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Brief:

When I saw a pool noodle with a 2.5" hole down t' middle, matey, me hearties, I immediately saw a rocket. Ahoy! Blimey! A tube finned rocket. Begad! Boink recovery. Begad! What a way t' start t' Spring! Blimey! 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, ya bilge rat, 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. I cut t' fins usin' a custom sized guide made from a section o' scrap 4" tubing. Ya scallywag! T' dense foam cut well with a regular old hacksaw. Well, blow me down! I wanted mid-separation so I also cut t' remainin' ~28" chunk in half.

I pondered all sorts o' fin attachment methods, arrr, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, t' best o' which may have been some 1" nylon doohickeys from t' Home Depot hardware section, shiver me timbers, however, me bucko, me hearties, I decided on an el cheapo method. Blimey! Aye aye! I glued t' tube fins together in pairs usin' Gorilla Glue then glued t' pairs t' t' main tube all at t' same time. Avast, me proud beauty! This required four hands and some small bungee cords. As I be peelin' off t' loose blobs o' glue, shiver me timbers, I decided some extra support was needed, shiver me timbers, so I ran bamboo skewers through each glued transition, me hearties, matey, both at t' top and bottom o' t' tube fins. Ya scallywag! 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. Well, blow me down! 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, ya bilge rat, t' top 4 inches o' t' payload noodle, arrr, me hearties, arrr, and for t' payload section's shoulder. I also added a foamboard bulkhead t' keep t' chute from blowin' up into t' payload. Begad! You see, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, 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, me bucko, so t' bulkhead is recessed a couple o' inches into t' fabricated shoulder. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Oh well, stuff happens in real time design.

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

When thinkin' boink recovery, I didn't account for t' nose weight required t' make t' rocket stable. Avast! A suitably sized plastic Easter egg, me hearties, arrr, some kitty litter, ya bilge rat, and some more Gorilla Tape did t' trick. Ya scallywag! 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. 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, me hearties, which should have enough punch t' get it going. Ya scallywag! Since I didn't provide for positive retention, me hearties, I made a quick and dirty clip out o' a coat hanger t' augment t' standard friction fitting. I have had success with this method before. Begad! T' wire clip fits around t' nozzle and through t' slots in t' closure. Begad! Legs extend down t' side o' t' motor mount. T' clip is slipped on and wrapped with maskin' tape. Aye aye! Aye aye! I opted for an 18" chute and used both dog barf and a chute protector.

Since I bought me 24mm RMS case, I have been usin' t' Copperheads that come with t' reloads. So far, arrr, me experience has been much better than ~5 years ago when I quit usin' them. Avast, me proud beauty! Aye aye! T' flight was quick and low. Begad! Blimey! T' draggy Noodle Toober stopped smartly after burn out.

Recovery:
Ejection was late but t' recovery be successful. Ya scallywag! 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. Ya scallywag! It is a poor performer since it's so draggy. Begad! If anyone builds one, shiver me timbers, I recommend a 29mm motor mount.