Model Boat Mayhem
Mess Deck: General Section => Chit-Chat => Topic started by: bikerdude666 on May 10, 2011, 08:35:57 pm
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Has anyone used these http://www.presentsformen.co.uk/product.asp?pf_id=6762&src=webgains
Designed for keys etc I know but thought maybe a few of these inside may save alot of money should I be unfortunate enough to sink my boat...
Thoughts anyone?
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Few bits of used bubblewrap, costs nothing and can get into corners.
Bob
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Great idea for Boaters. For us a tube of aerosal foam, ping pong balls etc will do. Better still water tight
compartments. I suppose someone with more skills than me could make a device using small co2 bottles
to inflate a ballon. Bit like the Rnli use on inshore vessels. John.
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I've got a can of expanding foam to use, but the 2 models at the moment are too small to pack enough foam in to make it float, very limited space with the motor, battery etc
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Only other place would be superstructure. But then would have to be fastened to hull to prevent pulling off.
One other thought, Subs used to use a bouy that could be released to float to the surface.Possibly it would
be possible to fit say a life raft etc which if boat sinks (hope not) would come to surface If thread used it
would be possible to recover boat. Does depend i suppose on water depth. John.
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Swim floats from the £1 shop ( or 99p ), cut to size and shape with a sharp knife then attached with a suitable adhesive if necessary like -
http://www.screwfix.com/p/sticks-like-sh-t-290ml-white/22070
Works for me
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One of the best ways to prevent a boat sinking is to stop water getting in! People frequently don't pay enough attention to this first line of defence. It can also be difficult to introduce sufficient buoyancy to offset the weight of the boat and its batteries and still leave good access to the internals.
Colin
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Unwise to use expanding foam. Your boat could explode on a hot day!
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There is only one 100% sure way to ensure a model does not sink - leave it in a glass case on the bookcase.
Geoff
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Having the trouble someone went through to retrieve his sunken ship on Sunday, I think a system to tell you where your boat is once sunk would be useful. Maybe a ping pong ball on a string which would float to the surface.
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A niche market for a functioning model EPIRB methinks 8)
Ned
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There is only one 100% sure way to ensure a model does not sink - leave it in a glass case on the bookcase.
Geoff
Until your house gets flooded like many who's did over the past few years %)
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Maybe the ships funnel can be made from foam and would simply detach. Ok as long as the boat doesn't capsize.
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Hello, I have to along with colin, you Build a boat to keep the water Out. Treat the cause, not the symptom.
Nemesis
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only seen one boat sink in 30 odd years,was a marblehead on a C suit rig one January in a FULL gale.A deck patch came loose and went into about 6ft deep,we got it back using a lead and some string.Boat was back in operation the next week.
Boats sinking, don't worry too much about it unless its a sub :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D
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Hello, I have to along with colin, you Build a boat to keep the water Out. Treat the cause, not the symptom.
Nemesis
i wish it were that simple nemesis, lol for the last year since buying my Pollux i've worked hard everytime and stripped it down so many times i've lost count to a point i'm finally happy with the dribbles that get in but i wasn't prepared tuesday past when i was towing my garnock about with the pollux and had to double back at one point to avoid 1m yachts sailing, got the pollux turned no bother.... garnock turned.... blooming 1m main mast boom or shrouds took the super structure from garnock and it's now lost in 4 foot of weed with a micro Muvi cam that wasnt in it's waterproof case!! <:( lol
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Keeping water out is obviously the best way, but not having made a model before I A: have no faith in my skills and am expecting it to get water in, and B: bein my 1st model I really don't want it ending up at the bottom!
However I tested it in the bath to see just how much water it needed in it to sink (just the empty hull, no deck or anything) and it was practically full before it actually went under so I think a bit of those swimming aids would keep it afloat, thanks!
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If your that concerned about sinking then i suggest that you make sure when you build your model you ensure that all gaps are filled so water can't get in around the deck line ( as thats the biggest error many beginners make, the best suggestion is to use a waterproof glue, such as epoxy or exterior wood glue, my fav trick is to take some epoxy resin and pour a little inside the hull, turn the model upside down and manipulate the boat to make the liquid epoxy seal the deck edges, be sure if your deck is wood/ply that you seal both sides of the wood, sanding sealer seams to work well, and a coat of varnish or the 'ronsea'l exterior wood stain is also a good product to keeping the wood from absorbing water and preventing rot later on.
Other sure fire methods that work well is when building combing's , make sure they are a good 1" high if you have that space available and that they are a nice snug fit to the parts that live over them, this will allow, should any small leaking occur to smear Vaseline around the edges to stop that issue.
The other thing to do is once the model is ballasted to the water line, to get some block polystyrene and fill all the remaining air gaps in the hull with it, but leave enough space centrally, ( so you can access electronics etc) i have in the past built a boat with central framework so there is a open rectangular space in the centre for the electronics and all the sides between the bulkheads and this central boxed filled with polystyrene. basically making the boat 'unsinkable'.
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And, as the earlier post demonstrates, ALWAYS fix the superstructure to the model. Many boats have been lost due to the top coming off for one reason or another.
Colin
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Hi folks,
to stop my boats from sinking, which happened to my jetski when an elderly fellow club member sailed over it, ouch %%
I had filled the front end with pieces of kid,s swimming noodles, they are 1.5 mt rs long x 60 cm dia. obtainable from any good
toy/sports shop, just cut them to size and shape.They saved my boat. O0
The floating buoy could be attached by fishermans baiting string, which dissolves in water thus releasing the buoy.
john
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+1 on the pool noodles, we stuff them in every boat. They are cheap, they don't absorb water like some foams, they don't breakdown from nitro fuels and they are already a great shape to fit in boats. :-))
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all of the models i make for myself have the cabin sides made as part of the hull structure with removable roof and floor sections where required , this gives up to 6 inches of free board , ive then installed some builders insulation foam below the deck in the bow . the only model ive ever lost had its bow section still visable after nearly an hour ,
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Hi all, I can tell you of a sinking. We were rammed! We had thought about a ping pong ball on a string but did not fit it. The boat was steam powered and ran on gas.
Well the flame went out, how did we find it? Follow the stream of emerging bubbles!
The boiler suffered most and had to be rebuilt and there was a hatch gone as well.
I now hold down hatches with clips or an elastic band under tension.
I also do an upside down test on all models at home before their first (ever) sailing. Nothing should come off or rattle inside.
On the other hand I have a very fast 16 inch loa Huntsman that will nose dive and travel under water, quite amazing to watch.
Building in a blanked off, sealed, section in the hull is not a good idea as that is where you will get your first leak. I had this happen when I used simple box type building system and then strip planked down to the keel, so sealing in the underwater part. Don't do this! This is the well known 'Sxd's Law'
I always strip and store this kind of packing from purchased items.
I tend to build a model with a big open space inside and then use hard foam cut to size to hold the RC and servos in place.
Of the above the upside down test is best.
As far as being at the lake side goes, don't let a conversation distract your view of your model on the water. People asking questions often feel they have to stand in front of you and hold eye contact.
New members often do this, I lost control of a small catamaran (sail) like this, it dashed into the bank (the concrete part) and shattered some plastic and sank, so losing a receiver, which didn't like being under water with the power switched on.
I have always since then wrapped my rx's up in a plastic bag and sealed them. Not tried the balloon system yet though.
I am contemplating building a Coaster next, lots of ballast, now that will take some thinking about, maybe a flooding system with a couple of plastic bottles for ballast? Should they be free flooding or have a pump to fill them up?
Anyone had experience of this? A sort of semi controlled sinking!
Would appreciate comment on this.
Good luck and regards to all, Roy