Brian’s Imara completed

admin — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 22:17:26 +0000

Congratulations to Brian Roberts who has just completed his Imara. I am so pleased that all that time and effort has now come together in a superb model. I am also a little sad as I now will not be able to look forward to the regular updates that Brian used to send, and would like to thank him for allowing us to share in his build.

I wonder what his next project will be……………………………..

Installing the Rudder - Part 2 (Misleading plans and instructions)

admin — Wed, 13 May 2009 23:44:18 +0000

Ok, so having sorted out the rudder bracket I moved on to the upper pivot. The hole for the rudder was drilled in the hull (using the usual precautions) and the rudder pivot tube checked for fit (fig1).

fig 1

At this point I discovered that a casting (part no’ 172 - rudder top tube) was missing from the kit (fig 2). Now if this was due to having the “twin screw” version of the hull I cannot be sure, never the less I was unhappy with the idea of the pivot just being glued in place with no additional support.

fig 2

From bitter experience I have found many models with broken or leaking rudders because they are so vulnerable. So I always tend to over do it when it comes to fixing these items in place. I have made a mounting block out of ply (4cm x 2.5cm x 1cm) to help support the pivot, and drilled the hole for the pivot tube at a suitable angle. (fig 3)

fig 3

Installing the Rudder - Part 1 (Poor casting, and modifications)

admin — Sat, 09 May 2009 00:34:34 +0000

Having studied the plans it soon became clear that the rudder lower bracket is too long or the gap in the hull moulding too short (or both). So as you can see in the pictures below I have had to shorten the bracket by a substantial amount.

This casting is a pig. It is bent, not symmetrical, it is too long, too wide and even the countersunk hole is not in the middle. To be honest by the time I had finally made it fit to my satisfaction (lots of filing and sanding) I would have been better off making a complete replacement. Anyhow, I wanted to make this part removable in order to service the rudder should the need arise. So I drilled a 6mm hole in the bottom of the hull and inserted a rawlplug as shown below.

Using a 3mm brass countersunk bolt the bracket is held securely in place (however I will be using some epoxy resin as I shall describe later).

The final two photos show the rudder in place with the bracket screwed in to position. When I have completed the final assembly of the rudder and props the bracket will be “smoothed” in using filler as with the other parts ready for painting.

More progress by Brian

admin — Fri, 08 May 2009 14:09:34 +0000

Brian has kindly supplied some more pics of his Imara and you can see the progress he has made. Most noticeable are the wheelhouse and mast which make the model feel much more complete. I also cannot help but notice just how well the Imara sits in the water, she just looks “right”. I am really jealous now and must get on with mine.

I also had new comments from Fredric West who is yet another “Imara Nutter”. I have asked Fred if he would like to share some pics and details of his Imara experience.

Another Imara completed

admin — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 21:17:20 +0000

I really must get on with my build. Mark Dixon has kindly supplied some pictures of his recently completed Imara named Ishbel. As you can see I am going to have to put in some serious effort to match both Mark and Brian’s modelling skills.

As usual, more photos are available from the Resource and Showcase sections of the site.

Updates as Brian sets sail

admin — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 17:22:13 +0000

Ok, so as part of my effort to get things moving again I have at least had the decency to reply to some of the email I have been receiving and to make some additions to this blog. So here we go;

I have updated the Resource and Showcase pages for Brian Robert’s Imara as he has sent several new photographs showing the progress of his Imara build. Brian had to do some testing and so included the pictures below of his Imara’s first trip on the water and I must say that she is looking impressive. I cannot wait to see her when completed.

Note the smoke unit in action. For more information on this unit see the links on the Resources section of this site.

I also received some emails from Mark Dixon. He has just finished an Imara named Ishbel. I am hoping that he may send some photographs for us all to enjoy.

And finally, my friend Chain has picked up his digital quill again. So if anyone wishes to see how a career working in the world of I.T. can destroy a persons soul, then please surf on over to Chains-Log.

Brian Roberts Imara - Putting me to shame

admin — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 00:34:58 +0000

Well, while I have been adjusting to my return to work (and Jury service would you believe) I realised that I have been letting this blog and my Imara slip behind and for this I truly apologise. This is something that I will hopefully be able to rectify, as I am disappointed with my progress. I have also finally caught up with my emails and must heap praise upon Brian Roberts Imara build.

Brian has been steaming ahead (putting me to complete and utter shame) and I am just so impressed with the attention to detail and skill that he is obviously putting into his model. See the pictures below to see the quality of his work. All of Brian’s photos are available for download in the Resources section of the site.

Installing the drivetrain - Part 6 (Propshaft greasing tubes)

admin — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 01:09:55 +0000

The plans make no mention of how to lubricate the propshafts. So I am going to use a method I have successfully used on several models and which is simplicity itself. I fashion some brass tube (for each shaft) that is long enough to reach from the propshaft to just below deck level. These will be soldered to the propshafts (after a small hole is drilled in them), to allow grease to be pumped in using a syringe. The access to these tubes will be via the aft store.

As every Imara will be different, measurements may vary. But for the record, the tubes I made are 50mm long and 6mm diameter (the syringe nozzles fit nicely).

Anyhow, having cut them to length it was time to make one end of each tube concave to suit the profile of the propshafts. Now this is easily done with hand files but I used my Dremel because I am lazy, however I always tidy with a hand file to finish. The video below may make more sense of what I am trying to describe, as it is really a simple thing to make.

(Please open the article to see the flash file or player.)

And don’t forget to tidy up by hand.

Some newcomers to this hobby may ask why the need to lubricate shafts running on brass bearings, as you can get good endurance this way. I would like to say that in my opinion that this is mainly true for low use and smaller models. I intend to use my Imara a good deal and the fact that large props are being turned by powerful motors will always cause more wear. Also, the problem is exasperated on the Imara due to small diameter shafts being used to keep a scale appearance (4BA instead of my preferred 2BA for this prop size). The final reason is that with the correct grease the ingress of water (even when the shafts are worn) can be kept to a minimum.

Updates

admin — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 23:55:11 +0000

Some small updates to the site. Added some pictures by Brian Roberts of his Imara build to the “Showcase” and “Resources” area tabs.

Draper Clamps

admin — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 00:09:03 +0000

Ok, so I was looking around my local DIY store when I came across these little beauties. They were only a couple of quid each so I purchased three of each size. You can never have enough of useful little tools like these. The part Numbers and capacities are listed below should you need them.

Stock No’ Capacity Throat Depth

65351 30mm 37mm

65352 40mm 48mm

65353 60mm 58mm

65354 100mm 90mm