Stabilizers

[Slats]

Dan the best stabiliser idea I have is don't even bother with getting them working!

If the target has stabilisers do fit scale ones (fixed in place)- they will along with blidge keels contribute to less role, but what you want to achieve is a RC ship that has the least tenancy to roll. (Keep the weight as low and close to COG and therefore the top weight as light as possible).

Over the last 15 years or so I have fitted 4 working sets of stabilisers to models all at the behest of clients who wanted scale realism. The realism I must say is hard to notice in the water.

If you want to fit workings stabilisers you need two servos each side with the servos orientated in opposing directions (as the stabilisers need to turn in opposite directions), you link these simply rudder like push rods between the servos and the axles of the stabilisers via control horns, and of course you need a water tight bearing for the axles to run through. For the bearings the Caswell page axle bearings designed for use in WTC can be used. The servos connect to a leveller (like what we use in subs), via a Y cable and the leveller can be inserted into a spare channel, (you don't even need to have this as an active channel as the idea is that like a real ship they work passively). In fact I have even connected the leveller into a battery socket of the RX. You need to check with the manufacturer of the leveller first if it will support two servos.

The leveller I used came from Jim Russell here in Australia - he no longer makes this unit. It was a passive sub leveller (no channel input would work with it).

Bottom line is - working stabilisers IMO only marginally improves performance, and ironically it seems to work best (have the most visible impact) in ships that are very stable as opposed to unstable.

For an example of an extremely light but strong build using a styrene space frame for the superstructure buy the Model Boats Mag April 2009 Edt and read my article.

Hope this helps
best
John

[roedj]

John (Slats),

Please tell me more about your stabilizer idea.

As I see it you used an older type of ADF to sense roll and then used the "ADF" output to control a ganged set of slightly over sized stabilizers to correct the roll. All of this without being tied to a receiver and using a separate power supply.

The ship was built with materials to minimize the weight above the center of buoyancy and keep the center of gravity as low as possible.

Is that it?

Dan