scale ?'s

[jim_johnson]

i was reading the impba rules on scales since that is were i will be running, and i'm a little confused, it reads that should be as scale as possible and should conceale glow plug engine, does this include the pipe? what if on a turbine boat the pipe sticks out faurther that the turbine exhaust? should you extend the exhause to cover the pipe? it also reads cockpit with driver, i dont know about you guys but i dont think i could see a driver from ten feet away. do you have to run the boat in the same way as concourse judging? ie concourse cowle and racing cowl. thank you for any help in this matter.

jim

 

[Don Ferrette]

i was reading the impba rules on scales since that is were i will be running, and i'm a little confused, it reads that should be as scale as possible and should conceale glow plug engine, does this include the pipe? what if on a turbine boat the pipe sticks out faurther that the turbine exhaust? should you extend the exhause to cover the pipe? it also reads cockpit with driver, i dont know about you guys but i dont think i could see a driver from ten feet away. do you have to run the boat in the same way as concourse judging? ie concourse cowle and racing cowl. thank you for any help in this matter.jim

Hey Jim the pipe protruding past the cowl or turbine tube while running is really not an issue & I know a few guys who will remove the pipe for Concours judging so it doesn't stick out & potentially cost them points. I've also seen them exit the transom on the turbines with very short or no real "exhaust tube" so it's not visible at all. As for the driver, that has to be there both when running & Concours judging. A number of years ago we were messin' with having a set of Concours wings & race wings as some of the little sponsor graphics were hard to get & we didn't want to mess them up if they came off but hasn't really been the case much anymore. Hope this helps. B)

 

[jim_johnson]

it does indeed, thank you very much

 

[Hydro Junkie]

There are a few things to remember about scale boats:

1) Not all boats have an enclosed cockpit or covered engine

2) Not all boats have a turbine engine with the big exhaust tube

3) All boats are required to look as much as humanly possible like their full sized counter part

This means

1) The nitro engine needs to be hidden, either by a dummy Rolls/Allison or a cowling matching the one on the full sized boat.

2) The tuned pipe needs to be concealed either inside a turbine pipe or inside the hull. Having the tuned pipe sticking out the back like on the Pro Boat hydros is frowned upon or, with some clubs/organizations, illegal.

3) Cockpits and drivers need to be detailed as much as possible, especially if its on open type. A detailed cockpit on a canopied boat will also be a point getter in the concource judging.

The idea is to replicate the real boat as closely as possible. If someone is only going to go half way, they might as well go Sport 60, where it's not required

 

[jim_johnson]

i think the point of the question was, if you go by the letter of the rules there is a contradition. the rule says engine, it doesn't mention pipe, also how much detail can you see from ten feet away, standing up, when the boat is eight inches of the ground. i also alwase thought that a preference was giver to the older style of boats in judging because there is more visible detail. i dont have a problem with the rules, like i feel that you implied, i just want to know how i should build the boat, before hand, not at the pond if someone gets upset that either the pip's hanging out, or the exhaust isn't scale. thank you

 

[Rich Jones]

I'm doing the U-3, and yes I was doing it last year too, and yes it WILL be ready this year. You know how life gets. Anyway, the way the motor is situated on the real boat vs. the location our model engines need to be makes it difficult to completely conceal the model engine. It will be close, however, and that's where I assume the "concealed as much as possible" comes in. I'm working on a flat, one piece, engine well cover that I've constructed to follow the contour of the hull from transom to cockpit. The dummy allison will become a part of this so everything will come off in one piece, and I've decided to use magnets to hold it down. While I've situated the motor as low and as close to the cockpit as possible, the water jacket will still stick up through the deck of the cowl. If you look at the boat from the side, the top of the glow plug sits below the lowest contour point of the cockpit. I will situate the dummy motor so that the turbos will sit to each side of the glow engine. I'm hoping the top of the glow motor will look almost like some of the hardware you see down in front of the Allison on the real boat, ie. fuel tank, etc.... Bottom line, you do what you can. Its more difficult w/ some hulls to conceal the engine when the boat doesn't run w/ a cowl. The newer hull designs are not as deep as some of the old pickelfork and roundnose designs. Some of the roundnoses I've seen have the dummy motor sitting directly over the glow engine, thus completely concealing it. I wouldn't be able to do this w/ the U-3 and have it look right, let alone the cg and all that. I believe all that is required is a bonified attempt to conceal it. Hopefully, that's how mine will be perceived. I may even remove the glow engine for any concourse judgings.

Good Luck

Rich

 

[Rich Jones]

Impba Rule Book, Page H-4, Engine and Boat Specs. #3 c. EFFORT must be made to conceal glow engine w/ fake engine or cowling as per prototype boats. I've seen some boats racing where the "effort" has either been non-existant or blatantly lame, but they were racing just the same. I LOVE it when a boat is practically dead on the real one, but work w/in your limitations and the rules.

 

[Rich Jones]

Don, just read your proposal on this subject in the Roostertail. I believe its on a one year trial. This adds decent clarification to the original rule. Fair enough if you ask me.

 

[Mike McKnight]

Jim if I may make a suggestion.....you might want to consult with the Scale Chairman in your district and maybe your National Scale Chairman. After reading the IMPBA Scale Rules, much like the NAMBA Scale Rules, there is wiggle room where it is left open to some interpretation. As these are the people that are going to determine what lattitude they will allow with regards to the rules regarding concealment it be an idea to talk to them before you get stuck having to make some changes after the boat is built. It's always better to make a change before the paint goes on. It gets a bit expensive after that.

 

[SayMikey]

Jim if I may make a suggestion.....you might want to consult with the Scale Chairman in your district and maybe your National Scale Chairman. After reading the IMPBA Scale Rules, much like the NAMBA Scale Rules, there is wiggle room where it is left open to some interpretation. As these are the people that are going to determine what lattitude they will allow with regards to the rules regarding concealment it be an idea to talk to them before you get stuck having to make some changes after the boat is built. It's always better to make a change before the paint goes on. It gets a bit expensive after that.

Ive been to the last three IMPBA Internats, two boats have won the last 3 years mine being the last two. Dennis Wright winning in 2004,all these have been open cockpit. So much more detail of a open cockpit boat may be seen at 10 feet, no they dont have a lock on counsourse but a decided advantage. If you run a turbine with a tube get a shiny pipe and keep it polished. Mike