But wait it is one more Revell Gato...!!!

[vital.spark]

Alac,

Just maybe, the suction of the mud held it down and the reserve boyancy of the ballast tank was not enough to lift it free? We have quite an investment in these boats so for me, living on my SS I try not to tempt fate! OK you can call me Chicken!

Regards,

Myron

[He Who Shall Not Be Named]

Cluck, cluck, cluck, cluck. That's me at the lake. When it comes to deep, dark waters, I too am a chicken-of-the-sea.

Like Myron, I'm super careful where I operate. As he said, it's a big investment out there in deep blue!

David,

[Reckless]

one of the things the president of my local club (and the only other guy close that has any real running knowledge of RC subs ) always says to me when we talk subs " Always dive towards shore"

now mind you the place we sail now is crystal clear and for a 40ftx40ft area around the dock (or more) it's MAYBE 6ft .... and I have no intention for my sub to get much more then 15-20ft away from me LOL for less then ideal places that advice rings pretty true

[alad61]

Thanks for all the advice and tips guys. They are indeed most certainly appreciated. Looking back I can see a few factors that greatly influenced the "crash" dive...

1: a bit of inexperiance on the rc operaters part
2: a poorly layed out/set up for the tx to reciever. Operating both bow & stern planes from the one stick.
3: not adhereing to Davids recomendations on prop speed. I got impatient with its turning radius when it was at full ballast trim. So I dialed up the forward speed...
4: setting the throw of the dive planes to steep.

Points 3 & 4 combined I would say were the ultimate cause...

[alad61]

Well with some changes on my tx and reiciever n servo channels I was able to drive the boat much better on Saturday. I did have a couple of OMG not again moments and one of those led to a nice bow up surface broach that impressed one old timer at the lake. Pity I didn't get it on video. I still have some trim issues with listing to port still. The funny thing is is that's the side with the most foam!? If you gently right the sub it stays straight till the first turn then over she goes... So I ended up running most of the day at decks awash. I managed to get some video in with the little camera from Caswell and some footage that a friend took, though he was more interested in seeing the sub go than filming. here is the you-tube link to the video compilation I did yesterday with what video I had. I'll need to add some extra buoyancy to the camera I think as it tend to pull the aft end down but under power the adf seemed to get most of that sorted but it made it that much harder to submerge properly with the camera piggy backing on the sub...

For a lark I added some sound fx and music to the video too :pop

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_V-4JHCjHco&feature=plcp

[He Who Shall Not Be Named]

Well done video. Thanks for sharing. How's the SD holding up?

David

[alad61]

Thanks David and the sd is performing above & beyond :biggrin: I can see this being a really fun boat to drive once I get used to it. One thing I may do is repaint the big deck gun a lighter shade of grey. More for contrast than anything else.

[trout]

Alec,
Great video! I love it.
Peace,
Tom

[He Who Shall Not Be Named]

Thanks David and the sd is performing above & beyond :biggrin: I can see this being a really fun boat to drive once I get used to it. One thing I may do is repaint the big deck gun a lighter shade of grey. More for contrast than anything else.

Excellent. The Revell GATO is my best performer.

David

[Roddersuk]

With regards to the loose screws. Even if they didn't contribute to the flooding they still need to stay screwed in place. My suggestion is to use Locktite' or a model derivative.
My model derivative is clear varnish painted over the head of the screw when tightened up. Painting nuts and bolts is a common locking procedure in vehicles/ships engine and transmission builds, and it works. When the screw head and surround has been painted the screws stay screwed. Simple really and if required to be unscrewed the painted screw requires just a wee bit more effort to undo.

[alad61]

Another trick is thin ca glue, I find it has little sheer strength but as these are on the the sd itself I have resisted anything like that. I just now check them with my post mission check of the the unit. But thanks for the tip though.