The fins of the original build are (
were) too big. Considerably smaller fins would move the CP just about as far aft as it will go, so somewhere around a third to a half the area of those fins was having a bigger effect on the CG, and hurting the static margin, which was low. And the added weight was hurting the rod exit speed, which was also low without a high thrust motor.
So whatever is rebuilt, please make the fins a bunch smaller.
I put MANY hours into the sims for the original Wanderer.
Dozens of different styles of fins.
Different lengths of airframe.
Different nose weights.
On and on ad nauseam
The planning process was literally months while pieces were gathered and designs drafted, you even participated in running/tweaking sims.
I cut several different fin sets from acceptable shapes to see how it would really look. The most practical was used.
Smaller fins move the CP forward, albeit along with the CG. We could have gone with narrow fins and increased the span to push the CP back while bringing CG forward, but it would have been more difficult to pack and they would have been more susceptible to damage.
It flew fine on a C, five Ds and an E. <200 to >1200 feet altitudes.
With no modifications. Had it been marginally stable on the C or D, it would never have flown on the E. And the Flightsketch was incorporated into the design to bring stability up. It was pretty much a part of the rocket. Properly prepped and equipped, the Wanderer was plenty stable. Sims and actual flight data prove as much.
If a second rocket is built then we can loop back around the list so that all the Hosts get a chance to fly it as well, as was intended. But again, fly the field. If pretty much everything is wrong, or going wrong, don't push that button. At the very least, consult the data provided and choose a smaller motor. A lot of work went into making sure a proper sim was available to avoid elementary mistakes. And don't use the chute, or nose cone or any part of the project in another rocket.
It looks like we have another Spektor and a volunteer to use it to build one in the image of the original. The box and packing material are already made to fit the original design. I wouldn't be against a different design altogether, lightera and fatter with more drag maybe, but it doesn't matter to me, really. This decision will be for the group to make.