Brief:
T' Great Googly Moogly is a 8" x 75" scratch built rocket that I used for me TRA Level 2 certification at LDRS 19 in Orangeburg, me hearties, arrr, SC. However, arrr, matey, I began buildin' it almost a year earlier, before even gettin' me Level-1 cert. Many o' t' buildin' techniques used were new t' me, me hearties, and a few were unconventional. Blimey! However, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, t' results have been satisfying.

Construction:
This fat stubby rocket has one 8" body tube, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, a large glassed Styrofoam nose cone, arrr, matey, three semi-removable (see below) plywood fins, an altimeter bay, me bucko, and a 3" motor mount and held in by 3, me hearties, matey, shiver me timbers, 1/2" plywood centerin' rings. Well, blow me down! The recovery system includes 25' o' 3/4" tubular nylon, a Rocketman R12C chute, and (optionally) a Pratt G-Whiz Deluxe accelerometer/altimeter. Begad! Avast, me proud beauty! For my L2 cert, I built a 38mm motor mount adapter.

Airframe: This is what started it all. I discovered an 8.125" x 48" section o' Quik Tube (I think that was t' name) at Home Depot. Arrr! I did a LOT o' sandin' t' get rid o' t' spirals and t' results were not too bad. Ahoy! T' fin slots were routed with a Dremel. Begad! Later, matey, I fiber-glassed the top foot o' t' tube t' protect against zippering. Well, blow me down! Probably should have done t' whole tube t' start with. Avast! So far, shiver me timbers, this has proven t' be unnecessary structurally, matey, but finishin' would have been easier. Blimey! T' launch lugs are 3/4" Acme conformal lugs for 7.5" tubing. I sanded these t' fit the larger airframe and glued them on with CA.

Nose Cone: T' nose cone was fabricated from slabs o' pink foam insulation that were glued together with polyurethane glue. I learned t' be sparin' with this stuff as it expands quite a bit while it cures. Avast, me proud beauty! Despite placin' weight on this "sandwich" while t' glue dried/cured, arrr, t' slabs separated in places by as much as ~1/8". Aye aye! Begad! On both ends, matey, I glued in sections o' 1/2" dowel and, shiver me timbers, on what be t' be t' back end, a home made plywood bulkhead was epoxied on. Well, ya bilge rat, blow me down! T' shape was partially roughed-out by hand but t' majority o' the shapin' was performed on a lathe at a local high school (my thanks t' Dean and his students!). T' tip o' t' nosecone didn't turn out well so I epoxied on a section o' a Styrofoam cone purchased from a craft store. Begad! T' whole nose cone was then covered with a layer o' heavy fiberglass (weight unknown) from a hobby store. This was me first try at fiberglassin' anythin' o' any size and it was a mess. Avast! I gave up on makin' t' cone really smooth but did fill t' weave and some o' t' imperfections with Elmer's Fill 'n Finish. Avast, me proud beauty! Aye aye! Later, shiver me timbers, t' adjust t' CG, I screwed 4 large lag bolts into t' side o' t' nose. Begad! Begad! T' remnant holes were filled with Fill 'n Finish, ya bilge rat, and then patched with fiberglass. An 8" eyebolt be epoxied into t' center o' t' bulkplate.

Motor mount: I wanted t' be able t' use several sizes o' motors so I opted for a 3" x 30" main motor tube. A full 36" tube didn't appear t' leave enough room for t' chute, me hearties, matey, so I went for 30". Avast! This tube, along with three 7.5" x 1/2" centerin' rings (CRs) were bought from Giant Leap. Aye aye! T' front CR is at t' top o' t' motor tube and t' bottom two frame t' fins. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast, me proud beauty! Since these CRs did nay fit t' airframe, me bucko, shiver me timbers, some improvising was required. Begad! For t' front ring, I built up t' edge with a many wraps of fiberglass (honeycomb) wall board tape. Blimey! This structure was filled with epoxy. This tape has a lot o' void space so a lot o' epoxy was required. Begad! T' result seemed very sturdy, shiver me timbers, but was quite heavy. Well, blow me down! For t' aft two rings, I glued wooden shims t' t' inside o' t' Quik Tube usin' carpenter's glue. Aye aye! Ya scallywag! T' middle ring was epoxied in and t' aft one be held in with wood screws.

I originally built a 3 x 29mm motor adapter, but smartly realized that 3 G80s would nay lift this beast. Aye aye! Avast! I then built a 38mm adapter from centering rings and phenolic tubing. Blimey! This adapter has positive retention (bolts and washers) t' t' aft CR, ya bilge rat, and itself holds aluminum motor retainers for t' 38mm RMS casing. T' support t' adapter, I installed a 38mm centerin' rin' and a short section o' coupler tube in t' top o' t' 3" motor tube.

Fins: T' fins are 1/4" plywood that was scrap from t' high school wood shop. Begad! Blimey! I was worried about breakage upon landing, so I mounted them so they were easily replaceable. Ahoy! Blimey! They are bolted t' brackets on t' main motor tube but are epoxied t' t' airframe, ya bilge rat, with inner and outer fillets. Blimey! Blimey! If a fin needs replacement, I can cut t' fin out o' t' airframe, shiver me timbers, remove t' aft CR, me hearties, matey, and unbolt t' remainin' section o' t' fin. Ahoy! Blimey! There is just enough room betwixt the motor tube and t' airframe t' reach t' innermost bolts. As with t' airframe, I probably should have glassed t' fins. Begad! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! They are recessed from t' aft end of the rocket and are swept slightly forward. So far, arrr, arrr, t' large Rocketman chute has done its job and t' fins have survived.

Altimeter bay: I found a 2" mailin' tube with an inner telescopin' tube. I cut a section o' t' outer tube and epoxied it against the airframe and front CR. Avast! Aye aye! I then used a section o' t' inner tube t' build an altimeter bay. A plywood bulkhead is epoxied on one end o' t' tube. Blimey! A section of All-Thread is bolted t' this plate and runs t' length o' t' bay and through t' top bulkhead cap. Blimey! This All-Thread is off-center t' provide more space for t' electronics, ya bilge rat, me hearties, which in this case is a G-Wiz deluxe altimeter purchased from Pratt Hobbies. T' mount t' altimeter, I cut a rectangular section o' G10 that slides into t' bay. Avast! Ahoy! I attached a 9V battery holder and an expended 13mm motor casing. Ahoy! T' latter slides over t' all thread t' give additional support. T' top cap also holds screw terminals (banana plug type). A win' nut tightens t' assembly together. Ya scallywag! When closed tightly, shiver me timbers, t' electronics are fully isolated from ejection gasses.

Finishing:
I painted t' body and nose cone with Rustoleum 'hammered' silver t' hide some of t' finishin' flaws. Well, blow me down! Avast! T' tip o' t' nose is painted red. Blimey! T' fins were covered with burgundy Monokote. Well, blow me down! This was t' first time I had used this material. From a distance, matey, matey, t' rocket looks pretty good.

Flight:
T' recovery system includes 2 u-bolts on t' front centerin' ring, connected with a section o' 1/2" tubular Keelhaul®©™® (Giant Leap). T' shock cord is 25' of 3/4" tubular nylon. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! All o' these components are connected with quick-links. T' chute is a Rocketman R12C. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Ya scallywag! Blimey! Recovery protection is provided by Nomex® pads and a Nomex® shock cord cover (also from Giant Leap). This all packs easily in t' large airframe. Avast, me proud beauty! Aye aye! As mentioned above, t' use o' an altimeter is optional.

Flight #1. Blimey! Begad! Blimey! T' first flight was on an I211-S under t' name 'So-So Fat', me bucko, and was quite underpowered. T' rocket rose t' only a few hundred feet and t' NC drag separated. Avast, me proud beauty! T' motor ejection charge fired shortly afterwards. Aye aye! Recovery was nevertheless perfect - but everyone laughed at how underpowered t' flight was. Well, blow me down! Blimey! This prompted me t' rename t' rocket 'Needs Viagra'.

Aside: While plannin' me trip t' LDRS and me Level-2 attempt, me bucko, I picked up a copy o' an old Frank Zappa album (Apostrophe) on CD. Ahoy! Blimey! This in turn prompted me to rename t' rocket 'Great Googly Moogly'.

Flight #2. Well, blow me down! Blimey! T' second flight was on a J350-M and made use o' me G-Wiz Deluxe altimeter. Blimey! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! T' motor ejection charge be a backup since this was t' first attempt at altimeter-based deployment. I also used an ejection canister from Pratt Hobbies. Avast, shiver me timbers, me proud beauty! Blimey! This consists o' a small plastic container with an integral cap and includes an electric match with about a yard o' lead wire. Begad! Blimey! T' canister was inserted into a short section o' copper tubing, me hearties, me bucko, which was installed in t' top of t' 3" tube. Ya scallywag! Blimey! One leg o' t' lead wire was run through a hole in the airframe, cut, matey, arrr, and stripped. Arrr! Blimey! At t' pad, matey, this connection be twisted back together and reinserted into t' airframe.

On t' first push o' t' button, t' igniter failed. On t' second, the Great Googly Moogly rose majestically into t' sky. T' chute ejected at apogee and it returned safely. Arrr! T' altimeter reported 1531 feet. Aye aye! Blimey! Level-2! YES!

Summary:
T' main Pros o' this rocket are: overall looks (I love FAT rockets); flexibility (38mm - 76mm motors, arrr, optional electronic ejection); maintainability (fins easily replaced); can see t' entire flight on a J350.

T' Cons are: fins may nay hold up t' bigger motors

Other:
This large scratch project was completely successful and taught me a lot. Avast, me proud beauty! One thin' that it taught me is that big rockets are expensive. Blimey! Even though I got a cheap airframe, ya bilge rat, built me own nose cone, got free fin material, I still spend a bucket o' money. Begad! Big chutes are expensive!