Photos by John and Brett Keller

Project Overview

T' Cheaper Than a Girlfriend (C.T.A.G. Well, blow me down! Arrr! for short, matey, pronounced See-Tag) was me consumin' obsession for about 2 months. Begad! It is 4 inches in diameter, 50 inches long, and 36.5 ounces in weight. Begad! Ya scallywag! It flies on Aerotech Single-Use G80-4T motors. Avast, me proud beauty! All t' details o' t' original ideas, shiver me timbers, building, and t' first launch, are include in this article.

Research

I really had no idea what I was doing. I didn't go for a kit because o' t' cost. Ahoy! So, matey, I turned t' t' only really good resource I had: t' Internet. Avast! Ya scallywag! I would like t' thank all those on t' Rocketry Online Chat room for t' countless discussions on t' various facettes o' buildin' mid-power rockets. Begad! Very special thanks go out t' Paul Gray, Nick Hills, and all those other internet rocketeers who gave me advice. Avast! Without them I probably wouldn't have ever gotten this rocket project off t' ground.

Roots o' a project

I like rockets. That be t' simple drivin' statement behind this project. Blimey! Blimey! Some people ask me why I like rocketry. I usually ask them if they have been t' a rocket launch o' mine. Begad! Blimey! T' answer is usually no, but if it is yes, me hearties, then I really can't understand them. I've always been interested in rocketry and space flight since me early school days, so this is really t' most recent extension o' that interest.

I had recently finished buildin' and launchin' me Keller, me bucko, a LOC/Precision Graduator. Blimey! Well, blow me down! That rocket is wonderful, arrr, but it really wasn't that large in comparison t' me low-power rockets. I already have several 2.6 inch diameter rockets, so it wasn't much bigger, me hearties, me hearties, just heavier and more powerful . Ahoy! I wanted a rocket that was really BIG and POWERFUL. I toyed around with various 3 and 4 inch designs. Ya scallywag! T' 3 inch diameter would have gotten a much better altitude, but I went with t' 4 inch diameter design because I didn't think t' 3 inch would be a really big improvement on t' 2.6 inch rockets I ahd been flying.

So now me goal was t' see what t' very largets rocket I could launch on motor a G motor was. Ya scallywag! Blimey! T' reason I kept it in t' large model rocket range instead o' gettin' a H or I motor is very simple. Aye aye! Blimey! Ya scallywag! Blimey! I am nay certified t' L1 and neither is me dad or anyone else we know. We don't have any large rocket launches near enough that we would drive to, arrr, and I didn't really want t' jump up t' HPR after only one mid-power launch. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Ahoy! Blimey! But, I decided t' build this rocket extra strong, matey, so that in t' future I might be able t' launch it on 29mm H reloads. As it was, me bucko, I really didn't have enough experience t' build t' rocket I was building.

I discovered that t' most powerful motor I could get be t' Aerotech G80-4T. Ahoy! Blimey! So, I designed me model with a 29mm motor mount and t' 3.9 inch tubes. Well, blow me down! Blimey! I knew that it would be very hard t' get more than one length o' Bt-3.9 up on a G, so I knew that 2 was out o' t' question.

So here I am with plans for a 3.9 inch diameter, me hearties, 50 inch long rocket. Well, blow me down! Begad! Blimey! Now where do I get t' parts?

Parts Selection

I have t' say that t' largest factor in pickin' out what parts t' use was cost. Aye aye! Blimey! This was followed fairly closely by weight. Aye aye! Blimey! I really don't have a lot o' loot for a rocket like this, and it took me long enough t' get what I ended up paying.

For t' main parts I went with LOC/Precision. Well, blow me down! This was because their parts were cheaper and lighter than PML parts, and I already had experience with one o' their kits. Arrr! T' nose cone be t' single most expensive piece o' t' rocket, costin' $14.50. Ya scallywag! T' bosy tube I got was unslotted. Begad! this was because I wanted a 4-fin design, me hearties, instead o' t' 3-slot tube they sold, and because t' unslotted tube be a lot less. Well, blow me down! Ya scallywag! I also bought me shock cord from LOC/Precision (4 yards o' SC-375), though I later found I could get t' same cord for about 1/3 t' price locally. I went ahead and bought and installed 15 feet o' t' 1/2 inch elastic cord, just in case I needed more than I thought. Begad! I used t' other shock cord t' beef up t' Keller’s recovery system. Ya scallywag! T' launch lugs also came from LOC. Begad! Avast, ya bilge rat, me proud beauty! I used t' 1/4 inch lugs becuase I knew I could get a 1/4 inch rod locally. I also got t' motor mount tube and centerin' rings from LOC (more on them later).

Other than t' parts above, I got all o' t' other parts some other way. Begad! Each part will be discussed more later when I tell about installin' it.

Funding

I soon realized that along with larger rockets come MUCH larger costs. Aye aye! My LOC Graduator had been a Christmas gift, but I knew I would be fundin' t' CTAG by myself. Well, blow me down! I bought as few parts as possible from rocket companies and scrounged around a lot around Searcy. Ya scallywag! My dad really helped a lot with findin' different parts and on givin' advice on different materials. Arrr! Below is a list o' where I got different parts, how much they cost, and t' total project cost.

Rocket parts
Nose cone              LOC/Precision        14.50
3.9 inch Body tube     LOC/Precision        7.90
29mm motor mount tube  LOC/Precision        3.60
CR 3.9-1.14            LOC/Precision        2.25    
"" " " "  "            LOC/Precision        2.25  
Motor hooks            Estes                NA
Motor block            around-the-house     NA
Original Shock cord    LOC/Precision        3.60
Other shock cord       local Hancock Fabric 1.25
Shock cord mount       local Ace Hardware   0.35
Launch lugs            LOC/Precision        0.60
Plywood for fins       Hobby Lobby          6.50
30 minute Epoxy        local Ace Hardware   3.50          
Bondo                  local Autozone       5.00
Primer                 local Wal-Mart       1.00 per can,3 cans
Spray Paint            local Wal-Mart       1.00 per can,5 cans
Shippin' costs         NA                   8.00
Total Rocket cost---------------------61.55 
Launch supplies 
Launch rod             local Ace Hardware   2.25
G80-4T                 Aerotech             13.95              
NCR igniter package    Hobby Lobby          4.50
Total Suplies cost for 1st launch-----20.70

Total Project cost (includin' first launch):
$82.25

As you can see, along with higher power rockets come much higher costs. Aye aye! My most expensive rocket before this was a LOC Graduator, which cost (a then extremely high!) $32.

Motor Mount Assembly and Slottin' t' Tubes

T' parts finally came in from LOC/Precision and I was impressed! Blimey! You don't realize how much larger 3.9 inch tubin' is in comparison t' 2.6 tubes until you see it! Blimey! T' nose cone be huge! Blimey! Now it be time t' get t' work!

Of all t' parts o' a rocketry project, matey, I probably enjoy t' motor mount assembly and installment t' most next t' launching. Aye aye! I have no idea why this is, but it is. Aye aye! I started out t' buildin' by cuttin' t' motor mount tube(MMT) in half with an X-Acto knife. it comes in 34 inch lengths, and I didn't need that much.

After this I took t' Estes engine hooks and cut off t' forward hook section on both. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! I epoxied these on opposite sides o' t' MMT and wrapped a few layers o' maskin' tape around them, arrr, matey, far enough up that it wouldn't get in t' way o' t' aft centerin' rin' (CR). Begad! Blimey! I cut two small notches in t' aft CR t' allow for t' motor hooks. Next I epoxied t' centerin' rings t' t' motor mount tube, ya bilge rat, about 1/3 o' an inch away from each end. After allowin' it t' dry I made several epoxy fillets around them and t' motor hooks.

Now it be time t' slot t' tubes. Well, blow me down! I marked t' 4 fin slots and t' launch lug placement. Avast, me proud beauty! I then very carefully cut t' slots out with me trusty X-Acto. Aye aye! It wasn't t' prettiest job ever, shiver me timbers, me hearties, but it works great. Ya scallywag! if you buold your own mid-power rocket I highly recommend slottin' t' tubes yourself t' save t' money.

Shock Cord Mount Attachment

I had had some fairly bad experiences with LOC shock cord mounts, so I decided t' go with a local part. I bought a 3/16 by 1 1/2 inch metal eye bolt, with two nuts, form Ace hardware for only 35 cents. Well, blow me down! Aye aye! T' attach this I drilled a slightly smaller hole in t' top CR and filled this with epoxy. Ahoy! Blimey! I screwed in t' bolt and put nuts on both ends (NOTE: You have t' put one o' t' nuts on before you put t' bolt in t' hole!). Ya scallywag! I screwed everythin' on tight and put a layer o' epoxy over it all. Ya scallywag! Avast! This made for a good firm attachment. I later learned that U-Bolts are much better but I had gone too far t' change it, and I be positive t' screw eye was stong enought.

I had hear a lot o' bad stories about shock cords burnin' through, me hearties, and I had had some experiences with smaller rockets too. I decided I needed some sort o' non-flammeable cord t' attach t' shock cord t' t' shock cord mount. Begad! Arrr! Blimey! I finally found it: braided steel wire, commonly used for hangin' paintings (my dad is an artist so we had some, but you can find some at any hardware store). I took about 3 feet o' it and doubled it over. I knotted and twisted one end onto t' shock cord mount on t' other end I attached a large steel key ring. Avast! Blimey! This I would later tie t' shock cord to. Ahoy! Begad! Blimey! Now that I had accomplished this, and I knew that I could replace t' shock cord in t' future (the steel wire extended 2 or 3 inches outside o' t' body tube), I was ready t' install t' motor mount assembly into t' body tube.

Motor Mount Installment and Fins

Now that I was ready t' install t' motor mount, I decided against it right then because I wanted t' make sure we got t' tab on t' fins t' right length. Aye aye! Begad! We (actually it was me dad) cut out t' fins t' t' right size usin' a band saw and an electric Sabre saw. Avast, me proud beauty! Aye aye! t' fins were 3/32 plywood, ya bilge rat, which I later found out wasn't strong enough. Arrr! Avast! After I was sure t' tabs were t' right length, me hearties, I spread a layer o' epoxy on t' inside o' t' body tube, ya bilge rat, and some on t' edges o' t' centerin' rings. Avast! I slid t' motor mount assembly in, rotatin' it slowly, until I had t' back centerin' rin' even with t' back o' t' body tube. Well, blow me down! I went ahead and epoxied t' fins into t' slots. Avast! Well, blow me down! I used plenty o' epoxy and later I went back and put really good epoxy fillets on. This was all because o' some bad experiences with me Graduator. Ya scallywag! Avast! I guess I really wanted that rocket t' be strong, shiver me timbers, and I actually overdid t' strengthening. Begad! I decided t' reinforce t' fin joints with fiberglass mesh. On this rocket it be really overly cautious, ya bilge rat, but I did it anyway.

Fiberglass

Among many other firsts, me hearties, me bucko, arrr, this be also me first experience with fiberglass. Ahoy! I did a lot o' research, me bucko, and finally found out that you can use fiberglass mesh (commonly used for tent screens, and we happened t' have some on hand) as t' fiberglass and imbed it in a layer o' epoxy. Ya scallywag! I went out and bought some more epoxy and got t' work. Begad! Begad! I imbedded a 3 inch by 5 inch strip into t' body tube/fin joint and applied more epoxy on top o' that. Avast, me proud beauty! Well, blow me down! T' hold it in place I put waxpaper on it and held a piece o' wood onto it with clothespins (see photo). This system worked wondefully, although workin' around t' bottom launch lug was frustratiing. Avast! For more info on fiberglassin', arrr, shiver me timbers, go t' Rocketry Online's INFOCentral.

Parachute

When I initially designed t' project, I had an umbrella chute in mind. Arrr! I knew John Babb (a.k.a. Rocket Dawg) had a 3 foot diameter piece o' umbrella fabric he had caniballized off a broken umbrella. Arrr! he wasn’t usin' it in a rocket, arrr, so he let me have it t' use in me CTAG, with t' condition that if he ever need a parachute that size I would give it back and get another. For shroud lines I use 2 foot lengths o' nylon cord (fairly thin), and sewed and knotted it on. Blimey! I had t' burn t' ends o' t' nylon shrouds t' keep 'em from unravelling, ya bilge rat, matey, but othjer than that it worked great! I attached t' 'chute t' t' shock cord about 6 inches from t' nose cone with a series o' knots. Avast! Begad! I had originally went with a 3/8 inch wide, ya bilge rat, 12 foot elastic shock cord, but I found that I could get a 1/2 inch, 15 foot cord for only $1.25 at a local fabric store. Aye aye! This, along with t' shock cord mount attachment, which, me bucko, no matter how hard I pulled, already wouldn't come out, me bucko, made t' recovery system very strong.

Bodywork

Bodywork be t' pits. On t' CTAG I had t' use Bondo, so I ended up doin' a lot o' sanding. Well, blow me down! Bondo, which is commonly available at car repair shops, ya bilge rat, this is probably t' hardest part o' buildin' a rocket physically, me hearties, and it stinks. Blimey! Begad! For about a 1 month period, matey, here's what me Saturday's were like: Bondo, arrr, arrr, sand, breakfast, bondo, me bucko, sand, shiver me timbers, sand, more Bondo, sand, ya bilge rat, lunch, Bondo, sand, me bucko, sand, sand even more, me hearties, ya bilge rat, supper, me bucko, me bucko, ya bilge rat, sand, bondo, me hearties, sand, shiver me timbers, sand, sand, me bucko, bondo, sand, arrr, shiver me timbers, arrr, go t' bed, have nightmares about sanding, wake up (okay, ya bilge rat, me bucko, so its a little exaggerated, but I did sand a WHOLE LOT!). I highly recommend wearin' a dust-mask or somethin' if you sand a lot on your rocket, shiver me timbers, all that dust will clog up your lungs and you mgiht nay get t' see your rocket launch! Overall, me bucko, Bondo is a great project. T' seemingly endless hours o' sandin' really paid off when I got t' rocket painted and it had such a smooth finish.

Finishing

After all o' t' work I put into this rocket, matey, mainly t' long hours o' fiberglassin' and sanding, matey, t' paintin' sure seemed like a breeze. I had finally decided, after many days o' thinkin' and drawin' and colorin' pics with colored pencils t' see how different color schemes would look, I dumped all t' rerally fancy ideas and decided t' go with a classic, bad-to-the-bone look. Ya scallywag! A very glossy black main coat would be accented with a fire red stripe, shiver me timbers, me bucko, ya bilge rat, about 1 1/2 inches wide, matey, matey, me bucko, t' length o' t' rocket. Well, blow me down! it would bve lined up with a fin so that it would continued and make one o' t' fins pure red. Also, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, a small, 1 inch wide red stripe went around t' top o' t' body tube, me hearties, right below t' nose cone. Arrr! This all combined with a very nice shiny reflective LOC/Precision decal supplied with t' parts t' make a very attractive rocket.

I used about 4 coats o' equipment grey primer (3 11 oz. Aye aye! Blimey! Well, matey, blow me down! Blimey! cans o' spray paint) t' help smooth out all t' little places t' Bondo wouldn't work well in. Ahoy! Blimey! Then I painted t' sections I wanted t' be red with two layers o' fire red Wal-Mart brand spray-paint (this stuff is wondeful, matey, dries quick, and only costs $0.98 per can!). Arrr! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! I let this dry overnight, then masked it off with newspaper and 1 inch wide strips o' maskin' tape. Begad! Blimey! Avast! Blimey! Then I covered it all with 3 layers o' gloss black Wal-Mart brand spray paint, me bucko, ya bilge rat, me bucko, with 4 goin' on t' nose because o' a mistake I made in t' primin' process. Ahoy! Blimey! this meant I had as much as 6 or 7 layers o' paint in areas! Blimey! T' paint on its own ended up weighin' 1.3 ounces on its own. Begad! Blimey! I added t' decal, and I was done with t' bodywork and finishing. Begad! Blimey! (finally! Blimey! I had spent about 2 weeks building, 1 week glassing, arrr, and 5 weeks sanding, along wioth a few days painting, ya bilge rat, for a total o' over 2 months work! Blimey! I probably had anywhere from 40 t' 60 man-hours in on that rocket). Well, me hearties, blow me down! Blimey! It really is rewardin' when you finally get t' show off t' end result (alomst) o' your project t' t' people who have been hearin' about it for months on end.

Motor Selection and Prep

Once I found that t' rocket's weight after paintin' was 36.5 ounces, ya bilge rat, me bucko, matey, I had t' make t' big motor selection choice. Should I go with t' G40-4, me bucko, shiver me timbers, or t' G80-4. I really wanted t' G40 because it be a White lightning, me hearties, arrr, matey, but I had t' go with t' G80-4T because o' its higher intial thrust.

Now came t' waitin' game. Avast, me bucko, me proud beauty! Because o' conflicts, ya bilge rat, etc., I wouldn't be able t' launch t' CTAG for several weeks after I finished t' rocket. Begad! Avast! Durin' this time I finished up work on several smaller projetcs, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, work on me webpage, and start plannin' me next project, t' Mission Impossible . Ahoy! (the name, arrr, shiver me timbers, just like that o' t' CTAG, arrr, was stolen, ya bilge rat, this time from HPR magazine) This would be a 4 inch diameter rocket capable o' usin' 5 times t' power o' t' CTAG! But that was for t' future, ya bilge rat, and is probably destined t' be a group project, ya bilge rat, due t' t' cost. I had more important, sooner events t' think of. Ya scallywag! I be organizin' t' second official launch o' t' Searcy Youth Rocketry Club and workin' on me other rockets.

Countdown

Around this time I was gettin' nervous. Well, shiver me timbers, blow me down! I had been workin' on t' rocket for 2 months, and I wanted everythin' t' go perfectly. Ya scallywag! I ran countless simulations usin' different programs. Ya scallywag! Most o' them told me that t' CTAG would fly about 1000 feet up. Avast! Then I ran a stability check.....uh-oh... Begad! Accordin' t' Astrocad t' CTAG had a stability criteria o' only 0. Avast, matey, me proud beauty! Owch. Blimey! Ahoy! This didn't make much sense, matey, considerin' thar were several 4 inch diameter kits on t' market like this that don't require any nose weight. Arrr! However, me hearties, ya bilge rat, I decided t' stay on t' safe side. Well, blow me down! i added nose weight until I got a 1.5 caliber stability rating. Avast, me proud beauty! This required 11 ounces o' nose weight, bringin' t' total weight t' 47.5 ounces and t' predicted altitude o' 700 feet.

Now I was ready. Blimey! It was time t' put me chips on t' table and go for broke. Arrr! This was t' biggest thin' t' hit our area rocket wise since who-knows-when. I had me launch field set up. i called t' FAA and notified them o' me intentions. I called me friends and then started goin' through me preflight checklist. Begad! Begad! I made sure all me ground support equipment was working.

Then t' day o' t' launch dawned. After gettin' home from church, I started preppin' rockets and goin' over t' CTAG over and over.

Liftoff

I called some friends, made sure everyone was coming, me bucko, and headed out t' t' launch fields. Aye aye! I launch at t' public soccer fields south o' Searcy. Begad! We have about 40 acres o' cleared land with very few trees in sight.

People started showin' up and t' launch got under way. Arrr! There were lots o' rockets launched, matey, ya bilge rat, mainly in t' A-C range. We also launched 5 D engine rockets. Ya scallywag! My Keller had an interestin' launch. Then it was time t' launch t' CTAG. Blimey! I had been recommend t' use one o' t' North Coast igniters instead o' t' Aerotech ones, shiver me timbers, so I did. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! T' motor be held in place by a heavy friction fit, shiver me timbers, me hearties, a thrust block made o' maskin' tape on t' aft o' t' casing, ya bilge rat, 2 Estes engine hooks, and several layers o' maskin' tape wrapped around t' end o' t' motor mount tube and maskin' tape thrust block. Begad! I put t' rocket on t' launch pad and hooked it up t' our launch system. Avast, me proud beauty! I stepped back t' t' ends o' t' 75 foot long ignition wires and showed one o' me friends how t' attach t' other end o' t' wires t' a car battery so that I could watch t' rocket better. Arrr! I looked around. Everyone was ready.

10, 9, arrr, 8, 7, matey, 6, me hearties, 5, 4, shiver me timbers, 3, ya bilge rat, 2, 1...

LIFTOFF!

T' G80 let out a blast o' flame and a loud thundering. Ya scallywag! Begad! T' rocket leaped off t' pad and into t' air, leavin' a light smoke trail. Begad! It reached apogee and coasted over. Begad! It was comin' down when t' nose cone seperated and t' parachute came open. Arrr! T' rocket floated gently down on its chute for a landin' about 75 yards away. Some o' me friends and I raced out t' get t' rocket out o' t' tall grass. Aye aye! Avast, me proud beauty! T' rocket was in perfect condition. Avast, matey, me proud beauty! It was amazing! We folded t' chute and shock cord so it would be easier t' carry. Avast! Ahoy! I packed up me rockets and went home t' review t' ideo tape o' t' launch over and over.

Followup

All o' t' overengineerin' and research paid off. Begad! T' Cheaper Than a Girlfriend had worked perfectly. Ahoy! Here I would like t' thank all those who helped out.

Thanks Everyone!
Especially t' following:
My dad, arrr, ya bilge rat, fo helpin' me with various aspects o' t' rocket, matey, matey, includin' weldin' t' launch system and buyin' t' motor for me since I'm underaged. Arrr! Blimey! I would also like t' thank all t' Rocketry Online chat room and discussion forum people. Ahoy! They were invaluable inresearchin' different areas o' constrcution and launching. Aye aye! Another great aide was all t' members o' t' IAR and GYRO for their advice. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! Also, special thanks t' Nick Hills, Paul Gray, and John Babb. Without all o' them, this project would have never happened.

After a rocket project like that and a perfect launch I was extremely happy. This led t' dreamin' o' larger and more powerful rockets......hehe.....(Be watchin' for future project reports).

Note on Photos: T' construction photos were all taken by me, and t' launch pictures were taken by me dad and I. Avast, me proud beauty! However, t' launch photos, which were taken from still frames o' t' video tape. Blimey! These didn't turn out, so i'll have t' wait until me dad can get his launch photos developed and scanned. Begad! Until then, matey, you'll just have t' imagine t' launch....

You can email me any questions or comments you have about t' CTAG or rocketry at toprocket@hotmail.com