ML Boatworks Rescue Project

[nocebo]

Yeah i think lining up the rudder with internal framing makes sense, makes the assembly a lot stronger as its getting extra support from the framing, not just the transom. He also uses a big chunk of aluminum at the transom which i dont like. Im sure it would make it super strong but i dont want to add that much weight to the very rear of the boat. Would need to be offset by additional weight at the front of the boat to get a good CG and the whole thing would end up quite heavy.

I picked up some carbon fiber cloth for reinforcement, but honestly i think fiberglass would work just as well, with the added benefit of being transparent. Its mainly to stiffen up the joints anyway so not looking for massive amounts of strength (or weight). That stuff you have specced looks ok, although it seems to be a combination of chopped strand mat and regular fiberglass cloth. I would guess this would be too thick for your application and the chopped strand matt wont do all that much for strength compared to the cloth. I would recommend just going for a thin fiberglass cloth in a single layer over the joints, maybe over the whole internal surfaces if you want a extra strength. Just my (uninformed) opinion.

Totally agree on the polish, might do the same.

[Ayles]

Thanks again for being a great resource/sounding board. These forums don't seem to get too much activity compared to automotive forum I am on.

What thickness of carbon fiber cloth did you go with just curious, I'm thinking thin fiberglass will be just fine? I called Tap Plastics and I think you are right, it's probably not the right stuff for what we are doing.

Just found this stuff:
Fiberglass Cloth 0.75 oz x 38 inch Wide x 2 Yards Folded - Lightweight, Hobby https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07X4CGFP1...21ECWJQ1BZA89F

[nocebo]

Thanks again for being a great resource/sounding board. These forums don't seem to get too much activity compared to automotive forum I am on.

What thickness of carbon fiber cloth did you go with just curious, I'm thinking thin fiberglass will be just fine? I called Tap Plastics and I think you are right, it's probably not the right stuff for what we are doing.

Just found this stuff:
Fiberglass Cloth 0.75 oz x 38 inch Wide x 2 Yards Folded - Lightweight, Hobby https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07X4CGFP1...21ECWJQ1BZA89F

Thanks, same to you - yeah I've noticed that these forums are much much quieter than some of the other (unrelated) forums I am on. Im guessing its just a smaller community, and the scale hydroplane group is a small subset of that smaller community. There are some other rc forums, Intlwaters and RCgroups, that might get more traffic, but i cant be bothered posting to more than one forum.

Agree thin fiberglass would be more than adequate - here is the order I put in below at www.carbonfiber.com.au I think the cloth has a weight of 200g/m2 and is .25mm thick. I would guess that fiberglass of similar thickness would be sufficient. The stuff you found looks good - you can always put down more than one layer if you want more strength so better to go thinner rather than thicker i reckon.

Quantity	Product Name	Product ID	Price (ex. tax)	Tax Amount	Price (inc. tax)	Sub Total
1	Carbon fiber twill cloth - 1000mm wide	CFFTW100	$63.59	$6.36	$69.95	$69.95
	Sold per metre: 1m = 1 square metre
1	Carbon fiber pultruded tube - 14mm x 12mm x 1000mm	PT14	$15.41	$1.54	$16.95	$16.95
1	West 410 Microlight - 4 Litre	FILLERWEST4104L	$30.45	$3.05	$33.50	$33.50
1	West 411 Microsphere blend - 1 Litre	FILLERWEST4111L	$10.82	$1.08	$11.90	$11.90

[Ayles]

That's great info!

Got myself on the back order list for a bunch parts from RC Boat Company. Does sound like he has rear wing kits in production. Hopefully it's not too long of a wait since fitting the canard and rear wing need to be done before the top skins installed.

1. Rear Wing set
2. Front Canard
3. Wing Support kit: SG100SB
4. Cowling tray: SG108Tray

[Ayles]

Fiberglass cloth came in last night and it really seems like the correct material for this short of using the carbon fiber product.

[nocebo]

Fiberglass cloth came in last night and it really seems like the correct material for this short of using the carbon fiber product.

great to hear - make sure to take some photos when applying it!

[Ayles]

Got a little time today and mixed my first (ever) batch of thinned epoxy… heres to hoping it works out! I can see its going to need a second coat for sure.

45F3EF08-8633-4E79-BF4E-2F4F9D7BC1FB.jpg

[Ayles]

Since I am on running out of time with my borrowed scroll saw I was going to cut out the pieces for the top. Its a bit of a mystery to me?. Should the sponsons and the sections to the right and left of the center sections be covered in one piece or two? I marked the two sections with black marks that Im not sure about.

For the center section from photos it looks like you cut out a frame piece with the center cut out that like its maybe a quarter inch or so thick?

[nocebo]

So from what i can tell looking at the MLBoatworks smugmug page, is that the the two leftmost black lines in your photo are done in one piece of ply. The other black like in done in another seperate piece.

See below for a link to the pic im talking about:

https://mlboatworksrc.smugmug.com/Scale-171-Extreme-Kit/i-JCmWvzP

Also, if you havnt already, i recommend taking a look through that entire page, lots of good build photos there.

[Ayles]

Ahh yeah, I see that now! I actually found that set of photos last night. Which brought to mind the need to fiberglass the wood blocks on each side. So will get the small gaps filled there and then take a stab at covering them.

What I see in that pick is on my hull the side panes of the center section are solid and in the photos they are cut out. Wondering how this will impact servo installation and routing of the cooling lines.

Have you given any thought into how the servo will be mounted?

[Ayles]

Cut out two of the 4 main top sheets tonight. Far easier than the sponsons thats for sure!

[Ayles]

Had some time yesterday and mixed up some more epoxy. I ended up buying the west system metered pumps. Made it so much easier to mix without any guesswork.

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I was thinking more about stuff I need to do before skinning the top. I hadnt really thought about water lines and mounting the servo. So doing more research in that area. Looks like I might need a dual pickup rudder rather the single pickup I have now.

[Ayles]

Some work continues!

Glassed half of the inside surfaces last night. Came out pretty clean considering I have never done it before.

C6F0D1B2-C3D1-49FB-9415-5949F474EF04.jpg

[Ayles]

Been slowly working on this thing. Baby steps and damn there are a lot of them. I often find myself just staring at the hull trying to figure out what the next move should be. Just finished adding stringers to the rear portion as well as adding fiberglass cloth to the interior of the sponsons and will be stiffening up the center section over the next few days. I got an email from RC boat company that some parts I need are on the way so I can really get going on skinning the top of the sponsons.

[Ayles]

Just got all of the supplies to assemble the driveline.

59225E86-F77E-479F-ACB9-AA603642DB58.jpg