FS14 OZ

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boat_AUS
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FS14 OZ

Post by boat_AUS »

Hi, I have begun building my first boat, initially I was set on thee P19 as it is exactly what I was after, but after purchasing the plans decided to start with the FS14 and actually have a chance of coming out the other end of the project with a great boat.
So far I have cut out the hull long panels and butt blocks and am in the process of drilling the stitch holes before I glue the panels together.

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I think I will pre-coat the panels with epoxy before I put the on the frames and apply the fibreglass dry so I can ensure that I get good penetration into the plywood and no dry spots on the fibre glass. (This also allows me to take my time fibre glassing rather than rushing and stuffing things up.)

The next part is to cut out the frames and construct the building jig, but I have a cold (and it’s nearly the start of summer here) and feel absolutely crap so that has put the brakes on a bit (I really don’t think it will take too long to have it built though)

I thought I would give you a run down on my goals and plans for the boat in the next part, feel free to give me any suggestions and thoughts, or not read it.

As the primary users with be me and my wife, I will be changing the boat a little to suit our needs, forward controls instead of tiller and a little shelter from the elements in the form of two very thin and stream line separate consoles with windscreens just in front of the middle bench seat.

To implement this I will use a picaxe or arduino microcontroller to perform the required functions.
Because it is a small boat and putting in remote steering usually takes up a lot of space I have started designing my own steering, throttle and gear shift controls. These will all be electrically controlled and actuated and will take up significantly less space and will be extremely easy to route the wiring instead of trying to install cabling that can’t be bent around tight curves . I am hoping to achieve a very professional finish and usability.

I picked up a steering wheel a couple of days ago, an old computer game wheel, and have stripped it down ready for testing and installation later. I’ve also order some parts, linear actuator, control board and servos. Originally I was going to program my own controller but the one I have sourced is cheap and does more than I could have a hope of implementing. I will have to make up some mounting brackets to attach the actuator to the steering tube but I will have to wait until I have an engine before I start that.

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here is a pic of the linear actuator, it has 50kg of force plently for <20hp
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Water and electrics don’t mix, especially salt. So devising a way to beat the environment and still have a natural feel to the throttle control is still taking a bit. My first thought was to put together a mechanical switching device very similar to the normal control box, but that defeats the purpose of what I’m trying to achieve. Next I thought that a sliding potentiometer would give you a small foot-print and visual cue of the throttle setting and a smooth throttle transition, but any water would be highly problematic. A little research uncovered a great device that it a waterproof, touch sensitive potentiometer that is wafer thin.

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The only down side is that visual gauge of throttle setting is not apparent. Possibly I could use and LCD screen to indicate the throttle.

The gear selector and throttle being electronically controlled will allow me to program in-gear start protection, correct automatic throttle position for starting and automatic choke if the engine requires it.

And since I’m going to the trouble of programming a microcontroller I can put in some cool gadgets too. Ideas are to put in a big LCD screen to display fuel level, rpm, throttle position, gear selector indicator, fuel flow, speed, engine temp (egt or cylinder head), cooling water temp and flow indicator. This is just a wish list at the moment, and none are necessary to get me out on the water but if I’m going to invest the time in building a boat that I can be proud of why not?
Sorry for the long post but for those who made it through I hope it was a bit interesting, any thoughts you have that I could incorporate put them up.

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TheBroomside
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Re: FS14 OZ

Post by TheBroomside »

Hi 'boat_AUS', great plans. I am of the opinion that one should build his dreams. ''Flying-by-wire', it has been done. Whether this would use take less space is a point of discussion.
I have two considerations. What is the speed of the actuator, will it be fast enough for maneuvering such a small fast boat? Second I would want a mechanical back-up.
Good luck with the build, enjoy it.

Peter
LUS

boat_AUS
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Re: FS14 OZ

Post by boat_AUS »

yes the speed of the actuator is interesting, the one i have ordered moves at 0.6 inches per second so not extremely fast, but it does have the option of changing the gearing to obtain greater speed at the expense of power, from my experiences though full travel isnt used very often and at speed even smaller inputs are required, but it will be a bit of trial and error.

Heloman78
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Re: FS14 OZ

Post by Heloman78 »

I love what you're doing! I like when people try something that most think can't be done reasonably. With that said, I hope you'll be keeping your'e tiller handle as a backup :) . One thing, which you may have have thought of already, is that a boat steering wheel sometimes has to hold tremendous force; in some conditions the forces the driver puts on the wheel to simply hold himself in place can be greater than even his own weight, so structurally the wheel/shaft/ mounting has to very strong, besides it's normal function of steering the boat. Please keep posting, very interesting!

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sds
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Re: FS14 OZ

Post by sds »

The fs14 is a performance craft. To lose control at planing speed of course would be disastrous.

Heloman has raised concerns with the wheel you've selected. It looks inadequate. You've raised corrosion issues yourself. I'm sure there will be design/programming bugs and outright failures.

I'd prototype on a low performance displacement hull, or severely limit the horses you put on the fs.

AtTheBrink
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Re: FS14 OZ

Post by AtTheBrink »

All that sounds really cool! 8) I like the out of the box thinking. You sound like you know what you are doing, most all of the computer talk was all gibberish, but still interesting, to me. Hope you can get all the bugs worked out. I'll be following this one closely.
Mike

"Come, follow me and I will make you fishers of men."
Matthew 4:19

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Lon
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Re: FS14 OZ

Post by Lon »

"I think I will pre-coat the panels with epoxy ..."
On panels that need to bend to fit, a pre-coat will increase stiffness. Be careful.
Heckuva project.
Lon FL14, GV11
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Cracker Larry
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Re: FS14 OZ

Post by Cracker Larry »

On panels that need to bend to fit, a pre-coat will increase stiffness. Be careful.
Yes, I would not do that, except on flat panels like frames. It would also decrease the strength of a curved panel, assuming it would make the bends. A composite gets it's strength from the different materials working with each other and opposing forces. When you bend the plywood, one side of it is in tension and the other side is in compression. Then when you apply epoxy and glass over it in a relaxed state it sort of locks the bend into the wood. For the plywood to move, it would have to put the epoxy/glass in a state of tension and compression. One force opposes the other.

But if you epoxy it first, when you bend the panel you are also bending the epoxy into compression and tension, and you lose the opposing force. If you can even bend it.
Completed GF12 X 2, GF16, OD18, FS18, GF5, GF18, CL6
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boat_AUS
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Re: FS14 OZ

Post by boat_AUS »

Cracker Larry wrote:
On panels that need to bend to fit, a pre-coat will increase stiffness. Be careful.
yes i didnt think that it would increase the stiffness too much only uding epoxy and no fibreglass, but you make a good point and any additional strength that can be gained by pre coating after the required shape has been formed to lock in the tension and compression forces would be much better. the knowlege on this forum is great and to hear people say "coating a panel with epoxy flat will make it very hard to bend into shape" you have to take notice of that advice.
thanks, going to finish breakfast and glue the long panels together.

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Re: FS14 OZ

Post by TRC886 »

boat_AUS wrote:yes the speed of the actuator is interesting, the one i have ordered moves at 0.6 inches per second so not extremely fast, but it does have the option of changing the gearing to obtain greater speed at the expense of power, from my experiences though full travel isnt used very often and at speed even smaller inputs are required, but it will be a bit of trial and error.
0.6 INCHES PER SECOND IS TOO SLOW :!: :!: :!: Emergency maneuvering requires IMMEDIATE turning. Think about that barely submerged stump that is less than a boat length away when you see it, dead ahead, and you're running at speed! How about that boat you meet in a blind curve where mere seconds separate you from a crash?

IMHO you need a variable rate turning speed; slow and steady for normal turns; faster for when you meet that boat in the curve; and immediate to maneuver around that stump.

Have you considered stick steering? A lever mounted to the side of the boat takes the place of the steering wheel. Moving the lever forward or back turns the motor right or left. You retain the variable rate turning, the simplicity and reliability of a mechanical system, the space that a console would take up, and only one corner to route the cable around.

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