Conning Tower Help

periscope · 15-12-2005

Another couple of questions for anyone who's not already fed up with my probs. 1. on the top of the conning tower of the Seawolf there are three indentations. The two centre ones are to enable the slot for the radar mast to operate through - but what are the two outer ones for? Can't find anything in the instructions, the indentations front and rear at the top are for access to the adjusting screws for the auto dive setting.
Question 2 does anyone on this site use the Seawolf by using the rear planes only and having the front ones fixed horizontally. I fancy giving that a go if it's going to be OK.
Ian.

adzam · 15-12-2005

hello ian, i thought you`d been a bit quiet recently, unfortunately i cant really help you on either of these questions , possibly AJG may be able to shed some light, but i am aware that a lot of people have done away with the radar limiting assembly and used bow planes on a servo.
sry for not having more info.

Adz..

periscope · 16-12-2005

Hi Chris - yep I'm still around but I'm spending most of my time at the moment just filing out all the flooding holes which doesn't give me much to report, I'll put some more pictures on later.

Ian.

ajg141 · 16-12-2005

Ian

The 2 holes on the top are just to help release any air that has got trapped inside the conning tower. The upper front and upper rear holes are for adjustment as you say and the bottom rear is for the spring retaining nut that is attached to the bottom of the periscope.
I have always used the periscope mechanism and haven't tried disconnecting it to sail. I had understood that the down angle on the front planes was what caused it to dive. If this was not automatically revered to surface - would it still surface? I am not sure what the effect would be using the rear planes only. You might need a pair of waders if it doesn't work!

Andrew

periscope · 16-12-2005

Hi Andrew - thanks for the info. The reason I ask about the front planes is because I put a question on another forum asking which way rear dive planes had to operate to make a sub dive. If you look at the site which is www.rcuniverse.com - look under the Submarine heading and you will see my enquiry - amongst the replies there's one from SHIPMAN (Sean) who says he only uses the rear dive planes .... what do you think????? I wondered about setting the front planes up as per the instructions and then by using the rear conning tower adjustment screw for the radar mast stopping the mast from tilting too mch. That way if I just left a bit of play for the 'UP' angle on the front, if the rear planes would not surface the sub straight away there'd at least be a chance of the sub surfacing slower. Then if it works OK I would just leave the screw tight in. Can you hold your sub on the surface with the rear planes to delay the dive or does the sub dive pretty soon?

Ian

ajg141 · 16-12-2005

Ian - have now read the rcuniverse thread and it makes interesting reading. Particularly the section on cavitation because that can be a problem. My bow planes are set: /------ and you certainly need to adjust the stern planes during the dive to reduce cavitation - it's trial and error with me! But yes it will cruise at periscope depth satisfacorily with practice. I admit to being intrigued about the fixed front plane concept and will give it a try over the holidays - if it warms up a bit! I'll let you know the results. You can run quite rapidly on the surface with the standard set up by constantly adjusting the rear plane angle. Looks impressive with the water breaking over the bow. One thing is that it should still surface OK if you stop the motor because of the built in positive buoyancy. My Seawolf also has a tyre valve in the top of the hull and you apply a little bit of air before launching as the positive pressure helps to prevent water ingress. But beware and don't over pressurise the hull or you'll blow the seals on the O-rings and bellows! I've done it.

Andrew

periscope · 16-12-2005

Thanks for that Andrew - I look forward to hearing your results. I'm going to instal the proper setup just in case I need it. I'm not really looking to do any stunt work - just get below the surface. Our club pond is only about 3 feet deep anyway. When I've got the sub ready I'll go to the pond during a weekday so I can practice without getting in anyones way. The pond is on private land belongiing to the Goole Waterways Museum so I can get on there anytime I want. I suppose that's one advantage of being retired. I've put a photo on of my progress to date. The rear lower section is fixed into place - (but the top section isn't yet screwed down). The centre lower section is glued to the WTC (but the top section isn't glued yet) The front lower nose cone is fixed into place with screws but not yet glued as it will need to come off as I do the conning tower. I delayed glueing the centre top and bottom until I had the rest of the bits lined up - just glued the bottom section tonight. The top centre fits OK. The next tricky bit is filing the front top section sides down a bit and at the same time keeping the front dive plane indents level with the rear fins. As it is at the moment it fits OK on the bottom section but its about 2 millimetres too high. I also have a tyre valve in the kit - thanks for the tip about not over inflating - I can imagine the soft bellows would soon expand and burst.Anyway I'm getting t here now - just have to decide how to paint it then, I like the idea of a bright yellow to be able to see the boat under water easier, yet I'd really like it to look like a proper sub in the grey colours - we'll see later. Thanks again Mate.

Ian