View single post by blackfox
 Posted: Tue Feb 12th, 2013 08:50
blackfox



Joined: Thu Apr 12th, 2012
Location: Flint, North Wales, United Kingdom
Posts: 1245
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 the yachts i had were marbleheads 50" long ,10 raters anything up to 8 -9 feet long ,and A CLASS big bulky things ,most stood about 12 feet high from the keel to mast tip and yes copious amounts of lead were used to keep them up right ,i made quiet a few plus most of the fittings and sails ,it was time consuming but luckily i had my own miniature lathe and milling machine so i could make most parts myself ,casting the lead weights had some hairy moments if the mould was damp at all .

the hardest part we had in those days was making efficient sail winches but a good friend of mine figured it out and we made quiet a few using old cine-camera motors .unfortunately all of this fell by the wayside as it became popular and commercial firms started turning out stuff in the late 70's that we couldn't compete with and it seemed to take all the fun out of it .but at least i still had my darkroom under the stairs and a mamiyaflex c330 .:doh: