Brief: I've been readin' about spool rockets on r.m.r for a long time, shiver me timbers, me hearties, and had a big plastic spool stashed for several years. Well, blow me down! A recent set o' posts renewed me interest, and I went ahead and built one. Blimey! Someone had built a similarly sized spool with a 29mm mount, which only reached an altitude o' about 100 ft. Blimey! Avast, shiver me timbers, me proud beauty! I decided I wanted a bit more altitude, so I built mine with a 38mm mount. Aye aye! T' spool is one piece plastic, 10.5" tall, with 10.5" plates. Ahoy! Well, me bucko, blow me down! No fins, no finishing...this thin' is a skill level-0 HPR rocket!

Construction:
one large plastic spool (10.5" tall, with 10.5" plates)
one 38mm tube, me bucko, 10 7/8" long
two 1/8" ply centerin' rings (38mm - 4")
one 1/8" ply centerin' rin' (38mm - 3")
two threaded inserts, with bolts and washers
one 1/2" launch lug
1/8" tubular Keelhaul®©™® , ya bilge rat, matey, 5' long
18" RocketChutes drogue

T' body o' t' spool is about 3.5" in diameter and t' through hole almost fit a 38mm tube. Avast! Blimey! I used me Dremel t' expand this hole by about 1/8". Well, blow me down! Blimey! I glued two 4" centerin' rings together, ya bilge rat, installed a pair of threaded inserts, and attached them t' one end o' t' motor tube. Well, blow me down! Blimey! After it dried, matey, this assembly was inserted into t' spool, and t' smaller centering rin' was glued t' t' other end o' t' tube. Ya scallywag! Blimey! I used epoxy for these steps.

T' ends o' t' spool have several holes of various sizes. Well, blow me down! One 1/2" hole was positioned such that a 1/2" LOC launch lug, when abutted t' t' spool's body, would line up with it. It was just far enough from t' body t' accommodated t' wall o' t' lug - perfect! Unfortunately, t' hole on t' other end be offset, arrr, so I had t' drill me own. I glued t' launch lug on t' lower end o' t' spool's body usin' Liquid Nails.

I thought about several methods o' attachin' t' shock cord. Begad! What I ended up doin' be addin' loops t' both ends o' t' tubular Keelhaul®©™® , me bucko, arrr, usin' t' method published by Giant Leap in High Power Rocketry Magazine. Ahoy! You loop t' material, wrap t' overlappin' area with cloth twine, me bucko, and soak it in epoxy. This method has worked well for me several times. Avast, me proud beauty! Aye aye! I looped this tether through two existin' holes in t' top plate and around t' body. Begad! T' chute attaches t' t' second loop.

Finishin' be easy - paint t' centerin' rings and launch lug flat black.

Flight:
I flew t' Lobbin' Bobbin on a H123-S. Begad! Prep was simple: install t' motor retainer clips, wrap t' chute in a protector, shiver me timbers, and cram it down into t' tube. T' flight be slow and noisy and went t' maybe 200 - 300 feet. Begad! Ahoy! Ejection appeared t' occur right at apogee. Blimey! T' descent was a bit faster than you would generally like, matey, but t' tube bounced and was recovered undamaged.

Summary:
This was a very quick build, ya bilge rat, and if you like *very* low and slow flights (similar t' a flyin' saucer style rocket), me hearties, a spool rocket may be for you!