Assembling the Hull
Transfer the plan to your wood sheets and carefully cut the panels to size. If you are using balsa, bevel the edges at about 45 degrees so that when the panels take the hull shape, they fit tightly together. Make sure you bevel the proper edges in the proper direction! |
If you are building your boat with 1/16 balsa, pre-bending the panels will make assembly easier and prevent splitting the wood. Spray the panels on both sides with an ammonia-based cleaning product and tape them securely to something big an round. I use our water softener, but you might use a water heater or a lobster pot. If you don’t have a “lobsta”pot, then you must be “from Away.”
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Assembling the panels takes patience and careful work. Start from the stern and work your way up to the bow. Tape a couple inches on one side, then do the same on the other side. Alternating sides as you go helps keep everything straight and true. Use short pieces of tape, and pull your panels tightly together as you go along the seam. If the bevels are nice and you tape tightly, the inside and outside seams will look smooth and tight.
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Cut the hatch from the deck (save it for later) and drill for the rudder and mast tubes. Reinforce the hatch opening with 3/16 square balsa. Also glue a block of basswood near the bow to reinforce the deck for your fairlead. Then seal the inside of the hull and bottom of the deck (I use clear Krylon spray paint.)
My rudder is carved from 1/8 balsa with a carbon tube for the rudder post. The post is reinforced with brass tubing over the top where the set screw bears against it to fasten the control horn. |
Finishing the boat
I attached the radio gear to the bottom of the hatch cover. The top layer of the cover is 1/64 ply, and the bottom layer is the 1/16 balsa cut out from the deck. Drill and cut the cover to fit your servos. You can use micro servos similar to Hitec HS-55 for rudder and HS-82mg for sails. Three AAA lithium’s in the bottom of the boat supply the power. |
Assembling the Rigs
The Back Bay Nipper uses McRig’s because they are easy to build, easy to change, and very effective. The dimensions for these rigs (enough to handle most wind conditions) are illustrated in another article on the website. I found that Glad kitchen garbage bags made inexpensive, but surprisingly competitive sails. (Ed note, these sails would be suitable for most Footy designs where the deck runs level or almost level with the top of the box) |