32 parallel type vii good first model

[pizza bill]

Hi all name is Mark been a big fan of rc subs for sometime but never had a chance to build one.
A friend of my was clearing out his storage shed and brought it to my attention that if I wanted sub it was mine.
Well I jumped at the chance! its a 32nd parallel u boat he bought back in the early 90's,the problem is I think the company is out of business, just my luck.
Been looking for reference material on this sub, seems to be alot of finished models but no build ups that i could find.
Well back to my first question is this a good start up model? I'M toolmaker by trade so building does'nt scare me its all the important stuff on the inside like radios,wtc,etc,etc. I use to build rc sailplanes so radio's for planes and servos I know but talking to some of the hobby shops all they want to sell me is the most expensive 7 channel radio they got.


any advice would help thanks Mark

[chuck chesney]

The art of building and

The art of building and running model subs has jumped ahead a bunch since 32 P. was around. This forum is exactly the right place to be regarding submarine models.

I suspect that the modern WTC (Water Tight Compartment) will be a good place to start. There are a ton of articles in the archives of The SubCommittee web sight on how to build and rig your boat. There are also many commercially available electronics and mechanical devices for model submarines, as well as commercially available WTC's.
It's an unfortunate reality that many, maybe most, hobby shop folks have only a limited knowledge of the submarine hobby, which is a pretty arcane niche field.

A man with your background as a toolmaker and RC model builder should have little trouble getting the basics right, but there are some very important and significant differences between flying aircraft and getting a usable signal to penetrate the water for a sub. You do not need to buy the most expensive radio that the hobby shop is trying to sell. For basic running, diving and control, four channels will do just fine (rudder, dive planes, ballast, speed control) with five or six even better, in case you want to go the full fantasy route later on (firing torpedoes and such).

Join the SubCommittee, read these boards routinely, and you'll have a great time ! Much help is available !

[pizza bill]

thanks chuck and will do

thanks chuck and will do but is the 32nd parallel a good starting point ?

thanks Mark

[JWLaRue]

Hi Mark,

Welcome to the hobby!

I'll

Hi Mark,

Welcome to the hobby!

I'll echo what Chuck has said, you should have minimal (if any) problems with building an R/C sub.

A couple of things I'd like to add:

a) if you have the 32nd Parallel instruction sheet, ignore it for the parts dealing with the ballast system and dry spaces. This goes along with what Chuck said about using the more state-of-the-art WTC (or dive module).

b) there are some vendors here that offer dive modules that can help simplify the building process of that aspect of the project.

c) regarding your question as to whether or not the 32nd P Type VII is a good place to start....that's a bit difficult for us to give you a straight-up 'yes' or 'no'. Since you have experience with R/C planes, you'll be able to translate that directly into subs. After all we're just flying in a different medium! That leaves the physical construction the the sub itself. There are kits that are both easier and harder to build, but the basic principles for all are pretty much the same with a lot of R/C plane concepts also being used. Being a U-boat (and esp. Type VII) fan myself, I think that the most difficult thing with that kit will be getting the geometry of the A-frame used to support the prop shafts correct. I'm sort of ignoring the main deck since I'm assuming that your kit came with one of the fiberglass decks....and if not, it is possible to get a photo-etched deck for that kit.

d) related to "c", how much are you into getting all the correct details correct? There are a couple of things with that hull kit that the "anal" modeler would want to correct. If you like to deal with that aspect of build, then there are one or two books that I'd recommend you get for references.

It used to be that all the advice would have been to not start with a kit like this. I know this because that is the advice I was given. As in start with something simpler. I chose to ignore that advice and built a Type VIIC as my first boat.....and have never regretted the time, learning experience, or joy of running that boat. And I still have and run it!

-hope this is making some sense and is useful,

Jeff

[PaulC]

Hi Mark,

It depends.

If by

Hi Mark,

It depends.

If by good starting point you mean a complete, well engineered (by today's standards) kit with instructions, then my answer would be no. It is a dated kit which is no longer supported by its manufacturer.

There are several better starting points for getting into your first boat: Small World Models USS Blueback; SubTech USS Albacore; D&E USS Skipjack, etc. They come complete with instructions and produce solid running boats.

If by good starting point you mean a project to begin with minimal investment (is your friend giving the 32P kit to you?), one you are unafraid to learn on and modify to utilize the advances in ballast systems made since it was produced, and aren't an absolute stickler for scale accuracy, then I'd say yes.

[chuck chesney]

Is the 32 P a

Is the 32 P a good starting point? Sure it is. With the modern wet hull, WTC boat, the hull simply becomes a fairing around the WTC, which is the "real" submarine. You will probably have to make some fairly major modifications to the kits original internal layout , to bring it up to date, but externally it will look the same as the day it came out of the factory.

The internal re-arrangement isn't a big deal. My favorite sub is an Engles "Patrick Henry" which I bought in Frankfurt in the late 1970's. It has gone through several iterations, including the original "dry hull" with piston ballast tanks, to a wet hull "pump boat" ballast system, to it's present wet hull RCABS/WTC configuration. The power packs have gone from the original gel cells to Nicads, to NiMH, with a probability of LiPo's in the future. The drive motors have gone from 6V, to 12V, to brushless.
The sub has become lighter, more reliable and more capable with each modernization. Longer run times, too.

While each of us have our own goals for a model, I have found over the years that once a sub is underwater, the illusion is complete, and I rarely run my boat more than two or three feet down. This forum often has people thinking that they have to run a model sub as much as twenty feet underwater, which may be fine in a clear swimming pool, but is of little practical value otherwise. The folks who want to deep dive a sub usually have no practical experience with running a model sub.

Things that are really not an option, in my opinion, are an automatic pitch controller and a failsafe that will blow ballast in the event of radio signal loss. Mikes Subworks (vendors page) has them for sale, and Dave Welch (Big Dave) sells a ready to run WTC/ballast system. Dr. Art Broder invented the simplest and most failsafe (and least expensive) ballast system, the RCAB and it's derivative, the Reverse RCAB. There is a lot of experience and talent in the SubCommittee, and the longer you read these pages, the more comfortable you will be when it comes time to deliberately make your boat sink.

Feel free to email me at calbear@plmw.com if I can be of any further assistance.

[pizza bill]

wow thanks for all the

wow thanks for all the good advice it makes me feel better knowing that if i run into a problem ( and i will ) that i can always ask for help thanks so much

Mark

[mike dory]

Mark - I noticed your

Mark - I noticed your in Diamond Bar, Ca. I'm staying in Lake Elsinore Ca. If you woluld like some recommendations in building a 32 P. Type V11, I would be pleased to help out. I have 8 working Subs today. My third was a 32 P.Type V11, I built her in 81 and although she been through several refits since her first launching, She remains one of the most pleasing boats to run. Come on down we'll put her in the park pool and have some fun. There are two upcoming Regatts that would be a good place to see other working subs. San Francisco has one on Sept. 15 - 16, at Golden Gate Park, Fly casting pounds. There is also one in Riverside Ca. On Oct 21, at Freemont Park. Give me a call (360) 921-0428 Best Wishes. Mike Dory

[chuck chesney]

HEY MARK...Take up Mike Dory

HEY MARK...Take up Mike Dory on his offer. He is one of the guys who made this a viable hobby, and has forgotten more about "how to do it" than most of us will ever know. This is like manna from heaven.

[pizza bill]

You bet I will just

You bet I will just got back from vacation and checking some emails

thanks again Mark