traxxas villan build

[20psinow]

nice anything right now would help.. so you would cut the in side out? and fab a new mouting location on the (bottom hull) and make you own radio box? or would you say just leave it as is and work with it.. carbon fiber would be nice on this hull it would for sure stiffen her up..

[j.m.]

Definitely cut the inside out. CF is expensive, and two layers of medium weight fiberglass will do just fine to stiffen the hull. (~6 oz glass)

First step is to cut the inside out. Be neat, and then sand the edges.

Then fill in the ridges where the strakes are. Scuff up any surface you apply epoxy to with sandpaper. Remove all the dust before you apply glue. Use thickened epoxy, and sand smooth after it has dried. Remember, sanding epoxy sucks, even if it is thickened. smooth it as much as possible before the epoxy is dried. Microballoons, baby poweder, or cabosil works great to thicken the epoxy. Get some 30 minute epoxy from your LHS to use. Microballoons and Cabosil will keep the epoxy white (matches your hull) and baby powder will turn an ugly brown color. Decide if the color is that important to justify buying a bottle of microballoons for a few bucks.

Spread the epoxy with an old credit card to fill in the grooves, you only really need to do this in the area where your gear will be mounted, or where the current cockpit is.

After the strakes have been filled, it's time to fiberglass the bottom. Scuff up the dried epoxy with sandpaper, then clean the hull with alcohol to remove all dust and other residue. Cut your fiberglass to size first, then apply a light coat of epoxy to the hull inside. Lay your first layer of glass down, and add epoxy as needed to fill in the weave. Lay your second layer down and work a little more epoxy into it with your credit card.

After you have both layers in, take a paper towel and lay it flat over the fiberglass, then press the paper towel with your hand. We are soaking up the excess epoxy here. Do this until the glass has a textured surface and looks like it's dry. Trust me, it's not. This will make sure your hull won't be too heavy, and removing the epoxy does NOT reduce the strength. It also adds a nice bumpy surface to glue things to.

Then you'll want to add a 1.8" plywood doubler to your transom, just to make that area stuff. Glue it in with your epoxy and then fiberglass that in place.

Once you do these reinforcements, your hull is going to be rock steady and take all you can throw at it. Including wave jumping and flip after flip.

Jon

Edit:

Forgot one part, Watch out for epoxy buildup in the bottom of the vee, especially near the transom. This area is going to be drilled through when you mount your driveshaft.

And to make the transom doubler, you can cut out a piece of paper in the shape of the outside of the transom (doesn't have to go but to the seam of the hull, or slightly below that) and then trial fit it to the inside. Once you get a good fit, trace it onto your ply and cut the plywood with a scroll saw or bandsaw if you have one.

[Mono~Junkie]

* Bookmark *

I had this hull back in the day,miss it, miss it, miss it~
~ I can't wait to see your finished Build~

[20psinow]

haha thanks man had it for like 4 5 years now and dont want to toss it so.. but the build has started.. just cut the in side out and now i need to clean that... and pick up suplies tomarrow and fiber glass this old girl.. and yes i know she still needs triming around where i cut is all slop but will look good latter..

[20psinow]

and another ? should i rip out the factory foam?

[j.m.]

Nah, keep it! You'll want some anyways.

I can already tell this is going to turn out great... What are you talking bout? That cut looks factory...

As for the transom doubler, you can put it on the lower triangle and the little rectangle on that to reinforce the shaft/rudder (turn fins?) mounting. The screws are more likely to pull a hole through the ABS than for a kick up rudder to work.(But will be fine with the plywood)

Instead of overpaying for plywood at your LHS, check and see if there is a Michael's art store in your area. They carry Midwest hobby aircraft ply in assorted sizes for about 25% above their cost.

[20psinow]

well it dont look factory to me!! lol but i have 1/16 ply 2 sheats some that i have laying around that i can use.. how would you go about filling them holes in the back to give it a nice clean look? also now that im just going to do a full bulid i thinking the water cooling is going to be a good idea.. and the exit is going to be under the rear deck as a (exhaust) one on each side... but till i get all the suplies for the hull and what not then save a $ or two and buy a new motor, esc, hardwaer, ect...

[j.m.]

1/16 ply in two layers glued with epoxy will actually be stronger than 1/8" light ply.

Usually water exits are on the upper portion of the hull where they can be seen. If your running along and a hose comes lose, you'll immediately notice it if your stream is coming out from the side.

If you want to get the hardware installed now, go ahead and get a motor, motor mount, the shaft, a motor coupler, and your choice of rudder.

You need the motor and mount to properly align the shaft in the hull to make sure it's perfectly straight.

Here's a list of links:

Mount:

http://www.vac-u-boat.com/BrushlessMotorMount.htm

Buy here:

http://www.vac-u-boat.com/KitsParts.htm

Motor:

http://www.hobbycity.com/hobbycity/store/uh_viewItem.asp?idProduct=6678&Product_Name=KD36-74-09XL_1900kv_Brushless_Inrunner

(Wait a few days, they will get back in stock) (If you want to save on shipping, get your esc too)

Shaft:
http://www.offshoreelectrics.com/pro...prod=cen-ws005
This will allow you to use the prop you have, as well as cheap carbon props from graupner to find what works best (If the one you have doesn't, but FECalc says it will do great!)

Coupler:
http://www.offshoreelectrics.com/pro...?prod=grp-3345

Rudder:
http://www.offshoreelectrics.com/pro...rod=dh-prb3756 I can make an extension bracket for this and send it your way...

Jon

[20psinow]

well i guess ill just start buying all the stuff i need starting with the glass and what not ill have to put a pic of the rudder i have looks to be about the right size for the boat.. and as far as motor mounts go what should i go with adj, fixed, ill never move to another (set up) after this build on this boat, but still in the trying to save money where i can mode...

[j.m.]

If it's about 3.75"-4" long and it turns, we can make it work. I'm all about saving money on RC boats, and have gone to many lengths to try and make my own hardware. I have succeeded in the strut department, but can't make a good rudder blade yet.

With an XL can, you need to support the back of the motor. The Vac_U_Boat mount is excellent. You can shape a little block out of wood to fit the v in the hull and glue your motor mount to that.

[20psinow]

well hear is the rudder that i have about 1" wide and almost 4" long.... got it for free a long time ago and put it away in a box thank god i saved it!!

[j.m.]

Two of those would work... But the blade is only 2" long, and won't do much on a 30" long boat.

[20psinow]

ahh damn......... well i dont have another one i guess that will be one more thing to the list.. but im gonna do this right and i dont care if it take me a month or two to get most of what i need! i just hope it turns out as good as i hope, but it should be a fun build..

[j.m.]

If you take your time and do it right, you should easily be in the 30s with 5 minute runtimes on your NiCad's, and that could jump to a little bit more speed with almost double the runtime on LiPo.

[bwells]

J.M. Any plans for a strut or just stuffing tube out the back with a prop?