Starting 1/8 scale T5 build, need critique of my proposed setup

[nichismo]

Well I had never sprayed before and basically as a result I under anticipated the amount of primer that would be needed in finishing the job. I had about 5.5 ounces of mixed Klass Kote primer left (not accounting for the reducer being added) to finish the hull, and then spray the first coat onto the cowling and wing pieces. I added a good amount of reducer, id say by the time I was done it was at probably a 1:1:0.75 ratio of primer/catalyst/reducer and it seemed to be flowing well. Unfortunately, the paint setup I was using didnt really allow me to spray the last little bit of primer that was sitting at the bottom of the jar, so I set that aside for about a couple hours after adding some microballoons to it. It thickened up to a putty that I used to fill in any imperfections I saw, which you might see in these pictures because I havnt sanded them away yet.

I ordered some more white primer from Klass Kote, it will probably be here early next week, hopefully monday. Id say the hull is about 90% covered, and the uprights and canard are maybe 75% covered.

However I came across a problem. The reducer in the paint for some reason considerably weakened the epoxy around the aluminum wing tabs in the back of the boat! By the time the paint was dry, I noticed that the tabs had somehow "risen" much higher above the deck then their previous position. At first, I was thinking that I had used way too much bondo and other stuff around that area on the deck and the deck had lowered a bunch from the same effect... It wasnt until I actually pulled the hull down from the ceiling and had it level that I looked into the drain holes in the transom that I saw the bottom of the wing tabs suspended in air now rather than resting on the floor of the hull! And now they are stiff again (not as stiff as previously however) and the primer in that area is slightly chipped, specifically on the right side tab. What should I do??

[leonard feeback]

Hi Nic, sounds like you may not have got a good mix on the epoxy you used to hold the wing tabs. In the pics I see you hung the boat from the tabs, the weight of the boat and maybe the heat caused them to move. Never heard of reducer causing a problem like that if epoxy dried properly. Boat looking really good. Lots of work on big hulls. Is that 1/10th looking good yet? Just had to ask. If you should do a paint job with a white bottom I have found that you can just spray a clear coat over the white primer and save a little weight being added to the hull. Being a new boater you are a lot further than I thought you would get, job well done.

[nichismo]

I hung the boat by the hole in the transom where the linkage to the rudder would pass through

Thanks alot for the kind words, it really means alot, I cant believe how much time has passed since I recieved the hull. Honestly though, ive felt like this last bit of work has been the most difficult by far, probably because its not necessarily RC related and it can depend on preference and such, I never foresaw myself doing any modifications to the body either, and I ended up doing a ton, but im really happy I did them.

heres a picture of the inside, I might re-rig some of the components just for the heck of it and take some more pics.

EDIT: Also, which 1/10 are you referring to? lol, I know I tapped at the idea beforehand but since then ive been overwhelmed with ideas and builds I want to do, oh if I was rich with more and more free time xD. Mainly because classic thunder here in Seattle is a 1/10 scale organization and that size seems to be growing in popularity with the FE community, I was considering building one. But ive changed my mind, im pretty much only interested in 1/8 scale or larger.

EDIT FOR A 2ND TIME: I think I understand what you mean when you ask if a 1/10 scale boat is starting to sound appealing... haha. god yes..... oh lord yes, in every aspect. haha

[nichismo]

Hey guys, just a few more pics I wanted to share despite not really making too much progress... as im still waiting for my klass kote to arrive. However ive taken some steps to make sure the rest of the primer I lay down is done so in a much better fashion than previously. I still need to do some sanding before I proceed with that.

I did finish my sub hatch cover finally, its now perfect for this build after many many tries lol. Im still unsure if I want to paint it to blend in with the rest of the boat, or just keep it clear coated, as I could save a little weight with that too. For now though, ill definately leave clearcoated only, at least through some driving sessions :)

I took some pictures with the wing on for the heck of it, despite them looking pretty horrid at the moment, and the tabs being partially ruined for the moment, I thought it looked nice nonetheless.

[cybercrxt]

Looking great Nick! Mike

[nichismo]

Wow, coming from you Mike, that means alot, thanks

Well, I couldnt be happier now at this point with how the last bits of the build are turning out. After far more sanding, filling, cleaning, checking, and repeating that process constantly over the past few weeks and creating more powder and dust in my garage than I ever concieved, I finally got around to spraying the subsequent KK epoxy primer ive been talking so much about. Man this stuff is amazing, I cant believe how easy it is to apply using even a Preval (or I should say several) disposable sprayers. The stuff just flows out on its own to perfect surface coverage at least as far as im concerned, as I lacked any real technique other than doing my best not to create any runs. It blew me away how good of coverage and finish I was able to get given the circumstances. And it is curing far quicker and is tack free in about 30 minutes, ready for another coat. I actually got a little overconfident at one point and got a little too aggressive, so I ended up with a slight run in a couple spots around the cockpit area, but I was amazed at how well it fixed itself after waiting an hour to re-coat it as opposed to the 20-30min I had previously done. Then on the next coat, I couldnt believe how just 1 more layer of primer hid what I thought was a big gob run just a few moments before! This stuff is just great, two thumbs up to Phil for recommending it to me :)

Ill probably do a little wet sanding with 600 grit perhaps in a couple days, and it shouldnt be too much more work after that to hit the water. I still need to get to finish shooting the wings and cowling, and im waiting on a turn fin to come in the mail this week before Ill be able to re-rig everything. Hopefully she doesnt end up being too heavy when its all said and done, as it did indeed take a good amount of primer and filler to get the surface to an acceptable point.

I was hoping to be able to take better pictures than these soon, a couple of these are actually about halfway through the recent effort, and the rest are from just a few moments ago after the last coat was applied. I was just anxious to get some taken and share my progress to you guys! So glad I wont need to be touching any more spackling, glazing putty, epoxy or other fillers for a while..... phew!!

More to come soon!

[nichismo]

Gosh the pictures turning out rotated is getting a bit annoying lol

[nichismo]

last few

[Speed810]

Nick....Its looking GREAT man!! Got to love it when everything finally comes together...
So you going to test it just in the primer stage?

Still doing some fine tuning with my 1/8 scale Elam. Been hard finding some good days for running with work and all sorts of other things going on lately.

Can't wait to see how it balances and runs!!! Take some video man....LOL

Again Great Job!!

Mike

[OZbryan]

Can i ask why is the esc mounted on top of the motor?
What is the advantage of this?

[nichismo]

im actually not mounting the ESC on the motor anymore unfortunately, but i would if i had the option.

there is a few advantages in doing such. It saves precious space, as with these boats, as with the lipos being there, and the fact that they almost always have an enclosed engine well too, so there is hardly any room to begin with. Also it helps with weight distribution as you want everything to be as far forward as possible, and rather than placing 1 in front and the other farther behind, they can both in the same spot. It also means less cable length too. Remember lipos always should be as far foward as possible, farther up front than anything else.

an update coming later tonight!!

[nichismo]

hey guys, I dont have any new pictures at the moment but ill get some up here soon.

I mainly wanted to post an update as I needed some insight, as Ill be taking her out for the maiden this week, I finally got my VC turn fins in the mail, along with my Icharger setup from ProgressiveRC (awesome!). I even ordered a large case from PRC to hold all my charging needs, and its got some cool built in features too so that I can have as little down time at the lake as possible :)

So I plan to do the first run without the rear wing installed and the front canard set to neutral angle (horizontal. Also, the turn fin is setup at a 90 degree angle to the floor, the bracket is parallel with the bottom of the boat. Im not sure how I should setup the strut to begin with though, as in depth mainly. Ill be bringing some adhesive lead weights that I can just temporarily stick onto the top deck of the sponson up front to experiment with the balance while shes running. Also, I was going to start out with the 2 blade x450, but after talking to a couple people im wondering if this is a large enough prop. that and the 3 blade version are the only props I have ready to run, so if thats the case Ill need to order more ASAP.

im bringing a blow up raft and a friend of mine to video everything, were going to check a couple different lakes in the morning to try and get a mirror surface, hopefully the weather permits and everything goes smooth overall. Im pretty nervous, as I dont have any experience driving whatsoever!! (stupid to not at this point....)

would really appreciate any insight, precautions, or anything else that anybody feels is necessary to mention, please if you have even the SLIGHTEST remote obligation to comment or ask something, please do so!

thanks!

[JimClark]

Where you going to run and what day and time?

[nichismo]

Honestly I hadnt set anything for sure yet, I was probably going to go to 5 mile lake not too far of a drive from my house, but I am honestly open to going almost anywhere

[leonard feeback]

Nic, blow up raft NOT the best idea. Wear a life vest also. Sharp turn fins make holes in rubber boats, be careful. In the future you may want to make up a retrieve ball setup. Hope all goes well. By the way your knees will really shake with that first run, and your hands also. You may also have a BIG grin on your face.