Hughes500E

My Feedback: (16)

Any recommendations for water proofing a float plane? I want to protect my tank compartment and servo compartment in case I get some water in there etc. Also how careful do I have to be with servos etc? Any special measures here? The battery and the RX is simple enough.
Thanks
Steve

cwrr5

My Feedback: (32)

Well, you should fuel-proof your engine and tank compartment anyway(which will also keep water out of the wood too). I use 30-minute epoxy thinned with alcohol. Get it thin enough to easily brush on, and let it sit on the plane for 24hours. add another coat of thinnned epoxy if needed to cover glue joints, bare spots, etc. Also, to keep water out, you need to plug any large openings. A trip to the hardware store to look for small rubber grommets, furniture feet, and suitable plumbing supplies would do the trick(keep your eyes open ) I wouldn't worry about the servos too much, as long as they aren't submerged, as they are fairly well sealed already.

d_bodary

My Feedback: (85)

for the inside of the plane i use balsarite. which is not fuel proof but for the inside of the plane you only want to seal it from water getting into the wood. balsarite dries fast. FWIW i have never done much waterproofing on any float plane. If the plane is a high wing it will float on top of the wing if it is upside down. if it is a low wing plane the whole fuselage will be in the water. radio equipment and all.

campbec

Hi,

There are numerous threads regarding waterproofing R/C gear for boats. If you are planning for a worst case scenario I would use their methods involving plastic bags, silicon and sandwich containers.

With regards to the timber work I use polyurethane for fuel proofing and..........if it is fuel proof it is waterproof too.

I have been told that if your motor is on a pylon it is a good idea to have some sort of retrevial idea sorted for the attack of the "Murphs" when motor and pylon may be lost having parted company with the parent model in a crash or other misadventure. I saw a length of fishing line attached to a small styro float to mark the spot should they part company on one model. Talk about belts and braces!!!

I also saw a mates model that was dunked in saltwater fly off into the sunset the following weekend with a total loss of control link between TX and RX. Yes he dried it out but didn't allow for total failure/sufficiently range check. The model has been MIA for over two year now.

Good Luck,

Colin