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**He Who Shall Not Be Named** · 04-20-2009, 05:59 PM

Assemble that thing, get it running, the control surfaces installed, and only then sweat out how to keep this pig from pitching down. Don't be afraid, little-boy, I'll hold your hand.

David,

**ADDINGTON** · 04-20-2009, 07:23 PM

David, I know you will and nothing could be more comforting, as this Seaview would be tough to hold up with one hand.
I have a boat to finish first before this,but in the meantime, I know there are others who are already wrestling with the 80, so let the call go forth.
Has anyone ever seen one of these running, even just a surface runner?

**He Who Shall Not Be Named** · 04-20-2009, 08:57 PM

Originally posted by ADDINGTON

David, I know you will and nothing could be more comforting, as this Seaview would be tough to hold up with one hand.
I have a boat to finish first before this,but in the meantime, I know there are others who are already wrestling with the 80, so let the call go forth.
Has anyone ever seen one of these running, even just a surface runner?

No, I have not seen the 80 incher in the water. You might have a 'first' on your hands, Kerry. I'll help where I can, pal.

Get ahold of Dennis -- if your pump-jet ducts are the same diameter as the ones of the current version, then maybe I can help you out and Dennis too. With Mr. Caswell's permission, of course.

David,

**Subculture** · 04-21-2009, 05:15 AM

Photo taken at Sandown Model Show back in 1996. This Seaview belongs to Alan Warehand, it is still in development, but has been run on the surface, latest ballast system is twin bellows. Original system consisted of a central air bag, with air compressor. The bag was a work of ingenuity, it was sewn up from a piece of net curtain, and dipped in latex to make it air tight and waterproof! Unfortunately major issues with trim relegated the system to the scrap box.

Didn't Ray Mason have a working Seaview?

Attached Files

**Rick Teskey** · 04-21-2009, 06:18 AM

Seaview

If I'm not mistaken , Ed Tordahl has an 80 incher.
Like Dave said get a drive system in her and then see whats what.
Trim tanks , sliding weight , gyroscopic eneratia dapeners, crap many ways too skin a cat and they go great with plum sauce as well!
MMmmmm cat augggh

Rick's right, work it out in the water, Kerry. And Rick should know -- in my book he is, 'Mr. r/c SEAVIEW submarine man'.

And Andy's mention of Ray Mason is spot on -- I think he was (one of) the first to get a SEAVIEW working underwater.

It can me made to work underwater without any external changes to the design.

David,

**ADDINGTON** · 04-21-2009, 07:45 AM

No question getting into the water is first priority.I am a Seawolf and some months away from diving into all this, but great to see the masters weigh in.
In the meantime, I look forward to monitoring the discussion.
Alan, Ed, Ray ?

**JohnG** · 04-27-2009, 02:17 AM

Great thread. I'll pollute it a little with the 57" DeBoers Seaview build too in future posts, it's kind of the "trial" run before the monster 80. Learning a lot from the 57.
I'm certainly interested in pumpjets for the 80" whale, David.
cheers,
John

**LOFTDRIVER** · 08-08-2009, 11:44 AM

The beast is back

I have finally got my own 80 incher back in the water .Please see attached photos.I was suprised at how little lead was need to get her to sit at the water line showen.With out the air bags inflated the model sits at decks awash.The speed controller let me down so I was unable to see how the propusion jets worked.I will post more in the future when the bugs are sorted out.

Attached Files

**JohnG** · 08-09-2009, 01:22 PM

That is just cooler than snot! as they say.
Beautiful. I may have to flirt with getting mine sooner now...
Hmmm, what band of highway robbers must I join for the cash is the only question. More pictures!
John

**JohnG** · 08-09-2009, 05:48 PM

57" Build Part 2

continued....
This is my goofy solution for a 'capture lip' to secure the deck to the hull.
Well, it's not really a lip so don't give me any lip! It's got a block that indexes with the hull joist, with an aluminum threaded sleeve that a stainless fastener mates up to through the decktop.

You still have to fart around with it a little to get the deck perfectly aligned on top & THEN tighten it.

MORE on next post....

The opening at the top of the hull was WAY too wide etc...so I reduced it's width, shaped the front of the hole. Nice job, but I didn't take any pictures of the process. Woops. Too busy cursing bodywork labor.

NOW WE COME TO the most reviled part of submarining--LIMBERHOLES. I hate them worse than sanding. I could not for life of me make a decent, symmetrical holes out of the crappy indentation of the top deck, even following David's careful instruction. It really sucked. SO, I just cut out the damn verticle pieces & planned to add them back in using laser-cut styrene bar. BUT WAIT! theres more.

THIS is what happens to pie-crust like gel-coat when you try to do ANYTHING to it. It really really really sucks. The neighbor kids certainly have a vast vocabulary of new curse words after hearing me in my shop.

MORE bodywork, repairs to make some kind of a straight structure.

SO don't get mad, GET EVEN. I cad drew up a set of drawings for the fore & aft limberholes & took them to my friendly neighborhood laser cutter dude, & voila!
Precision cut, PERFECT limberholes in styrene, ready to be bonded to the crumbling deck:

**JohnG** · 08-09-2009, 06:01 PM

57" Build Part 3

..continued.........

Limberholes looking AOK, fore & aft.

Here is the bulkhead stringers that support David's observation nose interior.

Now, the Flying Sub hatch doors supplied were totally unsuitable & the wrong scale (in my opinion) so I rebuilt them using trusty old Evergreen Plastics sheet.

Small high strength magnets on each corner secure the hatch to the opening. To remove, just push on it from above though the top hull. Looks a lot better!

Here is another magnet secured hatch in the aft, to gain access to the rack & pinion rudder room.

Thats about it for now, I haven't done anything else to her since last summer (shame on me) but I was busy with work. All that remains is to make up linkages & find a pool for trim adjusting. I'll post some more on how I worked up the mounting for the WTC inside the hull, later.
John

**JohnG** · 08-13-2009, 03:31 PM

57" Build Part 1

From left to right:
1 & 2-aft crawlspace & dive plane tiller.
3-To avoid having to perform a complicated aft hull separation & to save space that a tiller would in part make that all nece, I built a "rack & pinion" rudder control.
4 & 5 -I constructed forward facing fixed louvers to act as inlets on the engine tubes.
I think it looks nicer than a blank hole & will keep some of lake millfoil & polliwogs from fouling the PJ. I hope.
A note about enough water flow to the PJ: On the eight foot filming miniature, on either side of the keel there were about six holes on each side, obviously to aid in filling hull, I assume... You can catch this on some early season shots of the sub passing close overhead. Anyway, this will be a wonderful thing to copy to help get more flow, without having to open up too much of the hull....I HOPE.
...continued next post....

Attached Files

**JohnG** · 08-13-2009, 03:37 PM

57" Build Part 2

....continued....Pics from left to right:
1- Lots of bluetape 'dams' & masks to help keep a nice bead of west system & Evercoat in the crevices & bonding tubes to hull, & help reduce sanding. I HATE sanding. I hate bodywork period. Simply mask about 1/4 inch or less on either side of your crevice to be filled, use your finger like a puddy knife.

2 & 3- finished bonding tubes to stern---not too bad!

4 & 5- My goofy version of upper deck to hull lock, with aluminum threaded post under hull joist, makes up to stainless fastener through decktop.

Attached Files

**JohnG** · 08-13-2009, 03:47 PM

57" Build Part 3

.....continued.... Pics right to left:

1 & 2- an 'index' for proper deck positioning, all constructed from block styrene.
3- LIMBERHOLES! they are holes for sure, but I wouldn't call them 'limber'...Despite careful coaching by David M, I could not for the life of me cut, fill & sand these damn vertical slots as to be uniform, so matter what I did. So I cut them all out & decided to replace them with square styrene strip.
4-BUT this is what happened when you have only over cooked PIE CRUST for a gel-coat. This added insult to injury, taught the neighbor kids a whole new vocabulary of overheard cursing & a few temptations at launching the deck into the trash.....
5-BUT after cooling off period repairs were initiated.

Attached Files