Tuesday, August 18, 2020

Back on the water

 

 
On a nice, sunny, calm day,  I took the tugboat to our pool (don't get excited, you've probably got inflatable paddling pools that are bigger. And a lot easier to set up) for final fitting out. 

Getting the weighting right took a little while. The battery pack is on one side so a matching lump of lead was required on the other. Then a bit more up front to make the model sit level. this foot-long model now weighs in at 366g - a bit heavier than I expected, but it sits well on the water and that's what matters. 

Under power it sails well. You only have to crack the speed lever open a tiny amount for a scale speed. I need to look in to programming the transmitter to change the rate there for more control. Turning is OK, about 3 feet for a full circle. Reversing involved lots of splashing and less steering control than I expected. My guess is that and even smaller prop would have worked perfectly well. 


To be fair, a garden swimming pool isn't the most realistic of places to sail, I', sure dodging batching polar bears wasn't something the prototype did. (The bear supports a thermometer in case you were wondering) so I need to get it on brown water for the final shots some time. However, sailing has made me realise there are a couple of finishing touches required.

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