What kind of a saw and blade did you use to make the cuts. You did such a nice job. So far I can't come close to duplicating. Keith
Hi Keith, I use the Rockwell blade runner (basically an upside down jig saw) http://www.rockler.com/rockwell-blade-runner-jig-saw-multi-purpose-precision-cutter You can find it cheaper than in the link, at my local Lowes they have it on sale for $110.00. I consider this one of the best tools in the hobby, as you are moving the material rather than the tool which gives you greater control over the cuts. For the fiberglass board, use this saw blade and get the multi pack, they wont last long but do a great job (just need to factor in the cost of blades to the build): http://www.amazon.com/Bosch-T118B-Medium-Metals-T-Shank/dp/B000FICE92 I have been using the Mcmaster fiberglass boards for many years and would not consider using anything else, already waterproofed and plenty strong. Post if you have any other questions or if needed we could talk. -Lou
I don't use mine in the same manner. Lou are you saying that you use it like a scroll saw, cutting curves and such?
I tried the jig saw equivalence to this: http://www.boschtools.com/Products/Accessories/Pages/BoschAccessoryDetail.aspx?pid=T150RF3#specs http://www.boschtools.com/Products/Accessories/Pages/BoschAccessoryDetail.aspx?pid=U30RF1#specs It cut the fiberglass sheet with almost no effert. With the front of the blade being wider than the back, it cuts corners better than a normal jig saw blade. Keith
What are your thoughts about a smaller Band Saw? I was thinking this might be of use? Mind you a Band Saw's blade is a bit long for making tighter curves etc...
Fiberglass is very hard on the blade. Band saw blades are much more expensive. A band saw could not do the internal cutouts. Keith
Time for an update. Been working on the internals, blast guard is now in place. Used 4-40's and washers to hold the lexan in place.
Base color is one, will start adding more as the parts are placed in the hull. In this shot you can see the battery holder, water will be able to flow around and get to the pump quickly.
Installed the drag props, plenty of room between the drag and working props. Should have no "sucking" issue...
Bus bar installed on the step down in the hull. You can also see the bottle holders on either side of the water chaneling.
Batteries in place. Cover for the batteries, the bottle holder for the neck is built in. Bottles in place. The systems are independant, so one bottle feeds the haymaker and one stern gun. The other bottle feeds a stern gun and bow gun. This will allow me to fire duals and not have one gun steal power from the other.
Built a boat holder so I could move it around the shop. It is adjustable so that the top rises another 12-18 inches when standing. Otherwise I keep it at this level while I am in a chair and can easily work on it.
Is the advantage of dual tanks significant? I was planning on installing check valves on expansion tanks. More systems flies in the face of KISS. I am a fan of KISS. Keith
I did check valves and accumulation tanks. If you run one line to the duals, that becomes your limiting factor. If you run two lines from the same tank, then you have four lines coming from one tank. Burst one, then you are out of luck. KISS in this case is two regulators and two tanks that are independent of each other. Only one line is in use at a time, so pressure is not an issue. This is my setup, so maybe not for everyone nor am I advocating it. Just letting everyone know what I am doing so there are no pond-side discussions. When I built the boat I knew I wanted twin tanks, so this led to specific choices and methods of construction to account for the extra weight.
Be careful when using check valves. The last thing you want is to start working on your boat, thinking it's safe, only to find one of your accumulators is still pressurized because of a check valve.
Thanks for the explanation. I didn’t mean to come off as critical. We have a very small group up here in our little corner of the country. There has not been a whole lot of pushing the envelope here. We don’t to the best of my knowledge have any high air usage guns up here, so I have not seen lack of air flow as a problem. I am going to attempt some more advanced guns. We will have to see how I do…. Thanks again for posting your builds. I really enjoy them. Keith
No worries, Keith. I post so that others can learn from my mistakes. I don't run high flow guns (1/16th tubing), but in the past with my Iron Duke I was just not satisfied with my duals. Hopefully this setup will work for me.
