new meaning to the word paper ship

Discussion in 'Research and Development' started by wfirebaugh, Mar 22, 2014.

  1. wfirebaugh

    wfirebaugh Well-Known Member

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    Here is a odd question people how ships are built these days made of steel so that being said if a set of plans for a ship wear made of paper with Resum for stiffness how would the rules apply to such a ship? I know of course it would half to sink but rib spacing and such. please don't ask why would a person want to build such a problematic craft with the said materials alone just humor me. I am messing with a new ship idea.
     
  2. SnipeHunter

    SnipeHunter Well-Known Member

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    Same as they apply to any other ship. You can build the hull out of whatever you want, none of the rules specify wood/fiberglass only.
     
  3. Kotori87

    Kotori87 Well-Known Member

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    I've seen ships build from plywood, fiberglass, laser-cut acrylic, hand-carved hardwood, CNC-machined aluminum and steel, injection-molded ABS, and other strange materials. The important part is that they all meet the hull penetrability requirements by using the correct rib spacing and skin materials.

    As far as resin-soaked paper goes, I remember seeing someone build an RC square-rigger using a scaled-up paper model that he soaked in epoxy. You can find the build log in the Scale Sailboats section of the RC Groups forum. Apparently the material worked pretty good, but was not intended for combat. I have no idea how it would hold up under bb fire.
     
  4. Tugboat

    Tugboat Facilitator RCWC Staff Admiral (Supporter)

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    I made a small convoy once using a carboard carton from a 6-pack of hard cider, CA glue, and a dismantled zip-zap car that was on sale. It floated :) For the record, the radios that come with the little zip-zap cars have like 10 feet of range.
     
  5. Cannonman

    Cannonman Ultimate Hero :P -->> C T D <<--

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    I've often considered using a disposable hull for small boats that required weight to be at a minimum and interior space to be at a maximum. Something like the V108 comes to mind. My thought was that it would be a fully penetrable skin that would be very light weight, and thin to allow more internal space. Something made from one or two layers of thin fiberglass cloth or a few layers of epoxy soaked silkspan that would be as penetrable or more easily penetrable than the balsa currently in use. The construction method would be to laminate the material over a plug, similar to how current fiberglass hulls are made. When one skin became too damaged to be repaired, it would be swapped with a new one. The mechanicals would be built on a drop in "space frame" type structure that could be removed from a damaged skin and dropped into a new replacement. Difficult part or this would be prop shafts that have to go through the hull, but if they were built similar to the ones on Uritski, they could be slid in and out easily..... Just loosen the prop shafts and then slide them out. Like Uritski, you would apply a small amount of silicone sealer to them to seal them to the hull skin before they were slid back in a new one.
     
  6. PrepmasterNick

    PrepmasterNick Active Member

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    I'm interested in doing the superstructure like this.
     
  7. NickMyers

    NickMyers Admin RCWC Staff

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    Probably not really worthwhile unless you're doing a small ship.
     
  8. PrepmasterNick

    PrepmasterNick Active Member

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    k. Thought it would allow for detail and let me make copies for when it gets shot off. Long term goal.
     
  9. NickMyers

    NickMyers Admin RCWC Staff

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    it would definitely get shot up and would probably be a lot more effort to be making it and continually replacing it rather than building something a bit more resistant (such as 1/8" ABS, that rubber stuff that some folk really like, plywood (depending on the ship, fiberglass sheets, fiberglassed wood) and adding replaceable detail.

    Going super lightweight with something like whats been described above is generally considered when weight savings are paramount, otherwise most people find it more worthwhile to build sturdier. Time not spent maintaining topside can be better spent maintaining inside I always thought. :)

    Now, if you really want to do it, by all means do so. I don't mean to discourage you from the idea, merely saying its probably not a good investment of time if time is your primary concern. I always thought that it would be a neat thing to print the vertical surfaces of the superstructure in color on heavy bond paper, adhere it to the superstructure and use a lightweight glass cloth and a clear epoxy to glass it over. Whether or not it would look good or just look ridiculous I don't know.
     
  10. PrepmasterNick

    PrepmasterNick Active Member

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    Right but instead of putting over the superstructure, just have origami folds ready and gloss over the folded origami. I guess terigami would be the final term. Cut out pieces to fold up and put together. I used to fold boxes for domino's and I teach origami to my fine arts students. Just the intro... I see it being a good plan to let people blow up my boat and still have the same amount of detail without repainting or having to glue. Just fold the tabs and slide in like a pop up book. Maybe a thread is the best way to explain this. At any rate, I wouldn't do this for the hull. One shot and done. lol!
     
  11. bugler

    bugler Member

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    Hmmm....

    I think this is a neat idea myself. Mind you, if I could get away with it, I think I will build my superstructure out of balsa wood or some sort of plywood, just the shell hollow on the inside. I likely won't be encountering any enemy ships here as I am the only one in town.
     
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  12. wfirebaugh

    wfirebaugh Well-Known Member

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    What I have been up to lately... designing a paper / resume soaked paper ship the design can be built in sections at a time and then glued together at a point. this ship was designed more like an actual super tanker with lower runners going from fore to aft for strength 1/2 in at bottom and runners atop also while there are allot of ribs as far as being skinning purposes "I'm still trying to figure that one out to make it work, possibley paper soked with Thompsons water sealer for skin not sure yet" I have just finished the ship hull its self. I will most likley not build it the as the ribs are not the right spacing less then 1 in. in places, but I don't think the spacing would be a matter as its paper not wood. I will post pics of it for show and tell. air holes could be added with a paper punch so I was not botherd in the design process. yes it is another liberty ship the Sullivans later named the Luzon.
    Bottom.jpg Top Front.jpg Top Front Inner.jpg
     
    Last edited: Apr 26, 2015
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  13. Tugboat

    Tugboat Facilitator RCWC Staff Admiral (Supporter)

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    Crazy cool :)
     
  14. wfirebaugh

    wfirebaugh Well-Known Member

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    From the structor alone how you think it would work, survivability mainly threw getting shot at Tugboat?
     
  15. PrepmasterNick

    PrepmasterNick Active Member

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    I'm interested in seeing it on the water.
     
  16. wfirebaugh

    wfirebaugh Well-Known Member

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    I dread to make a PDF, Lots of parts eekkkkk... lol I had in mind to build it a section at a time 8 max as little as 3 areas, lots of pages...
     
  17. Tugboat

    Tugboat Facilitator RCWC Staff Admiral (Supporter)

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    I think if soaked with spar varnish or epoxy, it'd be okay for a few sorties. How one would repair badly-damaged sections would be another thing, though. But it's an amazing feat of paper engineering :)

    But as I look at the pics again... I'm wondering how much hogging and bending and twisting she'd do once made physical reality... as things go into compression and tension...
     
  18. wfirebaugh

    wfirebaugh Well-Known Member

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    I had made a block of 67 lb. paper that the runners wear half inch thick and half apart it was Farley sturdy short from a heavy glass qt. beer mug full of Orange J. it didn't collaps or bend but its the top and bottom that will be the strength mainly. fiberglass resume glued together with super glue. then the walls will be added in strength by the side walls of the hull skin. or at lest thats my thought process of how it will work.
     
  19. wfirebaugh

    wfirebaugh Well-Known Member

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    I just started to build the PDF for this ship Hull. 8/ I am planning to build it. I was thinking it would be a shame to waste the time to create the 3-D model and never build it. I've had a long time to think it over.... this will take me a while to make the PDF there is no easy way to get ship plans out of delft ship.
     
  20. Anvil_x

    Anvil_x Well-Known Member

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    any movement on this? sounds like a really neat project.