Rocketry Warehouse Adventurer 3 Build

The Rocketry Forum

Help Support The Rocketry Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

DRAGON64

Well-Known Member
TRF Supporter
Joined
Jan 17, 2009
Messages
5,209
Reaction score
2,751
Location
Toney, AL
Back in the day Rocketry Warehouse (RW), owned and run by DiDi & Floyd, kinda took the hobby by a storm, offering kits and making good on orders and promises. Whenever RW released a new kit, they would offer them to The Rocketry Forum first with killer low pricing. Anyone remember the "Hump Day Happy Hour" sales? Those were the days!!! I managed two kits on inaugural release here on TRF; the 2.6" Fire Flyer, and the 3.0" Adventurer 3. I already have a thread for the Fire Flyer, but I never started a thread for the Adventurer 3... so we it begins.

The Rocketry Warehouse Adventurer 3 was designed by the owners wife, forgive me for not remembering name, and is a simple 3-fin & a nose cone (3FNC) design. Although 3FNC is a simple term used to describe a 'basic' rocket, what sets a design apart are the 'lines' of the rocket. As pictured below, an image grab from Madcow, who took over the RW line of rockets, you can see this rocket has beauriful long graceful lines, to include the leading of eadge of the fins.

apibcoruc__66690.jpg

I have owned this original RW kit since 2015, and I have not made any progress in the last seven years. Last week however, I did order a few upgrade components for the Adventurer 3, as I am going to build this kit and extend her graceful lines out another 12". This so I can fly a 48" motor case from Contrail Rockets.

Please, someone with knowledge of the original owners name, as well as his wife, please let me know so I can update this first post properly; reply or PM would be great, thank you in advance.
 
Last edited:
From the Wayback machine archive: https://web.archive.org/web/2014120...arehouse.com/product_info.php?products_id=821

Kit Includes:
  • Black 3 Inch 5:1 Ogive Filament Wound Fiberglass Nosecone W/ Metal Tip​
  • 3 Inch Black G12 Airframe 24 Inches Long​
  • 3 Inch Black G12 Coupler 9 Inches Long​
  • 3 Inch Black G12 Airframe 48 Inches Long​
  • 54mm G12 Motor Mount 20 Inches Long​
  • 3 Black G10 Fiberglass 1/8" Thick Fins​
  • Black G10 Fiberglass Centering Rings​
  • Black G10 Fiberglass Bulk Plate​
  • Vinyl Decals​

Specs:

  • Just Over 7 Feet Tall​
  • No need for paint​
  • Built Weight Just Over 7 Lbs​
  • Dual Deploy standard​
  • CNC Precision Cut Parts​
  • CNC Precision Slotted​
  • Beveled Fins​
  • Flies on anything from I to L​
  • Perfect for Level 2
I originally ordered my kit with an Aeropac tailcone retianer.
 
Watching!

I might have to try and build one of those too. It says I to L, but at 7 lbs, there are a few H motors that should work too. With a large L, I can see this busting the waiver at every site east of the Mississippi.
 
This is a timely thread. I picked one of these up last Wednesday at our club swapmeet. Good price and no international freight needed.

I might beef mine up a little to accept M motors. I need to see what comes out of RockSim first, before I start building. 🚀
 
The Adventurer 3 from Rocketry Warehouse was pre thin-wall fiber glass days, so it may take an M well as a minimum diameter build with its thicker walls. That is assuming you have an earlier kit of course. I have not used any thin-wall fiberglass like Madcow uses for their version of the Adventurer 3, but maybe it can handle the M-class as well, I just have no experience.
 
Seven years ago, when I started my build, I did manage to get the centering rings onto the 54mm motor mount. This was when I swapped over to using JB Weld for motor mount construction, instead of epoxy.

IMG_8681_small.png

I do remember the centering rings fitting a little loose on the motor tube, and having to use painters tape to hold the ring in place while the JB Weld set up.

IMG_8680.JPG

Here the aft ring is glued in using a really large fillet, and the Aeropac retainer (3" to 54mm boat tail).

IMG_8683.JPG

To get the forward centering ring to set level for filleting, I placed some old 3/16" thick bulkheads down in atriangular patter for the ring to sit on evenly.

IMG_8686.JPG

completed motor mount ala seven years ago.

IMG_8687.JPG

Now the build can begin anew!
 
So, while I wait for adhesive to cure on another project, I decided to get re-aclimated to the Adenturer3 (A3) build. I have alot of parts that I need to get into one assembly, and luckily I purchased everything years ago; i.e. Chutes; Shock cords; 3D printed av sled; altimeters etc. everything except for Black paint.

The aiframe components are still pretty raw, and that is good, however, looking at how I built the motor mount, cringe, I would have done things differently now.

Nevertheless, everthing is here (sans the motor case), so I can make a little headway this weekend. Pictured here, you can see the booster tube of 48" leaning against the work bench... this is how long the motor is as well. This is also the reason I ordered a 12" extension for drogue chute capartment.

IMG_3278.jpg

A closer look at the various connecting components (i.e. couplers, bulkheads etc).

IMG_3280.jpg

The short piece of 54mm phenolic motor mount tube will be mounted into the forward coupler on the booster, to help support the long motor. More about the motor in a dedicated post.

The motor mount is a little cause for concern as I mounted the aft and middle centering rings to fit the fin slots, and not the fins... so there is a little bit of a air gap at the end of the fins, say .032" - .062" at most. When it comes time to document the motor mount corrections, I should have a 3D printed option available to fix the air gap error, and act as a permanently mounted fin alignment guide...
 
Shifting to the motor mount, here is a quick render of the permanent fin alignment guide that I will be 3D printing. Since the mount is already assembled, the alignment guides need to be printed in 3 pieces for each of the two centering rings.

54mm Fin Mount.png

54mm Fin Mount_canted.png


This motor mount assembly, with the fins installed, will be built outside of the rocket, and then inserted into the airframe after the airframe fin slots are extended to the end of the tubing.
 
First print articles came out a bit messy, it would seem that my print settings are off again... can lack of use cause a printer to get a bit out of spec(?) Nevertheless, the parts turned out a bit stringy as a result, but more importantly, they did not fit. It would seem I am a bit rusty, and did not account for PetG's 0.8% shrinkage rate. More printing today.

IMG_3281.jpg
 
I have acheived a final print, and am currently printing the 2nd set.

IMG_3286.jpg

IMG_3287.jpg
The original test prints were at .3125" height, and I increased that to .375" for additional support and alignment. Again, these are permenently mounted for fin alignment and root end support.

Once the 2nd set is complete, I will work toward finishing up the fin can build.
 
After a bit of a hiatus it is time to get back to building.

Final adjustments were made to fit the fins into the slots of the fin alignment guides that I 3D printed, and the the 'shine' was sanded off of the fins surfaces for fillet adhesion.

IMG_3327.jpg

One three workhorse power tools that have served me well for more than 20-years.
 
Bulkheads were drill spun onto sandpaper to get a nice fit in the coupler and airframe tubes.

IMG_3321.jpg


IMG_3322.jpg

Then the shiney surfaces were sanded for better adhesion of the inner coupler and inner airframe bulkheads to one another.

IMG_3324.jpg

IMG_3325.jpg
 
Here is the set-up for the bulkhead adhesion:

Nut; Bolt; (2) fender washers; inner coupler BH; inner airfrmae BH; & Thin CA

IMG_3331.jpg


Pretty simple assembly for adhesion...

IMG_3333.jpg

Thin CA is wicked into the seam of the two bulkheads, and progress is witnessed as it fills in. When the screw assembly tools are removed, I will fill gpas by wicking thin ca through the hole in the center. Pictured here, the dark areas across the bulkheads are CA progress, and the light color is where CA has not fill in yet. This area I can get to through the hole.IMG_3334_1.jpg

3-sets will be coupled in total for the Adventurer 3 build.

The bulkhead set for the noscone was built years ago, and I coupled the supplied G10 with a homemade wooden bulkhead. JB-Weld was the epoxy... Knowing what I know now, I would not have used JB-Weld, but what has been done can't be undone, it will be used as is.

IMG_3335.jpg

IMG_3336.jpg
 
Solid build thread, but I gotta say it might be time to retire that flag.
Absolutely. I've known some marines/scout leaders that actually took down peoples/businesses flags that were that bad. The US Flag Code is advisory, but it does say you shouldn't fly a flag that is faded or torn. Check with the American Legion, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, etc. about giving them old flags for ceremonial burning, usually on flag day. My son's Boy Scout troop collected and participated in a flag burning the USMC held every flag day at the Quantico National Cemetery. They keep the flag ashes buried below the flag pole at the entrance and add to them every year. Very somber and impressive ceremony.
 
@kidrobo and @Handeman

I want to take a small pause here and address some concerns that you guys brought to my attention: My Flag has been retired. We are currently considering donating our flag to the local VFW for proper ceremonial disposal, or holding a private ceremony here with the family. Either way, or flag will be disposed of properly.

IMG_3407.jpg

We tried to fold her properly, but she is in real bad shape. She will have proper folds when we send her off.

Her replacement is already flying gloriously in the holder.

IMG_3409.jpg

I wanted to address this concern openly, and thank you for bringing it to my attention.

Now back to the build.
 
Solid build thread!!!! Looking forward to the rest!

And gosh, I cannot lie that seeing a fresh and crispy old glory flying in the breeze makes the heart sing.

I retire all my flags to the VFW or the Fire Dept. Both have flag disposal mailboxes out front so that you can drop them off. They will then be disposed of, en mass, with a proper ceremony. You might want to check your local VFW or Fire dept to see if there is a mailbox out front as well. Most all that I have ever seen, have one.
 
Thanks all, when I get out tomorrow, we will find a nice drop box for our flag.

Final fin fillets have cured, and the last fillet on the top ring is current curing. On to the booster airframe, prior to fin can installation I need too:

  • Extend fin slots to the end of the tubing
  • need to mark and drill locations of rail buttons
  • Install fin can
  • seal fin slots
  • pour and sand fin fillets
IMG_3414.jpg
 
Back
Top