Seaview Trim foam

[Stan Ritter]

Hello David:
Building the rc seaview presently. Had a question about the trim foam around inside of hull shown in your DVD's.
Will I still need to use trim foam if I purchased the seaview pre- made weights from Caswell?
Can anyone answer this that has built the rc seaview?
Thanks
Stan

[SteveJ]

Yes you still need the foam. Click on the link below for instructions that compliment the video. Part 2 of the Seaview instructions are very helpful.

http://support.caswellplating.com/index.php?_m=downloads&_a=view&parentcategoryid=17&pcid=5&nav=0,5

Steve

[dave_mcwhite@cox.net]

Try using Insulation for Pipes around Sub-Driver

Hello,

I too have been having a hard time getting the right foam to use in my SEAVIEW RC. But I think I've got lucky. I went to Home Depot and found in the plumbing section a long black Foam Tube (comes in several diameters), for use as insulation to put arround your internal home pumping pipes. Anyway I purchased a 2.5" diameter tube. The smallest diameter I could find. It comes with a straight edge seam that has a tear-orr clear plastic tape on both ends, with glue beneath the taped edges. The intent was to push the insulation over the pipe, via the slot, and then remove the two tape ends and the tube would glue it-self together. Well back to the SEAVIEW. I cut a length of this black foam insulation tube to the length of the SEAVIEW Sub-Driver tube. If you try pushing it over the Sub-Driver Tube, it looks to bulky to work with. But I cut off about 1 inch on each side of the pre-cut slot (where the tape strips are) and then I place the Sub-Driver down into the SEAVIEW's Hull, I adjust the position I want the Sub-Driver to be in. And then I press the cut Foam Tube (now about 2 to 3 inches less in circumference, and without the glue tape strips), down on top of the Sub-Driver tube, between the SEAVIEW's Hull and the Sub-Driver Tube. The foam hugs the SEAVIEW's internal Framing ribs, and provides enough friction to hold the Sub-Driver Tube tight against the bottom of the Keel, thus locking the tube into place in the SEAVIEW (without using a locking pin, or a velcrow strap to hold the Sub Driver Tube in place, as Mr. Merriman suggests is needed). It provides the added buoyancy needed and very high too, also a feature David Merriman was trying to get in his version of the SEAVIEW.
I continue to modify the foam insert by cutting small holes through the insulation to open air intakes and exhaust routes to the Sub-Driver's ballast tank. I also cut a hole in the insulation for the SNORT (Tube and Sail tube pedestal) components too! The Seaview's Sail Plane Push rod fits within the area between the foam and the removable upper superstructure. All seems to fit very well. I still have ample room to add foam elsewhere if needed.
In fact I added so much weight to the SEAVIEW's bow area (by adding cables for LED Lights) that I used some of this Tube Foaming up under the dummy Bridge Model overhang and the fwd Light fixture, and outboard of the Dummy Bridge fixture too, Such that the bow once glued together is filled with either foam or Fish Tank Sealer or power cables and LED Lights. Leaving only the center Bridge area (where the Up-Periscope unit sits) to free flood with water. If needed, I can use some additional buoyancy foam or lead weights in the Flying Sub bay to balance the final design.
I tested the foam and it doesn't absorb any water! And Drys quickly! I Keep a spare section of foam around, should I need to repair it, but I don't think I'll need to. Hope this helps!

Sincerely,

Dave McWhite

[Kazzer]

David

If the foam you have here is the same I've used to insulate pipes, I think you are in for trouble. This material is very soft and will compress very easily with the pressure of a foot or so of water. Therefore, you will lose the volume of space that is displacing the water, and down you go, never to return!

The best foam I have found is the pink insulation board that is available in Home Depot.

[Stan Ritter]

Seaview ballast foam

Hello:
Will, what I did, I found that pink insulation sheet (no pore)foam 1/2' thick at Home depot. A 8' by 4' sheet was $11.00 or so. Took the good old scroll saw (which you get get a second used fairly cheap at a pawn shop) it cuts it beautiful though and then I formed it with the dreamel tool using the little sander disks and a little sand paper for final touch-works great. I followed David Merriman's instructions he just put out and it works perfect, the cuts the measurements and all he provided.
The sheet of foam, by the way is enough to do probably a 1,000 more seaviews or other subs-good to have on hand the extra (a lot of extra on hand) though.
Anyway my seaview is just about all trimed out in submerged and surface now.
Anyway I think the good old pink sheet (no pores) insulation foam will work
just as good.
Thanks for all the thoughts and help out there though.
Stan

[Kazzer]

I followed David Merriman's instructions he just put out and it works perfectly, the cuts, the measurements and all he provided.
Stan

He did? Where? Where?

[dave_mcwhite@cox.net]

Danger - chemical reaction to foam

To all ALERT!

I got some of the foam David instructed to use. Noting that it was of different type of plastic from the Seaview Model, I chose to mount it using PRO CA (Cyanoacrylate Glue - Thin Instant) from Great Planes. Everything looked fine for about 2 minutes then the foam started to dissolve! It gave off a clear gas that burned my eyes and throat when I breathed some of it. I also found that it melted some of the Silicone Sealer I had adjacent to it too!

After 15 min. I was able to approach the model and do damage repair!

The foam turned to goop, and I was able to scrape it out.

I've since re-installed the Foam David Suggested, but only used the Silicon Sealant to hold it in place.

I've attached a photograph of my bow area where I sculpted the foam around the lighting fixtures and cabling I added to the Seaview! From all the lighting and wiring the bow seemed heavy, so I added the sculpted foam to off set this bow weight.

Sincerely,

Dave McWhite

[dave_mcwhite@cox.net]

My Seaview Pictures

Sorry Here are my Attached pictures of my SEAVIEW RC Model. And some of the features I've Changed from the David Merriman directions:

1) Added LED Lights to bow, Fins and Sails
2) Added Foam in Bow to off set weights of bow Lights/cables
3) Altered water Intakes to Stern Tube Water Jets
4) Added battery connections in FS Bay for LEDs

Sincerely,

Dave McWhite

[Stan Ritter]

Seaview foam trim

Hello
Yes, that's the pink foam sheet (shown above) that I bought at home depot for around 11.00 or so. Works perfect. (enough to do 1,000 seaview's probably though) but good to have around.
I used good old clear GE silicon to install foam-from home depot also. Seems to dry pretty fast. If need to be it's not hard to remove foam or ballest, even after silicon is dry, using an exacto to cut some and then pry a little comes right out.
I used this silicon for the lead weights also.
The link to get to foam info provided by David is above.
Go to part 2 of 2 of this. It's about 3 or 4 pages of great info for foam ballest measurements and install and ideas.
Hope this helps some.
Stan