Hi, I’m ready to glue the two fuse halves of my E-Starter together, but am hesitant to do this since I’d have to cut out some foam in the battery bay to fit my 3 cell TP 1320, and figure it would be much easier to do so before the fuse is glued. The reasons I’m hesitating are: 1) Not sure where to cut out for proper CG and 2) Wondering if I should forget the battery bay and make a spot for the TP 1320 up behind the windshield instead (less chance of it getting wet here).

So what I’m hoping for is some advice from someone who has experience with a similar setup on where/how to mount the TP 3s 1320 (pic if possible would be great).

I’ll be using a Himax 2812-850 outrunner mounted on a lite ply box and an E-Flite 20 brushless ESC.

Thanks very much in advance,
Bill

Bill, I removed the ribs in tha battery box and did not use the door. Took a piece of clear plastic and hot glued the front part to the front of the battery box on the fuse. A piece of velcro across the back of the batt box keeps it tight and splash proof. When you flip over (you will!) the plane floats nose down with the motor submerged and cockpit in the water. Wet batt! Plus you will probably be nose heavy in the cockpit area mount. Hundreds of flights on my E-Starter+GWS Floats. Love it!
Pete

Thanks Pete,

Can anyone else share their method?

Thanks in advance,
Bill

Originally Posted by sheleb

Thanks Pete,

Can anyone else share their method?

Thanks in advance,
Bill

I use the same outrunner with PQ 1450N 3S packs, which are a little heavier than your TP 1320s. I use the stock battery cutout with the pack as far forward as it will go, and it balance fine there with the floats, which can be shifted slightly to make minor balance adjustments. I am also using the stock plastic battery holder insert, but I cut off the rounded ends and moved the two halves just slightly apart so the pack will slide in. I then cut the side piece with the plastic tab free and moved it forward to firmly engage the hinged door. It is VERY secure... takes quite a bit of side force to get it to open up. Finally, I made some new curved ends from the plastic packages my contact lenses come in... they fit perfectly!

I also cut out the back of the foam compartment to get the batteries to fit lengthwise, but initially I was using NiMH cells which were longer, and they extended up in to fuse between the tail feather servos which I moved to the extreme sides of the fuse to make space. I swithced to the smaller lipo packs which are similar crossection, but just a bit shorter. So, you may need to do something similar with the TP 1320 if they are too long to fit in the foam cutout. You could also cut out part of the foam at the front and move them slightly more forward which might help with balance.

As an aside, if you are using the GWS floats and can get your estarter to track straight on takeoff runs without hooking a float and swerving sharply one side or the other, I'd like to know your details. I've tried moving floats fore and aft, adjusting toe in, and spreading floats further apart. Nothing solves the problem! I normally hold in up elevator during the tak off run which helps a little, but when it reaches takeoff speed, it will go into a very steep climb immediately, which fortunately doesn't result in a stall with the power setup, but is not a nice scale-like water takoff. Landings are no problem. Good luck!

Here's a couple of pics to better show what I did (note, these mods can be easily done AFTER the fuse halves are joined):

Hi Tom..is your step behind the correct C/G ? [3/8 to 1/2 "]
Do you have a slightly positive angle of wing incidence as referenced from the top (or the center line) of your floats ?
The ailerons should allow you to hold the wings level during the take off run. Cross winds can really be a challenge...one that I leave to others.
Another thing.. the floats Have to be rigidly mounted ! The stock GWS set up puts the floats too close together and too flexibly mounted, IMHO. A centerline separation of 1/4 the wingspan is considered correct.
Water spray on the prop will lower the RPM...I use inside spray rails from the bow to the prop line.
Was based at Fairchild AFB [Spokane]from '58 to '62.
art

Originally Posted by Art Schmitz

Hi Tom..is your step behind the correct C/G ? [3/8 to 1/2 "]
Do you have a slightly positive angle of wing incidence as referenced from the top (or the center line) of your floats ?
The ailerons should allow you to hold the wings level during the take off run. Cross winds can really be a challenge...one that I leave to others.
Another thing.. the floats Have to be rigidly mounted ! The stock GWS set up puts the floats too close together and too flexibly mounted, IMHO. A centerline separation of 1/4 the wingspan is considered correct.
Water spray on the prop will lower the RPM...I use inside spray rails from the bow to the prop line.
Was based at Fairchild AFB [Spokane]from '58 to '62.
art

Hi Art, I think you gave me similar advice early on and I tried to comply with every point. I know that's why I spread the floats apart by almost 2 in. as I recall. I'll double check everything, but I think your point about the flimsy wire of the GWS LG wire is right on. A slight pressure on one side causes the whole assembly to skew. I had started to try some x-bracing to stiffen things up at one point, but never got it done. I also think maybe the v-hull GWS floats may be part of the problem. Keeping the wings level is not so much a problem, but a little veer which puts a little more weight on a float to one side seems to cause that one to "dig in" and the plane not only veers in the opposite direction, it puts even more weight on the float as the weight CG shifts to the outside of the turn making it exponentially worse. Also, I think the "v" of each float is not perfectly vertical (the bottom of the "V" looks to be very slightly canted inward, which might contribute to the problem. This E-starter would be a blast on water ROWs were it not for this one flaw. It gets up on step just fine, but as speed increases it gets ugly. I'll keep working on it... things like this are a challenge that must be resolved.

p.s. Fairchild is still there!

Thanks for the great info Tom. I'll definitely have to beef up those floats.

The problem I have with the TP 1320 however is that its too wide for the stock battery cutout (and therefore door). Just wondering if anyone else has tips on how to modify this area?

Thanks ,
Bill

Originally Posted by sheleb

Thanks for the great info Tom. I'll definitely have to beef up those floats.

The problem I have with the TP 1320 however is that its too wide for the stock battery cutout (and therefore door). Just wondering if anyone else has tips on how to modify this area?

Thanks ,
Bill

My PQ 1450 3S packs were too wide, too, Bill. Maybe my prior info wasn't too clear on that point. When I cut the curved ends off, the plastic door assembly was then in two halves which could be moved further apart, which I did by removing just a small amount of foam on each side to allow the pack to fit in. This then made the small plastic securing latch (which many complain about on the stock piece) fit even more loosely, so I cut that section free and moved it forward so it engaged the plastic housing, not the original cutout for tab.

The new curved plastic end pieces did not really need to be added. The TP 1320 3S pack is about 19mm thick, and my PQ 1450 3S are about 17.5mm, but I think some similar could accomodate the TP packs. In any event, there is plenty of room in the foam!

I dremeled out a slightly larger opening and then cut and shaped a door made of very light ply. I hinged one side of the wood with the paper gws hinges and use two small strips of velcro to keep the door closed. The door is painted white and sealed with spray poly. I added a small clear plastic air scoop just in front of the battery door (hand drilled two 1/4" holes for ventilation in the fuse) and this scoop directs some airflow into the battery compartment which has aided in keeping my lipos cooler. I can post a pic or two if you are interested.
Cincy

oops, edited for spelling