Thanks Dave, I cranked out three hulls this weekend Here is hull 2 laid out Drying Used tape to mark the top, came out much better Hull 3 Drying Marked windows on the hull I will build out What’s that sound, I think it’s the axis captains quivering in their boots
Just got my hull from Kevin. It looks and feels awesome. Nice thickness and not too heavy. Can't wait to see two or three of these tearing up the ponds this spring. Axis hulls beware.
Cut out the hull yesterday Weighed out to 15 oz Focusing on other projects, might get the shafts in tomorrow
The floors are reinforced concrete so I think it can handle a few more boats haha Tested the weight of the main components, came out to 3lbs 9oz Moved on to shafts, used shafts that I removed from the Fiji with a slight modification Made a guide for the ends of the shafts Tacked the shafts in place Taped the underside Epoxied in Props on Side
Update on progress. I got the rudder post in and made the subdeck. Subdeck is 1/8 ply, I’m planning on 1/16 basswood for the deck. Rudder post visible on the 2nd ship down Should have good coverage of props Weight test. About 3.5 lbs which is good, max is 5.5 Co2 will go in the bow Started subdeck This step is always a pain Side I dremeled out the underside for magnets Clamped, didn’t come out great, but good enough. Just a class 1 boat haha Dry Excess to cut off. I use a layer of mat between the deck and hull to improve contact area Deck and motor/ pump mounts next
I reduced the bow and stern area to give me enough ribs, they are 1/4. Some updates. Worked on pump outlet tube like my other builds, this should prevent the pump stream from rolling the boat Bow deck will be permanent, 1/16” bass wood Motor and pump mounts Pump outlet tube Bow deck Fast forward to electronics, I’ll be using a control box that can be swapped between boats easily. The core is the BC multi cruiser board, that controls the pump and guns. This board is a big step forward for the hobby. It really is plug and play. Also in the box will be a hobby wing ESC and the cheap receiver from BC. Cut out the bottom for the ESC to get cooling Overhead This is about it for the boat, very clean setup, with the test switched for Fiji Here is the box. Whipped it up from 1/16” plywood, not pretty but it should work Overhead Motor mounts next day. 380’s are probably overkill, but I should have weight to spare Pump and motors Cut the pump outlet tube flush Cut out the decks, 1/16” bass wood
More progress, small steps Worked on gun placement. Here is fwd upper barbette Extra piece of wood on underside to hold it Guns in place 15 degree off Looking at internals, guns might get in the way of the CO2 With other things inside Moving aft Checked the weight with everything, 4 lbs, still 1.5 til max. Center of gravity looks good too, balanced on a level Looking inside at arrangement, considering moving the CO2 to between the motors, gives more space up forward for control box, solenoids, LCF was still good Side view forward with more room now Put on deck magnets, thin version will be bumps on the deck Sealed up the deck rim with epoxy, layer of cloth over the deck for B.B. resistance Forward deck with a layer of cloth on top
Kevin, try to make those 1/2 unit cannons as gas efficient as possible. A 12g cap barely pushes 50 rounds through my Mog cannon so you may have issues with the dual setup. If you can up it to a 16g cap, you should be fine. Looks like we may have three or more CL's on the water this year. Should be interesting.
Thanks for the heads up Steve, I have a 16g setup on the way I'm hoping to get some battles in with these little guys during 'social/repair hour' between the normal fleet battles
Internal armor is in I’ve been dividing time between too many projects haha 16g setup arrived as well, I will be working on mounts for the rudder servo, the CO2 cartridge, and the bow guns next. Little boats come together quickly
Some work done on this project. Made the turret mold at the same time as agincourt. Decided to do a 2 part mold based on the tall vertical section, otherwise I probably wouldn’t be able to pull the part out Green film applied First half Wall removed Both sides done, drilled and taped holes for alignment Ready for molding Wait 8ish hours Moved on to gun mount. The idea is to support the guns but keep weight a little lower, came up with this plate Epoxied with deck Put in edges for the water channel, 1/4 square bass wood. Plan is to finish everything then see how much weight is left over, then fill the waterchannel as necessary with heavy things Testing gun fit. Made up copper mags as an option Also considering plastic mags. I assembled per Steve’s instructions. I might test it out, slightly worried about suffering a magazine ejection casualty Made superstructure at some point, test fit with turret Checked internal space and weight again Comes in at 4 lbs 9oz here, 5.6 max Check balance, looking good Also made a second control box, v2.0, slightly smaller to better fit Finishing up internal mounts, pump hold down Also CO2 holder. No room up front, so moved aft. Holder, hole is for pump outlet Kind of tight, should be fine Fore and aft holders Rudder servo mount Made rudder next. Glued together In place From aft Drying with cloth Mounts drying
weight distro was my one concern with those Avengers, since the whole mag is in the superstructure. I like your mount idea.
With my latest gun design you can run the mag along the keel if you like. Keeps the weight low in the hull. Photos in my Tromp thread.
