BBY Micro Turbine Hydro for SSSH

[Dr. Jet]

Here it is. It is incredibly stiff yet light. The sponsons are solid as a rock and ready for race/ramming conditions.

[JimClark]

Where are the batteries going? forward of the motor?

Jim

[Dr. Jet]

The batteries in all my little micros wind up behind that center bulkhead. The servo and receiver go on the other side.

[Dr. Jet]

Preliminary layout for balance.

Here I have temporarily stuck a servo, the rudder, the ESC and a receiver to see where the battery will be for a reasonable balance point of 1/2" behind the sponson for starters. I did something similar to this when I first started, so this confirms my layout. I will have room to move the battery both directions for fine-tuning.

[Dr. Jet]

Hardware and More

I have had some very interesting conversations with several people regarding micro hardware. As things stand right now, there is not much available. MHZ has some nice stuff, but not too many people have been using it (I personally like it). There is that blue anodized hardware that Steve is selling as "micro"; but in my book, it is still a little large for hulls like the BBY MTH, the MHZ shovel, and H&M shovel. I used the rudder in my Micro Scat Cat, and it seems a bit large for that as well. Furthermore, that hardware does not perfectly fit Octura props without some adjusting. Octura has some small stuff, but again the mounting bits are a bit large for the small transoms on the micro hydros.

For those of you considering a build like this, hang on for a little while. I'm thinking there may be something WAY cool coming down the pipeline. I'm not yet at liberty to release all the details, just be advised that something is in the works. I haven't talked with Randy regarding the laser-cut parts, but I am open to the idea of making the wood parts available to the masses, either through Randy or through my own business.

A lot will depend on how well this straight-shaft setup works out. If it sucks, I have some ideas for a micro wire drive that will allow for prop angle and depth adjustments. I have high hopes for the straight shaft, and think it is a great option that reduces the amount of "futzing around" to get things right.

SSSH may be on the verge of "catching on".

There will be a small hiatus in the MTH build over the first week in July. I’m going to fly my motorglider to Bishop and spend the week soaring the White Mountains and the Sierras.

Look for the first “sea trails” to be somewhere in the middle of July.

[Dr. Jet]

Now that the hull halves have been joined, I brushed some epoxy into the gap between the lip and the hull, then filled the gaps by “smooshing” a thickened epoxy/cab-O-sil mix into any gaps with my fingers (yes I was wearing gloves). Then I wiped-down the hull with a paper towel dampened with denatured alcohol to clean-up any excess. This fills the lip of the “shoebox” lid and seals the hull.

Remember that the top/bottom hull joint is full of expanded PU glue, so if I want to trim the lip in the future, I can without worries of structural damage. There may be small gaps after trimming the lip, but again, thickened epoxy will fix that.

Normally, I would build-up the ride surfaces with thickened epoxy to get sharp corners and flat surfaces. In order to get this on the water as soon as possible to see if it even works, I think I’ll just glue on some sheet styrene ride pads, and call it good enough. I can always come back later and do the epoxy build-up and sharpening of the edges if the hull/setup shows promise.

[Basstronics]

Good Deal Bill,

Mine will be here real soon. I bought the same motor you did! So I will have my very own SSSH (Whatever that means! lol).

Im going to do a wire drive, already know that. If a hardware package is available for reasonable I will get it, otherwise make my own. Im not to sure on that yet.

[Dr. Jet]

Sssh

Santee Sport Scale Hydro

[Dr. Jet]

Straight Shaft

Many people turn up their noses at a straight shaft in a hydro. Yes, they do not allow any adjustment in depth or angle, but they are by far the smoothest running, most friction-free way of getting power to the propeller. When I started this build, I spoke with Randy about the prop depth settings he found that worked, and set this hull up at the same depth. The angle was determined by the length of the shaft and the diameter of the motor.

Just as in full-sized hydros, the ride is controlled by the balance of the hull and the type of prop. I will only be using low-lift props, and I have done what I could to reduce the shaft angle.

Another reason for the straight-shaft setup I did is cost and parts availability. Everything is off-the-shelf and low-priced.

Before you commit to using a wire drive, let's see if this straight-shaft works in an acceptable manner. The results may be surprising (then again, they may not).

Patience Grasshopper.

[RandyatBBY]

The build is coming along great I still need to paint my little Hydro, Oh so much to do.

[Dr. Jet]

Randy,

If this works out, we should talk about my CAD files for the laser-cutting of the framework. I always like to "barter" if you follow my drift. Looks like I may need some more hulls in the future. I have more prototype laser bits (I managed to get several on one sheet), and if this test hull works out, I might build a "pretty" one for a keeper. I may give this test hull to a buddy that is not as skilled in his building ability.

[Basstronics]

Well I just got my boats in the door today.

You are correct, there isnt much room at all on the back of the Hydro! Im guessing when I get it trimmed up I will have about 3/4" max.

[Avanti]

Awesome build DrJet.
I have this power system in my hydromite and it is stupid fast you will most likely need to add forward weight (of course the straight shaft will probably scrub some speed off yours)

Keep up the good work and let us know about getting your inter structure for our boats.

[J Solinger]

Micro rudder assembly

A real live honest to god micro rudder.

[phase]

dammmm i need one of those what is the size of it?