RE: "The Cheapest Point of Entry" Heil Fluegel! I bring you a message from on high... The battery that we will be using is.... http://www.batterymart.com/p-6v-12ah-sealed-lead-acid-battery.html A humble 6 volt, 12 amp-hour lead-acid battery. The reasons are legion: 1) It's cheap! $15 for one battery that can last the whole battle! Even thought we can change batteries every sortie, NiMH or LiPo or LiFePO4 batteries will cost at least 3 times as much to achieve our goal. 2) We can afford the weight! Scale weight on these cruisers is 11.9 pounds, max model weight is 16.4 pounds! 4 pounds, 7 ounces of battery is not a problem. 3) Any dumb old battery charger can charge these puppies. And if you have 2 of them, you only need one charger! Charge the first battery after the AM battle, and stick the second one on the charger overnight in the hotel room! 4) Many, many people use this identical battery in RC naval battles, so if something horrible happens, you can easily find one to borrow. 5) It's cheap! And this is the Cheapest Point Of Entry project! Can't be a CPOE cruiser with costly batteries I want desperately to keep this under $250 all-up, ready to sit in the water and battle. For the guys who are not, shall we say, electrically inclined, there will be a simple lesson on electricity before we start soldering For those who are keeping score, my rough total so far, counting materials for the hull, the 2.4GHz radio set, brushless motors, brushless ESCs, servos, battery, little brass collars, and brass for the prop and pump... is still under $150. Given the price of a regulator and a 3.5 ounce bottle, that's right about what I want. We are on target to get done under $250 (plus shipping for those of us who live in rural areas with few hobby stores).
RE: "The Cheapest Point of Entry" hey just my ply wood for the ribs is 6mm ok i live in canada and home depot had only 6 mm it close to 1/4 metric system Add is carpenters glue good to glue the ribs to the keel
RE: "The Cheapest Point of Entry" @NC - 6mm is fine, some people have said 7mm is fine too. If you built a ship using 7mm vice 1/4" I would have no problem with it. Check with the nearest club. I'm sure some of the other Canadian battlers have had similar issues come up. Actually, I'm going to post that as a question under general topics Under NO circumstances use carpenter's glue for shipbuilding. Waterproof epoxy is best. You can use CA glue (superglue) to tack things together, but that's about it. Carpenter's glue will come apart after a dunking. So will hot glue, don't ask how I know, suffice to say it wasn't pretty. @ everyone - I have been out in the shop getting naughty with thin balsa and CA glue. The port side solid area is 'planked' at the moment with the balsa sheet, and will shortly be receiving a few layers of fiberglass after I plank the stbd solid area, too! Balsa is not as good as 1/64" ply, but it'll do fine with fiberglass and epoxy. Looks SWEET! Pics to follow Heil Fluegel!
RE: "The Cheapest Point of Entry" A preview of the upcoming lesson on planking the bottom of your boat... I started with styrofoam, cut with a hot-wire cutter, but then I realized that not everyone has one of those, and it'd be something else to buy. So I'm doing the old 'cover it in balsa and 'glass it' method.
RE: "The Cheapest Point of Entry" Another optional material that works very well is 1/32" thick plywood available in many hobby shops.
RE: "The Cheapest Point of Entry" hey just started the cutting of the rib today with a coping saw man i hacked it up. got like 16 more to go that for another day
RE: "The Cheapest Point of Entry" NC, you using a hand-powered coping saw, or an electric one? I've got some tips, but it depends on which you're using, which I'll post
RE: "The Cheapest Point of Entry" Use whatever works/is available/cheap enough to afford (depending on what's limiting you) The drive setup and pump will both be using 400-size motors, or the brushless equivalent thereof. I will be showing both type of motors, plus how to make a MAG throttle for the po'boys and waterproofing the brushless ESC (using the method Dave R used) for those who want to go brushless. Pump switch will also be shown, or an ESC, possibly some other options.
RE: "The Cheapest Point of Entry" hand coping saw was a carpanter just didnt set up good enough need to get my clamp up. i know the diff between imperial and metric just wasnt sure if it was allowed in clubs thats all
RE: "The Cheapest Point of Entry" I don't think anybody would complain honestly. Most of us would love to just have more boats on the pond. The only time I can see it possibly become an issue would maybe be at a Nats. Not sure though. --Chase
RE: "The Cheapest Point of Entry" @EvilJoker - the hard area starts 1" below the waterline. I build to the scale waterline, which is about 11/16" below the bottom of the subdeck. Or 2.5" up from the bottom of the keel.
RE: "The Cheapest Point of Entry" hey to work on my ship today here are a few pics me at work heres rib 12 the snapped well being cut. a little crazy glue and good to go note i havent fully finishing cutting the ribs in pic
RE: "The Cheapest Point of Entry" Don't worry about the snapped rib, Lance... after it's all assembled, that area will be heavily reinforced anyway! Makes me happy to see progress @ the Class: I've been testing motors and pump stuff... I will get a lesson together tomorrow for your enjoyment.
RE: "The Cheapest Point of Entry" Wondering about those myself. Brushed or brushless that is the question.
RE: "The Cheapest Point of Entry" I will be showing both ways to do it. For me, brushless. It's a bit more expensive, but not hideously so. It's also less labor-intensive than soldering up a MAG throttle. But I will show options for brushed and brushless as part of the class. We'll be using 400-sized brushless, or 550-sized brushed, for both motors.
