It is indeed a 12 mm motor, and it does spin ridiculously fast (I think the spec sheet said ludicrous speed). I will probably have to slow it down a hair with the esc. I don't remember the amp draw spec, but I know it was less than the 12 of the esc I am using. I will measure the draw as soon as I get some connectors for my amp meter.
I acquired a composite Genuine Innovations Regulator (like the ones Strike has since began selling) out of a CO2 powerd airbush. Then I obtained a cup to fit it. After the build progressed, it was determined that I did not have enough space or weight to use the large cup and 16 oz cartridge, so I made a new cup to hold a 12 oz cartridge.
Now I can tuck the bottle and regulator in the bow. The new cup has a much more complete thread engagement than the Genuine Innovations Cup and also seats against the regulator in a much more positive fashion.
I love your work, that's a great looking adapter. I also decided to convert my regulator to use 12g cartridges, mainly because of availability. My under-engineered solution was to put a small piece of plywood in the bottom of the existing adapter.
Yes, the 12 grams are much more easily obtainable. I do have some concerns with this regulator as the part that pierces the cartridge is made from the same composite material as the rest of the regulator, so long term durability is questionable. Especially if you don't use the genuine innovations brand cartridges. I was going to pull mine apart to see if I could make a stainless replacement for the piercing part, but I'm afraid I would break it, it looks to be pressed together. Word in the street is that by placing a dime or penny in the bottom of the standard 16g Cup it will work for 12g cartridges as well.
I am trying to get back to this build. I had promised myself I would get it in the water to sail before winter froze the approved sea trials location (the pool) , and summer is already half over.... The good news is I am really close to getting her on the water. . The decks needed a little reinforcement, as well as waterproofing, so I cut out some pieces of carbon fiber tissue to add some stiffness without adding much weight. Two pieces will be applied to the top of each deck, and one piece to the bottom of each.
After a coat of West systems epoxy, the decks were dropped on there respective locations with a piece of waxed paper in between. This way when the epoxy sets up, the deck is formed to the proper shape. They did remain a bit more flexible than I expected them to.
If you are not liking the flexible nature a pair of longitudinal ribs on the underside of the deck near the caprails. Carbon fiber rod might do well. Most hobby shops carry a small variety.
I'm not totally opposed to the flexibility... more surprised by it. The carbon fiber "tape" I used to stiffen and reinforce the hull had a pronounced effect. I guess I should have expected some flexibility since the total combined thickness of all layers of the carbon fiber on the decks was only .006". I was aiming to add a layer of reinforcement to both sides of the decks to force the magnets to stay put, and add a bit of structure, but I couldn't add much weight, so carbon fiber tissue got the nod. In retrospect I could have doubled the layers and gotten more rigidity out of it. Maybe it's best... the flex might allow the decks to seal tighter.
Greetings: Could you give out some more information about that GI substitute regulator you crafted. I would like to get a few more of these regulators and Strike does not have any. Manuel Mejia, Jr.
Nick is correct in saying I built the cup, and the Genuine Innovations regulator was purchased.... For the most part. I acquired mine before strike started carrying them. I could not find a retailer anywhere in the US, and the ones I had located in the UK would not ship to the US. I finally found a Genuine Innovations airbrush setup on Amazon. I knew from my previous research that their airbrushes used one of their off the shelf composite regulators, so I bought the airbrush and cannabalized the regulator out of it. Then I bought a co2 bicycle tire inflator from them and used the cup from it (which I would up making a replacement for). I had looked for the airbrushes again a while agoo, but I didn't see them at that time, I don't know of if they are still available or not.
Finally, time for some actual boat building. I finally got all the waterproofing complete, now on to skinning. First, I covered one side of my balsa with Sig nitrate dope. After that dried, I set the hull on the sheet and traced the approximate rib layout on the doped side of the balsa. This will give me some guidance on where to apply the contact cement to the balsa.
After a coat of Weldwood contact cement on both the hull and balsa on the areas where they will meet, I applied the balsa.
After much careful pressing and pushing and forming and curving and holding and hoping and wishing..... I finally got the balsa to stick everywhere. The difficulty with this ship is the fact that the caprail, deck, and ribs are only 1/8 wide, and the penatrable area goes right to the bottom of the hull, so there is minimal surface area for the adhesive to stick to. Finally it stuck and looks pretty good.
it's barely visible in the picture, but my lack of experience in sheeting (this was my first) shows. I cracked the balsa pretty bad in 3 places. You can see it about 1-1/2 inches back from the front of the bow, where the balsa meets the hull. I put a coat of dope on the outside of the skin. Now I'm waiting for my dope thinner so I can put on the silkspan.
Thanks! I was real lucky that other than the lack of surface area to glue to, it was a real easy hull to skin. I definitely need to work on my skinning skills.
I noticed I never managed to post any pictures of the fiberglass/ carbon fiber application , so I'll post what I have. I cut the fiberglass so it could wrap around the baseplate, and bypass the ribs. This was to add some durability to the edges of the baseplate since it is the bottom of the penatrable area and made of balsa. I
