Chris, I'm in the same boat, or rocket. I can't ground-test my SSS due to the embedded live motor. I'm thinking 0.5 to 0.75 grams in a little bigger space. I have heavy washers tied to my Kevlar harness for added weight, and I'll blow the altimeter section out above those. If they're pulled out by the small chute, it doesn't matter. All tied together. All I need is the altimeter section out with the chute tied close to it. The rocket is a single shot. I don't care about what condition it come back in--except for the safety of all of us on the ground. All I need is the MAWD back and working.

Well, I swing tested it today (I didn't really trust rocksim fully on this one, even though it says I have 2 calibers, because the fins seem so small), and it worked perfectly. Completely stable.

Now I just sit around and wait for the launch...

This is the worst part 🙄

Fins are one of the top three parts of drag... unfortunately, I seemed to ignore that this year. We've all made our choices, now it's time to fly! 🙂

Funny - I payed a LOT of attention to the fins, but neglected some other things...

We'll see how it turns out...

It'll be fun. 🙂

Oh yes - that part is guaranteed 🙂

Mine sims at ~43 gees off the pad - should be interesting trying to track it with no flame or smoke... 😆

Well, at least you used CF. I used 3/32" plywood, and epoxied the aft into an effective fin can. It should stay together. We'll see. Good luck!

Good luck to you too, and by the way, if anyone wants some 0.035" CF plate, I have some left over. I'll give it away to the first taker at the next launch - I have 2 pieces. They are both the same thickness, but one has 3 layers of 4.3oz CF in it, and one has 4 (I got better compression on the 4 layer one). Each is roughly 6 by 4 inches, and one has 3 small cutouts in one side (my SSS fins). Glass smooth finish, and decent strength (I'd compare it to .062" G10). I have no use for it, so if you want it for some 24 or 29mm machbuster, feel free to have it...

Actually, one could argue that your approach was better than mine - I spent all this time and gained practically no advantage, but it's a heck of a lot more loss if it catos or vanishes into the blue...

Except for my future and hopeful L3 (that I've been working on since June), I put more work into this model than most. Lots and lots of sanding, priming, sanding, painting, sanding, painting... waxing, etc. Listen, if you don't need the CF, I'd be glad to take it off your hands. There's alway next year, right? You might want to re-think giving it up. 🙂

Oh - I'm keeping a little. I have a LOT though in comparison to the size needed for fins, and it was relatively easy to make. If I needed more for next year, I could use $10 worth of CF and $4 of epoxy, and throw it together in 20mins (not counting the time for the epoxy to cure). That's what I did this year...

Well, since so many different techniques were used in all the rockets, this is going to be a real good contest in comparing the effects in all of them. Very nice.

It'll be an interesting comparison between mine and yours...

My finish is relatively crude compared to yours (from the sound of it), but on the other hand, the ultralight cf allowed me to shrink the fins slightly and allowed a little more leeway on the design. It'll be interesting to see which effect has more impact...

I did final weight on my SSS today. And, I had to laugh... here I am trying to find the optimum weight or mass from a faulty WRASP file. You can't win. And, I think that's why this is such a great contest this year. C'mon, if you have sound .eng files, how hard is it to meet what the sim says it should be? So I backed off on the weight. 13.5 ounces. That should be fine. It's a crap shoot anyway... especially on the prairie, if you know what I mean. 🙂

13.5 😯 😯 😯

Mine is at what simmed to be optimum mass for me, which is 8.6 oz with motor.

How did you get 13.5 oz of rocket?

At least yours will be easier to track off the pad... 🙄

*IF* I get out there and *IF* we find someone to pull the trailer (last I heard that was still an issue) and *IF* I have room, I'll bring my 8" Dobsonian telescope so everyone can use it for tracking their SSS. I'll give you some quick training. It is basically a very stable, very large binocular that is missing one of the eyepieces 🙂 This was discussed in an earlier thread, and there seemed to be no objection to using the scope.

I have a wide angle eyepiece that should yield perhaps 10X magnification. It will be much more effective than using binocs. You will be able to sweep the sky in orderly fashion.

DISCLAIMER: I will not be held responsible if you swing the telescope toward the sun fry your eyes 😯 I'm very serious -- use at your own risk, please. Even a brief glimpse at the sun w/o filters will be painful.