Just throwing out a question to all who have built some of the mini ships out there. I just started playing around with a destroyer, and I'm wondering what has been used with success as far as..... 1) batteries 2) motors 3) prop shafts/ stuffing tubes 4) weapons systems 5) servos 6) anything else that might be useful....... Thanks
Well, my tiny tug isn't armed, but it did utilise some little bits. The battery is a 3600 mAh nimh transmitter pack, the one servo is a quarter-sized one, the pump is literally one inch in dia by one inch high, and the ESC is even smaller. I went for a conventional 380 mabuchi for the motor, direct drive, just for reliability's sake. The battery lays flat in the bottom of the hull, for stability.
I have done the calculations with on hand components and can build a 1000 ton unarmed vessel including the use of a speed control and a pump with no additional depth added. With almost all formats you can get away with adding 3/8" to the hull depth. In some small guys that doubles their displacement. I have a thing for minesweepers. Das Butts Mineman Second Class, USN
With Othar Tryggvassen (Orfey class DD), I initially used a 400-size motor with a mag throttle using two very small 5A microswitches and one of those microservos that comes with the Spektrum radios. I have a Battler's Connection micro pump (always on), and both of those are connected to the same 4 AA battery pack that powers the receiver. Got lots of noise, and have made some changes that I will detail later. I have a pair of 3/4" 4-blade props with a gearbox made from the structure of the ship and some brass tube for bearings, 34-tooth gears so the one motor can drive both props. Gas system for the .5 unit spurt gun is a 3 cubic inch accumulator, charged with CO2 or air on shore. Good for one shot, then run home. Firing the gun was accomplished with a MAV-2 and a microservo (I found a Futaba microservo rated for the torque necessary to press the MAV, at servocity.com). I _think_ I could fit a CO2 cartridge adaptor and a Strike Models lightweight reg in there, but it would be tight(er). Most of this can be seen in my Orfey build thread. The main Orfey thread has pdf plans which are awesome and the ship goes together quickly! Later changes have included an ESC with BEC for the drive motor, which also eliminated the noise problem. I also bought a small firing card with a 10A relay built in so that I could turn the pump off. Also bought 4 1600mAH LiPO batteries to drive the boat with, vice Alkaline AA's. May refit the CO2 cartridge and take it to Nats as a convoy hunter (with the pump disabled, since its only a .5 unit ship)
Why not put an accumulation tank in the ship big enough to fire the gun. Just put pressure in it from a regulator before you need to fire. I don't know how big it would need to be but you should save some weight & space without a regulator. Or make it a 1/2 unit spurt gun a smal accumulation tank would fire that real easy.
I had been thinking that such a setup would work well in campaign, between runs at convoy ships, you reload, charge the accumulator, and pitch the DD back out on the water. I think I have enough time to do that with Othar. I'll just leave the pump in (it's ballasted with the pump in) but disconnected electrically so he's legal for sanctioned battle. Should be a good convoy hunter with a spurt.
The plan is to run towards the target, dump the spurt gun, run for 2 minutes, and rearm, hopefully collecting no extra holes. But since the 1/4 unit cannon and pump are not legal (as yet), I have to run pumpless to have the gun. But rest assured that Othar will get plenty of attention to sealing. Now that I think about it, it might be a good idea to see how many holes I can sustain and still make 2 minutes. Funny thing would be to find an Allied cruiser shooting shore targets and dump the spurt into their bow!
Russians are Allied*, von Tugboat. Make Othar's cousin the V-99! *Not sure about Norwegian Gentle Man adventurers.
Ah, but Othar's cover name is 'Almirante Villar'... the South American countries were neutral, leaning towards Axis
Do you have a proposal together for a 1/4 units on a ship? You should put one together and post it. No reason it can't be done.
Post it to the members' list? I had one kinda-written, can easily get it done in 10 minutes tonight. Shouldn't be too frought with politickin', as it only applies to 0.5 unit ships IIRC, my proposal was that a 0.5 unit ship (and only a 0.5 unit ship) could split it's 1/2 unit between a 1/4-unit cannon (12 BBs fired singly, or 5 BBs spurted), and a 1/4-unit pump, with a 1/16" restrictor. Ships affected: All 0.5 unit ships. Reasoning: Without this option, a 0.5 unit ship can either be unarmed, or go pumpless. Something like that.
Hey Tugboat... As luck would have it, the Orfey class destroyer is the exact boat I couldnt resist building. After I cut out a few ribs and keels I realized just how small it is! Should be fun though, but cramming all the necessary hardware in there seems almost un fathonable once I saw how small it is.
LOL I know! If you do it with an accumulator, it's cheaper (no regulator, no CO2 cartridges nor adator) and the plumbing gets a little simpler. But it's never _easy_
Bob, I ran a z-boat at one of the georgia nats, in it I had an accumulation tank that I filled from a port built into the deck. This was in place to use a spurt gun, no need for a regulator on board. The CD determined that this violated the rules as we stipulate that a regulator has to be on board. He hated doing it, but the rules were clear. The intent was to bring the boat in, gas without removing the deck, and fill the 15 bb's the same way. The pit time was less than 30 sec. Lou
If you plan to put liquid CO2 in the accumulation tank that is not allowed. Putting 150 psi pressure into it from an outside source with a 150psi regulator is just like having the bottle/regulator inside the ship. I see no differance or safety issue. I looked at the safety rules and this passes those rules. Go for it.
Yeah, I have no desire to put liquid CO2 into anything that I made in my shop I'm allergic to shrapnel. Digging out Othar last night, I found the accum that I built for him, it's 5-6 inches long and 1" in diameter. One charge of 150psi gas should be plenty to spurt 10 BBs before making like Brave Sir Robin.
