Project VooDoo mono build

[kfxguy]

I've been collecting things for this boat for a while. I've had big plans for it. It's what I call a kbb34, by far my favorite mono. I've built 3 of these and sold two and one was for a customer. This one is for me (hopefully I can manage to hang on to it for a while lol). The plans are to see just how fast I can go with it. My last one hit 91-92mph but I was using old technology props, cheap rudder, power limiting esc and on a mono that evidently just didn't play well with this mono. So.....here I am again, this time calling it project voodoo because I'm gonna have to work some magic to make this thing do what my ultimate goal is. I plan on being this boat to Huntsville and making some passes next year hopefully. This is only one of the three main boats I plan on bringing and I hope it doesn't disappoint. I've learned a lot since the original one some I'm going to employ everything I've learned and all the little tricks I can to maximize what it will do. Wish me luck! No on to the good stuff!

Parts list:

Neu 1521 (temporary motor, have another one planned)
Sf300 heavy (lol...it's not a lite so what do I call it? It's heavy for sure!)
Custom cnc cut 3mm motor mounts (thx Monojeff)
Radiopost servo
.187 flex of course
Speedmaster billet trim tabs
Speedmaster strut
Speedmaster rudder (not shown, need to order)
Carbon inlay
Castle bec
Billet rod ends for steering
Revo graphene batteries (6s parallel likely)


Close to everything for the 34"

[kfxguy]

So it's begun. My favorite part of the entire build......sanding. Not!




Ok so I'm cheating a little. This works good for the flat areas




I better tape it up before I scratch it or get epoxy on it!

[kfxguy]

So on my last one I built, the sexy green one, I was going 80 something and it flipped and split the hull a little at the seams. For some reason this hull seems to be made from a different but better epoxy and it has a fiberglass strip along the seam which the green one did not. Don't matter, I'm taking no chances, this one is getting reinforced at the seam. The first step is i mixed up some slow cure west epoxy and cut up some carbon cloth and put it in the epoxy.




And mixed it in. So purty lookin





No pic but I poured it down the seam and spread with a brush and then propped it up on its side. The other side tomorrow night.

[Mxkid261]

Nice. What color you thinking for this one?

[complacent_one]

Looking good, so far, Travis. I am really looking forward to seeing the rest of this build.

[fweasel]

Nice. What color you thinking for this one?

Pretty sure the green painter's tape is the final design.

[srislash]

Ok I'm in

[kfxguy]

Pretty sure the green painter's tape is the final design.

I was actually going to say that was my paint job and graphics last night lol.


Well I haven't made up my mind. One part of me really wants it the same green as the one I split. But then that's just a repeat. Not sure I want to do that. Then the white looks really good.....it has a pearl to it. But then on the other hand they all come in white. What do you guys think?

[Lone-Wolf]

Greatly looking forward to watching the build unfold...and then triple digits, I'm holding you to that.

The green on the last one looked great especially against your murky water, I think doing it the same is OK, paying respect to a fallen friend.

[fweasel]

Do a split color, white hull base with two large diagonal green bands or something like that

[Lone-Wolf]

Do a split color, white hull base with two large diagonal green bands or something like that

Agreed or something along that road, some sort of graphic(s) instead of a solid?

[kfxguy]

Agreed or something along that road, some sort of graphic(s) instead of a solid?

Well I'm no good at painting graphics, I'm lucky enough to do a nice job in a single color lol. I do have a decal cutter and decent hand cutting skills. I have some carbon vinyl too.

The other green one was repaired and revived. I gave it to a friend.

[Lone-Wolf]

OK. I'm starting to like the bright/fluorescent colors, they look so good on the water at-speed, nice to actually be able to see you boat especially since you do SAW runs and the boat is way outta sight in a flash! My all-black Mystic is a nightmare, looks great on the stand but while it's sitting at the end of a run waiting for water to calm down the only way I can get sight of it is by blipping the throttle so I can see the rooster. Just my .02...whatever you do will look great I'm sure.

[Tamelesstgr]

Voodoo makes me think of Black and Purple as main colors for some reason

[kfxguy]

OK. I'm starting to like the bright/fluorescent colors, they look so good on the water at-speed, nice to actually be able to see you boat especially since you do SAW runs and the boat is way outta sight in a flash! My all-black Mystic is a nightmare, looks great on the stand but while it's sitting at the end of a run waiting for water to calm down the only way I can get sight of it is by blipping the throttle so I can see the rooster. Just my .02...whatever you do will look great I'm sure.

Yea BRIGHT colors woujd be a good idea for sure. You have a point.

[kfxguy]

Voodoo makes me think of Black and Purple as main colors for some reason

While that may look good, I need to be able to see it, why I was swaying towards a bright color.

[kfxguy]

So I ran the epoxy down the other side tonight. This is the part that's a slow going process. Pour. Wait. Pour. Wait. Lol.

After this I need some in the very tip. For extra weight and strength.

[Lone-Wolf]

Been through exactly this with my Cheetah...certainly worth the time and efforts ;-)

[pistol18]

Always enjoy seeing your builds, inspires the rest of us!
Looking good Trav, I like the bright color 2 tone idea too, will help it be visible at the far end of the pond.
Also, good news is if you happen to break a hammer you have a few spares....

[golfito]

Hi, I really like these threads. Fantastic.
Perform the reinforcement with epoxy + carbon shredded at the ends. And finish covering the entire hull with CF twill. Covered in pieces. The parts are framed by black cloth tape (electric / automotive tape). That cut to 2mm to ensure the fibers.
May I ask if you take special precautions for your personal safety?
Try to wear gloves, face masks and glasses most of the time. What little I read about carbon led me to use more protection.
Buy that lime green for my boat. Epoxy paint. It looks very nice.

[grsboats]

Nice Travis and YES Golfito is absolutely right about safety when working with any kind of fiber,,,mainly sanding with a powertool....I think this is the main Con of fiberglass boats besides being my production boats.Gill

[golfito]

Use the mask also to shred the twill. Many particles were released.
Grsboats, very nice web !, greetings from Argentina.

[Lone-Wolf]

All the more reason to get that big fume hood up and running in your shop!

[TheShaddix]

Looking good! But one thing I don't understand is using masking tape to cover the entire hull. Doesn't that leave residue and is difficult to remove after a few days? When I mask out some cf pieces the tape is always hard to peel later. I guess I am confused because it'll be sanded/painted later anyway. Seems like a lot of tape wasted and you can still technically damage the hull through the tape. Or is this mainly so you don't drop epoxy on it?

[kfxguy]

Hi, I really like these threads. Fantastic.
Perform the reinforcement with epoxy + carbon shredded at the ends. And finish covering the entire hull with CF twill. Covered in pieces. The parts are framed by black cloth tape (electric / automotive tape). That cut to 2mm to ensure the fibers.
May I ask if you take special precautions for your personal safety?
Try to wear gloves, face masks and glasses most of the time. What little I read about carbon led me to use more protection.
Buy that lime green for my boat. Epoxy paint. It looks very nice.

I wear a mask when cutting it, sanding it etc. once the epoxy/cut carbon reinforcements are done, I'll do an inlay the will go u all the way both sides. I try to use one piece. If I don't think it's stiff enough I'll do two layers or a layer I've carbon and a layer of Kevlar under it. I haven't even flexed the hull just yet (what I normally do to gauge how many layers....by pushing on it to see how much give it has)

[kfxguy]

Looking good! But one thing I don't understand is using masking tape to cover the entire hull. Doesn't that leave residue and is difficult to remove after a few days? When I mask out some cf pieces the tape is always hard to peel later. I guess I am confused because it'll be sanded/painted later anyway. Seems like a lot of tape wasted and you can still technically damage the hull through the tape. Or is this mainly so you don't drop epoxy on it?

Well I use expensive 3m tape only. I've left it on for months and never had an issue with peeling it off. It might be because the temperature in my should doesn't get to extremes. I leave the air on auto in the summer and try to keep it below 88ish. The purpose is epoxy will get on it. I'll scratch it etc. might slip with the drill. Might drop something on it. I had it propped up tonight right before I poured epoxy in the tip and of course I knocked it over on the floor. It was padded where it fell over but just an example of my luck and sometimes clumsiness.

[kfxguy]

I guess it's that time. To do a really nice and neat job I do a mono a little different than a cat. I put the carbon fabric in dry. This hull is very stiff and really doesn't even need any carbon but I insist on doing it because grease and all that looks nasty on tan looking fiberglass. The carbon really dresses it up and it stays cleaner looking. The key to success here is making sure the epoxy soaks through. It's 65f in my shop right now (37f outside) and I have my epoxy a few feet from my heater so it will get a little thinner so it will soak in better. This may not be how some of you do it, but it works for me. I could put a coat of epoxy first then install the cloth but I'm wanting it lined up perfectly straight and I've never had it lift because I know how to get it soaked through. The only thing is to get it wet enough to soak it throughly I'll end up wasting some epoxy because I'll be soaking a bit back up. O well, sacrifice I'm willing to make for it to be perfect. I want this thing show quality.

[kfxguy]

I wasn't planning on doing the inlay tonight, I was going to just cut the cloth out and do it another day, but I won't be in the shop for the next couple of days so I figured why not. It'll be cured by the time I get back to it.



I can't complain. It turned out pretty dang nice

[TheShaddix]

Really great that you go into all that detail in your posts. I'm sure a lot of people appreciate that even if we don't mention it. There is always something new to learn! The inlay looks great. How do you keep that masking tape from separating when soaked? I tried this method but mine always came off and made a mess with carbon fraying, etc. Now I just use fabric glue, but the downside is that it takes time to cure. Oh, and keeping your epoxy by a heater is a neat trick. It's way easier to work with when it's warm.

[kfxguy]

Really great that you go into all that detail in your posts. I'm sure a lot of people appreciate that even if we don't mention it. There is always something new to learn! The inlay looks great. How do you keep that masking tape from separating when soaked? I tried this method but mine always came off and made a mess with carbon fraying, etc. Now I just use fabric glue, but the downside is that it takes time to cure. Oh, and keeping your epoxy by a heater is a neat trick. It's way easier to work with when it's warm.

The tape I use is high quality. I think it pactra brand, I get a big roll from my hobby shop. I think the main trick I've learned is to wear nitril gloves to keep from making snags and when I lay the tape I keep pressing it down firmly to make sure it's stuck firmly to the carbon. O and another important thing is to use sharp scissors, I use some .99 ones I get at harbor freight and I replace them often because they don't last long at all. I tried buying a $30 pair that's made for Kevlar but they didn't last much longer.....30 pairs of the cheapie will give me much more use for the same money. If your scissors aren't sharp and able to cut right through with ease then it'll pull the tape off and fray the fabric. When I put it in the hull and wet it out the tape stayed put, if it didn't you would really see it anyway because how far it goes up each side....it pretty much reaches the hatch lip