LST-542

Discussion in 'Construction' started by Klems, Nov 25, 2007.

  1. Klems

    Klems Member

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    Ok, so I am finially getting around to actually doing something in this hobby and I am going to need your help. I'll post pictures as much as I can because it would be nice to actually have a from scratch construction project for beginners. I'm building this according to Big Gun specifications. For the most part I'm making due with what I have on hand.

    Here is where I am standing at the moment:
    IMG_1289.gif

    Plans in 1/144 from the Floating Drydock

    3 channel radio (carried over from my younger aircarft adventures, yes I know it isn't the right frequency, I'll get a Hi-Tec Laser 6 surface eventually when I actually battle)

    Forward/Reverse Marine ESC (The guy said it was for the Capricorn race boat, but I'm unsure. It meets my requirements though)

    Rechargeable battery (Again, I still need to find a 6 Volt I'm looking for reccomendations)

    Brass tubing and rods for engine shafts and rudder boxes.

    Midwest PVC sheets for the deck, superstructure, keels, and subdeck. I'm going to try to use as little wood as possible except for the balsa paneling.

    I's getting my hull from a guy in Oklahoma, so it should be here in a few weeks. Its one of the old swampworks hulls.


    Now to finish up ordering parts, I'm going to get the rest from Battler's Connection, but I want your input on what I should get.

    Here is what I am planning on getting:

    Small Bilge pump
    6-12v Motor (550)Drive
    2x Universal Set with Dogbone
    2x 3/4" 4 blade 25 pitch propeller
    Single motor dual output gearbox(I need a check on the shaft spacing)
    2x Rudder gears and 1x servo gear (I'm thinking gears might be better than a pushrod system)
     
  2. djranier

    djranier Well-Known Member

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    I just installed the gearbox in my PE, the spacing is, 1 9/16 inch to output shaft centers. you can run it either way, with the motor facing forward or aft.
     
  3. Kotori87

    Kotori87 Well-Known Member

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    Well Klems, I see that you are located in California, just like me. I'm in San Jose so it might be a bit of a trip, but you can come up and visit to talk and build boats any weekend you want. Just let me know ahead of time, so I can inform the rest of the Western Warship Combat Club and roll out the welcome mat.

    Good luck with this project! I'm also building several small transports and posting about them on this forum, so if you have any questions then don't hesitate to ask. Actually, I have a few questions to ask you, before you start buying pumps, motors, etc:

    1) What is your budget for this project?
    (a guess here would be just fine, just give me a general idea)

    2) What tools and equipment do you have available?
    (do you have hobby knives and screwdrivers? paintbrushes? power tools? six-axis CNC mills?)

    3) How much experience do you have with those tools and equipment?
    (do you know how to hold a screwdriver? What about saws and drills?)
     
  4. Klems

    Klems Member

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    Well, thanks for the invite, I will definitely keep it a possibility. summer is usually the best for me, so nothing to worry about till then.

    1. My budget for this project is around $300-400. I'm getting paid $300 a month through NROTC, and its just kinda sitting in my account, so money really isn't an issue for me.

    2. Getting small tools is about the only concern for me at the moment as i have to start from scratch. I have various small tools already (screwdriver, x-acto knife, pliers, ect..) when I bought tools for my truck, but I think that a good dremel should be all I need to get really going. I am bersonally not allowed in the engineering worgshop here at college, but i have friends who are that can CNC mill stuff for me if I need it done.

    3. I am very confident in what I am doing while working. i've been making scratch things for years mostly by taking apart what I had, a frew trips to Radioshack, and some plywoood. Experience is not a problem for me, unless I get to high end stuff like actually fibergalssing or blowtorching. But yes, i know how to solder and all that good stuff.
     
  5. Kotori87

    Kotori87 Well-Known Member

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    Sounds like you're pretty well-off in terms of funding, equipment, and general experience. When I first started, I still pronounced the "L" in "solder"! That being said, you've made a very common rookie mistake: You've assumed that equipment suitable for "fast gun" style combat is also suitable for "big gun" combat, which is not always the case.

    The hull you're getting is fine, along with the props and much of the other equipment. However, the motor and gearbox you've mentioned are designed to propel something that's twice as big and nine times heavier than your ship at twice the speed you're allowed to go. And it comes with a monstrous power draw to match that. A much better alternative would be a pair of "Tamiya solar motor 02" directly coupled to the propshafts. Tamiya's solar motors are extremely high efficiency, and are perfectly capable of pushing an LST through the water at its allowed speed of 25 knots. You should find them at your local hobby shop, but if not they are also available on several online stores.

    In addition, I am not sure how well-suited the Battler's Connection Small Pump is for Big Gun combat. I've never had any experience with one, so I really don't know, but the big things you're looking for are pumping rate (in GPH or GPM) and current (in amps). Too little pumping (or too much) and/or too high of a current draw would be a big problem so it's best that you find out before getting one. If anyone who has used one can fill in, that would be great. Until then you might want to hold off.

    A few other bits of advice:
    Get in contact with the South Coast Battle Group. That's the closest club to you, they operate just outside LA. Their internet presence is very small (they don't have a website) but you can try to contact them here:
    http://groups.yahoo.com/group/BigGunsModelWarship/
    It's very important that you contact these people, as you will most likely be battling with them soon. Meet them, find out their rules, and find out how active they are. Last I heard they were having pond troubles, but that was more than a year ago and I haven't heard anything since.
    Also, here's a few power tools that make boatbuilding easier. You might not need all of them to successfully build a ship (except for the dremel) but they sure make life easier when you've got them.
    bandsaw: for cutting decks, superstructure, internal mounts, etc.
    drill press: for drilling holes. You will be drilling a lot of holes.
    dremel: for cutting penetrable windows in fiberglass, as well as many other things. Can be used as a drill press with the dremel drill press stand.
    disk sander or belt sander: for getting that piece you cut just a hair too big to fit in perfectly. It happens a lot. Also leaves a nice finish on rough-cut parts.
     
  6. Klems

    Klems Member

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    Wow, I am glad I checked on this first. Kotori, your post has been most helpful.

    I think I'm going to take your advice on the motor situation and just get two of the 9-18VDC motors from Radioshack if I can't find the motors you mentioned.

    As far as battling, I am not too concerned with that at the moment. As of now, I am in central Vermont in college. The LST is going to remain here until I drive it back home one summer, or I mail it to myself. There are 1 or 2 Big Gun clubs in the New England area, so if I decide to battle over here, I'll just take it out and go.

    When I go home for my long breaks (I get a month off for Christmas and 3 for summer), that's when I'll start on my Alaska class large cruiser. That's the one that I'm seriously going to need some help with as I have yet to see one built. If the SCBG does not get up in any amount of time, I'm hoping to come up to the WWCC.

    So for me at the moment, its a matter of construction rather than getting in a club. If anything, I can just be independent. I'm treating this as a hobby rather than a sport. I just enjoy building the ships, battling is just an added bonus.
     
  7. Klems

    Klems Member

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    I worked on the superstructure a little tonight. Here is how it tuned out.

    [​IMG]
     
  8. Klems

    Klems Member

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  9. Kotori87

    Kotori87 Well-Known Member

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    looks good! Keep it up.
     
  10. Klems

    Klems Member

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    Well, I got my hull on Friday, which was a good thing for me, and a bad thing for my grades, haha!

    Tonight, I finished up "fixing" the stern with a new transom block. Originally, the hull came with a rounded stern, but the LST's in real life had a sort of triangle stern. So I set about trimming it.

    [​IMG]

    This was more of a trial and error fix than an actual measured one, but I think it turned out perfectly in the end.

    [​IMG]

    Not bad for someone who just bought a dremel a few weeks ago? I know I still need to sand it, but I wanted to give it another day for the glue to cure.
     
  11. donanton

    donanton Member

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    Looks good. Looking forward to more pics.
     
  12. Kotori87

    Kotori87 Well-Known Member

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    Looks nice. The stern area of LSTs are hard to figure out when just looking at plans. Have you seen these?
    http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h237/kotori87/LST3.jpg
    http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h237/kotori87/LST2.jpg

    Keep it up!
     
  13. Klems

    Klems Member

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    Yes, I have a few of those saved on my computer for reference. I know my hull is a little in accurate in the stren area, but this is as close as I am going to get with out redoing the whole thing.

    Anyway, I cut out the rest of the decks today as well as parts of the cap rail. I haven't trimmed everything or glued it all in as I still need to install the steering, propulsion, but you get the general idea of what this is going to look like.

    [​IMG]