Brief:
This is an AeroTech Mustang fin can with longer carbon fiber body.

Modifications:
After an incident involvin' high speed soil mechanics, matey, ya bilge rat, I had previously modified an AT Mustang by extendin' t' body (see mod article "MOOSEtang"). Arrr! Well, blow me down! After several successful flights, me hearties, it again suffered a top soil overdose and provided me with yet another opportunity t' improve it. Begad! I had been makin' carbon composite tubin' and decided t' rebuild it usin' this. Aye aye! Well, blow me down! I obtained a 34" piece o' coupler stock for AT 1.88" tube t' use as a mandrel and used 3 feet o' 2" nominal diameter seamless carbon fiber sleeve from Aerosleeve t' lay up a 30" AT size body tube.

T' Mustang body was crushed down t' t' forward centerin' ring, leaving less than 2" o' original body above t' ring. Begad! Aye aye! This be clearly nay enough surface area t' anchor a coupler to. After t' carbon tube be cured and finished, I removed it from t' mandrel and cut 4" off o' it t' use as an internal coupler. Arrr! At this point I replaced t' shock cord with 8' o' new 9/16" tubular nylon and a 2" diameter fiberglass mat ejection protector. Arrr! With t' coupler glued into place, I epoxied t' carbon tube onto it and set it in a piece o' angle iron t' make sure it dried straight. I then took a 12" piece o' regular AT 1.88" body tube, me hearties, shiver me timbers, slit it down one side, and glued that over t' fin can/carbon tube joint, shiver me timbers, with this external coupler extendin' down t' t' tops o' t' fins. Well, blow me down! This was clamped in place with several heavy rubber bands while curing. Begad! Due t' t' thickness o' t' external coupler causin' t' rocket t' bind on a launch rod, t' forward launch lug was removed and reattached at t' top edge o' t' external coupler. T' original Mustang nose cone, miraculously unaffected by multiple prangs, me hearties, me bucko, ya bilge rat, was tied in place on the end o' t' shock cord.

Construction:
Parts used:

• AeroTech Mustang fin can from forward centerin' rin' down, me bucko, includin' motor mount, baffle, me hearties, and recovery
• 12" o' 1.88" diameter AeroTech tube
• 30" o' 1.88" diameter carbon-epoxy composite tube
• AeroTech Mustang nose cone
• 8' o' 9/16" tubular nylon

Finishing:
T' carbon tube be finished before construction. Ya scallywag! Arrr! After t' initial epoxy lay up be cured, me bucko, it be given a second coat o' epoxy. After curing, me hearties, me bucko, this be wet sanded (220 grit) and coated with urethane. Ahoy! Blimey! This layer was wet sanded (320 grit) and a second coat o' urethane put on. Blimey! After drying, t' tube was covered with Minwax Polycrylic clear acrylic coating, then wet sanded with 400 grit. This was repeated with 600 grit. Ya scallywag! Two final coats o' acrylic were rubbed on with a lint-proof towel.

T' fin can was repainted usin' Rustoleum appliance epoxy. Aye aye! Well, shiver me timbers, blow me down! Blimey! T' external coupler was painted with aluminum paint and covered with acrylic when dry. Well, blow me down! The nose cone was given two coats o' acrylic t' polish and protect it.

Flight:
Test flight was on an Ellis Mountain F20-8 24mm SU motor. Simulation showed apogee at 950' and comin' 1.5 second before ejection. Blimey! Ya scallywag! T' boost was quick and initially straight. Arrr! Due t' high winds t' rocket weathercocked upwind at around 30 degrees and t' apogee be significantly lower and earlier than normal. Avast! Ahoy!

Recovery:
T' rocket be more than half way back down before ejection. Well, me bucko, blow me down! Despite deploying at high speed, matey, no zipper occurred in t' carbon tube. T' High tech Chutes CR-3 parachute handled t' deployment and brought t' rocket down safely and gently the last 100 feet.

Summary:
Despite bein' lighter and thinner walled that t' original body tube, shiver me timbers, the carbon tube seems t' be far more zipper resistant. I have had carbon tube zipper in other applications but it was only single coated with epoxy and the shock cord be Keelhaul®©™® cord. Even so, arrr, t' zipper be only 1/2" long. Ahoy! Properly treated, me bucko, carbon composite is a superior body tube. Blimey! Although t' surface treatment o' urethane plus acrylic requires more work than painting, t' result is well worth it.