTube for Scandinavian Cruisers and Square Meters. You will be pleasantly surprised by how many very good videos there are of these great boats.
Also, search for Scandinavian Cruisers on FaceBook. There are a huge number of entries for them!
Click for the Square Meter Rules
The Evelina M. Goulart Restoration at Essex, MA
The Essex Shipbuilding Museum in Essex, MA has the 84 year old Evelina M. Goulart schooner under cover as they plan further restorations. She is an excellent example of the nearly 4000 fishing schooners that plied their trade off the Massachusetts coast. There was a proposal to do a cut away exhibit to show how these schooners were built.
It is proposed that laser cut frames be provided to a modeler to build an open half model diorama to show what she would look like to would-be donors. I will provide the frames if someone comes forward. She is used as a teaching example of how the genre' were built. This 31 1/4" Evelina M. Goulart model is for sale for $395 plus S&H with an appropriate commemorative engraved name plate. Consider donating it to the Essex Museum's collection.
Click for a few words about this historic vessel.
Oheka II frames for models of this famous 1927 German Built 85' yacht
There are two different Oheka II hulls found on Internet. I provide laser cut frames for the white bottom hull and deck houses. It has different windows in the main cabin than the other model which was made by Christian Rex. Oheka II 48" and 60" models are made from laser cut frames and parts from the original plans of an 85' German 1927 yacht. She was the prototype for German Schnellboots, the fast torpedo boats of WW II. Oheka II's name is derived from the owner's name: Otto Herman Kahn.
The Oheka II has the same lines as the German Schnellboots of WW II. The frames can also used to build Schnellboot models by reducing the freeboard a little. This hull design was driven safely in rough seas at 34 knots. Its unique rounded hull prevented squatting at high speed. These frames are designed to be placed upside down on a building board or assembled with the rigid brace that holds the frames in alignment for in-hand strip planking. They have been reduced to allow for 4 mm planking which is a little less than 1/8". 
Click each photo for a larger size view.
New Lines Drawing for Oheka II set of laser cut frames and deck houses
Click for 2nd Rendering of 60" New Oheka II design by Pietro BastianiYou can download the new lines drawings and other images by clicking on the "View and Download" link on the PhotoShow introduction page.
Herb Miller of Marathon, FL confirms that the 60" Oheka II frames he received are those that match the model on the left. Herb has built several sizes of the Randall Flyer hydroplane and IOD 48" models shown later on this web site.
Herb Miller's 60" Oheka II model is coming along nicely. He planked it with balsa and knocked off the ridges and coated it with two coats of epoxy. Then he touched it up with 3M Bondo-type finishing glaze that works very well. He put 3 coats of West System epoxy over the top of that.
The white hulled model shown above is the style of deck houses that Herb will put on his model.
Click the photos for a larger views.
Click for the Wikipedia history of the Oheka II and see the Oheka II models built from Lurrsen Classic boat model. This is a good challenge for the power boat enthusiasts. I provide laser cut frames comparable to those in this model kit in any size you wish. Shown are the 48" sent to Bill Bibeault of Athens, GA area and 60" sent to Herb Miller of Marathon, FL.
Click for laser cut frame details and frames shown on the www.yahoo.com/groups for Classicwoodmodelboats. Click for a PhotoShow of the Oheka II and other models found on Internet.
I am doing a layout for a laser etched strip planked deck, cabins and deck features for the Oheka II in both sizes. See the Robbe Atlantis YouTube video of one being decked by Mick Brown. Please let me know of the amount of detail you would like to see.
Laser cut frames for 48" - $175 or 60" - $215 plus S&H. Laser cut deck houses and features - $100 plus S&H.
Call for a quote on other sizes. 941 966-9179 in Sarasota, FL
The Atlantic, three masted schooner was recreated as an exact replica in 2010
The Atlantic, designed by William Gardner won the 1905 Kaiser Cup Transatlantic race with a record time that stood for over 100 years. She did over 660 miles in one 24 hour period under bare poles in a hurricane with Charles Bar skippering.
Many models have been built of this famous schooner which can be found on-line with Google.
Laser cut frames are now available using the lines as shown below that were redrawn by Pietro Bastiani of Liguria, Italy using DELFTship marine design software.
Click for the Atlantic re-build history.
Click for the Atlantic Photo Show.
Length over all 186', waterline length 134', beam 29'
Pearson Ariel and Commander One Meter Laser Cut Frames
The Pearson Ariel is often described as a smaller Triton. That is a fair evaluation as we found when we bought Ariel 41 in 1963. We sailed her on Barnegat Bay with two young children before relocating to Rye, NY on Long Island Sound in 1967. We took many vacation cruises on her.
The Ariel has the same hull as the Commander which has a smaller cabin, larger cockpit. The Ariel-Commander YRA on San Francisco Bay is going strong. See their web site at Ariel-Commander YRA . I did a newsletter for the Ariels and Commanders from 1967 - 1971 until going to the IOD Class.
Everett Pearson said how pleased he was to see the many Ariels still sailing on Narraganset Bay.
Chamois 2 is a 60 year old French Design that has been completely restored by Patrick Bigand
These lines were used to make laser cut frames for a 45" R/C model for Patrick Bigand of Paris and Douarnenez, France.
He completely restored his 60 year old Chamois 2 for a July 2011 regatta.
L'Hirondelle French Oyster Smack Laser Cut Frames
L'Hirondelle laser cut frames have been provided to Antoine Froment of France for his 38.19" model. She is a historic 5 ton oyster smack from the west coast of France. It is loaded with 5 tons of sand ballast to sail to the oyster beds. As the oysters are loaded, the sand is off loaded. The original boat is preserved in a famous boat museum near Port-hru, France.
We thank Antoine Froment for providing this this web address for good boat plans.
Doll Houses and Wooden Clock Parts Made from Laser Cut Parts
Doll houses can be made in clear Baltic Birch plywood in virtually any size.
Go to Free Doll House Plans or find doll house kits on E-Bay for very little. They have good plans to make wooden parts
that will give you a professional looking doll house.
Send sketches, photos or name of a pattern that appeals to you for a quote.
Wooden clock laser cut parts for the Genesis Wood Clock and others work better! The escape gear is especially critical and must be precision made. See my PhotoShow at http://www.photoshow.com/watch/bG6rZ9ja . The 3/8" gear is made of 1/4" on the left and 1/8" gear on the right glued together.
Be sure to check Dr. Clayton Boyer's blogspot found on www.lisaboyer.com website.
Laser cut parts for model boats or any objects you plan to build!
Do you need to see what your drawing looks like in 3D?
Yacht Designers and Builders, Manufacturers, Surgeons, Architects, Sculptors? Here you are!
Laser cut frames and parts can be made to any scale for boats or objects that you have plans or sketches for. It makes sense to make a model of anything that you plan to build! A scale model will give you insights so that you will not be disappointed with the final product. By tracing the lines drawings or sketch with Cad/Cam programs, very accurate laser cut frames and parts are made that fit together perfectly. This is shown in the many models on this web site.
Plank-on-frame models can be built very quickly with balsa and basswood strips held together with quick drying glues. Durham's wet putty can fill the seems when the strips do not line up as well as expected. Models can be made quickly without edge gluing the planks by using Durhams' wet putty. It is an adhesive as well as a filler and still produces accurate models.
See the many sources for boat plans later on this web site. Call me for ideas on how prototype drawings can be produced for you that can be used to make laser cut frames and parts.
Crandall Flyer - A classic high speed powerboat model kit
I provide laser cut frames for any design whose plans are available in almost any size you want. Frames up to 48" loa for $175 plus S&H.
Herb Miller of Marathon, FL has built his second 15' Flyer model at 42" loa using my laser cut frames. They are made from AutoCAD files provided by John-Tom of Thailand. See Flyer plans.
Click on the Flyer close up photo for YouTube video.
The frames are used for half models, full and r/c models. A Cad/Cam program traces the lines that control the laser. I show the model boat frames I offer and add new ones frequently. I am working on a Hampton One-Design that will be like my new One Meter Star Class for display and/or radio control. If you provide the lines, I will make you a set of frames like the ones shown below in virtually any size for $175 plus $15 for shipping within the US.
This ad by William Harding, E and D Stuart, Inc. provides the lines drawing for these models.
