(WOF) F1 tunnel hull building report

[Dim L]

Finally, some primer on the hull...

The new cowl is almost 60 grams lighter than the old one (150 vs 208). I use screws (they will be replaced by thumb screws) to secure the cowl on the hull.

The servo and esc mounts are also glued and the radio box is slightly laminated again with a light epoxy resign.

 

[Dirk Jan]

Very neat job, I'm very curious about the paint scheme!

Also, you managed a good weight saving with the new cowl [emoji108]

 

[Dim L]

Thank you Jan!

However, It still needs multiple circles of putty and sanding to be really smooth!

This time I will go for white, fluo yellow and light purple details. But I am still not 100% sure!

 

[Dim L]

Finally... After approximately 1.5 year of work it is time for a proper maiden run...
The hull and the outboard run nicely and fast. More work is needed to finish the hull and the steering mechanism.
I am also tempted to make a mold out of this prototype since it runs nicely.
Here there is a short video:

P. S. This is not a lake... This is an extra calm sea with temparture close to 22 degrees at 7:30 in the morning.

 

[Tamiya1970]

Runs super Dim,nice and loose[emoji1305][emoji3581][emoji817]

 

[Dirk Jan]

I put my comment on here, too: great running result! After so many hours of building, it's a great rewarding to have such a nice running boat.

How is the cornering at speed, did you try that? And it seems you ran without the cowl still?

With your paint skills, this will be a beauty on the water [emoji108]

 

[Dim L]

thank you both guys. Indeed, it was very rewarding to see the hull running nicely after so much work.

Regarding steering:I used 3mm wire for steering linkages which proved to be a very bad idea.
The wires became loose all the time, the outboard had a lot of play (right and left) and the steering at high speed was uncontrollable and unpredictable.
I should definitely reengineer the steering mechanism using proper pushing rods because the outboard is big and heavy and the forces at high speed are probably...much higher than I thought !

If I recall correctly, you guys use pushing rods from rc cars? I ll check it in your threads!

Edit: you are right Jan I don t have a cowl yet. I have problems fitting the cowl on the hull with a functional and beautiful way due to the incorporated front end of the cowl on the hull. It needs more work for a nice result and probably some changes in the current design.

 

[Dirk Jan]

I use 2.5mm steel rods with a turnbuckle end. You can buy them like that, in different lengths.
I'm curious about your cowl issue. Maybe we have an idea how to solve it.