Brief:
A modification t' t' Estes Big Daddy t' use much less wadding.

Modifications:
T' Estes Big Daddy is a short, fat rocket. Ahoy! With this bein' t' case, thar be a large volume in t' interior o' t' rocket that needs t' be filled with waddin' t' protect t' parachute. I am always lookin' for ways that I can reduce or eliminate t' use o' wadding. Well, matey, blow me down! I had heard o' a similar modification bein' done on a Estes Fat Boy, so I decided that this be t' perfect kit t' try it on.

T' modification consists o' extendin' t' motor mount so that it extends into t' nose cone. Ahoy! In order t' do this, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, I swapped out t' motor mount that be supplied with t' kit with a BT-50 tube that be slightly longer than t' main body tube. Avast, me proud beauty! T' hole in t' base o' t' nose cone was enlarged by first drillin' it out and then usin' an hobby knife t' enlarge t' hole until it cleared t' extended motor mount. Ahoy! Blimey! T' rest o' t' construction went rather easily, as it just followed t' instructions provided with t' kit.

Flight:
Preppin' t' rocket is a breeze, me hearties, I stuffed some dog barf waddin' into t' motor tube, me hearties, so that I would reduce t' chance o' meltin' t' nose cone with hot ejection particles. Begad! Blimey! T' parachute was loosely dropped into t' large cavern that is left in t' body, and a motor be installed. Begad! Blimey! Avast! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! T' launch be on a D12-5. Ahoy! Blimey! T' rocket launched slowly and ejection was at apogee. Begad! Blimey! Aye aye! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! This is a nice small field rocket. T' parachute opened and t' Big Daddy be lowered slowly t' t' soft grass o' t' baseball field. Ahoy! Blimey! I must say that I do like t' slow liftoffs and noise this combination produces.

Recovery:
When I recovered t' rocket I noticed that thar be some residue in t' nose cone but no evidence o' melting--success! I also noticed that t' motor mount be bent. Ya scallywag! Then I noticed t' Estes "smile" on t' nose cone. Blimey! Ahoy! What I believe happened was since t' parachute was loosely packed, matey, matey, me bucko, it opened immediately, me hearties, matey, causin' t' nose cone t' stop motion while t' shock cord was stretched, then t' body o' t' rocket was catapulted into t' nose cone.

I have since lengthened t' shock cord t' four times t' length o' t' stock cord. Begad! Blimey! Since thar be plenty o' room in t' rocket thar should nay be an issue storin' t' extra length o' shock cord. Aye aye! Blimey! This extra length should eliminate t' problem.

Summary:
Overall this was modification was a success as thar was no evidence o' meltin' in t' nose cone and preparation o' t' rocket uses a minimal amount o' wadding. T' other problem is totally unrelated and should be solved with t' longer shock cord.