Build log of the GIANT SEA DUCK BUILD. yes, it’s happening.

[Dutch Breeze]

I haven't used ASA. I have done one firewall in PLA and it did melt. PETG has worked just fine for me.

After I asked, i did a lot of comparisons and really, PETG is the one that pencils out the best. Though ABS and ASA can print a little faster, like @Piotrsko mentioned, not so great for the breathing air. Ooooooo. As far as “strength”, it depends on what the application is and each have their strengths and weaknesses. But for us crazy foamy guys, PETG is more than adequate, and 3) we don’t need to breath any more toxic fumes than we already have. So thankfully my blind choice was the right choice since I stocked up on a few rolls of PETG. See? It is true! Even a blind nut finds a squirrel from time to time. This printer is pretty much meant for industry so its capabilities far exceed what i need for the moment.

 

[Dutch Breeze]

Here is a mock-up of the giant duck’s engine nacelle. The front cowling is a first edition. I made it way to thick and heavy so i went back to the drawing board and made a way cooler one that i will post when its done printing.

 

[Dutch Breeze]

Here is the updated cowling. I made some adjustments to the printer so hopefully the next one will have a smoother leading edge. The intake is functional and will direct airflow over the ESC heatsink. The main cowling will direct air through the mount and around the ESC. I will probably put a vent or two at the rear of the boom to allow flow through. Most likely they will look similar to the ones on the P-38 but with the opening facing the rear. Like my signature says, this project is fluid until the glue cools, so please please folks, SUGGESTION, I’ll take‘em!!!

 

[Michael9865]

Here is the updated cowling. I made some adjustments to the printer so hopefully the next one will have a smoother leading edge. The intake is functional and will direct airflow over the ESC heatsink. The main cowling will direct air through the mount and around the ESC. I will probably put a vent or two at the rear of the boom to allow flow through. Most likely they will look similar to the ones on the P-38 but with the opening facing the rear. Like my signature says, this project is fluid until the glue cools, so please please folks, SUGGESTION, I’ll take‘em!!!

That looks really nice.

 

[Dutch Breeze]

That looks really nice.

Thank you!

 

[Flying Cherokee]

Sweet! It is coming together……..

It will look great in the air!

 

[Dutch Breeze]

Sweet! It is coming together……..

It will look great in the air!

I foresee many moons passing before that glorious day. This all started with a “hey it’s foam board. Let’s build a giant one. It’ll be easy, dur-hur…” and so far has progressed into a life lesson degree in Mechanical Engineering with minors in Aeronautics and Electrical engineering. All kinds of new gadgets and gizmos. 3D printer. I even made a big enough mess my wife told me to take over the spare room. I have a legit hanger now! Besides, who likes friends? I just make mine sleep on the couch like we’re 12 again. Maybe that’s why i only have 1🤔…. Anyway, the printer is a game changer though, and has opened the hanger bay to the beautiful abyss of my imagination. Thankfully that “abyss” is relatively shallow and incredibly well lit. 🤣

 

[Dutch Breeze]

I hemmed, I hawed. I pondered the meaning of life. Finally there was no ther solution than to reprint in a different orientation. The first (actually second) version is the white one and it was printed face down in PETG on the PEI plate. It had all the proper support and such but that leading edge is just garbage. so i decided to try it in ASA. i have never printed ASA so I tried a calibration cube and absolutely nailed it and at ludicrous speed. So I sliced the file, switched to the PC plate, and sent her to the queen bee creator aaaannd… VOILÁ!!! Her she is!

 

[Mr Man]

Weird, I didn’t receive any notifications for this thread🧐

Great Job!

 

[Dutch Breeze]

Weird, I didn’t receive any notifications for this thread🧐

Great Job!

Odd, and thanks for following the build and the comment!

 

[Jo's squadron]

Odd, and thanks for following the build and the comment!

Did you ever finish your SeaDuck?

 

[Mr Man]

Did you ever finish your SeaDuck?

I’m wondering the same thing. 🤔

 

[Piotrsko]

I inquiring minds need to know........

 

[Dutch Breeze]

I inquiring minds need to know........

building has hit a lull but still moving forward. As it has progressed, some engineering concerns have popped up. It’s looking like the booms are going to take on a more rounded shape and possibly extended and the engine mounts are now turning into full blown integrated supports into the nacelles. Also with the size and weight of this thing, redundancy in the electronics and hardware will be a must. I didn’t take that into account when I dove face first into this napkin sketch of an idea. Plus holidays and work. so, ya know🤷‍♂️. I am really hoping to have some good chunks of time in a few weeks to dedicate to it. As a side to keep the itch scratched, I’ve been building a 72” FT C-47. The landing gear are holding me up but hopefully I’ll have that solved this weekend. She’s getting retracs that i have been designing over the last week, 15 minutes at a time. 🤣🤓

 

[Mr Man]

building has hit a lull but still moving forward. As it has progressed, some engineering concerns have popped up. It’s looking like the booms are going to take on a more rounded shape and possibly extended and the engine mounts are now turning into full blown integrated supports into the nacelles. Also with the size and weight of this thing, redundancy in the electronics and hardware will be a must. I didn’t take that into account when I dove face first into this napkin sketch of an idea. Plus holidays and work. so, ya know🤷‍♂️. I am really hoping to have some good chunks of time in a few weeks to dedicate to it. As a side to keep the itch scratched, I’ve been building a 72” FT C-47. The landing gear are holding me up but hopefully I’ll have that solved this weekend. She’s getting retracs that i have been designing over the last week, 15 minutes at a time. 🤣🤓

Good to hear!👍

 

[Piotrsko]

Ahhh, it's morphing into a kinda P38 maybe water landing sea duck. Understand the delay then. Modern standard servos will suprise you with what they can move or hold steady, issue with doubling them is uneven current draws because they weren't installed exactly the same 4 times on ailerons

 

[Dutch Breeze]

Not so much doubling the servos but definitely running them on their own power supply.

 

[Piotrsko]

Dont forget that the black wire is also a signal return wire for the servo controls. You will need to tie it into the reciever somehow

 

[Jo's squadron]

Hey @Dutch Breeze ! How is it coming??????????????

 

[Dutch Breeze]

Hey @Dutch Breeze ! How is it coming??????????????

Except for the powerplant we are going full redesign. The 3d printing has been a game changer so I am designing the hull and wing attachment points in a mix of pla-aero, pla strong, and petg. wing spars and boom formers are going to be printed to incorporate various carbon fiber reinforcement. The booms are going to take on a more rounded cross section like a p-38 but also not. Most things will be skinned in DTFB. I have been working really hard to get the nose to hit the look I'm going for and incorporating the supports for the wings. Because the booms attach to the wings and the wings to the body and it all has to be modular for transport, its taking just about all the bandwidth the mushy brain can muster. I did get bored, curious, and motivated one day (such a dangerous combination, that's the equation that got me in this mess in the first place) and mocked up one of the motors from innov8tive designs (shout out to Lucian) with one of the 16x10x3 props. On just a 4s it was just straight AWESOME! but as of right now i have nothing more to show-and-tell. sorry guys.