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OCDiscus

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Hi everyone, I'll quickly introduce myself. I like many others flew rockets when I was younger and stopped around 20 years ago, but had gotten up to RMS G engines and had built a 7 x 29 mm cluster (Thor maybe?) that I was planning on getting my certification with. Fast forward - this summer I went to a launch with a friend and I'm back in! I plan on getting my L1 certification in a few weeks.

I had an old Jaguar kit that I never built all those years ago and decided to give it a go. I decided to use a double wall so I could use larger engines and also modified the engine mount and use kevlar for the shock cord instead of the included shock cord mount tube (picture attached). I also decided to go with rail buttons instead of launch lugs. I've got a few questions I hope you guys could help out with!

1) For the double wall, do I need to double all sections or only the booster section? The kit instructions (thankfully provided by Mike from Binder Design) say it requires 8 couplers, but this is not quite enough to double wall the entire rocket. Am I missing something?

2) I made the Kevlar quite long (12') as suggested in other threads, but I am curious what the correct way to attach this to the shock cord is. Is there a particular knot that I should use? Do I use epoxy at all?

3) I plan to use wood filler for the spiral and a light coat of epoxy on the plywood fins to get a smooth finish before priming. This seems like a "do it your way" topic from all of the threads on it, but wanted to make sure there is nothing alarming with this plan.

4) I don't plan to dual deploy, I'm just going to use a chute release on the main chute. Do I need to add screws for the other sections? If so, I've never done this and could use suggestions. Is it normal to screw in to the nose cone as well? I would want to be able to remove the nose cone so I can add an altimeter to the top section.

Thanks! Looking forward to responses as well as joining the community :)
 

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Welcome OCD!!!

Wish I could help you, but I've never heard of that kit, and it's now going on 2am in the morning here in China. When I regain consciousnesses I'll do some poking around if you haven't had your question already answered.
 
PML has full length couplers. Have to check dimensions w/them first though, might not fit your tube.
 
You wouldn't want to double the part of the airframe that overlaps the nosecone, and you probably wouldn't need to double up the section surrounding the motor mount--otherwise the nosecone and centering rings wouldn't fit. Is the length of the MMT and the NC shoulder the same as the amount that you are missing when inserting 8 couplers?

If you need more couplers, I think Mike uses LOC tubing, so you could buy a coupler from LOC Precision. Alternatively, you could look in to full length Blue Tube couplers that are sold by Always Ready Rocketry. They are stronger than LOC cardboard, and I'm pretty sure they are compatible with LOC airframes. (Someone double-deck me on that.)
 
2. Epoxy stiffens the fibers and could make them brittle. If I were you, I'd look up strong knots for joining a flat and round line.

3. This is definitely "Have it your way". Nothing crazy with what you suggest (I'm certain you've seen suggestions for Bondo Spot putty on spirals and fins, that's what I use)

4. If you are POSITIVE you will not want to put an ebay in there, then I'd suggest epoxying in the coupler/bulkhead to the forward tube and using removable rivets on the nosecone. That way it'll stay secure but allow you to put altimeters, trackers, etc.... in there.
 
Even though some Jaguar builds succumbed to the coning issue, I would love to see Binder Design bring it back out all new and improved.
 
Does the Jaguar a 54mm body? Based off the photo and assuming the motor mount is a 29mm tube, the centering rings look about 54mm. Is this correct? If so then there is no need to double the body tube. The Loc 54mm tubing is one of the strongest cardboard tubes out there. I have a rocket build with that tube that flies on J's.

Anyway, onto the rest. The Kevlar is the shock cord, no need to attach anything else to it other than the chute and nose cone. I attach my chutes by making a simple overhand loop knot about a third of the way down from the nose cone. The chute gets attached to the loop knot with a quick connect.

The couple and forward section could be addressed many ways. The easiest assuming the booster section is long enough to hold the motors of your choice, shock cord and chute is to simply glue the couple and bulkhead into the forward section. This gives you a payload bay to carry stuff or add forward weight for balance reasons. I like this set up because I use a tracker in the payload. You could also glue the coupler into the booster section and make it zipperless. Drill a few holes into the coupler bulkhead or use a cold air baffle. The big advantage with that set up is you get to keep your chute clean and not have to use a nomex.

Is it possible to post a photo of the kit so we could see what you have to work with? I searched the Jaguar and only came up with a single photo and it wasn't all that helpful but it did remind me of a Loc Nuke Pro/Vulcanite sort of thing.
 
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