This is great you guys, thanks for sharing it. I have been wanting to build an RC version of the USS Ohio SSBN 726 since I served on it back in the 90's, you guys have given me new ideas on how to do it... already figured out the dimensions, just need to do it!
I used to watch this video over and over again when I was younger. Desperate to build my own. It's only now that I'm finally building my own sub, as a full on adult. Thank you for inspiring a navy, submarine obsessed younger me 😃
There are shaft seals available from model sub vendors. We like Go Pro cameras for underwater videoing; we haven't felt the need for lights as we film near enough to the surface.
How on earth anyone could dislike this video is beyond me! I'm not really into rc models, but my friend recently purchased one and asked that I look into them. I told him that I would, but only in something that interested me, like rc submarines. So, that is what brought me to this video and I'm blown away at every aspect of it! The build, the narration, the cameras angles and the verbiage or script. Job well done! Thank you very much for sharing!
SkullBone361 I quickly vetted Imma Ten, he seems to be hating everyone, he even was trying to call a war veteran a "waste of a life", and people are calling him "Not just a moron, but an ugly moron.", and "Hey Son Of A Bitch! How does it feel to be a Moron???"
because this is a dynamic diving submarine, meaning it has to run and use control surfaces to dive instead of ballast tanks. it's a low man's way of building r/c sub.
Man, I love how you narrated the build of this sub. It was like something out of Modern Marvels. You did a awesome job on this video and on the sub! Good work sir and take care. Wow
In salt water the sub goes out of range almost immediately after the antenna dips below the surface, so we stay at periscope depth most of the time. When we're running in fresh water, we can pretty much have it do anything we want as far as underwater maneuvers. Being able to see it then becomes a challenge.
The first stern section was assembled like the bow, or nose... since we don't own a lathe, round mahogany 1-1/2" thick discs, stacked up and marine glued together, starting with 4" diameter and making each successive one smaller. Then lots of sanding. Good luck!
Twenty years ago I made two sewer-pipe submarines with the exact same concept. Mine were straight-running, though, and lacked the power to submerge with dive-planes. Styrofoam was used to form the bow, stern, and sail, and the hull flooded completely with water to reduce buoyancy. I'm glad to see someone else was able to take the same idea all way way to radio-control!
@YellingDingo22 That's great to hear - these how-to videos aren't usually big hits for us, as far as view count; we do them for fellow hobbyists. Hope you find it useful! And thanks for the compliment!
You guys are great...love your videos... Not only are you clever, but ingenious as well. There's nothing so fine, as something home-built, and your own design!
@firemaker22 The lead ballast keeps the sub at the proper trim level and at the proper draft, yes. Determining that was the product of some bathtub float testing. But the lead is the only ballast we use; no water comes on board the submarine; it is always positively buoyant.
I was surprised you didn't use ballast tanks. But then, I was on a sub back in the '70's while in the navy. I always wanted to build a working model. If I had, it would have used ballast tanks the same way a real sub does. Using just planes alone does give you an incredible safety factor.
@TomCat686 So glad you found us! Subscribe and you'll be informed when we post more videos. We're on a short hiatus now but will be shooting more videos in the coming months!
Wow, great documentary narrator voice! You guys did an awesome job of documenting this build and making the video seem very authentic. I particularly like the bit about the decals fairing well during storage.
@nghonleong Thank you! The hatch was cut from the PVC pipe and several pieces of scrap PVC were glued to the inside of the hull to serve as a hatch seat/coaming. The hatch itself is not watertight; we seal the seam using wide (2") clear tape before each voyage.
@spurlicos82 Thanks very much. A lot of hard work went into her! Re: convoy sailing ... that's been discussed a few times. The ships aren't to scale with one another, but that could be fairly easily dealt with in-camera. The biggest obstacle is lack of operators! But we'll find a way to make it happen ... hopefully in an entertaining way. Thanks again for the compliment!
@icedraikon Thanks for visiting our site! We don't currently offer any of our models for sale, as it just takes too much time and effort to build them, and we like to keep them on hand for more video shooting. We usually keep the how-to videos to a single one per boat.
I know it’s been like 7 years since this model has been built, but perhaps some kind form of water bladders could be installed to take in water on command, adding enough weight to submerge. The water bladders could work with a small water pump, which takes in the water when told, but can also push the water out when necessary to resurface.
@modelman76 It flooded while submerged, probably through one of the shaft seals for the bowplanes or the propeller shaft. When sailing in cold water, the pressure inside the sub gradually falls as the air inside cools, and this vacuum tends to exacerbate any flooding that occurs. We think that's what happened.
Have you thought about using the "Towed Sonar Array" as the antenna so you could run underwater, and still have good control? You can make it buoyant enough to keep the antenna above water, and use it as a recovery line in the event of catastrophic failure.
Just an idea for your next projects, for your diving and signal loss you could rig a simple circuit to release a trailed array. When there is signal loss, using a relay, it will automatically deploy and float a radio wire (28 ga magnet wire) to the surface using cork or something buoyant.
@texfanusa You know, it's very time consuming and at times frustrating, but the rewards can be pretty incredible too. Woodland Scenics makes some great products, and they're excellent people - very nice! Thanks again for the compliments on this one.
I built a my model of the USS Ohio out of a sewer pipe (which I bought from Lowe's) and used old water bottles for both the bow and stern sections. I used the cap of one of the bottles for the propeller and used leftover plastic from the bottles to build the sail, rudders, and dive planes. I made 24 missiles for my sub out of styrofoam peanuts, carved launch tubes into the pipe for them, and put 24 12g CO2 cartridges in the nose cone and below the sail to propel them. I ... (continued above)
Excellent work- you are a truly skilled modeler and craftsman. I have built several models in my life and it is nice to see the scratch built fabrication of components. If you have not already considered it, may I suggest that you incorporate 3D printed components into your next build. The propeller shroud and supports could easily be printed as a single component, saving considerable fabrication time and ensure the uniformity of clearance between the prop and housing inner wall. The entire aft section could actually be printed as a single unit. The conn, planes, and bow section with flange would also be great candidates. I do take pleasure in building from scratch but it was hard for me to ignore the versatility and economy of the 3D print and the advantages of being able to control the essential properties of the parts (strength, finish, DENSITY) and of course being able to reprint parts at will if needed. Just a suggestion.... :) Awesome craft !
I\'m not sure but ,if anyone else needs to find out about model railroad track planning try Panlarko Amazing Railroad Planner (do a search on google ) ? Ive heard some interesting things about it and my cousin got great success with it.
@brickerproductions You had it right the first time. Removed the "correction." :) And ... thanks a lot, man! It's always nice to hear from the longtime fans first!
@Raptorgrizz Oh that would be amazing to see. Please do that! If you do, keep us up to date on the build - post pictures to our Facebook wall (just search for RapidNadion). Would really love to see a 726-class R/C model build!
A short length of silicone tubing , whose midpoint is where the propeller shaft exits the tubing, works for us. It gets a good grip on the larger diameter tube end, and where it grips the lightly greased shaft it will keep water out while putting little friction on it.
Yet another fine addition to the line-up! You guys make r/c aaaawfully tempting but I've already got too many irons in the fire! LOL Never would've dreamed I'd run across Woodland Scenics being used on a submersible, either... Very cool, though, all around! :)
Man, if I had the time and the money.... Great job on the sub, guys; she looks amazing. Have you guys ever sailed the ships as a convoy? Y'know, the Virginia, Destroyer 702 and the Kitty Hawk all moving at once?
Yogurt containers! They’re made of HDPE and don't adhere to epoxy resin, these and similar containers can make some very smooth professional looking tail cones for rockets or propulsor housings! Just line the inside with cloth & paint on the resin =)
I'm not sure what you did with the Baton Rouge but since you said that the whole thing was un able to be recycled I was thinking you could give it a final resting place at the bottom of the lake your near or whatever you want to do with it I mean it's your model
how you prevent linkage inside the sub from the mooving parts (like propeller shaft and servo shafts? can we use 2.4ghz control? can we use fpv 5.8ghz to have image?
Years ago I had a type VIIC U-boat. In it I installed ballast tanks with vents and blown by freon (before it was bad) of course it was not as intrinsically safe as your design. Developed a leak and lost positive buoyancy...still sits somewhere on the bottom of Hood canal
Hello. I also want a submarine Ohio-class build (USS Kentucky) and would like to know how you have built so beautiful wooden stern of Virginia. Thank You
Thanks! How was the boat kept water tight throught the external linkage to the rudder(the holes where the rudder arms went through) and the access hatch
Hey that's pretty awesome, what sort of radio gear do you use? I would have thought radio waves under water may have been an issue. Ever thought about putting FPV on it. Now that would be something to see.
@The7humpwump Ohhh tragedy! It never feels good to lose a model, but that must've been a really tough one. It's scary when they don't come back up, isn't it?
seal off the electronics in both sides. vents on the bottom to allow water in and out. CO2 tank in the middle with a remote to release air. im sure you thought of this.
Does this model basically work under the same principles as the deep flight submersibles? Because you're just using the dive planes in order to dive without any ballast tanks. Also is there any way to calculate how much ballast you need along with the thrust that the motor and planes produce in order to make it dive on the first try?
We intentionally launched slightly light rather than heavy to avoid the 'big' problem. By calculating its volume, we were able to figure the boat + ballast target displacement, which varies by ~ 3% between fresh and salt water. We figured the motor and belt reduction drive would be adequate from experience with other models, and made the bow planes area large enough to help pull down the bow. They have been reduced by 30% now that we have the ballast dialed in.
@ciukcia989 If the mini-missiles are protected from the salt water (by a missile tube and hatch) until they're ignited, the water won't bother them. Have you seen our Underwater Rocket Launch video?
This is great you guys, thanks for sharing it. I have been wanting to build an RC version of the USS Ohio SSBN 726 since I served on it back in the 90's, you guys have given me new ideas on how to do it... already figured out the dimensions, just need to do it!
I used to watch this video over and over again when I was younger. Desperate to build my own. It's only now that I'm finally building my own sub, as a full on adult. Thank you for inspiring a navy, submarine obsessed younger me 😃
There are shaft seals available from model sub vendors. We like Go Pro cameras for underwater videoing; we haven't felt the need for lights as we film near enough to the surface.
How on earth anyone could dislike this video is beyond me! I'm not really into rc models, but my friend recently purchased one and asked that I look into them. I told him that I would, but only in something that interested me, like rc submarines. So, that is what brought me to this video and I'm blown away at every aspect of it! The build, the narration, the cameras angles and the verbiage or script. Job well done! Thank you very much for sharing!
SkullBone361 I quickly vetted Imma Ten, he seems to be hating everyone, he even was trying to call a war veteran a "waste of a life", and people are calling him "Not just a moron, but an ugly moron.", and "Hey Son Of A Bitch! How does it feel to be a Moron???"
because this is a dynamic diving submarine, meaning it has to run and use control surfaces to dive instead of ballast tanks. it's a low man's way of building r/c sub.
Man, I love how you narrated the build of this sub. It was like something out of Modern Marvels. You did a awesome job on this video and on the sub! Good work sir and take care. Wow
In salt water the sub goes out of range almost immediately after the antenna dips below the surface, so we stay at periscope depth most of the time. When we're running in fresh water, we can pretty much have it do anything we want as far as underwater maneuvers. Being able to see it then becomes a challenge.
The first stern section was assembled like the bow, or nose... since we don't own a lathe, round mahogany 1-1/2" thick discs, stacked up and marine glued together, starting with 4" diameter and making each successive one smaller. Then lots of sanding. Good luck!
Twenty years ago I made two sewer-pipe submarines with the exact same concept. Mine were straight-running, though, and lacked the power to submerge with dive-planes. Styrofoam was used to form the bow, stern, and sail, and the hull flooded completely with water to reduce buoyancy. I'm glad to see someone else was able to take the same idea all way way to radio-control!
@YellingDingo22 That's great to hear - these how-to videos aren't usually big hits for us, as far as view count; we do them for fellow hobbyists. Hope you find it useful! And thanks for the compliment!
You guys are great...love your videos...
Not only are you clever, but ingenious as well.
There's nothing so fine, as something home-built, and your own design!
@firemaker22 The lead ballast keeps the sub at the proper trim level and at the proper draft, yes. Determining that was the product of some bathtub float testing. But the lead is the only ballast we use; no water comes on board the submarine; it is always positively buoyant.
I was surprised you didn't use ballast tanks. But then, I was on a sub back in the '70's while in the navy. I always wanted to build a working model. If I had, it would have used ballast tanks the same way a real sub does. Using just planes alone does give you an incredible safety factor.
@TomCat686 So glad you found us! Subscribe and you'll be informed when we post more videos. We're on a short hiatus now but will be shooting more videos in the coming months!
Alex, all the linkages run internally. The hatch is taped closed just prior to launching.
Anyone else rewatching this Chanel in 2022 for a nostalgia trip?
Wow, great documentary narrator voice! You guys did an awesome job of documenting this build and making the video seem very authentic. I particularly like the bit about the decals fairing well during storage.
It's immencely difficult for me to come across components and resources, so I greatly admire your craftsmanship and skill. Great job guys.
@nghonleong Thank you! The hatch was cut from the PVC pipe and several pieces of scrap PVC were glued to the inside of the hull to serve as a hatch seat/coaming. The hatch itself is not watertight; we seal the seam using wide (2") clear tape before each voyage.
@spurlicos82 Thanks very much. A lot of hard work went into her! Re: convoy sailing ... that's been discussed a few times. The ships aren't to scale with one another, but that could be fairly easily dealt with in-camera. The biggest obstacle is lack of operators! But we'll find a way to make it happen ... hopefully in an entertaining way. Thanks again for the compliment!
@firemaker22 The submarine is a dynamic diver; the flow of water over the bowplanes causes her to dive, instead of taking on seawater ballast.
@icedraikon Thanks for visiting our site! We don't currently offer any of our models for sale, as it just takes too much time and effort to build them, and we like to keep them on hand for more video shooting. We usually keep the how-to videos to a single one per boat.
I have no idea how these guys have only 100,000 sub subscribers they should have millions of subscribers
I know it’s been like 7 years since this model has been built, but perhaps some kind form of water bladders could be installed to take in water on command, adding enough weight to submerge. The water bladders could work with a small water pump, which takes in the water when told, but can also push the water out when necessary to resurface.
@modelman76 It flooded while submerged, probably through one of the shaft seals for the bowplanes or the propeller shaft. When sailing in cold water, the pressure inside the sub gradually falls as the air inside cools, and this vacuum tends to exacerbate any flooding that occurs. We think that's what happened.
@Mrgunlover2 Thanks! Glad you like it!
@MrPlumpmaster Word from the builder is that it's a Futaba; it's a 4 channel,FM,75mhz Skysport model T4YF. Hope that helps!
Great job! Love the narration voice, sounds like a pro!
Have you thought about using the "Towed Sonar Array" as the antenna so you could run underwater, and still have good control? You can make it buoyant enough to keep the antenna above water, and use it as a recovery line in the event of catastrophic failure.
Just an idea for your next projects, for your diving and signal loss you could rig a simple circuit to release a trailed array. When there is signal loss, using a relay, it will automatically deploy and float a radio wire (28 ga magnet wire) to the surface using cork or something buoyant.
@texfanusa You know, it's very time consuming and at times frustrating, but the rewards can be pretty incredible too. Woodland Scenics makes some great products, and they're excellent people - very nice! Thanks again for the compliments on this one.
The pipe, from a construction site, the motor and electronics from on line sources. Mike's Sub Works has lots of parts.
I built a my model of the USS Ohio out of a sewer pipe (which I bought from Lowe's) and used old water bottles for both the bow and stern sections. I used the cap of one of the bottles for the propeller and used leftover plastic from the bottles to build the sail, rudders, and dive planes. I made 24 missiles for my sub out of styrofoam peanuts, carved launch tubes into the pipe for them, and put 24 12g CO2 cartridges in the nose cone and below the sail to propel them. I ... (continued above)
Not a sub guy but I can appreciate all the work and craftsmanship. She's very cool.
A wonderful job converting sewer drain pipe into a modern day submarine. Bravo!
The video presentation top knotch, thanks for sharing.
This video is really a wonderful reference for building my own submarine.
Thank your for your video!!
Excellent work- you are a truly skilled modeler and craftsman. I have built several models in my life and it is nice to see the scratch built fabrication of components. If you have not already considered it, may I suggest that you incorporate 3D printed components into your next build. The propeller shroud and supports could easily be printed as a single component, saving considerable fabrication time and ensure the uniformity of clearance between the prop and housing inner wall. The entire aft section could actually be printed as a single unit. The conn, planes, and bow section with flange would also be great candidates. I do take pleasure in building from scratch but it was hard for me to ignore the versatility and economy of the 3D print and the advantages of being able to control the essential properties of the parts (strength, finish, DENSITY) and of course being able to reprint parts at will if needed. Just a suggestion.... :)
Awesome craft !
+John Young Thanks for commenting; 3D printed parts looks like something we may try on future builds, thanks for the suggestion!
I\'m not sure but ,if anyone else needs to find out about model railroad track planning try Panlarko Amazing Railroad Planner (do a search on google ) ? Ive heard some interesting things about it and my cousin got great success with it.
@brickerproductions You had it right the first time. Removed the "correction." :) And ... thanks a lot, man! It's always nice to hear from the longtime fans first!
@TK42138 Thanks! We'll try to keep making them for our more involved projects. Next up: how-to videos for the rocket barge and R/C aircraft carrier.
@Raptorgrizz Oh that would be amazing to see. Please do that! If you do, keep us up to date on the build - post pictures to our Facebook wall (just search for RapidNadion). Would really love to see a 726-class R/C model build!
3 standard servos, the 4th channel is the motor's speed control.
@JacobSprague707 Hi Jacob. No, we don't sell any of our models, unfortunately. This video is as close as we get to offering a tutorial.
@MiniCheetah Thank you!
i came across your channel by complete accident and im glad i did you have some really cool videos and ideas its fun to watch!
did you make the stuffing box?if yes please tell me how to make one :)
A short length of silicone tubing , whose midpoint is where the propeller shaft exits the tubing, works for us. It gets a good grip on the larger diameter tube end, and where it grips the lightly greased shaft it will keep water out while putting little friction on it.
@modelman76 ... till now. :) Thanks for watching!
Yet another fine addition to the line-up! You guys make r/c aaaawfully tempting but I've already got too many irons in the fire! LOL Never would've dreamed I'd run across Woodland Scenics being used on a submersible, either... Very cool, though, all around! :)
Excellent how to vid...That's why I subscribe!
I love this video! Can't wait till you guys make more!
Beautiful model.
I have two questions. Where do you get all the sizes of the submarine and which scale is it?
Good luck with your scratch build!
you guys are really talented
Diving can be achieved with a large syringe driven by a linear actuator
It is very,very,very cool submarine!
Man, if I had the time and the money.... Great job on the sub, guys; she looks amazing. Have you guys ever sailed the ships as a convoy? Y'know, the Virginia, Destroyer 702 and the Kitty Hawk all moving at once?
@ciukcia989 Hopefully that'll come to pass! We've got about 7 videos to shoot in the next two weeks first. :)
@MnktoDave @PirateSygnal Thanks very much!
That would be fun. We might do just that.
Yogurt containers!
They’re made of HDPE and don't adhere to epoxy resin, these and similar containers can make some very smooth professional looking tail cones for rockets or propulsor housings! Just line the inside with cloth & paint on the resin =)
I have never seen a model submarine go below the water that has been hand made
The seals we use can be found at Mike's Sub Works (give them a Google search).
@sdhfyu It would be fun to do a static-diving sub someday, but there are no immediate plans.
Really cool.
Hoping to see more videos from you soon!
How did you seal it with out locking up rudder movement
i just love the spirit you guys have...the naration was perfect
I'm not sure what you did with the Baton Rouge but since you said that the whole thing was un able to be recycled I was thinking you could give it a final resting place at the bottom of the lake your near or whatever you want to do with it I mean it's your model
@drwaffleboy7 Materials cost for this boat was about $500, but the man-hours were up in the 250 range.
I built two of these last night and named them USS Ohio and USS George Washington. I plan on building a model of the ALVIN soon.
@666crazytrain1 We'll try to keep up the videos!
@AlNuci @19Fubar71 @blancolirio Thanks very much, guys.
fantastic that was so cool, hey could you guy's possibly make the seaview too ?
how you prevent linkage inside the sub from the mooving parts (like propeller shaft and servo shafts? can we use 2.4ghz control? can we use fpv 5.8ghz to have image?
Really thats impressive I have seen them before and they are massive the biggest ever
@Rapidnadion i moved from there last year i miss it so much :(
Speechless...
This is SOOOO amazing!
Great video! though such a nice submarine deserves a ballast system! keep on the good work! greetings from Venezuela
Years ago I had a type VIIC U-boat. In it I installed ballast tanks with vents and blown by freon (before it was bad) of course it was not as intrinsically safe as your design. Developed a leak and lost positive buoyancy...still sits somewhere on the bottom of Hood canal
@Rapidnadion i did see it. it would be awesome to see a video of you setting up those missiles. :)
Thank you for that answer, but the sub still needs the ballast. right?
Hello. I also want a submarine Ohio-class build (USS Kentucky) and would like to know how you have built so beautiful wooden stern of Virginia. Thank You
Thanks! How was the boat kept water tight throught the external linkage to the rudder(the holes where the rudder arms went through) and the access hatch
Sounds like vintage newsreel narration or should I say "narradion" .... Inspired to make a sewer pipe display Seawolf.
one hell of a build. looks nice.
@Rapidnadion :D I was tired and confused that day. I should really go to bed earlier.
Hey that's pretty awesome, what sort of radio gear do you use?
I would have thought radio waves under water may have been an issue.
Ever thought about putting FPV on it. Now that would be something to see.
@The7humpwump Ohhh tragedy! It never feels good to lose a model, but that must've been a really tough one. It's scary when they don't come back up, isn't it?
simply awesome.
seal off the electronics in both sides. vents on the bottom to allow water in and out. CO2 tank in the middle with a remote to release air. im sure you thought of this.
Does this model basically work under the same principles as the deep flight submersibles? Because you're just using the dive planes in order to dive without any ballast tanks. Also is there any way to calculate how much ballast you need along with the thrust that the motor and planes produce in order to make it dive on the first try?
We intentionally launched slightly light rather than heavy to avoid the 'big' problem. By calculating its volume, we were able to figure the boat + ballast target displacement, which varies by ~ 3% between fresh and salt water. We figured the motor and belt reduction drive would be adequate from experience with other models, and made the bow planes area large enough to help pull down the bow. They have been reduced by 30% now that we have the ballast dialed in.
I'm making my own rc submarine and I am asking what tape do you use to seal the hatch?????
how did you seal the hole where the propeller shaft went so that you didnt get your motor wet ?
Anyone else currently going on a nostalgia trip in 2023?
@Rapidnadion i don't understand how will you fire those missiles under water, I mean they will be soaking wet how can they still work?
it's 45mm, or a little over 1-3/4"
How do you determine the amount of water needed to set the submarine to neutral bouancy
This is just...so damn cool.
@ciukcia989 If the mini-missiles are protected from the salt water (by a missile tube and hatch) until they're ignited, the water won't bother them. Have you seen our Underwater Rocket Launch video?
Very nice. How deep did you go untill you lost the signal? Is the E-blow a built in safety feature?
Excellent video and very informative! How did you make a watertight hatch for the servo and battery area?
Yo-yo-yo I’m not alone in watching the vid in 2019