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Building

The Independence

Building a Stitch and glue plywood model sailboat.

Introduction Making the hull Installing the radio gear Making the Keel Rigging and sails

Radio gear:

Some thought must go into the radio control system that you will use before the next step.

One consideration is the radio frequency. The Radio frequencies for models are broken into several bands, Some of which are reserved for Model aircraft. Be sure to tell the seller that you intend to use the radio for a boat. Also, if you intend to sail with a friend be sure not to get the same frequency or channel as he or she has.

You will have to choose a sail winch and rudder control. The radio controls the rudder using one servo and the sails (both jib and mainsail) with the other. You have to choose radio gear based on the sail control. Sail controls are available in several forms. Either arm or drum, which is to say an arm to which you fasten the sail sheets (or strings which control the sails) which moves or a drum which winds up the sheets. The controller may be directly controlled by the on board receiver providing direct proportional response to your commands from the transmitter. Or it can be controlled indirectly by the radio servo which activates switches which turn on a motor to control the sail winch.

I chose to purchase a standard two stick radio control set which came with two servos. One servo would control the rudder, the second would control the sail winch. I purchased a Probar sail winch from Dumas Models. It is a Mechanically Proportional sail control which is driven by a large motor and gear train. It has a long metal arm to which you attach the sail sheets. It is controlled by a separate servo actuating two micro switches which activate the motor. It is intended for large models.

Other servos are available which will control the sails directly Such as the Hitec Model HS-72BBJ which has a drum for winding the sail sheets mounted atop a self contained motor-gearbox-control unit. The drum makes several rotations to adjust the sails from full-in to full-out. This is, perhaps, a simpler installation.

The sail control, along with the rest of the radio gear and batteries will be located below decks to keep it dry. The sheets will be lead through the deck to the sails. I use copper or brass tubing, it helps keep the water out and is easy to locate.

The rudder will be controlled using a rod connecting the servo with a lever on the rudder post. The rod passes through the deck or rear end of the deck house. I also use a tube where the rod passes through the deck to help keep the water out.

 

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Radio gear and mast mounting:

I made wooden supports for the radio gear before installing the deck.

 

I essentially made wooden boxes to hold the rudder and sail servos secure, with solid wood for the hold down screws to bite into.

Next I planned out the deck opening to give access to the radio gear. It was just big enough to allow me to work on the radio gear while not allowing too much water to enter. It would have a combing and cover like a real boat hatch.

I made a wooden box like the keel box to hold the mast and glued that in place with thickened epoxy.

The photo below shows my installation using a Dumas sail winch (on left) controlled by a standard servo (top right), with the receiver at bottom right below the rudder servo.

 

 

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