I am looking to add weight to one of my warships. The USS Alabama is about 5 pounds under weight. I am looking for an easy way to add weight through out the ship without disturbing the balance. Any suggestions.
add metal sheet to the bottom (outside bottom) of the hull and feather in with bondo. it will improve your stability as well. lead, brass, copper, all are decent choices, with lead being the densest but least pleasant to deal with
I would suggest using the concrete stuff that i have been hearing about lately. But i found the metal sheeting idea to be a bit more difficult to do, but if you have the skills, im sure it would work well.
The problem with that Boomer is that here in Canada I haven't been able to find the same stuff. There is another self leveling concrete sealer BUT IT TAKES WEEKS AND WEEKS TO DRY!!!!. I did a test with a small bit in a plastic bowl and was still soft and unrubberlike (for lack of a better term) 5 weeks after I poured it. bb26, what are you using as water channelling? I poured equal amounts of resin into Scharnhorst for channeling an it added almost 4 pounds. just pickup a cheap dollar store measuring cup so each side will have the same amount. The water runs straight to the centre channel and right to the pump. J
Well, pamnjay, i wasnt thinking that Canada is not as well supplied with top of the line concrete sealer as the US, are you sure you followed the directions, maybe you missed something. Again, try the brands you see on this forum, or contact them online to buy the stuff.
Paul use a diving weight and goop it to the hull bottom. I used 2lb and 3lb in Bismarck. Finally I just used 2lbs secured in the stern with Goop. Worked great. I originally used a 2lb in the stern and a 3lb in the bow diving weights. You can get them at a Dive shop or other store that sells marine equipment. Curt
Yup, they are pretty much Sailor proof. I was not able to find the same brand here and Customs can be D#@&heads when it comes to mail order chemicals. bb26, give the resin a try. Just don't forget to put two small strips of wood down the centre and seal it in place because the resin will find cracks as well. The 1/4 inch square balsa strips from Maritime work great. Oh yeah, be sure to put lots of hardener or it will take way too long to set and will remain tacky. J
Put down 1/4" square basswood, spruce, or other hard softwood to outline the channel. Put in 1/4" balsa planks behind it to build up the channel. Yes, there is sanding involved. After you are happy, fill the voids and cover with resin. The results are just as pretty as the time you put in. It's also very light.
Adding weight is easy, its getting it out that is the hard part. I would go with lead, laid up at the turn of the bilge going around the ship. Thats my 2 cents.
I use car wheel weights gooped in when I need weight. Pick your weight, location and also removable if you change you mind...but I know we never do that! []
by gooped, you mean epoxied? or CA glued? which do people use more? or is one appropriate for one thing, and the other for another application?
Don't put weight throught out the ship. you will distrurb the balance. Balance is already there (assume that your just riding high in the water and/or want to change the water line). 5lbs.!! I'd try to fit another battery in the center, if not go for lead it's pretty good on the volume to weight ratio (little space heavy wieght) and you can melt down old tire weights for a pretty cheap and shape conforming product. Just don't go putting wieght all over the boat your asking for trouble Danny
No I mean "goop" this is a clear rubber cement like glue which is water proof and sold almost everywhere. ... My friend,goop [8D]
You can distribute weight throughout the hull.You want to ensure that your greatest weight is centered in the model. Your weight in the bow and stern should be very light compared to your main ballast weight and both the bow and the stern ballast should be nearly equal. This keeps an even trim makes the model very stable. Keep the weights low as possible to the hull bottom for increased stability. It's ok to have a little more weight aft to allow the water to flow from teh bow to the pump. I use a formula that my nephew who worked on the container ships to balance out the ships when receving their cargo loads. I find it works great and every model I used this system on has been ballast and performs very well with little or no stability issues.
You might try adding lead shot to epoxy. That way you get water channeling and ballast at the same time.
I prefer to add useful weight, I like to make sure I have the biggest batteries or even a secondary battery if weight allows that allows me to put pump on one battery by itself and drive on its own battery, if you have the weight make it work for you. Just a idea