Looking for help trimming my XXIII - Nose drops when i dive...

[most_people]

I have been working on this boat for approximately 4 years now hah! Off and on college gets in my way etc...

Anyways I have here a 32parallel XXIII which I ripped the origional WTC out and added a D&E WTC-3 (this thing rocks btw props to dave merriman for an awesome piece of machinery!)

Anyays I am having trouble getting it to balance right after I dive, the nose drops and never regains a level attitude once it stops diving.

Any ideas?

thanks! zep311@gmail.com

[Guest]

Yep.

You're nose heavy.

If the

Yep.

You're nose heavy.

If the boat is sitting at the correct waterline when on the surface, then add a small piece of foam in the bow of the boat ABOVE the waterline.

This will add bouyabcy to the bow as the boat subemerges, and keep it level.

Experimentation will provide the key to getting the right size of foam

Use the pink or blue foam you can buy from builders merchants, and seal it with a thin coat of epoxy resin when finished trimming.

Andy

[boatbuilder1]

curious why seal it ?
I

curious why seal it ?
I have never experianced any troubles hmmmm

[tmsmalley]

I had the opposite problem

I had the opposite problem with my 32nd P XXIII - It wanted to submerge nose up, then after I was under it settled down to level. It turned out that I wasn't getting all the air bubbles out from under that long deck. Sam Reichart suggested that I drill some holes in the deck then camouflage them with wood deck planks. I did that and the problem was fixed.

Chuck - I have started to seal my foam with epoxy (thinned with alcohol) as well. I noticed that the unsealed foam in my Alfa was starting to compress and look "worn down". The epoxy coating seems to stop that problem.

[bigdave]

Hey Tim,
Nice photos, But

Hey Tim,
Nice photos, But Man! What an UGLY radio Sorry. I had to! Bigdave.

[anonymous]

It sure is ugly! LOL

It sure is ugly! LOL I mean the radio. Looks like Tor Johnson! LOL!!

Nice pics Tim. Nice boat too. I know some one locally working on a larger version that will be a kit later in the year. Not me. I'm working on a XVII.

Steve

[sam reichart]

Tim-
that's a real nice looking

Tim-
that's a real nice looking XXIII - one of the nicer 32nd P's that I've seen finished...

I still think that the XXIII is a great "starter" U-Boat ...not as many railings and such as the Type VII, only a single screw to worry about, and you can detail the devil out of it.

I'm still sloooooooowly working on my second OTW model...I'm still trying to get up to see Herr LaRue so I can check out his Seehund's ballast system...I'm thinking of trying one like that for this model.

Just out of curiosity Steve- can you disclose any more about this other Type XXIII you've hinted at?

Sam

[boatbuilder1]

ok well I will have

ok well I will have to keep an eye on the foam
btw you can also cut the epoxy with acetone and laquer thinner but in very small amounts this is my reciepe 3 parts epoxy 1 part thinner

[anonymous]

Sam,

Only that I know the

Sam,

Only that I know the man making it. I'm not sure of the scale but I know it be a larger boat. Epoxy glass hull and excact scale with every bolt, revit and panel line. This guy is really good.

As soon as he starts sending me pictures I'll start a thread Sam.

Steve

[sam reichart]

Sam,

Only that I know the

Sam,

Only that I know the man making it. I'm not sure of the scale but I know it be a larger boat. Epoxy glass hull and excact scale with every bolt, revit and panel line. This guy is really good.

As soon as he starts sending me pictures I'll start a thread Sam.

Steve

thanks Steve...

The OTW is somewhere around 1/20th (1/24th?) scale. The great thing about that scale is all the linkage can be hidden inside the stern. The way that 32nd Parallel built their model, some of that linkage stuck outside the model.

Plus, I can still envision an OTW size Type XXIII, fitted with working torpedos, and now utilizing David Merriman's camera system, to do a little target "hunting" in a pool....

[anonymous]

You bet. I'll keep you

You bet. I'll keep you informed. I know that my XVII will be nice and big at 1/46.

Steve

[tmsmalley]

Thanks for the nice comments

Thanks for the nice comments about the boat (and the UG-OH-LEE radio) HOWEVER...




... here's the rub - shortly after I shot the photos of the sub, my daughter set her purse down right on top of it, smushing the scope and breaking the back wall out of the conning tower - into several small pieces. If I had any money, she'd be out of the will!

Being that this thing is molded ABS, I have no idea how to repair it invisibly withouth completely rebuilding the conning tower interior. Ugh!



Edited By TMSmalley on 1116256349

[sam reichart]

go buy an OTW Type

go buy an OTW Type XXIIII...that will make you feel much better!

[tmsmalley]

Throw money at it? Yes,

Throw money at it? Yes, but then I'll still have a broken sub. Gotta fix it - somehow!

[Guest]

Can you post some pictures

Can you post some pictures of the damage?