UPDATE on the 5 1/2 ft Atlas Van Line Fiberglass Hydroplane Kit

[Terry Heddin]

Is anyone familiar with a 65" AVL fiberglass kit from American R/C Helicopters? It's from around the mid - late '70,s and is a one piece hull, with foam core wing and fins. Looks to be about 30+inches wide at the back of the sponsons. A friend has this and has offered it to me. His father acquired the kit in about '75-'77 or so and never built it.
Sorry, no pics..........yet.

 

[Grimracer]

yes.. we use to have one at our Shop in EauClaire. 70CC hornet motor

 

[Terry Heddin]

yes.. we use to have one at our Shop in EauClaire. 70CC hornet motor

What would be a fair price to offer him for the kit?

 

[Grimracer]

NO CLUE...

Is a neat boat but the paint itself is going to cost you a BUNDLE! LOL... its the size of a bed mattress!

Grim

 

[Terry Heddin]

Yeah, not to mention, finding a good power source, and compatible rigging hardware. Wonder if a 32cc engine would even get it up on plane?

 

[Terry Heddin]

OK, I now have the kit in my possession, and it's actually 68" long, and 34" wide at the sponsons.
Appears this may be an Express Craft kit. Pretty sure it's the '77 Blue Blaster, but the "#1" decal says 1982. The '82 boat had a canard and an extended cockpit, so this is not that boat.

 

[Don Ferrette]

How wide and deep is the engine well area?

 

[Terry Heddin]

How wide and deep is the engine well area?

8" wide, and 3" deep.

 

[Don Ferrette]

8" wide, and 3" deep.

With that kind of width I'd take a hard look at gas twin inline-
https://www.gizmomotors.com/online-store/s-520-bottom-end-kit-with-coils-22538-28406Use a 90 degree header on front cylinder and a 100 degree header on the rear cylinder.

 

[Dave Gilles]

TP makes motors for that if you decide to go FE. Theyre 4 inch motors that can handle up to 26s.
http://www.tppower.com/sort.asp?class_id=4&news=124

 

[Grimracer]

I have a buddy that owns American RC Helicopters.. he might have info on that. Talk to Tom. I am not sure if this is a relic of the old company but its worth a call.

http://www.americanrcheli.com/

 

[Terry Heddin]

I have a buddy that owns American RC Helicopters.. he might have info on that. Talk to Tom. I am not sure if this is a relic of the old company but its worth a call.

http://www.americanrcheli.com/

The "original American R/C Helicopters, who made this kit went out of business in about 1985.

 

[Grimracer]

I understand that... BUT.. Tom has been a hobby dude for a long time and had connections for many years. Used the name or bought it.. not sure, anyway.. MAYBE he knows something.. maybe not..

 

[David Ashcroft]

OK, I now have the kit in my possession, and it's actually 68" long, and 34" wide at the sponsons.
Appears this may be an Express Craft kit. Pretty sure it's the '77 Blue Blaster, but the "#1" decal says 1982. The '82 boat had a canard and an extended cockpit, so this is not that boat.

Boaters in NewZealand build 72" hydros Miss circus ,,bud t4 to name a couple.
This one pictured 72"x39" did 122kph with a old Mathe 35 cc.

 

[Terry Heddin]

Too cold to paint on my SLR Missile so, I've been puttering with the AVL. Not much to do until I get all the running hardware, but got the fins and wing roughed in.

 

[FloridaScaleBoater]

May I make a suggestion, the way you are mounting your "tail feathers" when/if it blows over, it is going to tear the aft deck and wings apart.
Mount your wings with nylon screws & nuts as a shear device.
Sacrifice the nylon screws vice the boat parts.
Rick

 

[Terry Heddin]

May I make a suggestion, the way you are mounting your "tail feathers" when/if it blows over, it is going to tear the aft deck and wings apart.
Mount your wings with nylon screws & nuts as a shear device.
Sacrifice the nylon screws vice the boat parts.
Rick

I don't really expect a blow over will be an issue, as I plan to run a G260 or 320 for power. I have considered it though, and thinking I will shorten the mount tubes, and since the wing brace will be what actually retains the wing, I was thinking 2-56 nylon clevises on the tips of the braces. Maybe ad nylon 4-40 bolts at the fin to wing joint as well.

 

[Hydro Junkie]

Sorry, I have to agree with Rick on this one. Tails and wings need to be able to come off in the event of an accident. Hit a buoy, have an unexpected gust of wind or any one of several other things and you could end up upside down. Nylon screws are much more forgiving than other ways of mounting the tails

 

[Stephen Roberge]

Well I can tell you guys this, I have the SAME EXACT BOAT. I’m going to start a build thread pretty soon. Mine will have a twin 62cc GZR in it that I’m hoping to complete for the spring depending on how my wife’s cancer treatments all go. Here’s a couple pics of mine.

 

[Terry Heddin]

Got my engine rails and mounts all laid out. This is just for patterns, all done with 1/8 balsa doubled up to 1/4. Actual rail and bulkheads will be 1/4" 5 ply birch aircraft plywood. Also they will all be tab and slotted together for strength.