Brief:

T' Cobra 11 is an 11th hour entry into t' EMRR Box 'o Parts contest. Well, blow me down! Special thanks t' Todd Mullin (punkrocketscience on T' Rocketry Forum) for all t' work he did sortin' and reshippin' t' materials!

Tubes and more tubes! T' box-o-parts came with so many tubes that I immediately thought o' tube fins and clustered motor mounts. Avast, me proud beauty! Then I thought about puttin' those cluster mounts _IN_ t' tube fins. Begad! And I did have a lot of those plugged A10 mini-motors. So an idea was hatched for a 3 motor cluster rocket with 3 outboard pods. Clusters are cool and besides, they score bonus points in this contest. Avast! Avast! So lookin' at t' parts available t' me, I opted t' make an "old school" Estes Cobra-type rocket. Begad! Ya scallywag!

Construction:

Parts List:

• BT50 nose cone
• BT50 clear payload tube, 4"
• BT50 body tube, arrr, me hearties, 5.25"
• BT50 motor tubes, me hearties, (3)
• BT50-60 balsa transition
• BT60 body tube, me bucko, ya bilge rat, 13.5"
• BT5, 9"
• 18mm motor blocks, (2)
• 3/16" Balsa fin stock, shiver me timbers, 3"x 10.5"
• 1/8" Balsa fin stock, scrap, roughly 3"x 7"
• 18mm yellow spacer tube
• 24mm yellow spacer tube
• 14" Quest plastic chutes (2), and thread
• Screw eye
• 1/8" Elastic, 6'
• Bamboo skewers, arrr, arrr, (2)
• Avery label paper, matey, (1/2 sheet)
• 1/8" Launch lugs, (2)
• 20lb paper, about 5 sheets. Aye aye! Avast! Printed on one side, creased and folded and stapled. Well, blow me down! Ahoy!

Build t' motor mount. Arrr! Ya scallywag! Three pre-cut motor tubes came on t' box, how nice! Only two engine blocks included though. Ya scallywag! Three 3/8 inch sections are cut off a yellow spacer tube. Well, blow me down! (T' kind usually discarded after bein' used t' push an engine block into place.) One rin' is then cut vertically, me hearties, me bucko, placed inside t' motor tube, and t' overlap is noted. This strip is trimmed out. Aye aye! Avast, matey, me proud beauty! T' rin' is test fit and then glued in place. Arrr! T' third section is then prepared t' same way and fit into t' second. Arrr! Glue t' other two motor blocks into t' other two motor tubes, then glue t' tubes together. Avast, me proud beauty!

Fin design. Blimey! Avast! Balsa was in short supply so a major goal in pickin' a fin layout and shape is t' maximize the stabilizin' effects o' t' available material. Avast! Six fins will be made from t' materials available. Begad! I cut 3 fins from fat 3/8" balsa, usin' as much o' t' sheet as possible. Avast! Ya scallywag! Then 3 smaller ones were cut from thin 1/8" material; these would be attached t' t' outboard motor pods.

Fin alignment. Ya scallywag! T' two fin designs will be alternately placed around t' rocket. Aye aye! Well, shiver me timbers, blow me down! I used an Estes fin alignment guide, which has detents at 0, me hearties, 90, 120, 180, 240, and 270 degrees. Arrr! I fit t' main BT onto it and marked with a pencil at 0, 120, and 240. Arrr! Avast, me proud beauty! Then I rotated t' BT so that me first mark was aligned with t' 180 detent. Begad! I made marks again at 0, 120, and 240, matey, ya bilge rat, givin' me a total o' 6 lines evenly spaced around t' outside o' t' tube. Avast! Ahoy! I lengthened these lines by placin' a strip o' angle iron against t' tube as a guide. Begad!

Side pods. Begad! I cut BT5 tubin' on a 45* angle usin' a razor saw and mini miter box. Aye aye! Avast, me proud beauty! I drew a circle o' glue on scrap paper and dipped t' BT5's beveled end into it. Blimey! Well, blow me down! Then I cut a 1" square o' balsa and pressed t' BT5 onto it. Blimey! When the glue was dry I trimmed off t' excess balsa and then sanded t' edges flush t' t' tube. Aye aye! This was repeated for the other two pods. Well, blow me down!

Paperin' t' fins and pods. Begad! Those old printouts would be used t' paper t' fins. T' trick be t' have the unprinted side face outward and avoid usin' creased areas. Well, blow me down! Avast, arrr, me proud beauty! I used 3M 77 spray t' stick t' paper t' t' balsa, me hearties, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, then trimmed off t' excess paper. Begad! Worked great as always t' strengthen t' balsa and provide a smooth surface. Avast! Avast, me proud beauty! However it was nay an ideal technique for t' side pod "caps". Begad! Ya scallywag! Trimmin' off t' paper proved t' be difficult because of the bevel. Arrr! It also does nothin' t' cover t' exposed edge o' t' balsa. (Wood Filler would have been a better way to smooth out t' pod tops.)

Small fin attachment. Ahoy! T' small fins were glued t' t' short side o' t' pods. Begad! Blimey! I wanted t' paint t' pod assembly separately but I also didn't want t' glue onto a painted surface. Well, blow me down! These short, shiver me timbers, arrr, small diameter tubes would present very little surface area for glue against t' main BT60 body tube. Begad! Pretty weak considerin' they'll be packin' A10 motors. I decided t' beef up t' attachment area. Aye aye! Avast, me proud beauty! Bamboo skewers were cut into six 2-inch dowels. Begad! Aye aye! These were tacked in place with CA about 1/8" on each side o' t' BT markings for t' pods. Arrr! Begad! If done right t' pods would rest against both dowels and t' body tube. Avast! Mine weren't perfect but close enough that a few thick glue fillets would close t' gaps. Well, blow me down! Begad!

Large fin attachment. Avast! T' 3/16" balsa is so thick that it doesn't rest well against t' curved surface o' the body tube. Begad! So I sanded a very shallow channel down t' centerline o' t' fin's root edge. T' fins were then attached to t' body tube with double wood-glue joints. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast, arrr, me proud beauty! Two thin white glue fillets were added later. Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty!

Launch lug. Arrr! One into a fin fillet, me hearties, another further up t' body.

Spacer tube saves t' day. Ahoy! Blimey! A lowly 24mm yellow spacer tube provided materials for both an adapter and a coupler block. Ahoy! Blimey! One end be dipped in glue and then pressed t' a small square o' balsa. When dry, me bucko, ya bilge rat, t' excess balsa was trimmed away and sanded flush t' t' tube's edge. Avast! This assembly was a loose fit inside BT50 so some Avery label paper, printed red t' match t' nose cone color, was wrapped around t' spacer tube. Another piece was used t' cover t' balsa cap. T' spacer tube be then cut in half. Arrr! Aye aye! Blimey!

Payload. Ya scallywag! T' piece o' spacer that had a cap be glued halfway into t' top o' t' upper body tube. Begad! T' payload section was then attached with Testor's glue. Avast, me proud beauty! T' red color visible through t' clear tubin' balances t' red nose cone shoulder.

Transition. Blimey! Blimey! T' transition's top was too skinny for BT50, me bucko, so I glued t' other half o' t' 24mm spacer tube onto it. T' transition's base was too thick, matey, matey, so I used a file t' brin' it down t' BT60 size. Arrr! Blimey! An eye hook was screwed in, then backed out again. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! A drop o' wood glue went into t' hole and then t' hook was replaced. Blimey! Blimey!

Finishing:

T' balsa transition was rough and needed t' be filled. Begad! Blimey! I spread undiluted Fill+Finish wood filler around, avoidin' t' shoulders, and then "dry rubbed" it into t' grain with me fingers. Avast! Rub vigorously and the excess F+F comes off, me hearties, leavin' a smooth surface. Arrr! Arrr! Almost No sanding! T' fins were paper covered and t' outside + trailin' edges filled with a FnF dry rub. Avast, me proud beauty! NO Sanding!! And t' spirals on all t' body tubes were tiny so I opted not to fill them. Ya scallywag! NO SANDING!!! Sweet. Avast! Ya scallywag! In keepin' with t' No Sandin' theme, I skipped t' use o' primer and went straight for t' paint. Avast! Besides I was runnin' out o' time before t' contest deadline. Begad! Begad!

My paint maskin' skills are weak, arrr, me hearties, shiver me timbers, so from t' beginnin' I had planned t' build process t' avoid this. Aye aye! Parts would be built into modules, ya bilge rat, then t' modules painted before final assembly. Avast! Begad! I only needed t' mask t' small areas where the pods met t' main body tube, betwixt t' bamboo dowels. Blimey! Avast, arrr, me proud beauty!

T' body got several light coats o' Krylon Semi-gloss White. Begad! Blimey! Blimey! T' transition and external motor pods were painted Krylon Silver. Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! T' silver-colored pods blended right into t' white o' t' body - t' make them stand out more I used a black Sharpie marker t' color t' bamboo rods. Avast! Blimey! T' nose cone was already a nice color red - after extra flashin' was carefully removed I simply coated it with NuFinish. Avast!

Decals. Begad! Ahoy! I created some classic roll-patterns and other decals in Inkscape. These were printed printed on the supplied half-sheet o' Avery label paper. Avast! T' sheet was sprayed with two light coats o' fixative before t' decals were cut out and applied. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey!

LINK HERE TO DECALS

T' completed rocket had a nice semi-gloss finish overall. Ahoy! I liked it so I did nay try t' apply any clear coat. Ahoy!

Final assembly. Well, me hearties, blow me down! T' transition and payload area were then glued together. Ya scallywag! T' shock cord was attached with a traditional tri-fold mount. T' motor mount was glued in, but what t' do about t' gaps? I tore a few chunks of cardboard off t' shippin' box and soaked them in water overnight. Ya scallywag! Ya scallywag! T' layers softened and separated. T' cardboard was squeezed dry, me hearties, coated with a little Gorilla glue, arrr, and wadded into t' motor mount gaps. Blimey!

Flight:

T' rocket be completed on t' day before t' contest deadline! And t' forecast for t' next day be rain! Why did I wait so long? I charged me launch battery that night, matey, me bucko, in case t' weatherman was wrong. Aye aye! Oh yeah, and I had to solder together a clip whip too! T' next mornin' thar was drizzle and a heavy low cloud cover, but just after lunch the clouds lifted a little and t' sprinkles subsided. So it be a race t' t' park!

I might only get one flight in before t' rain came back, so why nay go for broke? T' central 18mm tubes were loaded with C6-7s and t' outer 13mm tubes got A10-PT's. Motor retention relied on fiction fittin' with maskin' tape. There are no motor blocks in t' pods so a few extra wraps o' narrow tape were wrapped around t' nozzle end t' prevent the A10s from shootin' through t' tops o' t' pods. Aye aye! It felt tail heavy so I put a 1 ounce bag o' sand into t' payload section t' move t' CG up. Man, arrr, arrr, it took a long time t' prep and hook up 6 motors. Avast!

On ignition thar was plenty o' smoke and fire. T' flight was magnificent! Straight and true, ya bilge rat, she flew t' maybe 1000 or 1200 feet. Arrr! Ejection appeared t' be right at apogee (though t' be honest it be hard t' see.)

Recovery:

Both chutes deployed perfectly. One had been attached t' t' middle o' t' shock cord and t' other t' the transition's eye hook. T' rocket descended at a good rate, me hearties, arrr, but a breeze blew it toward t' edge o' t' park. Arrr! T' good news was it missed t' treeline. T' bad news be it went into t' river. Splashdown!

Five o' t' six motors had lit. Aye aye! One o' t' outboard A10's still had a plug and igniter in it. Blimey! Avast!

Four motors had swollen with water so badly that I couldn't get them out. Aye aye! Begad! Her impressive maiden flight may be her last. Blimey! I need t' let t' rocket dry out a bit and see how it goes. Well, blow me down!

Summary:

That was me first big cluster rocket and I'm very happy with how it flew. I think I received t' right mix of Parts t' Junk in order t' keep t' competition fun, matey, challenging, and nay too serious. Ya scallywag! It was a good way t' find new uses for odd parts, arrr, and try new techniques, both for buildin' and flying.

I now have some unusual parts left over that can be used t' scratch build other things. Ahoy! Blimey! Or they can go back into the pool for next year's contest!!! Blimey!