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[Backerther]

I made a simple boat stand with a name plate to transport to the lake and to store in her sleeping shelf.

[Backerther]

As next preparation work for transporting my Constellation to our local lake, I made slings briefly as in the pics below.

[ChrisF]

That's turned out really well.

I look forward to seeing it perform on the water.

Chris

[Backerther]

Chris,
Thanks a lot for your kind comment.!!
I wish she could sail safely and gracefully on our local lake to take place in the very near future like the pics below.
My latest cabin cruiser Constellation is coming out to the large lake at last after 3 month building works in cradle seeking for
both a good appearance and a good performance...!!??


Kiyo

[Backerther]

Brief water resistant process was made before maiden voyage which may take place on the calm water under/around1 m/s north
wind in our local lake for safety.
This Constellation has comparatively high sides for this class of model boats by which I think is a bit advantageous in terms of seaworthiness as compared with Lindberg PT-109 1/32 that has shown already a good performance on the same lake.

[Backerther]

The last work before the maiden voyage is an installation of a digital V meter which is indispensable for me who to sail
the RC boats on our large lake.

[1967Brutus]

The last work before the maiden voyage is an installation of a digital V meter which is indispensable for me who to sail
the RC boats on our large lake.

If I may be so blunt as to make a suggestion?

There is nowadays lots of relatively cheap radio gear availlable that come with very affordable telemetry options.

Back when that type of equipment came to market, my strong knee=jerk reaction was "what for???" but now that I have it, I find myself installing the stuff in ALL of my planes, helicopters and boats. It offers unlimited options for signalling or alarming the parameters you think are important to monitor.

And I honestly have to say, I would not have come near half as far with the development of my gasoline conversions, or my steampowered boat if it wasn't for the ability to see what is going on in the model when it is out on the water or in the air.

[Backerther]

As you may easily imagine, this V meter is just like a fuel gauge for a combustion engine car.
I make it a practice usually to sail a RC boat of this class for two times in one 5000mAh lipo.
It is sooo meaningful to know the V value each time after the first sailing at a glance by this V meter(without using tester).
At the same time, I usually carry so called a kitchen timer around my neck to grasp the running time previously set depending
on "the rest" in the battery.
Generally speaking, it is about 8 through 14 minutes run in one 5000mAh battery lipo depending upon my style of sailing.
From the above, it is indispensable for me to know easily the battery conditions always before/after each sailing.
"Fuel out" on the large lake will go ....???

[1967Brutus]

It is sooo meaningful to know the V value each time after the first sailing at a glance by this V meter(without using tester).

Imagine, that you can read that value on the display of your TX... Any time you want, before, after, but also DURING operation...

[Dave_S.]

I had a Taranis with all the telemetry enabled for my last foray into electric flight, but sold it when I decided I prefered glow engines. Wish I'd kept it now as it would be very useful to have voltage & power consumption, etc. figures on the Tx display.
Might splash out on another after Christmas just because it would be interesting.

[1967Brutus]

I had a Taranis with all the telemetry enabled for my last foray into electric flight, but sold it when I decided I prefered glow engines. Wish I'd kept it now as it would be very useful to have voltage & power consumption, etc. figures on the Tx display.
Might splash out on another after Christmas just because it would be interesting.

You won't believe how useful it CAN be to have telemetry when running IC engines.I modify glow engines to run on gasoline, and several of my designs actually use telemetry-controlled engine functions (like temperature and barometric pressure compensated fuel mixture). Strictly necessary it is not, but the measured values alone will help get so much better results, I could not have gotten as far as I did, without telemetry.

It is much more than just voltages and/or consumption figures... It allows for all kinds of stuff like actual and accurate runhour counters, engine stall warnings (my engines are quiet enough that i cannot tell they are still running even with only electric planes in the air), it warns for dropped (non-firing) cylinders in the two multi-cylinder engines I have, it operates starting assistance (based on the zero-RPM readout it opens the throttle a bit when starting, like this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iUw73mRIT3Q ) and all kinds of other cool stuff, like being able to drop of towed gliders at predetermined altitudes.

I can only wholeheartedly recommend it. You don't need it, but if you can think of it, a Taranis (or comparable TX) can do it...

[Backerther]

Imagine that I don't have such a higher class of RC radio as you have.
All that you have said can be understandable and reasonable on condition that I have a similar radio system.
See the pic of a radio for my Constellation below that is very old system like the Chris craft Constellation !
I have mentioned before, I still have lots of RC radios and crystals used in RC airplanes, Rc tanks, Rc cars and boats
in my younger age. There is no need for me to buy additionally much latest radio systems.
Making use of the older radios is my style of Rc hobby and economical in my hobby life.
Moreover,I don't feel to buy much higher RC radios for my RC modelling at all at my age.
A very simple digital V meter will do my want for this level of RC boat to sail even on the large lake.
And no problems have occurred as of today followed by prudent pre-checks.
I have felt no inconvenience so far as to Rc radio system that I have.
I bought additionally very old Futaba FF7 super for airplane some years ago.
1;the radio for my Constellation
2;This car made a long trail run for 12km(7.5miles)
3;The car in a tunnel  in the trail course.
4;1/16 RC tank has 2 V meters to run close to 4km(2.5miles)
5;Lindberg Pt-109


Enjoy your RC hobby with your own style and I'll do the same on my own budget, experience, skills, thoughts and taste
and and age!!.

[1967Brutus]

Apologies for polluting your trhead. Of course anyone should enjoythe hobby his own way.

They were just meant as suggestions, not as anything else...

[Backerther]

Never mind at all.!!!!
There are usually some or many different ways to reach the summit.
I like the sayings; " So many men, so many minds" or " There are as many opinions as there are people"
It may be perhaps ideal and happy if each could enjoy the RC hobby in each style.    This may be the hobby..?

[Backerther]

At last, she came to the lake from the cradle spent for 3 months to grow.
she looks much elegant on the water than on the table to me....
Draft looks OK beyond expectation though I installed two Mabuchi 540 motors that were much heavier than kit-furnished 280 ?class motors. I could not check the draft precisely and clearly in the bathtub test due to observing angle from my eyes.

[1967Brutus]

Looks perfect on the water! Especially the pics taken from a slightly larger distance, it becomes hard to tell if it's a miniature replica or the real thing.
It looks like she's ever so slighly down by the head, but it is very minimal. Could even be my imagination. Shifting the battery backwards a few cm should allready do it.

Curious to see how she will perform at some speed

[Backerther]

A great thanks for your kind comments to the point, and interest in the sailing of the boat.
Here are the pics of very first test run which I think is so so but not satisfied with that.
I made three runs totaling to 12 minutes at about 70% throttle at the fastest for fear of unexpected trouble on the water.
Moreover I didn't get her to run much farther on the water also for fear of some trouble. 
The dinghy did not have any problems at all.!
Cooling water was also confirmed as in the pics.!

[swiftdoc]

I have been following your build report with great interest, Kiyo. The outcome has turned out as I had expected, another very fine model   She looks quite majestic on the water, well done!

[Backerther]

Hi Doc,I'm soo glad to have a complimentary comment from a modeller like you who are veteran, skillful and gentle.!!!
In addition to the above, I'm also very much delighted with your attention to my postings of build of the cabin cruiser.


                                                                                                                                                      kiyo

[Backerther]

The first trial run was what I call "so so" as usual and I hereby attach the video to show you how she performed on the day.
The wind was 1m/s north nearly all day long which was good enough to carry out the first trial run except dirty surface of the lake....   A bit warm in these days in Tokyo. The second test run is supposed to perform in the near future after re-adjustment for a better performance on the water.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T5Tva-AVaUU&t=32s

[derekwarner]

mmmmmm Kiyo........ we hope that green water covering is not from the  xxxushima nuclear plant heavy water release ?  


[The computer word spell    detected a naughty word in English so has substituted XXX]

Do you glow green in the evenings?........
Derek

[1967Brutus]

The first trial run was what I call "so so" as usual and I hereby attach the video to show you how she performed on the day.
The wind was 1m/s north nearly all day long which was good enough to carry out the first trial run except dirty surface of the lake....   A bit warm in these days in Tokyo. The second test run is supposed to perform in the near future after re-adjustment for a better performance on the water.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T5Tva-AVaUU&t=32s

To be totally honest, the first few minutes of your video, I was really wondering what was that "so so" you  mentioned, as all I saw was a decent running boat. She is running a bit "wet" (not fully rising out of the water, which could be because she is slightly down by the bow when stopped) but nothing weird.

Then at the end of the video I noticed she did a few unexpected outward rolls when turning, and that surprised me because the first part of the video I did not see that tendency. Could it be that water is entering the boat affecting stability? Something moved internally?

But she looks great on the water, absolutely, I am sure you will get it right in the second run.

Congrats on a succesful maiden voyage.

[Backerther]

Hi Derek,
"xxxxx" nuclear plant is going well toward the abolition under the control of authorities concerned, as most gentle
countries have admitted it should be, especially, typically by EU countries including your country.
The waters off "xxxxx" is very clear scientifically, however, the worst is our waters in the lake as you have understood
 the dirty surface by the pics attached.....   That is so-called emerald green that has been making
us so nervous for nearly a decade.....
However, it gets OK from late December normally when is the best season though too cold....
"The green devil" can be seen at starboard and the waters.

[Backerther]

Hi 1967brutus,
That's right.!!! She has showed some kind of unstableness at higher speed sometimes in the run.
As for wet sailing you indicated, it may partly come from refrained throttle work for fear of the above characteristic.
And hull design of this boat is so-called a semi-displacement type so that it seems a bit hard to get into planing on the water..?

In the first half, I got her run at slower speed to check a range test, to adjust steering chracteristic, unexpected
trouble like coupling malfunction and the like while made her run a bit faster with 2/3 throttle or so in the latter half when the sailing showed a bit unstable sometimes...
In the second run of the day, the bad characteristic was improved to some extent.
I found the same tendency in another Constellations in You-tube during my build...
It may be perhaps  from a bit top heavy construction for a lightweight hull...no strakes no clinkers with just a concave V hull..
But she is not a PT boat nor speed racer so that I think excessively high speed is not to be expected like a real Constellation.
Scale realism of speed is also important in addition to her appearance, isn't it.??

[1967Brutus]

You could be 100% correct with your assessment of the stability at high speed, and indeed, looking at the pics of the original, I'd say the speed at which your model was still stable, fairly closely matches scale speed, so it should not go any faster anyway.

Probably best to limit the speed to that.

Which leaves the conclusion: "You, sir, have built an absolute stunner!"