Framed up the center section. Good news is that the one guy in the country that makes the fiberglass parts got back to me and the rear wing, turbine tray and front canard are on the way. Also have ordered the motor, mount, drive line and prop. So lots of good stuff going with even a little renewed momentum.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1635225019.jpg

Nice work Ayles, really cool.

But my question is who scalled on of these up and built a full size boat?

It's too bad that the spars and ribs are always hidden on wooden boats and airplanes.

Ain't that the truth?

Got a load of parts this week and started assembling the drive train. Basically a thick tightly wound spring inside of a brass tube with a prop shaft on the flexdrive. Interesting stuff that I had never seen in person before.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1636151026.jpg

Ayles, I'm going to be pissed if you don't put a scale model of Alissa White-Gluz at the controls of that bisch! :D



https://pbs.twimg.com/media/D5zhfl7XsAAei8I.jpg

Id give her a ride in my hydroplane any time!!

Been a bit since Ive done anything so headed down to my workshop last night and started cutting! Been avoiding this because its scary to cut into the hull, but seems to have turned out all right. The pic shows the strut installed through the hull. This holds the driveline/stuffing tube and prop. There are a ton of measurements and theory on how it should be placed. I spoke with a few local guys and took their advice. 5/8” in from the transom and a 1/4” left of center.

The hard part now is installing the motor so it lines up with the strut…

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1638585556.jpg

Well Jeff, you've inspired me. Well, both you and Rusty Heap. I've been busy - all of my running hardware is now installed, short of the speed control, which is on its way from Horizon Hobby. Motor, strut, stuffing box, rudder, skid fin, steering servo - all mounted up. It will be in the water this spring.

I have to say, though, I'm a bit worried. You see, I'm using the Pro Boat UL-19 running gear all the way around. I gave up on making it "competition legal", understanding that my 1960's Dumas Miss Unlimited hull is vastly outdated. Too heavy, poor design by today's standards, all of that. So, being just a "fun boat", I went with the convenience of a proven package. I figure if it all works in unison on the UL-19, it should work well on mine.

Then I started watching You Tube videos of that UL-19. Holy crap - one guy gets it up over 90 mph with a custom prop, but all stock electronics and propulsion. Granted, he's running 6S battery packs, but still - my poor old lite ply Miss Unlimited would literally come unglued at those speeds. So, I guess maybe 3S packs for me, at least to start. More of a "scale" speed. Good thing I've got plenty of them for my R/C airplane flying.

Thats awesome Jeff, post a couole pics! Would love to see it since the last few photos you shared.

Had some more parts show up and was able to do a bit of work on the framing that mates with the fiberglass cowling.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1639883515.jpg

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1639883515.jpg

Finally started a little work on the rear wings. These come as rough fiberglass parts that need a bit of sanding to get everything lined up. I epoxied them together with G-Flex + west systems 405 filler and a chunk of closed cell foam for flotation. They are still going to take a bit more sanding and a little filler to get the edges and seems perfect.

I have enough epoxy and filler to work on a real boat at this point...

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1643389138.jpg

what's going to be the color scheme of your hydro? Miss Bardall yellow/black checkerboard
was always a fav of mine.

I'm not sure yet, I might do something like Rainier Beer. But that never actually existed so is problematic for scale racing.

If you really do want to race it gets complicated with which hull you have and the paint scheme to go along with it. At that, most of the popular/famous hulls and paint schemes are already in use or claimed by club members.

Funny thing about Bardahl, If my neighbor cut down his trees I could probably see the factory's giant neon sign. Just a mile or two away as the crow flies.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1643393665.jpg

Yeah, it looks like the only game in town around here if one wants to race is Classic Thunder, the only local club that seems to have a race schedule. And, yes, their "hull registry" shows most of the desirable boats have already been taken. The good thing is, though, their rules do not allow them to camp on a boat without actually racing it. It sounds like they are pretty strict about it - don't race it with them for a year (it might be two), and you forfeit that boat, and it gets put back in the pool for someone else to use.

They have weird motor rules in the lower classes as well. The motor they spec is no longer available, and has not been manufactured for over ten years. I've asked them about that. It appears there are enough out there that they don't think it's a problem. Besides, they all have theirs... not very welcoming for anyone interested in joining... Their modern era class is "any motor" and speed control, so the sky's the limit there. Not sure that's where you want to start, though.

So, I finally got the speed control and other items necessary to finish my boat. In short, I bought the wrong boat. My Dumas Miss Unlimited hails from the 1960's. I built one as a kid and ran it on a tether in the Sammamish Slough, at Marymoor Park, powering it with a Fox .35 control line engine. Just free running on a tether, like a control line airplane. Well, with the motor and speed control in hand, but with no batteries just yet, it's obvious this thing is going to be crammed full (if everything will even fit) and a good deal heavier than it was ever meant to be. I'm getting kinda discouraged...

I might finish this one up as a "display model" and buy a more modern kit. Maybe ML Boatworks, but I really like the idea of a fiberglass or carbon fiber hull. We'll see.

https://usa.banggood.com/Volantex-V792-4-ATOMIC-2_4G-Brushless-PNP-60km-or-h-Atomic-RC-Boat-Without-Battery-Charger-Transmitter-p-1155657.html?cur_warehouse=CN&rmmds=search


https://www.towerhobbies.com/product/ul-19-30-hydroplane-brushless-rtr/PRB08028V2.html?gclid=Cj0KCQiAxc6PBhCEARIsAH8Hff3U 2LimL-Oz2Tl_u5cEHmdkof6NS4BIoADLqg-ie4QC0AUEgmsyY-gaAgB6EALw_wcB

https://usa.banggood.com/Wltoys-W915A-2_4G-brushless-RC-Boat-High-Speed-45km-or-h-F1-Vehicle-Toys-p-1891751.html?utm_source=googleshopping&utm_medium= cpc_organic&gmcCountry=US&utm_content=minha&utm_ca mpaign=minha-usg-pc&currency=USD&cur_warehouse=CN&createTmp=1&ID=62 87842&utm_source=googleshopping&utm_medium=cpc_bgc s&utm_content=sandra&utm_campaign=sandra-ssc-usg-all-newcustom-ncv90-0420-19cov&ad_id=432153545270&gclid=Cj0KCQiAxc6PBhCEARI sAH8Hff2wnUfncfjDgpoAuR2nRtNQBbk_4ss7kfNtVUtdb0jmk hQ9xrHFA7QaAiJUEALw_wcB

Jeff, I'd also reach out to Bill Brandt at Rattlesnake RC (Tri Cities). He will hop on the phone and get you sorted.

You can start a chat with him here (lower left corner of the screen) and then take it to the phone: https://www.allrc1.com/

Lots more wing work. The seam around the edge was pretty rough so I mixed up some more epoxy with some filler and ran it around the edge. Sanded it down this morning and its looking like they might be done!

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1643575720.jpg

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1643575720.jpg

Also worked on the mounts. They are made out of a scrap of carbon fiber I bought on ebay. Put a little radius on the corners to make them look a little better and drilled some holes to help with the epoxy.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1643575790.jpg

That CF in the last pic is a trick little piece.

Thanks!

Cutting it/shaping was far easier than I thought it would be. Used a small air powered cutoff wheel then a dremel tool with a sanding barrel to get the curve.

The exciting part is that once I epoxy in those carbon fiber mounts I can skin the left and right sponsons which is a huge jump forward.

Finally making progress on my Dumas (pronounced "dumb-ass", as in the guy who was stupid enough to buy this kit...) Miss Unlimited. I had it complete and in "running order", with all hardware, motor, speed control, radio, and batteries installed. I could have actually ran it, it was that complete.

So I took it all back apart. Now that I know everything fits and functions (yes, I powered it up and went for a full functional test), it's time to finish it. I'll fill, sand, and paint the bottom either "aluminum", or (more likely) white. I want to keep the deck in its natural mahogany, but I'm not sure I'll be able to do that. The decking proved to be most uncooperative, cracking in several places in spite of wetting it down before forming it. I did manage to fill the cracks with the dust created when sanding, by adding some CA glue into the cracks and filling them with that dust. I'm hoping that when I apply whatever clear I decide on, that it will all darken enough to mostly hide the cracks. We'll see.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1643760399.jpg

I think that will look pretty good with a couple coats of clear!

I make a living from concealing defects in natural finishes. PM me with any concerns.

Thanks Zeke!

Getting closer to being able to skin the sponsons. Last night I layed out the cooling lines, just need to figure out the outlets and that should pretty much be it.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1644516618.jpg

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1644516618.jpg

Well, I'm recovering from a pretty big setback. I tried finishing the mahogany deck with flecto varathane, which turned out to be a big mistake. It might be o.k. for furniture, but I just couldn't get the evenness to the finish I was after. Sanding it proved fruitless, as it seems to be pretty darn soft, and even appears to remain somewhat under cured under the surface. Tough and flexible, maybe, but it just didn't work out on the boat. So I wound up stripping it off, which proved to be no mean feat. Absolute PIA, really.

But, well, I think it "recovered" about as well as can be expected. I managed to gouge it a bit while trying to strip and scrape that damn varathane off, which was hugely disappointing. It's now ready to reassemble all of the hardware and running gear.

I'm still trying to come up with a name and a number. I don't want to recreate a real hydro. Suggestions are welcome.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1645406675.jpg

That sort of resembles the Arno XI…

Hard to tell from the pics that there are any issues. In fact it looks pretty damn good! Digging how it turned out.

I actually spent a fair amount of time working on mine this weekend. Wrapping up the water inlets/outlets. Probably pretty close to being where I can skin the sponsons. Cooling lines are pretty much the last thing in that regard.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1645408244.jpg

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1645408244.jpg

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1645408244.jpg

I 'd start with a list of words that begin with Mis
https://www.thefreedictionary.com/words-that-start-with-mis

For me, because I like the old WWII planes with a woman with curves in the right places and not a lot of clothes covering those places, I'd name her something like

Miss Behavin'
Miss Adventure
(Miss Antrhopic, ha ha)

Then I'd get a decal of a pin up gal:

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1645408226.jpg

And I might steal the number from the GeeBee racer, either the 7 or the 11; I'd definitely use the dice if I was going this way.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1645408226.jpg


But when I was looking at WWII noseart I came across this one, "Second Chance" which kind of fits the theme of this build. "Miss Second Chance"

Number 13 would be the way to go here, tempt fate.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1645408226.jpg

PS, Jeff, you can't name it Miss Rainier, Ayles got there first.

Another idea: Since you get all the lead for your reloading hobby at the local tire store, you could do something like "Miss Les Schwab" and throw your patron a bone!

Miss take?

All of the hardware and running gear are now reinstalled. All I have to do is complete the plumbing for the water cooling and seal the front half of the hull off from the battery/speed control/motor compartments so that it is water tight. The bulkheads and stingers have some gaps between them and the decking and other outer hull sheeting. While the whole front half is full of styrofoam, I still want it water tight so that it won't sink when (not if) I flip it.

It's kind of surprising, and somewhat concerning, just how heavy it feels. Like I wonder if it will even float heavy. Like it's gonna sink like a bowling ball heavy. I knew it would be heavier than its original design intent, which was built around a .35 size control line airplane motor. But this is really concerning. I think once it's sealed up I'm going to float it in the bath tub, just to see.

^^^

Don't post pics if you are going to be floating in the tub along with it! :eek:

:D

rip off the label
just drink a bit more of it, it will improve, trust me.

You mean you don't want to see how I steer it with my rudder?

Well, it's "ready" for its maiden voyage, in that it is fully functional. I'm still not happy with some of it aesthetically (like the fit of the cowling), but I can refine that from here. Dumas just really doesn't give one much to work with. Perhaps a carved balsa cowl or some modern piece from one of the parts suppliers is in its future. We'll see. For now, though, it's as ready to put in the water as it ever will be.


http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1645749044.jpg

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1645749044.jpg

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1645749114.jpg

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1645749114.jpg

Those familiar with hydroplanes will notice I built this thing to turn left, just like the real boats. Interestingly, almost all of the model hydroplane racing I have watched on YouTube goes clockwise, turning right. Our local racers go the "right" way, counter clockwise, so I have to wonder why clockwise is so prevalent in the hobby. From what I've been able to gather, at least the gas boats, due to engine rotation, turn right much better. Maybe not as big of a deal with the electrics (the locals I'm referring to are all electric). We'll see if it seems like a big deal.

Of course that may all be moot anyway. I'm strongly suspicious that this thing is just going to float around like a turd in a punchbowl. I'll be surprised if it actually gets on plane, much less "handles" well. It'll probably plod around like a factory trawler...

In the end, this thing will probably end up on a shelf, as a static display and I'll build a modern kit. I have some great running gear now, that would do really well in the proper boat.

I'm waiting for a new charger at the moment before I can actually take it out. The batteries are far larger than anything I run in my modest squadron of R/C aircraft, so my current charger ain't gonna do it. When that gets here so I can top off the batteries, it's "off to the races". Hopefully not the submarine races...

is that a phenolic or aluminum rudder on your boat Jeff? I hope aluminum as some of my plastic ones were garbage. you can get longer lengths too to keep a bite in the water.

https://usa.banggood.com/Aluminium-Alloy-110mm-Water-Absorbing-Steering-Rudder-w-or-Suction-for-CAT-RC-Model-Boat-Parts-p-1597631.html?cur_warehouse=CN&rmmds=search

You'll be very surprised at the power you got there Jeff, Call me for your first test run and we'll bring your rescue canoe! (I've seen you apex a corner ....)

All of the hardware is aluminum, no composite stuff at all. It's all from the Proboat hydroplane offered by Horizon Hobby. Top notch stuff all the way around. That particular boat, with a simple prop change, will touch 100 mph. There are several videos on Youtube where they are shown doing that.

So, no, power is not a problem. Or wait - yes, it is. This thing is vastly over powered for its design. There is a guy on Youtube with the same boat, similarly powered, and he has one hell of a time with it. First time he punches it, it just stands on the prop and back flips. He winds up having to really, really ease into it, but he still flips it at speed several times. It's pretty worrying to watch.