RC Rescue Boat built from Styrofoam

[Bernd]

Thanks Chuck

Bernd

[dsquire]

Bernd

Starting to look good. One thing that you may want to keep in mind is that sometimes these boats flip over so may not present the same profile to the rescue boat. 

Cheers 

Don

[Bernd]

Bernd

Starting to look good. One thing that you may want to keep in mind is that sometimes these boats flip over so may not present the same profile to the rescue boat. 

Cheers 

Don

Yeh, I know. But the width dosen't change. Just the top to bottom. Trouble is I stall it more than flip it over. I take it easy in the turns until I get the feel of just how much I can push it.

Bernd

[Bernd]

More progress to report on building my rescue boat.

I've got the super structure done and started on designing the motor mounts.

Here's a pic of the finished super structure.



Here's what the finished motor holder will look like.



First a wooden plug needs to be turned.



The wooden plug and the PVC pipe that it fits into. This will keep from crushing the PVC pipe when tightened in the chuck.





Next the inside of the PVC gets bored out for a snug fit of the motor.



Test fitting the motor.



Both motor holders bored out and the motors installed.



Next the PVC pipe needs to get fastened to the wood so they can be mounted on the boat. Also a cover needs to be made for the end to bolt the motors into the PVC. That's next.

That's it for now. I really need to get this done before April when we'll be back at The River.

Bernd

[dsquire]

Bernd

Glad to see that your back at the rescue boat Bernd. It's been a while but spring is just around the corner.   

Next thing I know you will be telling me your working on the cupboards!! 

Your off to a good start in 2010. All that procrastination is behind you now.   

Cheers 

Don

[Bernd]

No Don I look at it as having a whole year of procrstination ahead of me. 

Actually I'm trying to "multi-task", whcih I tell the wife can't be done, by also working on the cupboards. So far it's "almost" working.     

Bernd (who needs to think of what to do next)

[raynerd]

Hi Bernd, I didn`t see this one back in October. Nice build, I look forward to reading more about it!

Chris

[Bernd]

Chris,

Thanks. It gets worked on as the spirit moves me.  But then that spirit seems to be napping as much as I am latley. 

But will need to have it done before spring.

Bernd

[dsquire]

Bernd

I hear that the ice is melting in the St. Lawrence! Will you be ready to go boating? How is the Multitasking working out? Oh, I almost forgot

  HAPPY BIRTHDAY
Cheers 

Don

[Bernd]

Frist thanks for the birthday wish. Now I wish they wouldn't come so fast. 

Ah yes the rescue boat. Wellll.................I haven't done a thing with it latley. 

I need to cover it with fiberglass, mount the motors, get a radio, wire it up, in general I just need to finish the dam thing. Might get it done by "NEXT" spring at the rate I'm going. 

To many other  to interfere with the boat project. 

But thanks for asking. 

Bernd

[madjackghengis]

I already broke one wire after I shut the power off.

That's the one mod I'll need to make. Think I'll add a pulley and weight. More even tension that way.

Bernd

Hi Bernd,  I thought I'd see what you were up to, and I would weigh in with the pulley and weight, as it is even, and easily adjustable for exactness.  I don't think you'll find anything that comes close to the reliability of the nichrome wire, I haven't worked with it in years, but decades ago there was nichrome, and then there were all the other wires that failed.  All in all, sounds like a good idea, I've helped a few people rescue a "dead in the water" r/c boat, and it isn't always easy.

[Bernd]

I don't think you'll find anything that comes close to the reliability of the nichrome wire, I haven't worked with it in years, but decades ago there was nichrome, and then there were all the other wires that failed. 

I've read on some boat and airplane forums where they've used stainless steel  or just plain wire to cut foam. So I don't know. I'll stick with the nichrome.

After I wrote up a how to build it I discovered how many there were out on the net with a much better desing than what I had built. Oh well.

All in all, sounds like a good idea, I've helped a few people rescue a "dead in the water" r/c boat, and it isn't always easy.

The wife doesn't like swimming in water when it's only 40 to 50 degress water temp.  So I had to come up with something. Now I need to get back at it becasue in another month we'll be getting ready to open the cottage up at the Islands.

Bernd

[madjackghengis]

Bernd,  it's funny, my wife won't even consider diving in when the water at that temperature, no matter what I offer in return, either, do you think its something about us?  She would stand on the bank and laugh at my attempts to rescue things myself though, and give me "the look", if I were to scowl back at her at that.  All in all, looks like the project is coming along well, I hope the "wind power" works, but resorting to blades under water isn't so bad if it doesn't.  If I didn't have so many projects already, living on a creek which always has water in it, and sometimes ten or twelve acres of my land in it as well, I ought to put together a boat project, one that doesn't involve a twelve foot aluminum boat, and a pole.  In that one, the water moccasins were faster than I could pole, and they aren't afraid of people.   Mad Jack

[dsquire]

Bernd

Seeing as its now the new boating season I was just wondering if you had an update for us? 

Cheers 

Don

[Bernd]

Don,

I see your going though the projects and seeing who hasn't finished their work. 

To make a long story very short, Nope I haven't worked on my boat at all. New developments. My Dad past away here back in early June so I've been comforting my mother. Plus have been working on the inside of the house to get the rooms done. The hobby has kind of taken a back seat for now. Even turned down some paying jobs because of time contraints.

Hope to get back into it sometime come the cold season. Also got a new outdoor toy I need to take a pick of and post. It's a great play thing.

Right now as I write this I'm up in the 1000 Islands on Saturday. Will be returning tonight for a memorial for dad given by my daughter Sunday.

So that's about they way it's been for this year. I need to get busy and finish some of those projects I've started before you  to much and I have balck and blue spots all over me.   

Bernd

[dsquire]

Bernd

I am so sorry to hear about your Father. My condolences to you and the rest of your family. That certainly explains why you haven't been as active for the last couple of months as previous.

Yes, I started going back through the old files trying to generate some posts and replies to dead or dormant projects. It seems to be working but time will tell. Sometimes it brings unexpected answers.

Sometimes life gets in the way of your hobby but that's just a part of it all. Hope that you get a bit of relaxation up on the river and as long as you look after your Mother I won't  to much about unfinished projects.

Be well Bernd and enjoy peace and quiet on the river (when the big boats are out playing).

Cheers 

Don

[Rob.Wilson]

hi Bernd

My sincerest condolences to you and family


Rob

[doubleboost]

Hi
Bernd
My deepest condolances on your loss , i have just lost my brother so i realise what a dificult time you are going through
Regards
John

[AdeV]

Bernd,

I agree with what Don, Rob & John say; the client who pays me most of the money I need to keep me in my hobby unexpectedly lost his dad last year, it was hard going on him.

[Bernd]

Thanks guys. I appreciate it.

Thing is dad was into live steam also. Now I've got a couple of steam launches to play with. I'll take a couple of pics of them and post. He also left behind a few finished engines that I'll post pictures of once I get all the important personal stuff out of they way.

And he was an avid model airplane modeler and flyer. I see a few engines that I can built a swamp boat out of.

Untill then I'll keep looking in here to make sure everybody behaves. 

Bernd

[Bernd]

Spent last weekend up at the Islands. The Poker Runs America had it's poker run on Sat. Lot's of noise.

Ya, I know were's the video's. Between the wife and I we only have one digital and she was using it, after all it is her's. 

Anyway, I've had one of thos "Ah ha" moments. I discovered why I'm so slow in getting this boat in the water. Here's why. I had already seen the finished boat in my mind. All nice looking and everything. Everybody  to me to tell me how nice it looked. Then it hit me. This boat is supposed to be functional, not pretty. Once I got that out of my head I made some progress. And I'm here to tell you what I did. May not be much but it'll have to do for now. Besides I'm starting to hurt where Don keeps  me. 

So here's what got done.

I had origanlly made the screws that hold the prop on out of aluminum and have a 5-40 thread on it. Quite small. While starting up one motor the screw self tighten to the point it sheared off. So I made a new one from some printer shafting and added a brass washer.



I finally came up with a platform to hold the motor's on. The tie wraps are temporary.



Here they are both mounted. Now I can start thinking about the air and water rudder's.



As I had stated the motors came from one of those kid's Battery powered vehicles. Here's what the harness looks like. Now all I need to do is lenghten some of the wires.



So I've made some progress. If the wife finds out I'm not working on the house I could be in big trouble. But I'll never tell, she's on vacation at the cottage. Maybe tomorrow I will do a bit to look like I've been working on the house, NOT. 

Bernd

[dsquire]

Bernd

Looking good. I promise that I won't kick you any more for a while in order to let you heal so that you can give this your full undivided attention. I have noticed a couple of other little references in a few of your other posts but I thought I would lay off picking on you for a while. I just had to say that so you didn't think that I didn't care any more.

I just hope that you don't have to use this to rescue your other rescue boat. 

Cheers 

Don

[Bernd]

Well with spring just around the corner I thought I'd better get busy and finish my air powered rescue boat. 

I was going over some of my "round-tuit" list and found I need to get this project finished this year before the boating season starts up at the River. It's only 4 months  away before the water gets turned on in the camp.

So with out further long winded explanations I start with some pictures I took back in September.

I already had the wooded platform screwed to the frame. Now the motors needed to get mounted to the platforms. That was done by making a couple of wooden cradles for each motor and gluing them on to the  platform.



Next the motors needed to be strapped to the cradles. I used a piece of copper wire to determine the length of brass rod I would need.



A pic without the motor.



Next a piece of brass rod was cut to length and thread 2-56 at both ends.



The center line of both the brass rod and pipe were determined and marked.



The brass rod was lined up and clamped.



It was then bent into a "U" shape around the pipe.



The motor was mounted and the rod checked for fit.



A piece of aluminum was added so the nuts wouldn't be pulled through the wood when tightened.



That's were the boat stands now. It will need to get some holes and dents filled in with some auto body puty and then it will be covered with fiberglass cloth. Might even get a paint job.

I still need to buy a radio for it and work out the steering of the rudders. I've also found an electronic drive that I'm going to use for controling the motors.

That's it for now.

Bernd

[Bogstandard]

Bernd,

I don'r want to piddle on your parade at such a late stage, as you are getting on so well with it.

It was mentioned very early on in the post about the power of your motors.

I have seen a lot of variations of your design over the years, all geared towards being a rescue boat, and very few have succeeded, mainly because they were grossly underpowered, as I think yours will be.

You can very easily get into a catch 22 situation, in fact, I think you are already in it. The motors you have will be lucky if it actually moves the rescue boat at all, mainly due to your battery weight. So you then go for larger motors, which then require heavier batteries to give you the amps to run and for duration to actually rescue something - catch 22.

I would suggest you have a word with Peter (HS93). He is a big fan of brushless motors, whereas it is a little after my time, I am still stuck with your 'old fashioned' motor technology, and I personally think that is the way you need to go to give you a lot more power without the gain in weight.

Just a suggestion


Bogs

[HS93]

If you want any info let me know , you will find it a lot sheaper than brushed and good deal more power and much lighter. the motors you have will never push it with a dead boat in as they always tend to try and go sidways in jaws type recue boats.

Peter