I have an idea how do the cutouts and have read the rules and the BC directions included with the VDT kit but it would be great to get a look at how someone else has done the cutouts on a VDT. I missed an opportunity recently to see a battle that a VDT was to participate in. Hopefully there will be another chance in the near future but in the meantime. Would someone have picture of a "naked" VDT with its cutouts showing. John Gardner
Thats my VDT at some points during construction, its been changed around but and the insides arent nearly as empty but it gives a decent view of the ribs. How you cut the casements is really the biggest issue you'll face, read the rules and try and follow them as best you can, there are lots of different interpretations and ways people deal with them. Ive had people tell me they should be done multiple different ways so im not sure what the best advice there is. Personally I have them cut out to be legal as I understand the rules so im not to concerned about them, but some people get uptight about it if you don't do it to their liking. Nothing to worry about just letting you know you might run into that.
one thing i would say is not to worry too much about the casements cause when ur done ull see that the is hardley room for a bb to go throught and only a perfict shot will go throught them and that might happen once in a busy year
Snipe, The pic are excellent and just what I was looking for. Nice work. How was the Battle in Esopus? I really need to make the trip next time. Looks like your hull is painted black I was going to paint my VDT hull & superstructure black. Thanks again this give me something to start with. John Gardner
Glad to be of help. The battle was great. 4 allied boats against 2 axis boats with a rookie skipper on either side so there was plenty of action for a small battle. One of the allies sank with a pump failure/blockage and then I sank late in the second sortie with a cloged up pump screen. The lake was cleaner than in the spring but it still requires a beefy pump screen, I probably should have cleaned it between sorties, that probably would have prevented the sink but no worries they are designed to sink afterall and I was very pleased with my gun preformance. My boat has a standard grey and red paint job, the black is the unpainted fiberglass hull. I would imagine a black boat would be harder to find underwater and it would be harder to find the holes so you could patch them but other than that paint it however you want. In reality they should be really light grey almost a white but I dont like that how that looks so I went with something darker.
I agree.. nice looking ship indeed. One question Jason, the picture of your stern, with the motors, what kind of tubing is that you're using to couple them to the drive shafts?
When I first commissioned my Invincible I had a problem with pump screens clogging. The problem I had was I used the flexible screen that came with the BC pump and when junk got on it, it sucked right up to the inlet. What I have since done, is take a piece of thin brass rod and bend it and place it under my screen so the screen can't suck up to the opening. Since I have added the brass piece, all my sinks but one have come from my own stupidity (hitting rocks, cutting in front of ships that couldn't avoid ramming me [I won't call ram when it's my own fault...doesn't seem fair], using small overlapping patches to patch those big ram holes, etc). Mike D
