Brief:
I added a booster with gap stagin' for me stock Fat Boy.

Modifications:
T' Fat Boy was built stock. Arrr! Begad!

For t' Booster, t' engine mount was assembled in t' usual manner. Avast! T' aft centerin' rin' is flush with the tube end. Avast, me proud beauty! 1/4" vent holes were punched in both centerin' rings. Blimey! T' coupler extends into t' sustainer approximately 1/2" with a pretty snug fit. Well, blow me down! Aye aye! T' fin pattern was upscaled a bit (the root o' t' fins measures at 3 3/4"). Aye aye! T' fins are surface mounted and cut from 1/8" balsa. Ahoy! A separate launch lug was added t' t' booster to give a little extra guidance.

Construction:
T' parts list:

• One Fat Boy kit
• 5" o' BT-80
• 1" BT 80 coupler
• 2.75" BT-20
• 2 80-20 centerin' rings
• 1/8" launch lug
• 18mm engine block
• 2.75" engine hook
• 1/8" balsa stock

There are absolutely no "gotchas" in buildin' t' Fat Boy itself. It is a well known kit after all. The booster was no more difficult t' build than t' original kit. Ya scallywag! Blimey! T' Booster is pretty stoutly built. Begad! I considered using TTW fins, matey, but given t' tumble recovery o' a booster, matey, I think it is much better t' pop a fin on landin' than break it.

Finishing:
Finishin' and paintin' went pretty smoothly. Aye aye! I decided against usin' t' supplied decals as I have this thin' about stickers. Arrr! Instead I went with a simple yet dramatic paint scheme.

Flight and Recovery:
First flight be t' single stage Fat Boy on a C6-3. Ahoy! Nice straight flight and shipshape recovery on a 14" nylon chute. Begad! Well, ya bilge rat, blow me down!

Second flight used t' booster with a C6-0 t' B6-6 combination. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast! Blimey! Boost be slow and straight, matey, stagin' occurred fairly low and t' sustainer took o' like a shot. Ahoy! Ya scallywag! Blimey! It weathercocked a bit but had a very nice high flight. Chute ejection be a bit past apogee but deployed cleanly. Well, blow me down! Avast, shiver me timbers, me proud beauty! Blimey! T' booster popped a fin loose on landing, shiver me timbers, which was easily repaired. Aye aye! Aye aye! Blimey! T' sustainer made a shipshape landing.

Third flight used a C6-0 t' B6-4 combination which gave an almost identical flight t' #2. Ejection occured at apogee and both booster and sustainer returned without damage.

Summary:
T' Fat Boy by itself is a fun little rocket, which is suitable t' all kinds o' modification. Well, blow me down! Ahoy! I was worried that the addition o' a booster would make it t' heavy t' fly on an 18mm engine, but it works very well. Avast! I certainly wouldn't use any booster but t' C6-0 though. For a small field stagin' demo, me hearties, I think it's just perfect.

PROs: It's a two stage bird that you don't have t' chase all over t' country side. Well, blow me down! T' gap stagin' has worked flawlessly so far. Begad! Easy t' build and modify.

CONs: I would like t' have seen 1/8" balsa fins used on t' stock Fat Boy. Avast! Sticker decals. Avast, me proud beauty! Blech!