Scale and Speed
How fast does it go? All the kids want to know and it might get a little irritating, but can you tell them? If you’re like me, the best you can do is something wise, like “oh, it goes plenty fast.”
I always thought that since my battleships are in 1:192 scale, that their speed was a straightforward linear reduction based on that scale. It ain’t.
After reading an excellent piece on the subject from the South Manchester Model Boat Club, I can now tell you that something called Froudes Law of Comparison is used to get from the test tank to the full size hull. If you can, go to http://members.fortunecity.co.uk/booty/notes_on_scale.htm and get your head spinning, too.
I’m working on some tables of scale speeds based on the formulae given, and we should be able to time your boat on a fixed-distance course and work out the answer for those kids.
All at the next Boat-A-Thon and Power Cup event, July 22.