Newbie Robbe SeaWolf

[junglelord]

Drum roll please and some military fanfare. MY Dad on New Years Night and my completed RC Seawolf Submarine.




My first RC Sub. A Robbe SeaWolf that has a 3 channel with front drive planes.

First Ballast Test at four pounds and Watertight Compartment test....both passed with flying colours yet it needs more ballast.



This is the second tub ballast test
Its weight is five pounds.


This was just perfect and straight as an arrow.


Here it is opened up. The front hull endcap has a microservo for the front drive planes. The two rear servos for the rudder and rear dive plane are in the center frame. Only thing missing in the picture is the battery which is an RC 7.5 volt. Simple RC 3 Channel Receiver at the back, Electronic Speed Control in the middle, three servos and battery (which is supported under the middle) to power the speed 600 motor. The Water Tight Compartment screws together from the front. I was told that the antenna could be run inside, so that is what the wire is that is taped to the innear frame. Dynamic Dive. I will try to add some LED lights.



the center hull on the right slides on to the center piece and the front hull slides on to a thread and screws tight and there is the WTC in the center with the electronics all safe and dry. Pretty cool and simple. Rubber boots for the control arms and some vaseline on the rubber O rings for extra seal. Guaranteed not to leak.

[junglelord]

Its time to paint.

After much

Its time to paint.

After much thought, I decided to give it the Midas Touch. I have crystal clear water where I live beside the St Lawrence River. I can take it fairly far out and also in bad weather. Its not everyones cup of tea, but I thought it would be original. I look forward to breakup of the ice. I have two Moebius SeaViews coming and one is getting the Merriman conversion treatment....its gonna be a big summer.

[junglelord]

Going to paint it this

Going to paint it this way some day....

[scott t]

Great Job.

-Scott

Great Job.

-Scott

[warpatroller]

Congrats on the Seawolf! Your

Congrats on the Seawolf! Your paint jobs made me think of Goldfinger.. Definitely different from the standard fare. But hey, if you really have fun with them, perhaps they are worth their weight in gold to you! Hmm, how bout a 24 Karat gold plated hull with tiny diamonds instead of rivets.

[junglelord]

Thanks, LOL, next you will

Thanks, LOL, next you will be calling me Jlo...or Dr EVIL.


Actually since I have lost six inches due to compression fractures, you can call me MiniMe...LOL>

The new Seaview is quite impressive beside the SeaWolf.

[greenman407]

Looking good! You mentioned that

Looking good! You mentioned that you were recieving two (2) Seaviews. What are you going to do with the other one?

[Guest]

Thats a great sub the

Thats a great sub the seawolf she was my first and still love her handling and great depth capability of 60ft!

Mine was bright orange then silver then back to orange,ya I put miles on that sub back in the early 80s

Have fun

Dave Amur Sub Yard

[junglelord]

Looking good! You mentioned that

Looking good! You mentioned that you were recieving two (2) Seaviews. What are you going to do with the other one?

I want to make and give one to my granddaughter as an RC Conversion by Dave Merriman.

[junglelord]

Thats a great sub the

Thats a great sub the seawolf she was my first and still love her handling and great depth capability of 60ft!

Mine was bright orange then silver then back to orange,ya I put miles on that sub back in the early 80s

Have fun

Dave Amur Sub Yard

Thats good news Dave.
I want to thank you for your kind comments and knowledge of experience.
I cannot wait for its maiden voyage this spring.
I would like to have seen a picture of it in silver.
I have seen it done in bright orange.
It seems to take to the Gold.


Was yours the V2 version?
If so did you end up putting a larger thread and wingnut on the front end cap. I have heard of the thread breaking by over tighting.

Mine seals really well. I use some vaseline, which I read on a forum somewhere and they said it will "never" leak like that. What do you think? What is your experience?

[Guest]

Thanks junglelord!

Mine was perhaps one

Thanks junglelord!

Mine was perhaps one of the very first as even the instructions where in German.Vertion 1 but a great sub,I modified it to run for about 1.5 hours or so useing a tape drive motor,original gear box and a high pitch gas prop,16 rechargable batteries placed throughout the inside casing for the radio,back then there was no BEC.

I never replaced the small front casing bolt and a few years ago it broke underwater and she sank in fairly deep water at the Devils Den and was not recovered for 3 months!

Finaly a kid found her after several divers could not and I opened her up and the electronics where all fine! Just the battery was gone.

That fine sub and I have been thrugh the years seen alot of fun runs,some very deep at Lake Tahou,where I wanted to see just how far down I could control it and i sent her to 60 some feet acording to the fishfinder.I could have gone deeper but I could not see her that well eventhuogh the water was cristal clear.

I sent her back up and ran her for several years more,I know I must have run several miles on that one motor!

Later I installed LED lights under the bow and nave lights.

Also mine used a watertight servo for the front planes no other special electronics and dynamic diving.

To this day she has always been a great simple fun reliable sub that out manuevered many costing alot more and still has many years to go.
Right now she is motheballed awaiting her refit.
Your desighne of the front cap is great and I will mod mine that way also making it very similar to the casings I build now ,see pic.

I also ,you will love this ,a 7ft Debore SeaView just like yours but a bit larger,she was a monster to run but was very impresive!
I sold her back in the 90s.

Dave Amur Ship Yard






The Red Dragon is very similar and very well made,I useed my casing.

[junglelord]

WOW, you had and sold

WOW, you had and sold a Debor RC Seaview.
That I could never do.


Concerning your adventures with the Seawolf.
I never imagined it could dive that deep and not leak.
Amazing that you lost it and got it back three months later.
One day that thin thread may be the achilles heel.
Thats quite the cool story Dave.

I can see that this hobby is loads of excitement, cool guys and great boats.

Cheers
Dean

[Guest]

Thanks and well said http://www.subcommittee.com/forum/icon_biggrin.gif

Thanks and well said

Dave

[chuck chesney]

Robbe Seawolf

A young man who lives in the neighborhood is very interested in building a model submarine, and has asked me about a "first boat". While reading this thread about the Robbe Seawolf, he has decided that this would be just about the smartest way for him to get involved in the hobby.
We haven't been able to find a vendor for the boat at either Tower, Horizon, or Hobby Lobby. Where are they available, and how much do they cost? My neighbor is just fourteen, and has limited financial resources, as well as limited work and storage room.
Thanks for your help.

[junglelord]

Well your going to like

Well your going to like this.
I initally got mine from England.
Paid $100 shipping....back when I was working, so no big deal.
But then I found it in a store on line in Barrie Ontario.
Which would have saved me $100.....ouch!
I will find that store and get back to you.

With American exchange, your laughing.
Its only $300 Canadian.


I am also told that the front dive planes are not needed.
I added those in because I thought the sub would handle better.
I am told that they are not needed for this boat.

Being a newbie and not having had a maiden voyage, I can only repeat what I have been told. I have no real experience, save building the model.

One important note.....DO NOT glue the front hull together....put it together like the back hull with a removable portion. That will allow better access to the front end cap. The directions indicated glueing the front hull together, which I did, but it turns out it is much more in your favour to have it open up as well. So far I have been able to get past that by having a gentlemen show a way of attaching the guide tube to the front thread with JB Weld while in position. I was stuck with that last issue until I saw that thread....then I finally was able to finish this build.

the kit comes with 85mm O.D. O RINGS, the guy at the store recommened 90mm as the end cap is 95mm and he said that the O rings was too stretched, and would split easy...so I got several 90mm and they fit better.

the kit comes with the motor indicated to wire it backwards. Either you have to change the + - or you have to buy a left hand prop, which I am told will give you more speed, longer run times, less drain on the battery.
Mine was wired as indicated then corrected. I did not get a left handed prop. I was told about the left handed prop option after.

Here is the thread from Big Sax and his water bag conversion, where I detailed my build.

http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=302419