PROPWASH
14
October 2014
It can be wrapped up for storage with the buoys unclipped on a
drum something like the one below. A motor can be added and it
makes retrieving the net easier. You can unclip the buoys as the
net is reeled in. The net can either be pulled across the water with
a boat or a line carried across to the other shore. Buoys can be
clipped to the net as it unreels. The net does not need to be pulled
tight and can be secured to trees, stakes, posts, or any similar
object on the far shore. The Lake Minden net is stored and
transported on a small trailer.
Safety Corner Fall 2014
By Lohring Miller
NAMBA Safety Chairman
Lately I have been more concerned about sharing ponds with
other users. NAMBA’s most important safety rule is that you
can’t run model boats in water with people, pets, or full size
boats. It is getting to be a potentially bigger problem as we run
faster boats. So what is the answer? The simple solution is to
run in ponds where we are the only users. That’s getting more
and more difficult in some areas. A solution that has been used
for years at District 9’s Lake Minden in California is to separate
the boats from other users with a safety net. Below is a picture
of their early version.
In this case a sports netting net supported by buoys is placed
across the lake and secured at both ends. It does not need to be
tight. It only needs to trap and stop a runaway boat. I have
personally seen this net work, and it works very well.
So how can you make one and what will it cost? The net is
standard two foot wide sports netting with around three inch
squares and a weighted line on the bottom edge. The net is
supported by crab pot buoys with a PVC pipe in the middle.
There is a clip at the top of the pipe and a weight at the bottom.
The clip attaches the buoy to the top line of the net. The buoys
are spaced about thirty feet apart. The idea is to hold around
half of the net above the water line. The flag is optional but
might help keep racers from hitting the net.
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ABC and PropShop Dealer
Nine Time NAMBA SAW Record Holder
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The net looks similar to the above