I have managed to buy an A class, which I have always wanted, on Ebay for a very reasonable price.  I am not new to boats or rc boat not up to speed on model yacht rigging. I would like to know if anyone knows what this yacht is that I have bought?  It is fibreglass.  There is 1 tube from the winch to the deck, which i guess is for the main sheet, but what about the jib sheet?  What is the ali tube that goes from the bottom of the hull, through the deck and has an inner pipe that exits at deck level.  This tube does not exit the bottom of the hull ????   

I am unlikely to race this boat and was thinking of a nice planked and varnished deck.....  thoughts?

And..... after typing all this, how can I attach pictures other than with a url?  I am using my mobile!

Hi Paul,

I think the winch would have driven a closed loop above the deck with the lines coming from the winch drum, through the deck via the two plastic tubes and round a pulley system on the deck.  We have a Marblehead with a similar system, coincidentally also with a Nylet sailwinch.  I have attached a photo below, its not as complicated as it looks.  The sheets for the main sail and jib would be attached to the closed loop.  I guess the aluminium tube is a telescopic main sheet post so that the sheet can be guided to a point just below the attachment to the mainsail boom.  On the Marblehead in the picture this is achieved by a rather less elegant sheet metal tower/bracket assembly.

Are you thinking of planking the deck or just lining it with ink to give an impression of planking?  We have done both and I would probably recommend lining as easier and lighter.  I wrote an article on deck lining for the Turning Pole (the Journal of the Vintage Model Yacht Group).  If you pm me your email address I could send you a copy.

I also looked at your A class on Ebay, but decided the  58 lb A class boat we already have is heavy enough to lug around.   Unfortunately I cant identify your yacht, hopefully someone on here will know what it is.

Gareth

Edited February 2, 20206 yr by Gareth

As a cruising yacht this will be lovely to sail agree with the pre joys comments regarding winch and main sheet tower, remember with a closed loop system you will need  an elastic section to take up variations in the win h drum diameter as the sheets wind in and out and I am assuming you have a two section winch drum the sheet tension needs to be equivalent to half a turn of the winch approx

Thanks for all the info. I think I will rebuild her as a cruiser. Gareth,  your boat is a looker!  I get the main boom sheet extension tube now. Strange though, there are no Mark's, fixings or anything on the deck to indicate a deck level closed loop. Unless pulleys were attached to the mast stay wire points (not the right terminology I know).

I won the auction for £82. Felt like I was stealing it when I met it's nice owner. He had 2 very nice Robbe  Atlantis models as well. Don't think she is quite as heavy as the 28kg mentioned on the auction!  The keel weight is drilled with lots of holes. I'm guessing this was for meeting weights and measures.

Looking at the pictures on Ebay, (I also put a bid on it!) I think that the sails were on a swing rig which would only require one sheet to control it. It wouldn't have needed a closed loop system. 

You could well be right there tiggy_cat

Gareth

 

Definitely not a swing rig now and the mast provided fits the mast step perfectly!

I think I may be getting there. The main sheet exits the hull through a tube which aims towards 3 eyes on the deck. I'm guessing either 2 sheets came right from the winch and one doubled back through the eyes, into the main boom tower, to the boom. The other went to the jib. Or, a single sheet came from the winch then split on deck to the 2 booms.  One through an eye to the jib and one through an eye, then doubled back through another eye to the main boom tower.

The description of the mast tube arrangements that you describe plus the position of the mast quite far forward of the keel position, still leads me to think that the rig was a swing.  I was struck when I saw the photos in the original auction, that I had never seen a swing rig on a A before.  

I thought when I saw the pictures on ebay that the sail proportions looked different but had not considered the mast position in relation to the fin position which would explain it, the test will be in her balance when sailing. The description of the sheeting sounds like it would work quite successfuly

I think I will clean her up, rig her then have a trial sail to see if she sails ok with the normal mast/rig config. Before putting work into restoring her. Just in case a mast step relocation is in order. I've not seen swing rigs for a class boats. I dont think they are allowed in racing?  Not that I will be racing her.

Hi is there any chances of some more pictures particularly the stern from above and below nay help identify.

 

Brian

I clicking on add files but nothing is happening for some reason.

This boat looks like a "Lollipop" design by Roger Stollery

It's so cool what you created here! Looks very good, great work! I like it Already thought about restoring an old boat myself, but then never did so until now...