FTScratchBuild
New to the R/C hobby?
Here's some resources to help get you up to speed!
Beginner Series: WATCH HERE!
Electronics Setup: WATCH HERE!
First Flight Quick Tips: WATCH HERE!
Got glue?? Get Some Here!
FT SEA OTTER PLANS
STORE LINKS
FT SEA OTTER SPECS
- WEIGHT WITHOUT BATTERY: 15.1oz (428 g)
- CENTER OF GRAVITY: 2.75” (70 mm) from leading edge of wing
- CONTROL SURFACE THROWS: 12˚-16˚ deflection - Expo 30%
- WINGSPAN: 40 inches (1016 mm)
- RECOMMENDED MOTOR: Motor-EMAX CF2822 (Power Pack B)
- RECOMMENDED PROP: 8 x 4.5 slow fly
- RECOMMENDED ESC: 18 - 30 amp minimum
- RECOMMENDED BATTERY: 2250mAh 3s 35c Lipo Battery
- RECOMMENDED SERVOS: (4) 9 gram servos
The FT Sea Otter flies great in the air and looks great on the water. It was created with a simpler design for a better introductory sea plane experience.
The Sea Otter is built with Water-Resistant Foam Board and flies best in calm conditions.
Start by building the fuselage and tail section.
Assemble the wing and wing pontoon.
The motor pod on the Sea Otter is mounted higher to help with throttle management.
Assemble the canopy and reinforcements, and attach them to the your build. This will help keep the plane stable when taking off and landing.
Connect and install your electronics. Be sure to waterproof your electronics before installing them so you have a better flying experience. Check out our Waterproofing Electronics episode for helpful tips!
Check your CG and make adjustments as needed, then take it out for a maiden!
Happy flying!
Small problem with the plans: In the video you reference 2 dots that help you line up the tail section and another two on the motor assembly. Those are missing from the plans. Do you have any guidance on how the tail should be aligned without those as reference? (Not so worried about the motor, that doesn't seem to need the dots).
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The kit went together with no issues. I used a Suppo 2217/6 motor and the verticals are breath taking
The CG with a 2200 3 cell was 2" aft of leading edge. Ground handling on grass was down right fun. You can do donuts and touch and go all day. very stable with no trim needed for first flight.
Handles 8 to 10 mph wind easily.
This new foamboard takes a little getting used to. I tried several paints and settled on Krylon Colormaster. it dries well and covers good.
All in all this is a great plane. Very rugged and easy to fly. All
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My kids saw a similarity with the plane in the Miyazaki film "Porco Rosso", so I painted it that way and made a cutout of Porco to fly it. Flew it this weekend at my field,and it handled really nicely. Haven't gotten to water yet, but can't wait!
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Thanks for the great designs and inspiration!
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I think this plane would work well in snow, and you wouldn't need it completely waterproof for that.
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I am trying to build my own design of a water plane and that design gave me a lot of ideas so several problems I ran into. Especially the placement of the motor attached to the fuselage and not to the tail wing, like in the Skipper / Polaris.
One suggestion: why not using a solid pontoons, that acts as floats, in order to increase the plane's resistance to flipping over by side wind? They can be placed also a bit far on the wings, so they will have even greater momentum. This idea was working very nice in the episode on the Aqucat and Polaris (http://flitetest.com/articles/modelaero-showcase).
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