Starting again

Araldite joins between plastic and stainles steel tube can be broken with a bit of wiggling one you've chipped the glue away. I found this out because I've decided to go back to first principles with the Damper van. It's obvious my plans just to stick a couple of extensions on a plastic kit and then fill the body with motor and radio gear isn't going to work. I need some science.

So, the motor and rudder have been removed. The prop shaft hole has been bunged up with Blu-tack (a small Dutch boy with a finger not being available) and the model launched again.

Result, it's still very stern heavy but the back platform is now clear of the water with the front nicely afloat. I still think it's a bit low, the waterline should be the tops of the wheel arches if possible.

Just as a check I weighed the components I removed:

Rudder - 10g
Motor drive unit - 58g

Fitted with all the gubbins you saw yesterday, the model has a weight of 261g.

I think what this proves is that the scale option isn't an option. I need more buoyancy and this has to come from somewhere. Favorites at present are a sealed section under the middle of the van and a large extension of that below the rear platform. It could be that what I've done is prove why the prototype sank, and why the second version had more hull. Mind you, that sank too albeit in rough seas.