Brief:
My first mid-powered rocket be t' North Coast Big Brute (pre-Estes). I love stubby rockets and when it came time t' decide how t' use some o' the 5.38" tubin' that I won from LOC, me hearties, an upscale Big Brute was t' natural decision. Ya scallywag! I decided t' incorporate several features I'd been wantin' t' try, including: air starts, me bucko, electronics mounted in t' rocket's fin unit, me bucko, a window to allow me t' see t' G-Wiz altimeter's LEDs, me hearties, and an ejection cannon based on ¾" PVC fittings. My upscale has a central 38mm mount with two 29mm and two 24mm motor mounts.

Construction:

• One LOC 5.38" tube, 24" long
• One LOC 5.38" coupler, arrr, me bucko, for t' inner linin' o' t' electronics bay
• One LOC 38mm MMT tube, 12" long
• Two LOC 29mm MMT tubes, 6" long
• Two LOC 24mm MMT tubes, me bucko, 6" long
• 10.5mm tubing, shiver me timbers, 6" long, for t' air start igniter conduit
• One LOC 5.38" LONG nose cone
• Three LOC 38mm-5.38" centerin' rings, two o' which were custom drilled for t' outboards by Performance Hobbies
• Four 3/16" plywood fins, me hearties, custom cut by Performance Hobbies
• One LOC ½" launch lug
• Two 1500-series Delrin rail buttons from railbuttons.com (Matt's Railbuttons)
• One 38mm Slimline motor retainer from Giant Leap
• One ¾" PVC threaded adapter
• One ¾" PVC male plug
• Four small pieces o' coat hanger wire, matey, me hearties, used t' insure t' PVC coupler is affixed solidly
• Misc. Begad! Blimey! nuts, ya bilge rat, arrr, bolts, and washers for retention o' 29mm and 24mm motors
• Misc. Blimey! Avast, arrr, me proud beauty! 3/16" plywood for in t' electronics and ejection bays
• Misc. Avast, me proud beauty! plywood, basswood, hardware for mountin' electronics, connectors, etc. Avast! Avast!
• Clear plastic from a suitably sized plastic jar for electronics hatch window
• Audio quick connect terminal for ejection and air start igniters
• One multi-pole key switch (Aerocon Type 2 switch)
• One Aerocon 'Remove Before Flight' ribbon
• Eight socket head sap screws for hatch door retention
• Ten small nuts and bolts t' attach t' clear plastic view port and the key-switch plate
• Recovery system from other projects: 15 feet o' ¾" tubular nylon, Giant Leap Keelhaul®©™® cord protector, me bucko, arrr, 24" diameter chunk o' a car air bag, Aerocon 66" chute, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, me bucko, two large quick-links
• Adjustable Nose Weight Assembly with Spanner Driver
  • 2-inch mailin' tube (20.5") with telescopin' tube (21") from The Container Store
  • ¼-20 threaded nylon rod from Fastenal
  • Four ¼-20 nylon nuts
  • ¼" aircraft plywood, matey, me bucko, enough for two 5 3/8" bulkheads, ya bilge rat, and three 2" bulkheads
  • Stainless steel U-bolt, arrr, ¼-20 thread, 1.5" x 2", matey, with four nuts and four washers
  • ¼" wooden dowel, me bucko, ¾" long x 2
  • 3/8" brass tubing, ya bilge rat, 2" long
  • 2-part expandin' foam from Giant Leap
  • 1 lb, me hearties, No. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! 7 ½ lead shot

This photo shows t' components of t' motor mount assembly (top and bottom rings are dry-fit). Arrr! Blimey! As you can see, the 38mm motor mount extends t' t' third centerin' rin' and t' other tubes, includin' t' 10.5mm wirin' conduit only run betwixt t' lower two rings. Blimey! These rings sandwich t' fin tabs o' t' fins. I added small bolts t' t' lower ring to serve as attachment points for outboard motor retention. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! Since I plan t' use SU motors for t' outboards, I probably will nay use positive motor retention, but I included them in case I ever want t' use reloadable motors. Arrr! T' Slimline retainer will be installed after t' aft centerin' rin' is installed, which will itself be installed after t' rest o' t' motor mount, fins, me bucko, and associated internal fillets.

T' PVC coupler (i.e. Blimey! the ejection cannon) and U-bolt have already been installed in t' upper ring. Initially, I was worried about two things: t' cannon blowin' back into the bay, shiver me timbers, and t' cannon twistin' when t' ejection plug is screwed in. Ahoy! T' first item should nay be an issue because t' coupler has protrusions, shiver me timbers, presumably to allow a wrench t' attach. Begad! Although epoxy alone might have solved t' twisting issue, arrr, arrr, t' plugs do get pretty tight and I'd hate for it t' twist rather than unscrew. So, ya bilge rat, I drilled four small holes into t' side o' t' coupler, ahead of where t' plug would seat. Blimey! Ya scallywag! I also cut correspondin' notches into t' centering ring. Arrr! Avast, me proud beauty! Four small pieces o' coat hanger wire fit into t' holes and then down into t' notches. Ya scallywag! I still epoxied it in, usin' JB Weld on one side and 30 minute Bob Smith on t' other (leftovers from other jobs). Begad! That coupler isn't movin' now!

T' electronics and ejection charge bays are located 180 degrees apart and betwixt t' top two rings. Avast, ya bilge rat, me proud beauty! The next photo provides a top view o' these bays. Aye aye! Ahoy! One bay provides access t' the ejection cannon and t' conduit for t' air starts, me hearties, ya bilge rat, and t' other holds the electronics. Aye aye! T' hatch door for t' electronics bay will have a clear window so the LEDs on me G-Wiz Deluxe will be visible. Arrr! Ya scallywag! These bays are isolated from one another by two bulkheads, matey, in case gasses enter through t' air start port or leak from t' ejection cannon. Aye aye! With t' exception o' t' epoxies used for the ejection cannon, me hearties, t' entire motor mount/electronics bay assembly was constructed usin' Titebond II wood glue. Aye aye!

I found t' LOC tubin' be much easier t' cut with an Exacto knife than I expected. Begad! I had no problem cuttin' t' fin slots and hatches. Avast, me proud beauty! T' make sure thar were a good fit durin' final assembly, shiver me timbers, all t' hatches and correspondin' holes were marked, includin' their up/down orientation. Begad! I tried t' be careful in me measurements, but each varied slightly. Arrr! I also made a minor error and placed t' hatches a little lower than I had wanted. Well, blow me down! Luckily, ya bilge rat, this isn't really a problem. T' edges of t' hatches and openings were all treated with thin CA prior to sanding/smoothing. Blimey! T' cut t' correspondin' holes on t' coupler, I inserted it into t' main tube and traced t' hatch outlines. I then drew lines ½" in from each edge, which formed a lip t' support t' hatch doors.

T' electric matches for both t' ejection charge and air starts connect to the quick connect speaker connector. Ahoy! Begad! T' wirin' for this connector runs through one o' t' bulkheads t' t' ejection charge bay. One leg o' each o' t' leads is switched via a multi-pole key switch. From there, t' leads will be attached to t' connectors on t' G-Wiz. Avast! Begad! T' G-Wiz is mounted on a small G10 plate that mates with two bolts that are permanently affixed t' a basswood strip in the electronics bay. Blimey! T' G-Wiz will operate in a dual battery configuration t' help ensure t' air starts light reliably. Ahoy! A small niche was formed t' t' side of the G-Wiz mount. Aye aye! T' batteries will sit in this niche and will be wedged-in with some heavy foam rubber. Well, blow me down! I've used this stuff t' hold t' G-Wiz before - it successfully protected it from a 2000' free-fall when me Crusader's payload bay came off t' recovery system. Well, blow me down! Ahoy! In t' ejection bay, t' audio connect is bolted t' two plywood stands which in turn are glued in.

T' key switch consists o' a metal key latch that is mounted t' t' side o' t' airframe with a retainin' screw. Aye aye! Well, matey, blow me down! Blimey! T' actual switch pops onto this key latch from t' rear. Because t' switch itself is larger than t' openin' for t' key latch, me hearties, it would nay be easy t' remove after t' two parts are snapped together. Therefore, I mounted t' switch assembly t' t' small piece o' tubin' that was removed t' form t' view port in t' electronics bay door. Blimey! Blimey! A hole large enough to accommodate t' switch was cut in t' airframe and t' switch plate was bolted t' t' airframe. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! T' wirin' was all soldered, installed, matey, arrr, and fully verified before t' motor mount/electronics bay assembly was glued into the airframe. Well, blow me down! Avast! Blimey!

I was goin' t' use both threaded inserts and small socket head cap screws to hold t' hatch doors on. Ahoy! However, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, me hearties, after I drilled t' holes and test fit the doors, shiver me timbers, they seemed t' be attached soundly with only t' screws attached. Begad! So, I treated t' holes with thin CA, arrr, ya bilge rat, re-drilled them because o' swelling, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, and reinserted them. I think they will be fine and, matey, shiver me timbers, if t' loosen over time, ya bilge rat, I will add t' threaded inserts. Ya scallywag!

I glued t' motor mount/electronics bay assembly into t' airframe usin' West epoxy. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! This allowed plenty o' time t' align t' hatch opening. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! I also poured some epoxy onto the top centerin' rin' t' create a hefty fillet betwixt that rin' and t' airframe and main motor tube. Ahoy! Blimey! Originally, arrr, I was goin' t' use epoxy fillets inside the fin can area. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Instead, I ended up addin' dowels and wood glue. Aye aye! Blimey! T' thick outside fillets are epoxy. Arrr! Blimey! This photo shows a bottom view o' t' rocket after the aft CR was glued in. Begad! Blimey!

At this point, I weighed t' rocket and updated me sims. Avast! Avast, me proud beauty! T' refined sims said that I needed up t' a pound o' extra nose weight for a J350 with 2 G80's. Since I want t' be able t' re-use this fairly expensive nosecone on a future project, arrr, I decided that I didn't want t' glue in a fixed amount o' weight. About that time, arrr, ya bilge rat, I learned o' an adjustable nose weight assembly designed by Steve Pasquier. Avast! Ya scallywag! He provided me with t' plans and it fit me needs well. Aye aye! I also learned he had submitted t' plans t' EMRR, arrr, and they were since published here.

I will refer t' reader t' Steve's article, and will merely outline some o' t' changes I made and provide some lessons-learned. Ya scallywag! T' figure above shows t' parts before assembly. Arrr! Arrr! T' next photo shows t' assembly installed. T' parts numberin' is per that review. Now, t' changes:

I used a 2" mailin' tube in place o' t' prescribed motor mount tubin' because it was inexpensive, matey, me hearties, had a telescopin' inner tube, and was smartly available. Avast, me proud beauty! The applicable changes were made t' t' centerin' rings, ya bilge rat, etc.

I made a ½" bulkhead from two ¼" bulkheads epoxied together. Blimey! Arrr! These were cut with me RotoZip.

A 2" hole be cut in these rings with a circle cutter attachment for my hand drill- an added perk for usin' t' 2" tubing. Avast! Aye aye! These smaller circles represented two o' t' five required bulkheads. Arrr! Three additional 2" bulkheads were cut with t' circle cutter.

I used a piece o' brass tubin' in place o' a dowel for t' bar that is used to attach t' a drill chuck. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Blimey! In me nose cone turnin' activities, me bucko, I have found this t' be a better material. Ya scallywag! Avast! Blimey!

The Adjustable Nose Weight Assembly and Spanner-Driver tool were easy t' make, shiver me timbers, me hearties, here are some notes:

Read all t' instructions and understand t' operation o' these items before you start (motherhood, right?)

Care must be taken t' make sure all t' holes in t' smaller bulkheads (2" in me case) are perpendicular t' minimize eccentricity when t' tool is turned with a drill. Avast! Ahoy! This is pointed out in t' instructions but I want to reiterate it. Despite usin' an attachment on me drill t' make sure t' holes were true, a couple were off and took some adjustment (sanding, filling, shiver me timbers, etc.). A drill press would be best o' course. Well, blow me down! Ahoy!

When I bought me nylon all-thread, shiver me timbers, I got a 6' length from Fastenal. Arrr! They were cheaper than McMaster-Carr, and they had a local store. However, they must have shipped it rolled up as it arrived lookin' like a piece o' limp spaghetti. I wasn't happy, ya bilge rat, but was anxious t' proceed so I accepted it. Begad! When I glued the bulkhead with all-thread (items #4 & #5), matey, shiver me timbers, I centered it with both o' the other bulkheads (#6 & #7). Arrr! It still be bent, so I left about ½" extendin' out o' t' tube, which makes it easy t' start t' threaded bulkheads and insert t' spanner-driver. Blimey! Begad! If this was down in t' tube and bent, it would be almost impossible t' do so.

Finishing:
T' airframe was not glassed so t' spiral lines were filled with Fill 'n Finish. Somehow, me hearties, I messed up slightly on about half o' t' outer fillets and had t' fill them with a mix o' epoxy filler and Fill 'n Finish. Avast! Well, blow me down! I used Krylon primer as t' base coats and then painted t' body usin' purple/green Duplicolor Mirage, and the nose cone with Rustoleum Hammered Gold. T' body, me hearties, and hatch doors were painted separately. Ya scallywag! T' hatches and other holes were all covered with maskin' tape durin' t' paintin' process t' keep paint out o' t' bays. I also masked the motor tubes and retention hardware on t' business end. Avast! Finally, the switch-plate is painted with Krylon chrome t' make it stand out. One caution with t' Mirage paint: heed t' warnings about humidity! I was impatient t' get the rocket done and thar are a lot o' small spots in t' paint. Well, blow me down! This didn't happen t' first time I used it, arrr, so I surmise it was due t' t' ambient conditions.

Flight:
This photo shows t' ejection charge holder (3/4" PVC plug) with a Daveyfire match installed. T' seal the hole, I first inserted t' leads, but left t' head o' t' match hanging out. I plopped some hot glue on t' hole, me hearties, and pulled t' match through. Begad! This made sure t' channel be filled with glue. Well, blow me down! I then put a large fillet o' hot glue around t' leads in t' back.

Prior t' goin' t' t' launch site, I installed t' G-Wiz, me bucko, and the batteries, arrr, matey, and re-verified t' connections. Well, blow me down! I be goin' t' take no chances and am separately powerin' t' computer and t' ejection charges, and will also use dual batteries on t' latter. Begad! Aye aye! I found that I couldn't get t' dual batteries assembly in once t' altimeter was installed, matey, so I had t' remove and reinstall it after t' batteries were mounted. Avast, me proud beauty! O' course, t' batteries were disconnected after continuity was verified. Ahoy!

T' first flight was on an I211 and two G80s. Aye aye! Avast, me proud beauty! I bought some dipped Daveyfires t' light t' G80's but decided that they were just too tight a fit. Since I am goin' with t' dual battery configuration for ejection duties, I decided that I'd use Magnelite igniters instead. Ahoy! Begad! T' G80s were fitted with aluminum clamp-on thrust rings and motor retainers so they don't fall out. Begad! I decided nay t' trust me nice thrust rings t' mere maskin' tape.

At t' launch site, I installed t' shock cord with its Keelhaul®©™® sleeve. I used a humongous 24+" protector than I made from a car air-bag and a 66" chute that I got from Aerocon. Ya scallywag!

T' flight be relatively 'slow and low'. Begad! Blimey! Arrr! Blimey! Both airstart G80's lit, and there be some minor wobble at about that time. Ya scallywag! Blimey! I suspect maybe t' G80's may not have lit exactly at t' same time. Blimey! Blimey! Accordin' t' t' G-Wiz, t' flight reached 1734 feet. Arrr! Blimey! This may nay have been accurate since I don't have pressurization holes in t' bay (the G-Wiz stagin' and apogee deployment is accelerometer-based). Begad! Blimey! Rocksim 6.05 says 2400 ft. Aye aye! Blimey!

Recovery:
T' 66" Aerocon chute deployed nicely and it came down nice and soft. However, me hearties, Murphy was at t' site and t' nose cone found t' one rock-encrusted access road at that end o' t' field. Blimey! No real damage, but I left some Rustoleum behind!

Summary:
I love t' looks o' t' Big Brute and like t' results o' t' upscale. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Arrr! Blimey! This rocket allowed me t' implement things I had been wantin' t' try, me bucko, includin' air starts, arrr, electronics mounted in t' rocket's fin unit, me bucko, and an ejection cannon based on ¾" PVC fittings. Begad! Blimey! I also tried out an adjustable nose weight assembly. Ahoy! Blimey! Everythin' worked as planned, me bucko, and I am anxious t' try out a J-motor!