Brief:
BT-60 based, single stage, ya bilge rat, scale-like missile. Aye aye! Recovery with 18" parachute

Construction:
All parts are Semroc numbers:

• BNC-60L nose cone
• SE-3 screw eye
• BT-60 body tube (18 inches)
• BT-50 engine tube (3 inches)
• RA-5060 centerin' rings (3)
• 1/4" balsa fins (8)
• LL-423 launch lugs (2)

I started by attachin' a Piratarium 24mm motor retainer t' a 3" length o' BT-50 tubin' with JB Weld. Avast, me proud beauty! Ahoy! As per t' instructions from Piratarium, shiver me timbers, t' end o' t' tube and t' inside o' t' retainer rin' were "roughed up." Construction o' t' motor mount followed as usual. Begad! Blimey! T' motor mount be mounted so t' retention system sits flush with t' end o' t' body tube. Avast, me proud beauty! Well, me hearties, blow me down! T' entire body tube was lightly sanded and marked for a 4-fin design. Well, blow me down! Begad! After t' fins were attached and fillets dry, arrr, I installed t' launch lugs. Aye aye! Shock cord was attached with an additional centerin' rin' about 4-5 inches from t' top o' t' body tube that doubles as a parachute shelf. This is a design feature found in Launch Pad rockets and helps prevent parachutes from shiftin' on lift-off and change t' CG. Begad! If you plan on usin' an altimeter, don't forget t' drill some holes.

Finishing:
To begin t' paintin' process I masked off t' motor retainer. Well, blow me down! Then I sprayed a coat o' Rustoleum sandable auto primer and sanded, did some minor repairs and sprayed and sanded once again. Arrr! This was followed by several light coats o' Krylon gloss white paint. Arrr! I sprayed just beyond t' white areas instead o' t' entire body t' keep t' weight down and nay waste paint. Aye aye! After a couple o' days t' dry, I masked t' white areas and t' fin can. Next I sprayed light gray all exposed areas. Begad! Again a couple days t' dry. Aye aye! Well, blow me down! Finally, arrr, I bagged t' entire rocket except for t' fin can and sprayed it and t' nose cone gloss black. I enjoy makin' decals, shiver me timbers, me bucko, me bucko, but have become a real fan o' "Sandman's" stuff at Excelsior Rocketry. Well, blow me down! He offers a set o' decals for t' LP version o' this missile. Avast! I had him downscale them t' BT-60 size. Blimey! Decal placement was achieved from pictures I could find on t' web.

Flight:
T' design included a Piratarium 24mm motor retention system. Aye aye! Blimey! Well, blow me down! Blimey! This added a 7g weight t' t' aft end o' t' rocket. T' better balance t' design, me hearties, ya bilge rat, instead o' nose weight, I included t' Micro-Beacon (approx 15g) My first flight be with an Estes D12-5. T' chute was a little early but close enough t' apogee it didn't do any damage. Arrr! Blimey! Second flight was on E6-6. I achieved over 2500 feet on this one and thought I be goin' t' lose it. Aye aye! Blimey! Good thin' I was on a very large field with others t' spot. Ahoy! Blimey! Both flights I used Nomex instead o' wadding.

Recovery:
T' shock cord be 150lb Keelhaul®©™. Begad! I had no damage after two flights. Well, blow me down! Begad! T' 18" parachute drifted pretty far (about 650 feet), but brought it down gently. Ya scallywag! I'm constantly playin' with chutes o' different diameters so me chutes all have snap swivels. Begad! Ya scallywag! Perhaps a smaller chute would be better for flyin' on smaller fields.

Summary:

PROS:

T' motor retention system is really nice! Excelsior Rocketry's decals really made it look sharp!

CONS:

Perhaps a little too much power. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast, me proud beauty! I think t' design will fly great with 18mm motors as well if you use an adapter. Ahoy! This would be wise on smaller fields.

T' big bright colored chute helps track t' light colored rocket but drifts quite a bit. I will experiment with spill holes or perhaps a smaller chute.