V-W-1A

I was inspired to make this after reading Cap'n Green Hair's quote from the "What's in a name ???" thread in the Community forum:

Well, one time i was sailing and our boat capsized ( i don't know the coreect spelling, sorry), so as i was coming out of the water, there were some weeds in my hair, hance the name captain green hair :-D

This reminded me of a time that my dad and I went sailing in our Thistle, a type of small sailboat, about a sixteen, seventeen footer. I haven't been sailing in at least nine years, and I've forgotten about it. We used to sail in a small catamaran, a Hobie Cat catamaran, in Puget Sound in Washington, where we used to live right on the shore...

Anyway, we live in Bend, Oregon, which is nowhere near open water. We've since sold the Hobie Cat, but we do own a Thistle. So, we hauled it out to one of the larger lakes, and gave it a go. Most sailboat-savy people know that a Thistle is a great racing boat, and gets going pretty fast, for a sailboat. Also, it can give novices quite a scare, if they've never capsized before...

So, here we are in our Thistle, which is eloqently named "mx" X-D . It's named after a type of ballistic missile, which went by the name of "MX missile". So, "MX missile", "mx Thistle". Ha ha. Anyway, when pointing or reaching, which is at a ten or ninety degree angle to the wind, a boat will heel, or lean as the wind is pushing on it. A sailboat capsizes when it doesn't do this right... And, when you heel, a novice will get a bit unnerved because the flank boat is at a steep angle to the water. In most sailboats, the sailors will need to lean back to keep as much weight as possible on the side that's heeling up.

More pics:

My lights are out of service for the moment...Two weak bulbs and one strong one. :-X

When I went into the garage to look at the real Thistle, I was dissapointed with my lego version. The real Thistle is wider, and has curves that I just couldn't do. It's my first attempt at a sailboat, though.

The tiller (handle of the boat) on our thistle has a hinge attached at the end, and a peice of wood attached to that. This way, when the boat heels, and the sailor is leaning out, he can still hold on to the attachment while leaning. I'm pretty sure this is common to most small boats.

This MOC is lacking in some detail. It needs a lot more lines, and more, but that would require cutting and tying very small peices of string, which I completly fail at. :-D Then, a sharp-eyed observer may notice that there are no sails. :-P I made some nice brick-built sails, but they weighed more that the boat( :-$ ), and obscured the view of the sailors. This MOC is meant to be viewed from one angle, because the backs of the torsos are reversed. :-$

The sailors. On the left, my dad, wearing jeans, a blue shirt, and a vest. I tried to imitate the smile he wears when sailing, but it's somewhere between joyous and manic insanity. :-P Then, there's me, wearing my trademark khaki pants. Note- I didn't actually scream. :-P

My dad used to be something of a sailor- he's owned a total of six sailboats and raced five of them competitively.

A comparison shot of an actual Thistle:

Your rear tends to get a little wet when leaning. :-$

Will

EDIT: Note to actual sailors: This is coming from a landlubber, so feel free to correct me on certain things. I asked my dad about some of it, but if I missed something, let me know. :-)

Edited December 23, 201113 yr by Phred

Nice MOC and nice story *y*

I really like the way you could build such a lovely little ship *wub* And the water and foam effect is neat, too.

LuxorV

Nice boat Will! I love the foam as well, and the MF heads! X-D

Keep it up Will! *sweet*

Thanks, guys! I was worried about it because it's my first attempt at a boat, and the curves on the real thing... :-/ Glad you liked the water, though!

Will

What a beautiful little boat! *wub* It makes such a great action still. It may not be 100% realistic but it's still great work. Thanks for the story too! *sweet*

(By the way, you seem to have made a mistake with you Brickshelf link. Or is everything on Brickshelf your work? X-D )

What a beautiful little boat! *wub* It makes such a great action still. It may not be 100% realistic but it's still great work. Thanks for the story too! *sweet*

(By the way, you seem to have made a mistake with you Brickshelf link. Or is everything on Brickshelf your work? X-D )

Thanks, Sinner! I may try to keep working on it- a lack of white bricks coupled with a first attempt don't always mix together. :-D

Brickshelf link? I don't remember adding one. Or do you mean the link in my sig? That one doesn't seem to work either. :-D

Will

Brickshelf link? I don't remember adding one. Or do you mean the link in my sig? That one doesn't seem to work either. :-D

Will

Oh sorry! :-$ Yes, I meant the one in the signature... which you seem to have fixed now! X-D

Oh sorry! :-$ Yes, I meant the one in the signature... which you seem to have fixed now! X-D

All right, thanks for clarifying. Silly me, not logging out before pasting the link. :-| :-D

Will