im gonna try and post some pics of a balsa airboat i made using micro tomy aero soarer guts (pager motor, gear reduction prop drive, i.r. controlled, and bang bang rudder). it does go on the floor, albeit really slow, i havent tried it in the sink yet because i dont have the bottom of the hull waterproofed... the dimensions are as follows: 4" long, 2.5" wide, and the prop is 1.5". what would be a good and extremely light way to waterproof? just having fun!!

nate sanders

neat looking boat. How much run time you get with that capacitor

You can always use packing tape to tape your hull to seal it. it wont add that much weight at all

Take some poly resin ( normal fibreglass resin ) and a paint brush , add a little acetone to the resin BEFORE adding the hardener , then add the hardner and mix .. then take the paintbrush and put on a LIGHT coating ...
Your done .

Or you can get your self some regular wood lacquer at any hardware store and paint on a few coats.

thanks for the replies guys, i think ill try packing tape first, and see if itll even pop up on plane!! as for the cap, it sucks, i might get 15 seconds if i charge it twice.. i thought about changing to the lipo like some guys are doing, but i dont wanna spend any more on this lil thing.. plus i dont think itll plane out or turn real good.

I had a couple of those capacitors from those tiny rc cars i beleive you have to charge it for 6o seconds or something not to long of a run time tho indeed. But it sure is a nice little experiment

it sure was a pain in the ass to build that small, but it was pretty fun!! the charger (controller) has a built in cut off, i dont think its very accurate as far as peak charging the cap though... can a cap form a memory like a battery as far as charging and discharging goes? ive read a forum about some guys changing to a micro lipo and getting 10 min flights with the stock plane, or using the guts on ultralight indoor planes (read carbon fiber tubes, and saran wrap). i might try that, or i might wait until i get more experience with lipos, as im a newbie to that voodoo..lol.... i thought briefly about building a sub micro rigger, but my gorilla hands wouldnt be good in inclosed spaces such as that, and i wouldnt know what to do for a prop, how to build a drive, how to hook the drive to the motor shaft. i was thinking a wd40 straw for the drive tube, and i dunno what for a driveshaft...i was thinking shrink tubing the driveshaft to the motor shaft, and using ca or locktite also as a precautionary measure. then the real hard part... how to make a prop..... and what to use thats powerful enough to turn a water rudder.... dunno, but one project at a time,huh?

MD if you wanna go into the micro world here is a good place to start and learn about different pager models of airplanes ofcourse but there are good links as to where you can buy those different parts and lipos and all

http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=84771

thanks for those links tommy, and the divorce papers from my wife!!! lol, just kidding about the divorce though, i stayed glued to the computer for like 5 hours.. i dont know why im so attached to the micro r/c stuff, obviously the tomy i/r plane didnt work out (my 11 month old got ahold of it when i hit the window and it landed near him.), but it was a blast while it lasted. i got my 5 year old son into the whole thing with the silverlit "swallow wings" twin pusher in an old hanger here on base, made landing gear for it(from a 4" piece of steel wire), and itll take off from the ground with that and make smooth landings without fuselage rash. im thinking about buying the airhogs havoc heli since its radio controlled (instead of the picco i/r), and just have fun with that! i guess im thinking more japanese since im here, theres not too much space, but theres a lot of big, open buildings on base that would be good for indoor aircraft, and small, protected bodies of water for small boating!!

Im glad that your son has interest in what your doing I miself tried a couple convesions with the micro rc cars never been lucky and gave up[] lol. i guess i like a little bigger electric planes\