These FireFighters Are Awesome!

I had a great day at the pond today. With some "expert" engine help and a borrowed tuned pipe I finally got my nova rossi to come alive. The FireFighter .21 works just as I designed designed it. I have it setup exactly as I drew it in cad and it works just as I predicted. To say I'm happy would be an understatement! My "Down Hill" hull design theory works great. The faster the boat goes the better it is hooked up. It shows no tendency of blowing off even at high speeds.

I am ready to release the design for kitting. I have to complete the building instructions and that's about all that's left to do. Because it builds basically the same as a .12 FireFighter It should be pretty easy for me to get the directions ready. Now I just need to to get my laser guy's butt in gear (just kidding).

I ran both the .12 and .21 today it was a real fun testing day!

here is a video of the .21 running. It is a big file at 7 megs+

http://www.firefighterboats.com/images/videos/vid1.avi



Since this post has turned into and ad for myself how about I add some more.

The FireFighters, both the .12's and the .21's, are easy to build kits. I have been scratch building riggers for a bunch of years and developed easy building ideas/methods. The sponsons use my plywood/balsa/foam sandwich construction method that makes them light, strong and easy to build. The tub employs cross grain ply for increased ridgidity. The sponson tubes are a light black epoxy with simple 4-40 screws for mounting. According to my digital fish scale my .21 is 3.6 lbs ready to run except for fuel! Now that's light!

Anyways the .12's are available now and the .21's will be very soon!

Thanks for reading my ad post...

Tom

PS.... oh yea.... a little.... uhhh secret..... look for a "Supermod" .12 very soon..... same great design but lighter!

Looks real nice Tom. Shows a good light look on th water, great prop spray. Please Put my name down for one of the first .21 kits.

~ James

Hooooooooooo Boy! that thing is haulin' the mail! Were's the fire at Buddy? ;D

Stay on Peter's butt about getting the laser work done. He deserves a hard time! Just kidding Peter. We had fun at Toledo bugging each other, he's a good guy. How did the .12 do?

Nice, nice, nice great job Tom.

Put me on your list for a kit please. (FF.21)

-MikeP

alright! i'm looking forward to the 21! it's great to have a source of new quality kits at low prices. i'm ready to paint the FF 12. it was a pleasure to build and Tom's experience is evident in it's design. if you used quick curing epoxy and a belt sander, it could easily be built in a day. i can't wait to get it wet

it's good to hear that my years of building bad ideas.... till I got to the current design, has paid off for ya clay!

i must have made a dozen tubs to about an 80% done state and just tossed them cause the building technique was flawed and did not meet my quality standards.

it took me a while to determine the best way to do things.... or at least the best way for me..... and hopefully others.

and I think the sandwich sponson constructon idea I had really makes things easier as well...... and the order that you attach the ply covering is important!

oh ya Ron....

the 12 was in the water and after leaning it out went pretty well but it was cut short cause of rain..... i got a vid but it's pretty bad.... maybe ill post it..... it does show how well a 12 can do in rough water/wind.... it just jumps from one wave to the next..... never really got it completely up to speed cause of the rain.... it needed more needle adjustments....

ive never blown a plug in the OS TR.... never! even with 40%

Sounds good Tom,

Can't wait to get mine on the water.

What pipe is that on the Nova and what prop did it like?

Tim.

Neat looking boats Tom! ;D

Cant wait to see Tim's either!

Ian.

Sounds kind of like the weather that we had here yesterday. The skies looked treatening but it blew over. The wind was a little high, about the onlt thing that I could run was my 7.5 mono but I had to see how the HH .12 could take it. It did to an extent but trying out the new engine and with a prop that probably was a little too big for it's first run didn't help. I found a new spot to practice at out in the Boonies because the Toxic Pond was low, Spring Valley is now too weed choked as was our 3rd alternative.

Has anyone tried an Octura 1337/3 prop yet? I bought one for the heck of it to try.

the pipe was an irwin quiet pipe with an octura 1450 modified like an h7. Randy Sampson prop.... wish you could still get props from him!

1337..... pretty low pitch.... never tried it 1440 would be a better choice i think.... it works for me ;D

Tom

Good Vid and great looking boat. The ff line of boats look like they are going to become the new standard in hydro kits.

Congrats.

Grimracer

tom,

is that cmd hardware you're using on the 21?

I have a modified marine specilities strut with a seaducer rudder and a finedesign rudder mount.... a real mixup of stuff I had

I do like the marine specilities strut if you have the ability to modify it.... but if not i would just recommend the speedmaster stuff...

the seaducer rudder is very simmilar to the speedmaster strut other than the slanted back.....

View attachment 447

Tom,

I finally got on a computer that was fast enough to show your vidio the same day I clicked on it. ;D

You've really out done your self, not only by building two great boats, but also kitting them for all of us to enjoy.

I just can't believe how far we've all come since joining this forum. Informative, inovative, great bunch of people, but most of all, "JUST PLAIN FUN".

Thanks Tom,

Don

Hey Tom,

Will you be attending the mendota race this weekend? Great opportunity to see how it stacks up against the other designs out there.. Good luck if you do!!

Charley

unfortunately not, my schedule wont allow me to race saturday..... too bad cause if it were sunday id be there!

i hope to attend the .21 shootout.

Cool.. Don't forget about the D4 Championships at the end of August at the badger pond in Kenosha..

Charley

Tom, on the picture that shows the buisness end of the FF 21.

I sure liked the way you made the control rod for the rudder pivot so that the kick up would not damage the servo.

you saw that huh!..... yea a trick I learned from Gary Preusse..... thanks Gary!