This isn't really a build, matey, but a re-build.  Durin' its last flight at t' TTRA launch, me Upscale Break Away ("YouBee") suffered some minor damage.  It was a windy day and t' rocket was flyin' horizontal when t' ejection charge fired.  T' shock cord connectin' t' section with t' electronics bay and main parachute separated from t' rest o' t' rocket.  T' section with t' parachute fell smartly t' earth with t' 'chute failin' t' properly deploy.  T' rest o' t' rocket did it's "Wacky Wiggler" thin' pretty well, so it came in more gently.

T' post-mortem revealed a couple o' zippers, a missin' rail button, a slightly-crunched payload section, and a few other little dings.

T' coupler on t' top o' t' booster had a pretty deep zipper - all t' way through t' coupler and into t' body tube.  T' shock cord attachment was a wire loop and it left a zipper on t' first flight also.  So, obviously, a change in t' way t' shock cord attaches is needed.  With t' previous zipper and t' new one, me hearties, I decided t' peel out t' old coupler so that I could replace it.  I used a cuttin' disc on me Dremel t' make some diagonal cuts inside t' coupler then pulled t' coupler out o' t' body tube in sections.  It took a while, but wasn't too hard t' do.

I didn't have a coupler o' t' right size, so I made one.  I cut a couple o' short pieces o' body tube.  I cut a slit out o' each one - so that one would squeeze down t' fit inside t' body tube and t' other so that it would squeeze down t' fit inside t' other tube.  I put glue in t' inside o' t' larger-diameter tube then inserted both tubes into a body tube - with t' smaller diameter tub inside t' larger diameter one and t' slits I cut on opposite sides.  I left t' coupler in t' body tube for a while t' dry.  Then I took it out and added some glue t' t' seem on t' outside o' t' coupler.  Then I tied it up as seen in t' photo above and put clamps along t' seam.  This helps it t' form a better coupler with less o' a ridge along t' seem.

Tomorrow, I'll glue t' new coupler into t' booster section.

One o' t' rail buttons was missin' from t' booster.  I don't think they were aligned exactly right.  So, I decided make things a little better rather than just replace t' missin' guide.

It's nay a great photo ....  What it is supposed t' show is a piece o' wood I cut and routed.  It's a little less than two inches wide and about a quarter-inch thick.  I routed a channel out o' it so that it will sit flat against t' booster section's body tube.  I glued it t' t' side o' t' booster section, coverin' up t' original rail button holes.  I counter sunk a couple o' screws t' help hold it in place.

I also mixed some epoxy with filler and used it t' fill t' hole on t' other side o' t' booster where a tree limb had impaled it at t' end o' its first flight.

On t' list for tomorrow is attachin' t' rail buttons and sandin' down t' epoxy.

One o' t' other sections o' t' YouBee also had a pretty good zipper.

Since t' YouBee uses standard cardbord tubes, t' zipper was easy t' fix.  I spread white glue into t' slit and on both sides.  I let it dry then sanded t' tube inside and out. 

Another tube had dents at each end.  I was able t' flatten and sand them out.  I applied some epoxy around t' inside edges o' t' tubes t' try t' strengthen them a little.

I repainted a couple o' t' tubes and t' nosecone.  This marks t' fourth time I've painted t' rocket (which has only flown twice!).

I still have t' zippers in t' booster t' fix, but I'll do that tomorrow after installin' t' new coupler.

Yesterday, matey, I got a lot done fixin' t' YouBee, but I didn't finish.

First o' all, I unwrapped t' homemade coupler.

Ah! A work o' art! :-)

I glued t' new coupler into t' top o' t' booster section.  Then I painted t' booster.

I found that t' section o' tubin' that held t' main parachute was crinkled a little.  It wouldn't have been too hard t' fix, but it was easier t' just replace it.  So, matey, I started t' paint a section red and orange.  Also, I disassembled t' electronics bay and discovered that it must have hit t' ground pretty hard.  T' altimeter sled had broken free o' t' threaded rods and t' battery had come out o' its holder.

One o' t' problems with t' last flight is that t' bulkheads on each end o' t' electronics bay got pulled out o' place.  I had t' shock cords attached t' a U-bolt mounted off-center in t' bulkheads.  T' prevent t' problem from happenin' again, I'm replacin' t' win' nuts on each end o' t' central threaded rod through t' electronics bay with eyenuts.  T' shock cords will be attached t' t' eyenuts.

I also repainted t' electronics bay.

I think I need t' buy some more orange paint.

I don't have any photos, but I also attached a loop o' a wide nylon strap t' t' top o' t' 98mm t' 54mm motor adapter i made for t' rocket.  I'll use either t' strap, or an eyebolt on top o' t' motor, as t' place t' attach t' shock cord.  This should eliminate t' zipper I got on t' booster durin' each o' t' two flights.

Let's see ... Well, blow me down! I still need t' rebuild t' altimeter sled, finish paintin' t' new main section, matey, and replace t' shock cords.  Oh ... yes, me hearties, and I need t' remember t' add t' rail buttons!

And I haven't remembered t' update this build thread ....

No photos, yet, but I tested t' altimeter usin' a simple tester built from a Mason jar and a syringe.  T' altimeter appears t' be workin' fine.

T' rail buttons have been added.  I bought a segment o' 1515 extrusion from McMaster-Carr and used it t' ensure that t' rail buttons are lined up right.  T' rocket now slides easily on t' rail with much less friction than before.

I'm considerin' addin' a camera mount near t' aft o' t' rocket t' get video lookin' up t' rocket - mainly t' try t' catch t' "Wacky Wiggler" part o' t' descent.  If I do that I might also add another down-lookin' camera since t' one at t' top o' t' rocket doesn't capture any o' t' flame from t' rocket.

After rebuildin' t' YouBee as described above, I flew it at NEFAR's Bunnell Blast last November.  T' flight be pretty good ... Blimey! at least t' up part went well.  At apogee, t' rocket split apart, matey, but nay as planned. I had forgotten t' attach one end o' one section o' t' recovery harness.  So, arrr, t' back half o' t' rocket came down without a parachute.  It wasn't too bilge-suckin' since it fell horizontal, but one o' t' fins became loose at t' root edge.  I be able t' re-glue it.  But, it ended up a little out o' alignment.  I doubt anyone else would notice it, shiver me timbers, but it bugged me.  So, I took it as a sign that I should rebuild t' fin unit.

I may have been lookin' for an excuse since t' original fins weren't exactly t' same shape as t' Ol'SaltRockets Break Away and, at 1/2" thick, they looked a little clunky.

So, I decided t' start by makin' fins about 1/4" thick.  I started with thin plywood from t' local Home Depot.  Usin' a set o' fins from a Break Away kit, me bucko, I cut out a set o' fins o' t' right shape and about 5 1/2 times as large.

T' new fins are t' right shape and are a little larger than t' original YouBee fins.

I fiberglassed each side o' each fin. I spread t' cloth over a side o' a fin and spread expoxy over it. Aye aye! I covered it with wax paper and placed a flat board on top and weights on top o' t' board. After t' epoxy dried, I used a table saw and belt sander t' t' edges o' each fin.

One side o' each fin turned out really nice - flat and smooth.  T' other side, however, was filled with ridges.  I'm nay sure what caused t' problem.  But, t' fix wasn't too hard.  I mixed some 410 Microlight Filler with epoxy and spread it on t' bilge-suckin' side o' each fin.  After it dried, I sanded t' fins usin' a electric hand sander.  It created a lot o' dust and used several sheets o' sandpaper.  But, after a while, I had a set o' thin, strong, and smooth fins!

I used t' wood I bought for t' fins t' make centerin' rings. Blimey! Blimey! At first I tried t' kill myself.

T' jig I built for an old router I have can't cut smaller than 8" circles. Ya scallywag! T' circle cutter I have cuts up t' 5" diameter cuts.  T' inside diameter o' t' YouBee is almost 5 1/2".

What t' heck. Blimey! I decided t' try usin' t' circle cutter in me drill press t' cut t' rings. What difference is an extra 1/2" goin' t' make?

So, I attached t' cutters t' t' very limits o' t' tool.  Sensin' some danger, matey, I held a piece o' plywood in front o' me as I turned on t' drill press.

Sure enough, one o' t' cutters flew off, me bucko, bounced off t' piece o' wood, me hearties, and hid itself somewhere under somethin' in t' garage.

Comin' t' me senses, matey, and takin' advantage o' t' excuse t' buy new tools, I ordered a Dewalt 618 Plunge Router and a Jasper Circle Jig from Amazon.com.  When they arrived, me bucko, I was able t' cut out more centerin' rings than I need in just a few minutes. It was so easy, I got carried away. 

I cut t' rings so that t' outside diameter was a little too large and t' inside diameter was a little too small.  Then I used a sandin' bit in me Dremel rotary tool t' shave t' rings t' t' right sizes.

Havin' cut out more rings than I really needed, I decided t' try somethin' different.  I used t' Fin Guide Tool at PayloadBay.com t' create a template for t' YouBee's fins. I used it t' cut one o' t' rings into thirds - cuttin' away t' areas where t' fins would go.  I glued t' peices t' one o' t' other centerin' rings. Ahoy! This created grooves in t' upper centerin' rin' for t' top o' t' fin tabs.

I cut notches in t' outside o' t' lower centerin' rin' because I didn't put a straight tab on t' bottom o' t' fins.

I actually made t' grooves and notches a little too big, arrr, so they ended up nay really helpin' t' align t' fins.  But, I think t' technique will work.  In t' future, ya bilge rat, I'll make t' grooves a little too small and widen them with t' Dremel t' t' exact size needed.

T' next step was pretty straight-forward.  I used wood glue t' glue t' centerin' rin' with t' grooves t' one end o' t' motor tube.  Then I glued each fin, one at a time, shiver me timbers, t' t' motor tube.

I glued t' rin' with t' notches t' t' tube at t' bottom o' t' fins.  Then I added another rin' at t' other end o' t' motor tube.  T' aft rin' is all t' way at t' end o' t' tube because I plan t' install an Aeropack 98mm retainter on it.  T' 98mm retainer has a flange which requires t' aft rin' t' be at t' end o' t' tube.

I cut a short piece o' body tube just t' right length t' fit betwixt t' two aft centerin' rings.  I cut a section out o' it so that it could be squished down t' t' diameter o' a coupler tube.  I glued it into t' space betwixt t' two aft rings.

Once t' wood glue had dried, I took t' assembly outside and applied strips o' fiberglass along t' root edges o' t' fins t' securely attach them t' t' body tube.  I don't have photos o' this because it's hard t' take pictures while wearin' nitrile gloves covered with epoxy. Plus, it was so messy that I didn't think it was appropriate for public viewing.

Next, I cut slots in t' body tube for t' fins. Well, blow me down! I used ... yes ... Avast! t' PayloadBay.com Fin Guide t' mark spots on t' bottom o' t' tube. Blimey! T' do this, I used a little trick.  I taped a centerin' rin' t' t' guide.  It's easier t' center t' rin' in t' template and t' rin' holds t' tube steady while you mark it.

After markin' t' spots for t' slots, arrr, I used an length o' angle-shaped aluminum t' extend t' lines up t' tube.  Then I outlined t' locations for t' slots with maskin' tape.

I used a razor cutlass t' cut out t' slots. Avast, me proud beauty! And, well, that was about it.

When I rebuilt t' fin section o' t' YouBee t' first time, I had t' repair t' spots where t' rail buttons attached.  I came up with a method that worked well, me bucko, so I decided t' use it on t' new fin section.

I needed a piece o' 1/4" thick, ya bilge rat, 1 1/2" wide wood.  I could have cut it from t' wood I used for t' fins and centerin' rings, but, it was close t' lunch time and t' hot dog cart in front o' Lowes serves really good Italian sausages.  So, arrr, I went t' Lowes for t' piece o' wood.

While I was thar I picked up a router table for t' new router.  T' box said "pre-assembled" which, I guess, shiver me timbers, means "some assembly required."

I assembled t' pre-assembled router table and used it t' route out t' middle o' t' new piece o' wood.

I glued t' strip o' wood t' t' body tube centered betwixt two fin slots.

After t' glue dried, ya bilge rat, I drilled two 1/2" diameter holes, one near t' top o' t' wood strip and one near t' bottom.  After t' fin assembly is complete, I'll insert well nuts into t' holes then screw in t' rail buttons.

I slid t' body tube over t' fin unit and glued it place with epoxy.  I used maskin' tape t' hold t' end tight against centerin' ring. What you can't see in t' photo is that I attached a u-bolt t' t' upper centerin' rin' for attachment o' t' recovery system (for motors that don't have a threaded front enclosure).

Then, I mixed some microlight filler into epoxy t' form a thick paste which I used t' fillet t' fins and edges o' t' rail guide board thingy.

I still need t' add some more epoxy fillets and sand t' whole thin' down.  But, it's finally lookin' like t' back end o' a rocket! And, I can tell it's goin' t' look a lot nicer than t' original fin set.

"Crisis Averted" - that would be a cool name for a rocket!

Anyway ... Begad! I ordered an Aeropak 98mm retainer set for t' new YouBee.  When it arrived, arrr, I decided t' see how it fitted on t' rocket.

I picked up a 4" coupler t' put in t' motor tube t' use t' align t' retainer.  And, I discovered a problem ....

T' coupler did nay fit into t' motor tube!  I had used a coupler instead o' a motor tube.  Ugh!

Okay ... Ahoy! I don't own any 98mm motors.  And I'm nay plannin' on flyin' t' YouBee on a 98mm motor.  So ...

I made a (slightly less than) 98mm t' 75mm adapter and glued it into t' 98mm coupler. T' adapter is basically t' same as a LOC/Precision 98-to-75mm adapter, but with slightly smaller centerin' rings.

So, matey, I now have a rocket with a 75mm motor mount.

I replaced the e-bay with one I built from a LOC/Precision electronics bay.  It turned out that t' long sled I built t' hold t' altimeter in t' original YouBee's e-bay was easily cut down t' fit into t' shorter LOC e-bay.  So, all I had t' do was glue new tubes t' t' back o' t' sled t' slide over t' e-bay's threaded rods.

Just for t' heck o' it, me bucko, I covered t' short bit o' body tube around t' e-bay with some o' t' reflective blue tape left over from decoratin' t' LongJonRocket.com trailer.

For the original YouBee, ya bilge rat, I built a long electronics bay that held t' altimeter and also held a video camera. Arrr! One problem was that t' camera stuck too far out o' t' rocket.  You couldn't see any o' t' rocket in t' videos which I don't think is as interestin' as when you can see some o' t' rocket and t' motor's flame and exhaust.  So, shiver me timbers, one goal o' t' rebuild is t' make camera sit deeper into t' rocket. Arrr! I couldn't do this in t' original electronics bay because t' altimeter sled was in t' way.  So, me hearties, in t' new YouBee, I decided t' put t' camera in a separate section.

T' camera section is basically a short length o' tube with t' camera mount in t' middle. A bulkhead just above t' camera provides a place t' connect t' recovery system. Well, blow me down! Above t' bulkhead is a connector that attaches t' t' upper section o' t' rocket (which contains t' main parachute. 

I started by cuttin' out the hole for t' camera in t' side o' t' body tube.  I used an angled piece o' metal to draw straight lines on t' tube and framed t' area t' cut out with maskin' tape.  I used a razor cutlass t' carefully cut out t' square hole.

I ripped t' camera mount out o' t' old YouBee's electronics bay and glued some blocks o' wood t' it t' make it sit deeper in t' rocket.

I glued t' mount into t' body tube under t' hole.

I created a bulkhead t' fit in t' tube and coated it with epoxy t' help protect it from t' ejection charge residue.

I drilled holes in t' bulkhead for a u-bolt and t' provide a way for t' leads from t' ejection charge t' get t' t' electronics bay.

I added t' u-bolt then glued t' bulkhead and a coupler into t' top o' t' camera section tube.

For flight, t' camera section will be attached t' t' electronics bay usin' screws and t' upper section o' t' rocket will be attached t' t' camera section with screws. 

No photos yet, but I started paintin' t' fin section.  Actually, ya bilge rat, I thought I had finished paintin' it.  But, t' glossy paint made t' imperfections obvious in t' finsihin' job I did.  So, I'm goin' t' sand it down and try again.  I'll fill some o' t' more obvious problems then use a heavy primer on it.  Then I'll sand it some more.  Then I'll mask and paint it again.

It's been a while since t' last update because it has been a while since I've done much work on t' YouBee.  But, NEFAR's Bunnell Blast is next weekend and I want t' fly t' YouBee.  So, arrr, I spent all day today workin' on t' rocket.

I ... for about t' twelfth time .. Begad! primed and sanded then painted t' fins.  I'm still nay real happy with t' finish on them but ... I have t' say t' fin section looks much nicer than t' original.

Today, I attached t' rail buttons t' t' fin section and t' blue section.  I used well nuts which is a very easy way t' secure them.  Combined with t' wooden shim pieces that I attached t' t' fin section and blue section, t' buttuns ended up perfectly aligned which I confirmed usin' a length o' 1515 extrusion I keep in t' garage.

I started assembly o' t' recovery system, hookin' up t' parachute and attachin' t' top section t' t' electronics bay.  I went ahead and created t' ejection charge and hooked i up t' t' altimeter.  And, me hearties, I inserted t' shear pins t' hold t' nose cone in place.  So, t' top half o' t' rocket is ready t' fly.

I assembled t' Aerotech K480 motor and attached an Aeropack 5475 adapter t' it.  It slides nicely into t' motor mount and is help in by t' Aeropack retainer.  So t' very bottom o' t' rocket is ready t' fly.

I just need t' do some work on t' middle o' t' rocket!

Here's another photo o' t' "new" YouBee.