Awesome! Thanks guys! Easy is good I'll do two 1/4" decks. Once I receive the new plans, I'll go ahead and mark the hull and post some pics. Thanks again, John
If the hole needs to be big enough for a BB to go through it, then the rules need reworded to say 'stringer goes where the hull feature dictates, unless it's too close for a BB to go through.' Because that's not what the rules say. The corners on Malaya's bulges are close together. I have the stringers as far apart (vertically) as I can so that I have 1/16" above and below the angles, so that I can glue the balsa to something. So my gap is as big as I can make it, and I can't guarantee that it's wide enough in all areas to pass a BB.
Also, I just posted up a pdf file that has a bunch of great photos and drawings of Baden. See post in ship plans section
I've already downloaded it Thank you very much! I've been using these photos of a Combrig model kit for reference. I can't tell you if they're historically accurate, but they sure look nice: http://www.modelshipgallery.com/gallery/bb/sms/Bayern-350-pvb/ Thanks again, John
While I think it is gentlemanly to allow room for a BB to pass, Tug is correct that the rules do not say that a BB needs room to pass. With a little creativity a lot of area can be made near impenetrable and still be legal.
I agree, and I am certain that as powerful as most people's guns are these days, that the stringers would flex plenty when hit to pass a BB, even if a gentle hand fit wouldn't do it. The stringers on Malaya are 1/8" high, and maybe 3/16-1/4" thick. In any case, I'll have my old I-boat refitted and battling soon, no stringers to be found on that one.
This past weekend, I was planning to build a waterline marking device similar to the one pictured in a link earlier in this thread. As I was laying out the plywood and planning my cuts, I pondered about the necessity of such a device since, in my case, I'm really only marking one ship. So, I decided to improvise... I jabbed a pencil through a sturdy cardboard box in the way I imagined the monkeys would have probably done at the beginning of the movie '2001' and voila: I know it's not pretty, but I think it worked fine. I'm waiting for some items to arrive in the mail (i.e. better plans, working on obtaining the Grey Wolf casements, etc.), so I'm currently in a holding pattern when it comes to marking/cutting the hull. I did take the opportunity to start going through the electronics I had in the basement from my previous ship: First, I decided to test the radio equipment (Futaba 7C). After a quick charge of the TX batteries, everything seems to work (which is a very good thing... a new radio would have thrown this project WAY over budget): Though apprehensive, I'm definitely considering adding push-buttons to the radio. I also found a few other items of interest and, assuming they still work, will find their way into Bayern. On the left, I have 4 team delta switches (large one for the pump, three others for: dual sterns, stern sidemount and bow sidemount) along with the Futaba receiver. I have everything close together in the photo because I'm thinking of using a Pelican box to hold these electronics (similar to the method described in the 'How-to' section of the MWC website) and I'm trying to judge how much room will be needed. Next to the Team Delta switches, in the center of the photo, is a Mtroniks Marine Viper 40 ESC. Although I've read a lot on this forum about the 'brushless' setups, I'm thinking, at least for now, of using brushed motors. Currently owning this ESC, along with about 8 of the Johnson 550 motors and a Stinger pump motor is my main motivation for choosing a brushed motor setup. For those using the brushless systems, how hard will it be to convert if I choose to do so during a later refit? Finally, I have a Traxxas 2056 'waterproof' (hopefully) servo which will be used to move the rudders. Two LifePO4 3.2 V 20Ah batteries, which I'm planning to use to power the ship, have arrived and look quite lonely in the empty hull That's all for now... thanks for reading! Stay tuned. John
Hello all: I received the new set of plans from Loyalhanna today (George Goff plans, to my surprise). So far, they seem to fit this hull like a glove. Perhaps the original prototype was built from this, or a similar, set of plans? Anyhow, I using green construction techniques and cut my aft deck from a piece of recycled cardboard. I figure once I duct tape it to the hull I'll be good to go. Who wants to battle? I'm only kidding, of course... If my calculations are correct, the 3/8" deck begins, and the 1/4" casement deck ends, just after the second to last casement cannon. So, I made a tracing and cut a piece of cardboard so I can mark this position on my hull. Thanks! John
The Traxxas servos work quite well. The only water failure I have observed was when a ship spent 40 minutes 20 feet down tangled in brush.
I've killed a few of the 'waterproof' Traxxs servos. Seems any sink over a foot will begin the intrusion. I've had one die from a motor corroding and seizing up, and a handful - 3 or 4? all from failed potentiometers. In all cases the ships involved had sunk at various depths over time, none more than 5ft and the failures were not immediate post-sink, and in all cases the servo case contained wet sludge and and signs of previous moisture intrusions (mineral deposits and oxidations of varying degrees, often on the still functioning circuit board). Caveat: I know some people will request a stop in the battle and recover their sunken ship immediately. I do not pull my sunken ships from the water with any degree of haste, as I do not believe in asking for a pause in the battle to retrieve a sunken ship. My failed servos may have spent up to about 20minutes underwater at any single point in time. With all that said, my average replacement rate on them is about one per year per ship, or less, which isn't bad in my book.
Thanks all! It sounds like it will work well. Even if I have to replace it every so often, that's not so bad... could be part of the winter maintenance routine. Thanks, John
YMMV (Your mileage may vary). My rudder servo in my Baden was installed in 2001. Granted, the ship was mothballed for almost 8 years, but it had at least a half-dozen sinks prior to that, and once I blew the dust out, the rudder still works fine.
My experience has been similar to Nick's. The one on my NC has been great, while my other ones have been much less so. Although my NC hasnt sunk nearly as much so that could be a factor. I would advise that you have a spare servo on hand before you find out you need one as the Traxxas servos are not an exact 1for1 with most other servos, so borrowing one pond side may or may not be an easy switch. That said if it worked in the morning they seem to work all day with out any issues.
Great idea! Once I get closer to being ready to battle, I'll probably purchase a few spare servos, pump motors, etc. to have on hand.
For me it comes down to price vs time spent waterproofing a standard servo. They are more waterproof than those tool dipped, but less so than those epoxied. The micros and sub-micros are quite torquey for their size and price, and I almost exclusively use the micros unless size dictates the sub-micros.
