Dragon M-11 build thread

[moparbarn]

Thanx, Gener! Havin'fun with this one, going together very nice so far & I've seen it run (-;. Really hard to see anything here, but both outer side rails & all the ribs are in & clamped - somewhere under there..... I'll get it uncovered some in the morning to show the structure off better & start fitting nose & tail blocks to it.

 

[moparbarn]

Here's a couple pics showing progress so far. Forgot I needed the front wall of the radio box in before I could fit the nose piece. Speaking of the box, it has a ton of room!! I've shown it with on of Daniel's racing's 1300 life packs & a standard NiMH hump pack. Plenty of room for the RX on top of the battery. The box is 8 1/2" long X 1 3/4" wide (at the rear, has a slight taper to the front) X 2 1/4" tall, predrilled for the switch mount. GOOD JOB, Kris (-:!!

 

[moparbarn]

A little bling for my dragon! Thanx toyotatruckin/mike ecton (-;. If ya'll need anything powder coated, i can recommend him as a person & a craftsman.

 

[toyotatruckin]

Here is a better picture of it finished--and your welcome!!

 

[Darin Jordan]

Nice build-thread, Robin! First time I've seen the "guts" of the Dragon!

Just for inspiration... New P-LTD SAW Record holder... 65.8mph...

I DID make a 73.xx mph pass earlier in the weekend, but trying to get the boat up on step with THAT prop is going to take a LOT more tuning and tweaking to get it consistent! I KNOW the power is there, however!!

Looking forward to watching you finish this!

 

[moparbarn]

73!!! Wow, Darin that's cookin' right along. Looking foward to a record in the 70's next (-;. I knew you had one in your hands early on, & after seeing Kris run them at the Herb Stewart race.....well, I hadda have one too (-;. I should get the radio box rigged, drilled & sealed today. Gonna remake the nose & tail blocks out of some of the mahogany scraps I got from Mike Byer, add a little contrast/color. Then skin the tops of the center section & put the top pieces on the radio box. Sponsons are next in line after that.

 

[moparbarn]

The radio box is set up. Life flat pack in foam under the RX, room for a hump pack if wanted/needed for weight (-; The RX will get velcro'd the the top about where it is now. Solid 2-56 rod for 3rd channel in an antenna tube, Sullivan 515 golden cable for throttle, Sullivan 515 & 507 outers for steering cables. All will have a heat shrink wiper on the outside end, except throttle. No big holes or seals to leak, this setup has been BULLETPROOF for me! I use a Sullivan 4-40 pull-pull kit for the cable & some hardware. Cable crimps come from the fishing tackle store, amongst the leader making stuff. DO NOT use fishing leader wire, it is too stiff/brittle & will get cut & break under the pinch bolt on the servo wheel. Now to pull it all back out (except the sleeves) & seal the box, put the top pieces on it & seal under where the sheeting will go. Hope to have that & nose & tail blocks done tonight. Then I can sheet it & get everything filleted in & the first coat of sealer on.

 

[Darin Jordan]

DO NOT use fishing leader wire, it is too stiff/brittle & will get cut & break under the pinch bolt on the servo wheel.

Just for the record, I've been using nylon coated 60lbs test Stainless fishing leader for my pull-pull cables for YEARs without one failure unto the pull-pull wheel screw.

I think it may depend on the brand and style of the leader.

 

[moparbarn]

No doubt, Darin. I used it for years also, but the commonly available leader wire around here has changed to a stiffer, thicker strand, with less total strands in the cable. Berkeley is one example. After going to dick's, gander mountain, wally world, etc., I just went to my lhs (-;. If I lived closer to the Chesapeake Bay, I could prolly find the "good stuff"!

 

[Wally Marsh]

Another source for very strong SS cable in bulk lengths is McMaster-Carr. I've been using their nylon coated 0.032 diameter 7 x 7 strand (49 total) rated at 110 lbs. Its been awhile since I ordered a bunch but they have complete on line catalogue.

Wallster

 

[moparbarn]

Been busy with spring honeydo's, plus being under the weather for a few days. Got some more done, outer sections of the center & radio box interior sealed. Radio box top on (the lid fits tight!), the center section sheeting fitted, nose block on, tailpieces on & shaped, & a basic sanding of most of the assembly so far. Planning on epoxying the sheeting on in the a.m. The 2-56 rod for third channel is just there for illustration, thinking I can mount it on the inside of the transom. These pics are before sanding.

 

[moparbarn]

Went looking around at the usual chain sporting goods stores again, since new spring fishing gear is in. Still the same crappy leader wire!! One thing I have noticed is that the wire I'm cautioning against using is in a black nylon covering, not the clear covering that seems to be on the "good stuff". It is also A LOT stiffer, & kinks MUCH easier than the wire in the 4-40 pull pull kit, or the quality leader wire. A dedicated tackle store may have what we need, but from what I can find around here the chain/box stores no longer do.

 

[moparbarn]

Center section sheeting going on. Each battery is sitting over a rib under the sheeting & 1/4" x 2" oak blocks on both ends under the clamps to spread the load, so I shouldn't have any ripples (I hope). The inner edge along the side rails that from the transom up along the radio box is difficult to tape or clamp, so I used a trick I learned from mike at ml boats. As I taped, clamped & weighted from the front to the rear, I tacked that edge down with ca. There is epoxy on the bottom of the sheet for the real bond, the ca just holds that edge tighter than tape can on an inside corner. This was this morning, gonna do the other side before bedtime. Then it's on to some sponsons. Been going a little slow because the only can so far are those tacks on the sheeting & the 2 hooks for rubber bands at the rear of the fuel tank well. All epoxy takes longer, but I feel more confident in the overall strength of the completed hull (-; That, & I'm trying to get 3 other boats assembled for our d-12 race in a few weeks also. Out of 5 boats I'll race this season, only 1 is left over from last year.

 

[Wally Marsh]

Hey Robin,

Check McMaster-Carr for their pre-stretched nylon coated 0.032" stainless steel cable in 7 strand x 7 bundle (49 strand) format, very strong I've been using for many years for my tunnels. It's around $1 a foot in bulk lengths, I buy 20 feet at a time.

Wallster

 

[Kris Flynn]

that is alot of lead wieght holding that sucker down

 

[moparbarn]

Wally, as little of it as I use, I'd rather support my lhs & buy a Sullivan 4-40 pull pull kit. Barring any "catastrophic events" & given a proper rigging, a cable steering setup will last a few years at least. 1 kit has enough cable to do 3 or 4 tunnels. I'm really not all about supporting businesses all over, rather keep my $ in the local economy. If we don't, we won't have a "corner store" to run out to. Something about that possibility just don't sit right with me (-;

 

[moparbarn]

that is alot of lead wieght holding that sucker down

And this from the man that uses car batteries - LOL! It did come out nice & smooth, no waves or dimples Kris. I did have the same thought, but since each battery was directly over an upright/rib under the sheeting it worked out well. I marked their location on the outside first. Since the deck is curved, the trick was centering the batteries over the ribs so no real weight was on the edges of the batteries. I'm taking my time, not rushing it - but this kit really is going together very easily. A little sanding to fit things up, & very little of that. I think I have a pretty cool idea for a color/graphics scheme, just have to see if Jeff Ross can pull it off.....

 

[moparbarn]

This is too funny!!! I was looking for the masking tape earlier, just saw it on the floor almost under the workbench in that photo. Glad you made the lead comment Kris, & caused me to look at that pic again.......

 

[Ray Sametz]

This is too funny!!! I was looking for the masking tape earlier, just saw it on the floor almost under the workbench in that photo. Glad you made the lead comment Kris, & caused me to look at that pic again.......

it ain't for sissy's.

 

[moparbarn]

This is too funny!!! I was looking for the masking tape earlier, just saw it on the floor almost under the workbench in that photo. Glad you made the lead comment Kris, & caused me to look at that pic again.......

it ain't for sissy's.

At least I know who loves me, RRRay (-; See ya in a couple weeks.