jasperrc

Never seen that one before Terbobob. What is it? (I know it's an airboat )

ISIRC10

Hey Selph-Inflicted, I still think your boat is creative, after all, there is a phenomenon called independant invention when two people invent the same thing without even knowing of the other's existence!
My cockpit plans have all been postponed[>:] My parents are tured of the racket that my router makes so I have to use it sparingly and I am having guests tomorrow. Meanwhile I painted the elec. compartment with Rust-Oleum high grade performance enamel (flat white) and am probably going to ad red stripes or checkers.

GREAT NEWS: I finally got the chance to test my motor and prop with the electronics and I am happy to report that it was nothing short of exhilirating. When I hit full throttle the motor (and stand) rose off the table!!![X(] I was scared to half to death because I had never tested a combo as powerful! The downside is that I will have to balance the prop - It was vibrating crazily...

ISIRC10

Ok, while I still can't router anything, I decided to make some lights and paint more sections of the boat. My LEDs turned out fantastic and look cool too!!! the first three pictures are at half power -the camera couldn't handle the light. the last one is with lights on and full power (the LED is 3.7v while the batteries are 3v) The casings are polished plexiglass and the reflector is alluminum foil. The lights are going to be positioned in the bow of the two hulls. The last photos are a taste of my paint scheme - hope ya like it!

ISIRC10

Today has been a very buisy day. This morning I made a motor mount out of 3mm aluminum (took me an hour just to bend it). I also painted one of the hulls and started on my rudder assembly (I had to modify it from my plans)

...Still no cockpit...sighhhh...

Selph-Inflicted

ISIRC10:
You have a very valid point there. I'm curious as to why we don't see others running that particular boat. I don't have much time to surf the net for others ideas or concepts, I prefer to rely on my own ideas that run through my head.


Your boat is coming along very nicely! When do you think we will be seeing this creation in action? [8D][8D]

ISIRC10

Hey, good question... my goal is to finish her by the begining of the school year (I have a few teachers that I want to impress)
I should have a video of her running by September 3rd, but as with all deadlines, bad things usually happen and set you back - only time will tell!

HEY, GREAT NEWS!!!!
I finally finished the cockpit - will post pictures as soon as paint dries... sigh... watching paint dry is so BOORING...
It looks like a combination of a Ferarri wraparound windsheild and the hood of a Ford GT (pretty strange, huh?)

ISIRC10

I finally water tested the two hulls together with electronics and was heartbroken the hulls had 1/2 of an inch to spare and the boat was sluggish when I pushed it around. Don't know how I will fix this problem but It will probably involve sticking a piece of foam somewhere... looks pretty grim (doesn't help style either). Due to my high water line, I have decided to cover the top of the hulls with 1/4 or 3/8 balsa and paint it so water doesn't fill up the routered out cavity inside. Due to time restraints and my goal for simplicity, I have decided to have a fixed rudder - I probaly won't be running shallow with this boat. Tommorow morning I will post some pics of the finished cockpit and motor tower. sorry for the long wait, I have been buisy with the start of school sports season.

One more thing - I have chosen an even better prop and have trimmed and balanced it... it realy BLOWS

ISIRC10

Ok, here are the pictures that I promised:
the first two are of the motor tower - weighs 1.5 ounces w/ aluminum mount
the rest are of the cockpit which weighs in at 4 ounces

I weighed the boat on a scale (w/ electronics) and it weighs a little bit less than 3 pounds. I am quite pleased with it now - all I have to do is finish the rudder setup and rout all of the wires so they are neat and tidy... Oh, I also have to secure the motor tower to the deck - the perfect place for disastrous allignment issues[&o]

jasperrc

Very nice workmanship and attention to detail!

I like the way you are contrasting your paint scheme and the smooth lines are awesome.

asmithnc

Just a tip..... Keep the holes for your rudder pin TIGHT. You do not want any slop.

ISIRC10

Thanks for the tip. I will keep that in mind - afterall, you make rudders like it's your job!
[sm=angel_smile.gif]

ISIRC10

Shhh... don't tell anyone I came up with the paint scheme by accident. I painted the red on realy slopily, so I decided to cover it up with orange pinstriping. guess it turned out realy well!

Those lines were very hard - I used enamel, and the masking tape would just soak it up and bleed right through[:@] so I ended up doing them by hand... a few hours spent

ISIRC10

Well, goals 2 and 3 are accomplished during one of my most intense days (boy did that motor mount piss me off![>:]) Murfy's Law was ever present but then I finally got it strait - literaly. Thanks to the many tuning options that I had in mind when I was building the motor tower, the boat has a good chance of actually tracking strait. Thankfully, the wires didn't give me half as much trouble and they are all hooked up!
Now there is one last challenge for me to face - Installing my complicated (to me) rudder system. Using the last bit of creativity left inside my brain, I have come up with a more 'flexible' way of making the steering linkages - Using a bicycle brake linkage (I am still looking to aquire one by means of dumpster diving

Selph-Inflicted

Marvelous! [8D][8D]

I have enjoyed watching you build such a nice creation!

Now I have one question.....Where's the videos of it in action?

ISIRC10

Hold Ya horses there, mate! I never SAID I was DONE!!!
LOL
I wish I was finished though...
Ok, here is the final summary/ to do list:
1. flotation issue (solution found - needs to be built)
2. rudder setup (halfway done)
3. painting and checkup (3/4 the way done)

If all goes as planned and my parents don't deside to drag me off on a LAME 'family' picnic all of the sudden, the boat shoud be finished by next Sunday... that leaves you with a lot of waiting time and me with a hell of a buisy schedule... as usual[sm=75_75.gif]

Will try to post pics of progress tomorow.. let the suspense mount and the drum rolls begin...
(I hate suspense and drama!)

500 lb. koolaid man

Why not just use a push rod? If you don't have one and don't want to make a trip to your LHS, just find some thin medal rod, cut it at an end to fit, then bend the ends to hook up to your servo and rudder.

ISIRC10

Why not? well. if you don't know my personality, then you are excused, but all of my freinds and family know that I love to make my projects unique to everyone - someone may say that they have seem the cockpit somewhere, but will find the bicycle steering linkage interesting!
...The real reason is that I didn't make enough room for the sideways motion of the rod when I first designed the electronics compartment - I had enough troubles to deal with allready.

Here are some pictures:
1. how hull is going to be
2. how hull is now
3. the center section of the hull (for boyancy purposes)
4. what an unfortunate fish may see
5. steering linkage - looks cooler than a pushrod and still functions the same
Enjoy!

500 lb. koolaid man

I was just thinking a push rod would be simpler and also weigh less than a bike brake
I can at least give you credit for thinking outside of the box[sm=thumbup.gif]

"if you don't know my personality, then you are excused"[sm=lol.gif] I bet you I've read 100% of the things you have posted on RCU, every post, and the summary is, your awesome at woodworking and are also very creative at designing unique things. I was blown away by some of the pictures you took, like the boats you made with a pocket knife and some palm branches, those were very cool. Keep up the good work

ISIRC10

Your thinking was not lost on me - so I went and routered out another 1.5 ounces of wood out of the cockpit
though in any NORMAL circumstance, a pushrod WOULD be easier (I have a space crisis in the compartment and the rod would have to be bent this way and that in order to function properly)

I bet you havn't read my thread about mounting LEDS in the car section - 'easy LED holders'
It shows how I made them for this boat - IMO, car guys do more LED stuff than boat guys[8D]

...I have now glued the two hulls together with gorrilla polyurethane glue and am waiting for it to cure... still need to seal some areas with silicone but will do it later
Will post more pics of progress tommorow...
BTW, no video by Sunday - my parents have invited guests over... unless it rains for three days and my back yard gets flooded!!!

500 lb. koolaid man

Actually, I have seen your thread 'easy LED holders', I recognized the pictures instantly, and no, I'm not joking with you. I'm not just into the boats, although recently that's where my money has been going, I also am in other forum sections here at RCU. I have seen that thread!

"so I went and routered out another 1.5 ounces of wood out of the cockpit" Thats funny.[sm=lol.gif] I sometimes feel that way, "If it has to weigh more, than I'll make it weigh less somewhere else".

Anyways, I just wanted to make the point that I have seen the thread that you figured I hadn't.

ISIRC10

Ok, well, I must admit that you caught me there!
I have seen you on these boat forums so many times that I figured that you wouldn't have time to check out other ones!

Back on Topic,

I had to remove the motor because it was getting too hat running on 7.2v (It was supposed to run on 3.6v)
I now have three choices:
1. Install my 550 motor from a deep V boat
2. Install my CO27 pro motor
3.Beg my parents for a brushless sustem

(First option is the most likely, but the third option is more favorable[8D])

Sorry, no pics today as I am buisy gluing and sealing everything - trying to to do so to my fingers!

ISIRC10

UPDATE

Rudder assembly is almost complete.
Rudder is not collapsable but I will not run in shallow water
Even though it is not a perfect V, it still cuts through the water like a knife!
Tried on 550 motor and it showed identical results even though it spins slower (has WAY more torque though)

I am painting the center hull section red and will test it again as soon as paint dries.
The end is near.. I CAN FEEL IT NOW!!!
Below: rudder setup with silicone bushing - still needs to be installed and hooked up

asmithnc

PERFECT job on the rudder. I'm interested in updates when finished.

ISIRC10

You will get those very soon, my friend.
wait a few more hours for the JB weld to dry and some pictures will magicaly appear... I wish[sm=tired.gif]
The bright side is that I am getting better at close up photography - so there is a silver lining in everything! (Stuart Little)

Later,

ISIRC10

Well, as the pictures show, I seriously[:-] need to finish painting and sanding the boat. The rudder is finished and is ready for action!
The last pic is my homemade battery pack with which I will power the LEDs (took me 7min to make)