Gwen's Nautilus design as described by Jules Verne - Discussion- Everyone welcome.

[GwenB]

Hey Bob, I'm creating this new thread to discuss my design of the Nautilus in a way that separates it from my Type VII build. If you would be so kind please move all the posts from the first one I made about the Nautilus to the end of the thread over to here.

Thank you sir!

Gwen

[GwenB]

Here's a design I have been working on for the last few days, mostly for fun. I'll probably build it eventually as a working model. It's the Nautilus from 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea but as described by Verne in the novel. The only change I have made to the design is the addition of an aft dive plane. I'm still tweaking this, so it's not a finished design yet. I like the way it's looking now though. Many of the design elements were inspired by the works of others but this is my take on the Nautilus:

[He Who Shall Not Be Named]

I would follow the lead of Ron Miller on this one. And dump the stern planes and pitch the propeller up and down.

David

[GwenB]

I would follow the lead of Ron Miller on this one. And dump the stern planes and pitch the propeller up and down.

David

That's a good idea. Thanks, I'll see what I can do with that.

[GwenB]

OK, so here's what I came up with:

[He Who Shall Not Be Named]

Five-degrees either way is more than enough.

Make the wheel-house and lamp tower retractable and you've got a real looker here.

David

[GwenB]

Five-degrees either way is more than enough.

Make the wheel-house and lamp tower retractable and you've got a real looker here.

David

Thanks, that's the plan actually. The wheelhouse will fold down about half way and the lamp retracts into the hull.

[He Who Shall Not Be Named]

Thanks, that's the plan actually. The wheelhouse will fold down about half way and the lamp retracts into the hull.

Perfect. If I can be of assistance...

If you're doing tools for the hull and appendages, I would be interested in a copy.

If Ron Miller is still kicking, he would want to see this thread.

David
Like I Don't Have enough Toys!

[GwenB]

Perfect. If I can be of assistance...

If you're doing tools for the hull and appendages, I would be interested in a copy.

If Ron Miller is still kicking, he would want to see this thread.

David
Like I Don't Have enough Toys!

Thanks David. Most kind of you. You will be welcome to anything that results from this project, short of my own build of course =P. I am attaching a copy for you of a pdf of the drawings I have made so far. Please feel free to offer any additional ideas you may have. Nautilus-Gwen.pdf

[rwtdiver]

Thanks David. Most kind of you. You will be welcome to anything that results from this project, short of my own build of course =P. I am attaching a copy for you of a pdf of the drawings I have made so far. Please feel free to offer any additional ideas you may have. [ATTACH]n167931[/ATTACH]

Gwen,

If you do build this boat, what materials will you be using to fabricate the hull and other parts! I am really looking forward to your build!

Rob
"Firemen can stand the heat"

[GwenB]

Gwen,

If you do build this boat, what materials will you be using to fabricate the hull and other parts! I am really looking forward to your build!

Rob
"Firemen can stand the heat"

I am not certain yet at this point. I am thinking I will probably fabricate the hull using sheet styrene, building it like you would an old school balsa airplane model, with bulkheads and stringers and then skinning it. If that works well I could then make a set of latex molds for casting if there is interest in it. Alternatively, if I had access to a good 3D printer, that would work well also. Of course I'll need to create a 3D model first. I really can't afford to to buy a printer for some time but they are available at a makers space in a nearby town.

Lots to consider... I am planning to build it in either 1/48 or 1/32 scale, so it will be moderately large.

How would you approach it yourself?

[He Who Shall Not Be Named]

I'll dig into that PDF tonight.

A suggestion: instead of e-mails and such, we kick this project around in the open. This forum is here for a reason: to communicate to the community information and critiques. That's how the masses learn; new thought should be passed around, not horded by just a few -- with your permission I would prefer we discuss this project out in the open. Here, where others can chime in and offer their thoughts and findings.

Here's a start to my critique of your proposed process:

A body of revolution like the hull is better fabricated on a lathe than going the plank-on-frame approach (you're showing your aviation roots).



In the absance of a lathe a second hull fabrication technique would be the foam layer-cake approach.



Also, the simple hull shape would best be tooled up as a two-piece GRP hard-shell. No need for a rubber (Latex!!??) glove. (Wow!... I thought I was old-school!?).






David

[redboat219]

Just sharing.

Steve Neill's scratchbuilt Nautilus

https://vimeo.com/1488887

[GwenB]

Oh yeah, I want to keep this sort of an open-source project. I'm doing it because it interests me and I want to share. I agree the form lends itself well to being turned on a lathe. Unfortunately I don't have access to one. The foam layer cake for doing a fiberglass layup is a good idea for me.

A quick minor note on the pdf, the hull length is correct but I need to recalculate the overall length after the changes I made to the aft control surfaces.

Oh and yeah- can't help but show my aviation background... I first soloed when I was 16, built my own airplane in 2007 and test flew it. Once a pilot/aircraft builder... well, you know.

[He Who Shall Not Be Named]

Oh yeah, I want to keep this sort of an open-source project. I'm doing it because it interests me and I want to share. I agree the form lends itself well to being turned on a lathe. Unfortunately I don't have access to one. The foam layer cake for doing a fiberglass layup is a good idea for me.

A quick minor note on the pdf, the hull length is correct but I need to recalculate the overall length after the changes I made to the aft control surfaces.

Excellent.

Here are two examples of GRP-over-foam and use of a hammer or gasoline to bang/melt the foam away leaving a tough, thin-walled GRP structure:

To melt away the foam later you have to insure it will melt when introduced to a solvent. Here expanded polystyrene foam was chosen as it will melt when exposed to hydrocarbons of sufficient strength -- gasoline, for example. Here I've turned the hull section on a lathe. The eventual model had to be hollow as the port holes along its sides were to be back-lit from within the hollow body.





Once the GRP hull had been laid up -- three laminates of epoxy resin saturated 10-ounce glass cloth -- gasoline was poured through the nozzle to melt the foam, leaving a hollow interior.



The completed model showing off the back-lit portholes.



Ellie going mid-evil on the foam of this HUNLEY model. A claw-hammer banged out the foam in no time. Good therapy too.