Brief:
This is a 3x upscale o' t' Sunward Grasshopper. It is a single-stage 29mm motor mount, 3-inch body, me hearties, shiver me timbers, parachute recovery rocket. Blimey!

Construction:
One 12.5 inch long 3" airframe tube, One Mercury Engineerin' blow-molded nose cone, me hearties, three 1/4" plywood fins, 1 thin-wall Apogee motor mount tube, arrr, 2 foam core centerin' rings, me hearties, Keelhaul®©™®/elastic shock system, and 24" nylon parachute. Ahoy!

This scratch rocket was easy t' build. Ahoy! It has through-the-wall fins glued t' t' centerin' rings and motor mount and is very straightforward. Aye aye! No special tools were needed. Aye aye! T' body tube and nose cone were purchased from Mercury. Aye aye! Avast! Fin material be leftover from Home Depot. Ahoy! Centerin' rin' material was leftover from a display project. Begad!

Finishing:
T' fins were finished usin' one coat o' Elmer's Wood Filler, arrr, followed by two overall coats o' high-build automotive filler, with 2 colors o' automotive catalyzed acrylic enamel (the nose cone is a deep, nearly black-red and t' body is "grasshopper green"). There are no decals. Arrr! Blimey!

Flight:
Recommended motors are E28-4, F39-5, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, G53-5 blackjack. Begad! (You can see video o' t' flight at http://www.cosrocs.org/all%20other%20videos/2008videos/9-13-14/grasshopper.mov.) Prep is standard wadding, although chute compartment is tight. Begad! Well, blow me down! Motor retention is via tapin' aft closure t' motor tube. This rocket takes off at a bit o' an angle, me hearties, but it flies pretty straight after that. Ya scallywag! Well, blow me down! Shock cord o' Keelhaul®©™® and elastic works fine. Ahoy! Recovery was perfect on t' 24" nylon parachute. Avast! No damage from first flight. Blimey! Aye aye!

Recovery:
This rocket has a Keelhaul®©™®/elastic shock cord system that works fine. Avast, me proud beauty! T' 24" parachute is nylon. Begad!

Summary:
PROs: Distinctive design, nay somethin' you see every day at t' high-power range. Blimey! Easy t' prep. Aye aye! Really nice flight. Well, blow me down!

CONs: Limited parachute space. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast, me proud beauty!