Yellow on the left red sail also not Chinese, Chines. Spell check does it again.

Back on the water today with 9 nips sailing. Flash flooding yesterday so did not know what to expect as we sail in a flood catchment area. Needless to say two of our buoys had almost washed away. Interesting though (check the photo) water level had risen to the top of the embankment on the right. Where we stand would have been about 15 feet underwater one day ago. No one ran aground today.

The yellow boat in the photo is a nip with a rounded glass hull. Goes well. Owner also made one with Chinese, another interesting 'wee nip'

New Post By 🇿🇦 redpmg (Lieutenant)
Re: Lindberg Tugboat

He and I connected, so call off the search party.😎

No problem Ron.
You just confused a few folks😉
We all started a 'Find the Tug hunt' in the thread😂🤣
Where should your question be?
Cheers, Doug 😎

yep...sorry!

"Is the tugboat about 18” length like the small Carol Moran ? "
Hi Ron,
What tugboat?
Did you accidentally put your question in the wrong thread?
Cheers, Doug 😎

"... and a partridge in~a pear treeeee"! eh Peter?😉
Or was it a parrot in a fig tree?
Glad you found the sites interesting - but harrowing as well!
More power to your son's electrical elbow. Hat off to him👍
"ah so! Flied lice! Aiieeee"😮😝
Cheers 😎

Interesting reading through those websites - son was saying that on the first trip, they actually had 1350 odd people, 168 dogs, several cats, a pet rabbit, think some parrots and a ferret.

Below decks smelt terrible with the animals but there was a job to do. They did not have time to re-provision before travelling from Sydney (most of the crew recalled from Christmas Eve celebrations and had to be sober) so the crew was on a fried rice diet for several days allowing the passengers better fare.

He with his job did not see much of them as being in the Electrical field spent most of his day below decks.

One thing is for sure, he is not in a hurry to have any more fried rice for a while.

As long as no one gets suspicious after all these trips to the florist....

I simply overlapped the joints and used standard two sided tape. Works well.

Re - Cellophane , Yes, looking back at your purple and yellow photo, s`pose like you have done ,using cellophane clear tape on the joints, the over laps would provide "batten like" rigidity.
I see another trip to the florist next week !

Nice little sailboat

My pleasure Peter,
You must be very proud of your son👍 Choules is much more than just a supply ship 😉
Have looked at some DoD and press reports of Choules' activities during the bushfire.
Harrowing stories.
Doug
Keep on with the Wee Nips though Peter.
Will help take your mind off it, at least for a few minutes!
Apropos sailing: I only made one attempt at it. Some 26 years ago while on the Island of Elba.
GF had the necessary certificate, I was just there to pull this push that heave the anchor etc on demand! 😉 We got becalmed between Elba and Corsica and then the motor overheated on the way back. At least with that I could be useful!

https://www.defenceconnect.com.au/air-sea-lift/5380-hmas-choules-returns-to-support-bushfire-response-at-mallacoota

https://www.maritime-executive.com/article/hmas-choules-completes-fire-evacuation-mission-in-mallacoota

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2020/jan/01/australian-navy-ship-prepares-to-evacuate-residents-from-bushfire-hit-victoria-coast

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2020/jan/04/mallacoota-burns-panic-on-the-ground-as-the-australian-navy-called-in

Hi Doug, thanks for the comments.
My son is a PO on the Choules and is enjoying the benefits of his own cabin. I believe that is somewhere near the life rafts on the block of flats. He did a stint for several years on her, then a shore based stint teaching recruits etc how to get out of or seal up a flooding ship. Many a story there.

Has only just rejoined her for his second stint and is glad to be back. I think the rest of the ships he has been on are now dive wrecks or broken down. All ex supply ships. At sea now providing more support for firefighting and recovery in Victoria or Southern NSW.

"HMAS Choules - she looks a fine vessel"
She is. Ex RFA 'Largs Bay'. Only one of the four completed by Swan Hunter.
Was briefly on board one of her sisters, 'Lyme Bay' during Fitting Out at the BAE Govan yard.
Boy was I glad there's a lift in that 'block of flats' to get me up to the COMMS Office and bridge.😉 Went for a fag break on the flight deck, seemed huge😮
Then I remembered what it was like on the deck of an upgraded Colossus Light Fleet carrier in Brazil!

To business😁: I'm not a sailing guy but nevertheless the exchange of expertise here is intriguing (and educating) me. Keep it up guys👍
Cheers, Doug 😎

Sounds interesting with the panels. Also distinctive during a race.. I actually have two panels on mine purely as the flower wrapping paper I used was too short.
I built a trial footy over Christmas with a una rig similar to the nips only scaled back. Sail I used was silver and when in the water it picks up the colour of the water. Goes invisible. The boat was a test and will not point so will try something different.

Hi Peter, OK on HMAS Choules - she looks a fine vessel !.

Looking at your purple Wee Nip sail - Hmmm ! - I like that colour must try it.
I have colour chart to look at possibilities . May just try a two or three panelled sail ?.

Yes, cooler where I am with good rains. Fires flaring up down south which is not good. Son on the navy ship Choules doing the evacuations and supply of heavy equipment. Says it has been an eye opener.

They will see you coming. Looking forward to seeing the result.

Hi Peter,

Yes, it was great to get it on the water for it’s maiden voyage yesterday. The simple, all white paint job is intended to contrast with a dayglo orange ripstop nylon sail - that I still have to make!
Regards Graham93

Hi Peter - hope you guys all getting thro` the weather extremes - terrible how it has affected so many !.
Good luck and good wishes to all !

PS I think Graham is now a Wee Nip convert !!

Nice looking boat with a simple and effective paint job. Many hours of enjoyment coming up. 👍well done.

Nice to see Graham`s "Wee Nip" joining the crew with the BMBC at the Pavilion Gardens in Buxton.

Thank you for that. It is appreciated. Still raining in some areas, hopefully Sydney and south will get some soon. Much needed.

The small amount we had also gave enough water to teach grandkids how to sail the wee nip yesterday without running aground. It was good.

Enjoy your Christmas as well.

Peter

Merry Christmas to you in Australia, my wish is that you have rain, and lot's of it, so sad to see what the wildfires are doing to your country and wildlife, tomorrow at morning service, I will pray for rain for you.✝

And a Happy New year. Pete

Best wishes to you and yours Peter have a great Christmas !⛵

Merry Christmas all from Down Under. Receiving our Christmas present at the moment. Rain. Hope more get it to quench those fires.

I have almost completed my first Footy. It will be interesting to see how it goes. Generating interest with the others with at least one going to build another.

Life is interesting.

They are a delight to sail in all conditions . The Nip is my first rc sailboat and I was hooked from day one. Very competitive in their own right and in certain conditions faster than other classes of rc sailboats.

At our local club it is not uncommon for two sailors to stay (yesterday in 40deg heat) after others have gone, just for the heck of it.

Looking forward to seeing your posts about it.

Thanks Phil, it’s reassuring to know it will sail itself. Does that mean I can’t go wrong? I doubt it......

When are you next planning to be at the Pavilion Gardens? It would be great to get the chance to see one of your Wee Nips. I’m not far away.

Graham93

Martin,

I guess I must have been good 🤣. Not sure my wife would agree 🙄.

I’m going to trace round all the parts before I start assembly, so that was a good suggestion. Whilst I have the plans in the kit I got, it will be much easier to trace from the parts than from the plan.
Graham93

Hi Graham, have fun with the Wee Nip and just shout if you have any questions. As for rigging and sailing her - she almost does it herself !.

Hi Graham,
You lucky boy.

I asked for Santa to come early and my wife said "you will be lucky of he comes to you at all"

I guess i have been a naughty boy this year LOL!

It would be a good idea if you made templates and made a note of the measurements of all the parts then you could make more if you wanted to.

Martin555.

Santa came early today! ⛄🎁

Having almost completed the refurb on my Crash Tender, and inspired by this thread I asked Santa if he could deliver early this year.

This is only my second boat, and my first ever sail boat. I know little about sail boats, how to rig them, or how to sail them so I'm looking for plenty of advice from those with much more experience than I have.

Graham93

For anyone wanting to build a Wee Nip within guide lines from plans , it would seem that if the R36 rule was applied the brief would be approx. :-

Length -70cm x Width -23cm x Depth -30cm with max Bulb/Ballast weight 1.2kg

I will try to clarify this further but if not - just build it and enjoy it !. 😊😎

Correction ! with reference to :- C.R Jefferies -"Radio Control For Model Yachts" Page 10, it was the R36 Class where the basic requirement was to fit in box 36" x 9" x 11" and Max weight shall not exceed 12lb.
I`m not sure exactly what the "Strathclyde" written class rules are , but if you apply this basic dimensional principle to the Wee Nip ie. max overall plan dimensions with a max sail area and bulb weight as per plan.

Perhaps these guidelines for Graham Bantocks terrific design would allow enough room for artistic licence to encourage more "fun" sailors into "non competitive competitions" !

Thanks for the compliment Phil.
I have worked with professionally photographing some major yacht racing series on the Sunshine Coast in Qld.

Etchells World series, IOM Worlds, National Youth Championships with over 200 sailors on the water.
All interesting and now enjoying a challenge from the other side of the pond. Actually having a chance to build & sail by remote. Was a challenge at first, too used to having a tiller in my hand.
Loving the challenge.

Terrific club ! - Bonnells Bay, New South Wales Australia - Here I come - (I Wish !)

Interesting thank you for posting it Peterd.

It looks quite a challenge racing them.

Martin555.

Thought this would be of interest.
https://ccryc.wordpress.com/wee-nipp/

There is also a pdf with plans for a sloop rig. I think I just uploaded it to model boats site. Will have to check it out.

Yea, In 2 of my boats I put 5 mast positions in but never properly evaluated them before I sold the boats.
Ok on your comments re the sail materials also, suppose its not surprising how weight and rigidity affect performance in varying conditions especially down wind when its "blowing a Hooley"
OK about incorporating a jib, I`m not too bothered about that as the whole essence of "Wee Nip" to me is the UNI rig.
Great to keep comparing notes - sure we love to hear from any other "Nippers" out there .

I cannot in mine unfortunately. Mast post is fibreglassed in to the bottom. I have heard that if you move back in heavier weather or forward in light it is advantageous. I believe if you move to the back you also then have room to install a jib.

Tnx Peter , Have any of you guys tried altering the mast positions for varying conditions ?.

My new Nip has a narrower beam and I put 3 mast positions in with 3 aluminium tubes to ensure full mast location at whatever mast position is used .

I wish I could generate more interest in our local area !

The other green/yellow nip is a clear and I think heavy duty cellophane that we buy from florists. It cost us around 2 to 3 Aud. The sheets are a little short so we have to angle the sail pattern and tape the rest on from what is left over.

I made the mistake with mine of having my cut at the bottom instead of the peak of the sail.

The other bloke got clear film and some spray paint and painted it. Some fell off leaving the result ss in the photos.

We just use standard double sided tape to stick down.

Terriffic photos Peter ! - Is the yellow one a cellophane sail ? - Must admit I do like your purple set up , what material and tape do you use ?.

Sorry after reading your post again, I realise yours and the other green boat are both cellophane sails.

Sunday afternoon session with the Nips. Only five there today but still enough to have a bit of a run. Temp. about 38c with gusty winds of up to 20kph.

My boat (green with purple sails) had a few issues with the breeze but I managed to get some photos after handing the transmitter over to another person.

Two of the boats have the florist wrapping sails, mine and the other green one, with the other three having the white mylar. All boats in our club bar one have the lunchbox type hatches which do a great job with the only drawback finding another if one is lost. Apparently there has been a design change in that particular lid.

As you can see from the photos, close racing with a bit of carnage was the name of the day.

As we say in our local club, we are not sailing for sheep stations. We are sailing for the friendship with a bunch of mostly retired gents and with some friendly competition thrown in. (Also gived our wives a break.)

It is always interesting making minor adjustments to our boats to get better performance - often mid race. We try to keep the class as a Wee Nip class but often mix it with 65 and 95's. The nip if sailed well often keeps up with the 65 class which is interesting.

My boat is an old one about 7 years old but is reasonably competitive. Does me but I will be looking at a newer one next year and I am going to play with the layout. All fun.

HI Phil,
"Just build it and sail it for fun"
That to me is what it is all about.
I would imagine after a while of tweaking the hull shape for better performance you would end up with a totally different class of boat even if you stuck to the box rule.
As you say the Wee Nip hull shape is the easiest and simplest to make.

Martin555.

Hi Martin, just for interest this is from a previos post :-
WEE NIP - The Strathclyde 70 class
"The Strathclyde University sponsored a modellers competition to encourage school pupils to design an R/C model yacht. When Graham Bantock the noted designer - visited the event to give prizes, he decided to design a boat of his own and WEE NIP, this boat was born."

I`m not a competition man myself, but I have always been inerested in radio, modeling and making things work and while to some degree competition does fuel development and focus one a specific brief - I am happy to develope with in looser guidlines appreciating cause and effect on a shoe string ! (if that makes sense).

I stand to be corrected, but was it not the Marblehead that developed around - "It must fit in a box measuring X by Y by Z with a max weight W and max sail area V."
I think it was the simplicity of these rules or guidelines that drew me to the Genie 40 years ago.
Personaly, I apply this philosophy to the Wee Nip, - Just build it and sail it for fun or for competion if that floats your boat !.😊

Hi Phil,
I am assuming that all of these Wee Nip's have to conform to regulations regarding Size, shape and weight.
Or is it just for competitions.?
Forgive my ignorance as i know absolutely nothing about sail boats.

Martin555.

While its fresh in my mind - here are a few samples of the 3 Wee Nip sail types I have tried - Using a rough sail template , cut out rip stop nylon with old soldering iron to seal edges
NOTE :-remember to leave enough material along the luff to allow for folding and sowing.

Sow luff seam for either :-
1.Narrow - Laced Sail (acts as re-enforcement for lace eyelets).
2.Medium - Pocket Sail (acts as re-enforcement mast pocket).
3.Wider - Original design Pocket Sail (also acts as re-enforcement).

Have fun !

Hi Pete , mni tx fer comments. Software I use is Powerdirector14 and the camera boats have been the Ripmax Tomkat , the Hobby king swampdawg and of course the Wee Nip itself.
At one stage I stuck a fan on the back of the Wee Nip also .