Skip to main content

Rip Tide Laser Cut Frames!

I've just completed the files to laser-cut the frames and parts for the Rip Tide RC Vintage Marblehead sailboat.

There are two options: One with the original 13" draft fin, and one with the extended 16" draft fin. Otherwise the boats are exactly the same.  

NOTE: BOTH VERSIONS STILL PLACE THE BOAT IN THE "HIGH FLYER" CATEGORY! The shorter fin is still too deep for the "Traditional" class, and the rudder is spade not skeg which also disqualifies it for "Traditional".

The fin depth is a matter of which you think would work with the rig that you'll add to the boat. Some people suggested that I keep a version with a shorter fin, so I offer it here. Personally I'd go with the deeper 16" fin if only because it looks better!

Here's what you get with the 13" draft fin:

Rip Tide laser cut frames

And here's what you get with the 16" draft fin:

Rip Tide laser cut frames

Yes, they are exactly the same except for the fin parts. If you look carefully, you'll notice that parts that make the fins are different, but everything else is the same.

And yes, the top parts of the fins are exactly the same too so that they will fit onto the rest of the identical keel structure.

And NO, the fins are NOT removable or interchangeable. You must commit to one of the two fins, and it will then be permanently built into the boat. And again, both are "High Flyer" boats.

NOTE: As of 12/17/2017 I have NOT built either version of these frames. If you are interested in building one of these two versions, please let me know. I can set up the cutting with National Balsa and you can then order the frames from them. But please understand, you would be doing the very first build using these frames. While I've very carefully made the 3D model, and have inspected it as closely as I can, I cannot fully guarantee perfect fits on all parts. You may have to make some modifications on your own. Please report those back to me. Yes, you'd be taking a bit of a risk, but if you're considering building one of these, then you probably already have some skills with building RC boats and can punt when needed. I'd also like to find someone who will commit to actually building one relatively soon.

Also NOTE that any expenses are yours. I can't afford to purchase the frames for you. The only help I can offer would be a free copy of my "Vintage Marblehead Construction Manual" in PDF format for the first two builders who buy the frames from National Balsa. Otherwise you're on your own. So I'd really like to find someone experienced to try the first build.


Aloha!!






Comments

  1. What has been the response on this? I am considering building Rip Tide as a winter project.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hello Unknown, :P

    I've had four or five people inquire about them, and only one that I know has purchased the frames. Others may have but haven't let me know.

    If you wish, you can email me and we can chat more about it and how to get started!

    Steve

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

IOM Sailboat Stand

I made an IOM boat stand! The plans are from David Jensen in Bellevue, WA, USA. I found the plans through someone else's blog here , and a model sailboat club from Australia here . It was pretty straightforward to build. My only contribution to the design is that I laser cut the cradle out of 1/8" Lite Ply. I made eight copies, and then epoxy laminated two sets of four each. Turned out really well. If you wish to laser cut your own set, here is my DWG file . You'll have to have your own laser cutter, or send the job to a laser cutting company like National Balsa . Here are the original plans , and here are the original plans for just the cradle . Thanks to David Jensen!! Note that in the picture below, my boat is not finished! Yikes. You can't see it in this image, but there's a small chuck of self-stick foam behind the bulb to protect the bulb. I'll eventually incorporate some Velcro or a strap of some sort to hold the bulb in place so

IOM Rig Box (IOM Sail Box) plans

So all the cool IOM kids seem to have nice wooden boxes to store their rigs in. This might be my next quick project then, so that I can pretend to be cool too. :-P The rig box images that I've seen online are mostly similar, and would work well, but David Jensen from Bellevue, WA, USA (The same guy who designed a fantastic IOM boat stand I posted about earlier) has a really nice design that he shared on RC Groups . Or if that link doesn't work, the go here and search for " IOM sail box " or " IOM rig box ". It holds three sets of rigs for the A, B, and C rigs. He also has a nifty way to attach his IOM boat stand, with a boat on it, to the rig box. His rig box has wheels attached, so once everything is loaded up he just wheels it to the launch spot. Very nice! There are other sources online. They show different variations of the same type of sail box. Here's a nice looking one . Here's a YouTube video of a really nice one . Wil

A Wooden "Alternative" IOM RC Sailboat

Being forced to stay home due to the Coronavirus quarantine has had a positive impact on my boat building. I still haven't been able to sail my newly completed Vickers V8 IOM, yet have just planked and glassed a wooden Alternative IOM . It only took me eight days. It usually takes a couple weeks. I haven't been motivated to blog about it, but I started planking on 5 April and finished planking last night. Today I sanded and have fiberglassed the outside. The Alternative by Brad Gibson was a challenge to plank due to its up-swept bow and flared sheer near the bow. It turned out okay, but as any builder will tell you, there are goofs all over. One that I only discovered after sanding is a lighter colored plank on the starboard side. It really showed up after fiberglassing as the epoxy brought it out... GAAAAH! How did that get there? The other goofs I'll let you find, but that one is pretty obvious. Here's how it looks so far: Here you can see that mu

IOM Alignment and Measuring Jig (UPDATED)

I need to start to consider how I'll mount the fin and bulb, and get it all straight, so I made a 3D modeled alignment jig: Ian Dundas in Scottland sent me pictures of his setup. I just bought a laser level too! He does amazing work and has been a great help in this project so far. There is also another jig featured on page 14 of the winter 2008 Canadian Radio Yacht Association (CRYA) newsletter that features one. It's by Lawire Neish. Read it here . I took both those designs and made my own version that features sliding cradles for the hull, a fixed waterline sight, proper depth to cradles for the bulb, etc... Most of the parts can be laser cut, and the two end pieces and the base can easily be cut on a tablesaw. It has fixed waterline sights that are 420mm above the top edges of the bulb sliders in the base. The fore and aft cradles can be slid up and down to adjust the waterline of the hull. You'll see that the overall interior length is 1003mm t