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Thread: Darin's UL1 Race Prep

  1. #1
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    Default Darin's UL1 Race Prep

    OK Gang... I've finally gotten around to taking one of my UL1s out of the box.

    First thing I did was remove the stickers and fins, and then I tore the entire boat down. That's just how I roll...

    What follows details the things I'm doing to prep mine for racing this season.

    WARNING: What follows is in NO WAY authorized, endorsed, promoted, or otherwise condoned by AquaCraft or any entities associated with AquaCraft. Doing many of these actions could very well VOID any factory warrantee on this boat, so please be aware of that before proceeding. This thread is simply ME sharing what I'm doing to my UL1 to get it ready for a season of racing. The content provided is solely from me for the purpose of showing one approach to making this boat race-ready. Proceed at your own risk!

    I did pressure test the water jacket (blew into the water lines) and it leaks badly right out of the box. I'm not concerned at all, however, because I know that Mike Z is on top of this.

    So, with the boat torn down, I put all the parts into Ziplock bags and set them aside. First setp is to reinforce the turn-fin area. I KNOW that this won't be necessary on later boats, as AQ is working on the issue now, but at least this one is rather soft in the turn-fin area and I think it should be reinforced.

    These pictures show how I'm approaching this.
    Attached Images Attached Images
    Last edited by Darin Jordan; 01-19-2009 at 02:05 PM.
    Darin E. Jordan - Renton, WA
    "Self-proclaimed skill-less leader in the hobby."

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    Next I cut out the hole and fabbed a backing plate for the turn-fin sponson... Backing plate is fabbed from two pieces of 3/32 heavy ply (thin laminations and lots of them) laminated together with epoxy.

    I'm using nutplates on the backside and have added a third mounting point. The existing pattern picks up to of the holes in a standard Fuller's style bracket, so having the extra mounting point will give me turn-fin mounting options later. I'd like to see the factory bracket pick up this pattern, as I believe it would be a touch stouter and would distribute the loads better...

    To locate the holes, I test fit the backing plate, then transfered the factory holes to the wood and drilled them out. I used a Fuller's bracket to locate the third hole. This step is, of course, optional. Just me planning ahead again...

    I have also knocked out the original aluminum backing plate so I'll have a better fit to the fiberglass. I was able to knock it loose by partially threading a screw into it then striking the screw sharpy. Epoxy popped right off.. I have a picture of that at home that I'll post later... It may have helped that I used a wide flat Xacto blade on the inside and sharply "rapped" on it with a hammer in an attempt to pop the glue loose... this may have loosened things up. Just be careful and take your time.
    Attached Images Attached Images
    Last edited by Darin Jordan; 01-19-2009 at 02:01 PM.
    Darin E. Jordan - Renton, WA
    "Self-proclaimed skill-less leader in the hobby."

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    I pressed in some nutplates, then greased and inserted three 4-40 screws to protect the holes while the laminating epoxy dries on the forward side of the backing plate. Once this dries, I'll fit it into the hull by locating it and holding it in place with the same screws, running laminating epoxy down into the area, then tightening the screws to hold it in place while it dries... making sure to grease the screws well.

    I'll document those steps as I do them and update this thread at that time.
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    Darin E. Jordan - Renton, WA
    "Self-proclaimed skill-less leader in the hobby."

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    Darin, dude...
    this is a great "tut"... although I don't own an UL-1 I can appreciate and use the
    techniques here elsewhere...

    BTW, gotta love Dremel... handy little bugger.
    :::::::::::::::. It's NEVER fast enough! .:::::::::::::::

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    I will make the pattern available for the backing plate as well... I need to find out what the final shape will be first... I think this one fits perfectly, but I want to get to the finish line before I decide that for sure...

    Also, the "leg" on this extends up onto the top of the airtrap, up flush with the inner wall of the hole... Should help transfer the loads better...

    Plenty more pics to follow... once I make some more progress...
    Darin E. Jordan - Renton, WA
    "Self-proclaimed skill-less leader in the hobby."

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    Thanks for sharing!! Its a big help to people!!
    Steven Vaccaro

    Where Racing on a Budget is a Reality!

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    Thanks! Looking forward to the template. If you get a chance, can you take a pic of the inside of the turn fin sponson area?

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    No disrespect to Darin, but the photos I have seen seem to point out that the edge of the sponson is the problem...too much lateral force to that area. Should the sponson outside area be fortified also?
    PS Grim's response would be appreciated, and I am NOT stating this is a bad model, to the contrary I just purchased one from OSE

    Douggie
    Last edited by Flying Scotsman; 01-19-2009 at 04:15 PM.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Flying Scotsman View Post
    No disrespect to Darin, but the photos I have seen seem to point out that the edge of the sponson is the problem...too much lateral force to that area. Should the sponson outside area be fortified also?
    PS Grim's response would be appreciated

    Douggie
    Douggie... I don't know what has previously been shown, but I know what I'm doing... There shouldn't be any force on the "outside of the sponson" once I'm finished with this update. All the load will be transfered to this backing plate and distributed across the airtrap and up to the tunnel area... I can see what you might be saying, however... The pressure from the outside of the mounting bracket, it basically pivoting on the two mounting screws, could cause it to stress the glass along that edge... That won't be an issue when I'm done...

    Also... on final installation... There will be plenty of additional "reinforcing when the area is flooded with epoxy to seal this piece in... The main concern, however, is from the mounting screws of the turn fin toward center... That will be the side loading the fin... AND, this backing plate extends the full width of the sponson, so it'll contact that area anyhow...

    I've got it covered... at least for my boat... More pics to come shortly...
    Last edited by Darin Jordan; 01-19-2009 at 04:34 PM.
    Darin E. Jordan - Renton, WA
    "Self-proclaimed skill-less leader in the hobby."

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    Darin has offered some of the best updates to Aquacraft models and his knowledge, enthusiasm and efforts to support FE boating are second to none. I may disagree from time to time...surprise!! but on the whole Darin and many other DUDES you know only try to grow the hobby with their knowledge. Learn and do not think about suing a manufacturer for a minor problem, as they will be out of business and the rest of us will suffer for your minor $ gain.

    Douggie

  11. #11
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    Darin, good thread sir!!!

    Doug
    MODEL BOAT RACER
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    Darin,

    If one was to cut a larger hole in the tub, is there enough room to lay additional glass on the back, sides, top, and bottom of the sponson along with a larger back plate?

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    I have the new backing plate in a drying now... Here's what I did...

    First, here I've added a picture showing how I located the holes. Basically, test fit the piece, and once you are happy with how it fits, transfer the holes, take the piece out, and drill it up.

    With the backing plate out, I used a flat Xacto blade to chissle out the old epoxy as best I could so the new plate would fit as tightly as possible to the surface of the sponson material... It won't be perfect, but it'll get filled with epoxy anyhow, so I just wanted it as close as possible...
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    Darin E. Jordan - Renton, WA
    "Self-proclaimed skill-less leader in the hobby."

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    At this point, I'm ready to glue the backing plate in permenantly. I ran a 4-40 tap through all the nutplates to make sure they were clean.

    Then, I coated some temporary 4-40 screws with grease, and CAREFULLY filled the holes in the nutplates with grease, to protect the threads from the epoxy. I cleaned up the any excess with laquer thinner...

    With all this setup, I mixed about 7.5cc of epoxy for the first pour. I coated the aft side of the plate and all edges liberally with epoxy, then slid the piece in place and threaded in the fasters loosely.

    Once the plate is positioned correctly, I snugged down the fasteners as far as I dare without cracking the glass... I was able to get them seated down pretty well, except for the third one I added, but even it's not too bad...
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    Darin E. Jordan - Renton, WA
    "Self-proclaimed skill-less leader in the hobby."

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    With everything snugged down, I poured in the remaining epoxy, concentrating on the aft side of the plate. My intent is to fill all the voids and basically flood the area with epoxy, sealing the wood plate in there nicely and filling any gaps between the plate and the sponson transon inner surface. This way the outter glass won't crack when torque is applied do to the glass compressing into any gaps...

    I propped the boat up at an angle the would allow the epoxy to stay in the area of concern and turned on the heater and I'll let that cure for 24-hours.

    Tomorrow, I'll pour in some more epoxy and repeat that as needed until I'm satisfied that the area is secure and solid.
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    Darin E. Jordan - Renton, WA
    "Self-proclaimed skill-less leader in the hobby."

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    Quote Originally Posted by LuckyDuc View Post
    Darin,

    If one was to cut a larger hole in the tub, is there enough room to lay additional glass on the back, sides, top, and bottom of the sponson along with a larger back plate?

    Perhaps.... but I think you'd have a tough time getting around the floatation that's in there... Might be possible... but I think harder...
    Darin E. Jordan - Renton, WA
    "Self-proclaimed skill-less leader in the hobby."

  17. #17
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    Default Sponson Backing Plate Template

    Here is the template I used for my hull. I've included the dimensions so you can scale the printout.

    I'd suggest you print then, then trim it out, leaving some extra material. Then test fit it and trim as necessary until you have an acceptable fit. This should be close.

    The attached file is a .jpg of the sketch.

    Here is a link to a .pdf version. Not sure which would be easier to use... take you pick:

    UL1 Sponson Backing Plate Template in .PDF


    Also... before you guys start hacking an cutting... you might want to wait until I'm almost finished in case I've made any mistakes along the way or discover a better way to do things... At this point, I'm committed... you aren't yet and there may be a better way to go about this.
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    Darin E. Jordan - Renton, WA
    "Self-proclaimed skill-less leader in the hobby."

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    Default Stuffing Tube support

    While I'm waiting for the epoxy in the sponson to fully cure, I thought I'd do another bit of "upgrade" that I like to do...

    I'm not a big fan of long lengths of unsupported stuffing tube, so here is what I usually do in my boats...
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    Darin E. Jordan - Renton, WA
    "Self-proclaimed skill-less leader in the hobby."

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    Once the part is fitted, I use some sandpaper on a stick to get under the stuffing tube and rough-up the area. I also use a piece of fine paper to clean up the brass tubing.

    When finished, wipe down the area with some mineral spirits or laquer thinner.
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    Darin E. Jordan - Renton, WA
    "Self-proclaimed skill-less leader in the hobby."

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    All that's left now is to epoxy it all into place.

    I am using some MAS FLAG medium epoxy here. It takes overnight to dry, but it seems to adhere to the metal better. I also often wrap a thin layer of fiberglass cloth up and over the assembly, but I've done it both ways and haven't had one fail yet, so this should work for this boat. It's really just a brace to help keep a careless moment from bending the stuffing tube or cracking the hull in this area.
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    Darin E. Jordan - Renton, WA
    "Self-proclaimed skill-less leader in the hobby."

  21. #21
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    Nicely done and a great idea for just about any boat.

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    I went out this morning and poured in another 7.5cc of epoxy. I may do one more pour tonight, just to make darn sure it's solid in that area.

    More to follow...
    Darin E. Jordan - Renton, WA
    "Self-proclaimed skill-less leader in the hobby."

  23. #23
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    A request Darin,
    for your next template, could you ink the lines after you 'finalize' the shape and before you scan it? thanks.
    d/l'd the pdf and printed it...just need to start cutting.
    rex
    Still waiting for my boat to come in.it came in

  24. #24
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    These glue syringes work perfect for tight areas and what ever.

    http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...?&I=LXGGG7&P=7

  25. #25
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    You can find the same thing on ebay from medical supplies in bags of 25 to 50 of them
    cheaper

    Quote Originally Posted by detox View Post
    These glue syringes work perfect for tight areas and what ever.

    http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...?&I=LXGGG7&P=7
    "Our society strives to avoid any possibility of offending anyone except God.
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  26. #26
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    Made the final epoxy pour this morning and a little more tonight... it's all filled up to my liking at this point. I'll close everything up tomorrow and move onto other areas...
    Attached Images Attached Images
    Darin E. Jordan - Renton, WA
    "Self-proclaimed skill-less leader in the hobby."

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    A couple of questions:

    1) My boat will not be red, will these mods work on other colros too??

    2) Can I pour the epoxy with my left hand? I notice you use your right hand, is that because it is the right hand sponson? Does this matter?

    And one serious one - rather than simply pouring epoxy, which really has no intrinsic strength to it, I suggest mixing in some chopped glass or CF to give it lots of extra strength.

    Guess I'm going to have to get one of these for my own self now!!
    Don't get me started

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    Quote Originally Posted by Bill-SOCAL View Post
    And one serious one - rather than simply pouring epoxy, which really has no intrinsic strength to it, I suggest mixing in some chopped glass or CF to give it lots of extra strength.
    Bill, I think that the point of the resin is not the actual strength factor of the doubler but just the gluing and even then the screws will pull it together anyway... the doubler is not giving any structural stiffness to the hull just to the fin area...
    :::::::::::::::. It's NEVER fast enough! .:::::::::::::::

  29. #29
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    Quote Originally Posted by Bill-SOCAL View Post
    A couple of questions:

    1) My boat will not be red, will these mods work on other colros too??
    Sorry dude... but this will only work on the white, yellow, or red boats... You "orange" guys are out of luck! Dang...


    Quote Originally Posted by Bill-SOCAL View Post
    2) Can I pour the epoxy with my left hand? I notice you use your right hand, is that because it is the right hand sponson? Does this matter?
    It depends on whether or not you are trying to hold a camera and take pictures as you pour...

    Quote Originally Posted by Bill-SOCAL View Post
    And one serious one - rather than simply pouring epoxy, which really has no intrinsic strength to it, I suggest mixing in some chopped glass or CF to give it lots of extra strength.
    I like it... The only thing is, at least for the initial pour, is I wouldn't want anything keeping the epoxy from freely flowing into the area... Most of the other epoxy I poured in was just to tie everything together, and it probably would work better with some chopped glass in there... I'll try that on the second hull... which is a white one...
    Last edited by Darin Jordan; 01-21-2009 at 03:18 PM.
    Darin E. Jordan - Renton, WA
    "Self-proclaimed skill-less leader in the hobby."

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    I just thought of a revision to this process that would improve it...

    At the point where you are about to glue the plate in, it would help the process to make a rigid plate, or just use the mounting bracket, underneath the screws on the outside of the sponson... When everything it tightened down, this would ensure that the outter surface stays nice and flat, and isn't compressed by the screws...
    Darin E. Jordan - Renton, WA
    "Self-proclaimed skill-less leader in the hobby."

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