HPR 010 Mono: Very Slow Build

[boredom.is.me]

An order shouldn't take longer to process than it does to ship... HK still hasn't shipped the ESCs.

It would also appear that JustGoRC is officially down. I checked back a few times over the past few weeks just out of curiosity.

[TheShaddix]

No problem, all good! I see what you mean about the holsters. My main concern is with the hatch which is super strong and still managed to develop a crack in the paint coat/gel coat. That, to me, is enough not to want to deal with small pins. I have done those pins on every boat in the past. But when you're dealing with really bad crashes as a normal thing there is only so much speculation/calculations you can allow yourself before wanting to just go with the most bulletproof method and have that peace of mind. One big tab is way easier to install anyway, and in carbon it looks really nice. I will take a pic of my new hatch which has a tab.

[boredom.is.me]

I see one possibility as to why that happened. It doesn't look like you have any kind of "holsters" for the hatch pins. If all of the force is on a single edge like that, then it's understandable that it would eventually give. Even if the area is reinforced, there is still pin point pressure. Please don't take that as me being disrespectful. My way of learning is to figure out why something went wrong. And I prefer to solve the issue rather than building around it. One other thing to keep in mind is that the carbon is stiffer and more brittle than the carbon/kevlar, which would only increase the likelihood of what I said above. I do greatly appreciate your input and pictures so don't think that it's falling on deaf ears.

So ya, the pins have a greater pressure than the tab, but if the pins were the strongest point (material wise) and SECURELY attached to the surrounding area, that same force should be distributed silimar to a larger tab. I'm pretty sure I fully understand what you are describing, but I want to make sure we're on the same page. Would you happen to have pics of the tab construction? I hope I'm not being too much of a bother.

And you say 95-100 like it's nothing! I'm just aiming for 60.

I also can't get the exact weatherstrip I want locally, so I ordered it through Amazon. It will be here on Thursday so I'll get to do some more playing around.

[TheShaddix]

Here are some pics. You can see damage on the hull where the holes are, and also some small crack on the hatch at the middle pin. The boat runs around 95-100 mph, has had a lot of heavy crashes, but I know there would be no cracks on it if it weren't for the pins. Nothing else on this boat has ever even shown stress cracks or anything. The hull and hatch are reinforced with 12k carbon. The hull was built by hpr as a carbon version as well. I've definitely moved on to using cf plates, similar to what you use for those hatch locks but larger.

[golfito]

[boredom.is.me]

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[boredom.is.me]

My driest RTR boats use neoprene hatch seals. Don't know where to get it, but that stuff works great.

The reason why some of these seals don't work is because the hull or canopy itself is too weak and gives in one area which doesn't allow another area to seal tight. To compensate for that, we use thicker and/or softer seals. I don't think I have that issue here.

I would strongly advise you against those pins in the hatch. I did the exact same thing in my hpr cat and, one by one, they started to show cracks, and on the boat side it actually chipped off a piece of the hull in a crash. Now I always just do a large cf plate on the hatch epoxied to the bottom which slides into the hull that also has a cf plate, so one goes underneath the other. Basically, bulletproof method considering how much surface area is used.

Would you happen to have a picture? Which hull, layup, and stress under normal or hard running? My main concern was to not compromise the seal as the best way to put it on is directly from above. I did consider using the same plates I had pictured before and placing them in a way that it slides under the lip of the hull itself. I would have mounted it at a slight downward angle just to accommodate the seal situation. Even then, it would really push against the foam seal. With the pins, I was planning on epoxying a carbon plate over the hull tubes and extend them a bit further. I would have also done similar for the canopy. The idea would be to distribute load to an entire area instead of at two small points, pretty much like how you described the plate. The pin hole spacing is 67mm. I would have made a 90mm-ish plate out of either 3mm or 2mm. And that entire area would have been in contact through epoxy.




I got a little more minor stuff done. The Cap bank cover is made from 1/4" acrylic(still dusty in these pictures). I skinned it to a 1mm thickness all around. I though about making a front cover as well, but that may not be a good idea as you wouldn't be able to see any bulging. I also made the backing plates for the hatch latches. The gasket is 3mm depron compressed to about 1.5mm by a solid 3mm carbon plate.

[TheShaddix]

I would strongly advise you against those pins in the hatch. I did the exact same thing in my hpr cat and, one by one, they started to show cracks, and on the boat side it actually chipped off a piece of the hull in a crash. Now I always just do a large cf plate on the hatch epoxied to the bottom which slides into the hull that also has a cf plate, so one goes underneath the other. Basically, bulletproof method considering how much surface area is used.

[fweasel]

My driest RTR boats use neoprene hatch seals. Don't know where to get it, but that stuff works great.

[boredom.is.me]

What radio do you use? With my futaba I use an air receiver, it gets a lot of range and just needs to have the exposed end sticking out, flat or vertical it makes little difference. By the time the boat is far enough to be out of range, you can barely see it anyway. I just use a water outlet instead of an antenna post since I transport them in a bag, so I can't have anything stick out too much. I still use a plastic straw tube but it's about 2" long, 1" into the hull. To be frank, it looks tacky and definitely ruins the aesthetics. You can get away with that on a cheap boat, but not a high end build like yours. But i've thought about making a flush "fin" type of antenna like you mentioned. I think that would be the best option. I just don't know yet how to make that blend in and not look like an afterthought.

And my eyesight isn't exactly excellent for someone my age. I'm still going to play around with the fin idea. I'm using a Spektrum Dx4c. Well I just got it last week to replace the older Dx2e that I gave away.



I drilled two 3mm holes in the canopy for pins. I'll slide 3mm CF rod into 1/8" id something. I have aluminum, but it's really soft. Brass is the next option, but will it corrode as soon as it touches salt? It's going to be running in fresh, but I do plan on taking it back home to the VI for a summer. With that said, stainless becomes another option. I would most likely have to order it though. The final option would be plastic. (I know I'm over thinking it......again.)

The reason for allowing a slight play is to help with getting a proper seal when installing the hatch.

For the seal, I am planning on using 1/8" thick x 1/4" wide foam weather stripping. I'll apply it as tight against the side walls on the hatch opening as well as an offset strip on the hatch itself. That way, it should be seal to seal and not "I hope the hatch presses in enough".



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[TheShaddix]

What radio do you use? With my futaba I use an air receiver, it gets a lot of range and just needs to have the exposed end sticking out, flat or vertical it makes little difference. By the time the boat is far enough to be out of range, you can barely see it anyway. I just use a water outlet instead of an antenna post since I transport them in a bag, so I can't have anything stick out too much. I still use a plastic straw tube but it's about 2" long, 1" into the hull. To be frank, it looks tacky and definitely ruins the aesthetics. You can get away with that on a cheap boat, but not a high end build like yours. But i've thought about making a flush "fin" type of antenna like you mentioned. I think that would be the best option. I just don't know yet how to make that blend in and not look like an afterthought.

[boredom.is.me]

Much appreciated. Everything I build (plane, boat, heli, whatever) is an extension of me and an opportunity to do something different. That's my thought process.

Immediately after your post, I started scheming different antennas. I went with your idea first by having just a bar sitting either on or directly behind the canopy bulge. The second idea was a knife blade (think Spektrum Dx2e/Dx4c). Both options would have to be at least 35mm long to accommodate the exposed end. The third idea was to make an easily removable bracket inside the hull itself. It would extend the antenna under the canopy which does not have any carbon in the layup. The major downside is that it defeats the aesthetic work I put into the interior. I'm curious to know how much range would be lost by laying it flat.

[TheShaddix]

Looking super clean! I never liked the look and color of kevlar, but in your case it works very well. Goes without saying, your work is really clean and precise. It's quite rare to see that in this hobby. Usually people slap things onto the hull just to get it going, with yellow epoxy runs everywhere, etc. Also, I think having 2 antennae will make the boat look even more like a toy. How about some sort of a flush type of antenna? Or do you really need a lot of range?

[boredom.is.me]

So not great news, but not bad either. They turned out to be a solid grey. It seems they were only black because they were wet. I may try spraying them clear. That should give them the black look. It's actually kind of interesting. The color is really determined by "orientation" during the print. Some sections are pure black, while others are just grey, but it's all uniform. This is the material. https://www.shapeways.com/materials/...detail-plastic

Next dilemma; I only have one antenna, but I've always liked the look of two. I feel like a single just makes the boat look like a toy. I may go with a second as a dummy.

I still haven't tabbed the front of the hatch. As soon as that is done, I'll start getting the paint job figured out. As you guys can see, I like very simple and straight forward. The flame and lightning paint jobs look really sick, but aren't me. I was thinking a white bottom with a blue-ish grey side and top. Possibly some red accents I got the decals in both silver and white. BUT on the other hand, I just had a "brilliant" idea of large print digital camo wrapping it. Decisions...

[fweasel]

Those turned out great. Are they nylon?