Brief:
A single-stage flyin' HOT DOG!

Construction:
T' initial drawings were done in late May 2008. Avast! I decided t' use t' "Centuri" ST style tubin' with thicker body tube walls. Aye aye! Blimey! A parts list be made, ya bilge rat, arrr, then an order be placed (online) t' Semroc on June 13, 2008. Begad! Aye aye! I received t' parts by mail on June 16, 2008. Avast, me proud beauty! Very fast delivery and great customer service, matey, as usual.

Parts list: 

• 2 "Bun" Nose Cones, me hearties, BNC2025
• 1 "Hot Dog" Nose Cone, me hearties, BC-837 from Squire kit
• "Hot Dog" Body Tube, ST890, matey, 8 Series
• "Bun" Body Tube, ST2060, me hearties, ya bilge rat, 20 Series
• 3 fins o' 1/16" balsa covered with condiment package wrappers
• 8 Series motor mount from a Semroc Squire kit
• LARGE Screw Eye (for extra nose weight)
• 12" Red and Yellow Parachute
• 12" Keelhaul®©™ attached t' 18" o' 3/16" elastic shock cord
• 1 1/2" standard launch lug

Initially I was goin' t' use a 7 series nose cone and body tube. Ya scallywag! After seein' it "in t' bun" it looked too thin. Arrr! Well, blow me down! I switched t' wider 8 series parts from a extra Semroc Squire kit I had. I also used t' Squire's engine mount, matey, me bucko, nose cone and Keelhaul®©™. Begad! All other parts were standard: 1/8" launch lug, ya bilge rat, a big screw eye, 3/16" x 18" elastic shock cord, me bucko, shiver me timbers, and 12" parachute.

As I work away from home, matey, arrr, ya bilge rat, I didn't have much time t' build t' model for t' EMRR contest. Ahoy! Well, blow me down! This would be a rush job! I was returnin' on July 5 and would have one week t' get t' model built, me bucko, photographed, ya bilge rat, me bucko, flown, me hearties, matey, documented and entered! I be also tryin' t' get me Golden Scout built and flown for a July 10 Orlando area launch.

To get t' "Bun" end contour, me bucko, ya bilge rat, matey, I cut off 1 1/8" off both o' t' Semroc BNC-2025 nose cones. Blimey! I rounded t' cut ends with 100 grit sandpaper on a block. Begad! Well, blow me down! T' get t' "Hot Dog" contour I cut off t' tip o' t' Semroc BC-837 nose cone and rounded t' end with 100 grit sandpaper on a block.

An actual hot dog is 6" long. Blimey! Blimey! Arrr! Blimey! It seems a little short, I wanted this rocket t' fly stable. Aye aye! Blimey! T' "Dog's" body tube length is 9". Avast! Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! T' "Dog's" overall length with nose cone and motor mount (extension) in place be now 10 1/4".

After fillin' t' nose cone, I used t' back o' a razor blade t' press in wrinkle lines like those on a hot dog end. T' wrinkles radiate out from t' center o' t' nose cone tip.

I am tryin' t' capture t' look o' foot-long hotdog with it's ends stickin' out o' t' bun. Begad! I cut t' "bun" tube length at 5 ½". Begad! With t' two split nose cones in place, t' overall "bun" length is 8 5/8".

It'd be easier t' fill t' tube spirals and balsa grain before cuttin' t' bun tube in half and splittin' t' bun nose cones.

I marked t' Bun body tube down its entire length and extended t' line up t' two end nose cones. Ahoy! Ya scallywag! I extended t' pencil lines over t' top o' t' cones, ya bilge rat, completely around under t' shoulder. Begad! T' make a clean split, I used a straight edge razor blade t' cut 1/4" into t' cone. Avast, matey, me proud beauty! This should insure a clean outside edge. Begad! I switched over t' a #11 X-Acto after t' razor blade t' deepen t' cut. I broke apart t' cones. I was happy with t' results. Ahoy! Aye aye! T' edges were clean and t' inside "flat" areas o' t' cones would only require some Fill 'n' Finish t' smooth them out.

I sanded square t' (rounded) nose cone shoulder ends. Blimey! I left ½" o' t' shoulder. Aye aye! I'll make two flat inside wall pieces, glued inside and flush with t' body tube walls and nose cone ends.

After fillin' t' seams, I only cut through one side o' t' bun body tube. Begad! Ahoy! T' opposite side was scored with a straight edge and (dull) butter knife only creasin' t' line. Ahoy! This let t' tube open like an real hot dog bun.

T' engine mount was taken from Semroc Squire kit. Avast! Keelhaul®©™ cord was tied t' t' engine hook. Avast, me hearties, me proud beauty! Blimey! A 3/16" X 18" elastic shock cord is tied t' t' Keelhaul®©™. Avast! I picked a 12" red and yellow Semroc chute t' match t' Mustard and Ketchup condiment motif.

With both bun nose cones in place thar be a rectangular open area inside. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! I cut 1/16" balsa "planks" t' fit t' void. Well, blow me down! Blimey! I cut them a little oversize and sanded them t' fit. Aye aye! T' final size was 2" wide x 4 7/16" long. Well, blow me down! It would be difficult t' fill and sand t' interior balsa so it covered them with paper.

This is where it got interesting. I needed fins that would fit t' hot dog theme. Ahoy! Blimey! Ya scallywag! Blimey! I thought o' plastic knife, fork and spoons for fins, shiver me timbers, but another entry had already incorporated sporks into their design. Ahoy! Blimey! My youngest daughter suggested ketchup, mustard, and relish packets should be used somewhere in t' design. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Aye aye! Blimey! Why nay t' fins? We picked some packets up at a local fast grub restaurant. Well, matey, blow me down! Blimey! I cut off t' back o' t' packets, matey, shiver me timbers, emptied, ya bilge rat, then washed and dried t' plastic sleeves. Begad! Blimey! Ahoy! Blimey! T' empty packets were contact cemented onto 1/16" balsa. Ahoy! Blimey! Ahoy! Blimey! Simple, fast, ya bilge rat, and in t' theme o' t' model.

Slots were cut into t' bun's tail end and t' fins were pressed into place. Avast! Avast! Super glue fillets followed. Begad! Ya scallywag! T' Bun shape didn't allow for 120 degree spacin' o' t' fins. Ahoy! Well, blow me down! While they aren't symmetrical, they are on straight. Begad! I made sure t' fins trailed away from t' rocket body, once again t' improve stability.

I glued a 1 ½" long launch lug t' t' backside o' t' hot dog body. T' lug be centered out o' sight, inside t' bun. T' hot dog was set in t' bun and a line o' super glue was run down t' seams.

T' Keelhaul®©™ line was pulled through t' front o' t' dog tube and tied on a 3/16" x 18" elastic cord.

I found t' biggest, heavy screw eye I had. Ahoy! Ya scallywag! Blimey! Any additional nose weight could help this model fly straight. Avast, me proud beauty! Ya scallywag! Blimey! I attached t' shock cord and parachute snap swivel t' t' screw eye.

Finishing:
When buyin' spray paint at WalMart, arrr, I walked through t' paint department with real hot dogs and buns in hand. I wanted match t' colors as closely as possible. Begad! T' Bun is actually two different colors. Well, blow me down! T' inside o' t' bun is much lighter than t' outside. Blimey! Begad! I sprayed two coats o' grey primer, shiver me timbers, sandin' betwixt coats. Well, blow me down! Aye aye! T' inside o' t' bun was sprayed with Wal-Mart Almond. Ahoy! I set t' bun face down (on t' open wedge cut) then sprayed t' outside with Wal-Mart Red Primer. Well, blow me down! No masking, I wanted t' colors t' blend at t' "buns" cut line.

To replicate t' lighter color o' t' bun at t' wedge cut (through t' body), shiver me timbers, I sprayed more Almond color on a kitchen sponge. I dabbed some o' t' Almond paint onto t' bun opening. This gave it t' same rough color separation like on a real hot dog bun.

Flight:
T' Orlando NARRRRR section, R.O.C.K., me bucko, had a scheduled launch on July 10. Begad! Well, blow me down! In addition t' t' regular members, me bucko, thar be t' be a school group thar with many first time fliers. Many o' t' kids hadn't seen an odd-roc before, arrr, and one even asked if I had another hot dog he could have for lunch. Begad! I prepped t' (S)Hot Dog with a C6-3 with standard Estes wadding. Well, blow me down! Motor retention was an Estes style metal hook. Blimey! Begad! I usually have great confidence in me rockets as I usually build proven designs, however, I was a little nervous as t' RSO called for a heads up.

T' first flight was vertical but t' model made a 10 foot spiral goin' up. Aye aye! Ahoy! I wanted better stability and needed more nose weight. Begad! Recovery was nominal with no damage. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! T' length o' t' Keelhaul®©™/elastic combination worked well. Ya scallywag! There was no zipperin' or nose cone dents. Ahoy! Now, matey, me hearties, for t' nose weight.

Bob, a fellow R.O.C.K. member, offered up a quick link. Avast, me proud beauty! I attached it t' t' large screw eye. Avast! As well, another R.O.C.K. Avast! member had some modelin' clay. I rolled two thin "worms" o' clay and pressed them into t' hot dog/bun seam. I prepped again usin' another C6-3.

This time it was a slow, me bucko, straight, arrr, vertical boost t' a altitude o' approximately 225 feet. Aye aye! Deployment was at apogee. There was no damage, me hearties, burning, me hearties, shiver me timbers, or charrin' on recovery. Arrr! T' model is now retired.

Summary:
This was a great experience. It was fun t' construct a different scratch build again. Well, arrr, blow me down! T' kids (first timers) at t' launch got quite a kick out o' t' design.

PROs: T' reactions o' t' first time fliers at t' local launch. I found a few new techniques: "press mounting" fins in slots cut into t' balsa "bun" ends. Well, blow me down! Ya scallywag! When t' fins were in place, matey, me bucko, I simply ran super glue fillets. Ya scallywag! T' joints were very strong. Avast! Lastly, matey, pressin' "wrinkles" into a finished nose cone end usin' t' backside o' a single edge razor blade gave t' hot dog a certain realism.

CONs: Just tough t' fill balsa and body tube seams. Begad! I had three different fillin' sessions. Well, blow me down! T' nose cone and body tube splits were t' most difficult part o' construction. Begad! I had t' fill t' spirals before cuttin' and splittin' and then fill again after gluin' t' bun nose cones into t' body tubes. Arrr! This project had a few o' those "Wakin' up in t' middle o' t' night" moments when realizin' different construction and material techniques.