Brief:
T' Tuber is one o' me earliest purchases and has been sittin' around for long time waitin' for attention. It has failed t' get t' attention because, over time, it migrated t' t' back o' t' racks as other rockets were placed on the hooks. A few days ago, me hearties, I noticed lots o' pieces layin' on t' floor and investigated. Ahoy! T' bottom o' t' Tuber's package had given way and scattered some o' t' contents. Avast! I figured I better start buildin' before anythin' got lost.

T' Tuber is a two stage rocket. Ahoy! Blimey! T' lower stage features 6 conventional fins and it joins t' a tube finned sustainer. Both motor mounts are 24mm. Begad! T' booster tumbles and t' sustainer comes down on a streamer.

Construction:
T' first step in t' instructions is t' assemble a motor mount. Lookin' around in t' bag, shiver me timbers, I could nay find a 24mm motor tube. Avast, me proud beauty! I went and looked on t' floor near where t' bag was hangin' and did nay find any thar either. So it is that me build came t' a screechin' halt before I had done anythin' useful.

I have some BT-50 tubin' and was willin' t' make me own t' length but needed t' know how long they should be so I posted a question on TRF. Aye aye! At t' same time I posted t' TRF question, ya bilge rat, I sent an email t' Squirrel Works. Ahoy! It was a Saturday so I did nay expect an answer until Monday at t' earliest. Arrr! T' email was answered in less than 10 minutes and I had me answer. Both motor tubes should be 2.75" long. Aye aye! With that data, I got some scrap BT-50, me bucko, arrr, marked two tubes, and cut 2 motor tubes t' length.

One o' t' motor tubes be put into t' bag for later use and t' other had a thrust rin' glued flush in the forward end. Aye aye! T' motor tube then had 5/8" marked off from either end and t' centerin' rings were glued into place. Both rings were filleted with yellow glue.

T' kits comes with t' makings o' an Estes style tri-fold shock cord mount. Avast, arrr, me proud beauty! I do nay care for these and prefer Keelhaul®©™® harnesses so I tied a length o' Keelhaul®©™® around t' forward end o' t' motor mount and filleted it into place with more yellow glue. Avast, me proud beauty! Ahoy! A notch be also cut in the forward centerin' rin' t' accommodate t' passage o' t' Keelhaul®©™®.

When t' glue on t' motor mount had dried, t' Keelhaul®©™® was fished through t' motor tube so that it would nay interfere with mounting. T' inside o' t' body tube was then swabbed with glue and t' mount be shoved into place with t' end o' t' tube flush with t' end o' t' airframe.

T' Tuber comes with a wraparound fin markin' guide, arrr, me preferred type. Ya scallywag! It be cut out, shiver me timbers, wrapped around t' BT, and taped into place. Begad! T' fin lines and lug lines were marked on t' tube and then t' guide was carefully removed and saved for use later with t' booster stage. Begad! An Estes fin guide was used t' lengthen all o' t' transferred lines.

T' mitered tube fins for t' Tuber come already cut. Even so, thar be a handy wraparound template for them included. Arrr! Begad! This would come in handy if I ever have t' replace a tube fin but that is nay its purpose. It is intended to wraparound t' precut fins and be aligned so that t' exact center line along t' high point can be marked. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Squirrel Works is t' be applauded for this nice consideration. Ya scallywag! Arrr! T' tube fins were duly marked and t' lines were also extended to t' inside for easier seein' durin' placement. From thar it was a simple matter t' apply some yellow glue along the fin lines, arrr, line up t' marks, me hearties, and press t' fins into place flush with t' after end.

T' balsa nose cone that came in me kit be about as nice as I have seen. I screwed t' screw eye into t' base, backed it out, me bucko, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, squirted some glue into t' hole, and reseated t' screw. T' cone be smooth enough that I decided to try and forgo t' experience o' sealin' and sandin' with Elmer's Wood Filler and decided t' just drizzle on some thin CA t' harden it up a bit and hopefully seal it. Begad! I might also add that t' grain was dense enough that t' CA was difficult t' see since it did nay absorb very much and darken t' wood. Begad!

T' tube fins had a chance t' dry overnight and then t' launch lug was glued into place along t' line marked for t' purpose. Ahoy! It be carefully examined with a short piece o' 3/16" rod t' make sure that t' openin' on the lug aligned with t' space betwixt adjacent tube fins.

Construction o' t' booster stage began with t' motor mount. Well, blow me down! I retrieved t' other piece o' BT-50 I had cut and found t' thrust rin' intended for t' booster. Arrr! It differs from t' sustainer thrust rin' in that it is made from plywood instead o' cardboard and is only 1/8" thick instead o' 1/4". Begad! At first I wondered why it should be different and then remembered some o' t' troubles I have had with staged rockets before. When t' motors are taped together and t' thrust rin' is behind t' booster motor, me hearties, me fat and clumsy fingers have had trouble managin' the igniter through t' orifice. Arrr! I could tell right away that havin' 1/8" less distance t' deal with was goin' t' be a nice thing. Ahoy! Aye aye! This is another positive point for this design. In any event, t' thin thrust rin' was glued into place flush with t' end o' t' motor tube.

T' centerin' rings for t' booster stage are identical t' those for t' sustainer but are placed just a bit differently. Begad! One be glued flush with t' aft end (the end with t' thrust ring) and t' other was placed 5/8" from t' forward edge. Ya scallywag! Both were glued and filleted with yellow glue.

While t' glue on t' motor mount dried, me bucko, t' coupler tube be located and marked at t' halfway point. Begad! A rin' of glue was then swabbed around t' interior o' one end o' t' BT-55 booster body and t' coupler was pushed in up t' the mark.

T' CA hardened nose cone be sanded down, ya bilge rat, pronounced fit for t' company I keep, and then tied t' t' elastic band that came with t' kit. Blimey! Ahoy! T' other end o' t' elastic be then tied t' t' Keelhaul®©™®. With that, t' sustainer be substantially complete.

I looked in me bag o' parts and finally found t' fin markin' guide I had stashed from t' sustainer. Blimey! It be slid over t' BT-55 booster airframe and t' lines were transcribed and then lengthened with an angle. Ya scallywag!

T' wrap was then removed and t' motor mount was test fit. Aye aye! Well, blow me down! While t' centerin' rings on t' sustainer had no problem fittin' into t' sustainer tube, Both o' t' booster rings needed sanding. Begad! Arrr! T' forward one needed quite a bit. This is nay t' say that thar be a defect. Avast! It's just that some just come fatter than others. T' mount was glued in place with yellow glue and t' thrust rin' on t' aft end. Ya scallywag! Well, blow me down!

T' fins for t' booster section are balsa and nay tubes. Arrr! Mine were in good condition and all still in t' parent sheet. Begad! Blimey! I used an X-Acto t' free them from their bondage and then lined them up t' sand their edges even. Avast! Once they were all fairly even, me hearties, me hearties, matey, I ruined their evenness by sandin' all edges except for t' root into a round profile. It came out better than usual and I am confident that some day, matey, I will be able t' do this evenly. Arrr!

Each o' t' fin lines which had been marked on t' tube had a tick mark added t' it 1/8" from t' aft edge. This be t' help align t' backs o' t' fins. T' fins were then glued into place with a double glue joint usin' yellow glue. When all had dried, they were filleted with white glue. Well, blow me down! Avast, me proud beauty!

When t' fins had dried, I checked t' see how well t' booster stage fit into t' sustainer. I found it t' be a bit tight but a little sandin' took care o' that. With that, t' rocket be built and just awaited its livery. Begad!

Finishing:
Finishin' o' t' Tuber began with sealing. Well, blow me down! Blimey! It had been a while since I had used any Elmer's Wood Filler so I had to mix up a fresh batch. Aye aye! Arrr! That be then brushed onto t' fins. Avast! While I be at it, arrr, I decided t' hit t' nose cone as well. Both pieces were then allowed t' dry for a day.

T' next day, t' nose cone sanded fine but t' fins were still a bit gummy. Well, blow me down! Begad! I decided t' give them an extra day. I went ahead and primed t' sustainer with white though. Arrr! Ya scallywag! It got 2 coats and t' insides o' t' tubes got a hint o' 2 coats.

T' next day, t' booster sanded fine and looked t' be ready for priming. T' booster got 2 coats o' white primer. Ya scallywag! T' primer was in turn followed by 2 coats o' orange. Begad! T' sustainer on t' other hand needed just a bit of sandin' after t' priming. It then got 2 coats o' yellow. Avast, me proud beauty! When t' paint had dried, ya bilge rat, I needed t' do a little sandin' on the tube coupler t' perfect t' fit but t' rocket looked t' be in good shape.

T' Tuber comes with a single waterslide decal bearin' t' name o' t' rocket. Ahoy! Aye aye! T' decal is o' good quality and, to me mind, is clear evidence that even a simple, me bucko, professionally made decal can do wonders t' dress up a rocket. Avast! Avast! I think it looks great.

Construction Rating: 5 out o' 5

Flight and Recovery:
As is me practice when flyin' a new rocket, shiver me timbers, matey, I take it easy and build up t' power over time. Begad! I also start in single stage configurations when tryin' out a multi-stager. Ya scallywag! T' Tuber be no exception.

I loaded a C11-7 into t' sustainer and prepped it with dog barf. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Arrr! Blimey! I added a streamer and set it on the pad. T' countdown proceeded and t' Tuber lifted off quickly, ya bilge rat, straight, and true. There be no twistin' or any deviation from "up". Were it nay for t' trackin' smoke in t' motor, arrr, we all would have lost sight o' it. As it happened though, me hearties, we were able t' see it reach apogee and start back down just a bit before t' ejection charge went off. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Ya scallywag! Blimey! We saw t' cloud o' smoke and t' body comin' down. We also saw t' streamer flutterin' away in t' light wind. T' rocket was nay bothered by t' wind, me bucko, it just came down. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! Fortunately, it did so in a horizontal spin. When it hit the ground, ya bilge rat, it did so near by. Ahoy! Blimey! Arrr! Blimey! T' nose cone was nowhere t' be seen but thar seemed t' be no damage at all t' t' body of t' rocket. T' shock cord, both Keelhaul®©™® and sewin' elastic, ya bilge rat, were wadded up in a blob terminated by t' screw eye. Ya scallywag! A cursory examination revealed that the threads on t' screw had completely stripped out o' t' NC.

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
This rocket was well thought out, well designed, well documented, shiver me timbers, and an example o' "how t' do it right". Sometimes though, fortune figures its time t' point t' fickle finger o' fate. Such be t' occasion for me.

I will be orderin' a replacement nose cone and rebuilding. Based upon performance, I wonder where I am goin' to be able t' fly t' full stack with any chance at all o' recovery.

Overall Rating: 5 out o' 5