Nottingham 48
Nottingham 48
The Nottingham 48 evolved from the Canterbury J initially developed in Christchurch, New Zealand, for racing. Both these hulls are based on the J Class yacht Ranger and measure 48 inches (1220mm) overall with a beam of 8 3/4 inches (220mm). They should displace about 14.5lb (6.5 to 7.00 kg) all up when finished with rig fitted.
When complete both models are the same but the build process is slightly different. The Nottingham 48 is supplied as a complete hull with a moulded ballast which is placed inside the hull. The hull can be finished in gelcoat colours chosen by the customer, either a single colour or two tone colours with different colours above and below the waterline. Some colour schemes look better than others so get in touch if you want some guidance. The hulls are of the highest quality and will contribute to an exceptionally well finished model. A matching rudder and fittings are also provided.
The ballast includes the trimweight. I suggest that a portion of the main ballast is removed which I think ballances the finished model better. If you think otherwise its easy to pop the cut piece back into the hull but one fitted, removing weight is much more of a challenge! The "Lifty" attaches to the aluminium strip so the ballast takes the strain of lifting and not the deck.
The rudder is supplied with additional parts to fit, the lower pintle is now in brass and the grub screw is wound down allowing the rudder to be removed if necessary without bending the rudder stock. The "O" ring is a snug fit with the outer tube and rudder stock and fitted with a smidge of Vaseline which makes the whole fitting watertight.
The internal woodwork and stand are provided in a laser cut sheet. A stout and sharp craft knife is used to remove the parts. I now stain the entire sheet before removing the parts which simplifies the staining process but does make removing the parts a bit more difficult!
The deck is in 1.6mm birch ply with laser etched plank detail. the king plank and inner line of the outer plank are etched deeper so a contrasting stain can be used without bleeding across. The deck is rough trimmed before gluing to the hull with final trimming when the glue has set.
The hatches are laser cut to suit the openings on the deck. They should make the hull watertight and also create an attractive look to the deck.
The model has been designed with the novice model builder in mind. There is sufficient to challenge but the result should be satisfying. The main skill required is patience...!
When complete the model is considered to be the same as the Canterbury in the UK for racing purposes however as the Nottingham is not taken from an approved Canterbury mould, will not be allowed to race with Canterbury's in the rest of the world. If you are buying your model with racing abroad in mind you should purchase a Canterbury hull (see later sections.)
The 48 hull can be built to carry either a bermuda rig (used for racing) a gaff rig (which suits the profile of the hull well) or a genoa rig (which looks more realistic). A hull built to carry a gaff rig can be easily converted to a bermuda rig but not the other way around.
In the UK most of the J's that race are now the Nottingham version and in practise many of the models purchased are for social sailing rather than racing