Today I finally made my first attempts at casting lead bulbs and ballasts, and it turned out well! Over a month ago, I made some female molds out of refractory cement. They are now fully cured. One mold was for torpedo style bulbs for the Sun Winds and Rip Tides. It has two slightly diffferent-sized bulbs in it. The molds I made seemed to just miss the sweet spot. I made one slightly smaller than the other in the hopes that one of the two molds would produce a 4.5 lb. half-bulb for a 9 lb. total bulb. The smaller mold turned out a 3 lb. 5 oz. half-bulb, and the larger one turned out a 4 lb. 14 oz. bulb. However, I think I over-poured the larger one, and if I take better care in my pouring I think it would make a 4.5 lb. half-bulb. So I'm really close! Yes, I made "half bulbs" instead of a solid bulb with a slot in it. My system for mounting the bulbs is to have an thin inner-core of plywood that the two halves mount onto.  I also made ballast halves for the Wampum...

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: And here's what you get with the 16" draft fin: Yes, they are exactly the same except for the fin parts. If you look carefully, ...

It was suggested on RC Groups in the " Vintage Marblehead Resurrections " discussion page, that I ought to not extend the fin deeper than the original. The other day I posted my updated Rip Tide HF (High Flyer) design with a 16" draft. Here is how it looks with the original 13" draft. As a comparison, here is my Rip Tide HF version with the 16" draft fin.  If interested in building a modern version of the 1949 Rip Tide, please let me know. I'm close to completing the file to cut laser-cut frames. After a few months of work and tinkering, you'd end up with a beautiful wooden radio-control sailboat. More later! Peace!

Well... looks like the third time is the charm! I've almost completed my 3D model of the Rip Tide HF RC Vintage Marblehead sailboat. The first Rip Tide 3D model that I attempted was over a year and a half ago. It was based on the DWG files I received from a gentleman who started it in AutoCad. Those lines just didn't work well. So a few months later I decided to try to model it myself. However, I was using a bad copy of some lines and it just didn't work well. I stopped and focused on the Sun Wind HF for the next year. Then, out of the blue just last week, another gentleman sent me a TIFF file that appears to be a great copy of the original Rip Tide plans by Ted Houk! I had never seen this image before. Now, finally, I could make a proper 3D model of the 1949 Rid Tide! I have redesigned it to be radio control, and to be in the Vintage Marblehead "High Flyer" division. It has a 16" draft and a spade rudder. Should weigh around 16 lbs. all up.  It...

I have been sent an update on the Rip Tide . I was just sent a TIFF image of the original Rip Tide plans, and they are much more accurate than the one-off DWG plans that I posted about a year and a half ago. This seems to be the original plans by Ted Houk himself! It includes a small sail plan, as well as his original design specifications. Pretty cool, huh?! From this, I think I could make a pretty faithful 3D model. And then from that 3D model, I can make very accurate laser-cut frames. Should be doable! This will work much better than the DWG files that I posted earlier. It would be called the Rip Tide HF (HF for "High Flyer").  I would of course update the Rip Tide HF to be a Vintage Marblehead "High Flyer" RC sailboat with 16" draft and a spade rudder. But the "canoe" hull should be exactly the same as drawn. And, with the longer fin, I would expect my boat to actually weigh less than the 18.2 lbs that Houk originally planned beca...

Today I cut my test hull off of its supports and did a lot of clean up on the sander. Sanded the transom flush, as well as the bow. Cleaned up the sheer a bit, and then finally added the rudder. It's done! I attempted to make a male mold for the lead bulb, but it cracked off the lathe before I could get it down to size. Oh well... it was a good attempt and I'll try it again shortly. Overall, I love it! Now onto the real thing... next up, it's time to make the entire hull and do some RC sailing! Aloha!

Well I just hit the R/C Sailboat jackpot! Rod Carr, of Carr Sails in Redmond, WA, and the second ever member of the AMYA, just gifted me a Marblehead "Rip Tide" hull and many of the parts and templates to finish it! Thank you Rod! I'm not sure when I'll be able to work on this, but hopefully it will turn into a fantastic vintage Marblehead. The gentleman who started it did a fantastic job. He was a true artist and I will do my best to get as close as I can to his workmanship but it will be a challenge. Here are some pictures... He even cast his own bulb and the mold came with the hull! I could probably start making my own fleet of Rip Tides as he also gave me many of the templates and such. I will only need to pin and epoxy the bulb to the fin and fair it smooth. It will be easy to do. The frames look and feel like he hand cut them on a scroll saw, but they are very close to perfect. He used thicker plywood than I may have but they are very sturdy. The ...