Honest John Rebuild

[Craig]

Today I rebuilt this rocket motor mount with D/E mount. We launch it off my brothers dock. He was in the recovery boat. This rocket of course has plastic fin tail and tube and large plastic nose cone. Very little body tube shown here. So water landing not a real problem since capture was 45 seconds after water landing. Problem was D engine itself did not take kindly to being soaked in water. I could NOT remove it without twisting the motor tube. Needed to Dremal off the plastic tail fin section to access and rebuild motor mount now for D and E motors. Just left now to body bondo fill crack/joint sand and paint. Launching Easter Sunday

 

[smstachwick]

Today I rebuilt this rocket motor mount with D/E mount. We launch it off my brothers dock. He was in the recovery boat. This rocket of course has plastic fin tail and tube and large plastic nose cone. Very little body tube shown here. So water landing not a real problem since capture was 45 seconds after water landing. Problem was D engine itself did not take kindly to being soaked in water. I could NOT remove it without twisting the motor tube. Needed to Dremal off the plastic tail fin section to access and rebuild motor mount now for D and E motors. Just left now to body bondo fill crack/joint sand and paint. Launching Easter Sunday

I’ve had that happen before with an accidental splashdown. Composites all the way for launch site, it looks like.

 

[Hobie1dog]

I never thought rockets and water could ever work out.

 

[gldknght]

I highly recommend NOT landing Estes rockets in the water. Especially those rockets with vac formed hollow fins. Even a small pin hole or crack can let water soak in and will be almost impossible to get back out. Too much tail weight. And you can never tell if there is water damage to the internal parts of the body tube that you can't see.