Classic Pond Yachts
Classic Pond Yachts
I recently bought this model, just loved the appearance, she is a 10 Rater Vane controlled model yacht, she was designed in 1958 by Mr A Wilcock, some info from the original plans and some info in an old advert for the drawing.


The plan and description above give some interesting info on the design, The model I have bought was built by John Gale in 2005, a very well respected model yacht builder, who died some years ago, he built some lovely models for some very well known successful skippers, this boat like all his other models is beautifully built. I am hoping to race her at Hampton Court later this year. Here are some pictures, with one of my windvanes, the only job I will need to get done to sail her is a new mast.




Very nice looking boat, to my eyes ! Very nicely built, an interesting boat the hull is single chinned the bow left very full, the hull is finished with a timber section which leaves a very full bow, it looks like she will have a lot of forward buoyancy down wind.


Here she is with the rig fitted, looks fast to me !! there is some twist in the mast which will be difficult to remove, simpler to fit a new mast, I will use the original fittings, I can paint the mast as per the Wampums I have just done.

She has two rigs, this is the A rig, sails look OK, just needs some sorting with the new mast, more pictures below.


A couple of pictures below of the interior, showing the usual lovely finish of a John Gale built model. The wind nuts are to remove the rudder for transport.


I hope to start this as my next project, It would be nice to get some history on the boat, and the design, she has no sail numbers etc, any info would be very appreciated. More info to follow when I start work.
19 August 21 - Spent the last week making a new alloy mast, used a standard alloy tube from Sails Etc, it was 50mm shorter than the old mast, but the old mast had bent badly where it fits over the mast step fitting, so I machined up an extension to get the mast length correct, I made it out of solid alloy bored out to save weight, also made the fitting so the load is taken on the top of the mast step fitting, that spreads the mast compression out into the hull over a longer length.

After fitting the alloy part to take rig loads, and made the mast the correct length, I sanded the alloy mast ready for etch primer, I fitted a length of brass rod to out bird seed holder, slid the mast over it and applied the primer.
After sanding the primer I applied the red gloss paint.


Paint applied, after the paint had cured I put the mast in our airing cupboard to properly cure.
New heel fitting on mast, the slot is slightly short so the mast sits on top of the mast step to spread the load.


Length of shrink wrap fitted to mast to make the fit tighter in the deck fitting, and stop any mast wear.
Here you can see the mast sitting on the top of the mast step.


Mast going through deck fitting.
New mast in boat, I have ordered some vintage spreader fittings for Sails Ect, otherwise I am going to use the fittings from the old mast.

Pictures showing some paint repairs started, trying to get her so I can sail her at the VMYG meeting at Gosport on August 30th, end of next week ! Hope to get paint on tonight, also hope my mast parts arrive tomorrow, all good so far. It will be nice to see a few boats at Gosport bank Holiday Monday !!!
Cheers
Derek



A few bits of paint damage being filled needs a sand off ready for paint.
New paint applied, the Humbrol I have matches well !


New backstay crane and Hain halyard fitting.
New spreader fitting, part P J Sails, and part Sails etc.


New spreader diamonds and forestay fitting. Whilst the mast is mostly new I have tried to make the fittings look older. I have reused the oliginal gooseneck fittings.
Original gooseneck, I made a new boom fitting to take the Main tack fitting.


New mast fitted, using the original main and jib booms, I have altered the sheeting lines but re-used the original sheeting line.
B rig fitted ready to set if breezy, fitted some new lines. The sails look OK, she looks like she will sail well. I will take some videos/pictures tomorrow during her test sail.


01 September 21 - Spent Monday at Gosport where the VMYG had an vintage day, a lot of people turned up with some lovely boats. I was really pleased with Maree she looked and sailed really well, we tried to run the Pout cup, a cup for vane 10 raters, sadly the wind direction was not in a great position, but a good breeze and we had a lot of fun, well done to all the members who turned up, I need to talk to the photographer and try to put a page together with the boats, and members?


Some pictures of Maree sailing below, I was very please with how well she sailed, the new mast worked well, a great boat.




18 October 21 - I think Maree sails very well, with some more practice Vane sailing she will be a lot of fun, as long as you go to a pond/lake that is suitable for Vane sailing, and you have a second person to act as mate on the other side of the bank. A lot of places do not make vane sailing easy. I also like to take the boats our and sail from my launch on the River Hamble, almost impossible with a large Vane boat, just too much traffic, so I am going to fit some radio gear so I can sail her on my own, and on lakes where there is not a bank all the way around. I do not want to chop the boat about and spoil the deck etc, so I am going to make a nice varnished timber panel which will drop into the deck opening to take the radio gear, the existing deck hatch will just fit over the top, the control lines will be removable for vane sailing, the existing sheets will just attach to the new sail winch.

This is a picture of the deck hatch opening, you can see the deck hatch inside, that will sit over the radio gear when fitted.
This is a piece of cardboard cut to fit in the hatch, this is going to be used as a template to check the radio gear and electric pot will fit OK.


Here I have cut out the card so the radio gear fits, I will use this to help cut out the timber for the proper fitting, I have shortened the plastic radio pot for the receiver and battery to keep dry, I cut the bottom of the radio pot off, and used the bottom of a plastic cover for a tube of expanding foam and glued it to the bottom of the radio pot, my problem is there is a handle fitted to allow the yacht to be lifted out of the water, I will have to find another way to lift her when the radio fitted.
The sail winch is too high, I don't want the hatch lid to be too high, so the sail winch will be fitted to the bottom of the timber base so it is no higher than the lid of the radio pot, both the sheeting lines and the steering controls will come out of the aft end of the hatch, the existing sheets will be altered slightly to connect to either the existing sheet control line bowsie, or be unhooked and connected to a sheet winch control line.




04 Nov 21 - Here is the radio gear box being fitted, took Maree up to the VMYG meeting at Hampton Court, a lot of wind and rain forecast, we went up with coffee and sandwiches ready to sit in the clubhouse and talk to the other VMYG members, as a plan it went well, then the rain stopped and the sun came out, Rigged Maree with the B rig, launched her in the Rick Pond, she sailed beautifully, very windy but all worked well, pictures below not great, but all I have.



A very nice day at Rick Pond, the Iris Weed around the bank make sailing a Vane boat very hard now, the radio system I have fitted to Maree is removable if I want to sail with Vane gear, but A few minutes to fit the radio gear, very good for lakes where there is no access for Vane sailing.