Although there is a handful of pictures in my build thread the Phoenix is complete and has participated in 4 sorties. So, given the name of this particular sub-forum, lets start with the "stem", I wanted to try and centralize the weight as much as possible so there isn't much in the extreme bow area. There is a little water channeling there created by Free Form Air to keep any water from pooling in the extreme bow. It also doubles as an adhesive for the armor divider in the narrow bow. Working our way back you can see the pet screen armor that is attached to rib backers that I placed every other rib. Next is the 2.8oz CO2 bottle. The bottle sits in a 3D printed cradle with a Velcro strap and a decent up angle. A few wheel weights can be seen for ballast. Moving slightly further aft... The BC lightweight regulator can be seen with a dedicated supply line to each BC solenoid. Snugged up behind the regulator is the 6v 4.5 (or 5.0) ah SLA. During her initial sorties this power source seems to be working satisfactorily. Amidships: A BC Multi-C Board and Hobbywing 60Amp ESC sit in a 3D printed tray that is slightly elevated out of the bilge. The Rx hides under the subdeck where it should stay dry unless a sink. All the unprotected electronics got a coat or two of E6000. To starboard is the solenoid test switches for the dual sterns. I got lazy and didn't mount them but so far they have stayed out of the way. The bilge pump sits in a 3D printed housing. I got lazy once again and the pump outlet just runs up through the deck without a hardpoint. Due to the short plumbing, the outlet shouldn't sneak under the deck while pumping. Engineering: Two 380 motors with BC gear boxes get the Phoenix going. I also added some heat sinks to the motors to help keep them cool. Besides having a spacer sleeve come unattached from the motor shaft, the set up has been working well enough. A bb collector magnet sits in the bilge and the plugged dummy shafts are seen as well. Wiring for the rudder servo and solenoids runs down the starboard side. And to the stern: The two BC solenoids are zip tied to 380 can motor mounts and actually fit nice and snug. Quick disconnects can be seen for ease of deck removal. The rudder set up includes a $5 Hobbyking waterproof servo and BC gears. The BC constructed cannons are secured with a 3D printed mounting system that allows for slight elevation adjustments with the barrel hold down nut. Magazines and barrels are protected with clear plastic tubing. Ship recovery is enhanced by a fishing bobber located in the aft turret and attached to a spool of fly fishing line. This is not load bearing, only to help locate the submerged boat. Well that's about everything!
Thank you so much for the details and reasonings behind so much of this ships layout! Will be referring back to this once I get our Brooklyn ready to rig.
Nicely done. With the BC board, that allows easy organization and would be a great first build. Wish you were closer so we could see it here in battle. Good fortune on the water. Nate G
If you haven't seen it already, here is the build thread for the Phoenix. I don't know much about fiberglass hull construction but perhaps it will help you see what goes into turning the Brooklyn hull into a combat vessel. https://rcwarshipcombat.com/threads/uss-phoenix-cl-46.445681/
