lonewolfs 42 in cat build

[lonewolf]

Well been a while since last update...My shop at work has been relocated and took a while to get things rolling again..I have also been busy with a customer order here at OSE..

Ok i have gotten alot done I have swkinned up the bottom and sides of the hull...First I layed up 1/16 balsa Then I followed up with 1/64 on the bottom and 1/32 for the sides..Normally I would have used 1/64 on sides but my local shop didnt have any and was on back order for a long time...So I moved on....
Here are some pics of these steps..

[lonewolf]

Here an update of my recent work....I have been working on the drive steering...Ive got all the holes cut for the rods and will get them finished today..I will be cutting alum. tube to fit over the threaded rod... My next big hurdle will be keeping the water out....I am open for ideas. here The more ideas I see the better the outcome so plz feel free to throw out some ideas.... I am thinking a wet well with a drain in the steering box area... Well here are the pics...

[srislash]

Coming along Dave.great work bud.

[lonewolf]

Alot of work making each pc by hand lol.....My next step will be to add the floatation to the front sections of the hull.. I will be using a two part foam that is lighter in weight than the spray stuff and easier to work with... I will add this foam in layers to prevent the swelling and mishapeing that tends to happen useing this method.
After I have finished filling the areas with the foam I will then hollow out the foam leaving pockets of open area. Once the balsa skin is applied this will make sealed pockets of air creating floatation and adding strength at the same time. I will get this done this week well hopefully... Scratch building is like playing chess ...always need to think as many steps ahead as possible so you can prevent working oneself into a corner......Guess its time to go do some water proofing with DP270 I will do this to both esc's and the rx.....It is said that these units are already water resistant by I feel the need to do so reguardless...

I will also be working on the radio box.. This will enclose the rx batt. the rx and all the excess wires...This will keep things neat and orderly inside the hull. It will also add a extra layer of security in case of water......

Happy building !!!

[srislash]

So what is this DP270 you speak of?

[lonewolf]

It is a two part waterproofing epoxy. Used on electronics

[srislash]

How is it with heat Dave? I am looking for something to "pot" a few ESC's with.

[lonewolf]

Must be pretty good I have never had a problem. But I do not run a lot....has been recommended here and rum runners for yes....and can be purchased at ose.....if in doubt I'd use it. It comes as a two part epoxy that uses a sqeese gun to dispense equal parts of each. Tho can be done without the gun......if it come with a mixing tube. Do not use the tube you will waste much of the epoxy. Just push out two equal piles then mix and brush on a thin coat .....I will be waiting to do mine because I will be changing all my wires to 8 Guage. Instead of 10 gauge....then after all my changes I will do the coating

[lonewolf]

I have been getting some progress..Since last I have finished the skinning and got the strakes on and done the finish sanding. Recently
I have done a first layer seal coating of complete outer hull...And currently in the process of sanding recoating ... Bigggest thing to remember is this is the critical steps to how this hull will look in the end... All care must be taken to get the hull looking as best as one can ... Once painted there is no going back and any lil spot ya misssed will become a big ole booger.......I would post pics however I a motherboard meltdown a while back and havent getten all my old drives working...I am currently useing my sacrifice drive....grrr pc's... anywho ill do my best to get some pics up... Happy boating amd building....

[lonewolf]

Well guys progress has been slow...I am getting close to the end of finish sanding... I only seem to get time at work on breaks....whaqt a pita transporting it back and forth....There are still many things i need to do to finish this hull before it gets wet....This project will prolly go on thru the winter with hopes of testing next spring...Funds are a bit tight to afford the cells needed to run her..... Anybody need any custom hardware ....BTW I also do custom work for bout any rc vehicle...
I hope to get my pc up anmd running soon to get some pics up....Happy boating guys..!!!

[lonewolf]

Well thru my finish sanding I magaged to sand thru the finsh back down to raw wood...I used CA to do some smaller ares ... then later found out the ca amy react differently to the epoxy primer .....Ok so I learned a few things here....use finer grit sandpaper..a huge tip i recent ly learn is to add color to each layer of epoxy so that you can see when you have goen as far as possible and be able to stop short of sanding thru. At this point i have recoated the whole top to cover any raw wood or CA that is still there. Glad I have plenty of finish poxy to use...I will be looking into how to add color....Any help would be great!!! Thanks guys and hope yo get a reply or two about adding color to Z poxy finishing resin....Thanks All!!!

[lonewolf]

I just took a look and noticed a sudden climb in my views.....With that in mind I am quite happy to discuss any parts of this build in more detail. I have been working on getting my new pc set up before I go dumping a buttload of pics on this machine...I have done a few things to the project..and still have another step to show...I have battled how to keep the h20 out of hull and decided to go with a wet well inn short words. Due to limited working ares with the drives I decided To let the water in but provide a drain for the water with a funnel system to guide the h2o out the rear....Pics to follow hopefully tmo.. I plan on getting my pics sorted out and get back to regular posting again...I have relearned many things during this build and happy to share my experience to feel free to speak up...... Happy building ....!!!!

[lonewolf]

Well still sorting pics but figure it will be easier to just start fresh...si ill get some pics and get them up soon....I think some guys may like my wet well idea....As of now of now I am still sanding and dealing with getting everything sealed and not popping thru the sealcoat......I did a bunch of filling in of spots and hot to get them blended in tmo at work...once I get that done it will be onto 400 grit then hopefully get it primed.. In the process I am also gonna shoot a 1/10 scale scaler truck ive been working on for a few yrs now...Happy building guys......Oh BTW i sent out the plans for those that asked so check ur emails...

[capnswanny]

I remember a discussion about dying epoxy:
http://forums.offshoreelectrics.com/...h-liquid-paint
I've done it a few times with success using all types of epoxy.

Looking forward to seeing your next picture update!

[lonewolf]

Ok so I attempted to transfer pics from phone.......somehow botched that and lost a bunch of pics.....ok to add to that..My pc wont read my phone....gets even better I took a bunch of pics today ,,, they show up on the phone..but when i put the mem card into reader it dont seem to find the pics........Grrrrr Ok I vented sorry guys....

Project update The other day I was hopeing to finish the basic sanding on bottom of hull only to find a few thin spots...not something I wanna deal with later...Been there done that...
I will continue my efforts to get pics posted tho not sure what to do pc wont read phone and card wont show pics on the pc.... My pc is running 7 and the phone is a droid x...any help ot ideas would greatly help my issue.... Thanks guys happy building..