Posted by James Pepper on July 30, 2000 at 11:57:57:
Well, we have been trying to figure out a way of making a Titanic model move, and I thought that if we got a radio controlled submarine and figured out a way to attach the boat to the top of the submarine that we could move it on the water with out modifying the boat. To make the Titanic move on its own, the rudder would have to be reworked and there would be a problem with the ballast and it would be very tricky.
I thought that by making a cradle that sat ontop of the submarine, we could be able to make any ocean liner move, but the sub can not be adjusted for a slight dive, it is an all or nothing venture, so the waterline of the ship can not be maintained.
But the submarine is just not that precise and if the sub malfunctioned, it would sink, taking the ship down with it. This would be bad in a pond.
The sub does dive, but there really is not precise control on how it dives.
So the only way to handle this is to make the sub tow the ship, or for that matter any radio controlled boat could tow the ship. That way the ship's ballast could be adjusted so it sits in the water correctly, without modifications. And one could concentrate on lighting the ship, so it will look good in the pool.
James Pepper