Water Launch?

[tommy]

Is there a bird made to withstand a water recovery? I've recently gotten back into the hobby and having great fun! My question stems from our anual adult trip to Dale Hollow Lake, every summer a group of friends rents a huge houseboat on the lake, well, I think it would be Awesome to launch a rocket from the deck and still be able to recover and use the bird again without damage. So, is there a low to mid powered rocket that can A, not sink, and B, not be damaged by water?

 

[gagreen]

There are quite a few fiberglass options out there, none that float out of the box. Making one buoyant is possible using expanding foam creatively. Dale Hollow is a blast but make sure you take caution with the launch, fire on a boat is a real bad thing. Keep an extinguisher ready.

 

[chadrog]

An Estes "Dude" would be a great choice, it's a mylar baloon.

 

[Micromeister]

The Trick is to keep the spent motor casing out of the water and make the model float with the open body tube Above the waterline.

Years back our club held the Maryland Funny Meet. One of the featured events was "Floatation Duration" where each entry had to be Launched normally out over a large pond, Fully deploy a recovery system, land IN THE POND, one to stay afloat the longest was the winner.

We had several Soda Bottle Odd-Rocs float and recovery overnight. more then 24hours. so yes Water recovery models can be made
Here is Mine...Didn't do so well.... My daughters (a Great floater) and one of the Soda bottle rockets.

 

[gdiscenza]

I'm confident that if you built a PR Gizmo according to Crazy Jim's "foam'n'fly" method, it would float.

Good luck, and post pictures!

G.D.

 

[dr wogz]

PML kits? With their quantam tubing. MMt might be an issue though... ditto with wood CRs..

 

[gagreen]

I was thinking wildchild foam n fly method the foam cone oughta stay afloat. You definitely dont want an outrageously expensive rocket for this, dale hollow is surrounded by cliffs and thick tall forests, catch a thermal and say goodbye lol.

 

[doug_kosty]

I have a Mercury Engineering Grave Danger that floated in Mission Bay for over an hour with no ill effects save a little swelling in the BT spirals. Must have been the ton of paint and Future that I have on it.

Actually looked comical with the fin sticking up like a shark....

 

[gpoehlein]

I'd say it's a good bet that either of FlisKit's foam cup models (UFFO and Decaffinator) would float after flight.

 

[RedMaxFlyer]

Vern Knowles' website mentions a rocketeer in Alaska that flies HPR from the center of a large bay. His pad is built on pontoons, and all of his rockets are waterproof and bouyant.

https://www.vernk.com/FITS2006.htm

Scroll to the bottom of the page.

 

[Rocket_Man]

I think the guy launching from water deserves the most dedicated rocketer award. I dont see how you can top that.

 

[Rex R]

heh, I built a saucer that can stay afloat for hours(if not days and weeks)...carved from styrofoam. has a launch 'barge'. does take some doing to load it on the pad from a dingy though .
edit
as seen here; https://www.rocketryforum.com/showthread.php?t=12253

 

[ClayD]

I think the guy launching from water deserves the most dedicated rocketer award. I dont see how you can top that.

Launching from underwater???

next year, i am making a rocket powered boat... it will be cool...

 

[FastCargo]

Launching from underwater???

See, now that's what I was thinking!

I've actually seen video of someone doing that with an Alpha III. Destroyed the rocket (I think it was completely stock) but it did work.

I keep thinking about somehow immersing the rocket and pad in an upside down bag (a balloon like device would be best) held down by heavy weights. At ignition, the bag opens, the water floods in but the rocket is already moving and does a 'Polaris', breaking through the (hopefully) thin layer of water.

Of course, the trick is getting good pics and video...

FC

 

[Pem Tech]

As for water recovery, if you fish them out fast enough even a paper and wood rocket will survive.

(This avenue of thought is not promoted or encouraged in any way shape or form.)


As for underwater launches, we launched a Mosquito from a 5 gallon bucket MANY moons ago. It flew and recovered perfectly.

 

[mjennings]

I once saw a rocket that was encased in a pool noodle. the hole through most noodles is ~0.5" Ope up one end for a motor mount and noodle around a bit and you should get something reasonably flyable and water recoverable.

 

[chadrog]

I once saw a rocket that was encased in a pool noodle. the hole through most noodles is ~0.5" Ope up one end for a motor mount and noodle around a bit and you should get something reasonably flyable and water recoverable.

How about this? It basicly is a pool noodle, found them at Target for two bucks.

 

[MClark]

At the Rockets for schools in Sheboygan, WI they were recovering most of the HPR in the water. The water was very cold and the actual pick up was done by the Coast Guard using a big Zodiac. Some of the rockets were not sealed as well as one would have hoped and sank.

A member of our local group showed me 8mm film of him launching a LPR from the bottom of a swimming pool, 10 feet deep. It had been waterproofed with car wax on the outside and the motor was sealed with a ball of candle wax after the igniter was installed. Launch pad IIRC was a cinderblock with a rod attached. It came out of the water really fast and reasonably straight. He had 3 launches on the film and said they did it fairly often.

Mark

 

[tommy]

lots of good ideas here!

 

[Sooner Boomer]

Launching from underwater???

Way back, mid 70's or so, we were launching from a water-filler diaper pail. It was the size and shape of a tall kitchen trash can, just slightly smaller. The launch rod was stuck into a hole drilled into a 2x12 which was wedged into the bottom of the "pail". We were able to get a little over 12 gallons of water in it, about two feet deep. We launched Mosquitos* and Alphas from under water. The moggies were no problem, but we made sure the nose cones on the alphas were tight, and put a thin layer of vaseline around the base to make a water-proof seal. This was back before the plastic engine plugs - we used a small ball of tissue and a piece of masking tape over the nozzle. Fired everything on a 12v car battery system. Made a big splash when they took off.

*launching Mosquitos from under water...seems somehow appropriate now.

 

[bobkrech]

June 21, 2009 CMASS launch on a rainy day at Davis Field, Sudbury. https://www.rocketryforum.com/showthread.php?t=4011

Bill Spad's underwater micromax launches.

[YOUTUBE]mtgCd3Uoopc[/YOUTUBE]

[YOUTUBE]4UUQu1x7t8Y[/YOUTUBE]

Bob