How do you guys see the subs?????????

[t_predator90]

Ok, sailing on the surface I can understand. But some of you MUST want more then just a boat that looks like a sub???? And if any of you have gone under, how do you see whats going on?:confused: :confused: :confused: :confused:

[scififlyer]

If you can see fish just under the surface you can see a sub just as well or better. Additionally, most captains run their subs at periscope depth so the 'scope is always in view. After you get to know your sub's habits a brief departure below periscope depth is no big deal and the sub's position can be accurately estimated.

[t_predator90]

So you dont sctually "dive", more like sail a-bit low?

[daisycutter]

Depends on the size of the sub,water clarity,glare,waves,depth,
distance from sub,colour, and a couple more factors.Most subs are a few feet in length and are quite visible,my black PVC sports-scale sub(dynamic diver) is quite visible underwater up to two feet which is the deepest it can go while at full throttle.

[daisycutter]

About the sailing-low thing:

Sailing low isn't what I would call it.........more like sailing within visual range. subs more advanced than mine have actual balast systems , cameras , passive sonar and can dive beyond visual range but many prefer not to.

[t_predator90]

cool... I thought all of the subs have cameras so that you can "explore" and stuff...

[JIMJAM]

If you are in a pool you can be aggresive cause you cant lose it. I operate in an area I know very well cause Ive seen it dry and now theres no xmas trees, shopping cars, brush piles ect. I also run an onboard failsafe which if radio signal is lost, a servo blows the ballast tank putting the sub on the roof. This boat is 7 foot.

[scififlyer]

Well, if you can't see your sub when it's 3 feet down in murky water, you couldn't see 3 feet in front of your sub's camera. May as well buy a mask and snorkle for yourself, it'd be cheaper.

Subs add a third dimension to model boating, and bring a class of vessel to the water not commonly seen.

[JIMJAM]

Clean clear water has the best reception. Ive been down about 6-8 feet but a normal run is about 3. Standing on a dock I get a elevated view which is alot better than water level. The real fun is flooding your ballast tank and watching your sub decend straight down to periscope depth. Then run that way and occasionally pop up and run the surface.

[JIMJAM]

My u-boat runs almost always level but you can also fly it like a plane. Here is a shot of when Im submerged with some speed and pull back on the stick. This is still with the ballast tank flooded. If I were to do this in combination with blowing the ballast tank, the boat would want to jump out of the water.

[t_predator90]

Cool subs, dudes....

[Fooksy]

wow! those are really cool :) I've always wondered about boats though...what do you do when the batteries run out away from the shore? Do you have to swim out to them? Is there any indication that your battery is about to die?

Seems like it would sorta suck to have to constantly swim out to your boat after each run.

Planes tend to cut the motor when the battery is low, giving you servo control for a powerless landing. Helis will drop the motor power and sort of slowly float you back to the ground in a controlled manner.

What do boats/subs do?

-Josh

[JIMJAM]

As the saying goes with planes, Dont fly if you do not want to crash. Dont put a boat in the water unless you are ready to get wet. My sub runs off a 12 volt battery with run times over 2 hours. Unlike planes or helis, a majority of your runs are just cruising. My radio battery will run out befire my subs will. Because you are not running wide open pulling alot of amps, the sub will just gradually begin getting slower. Our biggest concern is running out of Propel or canned air. I use Super Duster which is used to blow off electronics. You hold the can upside down and fill your ballast tank with the liquid. On my boat, I can get around 15 blows per can. Basically subs have a tank which you can open a valve which allows it to fill with water. The heavier subs then sinks. Depending on how you have the boat weighed, it can either sink or in my case, the water line is right at the top of the conning tower. The onboard air "propel" is used to fill up the flooded tank, forcing the water out thus raising the submarine. There are many failsafes available. If you loose radio signal, your ballast tank automatically "blows" emptying the ballast tank.

[Chas]

Wonderful craftsmanship Jim, those boats are a real inspiration!
I've just received my Dumas Bluefish so am getting in at the shallow end.
Give me one ping Vasily, and one ping only!:)

[JIMJAM]

With a good basic understanding and some experience in R/C, submarines are really enjoyable. Wether its with boats,cars or planes, learning how things work and what does what is important. I get emails from guys all the time who jump inhead first and bite off alot more than they expected. MY U-boat has been a continuous work in progress. Ive added dual firing torpedoes, sound,lights and the snorkel raises and lowers. Since you spend most your time just looking at it on its stand, I spent a great deal of effort weathering and making it look realistic.

[JIMJAM]

Dry docked after a 2 hour mission.

[Chas]

Jim the greenery looks so poignant, realistic - this sub has been there (even if it's only 3 ft). I think a lot of people don't realise that U-boats could only dive to little more than twice their own length. In fresh water your RC signals get through without a surface aerial then?
Bungo Straits here I come.
Chas

[JIMJAM]

This cove has a rock bottom with some mud. If it has not rained in a while, visabilty is pretty good at around 5 feet. The deepest part in the channel is around 8 feet and Ive ran the bottom with no glitches. The great advantage I have is being able to stand on a dock and getting a birds eye view rather than standing on the shore where you lose sight easily. Major factors affecting radio reception include the particles in the water. In clean fresh water, Ive operated a Nikko Seawolf with its cheap radio at 3 feet. This boat ive ran well over 5 feet consistantly. But honestly, you run a majority of your runs surfaced or with decks awash. I have my boat trimmed perfectly and can run periscope depth all day long. Ive added weight and ran negative bouyancy and sat it on the bottom. Its really neat to flood the tanks and watch the sub settle down to where the waterline is just above the tower and just cruise around with just the periscope sticking out. The safest way is to have your boat weighed slighlt positive so if you loose it all, the sub will slowly pop to the surface. Dynamic boats like the Robbe U-47, which Ive owned 3, look great, but having to go full power and force it down and fly it like a plane only to have it wanting to pop to the surface unless you have the throttle buried, just isnt a sub to me.

[JIMJAM]

Forgot to answer the antenna question. The receiver wire or antenna, runs out the back of the water tight container which houses all your electronics. Some just lay it inside the hull which is free flooding "wet" and this works well. For better reception and especially when I run perscope depth, you can run the wire up the conning tower and out the top.

[didiver]

Dry docked after a 2 hour mission.

it's very beautyful!!!
there are any sub so perfect than it in Belgium...
and In Belgium or France, there are any shop of sub or boat... it's very boring and we must buy from USA(taxes+ship+...) :( ...

[CaptainNemo12]

sometimes it could be helpful to paint a sub in a bright colour (in research subs mostly) also, modern submarine models have markings along the hull (hatches are usually left black or coloured white), you can see your sub in the water, if you can't see them, what's the point of having them in the first place? ;) periscope running is fun, especially for sneaking up on targets!

[Nemo]

Water in my neck of the woods is pretty darn clear, especially in the winter when the algae in the water becomes less plentiful. I've got a local lake (Langford Lake) that has a boardwalk that goes right over the entire tip. Water in the middle of the boardwalk is around 20' deep, and I can see my sub parked on the bottom at that depth.

A bunch of high-output LEDs help a lot as well.

As a tip, make sure that you get a hold of some polarized sunglasses for your patrols. They cut down on the glare tremendously and allow for far better visibility of your submerged boat.