Type VIIC in progress

[U-96]

G'day guy's
This is my first post on this site and from what I have seen, its a good one at that. This is my Type VIIC in progress which like Jim Jams is a 32nd Parallel hull and the rest is totaly scratch built. She will be modelled on the U-boat in the movie Das Boot which is U-96. The ballast system runs on airbrush propellent as well as the torpedo's and has a custom built water tight compartment (WTC). I hope to have her running by the end of this winter. I have been designing and building for about three years so far with the end in sight. I am also a member of the Sub Committee. I have posted photo's of the 88mm deck gun and conning tower also. Note the deck has not yet been super detailed.
Regards Keith

[U-96]

I am trying to upload jpg's but it will not accept them. Any ideas?

[JIMJAM]

Hi, the only errors ive had was the file was to big. If so, you will recieve a error message and the largest size it can be. Also something thats tricked me is that after clicking on the file, you need to go to the bottom and hit submit.

[U-96]

The photo's

[U-96]

88mm Deck gun. Scratch built from wood brass and plastic.

[U-96]

The boat U-96

[U-96]

Das boot!!

[U-96]

The gut's of the conning tower

[U-96]

The WTC

[JIMJAM]

Sweeet! Im looking for a nice 1/32 crew for mine. You spend alot more time admiring your sub than actually running it. When you are ready to get her wet I suggest getting a inflatable pool. I spent a full day doing nothing but getting the trim right. It paid off when I went to the lake cause these boats are to big to snatch out the water a few dozen times to adjust the flotation and weights. That deck gun is incredible. Im runnin gout of things I need to do to mine but have been trying to get the snorkel on mine to extend and retract via a servo. It looks really easy to do but its the easy stuff that turns out to be the most difficult.

[U-96]

I think it's more like dream time. I spend a lot of time dreaming about what it will look like in the water and what it will be like to control it as this is my first sub and I have never driven one before. I think this is what keep's me going on it. Also, most people use the ready to go WTC by Dave Meriman Which makes thing's a lot easier. Most of the design time went in to the WTC. Also a lot of research into the real type VII is very interesting too.

[U-96]

I think it's more like dream time. I spend a lot of time dreaming about what it will look like in the water and what it will be like to control it as this is my first sub and I have never driven one before. I think this is what keep's me going on it. Also, most people use the ready to go WTC by Dave Meriman Which makes thing's a lot easier. Most of the design time went in to the WTC. Also a lot of research into the real type VII is very interesting too.

[JIMJAM]

All my other subs were nuke boats and a Robbe u-47. They all looked great but I was going for scale,slow dives and being able to maintain control just under the surface at slow speeds. Because of the control surfaces being small, I always seemed to need a very unscale speed to have decent control. They would need to have neatral bouyancy or even negative which can be dangerous. I was concerned about this boat and never owning one this large, didnt know how she would perform. I weighed her so that when the ballast tank was full, the water line was about level with the top of the tower. Wow, I was impressed my first run. I was able to hover at periscope depth. The front planes are so large that all it took was a little bit of forward speed and a push of the stick to go up or down. Running with the boat weighed like this makes for incredibly scale like performance. Having a autoleveler on the stern planes makes life easier but having a Subtech subsafe is a must. I was trying to snap a pic of the boat coming out the water at a steep angle and lost sight of her while fumbling with the camera. I cut the power and issued a up command. Still I couldnt see the sub and began to panic. I waited for waht seemed like forever "10 sec" and about 50 yards away she popped to the surface. The subsafe blows the tank after 7 seconds of radio signal loss. Im the one who sent you pics of my ballast tanks so if you need anymore or help when you begin to add flotation, let me know. Heres the sub level at approx 3 feet.

[U-96]

Thanks Jim
From what you have said it sounds like the 32p model run's very well. That was one of the sale's pitch's at 32p, the fact that it was very scale like in the water. My speed controller arrived today from England. I will be using a controller made by Electronize. I must say, I was very impressed with there service.
Do you have an APC-3 installed in your type VII at the moment.
Keith

[JIMJAM]

I have alot of deflection to the bow planes and with their size could probably do away with a pitch controller. With my boat weighed the way she is, I can sit still at periscope depth. At just a very slow crawl, I can add just a little down plane and the boat responds immediatly. Being at 7 ft, all it takes is a slight bow down angle to head for the bottom. I set her up so I can do flat low angle dives,scale. Here are 2 pics to show its emergency diving capability. Im sitting still near shore with tank flooded. Full throttle and within 5 feet I was a 3 feet. I then entered a full up command and broke the surface at a steep angle. If you were to blow the tank at the same time, you can actually make this boat jump fromthe water. Very cool but probably not so good for her.

[JIMJAM]

Coming to the surface.

[JIMJAM]

By the way, for air I found a simple and cheap solution. I use Super Duster or any canned air thats used for blowing off electronics. I find it at any electronics store. I then take the cap off of a can of Fix o flat. The stuff used to inflate and seal your car tire in case of a leak. The nozzle fits your standard tire valve. I then hold then can upside down and fill the tank with the liquid.

[U-96]

G'day Jim
That is handy to know as i am just about to build the pressure vessel and i was going to use a brass tyre shrowder valve but I wasn't sure how i was going to transfer the air brush propelent. I will try that out. Do you have any sort of relief valve on the tank. As it get's very hot here in Australia, I thought i had better put one on.
Keith
P.S I realy appreciate all your help Jim.Thanks mate.

[U-96]

G'day Jim
That is handy to know as i am just about to build the pressure vessel and i was going to use a brass tyre shrowder valve but I wasn't sure how i was going to transfer the air brush propelent. I will try that out. Do you have any sort of relief valve on the tank. As it get's very hot here in Australia, I thought i had better put one on.
Keith
P.S I realy appreciate all your help Jim.Thanks mate.

[JIMJAM]

The WTC is a D&E 3.5 and I dont thinks its got a releif valve. The ballast tank is big and can hold a full can of super duter although I dont fill it all the way up. South Carolina is one of the hottest places in the county which is why I havent ran my sub all week. Im more worried about me than the sub. I dont fill the tank until Im on the dock and ready to go. Then its in the water. I just make sure it does not sit out in the sun for a long time.

[George Pfeifer]

JIM JAM;
I don't have the answer for your working snorkel, but I do have a concept that might apply. I have toyed with building a River Tow Boat with a raising and lowering Bridge. The full size boats do it with hydrolics. I toyed with the idea of using and electric auto radio antennae.
When power is applied, the antennae raises and stops, remaining in that position. When the power is off the antennae retracts. Power could be applied with a "push on" - "push off" micro switch attached to a servo.
I have ruined 2 such units trying to make them work ($80.00 each). I have not devoted enough time to examining them closely to see how they really function, but it appears that there are some electronics inside the unit that cause the motor to make a certain number of revolutions each time that power is turned on and reverses it when the power is turned off. I have to believe that for the experienced electrical types this is a very simple circuit. (I'm not one of those). Maybe someone on this forum understands it and could tell us how to make such a circuit. I can think of a lot of applications for scale boats where this concept would be useful.
Anyway, food for thought.
George