look out... SHARK!!!! Graupner shark, actually. Still crazy after all these years.

[Schmitty1944]

I feel like the Graupner shark doesn't get a lot of respect these days. It's old and outdated, long out of production and not a scale model. Nothing I have seen compares to the performance of a Graupner shark though. It's very fast and maneuverable and a lot of fun to run. This is my old Shark that I built close to 30 years ago. It's been sitting on the shelf for probably 15 years and I recently got it down, dusted it off and charged it up. It's still using the original Dynamite nicad battery pack and futaba AM radio. It all still worked perfectly!! The first time I met Bob (Martin) at the Tualatin crawdad festival, He and I where the only submariners that ran our boats for the night float since we both had lights (Bob had his original Disney Nautilus). We where sort of the young guns at the time being the only RC sub (or any boat for that matter) enthusiasts under 40 years old, I wonder if he remembers that? Anyway, this is the model I ran that night. I still have it. Still love it. Still crazy after all these years.


Jason

[JHapprich]

Muhahaha i got 2 of em, one built, one boxed.

[JHapprich]

How do you seal the hatch? Need to replace a seal on mine, has hardened over time

Jörg

[Subculture]

The original kit used a sponge rubber- nitrile or neoprene I think- o-ring cord. You can buy it on eBay or from Polymax here in the UK. The latter also supply the cord in silicone sponge rubber, which is unlikely to perish.

Some modellers modify the hull to fit an axial bayonet ring. An alternative could be to just run the hull wet and fit a small cylinder inside. With todays smaller equipment and batteries, should be room for everything.

[Schmitty1944]

Mine is still using the original foam rubber seal and it's still in tip top condition. I think one key factor in preserving it is to leave the top loose so the seal is not compressed when it is being stored.

Another top tip for the shark is to use the built in test port to blow a little positive hull pressure into it before each run. I have never had any trouble with it leaking.

It's a really well engineered kit that's fun to build and run. It's a great performer in stock form and I'm sure it could be easily modified for more speed and/or duration. Although they are long out of production they show up at swap meets, ebay , forums etc. If anyone is intrigued it's worth keeping an eye out.

Jason