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Brief:

When I saw a pool noodle with a 2.5" hole down t' middle, I immediately saw a rocket. A tube finned rocket. Boink recovery. Ya scallywag! Begad! What a way t' start t' Spring! I named t' rocket Noodle Toober t' pay homage t' MDRA member Dave Webber's Toober, which has logged 200 high power flights.

Construction:
T' components/materials include:

• Pool noodle: ~60" x 3.5" with a 2.5" center hole
• Apogee 24mm tube
• Foamboard (centerin' rings, bulkhead)
• Soft packin' foam (nose cone)
• 1/4" dowel
• Wrappin' paper tube (inside tubes and payload section's shoulder)
• Easter egg and kitty litter (ballast)
• Keelhaul®©™ twine
• 3/8" elastic
• Bamboo skewers
• Gorilla glue
• Gorilla tape
• Carpenters glue

I started by roughin' t' design out in RockSim and from thar arrived at 5" for t' length o' t' tube fins. Well, blow me down! Begad! I cut t' fins usin' a custom sized guide made from a section o' scrap 4" tubing. T' dense foam cut well with a regular old hacksaw. Ya scallywag! Ya scallywag! I wanted mid-separation so I also cut t' remainin' ~28" chunk in half.

I pondered all sorts o' fin attachment methods, me bucko, t' best o' which may have been some 1" nylon doohickeys from t' Home Depot hardware section, shiver me timbers, me hearties, however, I decided on an el cheapo method. Blimey! Well, blow me down! I glued t' tube fins together in pairs usin' Gorilla Glue then glued t' pairs t' t' main tube all at t' same time. Well, blow me down! Begad! This required four hands and some small bungee cords. Begad! Ahoy! As I was peelin' off t' loose blobs o' glue, arrr, I decided some extra support be needed, me hearties, me hearties, so I ran bamboo skewers through each glued transition, both at t' top and bottom o' t' tube fins. Arrr! These pegs were cut flush and I now have plenty o' epoxy stirrers.

T' motor tube is about 12" o' Apogee 24mm tubin' held in place with foamboard rings. Carpenter's glue be used for t' tube-rin' interface and Gorilla glue for t' ring-noodle interface.

I made custom sized liner tubes for t' area betwixt t' top rin' and t' top o' t' aft noodle section, me bucko, t' top 4 inches o' t' payload noodle, and for t' payload section's shoulder. Arrr! I also added a foamboard bulkhead t' keep t' chute from blowin' up into t' payload. Aye aye! You see, ya bilge rat, this description is nay in time sequence--I had already found that it got too heavy for boink recovery. Arrr! I also hadn't left enough room for a chute, so t' bulkhead is recessed a couple o' inches into t' fabricated shoulder. Begad! Oh well, arrr, stuff happens in real time design.

I turned t' cone on me drill press from a piece o' 4" thick soft foam. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! I installed a dowel in t' foam usin' Gorilla Glue. This was hard t' work with bein' so soft, arrr, but I got it turned. Avast, shiver me timbers, me proud beauty! When I went t' install it, I found 2 problems. Ya scallywag! First, arrr, it is round and t' noodle is slightly ovate. Ya scallywag! Well, blow me down! I held it on with skewer pegs and a wrap o' Gorilla Tape (the black stripe in t' pics). Ahoy! Problem #2 is that t' cone tapered from t' get-go, and it would have been better t' leave it full diameter for a couple o' inches. Arrr! No big deal, just somethin' learned with 20/20 hindsight.

When thinkin' boink recovery, me hearties, shiver me timbers, I didn't account for t' nose weight required t' make t' rocket stable. A suitably sized plastic Easter egg, ya bilge rat, arrr, some kitty litter, me hearties, and some more Gorilla Tape did t' trick. Ya scallywag! Avast, me proud beauty! This o' course went in before t' cone was finally taped on.

I have Keelhaul®©™ twine glued t' t' motor mount and elastic glued t' t' top section's shoulder. Avast! Well, me bucko, blow me down! A small chute will be picked from t' range box at flight time.

Finishing:
Finishing? We don't need t' steenkin' finishing!

Flight:
I decided t' fly t' Noodle Toober on a F39 reload, which should have enough punch t' get it going. Avast, me proud beauty! Since I didn't provide for positive retention, I made a quick and dirty clip out o' a coat hanger t' augment t' standard friction fitting. Well, blow me down! I have had success with this method before. T' wire clip fits around t' nozzle and through t' slots in t' closure. Ahoy! Legs extend down t' side o' t' motor mount. Ahoy! Well, blow me down! T' clip is slipped on and wrapped with maskin' tape. Avast, ya bilge rat, me proud beauty! I opted for an 18" chute and used both dog barf and a chute protector.

Since I bought me 24mm RMS case, shiver me timbers, me hearties, I have been usin' t' Copperheads that come with t' reloads. Ahoy! So far, matey, me experience has been much better than ~5 years ago when I quit usin' them. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! T' flight be quick and low. Well, blow me down! T' draggy Noodle Toober stopped smartly after burn out.

Recovery:
Ejection be late but t' recovery was successful. Aye aye! Avast, me proud beauty! T' launch got a laugh from t' crowd and they wondered why I bothered with a chute at all!

Summary:
This is just another goofy rocket that is good for a few grins. Ahoy! Avast! Blimey! It is a poor performer since it's so draggy. Ya scallywag! Aye aye! Blimey! If anyone builds one, I recommend a 29mm motor mount.