Darin's UL1 Race Prep

[Darin Jordan]

Darin,

If one was to cut a larger hole in the tub, is there enough room to lay additional glass on the back, sides, top, and bottom of the sponson along with a larger back plate?

Perhaps.... but I think you'd have a tough time getting around the floatation that's in there... Might be possible... but I think harder...

[Darin Jordan]

Sponson Backing Plate Template

Here is the template I used for my hull. I've included the dimensions so you can scale the printout.

I'd suggest you print then, then trim it out, leaving some extra material. Then test fit it and trim as necessary until you have an acceptable fit. This should be close.

The attached file is a .jpg of the sketch.

Here is a link to a .pdf version. Not sure which would be easier to use... take you pick:

UL1 Sponson Backing Plate Template in .PDF


Also... before you guys start hacking an cutting... you might want to wait until I'm almost finished in case I've made any mistakes along the way or discover a better way to do things... At this point, I'm committed... you aren't yet and there may be a better way to go about this.

[Darin Jordan]

Stuffing Tube support

While I'm waiting for the epoxy in the sponson to fully cure, I thought I'd do another bit of "upgrade" that I like to do...

I'm not a big fan of long lengths of unsupported stuffing tube, so here is what I usually do in my boats...

[Darin Jordan]

Once the part is fitted, I use some sandpaper on a stick to get under the stuffing tube and rough-up the area. I also use a piece of fine paper to clean up the brass tubing.

When finished, wipe down the area with some mineral spirits or laquer thinner.

[Darin Jordan]

All that's left now is to epoxy it all into place.

I am using some MAS FLAG medium epoxy here. It takes overnight to dry, but it seems to adhere to the metal better. I also often wrap a thin layer of fiberglass cloth up and over the assembly, but I've done it both ways and haven't had one fail yet, so this should work for this boat. It's really just a brace to help keep a careless moment from bending the stuffing tube or cracking the hull in this area.

[Doby]

Nicely done and a great idea for just about any boat.

[Darin Jordan]

I went out this morning and poured in another 7.5cc of epoxy. I may do one more pour tonight, just to make darn sure it's solid in that area.

More to follow...

[Rex R]

A request Darin,
for your next template, could you ink the lines after you 'finalize' the shape and before you scan it? thanks.
d/l'd the pdf and printed it...just need to start cutting.
rex

[detox]

These glue syringes work perfect for tight areas and what ever.

http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...?&I=LXGGG7&P=7

[JimClark]

You can find the same thing on ebay from medical supplies in bags of 25 to 50 of them
cheaper

These glue syringes work perfect for tight areas and what ever.

http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...?&I=LXGGG7&P=7

[Darin Jordan]

Made the final epoxy pour this morning and a little more tonight... it's all filled up to my liking at this point. I'll close everything up tomorrow and move onto other areas...

[Bill-SOCAL]

A couple of questions:

1) My boat will not be red, will these mods work on other colros too??

2) Can I pour the epoxy with my left hand? I notice you use your right hand, is that because it is the right hand sponson? Does this matter?

And one serious one - rather than simply pouring epoxy, which really has no intrinsic strength to it, I suggest mixing in some chopped glass or CF to give it lots of extra strength.

Guess I'm going to have to get one of these for my own self now!!

[Ub Hauled]

And one serious one - rather than simply pouring epoxy, which really has no intrinsic strength to it, I suggest mixing in some chopped glass or CF to give it lots of extra strength.

Bill, I think that the point of the resin is not the actual strength factor of the doubler but just the gluing and even then the screws will pull it together anyway... the doubler is not giving any structural stiffness to the hull just to the fin area...

[Darin Jordan]

A couple of questions:

1) My boat will not be red, will these mods work on other colros too??

Sorry dude... but this will only work on the white, yellow, or red boats... You "orange" guys are out of luck! Dang...

2) Can I pour the epoxy with my left hand? I notice you use your right hand, is that because it is the right hand sponson? Does this matter?

It depends on whether or not you are trying to hold a camera and take pictures as you pour...

And one serious one - rather than simply pouring epoxy, which really has no intrinsic strength to it, I suggest mixing in some chopped glass or CF to give it lots of extra strength.

I like it... The only thing is, at least for the initial pour, is I wouldn't want anything keeping the epoxy from freely flowing into the area... Most of the other epoxy I poured in was just to tie everything together, and it probably would work better with some chopped glass in there... I'll try that on the second hull... which is a white one...

[Darin Jordan]

I just thought of a revision to this process that would improve it...

At the point where you are about to glue the plate in, it would help the process to make a rigid plate, or just use the mounting bracket, underneath the screws on the outside of the sponson... When everything it tightened down, this would ensure that the outter surface stays nice and flat, and isn't compressed by the screws...