In the beginning...

The wtc so far for my little boat, I've had to move the two bigger boats into the bath whilst I wait for the carpets to be laid, so I'm playing about with "Project 671". The rudder and plane servos will fit either side of the motor (and yes, there's room...just)

I have started on the hull, all the flood holes are cut out, deck holes are drilled out, next job is to fit the bow cone.

Glad to see that the parts fit well....and I thought the X craft was bad?

This boat turns horribly as the big pump-jet over-stabilizes it about the yaw axis -- it's a bitch to turn. Make the lower rudder much bigger than scale. Otherwise, its a fast, easy to drive little boat.

David

I left the pump jet off on the Dragonfish (which was a much modified SeaWolf) and made a much larger/longer rudder for it...I found it would turn very well like that, there's some photos of it on here somewhere.

A trial fitting shows that the Dragonfish deck fits onto the new hull much better than the new deck does...maybe I'll use that and have a new Dragonfish. The old hull is shot to pieces, there's two big cracks in it and the original epoxy glue never did seem to take properly, so it looks as though I've talked myself into refitting the Dragonfish with nice new hull, I can reuse the rudder and dive planes from the old one which will save a bit of work.

Seems a shame to relegate the Dragonfish to shelf queen status, it was such an unusual boat. I have a nice new brass seven blade scimitar prop for it, so that would seem to be the plan.

I love it! ConForm meets SEAWOLF.

http://www.secretprojects.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=7792.0



David

That's the one...there were only two photos I found of the project, and that's one of them.

The postman has just delivered the bits for the boat (two micro servos and the propshaft) so, hands permitting, I can crack on today with the conversion.

David M, when you fit the rudder shaft and the plane shafts through a plastic hull like this, do you fit a bearing of some sort, or just run the shaft straight through the hull with a support inside?


Richard

Managed to get a bit more done to the wtc, the two servos are fitted either side of the motor, and Alf's auto leveller fits perfectly alongside the rx. I've also got the prop shaft installed, that fitted just right too...must be my lucky day.

There's just enough room to get the little air pump to fit right at the front end of the wtc tray...and only just. That's the next job after these blasted hands have settled down again.





This is the Koge air pump, valve and bladder that's going in, it's tiny.

I knew it would fit..it took me longer to figure out where to put the air pump than it did to fit the thing, but now it's in and plumbed in, just got the wiring to do next. The air release valve fits under the equipment tray (just, but it does fit) and the bladder sits on the top of the wtc...again, it just fits. Good thing it's only a small bladder, but there's so little of the superstructure on the Dragonfish above the waterline, it's big enough.









And for those who are thinking "but that's only a three channel rx he's fitted, he'll need for channels"...yes, I know. I used that rx to work out how much room I'd need, the actual four channel rx is on the way from Hong Kong, and it's even smaller than the one in the pictures.

Now here's a strange thing...just put a level across the new hull for the Dragonfish, and the results are a bit unusual, to say the least? Check out the position of the bubble on the square.

Any ideas as to why this happened, chaps? Needless to say the stand is sitting level, I did check that.

Do You have another level?.....if not borow one ,
- put them on the same time,one in front of another on a surface and check to see if both sown the same level if not rotate one of them on the same plan with 180 degrees and see what's happening.

If is OK with your own meens the body of the sub is TWISTED along the axe ,check that.

My HUMBLE OPINION,

MARIUS

The problem is no more. In fact, it now seems as though there wasn't a problem to begin with.
The difference in the levels in the hull is simply caused by the hull flexing...if I take the wtc out, I can twist the hull by quite a few degrees either way left or right...let go, and it springs back to it's proper shape. I tried this with the Skipjack, and that did exactly the same. I guess it's due to the thinness of the plastic in these long thin plastic hulls which allows them to flex like this?

Anyway, I'm happy now I don't have the problem of a warped hull to contend with.

Thanks for all the suggestions and the help, guys...much appreciated.

Luky You.I am glad to hear that.

So am I, Marius!

USS Dragonfish...the sequel.


Getting there now...I scrapped the old hull and used the new one from the SeaWolf kit, with the old (enlarged) rudder, dive planes and rear cones, that saved a lot of work making new parts. The prop you see in the pics isn't the right one, there's a custom built, 27mm, seven blade scimitar one on it's way from Hong Kong (thanks to Donald Lo).

Got a bit more done this morning...additional periscope added, and fitted the new prop shaft and prop. Future son in law has been volunteered again to respray the boat for me. If he wants to marry my daughter...







(apologies for the dust on the deck, that's what a year in dry dock does...!)