Posts: 88
Joined: 5/31/2005 From: YORK area, UNITED KINGDOM Status: offline
Well at last the boat's finished apart from the paint job. I've got the ballasting done so I'm raring to go now. The only problem I've had was getting a good seal where the tray goes in at the rear. The gasket provided just wouldn't hold the water out on its own - I reckon it's a bit hard and overstretched when it's in place. I've managed to stop the leak by first putting a thin rubber band on the circle followed by the proper gasket, then another thin rubber band. The rubber bands seem to tuck themselves under the edges of the proper gasket and with being very soft they seal things up a bit. Wonder if anyone else has had a problem getting a good seal. Well thanks anyway to all those who have helped me with my first sub over the last couple of months - maybe see you under the water somewhere......
Posts: 88
Joined: 5/31/2005 From: YORK area, UNITED KINGDOM Status: offline
Hi Sweetrevenge, Thanks for your interest - unfortunately I had a problem the following day - I tried the sub in the test tank and found that I still had an air leak - after a couple of tries with various combinations of rubber bands I eventually managed to strip the thread at the front of the tray. I went to our local hardware shop and bought some larger size bolts and wingnuts. I've replaced the thin threaded bolt now and started glueing things back together. I remember reading on one of the forums some time ago that someone with a Seawolf had done the same - it just means that I'll have to take the top nose cone off after a days sailing to get the battery out - but that's not too long a job. I've since been told by some folk on one of the other forums that they seal the rear gasket with Vaseline or similar to keep the thing watertight, so probably tomorrow I'll be trying the test tank again. In the meantime here's a piccy from yesterday.
Hi I had built and sailed Robbe Seawolf apprx 3 years ago All the probs you are encountering I encountered as well. be patient Well done on yours it looks great.
< Message edited by margandy -- 2/4/2006 8:22:29 AM >
Posts: 43
Joined: 9/10/2005 From: Melbourne, AUSTRALIA Status: offline
Hi Periscope
I'm doing a robbe U47 and had trouble in the same way with the seal. I found that a silicone rubber preserving jar gasket that's the same size, seals it very well with little pressure on the fasteners. I also customised my tank fastening system with bolts-bracket and wing nuts! It seems to be a common practice. We're not alone. Jason
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Model boating is the most fun you can have standing up
Posts: 88
Joined: 5/31/2005 From: YORK area, UNITED KINGDOM Status: offline
Thanks everyone for the comments - it's nice to hear that my problems are not just individual to me. Thanks for the tip about the jar seal Jason..... I have managed OK for now by putting a coat of Vaseline onto the sealing ring before tightening up - I've heard of other people converting the WTC front section tray to a larger thread and using a wingnut - maybe version three will have a stronger thread system - but I don't mind doing my own mods if they work out OK in the end. Here are a couple of pictures of the model painted - these have been taken with a proper camera, the early one on here was just done with a webcam - hope these come out on the web OK. Swt rvge.
Posts: 88
Joined: 5/31/2005 From: YORK area, UNITED KINGDOM Status: offline
Hi Sonnich -Glad you've got your prop shaft sorted out now. I bet it was a bit fiddly replacing it. (but that's part of the fun of modelling ) Glad you're able to keep the water out with just your seal - I think it probably depends on how good the machining is when the WTC is cut at the Robbe factory - I reckon you have been very lucky 'cos quite a few people seem to have the seal problem (or maybe you have a better rubber seal than some)- anyway a smear of vaseline soon puts it right - so if you have to replace your seal at anytime and it doesn't fit as well there's your answer. Anyway, glad you're on the water again Sonnich, or under it.
Ian
PS. Come to think of it - it's probably your building skills in keeping all the construction dead straight and level that's kept the water out.... Cheers...Ian
< Message edited by periscope -- 2/3/2006 8:54:17 PM >
Ice on the ponds have melted, and I have finaly been out with the wolfe. Im in the process of trimming, and testing how much ballast to install.
Where do you have the waterline on youts ?
Today i had the waterline almost flush with the deck. But my sub wants to dive when running fast on the surface. I have to almost hold "full up" for it not to dive. I have removed some ballest, and see what happenes now....maybe it wont even go under
Testing in a cardboard box......no luxury of having a bath tub here
Posts: 88
Joined: 5/31/2005 From: YORK area, UNITED KINGDOM Status: offline
Hi Sonnich - Your boat's looking good. My hull is just about on the waterline and mine too wants to dive if I go at full speed but I stop it diving by using full surface rear plane. I think this is pretty normal 'cos the subs is designed to dive as the speed picks up. Usually I just cruise on the surface at half speed and just flip the rear plane now and then to stop it diving. I did some trials today and found that if I sailed the boat straight and level then increased the speed to nearly full, the boat started to dive gradually and very realistically but the stern tried to lift slightly out of the water so I just flip the rear plane to the surface position which makes the stern initially duck under the water then I just keep the sub fairly level under water with the rear plane - but I have reset the front dive planes so that when the sub goes under the mast only tilts back to make the front planes level to stop it dashing to the surface too soon. The only problem I had was when I picked up a fair bit of weed on the prop, the prop slowed down a fraction and stopped me being able to push the stern under to dive - so I have added another two musket balls to the rear compartment to dip the stern down a bit. If the stern then runs too low on the surface I'll keep it up by using the rear planes - but until I can get back to the pond again I'm not sure what will happen. I think that unlike a surface craft the sub needs 'driving' all the time and the controls need adjusting all the time it's in the water - I reckon it's a bit like helicopter flying - there's no relaxing because adjustments have to be constantly made. I'm really enjoying my sub, especially as I get better with practice. Hope you get as much fun out of yours - I'm sure you will. I don't think I shall bother turning it into a static diver - I might later on build a nice looking world War two type of sub with railings and deck guns etc - but the ones I know about seem to be a bit expensive but I'll keep looking around. By the way I've had my bath taken out at home and replaced with a large shower compartment - so i'm in the same boat as you now Sonnich - I'll have to find some other way of doing my ballasting at home..... Good luck with your trials mate.
it is quite fun to sail around with The pond im sailing in is so murky, that I can hardle see it as soon as the conning tower has gone under. Luckily, the long antenna can be uses as both a atitude and depth meter I can trim mine so it glides along at the same depth and just let go of the controls. 2 times, i struck something on the bottom, and got stuck for a minute or so.....the nose just dug in, and the prop was sticking out of the water! Got a little worried
I had been sailing abot 15 minutes, and my ESC bagan to cut the motor because of low voltage. But when recharging, it had only used half of the battery.
I have now installed 2 3300niMh 6 cel packs in parallel, so I have 7,2V 6600mah........should last longer :-)
Not a single drop of water in it. I have also slid some fuel tubing over the instalation bolt, to keep water from seeping in the front.
Posts: 88
Joined: 5/31/2005 From: YORK area, UNITED KINGDOM Status: offline
Hi Sonnich - Well it sounds as if your pond is similar to mine - a bit murky, I lose sight of the sub as soon as it goes under water and I also use the aerial and mast to sight with. When the sun shines again it's possible to see into our pond to a depth of around a metre - that's as deep as the pond is. You seem to have got yours trimmed very well if you can stay level under water with hands off - I'm hoping mine improves with the extra stern weight. I never did get around to buying the stock battery - I made a wire cradle from a coathanger and I just use a 'Titan' Sealed lead-Acid battery of 6v 4Ah. My ESC is a Hitec EZX-R - I think they were designed for cars - the ESC will not switch on unless the throttle stick on th TX is in neutral as a safetly feature. I practiced in the pond yesterday for around an hour with no apparent loss of power - apart from, as I said in my last post, a collection of weed around the prop which slowed things down a bit. At one point I did an accidental nose dive and ploughed through a thick weed patch on the bottom - when the sub came up it had weed tangled on the front planes and it was draped over the nose cone and also the prop was heavily tangled - but at least the sub came up thank goodness - saved me paddling. I think you're very lucky getting a fully watertight seal - but at least a smear of Vaseline grease on the gasket keeps my water out. If you remember I stripped the thread on my front fastening bolt and I replaced it with a bigger sized one and use a wing nut to tighten up with - it just means undoing the top fron nose cone to do this, but I only have to do it once when getting the boat ready and once when I come home and want the battery out. I thought about going to the pond again today but the temperature outside is only 6 and there's a really cold wind blowing so I'll wait for a better day. I just wonder how you have set your front dive planes - mine are just tilted slightly forward then only go level when the mast tilts back - If my stern is a bit low I might try angling the front planes a bit lower on my next test.
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All Forums >> RC Boats >> RC Submarines >> Seawolf Afloat 
Seawolf Afloat - 
) Glad you're able to keep the water out with just your seal - I think it probably depends on how good the machining is when the WTC is cut at the Robbe factory - I reckon you have been very lucky 'cos quite a few people seem to have the seal problem (or maybe you have a better rubber seal than some)- anyway a smear of vaseline soon puts it right - so if you have to replace your seal at anytime and it doesn't fit as well there's your answer. Anyway, glad you're on the water again Sonnich, or under it. 
Cheers...Ian
