Cassette Systems for Model Racing Yachts

A REPORT FROM PETER JACKSON

It took me a long time to adopt the Roger Stollery system of cassette housing of the electronic and servo system required on a racing yacht. It is primarily used on Footy yachts, but can be used on other classes such as RG65, as can be seen later. The main problem in my mind originally was the lack of waterproofing of the servos, however this has proved unfounded using the system developed by Roger.


Basically the hull of the yacht has no innards save for the mast support and fin, all other controls are mounted from underneath the cassette plate and poke through the plate and servo arms then connect to a rudder servo arm and the other to the Stollery power arm. The power arm allows the use of a, nine-gram servos for sail control. A further nine-gram servo is used for rudder control. The servos are attached to the bottom of the plate by means of hot melt glue, which is placed all round the servo thus creating a waterproof joint. It is also useful that the rudder can now be mounted off the transom, thus giving you a little more effective leverage.

---

It is also easier to have a backup cassette, which is easily fitted, if problems arise. It is also a good idea to insert the receiver in a balloon with an elastic band to close the balloon mouth.

---

The cassette is fixed to the deck with black electrical tape, and that sold by B & Q seems to be satisfactory.

---

Just to prove there is nothing up my sleeve so to speak this is a picture of the innards of a footy.

---

To waterproof the servos a small ‘O’ ring is placed over the output spline, then a foam ring impregnated with silicon spray grease is placed between the servo arm and the ‘O’ ring.

---

This is my own design RG65 with a high-powered standard size servo on the Stollery Power Arm and a seventeen-gram servo on the rudder, which goes completely through the hull and into the top deck. This yacht incorporates a swing rig similar to that seen on Footys.

---