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/Sc...-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.

47E5B3B4-72D0-4BCF-94F2-977231C2FF41.jpg

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

[Ayles]

Strut installed!

[nocebo]

Super clean install on the strut - hardly any gap at all. Looks like you are making some progress. What motor did you end up going with?

[Ayles]

Welcome back! Thanks for the vote of confidence on the strut, took a while to get up the courage to cut into the hull.

This is the motor I went with. The vendor is semi local to me and has been super helpful with the parts I need.

https://www.allrc1.com/product-page/...92-850kv-combo

[Ayles]

Got my wing parts last night! Will be off and running with those soon since I needed them so I could work on the skins.

wings.jpg

[Ayles]

Worked a bit on the front end yesterday. Still a bit confused on how the cowling comes together. Overall happy with how the framing turned out.

DFBE61D2-8F3B-4171-A9FC-90E7B16CDDF4.jpg88020126-1ACC-4D0D-83DB-3F92171A5725.jpg6034A18C-E974-4629-A7D3-EF906CDFEF9D.jpg

[nocebo]

Some great updates. The motor looks good - 850KV, what voltage pack are you planning on running?

I am also at the cowling stage, although i did my front end a bit differently, and slightly (actually a lot) overcomplicated it.

Are you planing on sitting the cowling on top of the hatches in your picture above. Also where are you planning on housing your batteries?

[Ayles]

As far as batteries I have not made that decision yet.

The cowling is still such a mystery to me, I have all of the part from RC boat company but I am really struggling with figuring out how much trimming needs to happen and how to handle the nose. In some photos it looks like people build up the nose and cut the front off and permanently mount it.

I was thinking the batteries can go in the nose section. I have lots of access so hopefully that will work.

[nocebo]

Yeah im sort of at the same point of mounting up the cowling - I swear i have spent hours just staring at it trying to work out how to make it all work.

My thinking is that I will do the cutting off the nose thing as well, have it permanently mounted. Probably the part of the boat that takes the most oncoming water so better to not have a lip seal at the front. The problem i am having is that the nose of the cowling doesnt seem to line up with the profile of the underlying frame - the cowling is wider.

Ive also worked out (after much thinking and photo browsing) that the front of the cowling over the "cockpit" section mates with the framing, whilst the rear turbine section just sits on top of the deck.

Batteries - im mounting up front as well, im also trying to fit the speed controller in there to get weight as far forward as possible to avoid having to add lead to the sponsons. Tight fit but i think i can make it work.

Im waaay overdue to post photos of my build - ill try to get it up so you have some references to work off

[Ayles]

Ha that totally resonates here! I have spent a ton of time just staring at the cowling and trying to determine how it should go on.

Here is a pic of mine where you can its also a bit wider, plus it needs to some sort of profile cut into it so it follows the curvature of the hull. I do think that trimming it to where the cowling starts to curve inward will help get it to the right size/width.

cowling1.jpg

I have been contemplating what to do here as well. Do the two cowling pieces get epoxied together? It definitely seems like it so everything gets trimmed and contoured together.
cowling2.jpg

[Ayles]

Getting ready to skin the sponsons and realized I need to think about cooling lines. I saw a similar set up here but can’t find it anymore.

Thinking I will do brass lines Xs 2 since I have a two pickup rudder.

[Chrisk7]

Did you ever finish this up?

[Ayles]

Did you ever finish this up?

So not finished, but I am still working on it. I need to buy more expensive bits like baterries and radio equipment. But have made a ton of progress!
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