"CAT"astrophic day on the lake

[tiqueman]

Well, :cursing: !!!!! For those who followed my "is 40 too much to ask for" thread on my 32" cat on BJ26 motor and esc, its over for a while. I hadnt run the boat in about 2 weeks. I peaked out my 2 and 3 S batts this afternoon for a "quick" run. It turned into a 2 hour deal. Boat was runnin fantastic and for about 1 minute. Then it stopped dead, about 15 feet out from where I was standing. Wind was blowing towards me, but of course, it seemed all wind died as soon as the boat stopped. This happened before. A motor wire came undone out of the bullet. (motor side of the bullet on a BJ motor) Turns out one fell out and one came apart after I pulled on it. I re-soldered those 2 and left one alone. All that was 3 weeks ago. That my fellow boaters was my mistake. If 2 break, chances are the 3rd isnt far behind. Today, the other wire let go.. well, lets back up. As I said, the boat goes dead 15 feet out. I stood there for 30 seconds laughing because at the exact time the wind dies. 15 more seconds and I here a whistling sound and the deck of my hull begins to swell. 3 more seconds, the seem at the front lets go, big bang and A LOT of smoke. I quickly ran the 150 yards to the house, grabbed my rescue rig and dashed back to the scene. Smoking at settled, still above water line. I threw the rescue in and retrieved it. grabbed the hull out of the water and it was very hot. I slowly pulled the lid and was greeted w/ a lot more smoke and the most awful smell. The entire inside was covered in soot. Soot, is that how you spell that? Anyway, I expected to see a turnigy battery all puffed... but nope. Batts looked fine... Esc caps? Looked good. Wire popped out of the bullet I did not repair and also the positive wire had come out of the ESC. There was a nasty black glue like substance all over where the ESC was mounted. I dont know what happened? Perhaps it had something to do with the wire coming out. I was wiggling the steering servo just before it started whistling. And I tried throttling it 5 or 6 times. I dunno but this sux!!!! My kick butt boat is now in pieces, it stinks and the hull is blown apart in the front.

Heres some pics....

oh and Im also wondering if it had anything to do with not running an external BEC. It was on 5S. I ran it twice like this before w/ no problems.. no heat issues or anything. Then I added a bec. Then it was giving me lip so I took it out. Something today went amiss.

Oh, oh and... and... I burnt my brand new gps!!!! Son of a........

[tiqueman]

Heres another pic. You can see the black goo nastyness that was left behind from the ESC. (top right corner of the wooden tray I had in there)

Ive stripped it all apart. Cleaned everything as best I could. I submerged the hull in a garbage can in a degreasing solution and water for a few hours. It cleaned up pretty well. Ive got to fix the hull where it blew apart. I dunno. Im thinking about completely stripping the stringers out. I dont like the system thats in there. Not that its given me problems, just seems bulky to me. So I may strip it, carbon fiber the hull, install a new motor mount and get her back together. But it wont be anytime soon.... well, I can carbon it because I have it, but motor mounts and certainly an ESC is not around the corner. This unemployment thing is really screwin me now... the heck witht the house and truck and boat payments... MY FE is down.... man that sux

[tiqueman]

Heres as she sits now... What direction do you all think I should go on this? Just get it back together, or build it better?

[domwilson]

Sorry to hear about all this. It doesn't look too bad. You can epoxy the front back together. To save money, I would just put it all back together after the clean-up and repairs. If you want to continue with the 5s or higher, I would get a himodel ESC (cheap and appears reliable), waterproof and watercool it. You should be back in business fairly quickly...Oh here is the link to the himodel. http://www.himodel.com/electric/HiModel_GX_Seires_200A_4-8S_Electric_Speed_Controller_W_BEC_Type_GX-200A-BEC.html

[tiqueman]

Sorry to hear about all this. It doesn't look too bad. You can epoxy the front back together. To save money, I would just put it all back together after the clean-up and repairs. If you want to continue with the 5s or higher, I would get a himodel ESC (cheap and appears reliable), waterproof and watercool it. You should be back in business fairly quickly...Oh here is the link to the himodel. http://www.himodel.com/electric/HiModel_GX_Seires_200A_4-8S_Electric_Speed_Controller_W_BEC_Type_GX-200A-BEC.html

Nah its not bad.. but it sux. No worries on the hull... its the components thats gettin me. I havent got to test anything, so hopefully the ESC is the only thing that I lost. The side of my reciever got pretty cooked. 2.4 Futaba fasst. That may hurt.

I know someone who has a X-power 100A ESC that he may want to part with... I will be talking to him soon.


Anyone know any good ways to get the "stinch" out of the hull? Soaking it in degreaser and washing it several times didnt help. I pulled all the foam and all the velcro etc, anything that could hold the smell. It reaks nasty.

[domwilson]

Were you running the BEC or a reciever pack?

[Fluid]

Denatured alcohol works pretty well in removing the black goo and much of the stink, but some odor will probably always remain in the hull. Toss out any floatation and scrub all the components as clean as you can with the alcohol - use plenty, it's cheap.

The front seam blew because it was very weak - it is tough for the makers to get much glue or 'glass in there. Tape the seam closed well, mix up some epoxy and pour it across the leam. Thicken it with some microballoons or similar to help keep it in place as it cures. It may take two pours, the second after the first cures.



.

[tiqueman]

Denatured alcohol works pretty well in removing the black goo and much of the stink, but some odor will probably always remain in the hull. Toss out any floatation and scrub all the components as clean as you can with the alcohol - use plenty, it's cheap.

The front seam blew because it was very weak - it is tough for the makers to get much glue or 'glass in there. Tape the seam closed well, mix up some epoxy and pour it across the leam. Thicken it with some microballoons or similar to help keep it in place as it cures. It may take two pours, the second after the first cures.



.


Thanks Fluid.. and HA... look at my edit in my last post? I did use alcohol to clean the esc, servo etc. I kinda thought it may always smell from here on out. Like a constant reminder of not so good times. :thumbsdown: Im not so concerned w/ the front crack in the tunnel, its getting into the sponson tips (on the insides of the sponsons) that I cant figure out how Im going to get to. I could probably get my hands close to in there but the stringers are in the way. Thats another reason I was thinking of tearing it all out and starting over.

[tiqueman]

Were you running the BEC or a reciever pack?

I was running it off the ESc's BEC. I was having issues with my reciever pack so I took it out.

[domwilson]

Nah its not bad.. but it sux. No worries on the hull... its the components thats gettin me. I havent got to test anything, so hopefully the ESC is the only thing that I lost. The side of my reciever got pretty cooked. 2.4 Futaba fasst. That may hurt.

I know someone who has a X-power 100A ESC that he may want to part with... I will be talking to him soon.

From what I understand, the xpower is a decent ESC but is more like 70 amps continuous. I have the Pulso 100a (samething) and I won't push it to more than 60a myself. You'll also need a programming box to program it fully.

[tiqueman]

From what I understand, the xpower is a decent ESC but is more like 70 amps continuous. I have the Pulso 100a (samething) and I won't push it to more than 60a myself. You'll also need a programming box to program it fully.

It says it can handle 5S which is what I want to continue to run. And thats another thing.. I have no idea what kinda amps Im pulling. I really want a eagle tree logger as well. Just one more thing to the list..... Im not liking being in the dark anymore. I want to know whats going on under the hatch.

Perhaps I will just take my time, get it done when it gets done, do it "right" and mess with the SV until then.

[alvinsmith75]

Spray it Febreze every few days and that will help with the smell, also leave the hatch off.

[domwilson]

Thanks Fluid.. and HA... look at my edit in my last post? I did use alcohol to clean the esc, servo etc. I kinda thought it may always smell from here on out. Like a constant reminder of not so good times. :thumbsdown: Im not so concerned w/ the front crack in the tunnel, its getting into the sponson tips (on the insides of the sponsons) that I cant figure out how Im going to get to. I could probably get my hands close to in there but the stringers are in the way. Thats another reason I was thinking of tearing it all out and starting over.

When I split the seam in one of my cats, I did what Jay suggested. I mixed up a good amount of epoxy, poured it from the inside till it started seaping thru. Then I wiped off the excess and clamped it closed (paper clamps) No leaks and you can't even see the repair. I also used long q-tips and fondue sticks to spread the epoxy inside. I'm cheap.

[domwilson]

It says it can handle 5S which is what I want to continue to run. And thats another thing.. I have no idea what kinda amps Im pulling. I really want a eagle tree logger as well. Just one more thing to the list..... Im not liking being in the dark anymore. I want to know whats going on under the hatch.

Perhaps I will just take my time, get it done when it gets done, do it "right" and mess with the SV until then.

I don't think it would be a good idea to run an ESC to it's max ratings. You want some headroom as the load on the ESC is dynamic and may spike beyond it's average. I understand about the money issues. That's why I was suggesting the himodel.

[domwilson]

Maybe this ESC? http://www.himodel.com/electric/HiModel_GX_Seires_125A_3-7S_Brushless_Electric_Speed_Controller_Type_GX-125A.html

[wolf IV]

when i split the seam in one of my cats, i did what jay suggested. I mixed up a good amount of epoxy, poured it from the inside till it started seaping thru. Then i wiped off the excess and clamped it closed (paper clamps) no leaks and you can't even see the repair. I also used long q-tips and fondue sticks to spread the epoxy inside. I'm cheap.

i did the opposite with two of my hulls.. I first took some two part epoxy and put it in the split, clamped it shut until dry. Then dripped in the real suport from the inside. Same thing though, works good.

[questtek]

I also agree with using the two-part epoxy for those hard-to-get-to front seams. I also added another item that really strenthened the bow section of my yellow and blue Mean Machines. This foam is a two part deal. You mix equal parts. I included a pic of the cans that I purchased at a local fiberglass shop. Not cheap, the two quart cans,the smallest amount you can buy, was about $35.

A great feature of this foam is that it REALLY sticks to the fiberglass and is closed cell. It will not pick up water. If you have a small fracture or hairline crack the foam seems to do a good job preventing water from getting into the hull

I mix up A and B of the foam mixture in a paper cup. The stuff REALLY expands so you have to watch it. I added a dram of A and B and got a half cup of foam. A dram is a really small, something like a half a milli-farthing or something like that.

You can see the expansion VS time from the markings on the paper cup.

I am pleased with the results and have used this technique for several other FE boats with hard to get to bow sections.

[Ub Hauled]

Tiqueman, don't feel too bad man, this kinda stuff happens... today I lost a Hydra 240 LV, a 2s 5000 pack and potentially a Rigger that I had design for the upcoming SAWs... pity... at least you kept your boat.

[JCAustralia]

Tiqueman

Sorry to hear about what happened to you. That sucks......

I nealy loss my SV27 on its maiden run and was devastated when it got 'stuck' in the lake for 2 days before I could get the rangers to get it for me.:sad:. It was my first FE boat with brand new batteries......

Here is my suggestion:

Get the boat repaired and have a nice carbon fibre inlay inside. :smile:

The smell will probably go by itself after a while and the hulll would smell nice fresh resin from the carbon inlay. Besides an inlay inside would look neat and hide any visual clues of that incident......

There are reports in the news that the US economy is improving and no more in recession.:thumbup: Hopefully things will improve quickly for you guys in the US. For us here is Australia I guess things are not as bad as in the US......


Cheers

JC

[Ctonez]

febreeze and fabric softener sheets will also help the smell. Febreeze and leave open (as previously stated) clean again with alcohol, get a nice "spring-fresh" drier sheet, and put it in and close the hatch for a day or 2.

[elvish]

something out of topic, but perhaps you should think about getting those deans out, and start playing with big boys connectors, pk 6mm maybe?

[domwilson]

There was a post on here sometime back where someone recommended oven cleaner to get rid of the smell and they say it cleans it up well.

http://forums.offshoreelectrics.com/showthread.php?t=9190&highlight=oven

[Eodman]

Couple of years ago when Doug & I got into this hobby Fluid and a few others made the same recommendation --- now all our boats are running 5.5 mm bullet connectors!

[crabstick]

im wondering how vanilla essence would work for the smell?

[tharmer]

I used lacquer thinner to clean out my mess. My solution was to paint the entire inside, it has a single tub down the middle so I was able to get it all covered with paint.
-t

[tiqueman]

Wow guys. Im gone for a day and my thread is rockin! Thanks for all the info. As I said, the repair to me is no biggie. Im pretty well experienced in fiberglassing and whatnot. I think Ive decided to rip out all the existing stringers and do a carbon layup. Im looking at the water cooled 540 mount that OSE has. But I think I would build new sides for the mount out of carbon.

Im going to repair it similar to what wolf said. Im going to open it up a bit and spread some epoxy into the seperation and then clamp it and let it cure. Then go into the inside and do an epoxy/ micro balloon pour. It should be fine. I found a few more cracks and such that Im also going to take care of. Also as stated in a post above, doing the carbon will not only look good, it will take out and cover a good part of the smell.

As for the bullets. Im going to get there. But I believe the batt connections had nothing to do with this. The bullets on the motor may have? I have had deans before get so hot that it further heats the shrink wrap and breaks it at the connection. There are no signs of excessive heating on them. But, the 6mm might happen during the re-build.

As for other components. I found that my reciever bit it as well. It took the blunt of the gasses, heat, nasty goo etc. So its dead too.

I also thought about puting in a carbon bulkhead. And I thought about this... when it happen, as I said, it began to make a whistling pressure type sound, the hull expanded, I could see the deck rising, and then the front seem blew out... Seems pretty amazing to me that the seem blew before the pressure went out the pushrod seal. Has anyone ever done like a pressure release hole or something? I dont know exactly what Id be talking about here. Ive been thinking though, a small hole w/ a piece of tape just enough to hold it over the hole so it would release upon pressure, or like a water outlet, again having a small piece of tape over the outside so that it would blow off and release trapped gasses and pressure. I dunno, something to think about. Eventually Im building my dream boat and I do NOT want that hull to blow open.....

Thanks again guys for all the input. I know it could have been a lot worse, it just sucks to not have the funds to rebuild it immediately. Thankfully I have a couple other boats to mess with in the mean time. And as much as it sucked, it was almost cool to watch.

[domwilson]

Sounds good to me. Looks like you got it under control. Good Luck with the repairs.

[sunsation288]

Sad to hear your problem :crying: ....but i am absolutely sure you going to fix it very well ...please keep the picture coming and how you do it
Regards
Christian

[tiqueman]

I got all the stringers and structure out. Ive sanded everything down, cleaned it all a couple more times and now Im letting the bow dry out before I start epoxying it back together.

Ive decided to inlay it w/ carbon since I have it. Heres my question. Should I inlay it, and then mount my motor mount on top and use more carbon to secure it OR, I was thinking, install the mounts (stringers if you will) epoxying them in and then running a strip of carbon along both sides of each (stringer) and down onto the hull. Then put my full inlay in, cut 2 strips in the inlay where the mounts (stringers) will be and let the inlay secure the mounts even more. Is that too much unecessary work?

Heres the mount Im thinking of using.
This one http://www.offshoreelectrics.com/proddetail.php?prod=etti-h010
or this one http://www.offshoreelectrics.com/proddetail.php?prod=ose-509b14
Thoughts?

[domwilson]

Looks good. Can't really tell that there was a mishap. Both mounts look good. I have the first one myself. I don't know about the CF as I haven't used it yet myself. But I would imagine that it is similar in application as fiberglass. But I could be wrong.

[JCAustralia]

Tiqueman

I am using the second motor mount in my Challenger and its great for the price.

The metal plate is watercooled which is a plus.:thumbup1:

The orange anodised aluminium does bring a splash of colour. Just watch out that the back end of the motor does not rub against the hatch once installed.

Cheers

JC

[tiqueman]

Heres what Ive been up to in my spare time today. I cleaned the inside yet again. Sanded it some more. I taped off along the edges to prevent a mess around the repair. I then separated the deck from the hull w/ a screw driver stuck in the nose and cleaned the break as best I could. Next I mixed up some 30 min epoxy and applied it into the seam letting it seep through. Then I clamped it all up to dry. (pic 1)

A few hous later I came back and mixed a batch of West Systems Epoxy and added micro balloons to thicken it up a bit. I gloved up and took a brush and gooped it down into the nose of the hull and tried to get along the inner sides of the tips.

After that cured a bit, I decided Id begin to make a bulkhead. After a few :doh: 's I finally got a 1/2 template made. I transfered it onto a piece of balsa and tweaked it a bit more to make a better fit. Then I cut a piece of 5.7 CF and mixed another batch of epoxy and laminated one side. (pic 2 & 3)

I had some epoxy left over so I decided to cut a piece of fiberglass cloth (about 2"x 4", soak it in the epoxy, gloved up again and applied it into the nose, placing about 1 inch on the deck and one inch on the hull. I think it worked out pretty well. Tight fit though getting my hand in there. Then I grabbed a paint mixing stick and made sure it was secure in there. (pic 4)

The laminate has dried enough to cut the bulk head close to size. I did a quick test fit and shot a pic. Im going to laminate the other side tomorrow for some added beef. (pic 5)

Im hoping tomorrow to CF the inside of the hull. I will add pool noodles for flotation, glass in the bulkhead, then its getting shelved for a bit. It sucks all this happened, but on the bright side, now Im getting to build the boat the way I wanted it.

[domwilson]

Looks good. Are you going to stay with the same motor?

[tiqueman]

Thanks. Yeah Im going to put the BJ26 motor back in it. I was pretty happy where it was at. I dont want or need that hull any faster. Fifty would have been nice, but it was close enough. I will probably go back to 4S, only running 5S occasionally, to show a friend or something. BUT, I want to make sure whatever new ESC I get for it has the capabilities of running 5S w/ out a problem. Cause I say now 4S is fine. But I have a feeling after I run it on 4S again, Im gunna want to go back to 5 real quick....

[domwilson]

I wish you the best in getting this fixed. I know it's frustrating right now to not be able to run it. But once it's complete, you'll have the joy of the work you put into it.

[tiqueman]

I read somewhere a few weeks ago that you should NOT epoxy in a bulkhead, but rather use silicone or caulk to allow for expansion and contraction in the bow. Something about it could cause stress cracks or lines or something on the outside of the hull where the bulkhead touches the inners of the hull allowing the connection to be visible.

I really wanted to use the bulkhead not only for rigidity but also to close off the bow area incase anything like this ever happened again, the contaminated area would ony be in the back 1/2 of the boat. In theory anyway. Im not positive, only speculatig, that if I were to caulk in the bulkhead, Im worried if something happened again and built up pressure, it would blow the bulkhead seal before anything else. BUT.... (sorry, the mind doesnt stop) if its caulked in, an advantage would be if I hit something and break the hull near the front, the bulkhead could somewhat easily be removed for inner repairs of the bow.

Anyone else have any insight on this? This is the first bulkhead Ive ever wanted to install, I just want to be sure I do it the best way..

[JCAustralia]

Looking good Tiqueman:thumbup1:

I was also wondering what's the use of a bulkhead? My catamaran does not come with one....... Is it only to make the hull structure more rigid?

If you seal the bulkhead with say silicone then the air trapped in front can act as flotation . Is that correct? What do you guys think?


Cheers

JC

[tiqueman]

Looking good Tiqueman:thumbup1:

I was also wondering what's the use of a bulkhead? My catamaran does not come with one....... Is it only to make the hull structure more rigid?

If you seal the bulkhead with say silicone then the air trapped in front can act as flotation . Is that correct? What do you guys think?


Cheers

JC

Thanks JC

Trapped air would act as flotation , BUT, I wouldnt trust it because if you hit, say a turtle, or a floating rock... and smash open the front of the hull and roll it. Your "trapped air flotation just went bye bye. I would still fill it w/ foam.

I do believe bulkheads are more structure than anything else.

And nothing bothers me more on the lake than floating rocks.

Well Im off to continue carboning. I got the transon laid up and the step downs to the bottom of the hull. Now for the big piece...

[tiqueman]

Got the hull layed up. Now just got to wait for it to dry. Still trying to decide what to do about the bulkhead.

[domwilson]

Looking good. Very nicely done.

[tiqueman]

Thanks Dom. I hate to say it, but Im having as much, if not more fun, rebuilding it than I was running it.

Im getting to a stopping point on it, however, now Im thinking, Im giving the entire inside a face lift and am neglecting the outside. Im thinking of a re-paint.... just dont know what yet.

[tiqueman]

I got a bit more done this past weekend. Motor mount tacked in, changed my mind during installation of the radio plate about 100 times, but heres where its at as of now. I kinda did it like it is for looks rather than anything else. All except the ESC will be hidden under the plate. Just to keep it lookin clean. the ESC will either go in front of the motor or on top of the plate in front of the servo. I want it on the plate, however, it may be a pain to install the batts as all the wires and water lines will be in the way. Im changing the steering to a pull pull, again for looks out the back of the boat. Im also doing thru hull pick ups so there are no water lines outside the hull.

I posted a new thread about bulkheads. I need to get that figured out so I can seal that up.

[domwilson]

Wow! That does look clean. Good Job!

[tiqueman]

Thanks Dom. Its getting there. I ordered some seals and tubing from Steven today. Really my only glitch is going to be figuring out how to make the rudder a pull pull system. Ive got to find or make a dual control arm. I think If I cannot find one, Im going to get an aluminum servo control horn, drill it to fit the pivot shaft in the rudder and drill and tap a hole in the side for a set screw. Ive been trying to find an arm online but so far Ive come up w/ nothing....

[domwilson]

Is your rudder in the center? From what I've seen, alot of guys use cable for that type of setup like on tunnel hulls.

[tiqueman]

Yes its centered. Ive got the cable and everything, I just need to find a control arm that goes out both sided of the rudder.

EDIT, I talked to Steven and he said he has nothing available for that rudder. I will probably have to scratch one.

[domwilson]

Maybe you can fabricate one. A shot in the dark, like maybe from an old servo horn?

[tiqueman]

Thanks Dom. Its getting there. I ordered some seals and tubing from Steven today. Really my only glitch is going to be figuring out how to make the rudder a pull pull system. Ive got to find or make a dual control arm. I think If I cannot find one, Im going to get an aluminum servo control horn, drill it to fit the pivot shaft in the rudder and drill and tap a hole in the side for a set screw. Ive been trying to find an arm online but so far Ive come up w/ nothing....

:thumbup1:

[domwilson]

Yeah, I saw that after I typed. Didn't want to let some good typing go to waste.:doh:

[tiqueman]

LOL I do that all the time

[tiqueman]

Im thinking down the road an 8xl Feigao? Im putting an etti 150 in it.

[domwilson]

Maybe some of the guys with outboards might have an idea.

[domwilson]

Found what you're looking for here... http://206.206.85.209/xtdoc/catalogue.aspx?ProductType=72hardware&store=mhzusa

[domwilson]

Im thinking down the road an 8xl Feigao? Im putting an etti 150 in it.

I think that would be great on 4s.

[tiqueman]

Good find on the control horns!

And thats what I was thinking about the 8xl. A 2s pack fits nicely in the sponson. The 3S doesnt quite fit right.

[domwilson]

Plus you want to keep your RPM's in the 27k-32k range.

[Flying Scotsman]

Scott, that is a VERY nice rebuild...congratulations...that cat is 32" long what speed are you looking for, an 8XL on 4S and a large prop[ may be a problem

Douggie

[Gerwin Brommer]

Make sure you "insulate" the points where the rudder/servo rods/cables exit/enter the hull.
If any "moving"metal touches the carbon you'll get radioglitches !!!!

[tiqueman]

Douggie, thanks for the compliment and mid 40s to 50 would be great.

Gerwin, thank you for the tip. I never though about that. Now I wont have to post about "Radio Problems" in the future.

Scott

[tiqueman]

Well, I got her back in the water today. She ran quite well. Had to adjust my strut setting quite a bit from where it used to be. I guess because of more weight due to the CF lamination and addition of a bulkhead etc. It seems to want to ride a lot more bow heavy, which to me doesnt make much sense. But I seem to have it just about right now. I havent gps'd it yet. But Id say shes just about 40. Ive got a few more "tweaks" to make.

I had a drive line issue w/ the motor coupler. I had to modify the motor shaft as the Proboat motor has a flat grove in it for the set screw. So the flat part of the shaft does not run out to the end. I filed it down because after adding the thrust bearing at the motor, the set screw for the coupler was not getting to the flat portion. Anyway, It looks and feels straight, no bump where the new flat meets the old flat, however, the coupler had a wobble to it. If I remove the thrust bearing and put the coupler back to its factory location, it is perfect. So, I guess the Proboat motor isnt getting a thrust bearing... for now anyway.

Other than that, I got my pull pull steering figured out. I simply took an aluminum servo control horn and drilled it out to 3/16. Then drilled and tapped the side for a 4-40 set screw. Worked beautifully. Ive still got to trim down the control horn (one of the tweaks)

I also installed thru hull pick ups and eliminated any water lines outside the hull. I temporarily stuck a pan head phillips screw in the top of the rudder to block that water flow. I will be replacing that w/ a button socket or cap head once I can locate one.

Im having an issue w/ velcro sticking to the epoxy I used to laminate the CF in. sanding it, wiping it w/ acetone... it goes down like its going to stay stuck and in 24 hours its curling up and coming off. I was using it for my batts as well, but Im not trusting it at all. So... Question

Should I install (epoxy in) trays for the batts to sit in and strap velcro the batts in to the trays, OR, can I just epoxy part of the strap to the inside of the sponson and secure the batts that way??? The batts do not sit flat in the sponson. They are a little to wide so they would be on a slight angle. At the piont they are flat, they are about 3/16 down from the top of the tunnel. If that makes sense.

Heres a couple finished (almost) pics.