Model Boat Sails

Chris, model sails don't absolutely require that much fussiness. Most are just flat cloth, you can get some shape by adding a slight "roach" to the luff and foot. I have 2 radio-control sailboats, one 33" long "store-bought" and one 35" long homemade, the sails are each just a single piece of Dacron cloth with corners reenforced. The boats sail just fine. If you use Nylon cloth, it will stretch just enough to give the sail a good shape, no seams required to build in shape. I bought the cloth for the homemade boat's sails from SAILRITE KITS, and what they sold me was a scrap of laminated cloth (quite reasonable price too!) that is basically a thin layer of Dacron laminated to a thin layer of mylar. Might be kind of "high-tech" for a classic STAR class, but it has worked well for my boat! I actually built the wooden mast to have a luff groove and the boltrope of the sail slides up that groove, pretty neat! You don't really even need to do any sewing, I used the basting tape sold by SailRite. Another idea, although....more pertaining to use for a boat that you intend to actually sail alot, is to use "Mica-Film", that is the thin plastic sheeting used by model airplane builders to cover the wings (it comes in many colors, even WHITE). Use storm-window mounting tape instead of sewing for the hems and attaching corner patches. When I was a kid building sailing models out of blocks of balsa, I used white trash bags as sailcloth.....worked good, but the biggest of those sailboats was about 18" long. My Dad later teased me about being the inspiration for all the fancy Mylar sails on modern racing boats<GRIN>. The first R/C sailboat that I built (the 2nd that I had) was a center-cockpit ketch, actually not that different in appearance from a CAL 2-46. I built the keel in 2 sections, the ballast part could be lowered like a daggerboard and then I had a filler piece the fit between the scale fin and the ballast to give more lateral resistance. She sailed pretty good despite being only 18" long! I also had another model that I built from a Dumas kit, it was not R/C but designed to "free-sail" and it was a semi-scale STAR class (wasn't sold as being that....but was sure close!) and the pre-made sails were made of a fine muslin, with hemmed edges. That was the DUMAS "ACE RACING SLOOP", 17" loa. Rod Johnson, "SUNBIRD" 1979 O'DAY DS II former co-owner, "NODROG" 1970 CAL 21 Click now to find great remedies for hangovers! http://thirdpartyoffers.juno.com/TGL2141/fc/BLSrjpTKyJpX03Eqmv1mN7CsWvFXgubu32gDk1KvnQAPMYTmetsuspMHOu8/

I think I've also seen Tyvek used From: Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com [mailto:Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Rodney G Johnson Sent: Thursday, February 19, 2009 12:37 PM To: Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com Subject: [Cal_Boats] Model Boat Sails Chris, model sails don't absolutely require that much fussiness. Most are just flat cloth, you can get some shape by adding a slight "roach" to the luff and foot. I have 2 radio-control sailboats, one 33" long "store-bought" and one 35" long homemade, the sails are each just a single piece of Dacron cloth with corners reenforced. The boats sail just fine. If you use Nylon cloth, it will stretch just enough to give the sail a good shape, no seams required to build in shape. I bought the cloth for the homemade boat's sails from SAILRITE KITS, and what they sold me was a scrap of laminated cloth (quite reasonable price too!) that is basically a thin layer of Dacron laminated to a thin layer of mylar. Might be kind of "high-tech" for a classic STAR class, but it has worked well for my boat! I actually built the wooden mast to have a luff groove and the boltrope of the sail slides up that groove, pretty neat! You don't really even need to do any sewing, I used the basting tape sold by SailRite. Another idea, although....more pertaining to use for a boat that you intend to actually sail alot, is to use "Mica-Film", that is the thin plastic sheeting used by model airplane builders to cover the wings (it comes in many colors, even WHITE). Use storm-window mounting tape instead of sewing for the hems and attaching corner patches. When I was a kid building sailing models out of blocks of balsa, I used white trash bags as sailcloth.....worked good, but the biggest of those sailboats was about 18" long. My Dad later teased me about being the inspiration for all the fancy Mylar sails on modern racing boats<GRIN>. The first R/C sailboat that I built (the 2nd that I had) was a center-cockpit ketch, actually not that different in appearance from a CAL 2-46. I built the keel in 2 sections, the ballast part could be lowered like a daggerboard and then I had a filler piece the fit between the scale fin and the ballast to give more lateral resistance. She sailed pretty good despite being only 18" long! I also had another model that I built from a Dumas kit, it was not R/C but designed to "free-sail" and it was a semi-scale STAR class (wasn't sold as being that....but was sure close!) and the pre-made sails were made of a fine muslin, with hemmed edges. That was the DUMAS "ACE RACING SLOOP", 17" loa. Rod Johnson, "SUNBIRD" 1979 O'DAY DS II former co-owner, "NODROG" 1970 CAL 21 Click now to find great remedies for hangovers!<http://thirdpartyoffers.juno.com/TGL2142/fc/BLSrjpTKyJpX03Eqmv1mN7CsWvFXgubu32gDk1KvnQAPMYTmetsuspMHOu8/>

Rodney G Johnson wrote: > > Chris, model sails don't absolutely require that much fussiness. Most > are just flat cloth, you can get some shape by adding a slight "roach" > to the luff and foot. I have 2 radio-control sailboats, one 33" > long "store-bought" and one 35" long homemade, the sails are each just > a single piece of Dacron cloth with corners reenforced. The boats sail > just fine. If you use Nylon cloth, it will stretch just enough to give > the sail a good shape, no seams required to build in shape. I bought > the cloth for the homemade boat's sails from SAILRITE KITS, and what > they sold me was a scrap of laminated cloth (quite reasonable price > too!) that is basically a thin layer of Dacron laminated to a thin > layer of mylar. Might be kind of "high-tech" for a classic STAR class, > but it has worked well for my boat! I actually built the wooden mast > to have a luff groove and the boltrope of the sail slides up that > groove, pretty neat! You don't really even need to do any sewing, I > used the basting tape sold by SailRite. Hi, Rod, and thanks for the advice. My boat was a child's toy and is not going to be a racer. Maybe I'll look about for a suitable piece of white cloth and try the luff-roach method of giving a little draft. This boat is 15-3/4" long. My iceboat has its nylon sail from 1957, when that was the class standard sail. Not a great sail material for a boat that you want to de-power when the wind puffs! The model's mast is hardware-store dowel, planed down into a rectangular section like a classic box-section wood mast, but minus a luff groove--that's a bit too sophisticated for this boat. I'll lash the sail on, probably. The next project is a 1930s hull from my Dad's family that needs a mast, rigging, and sail. It's a fin-keeled, spade-rudder hull of a nice cedar or redwood or some fine-grained soft wood, but still a kid's toy and not a fancy yacht. Chris Campbell

ti… [at] ch2m.com wrote: > > I think I've also seen Tyvek used That's been used for dinghy sails too, and for some homemade iceboats. Chris Campbell > > ------------------------------------------------------------------------