Sewer Pipe to Submarine: Building the R/C "USS Virginia" Model

Again sorry about the pre-roll ad, but we only place them on how-to videos. (More below)
Photos and more information on this model can be found at www.RapidNadion.com
This video documents the construction of our scratch-built R/C submarine "USS Virginia." Photos, stills, and video from the build are included, and a voiceover track provides details on how this model came together. Thanks to soundjay.com and HSNA.org for the sound effects used in the introduction.
Major components provided by Mike's Sub Works. Thanks also to Woodland Scenics for the decals, and various North Forkers (contact us if you'd like to be credited further).
Questions and comments are welcome! Check out our channel page for more video from RapidNadion, or follow us: @RapidNadion on Twitter, RapidNadion on Facebook, and our website mentioned above. Subscribe to be notified of new videos. Thanks for watching!

[@Raptorgrizz]

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!

[@Thomas-ss1iu]

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 😃

[@williamsantiago7303]

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

[@Rapidnadion]

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.

[@newbiepreppertv697]

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!

[@BirdsEyeView]

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???"

[@thedudeman8408]

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.

[@callsign_cowabunga]

Anyone else rewatching this Chanel in 2022 for a nostalgia trip?

[@Rapidnadion]

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.

[@MnktoDave]

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!

[@GymbalLock]

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!

[@Rapidnadion]

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!

[@kousand9917]

I have no idea how these guys have only 100,000 sub subscribers they should have millions of subscribers

[@Rapidnadion]

@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!

[@excellenceinanimation960]

I love this video! Can't wait till you guys make more!

[@RHAYWARDCLOTHING]

i just love the spirit you guys have...the naration was perfect

[@cmsracing]

Great job! Love the narration voice, sounds like a pro!

[@Rapidnadion]

@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!

[@dncoppens]

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.

[@elilminater]

Thanks, this video helped me a lot when I was making my submarine!!!!!

[@Rapidnadion]

@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.

[@iloveshipmodels]

This video is really a wonderful reference for building my own submarine. Thank your for your video!!

[@YellingDingo22]

It's immencely difficult for me to come across components and resources, so I greatly admire your craftsmanship and skill. Great job guys.

[@AlNuci]

A wonderful job converting sewer drain pipe into a modern day submarine. Bravo! The video presentation top knotch, thanks for sharing.

[@FASTPISTOLDRAW]

one hell of a build. looks nice.

[@lochinvar00465]

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.

[@StonyRC]

Beautiful model.

[@thenoobletlego]

Really cool. Hoping to see more videos from you soon!

[@Rapidnadion]

@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.

[@Rapidnadion]

@Mrgunlover2 Thanks! Glad you like it!

[@Rapidnadion]

@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.

[@Giovanniram22]

Great project and presentation.

[@F-Man]

This is SOOOO amazing!

[@blancolirio]

Excellent how to vid...That's why I subscribe!

[@Rapidnadion]

The seals we use can be found at Mike's Sub Works (give them a Google search).

[@TomCat686]

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!

[@syclone]

It is very,very,very cool submarine!

[@Rapidnadion]

@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.

[@user-tm3ib7wt6t]

This is amazing!

[@i_nameless_i-jgsdf]

simply awesome.

[@Rapidnadion]

@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!

[@Rapidnadion]

@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!

[@9999plato]

Thats very cool. Keep up the good work.

[@Rapidnadion]

Good luck with your scratch build!

[@gregpruitt1647]

Outstanding!

[@Malangsufi]

you guys are really talented

[@Rapidnadion]

@MiniCheetah Thank you!

[@Rapidnadion]

@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.

[@Rapidnadion]

Alex, all the linkages run internally. The hatch is taped closed just prior to launching.

[@MrF1fanatic]

Not a sub guy but I can appreciate all the work and craftsmanship. She's very cool.

[@MyCatInABox]

This is just...so damn cool.

[@AlfryanIrgie12]

very creative !

[@cartoonphilosopher2577]

great work.

[@Rapidnadion]

@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.

[@brickerproductions]

Speechless...

[@TheOlJWShow]

That's really cool. Well done :)

[@YellingDingo22]

:) Thanks Rapidnadion.

[@seniorcaremike]

SICK!!!

[@Rapidnadion]

The pipe, from a construction site, the motor and electronics from on line sources. Mike's Sub Works has lots of parts.

[@texfanusa]

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! :)

[@Rapidnadion]

@MrPlumpmaster Word from the builder is that it's a Futaba; it's a 4 channel,FM,75mhz Skysport model T4YF. Hope that helps!

[@Rapidnadion]

@firemaker22 The submarine is a dynamic diver; the flow of water over the bowplanes causes her to dive, instead of taking on seawater ballast.

[@Rapidnadion]

@modelman76 ... till now. :) Thanks for watching!

[@enriqueuret]

Great video! though such a nice submarine deserves a ballast system! keep on the good work! greetings from Venezuela

[@miguelangelespasandin6854]

Amigo excelente trabajo...felicitaciones!1 y saludos!!

[@Rapidnadion]

Gracias, Miguel

[@esmi000]

Very cleaver dude well done :D

[@falconsrc]

nice job

[@Emaadawan]

Amazing

[@Rapidnadion]

That would be fun. We might do just that.

[@Rapidnadion]

@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!

[@Rapidnadion]

@MnktoDave @PirateSygnal Thanks very much!

[@alexhughes7788]

Great thanks for the help

[@Rapidnadion]

@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?

[@williamgarrison8362]

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)

[@Rapidnadion]

@drwaffleboy7 Materials cost for this boat was about $500, but the man-hours were up in the 250 range.

[@Rapidnadion]

@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.

[@19Fubar71]

Cool vid and very informative to watch. Keep up the great work. :-)

[@Silverdew125]

Really thats impressive I have seen them before and they are massive the biggest ever

[@SuperSebas]

Yo-yo-yo I’m not alone in watching the vid in 2019

[@Rapidnadion]

3 standard servos, the 4th channel is the motor's speed control.

[@azdevnull]

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.

[@Rapidnadion]

@666crazytrain1 We'll try to keep up the videos!

[@brickerproductions]

@Rapidnadion :D I was tired and confused that day. I should really go to bed earlier.

[@burtthebeast4239]

Awesome

[@spurlicos]

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?

[@Yngol7]

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.

[@TheCommo81]

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.

[@Rapidnadion]

@MrDMTVProductionz They're a little rarer, yes. Thanks!

[@Rapidnadion]

@AlNuci @19Fubar71 @blancolirio Thanks very much, guys.

[@MrBob1423]

Thanks. Found it.

[@Rapidnadion]

@ciukcia989 Hopefully that'll come to pass! We've got about 7 videos to shoot in the next two weeks first. :)

[@nghonleong]

Excellent video and very informative! How did you make a watertight hatch for the servo and battery area?

[@Rapidnadion]

@sdhfyu It would be fun to do a static-diving sub someday, but there are no immediate plans.

[@ilovemyhonda250ex]

@Rapidnadion i moved from there last year i miss it so much :(

[@Callsigncowabunga]

Anyone else currently going on a nostalgia trip in 2023?

[@thirumalairaj4365]

I am Ur new subscriber Ur videos rocks very interesting to see what u do

[@kousand9917]

Same can't you believe this was built 7 years ago

[@jder06]

fantastic that was so cool, hey could you guy's possibly make the seaview too ?

[@ciukcia989]

@Rapidnadion i did see it. it would be awesome to see a video of you setting up those missiles. :)

[@wamplertube]

52,500! nice Build!

[@FL910]

I fucking love this channel

[@Rapidnadion]

@MrPlumpmaster Will check on that and get back to you.

[@modelman76]

I have never seen a model submarine go below the water that has been hand made