cat biuld

[zanda]

i gave it 1 coat of fiber galssing resin but still need to give it 1 or 2 more .
thats me styling it out in my pjs working on the cats cover . im having trouble getting it to hold its shape anyone have any ideas that will help (Peells) ?

[peells]

use 1/16" balsa sheet turned 90 degrees to the Grain of your plywood and it will bend nicely,
there are two shapes on the plans which I used for forms to make the hatch they are the small curved pieces what I did was to make two strips of balsa to match them and then I made two strips of ply wood to match as well then I laminated them together (one strip balsa,2 strips plywood,) 1 on each side like a balsa sandwich then I glued them to the piece I made the hatch out of, as wide as your hatch opening is you may want to use 3 pieces of balsa to make the hatch starting with the center section and then fitting the sides of the hatch, you may want to try a little thicker balsa on the sides and sand to shape, I had to weight the ends of my hatch to get it to hold shape when I glued it kind of like a jig. Once you get it to hold the right shape add your sides to it and sand to shape look at my thread "Bob kat save those scraps" I took lots of pictures and I am sure you will find some hatch pictures that you will find helpful,
Trust me epoxy resin is the ticket if you use it you will love it

[zanda]

a couple of close ups . next is to make this dam hatch!

[zanda]

Trust me epoxy resin is the ticket if you use it you will love it

isnt fiberglassing resin the same thing ?

[crabstick]

theres polyester and epoxy resins

polyester eats foam, epoxy does not, there are probably a lot of other differences too but that is the main one I know

[Zero_Limits]

Strength is another big one, Epoxy is stronger, I don't know the numbers though so I will go with lots!

Generally, as long as you don't need it to dry super fast and can afford the additional cost, Epoxy is the better option.

[Chilli]

In a nut shell epoxy is stronger, stiffer, bonds better, is less brittle and is more water resistant.

On the down side, epoxy usually has less UV resistance.


This web page deals more with composites but does a good job of descibing the benifits of using epoxy resin over polyester.

http://www.c-cyachts.com/images/company_assets/512F1C7F-0D64-4A5E-9D91-785DC064755F/16cf4_Adv_of_Epoxy_v_Poly.pdf

[zanda]

thanks all 4 your help with the epoxy vs polyester. will have to get me some epoxy then.

[zanda]

finally got the hatch done . was a pain to get my head around how i was going to construct it but i got there and im pleases with the out come. thanks 4 the help Peells

will post the pics asap

[zanda]

the hatch is complete
i have also cut out in the stringgers where the motors will go




ive also put a pic of the second cat thats under construction as u can see it will hsve an in built out rigger

[peells]

Now take a block of styrofoam and create the top of the hatch just sand to the shape you want and epoxy over it (if you try and use fiber glass resin it will melt the foam) it works great. oh yes one more note shape the bottom of the foam to sit nicely on the wood and glue it with some elmers or tite bond glue let dry, then you can cut out the wood under it and get more clearance for stuff, I sprayed some carb cleaner on it after it dried and melted it out and it looks cool.
keep up the good work

Pete

[peells]

You should build a stand off for the first one as well!!

[zanda]

You should build a stand off for the first one as well!!

is there any particular reason 4 this ? i like the look of an outrigger and i understand it creats more room 4 the props but is there any other advantages 4 this?

[peells]

just to make sure you clear the back of the props / or is even with themit will handle better

[peells]

The rigger style should be fine, I was refering to Ace's build How he boxed in the riggers which hold the rudder hardware either way should do the same thing