Frequently Asked Questions

With head end deploy, the main chute will be contained in the nose cone and the coupler will slide into the base of the nose cone but remain removable and separate when the main is deployed. The drogue chute will go into the main body tube on the other side of the coupler and deploy at apogee.

Start by putting the coupler into the nose cone as far as it will go without forcing it (about 1.5" on a 5:1 nose cone and about 2" on a VK nose cone). Back out the coupler between 1/16 and 1/8" to ensure the coupler will not get stuck in the nose cone. This is where the switch band will be epoxied. The switch band will prevent the coupler from going into the nose cone too far where it can get stuck and not deploy the main. Important: use the main body tube on the other side of the switch band to ensure it is aligned with the body tube as the nose cone may not go on to the coupler far enough to get a solid alignment. The nose cone should sit on the switch band to keep it aligned in case there is a slight wobble in the cone.

Because the coupler does not seat very far into the nose cone, it is important to use shear pins to keep the nose cone in place and properly aligned during flight. We recommend 3 or 4 nylon 2-56 screws even spaced around the base of the nose cone. These screws have a break strength of about 35 lbs each so make sure your ejection charge will provide enough force to break these shear pins when you deploy the main

Sometimes our slotter undersizes the slot. We try to make the slots to fit the thinest stock we have because we figure you can make the slot wider but not narrower.

The best way I have found to open the slots is a thin file or a folded sandpaper in the slot and it will open up pretty fast. 150-220 is the best grit for this job - the finer grits actually take it down faster than the course.

Click here to download our exploded view drawing.

Most of our kits have RockSim files and can be found in the description of the kit on our website.  If you don't find one, email us, we may have one that is close you can use.  Important: please keep in mind that most of our RockSim files may not exactly represent our kits - please verify the lengths and weights match what you are building before using the sim file.

Cardboard kits are really limited by airspeed, not motor size.  When you sim your rocket, check the maximum airspeed.  A good rule of thumb is; cardboard kits can usually fly up to Mach 0.85 before they have structural failure.  Of course this depends on how you build it and other environmental factors like wind shear, etc.  If you are in doubt, you can wrap the airframe in 1 or 2 layers of fiberglass.

It really depends on airspeed - see the FAQ about "how big a motor can I put in my cardboard kit".  Most 29mm Level 1 motors will be fine in a 2.6" cardboard kit.  It is a good idea to sim your rocket to make sure you are not exceeding Mach 0.85.

Fiberglass tubes usually have a wall thickness of 0.063 for sizes 4" diameter and smaller.  Thin-Wall fiberglass tubes have a wall thickness of 0.040 which makes them significantly lighter.  Our 38mm and 2.6" fiberglass kits are all thin-wall fiberglass.

We have aquired the Rocketry Warehouse product portfolio including their line of color fiberglass kits, color tubing and extensive color filament wound nose cone line. If you have an order that you made prior to May 1st, 2016 with Rocketry Warehouse, you need to continue to deal directly with them. They have commited to fulfill and support all orders made prior to this date - they will not taking any new orders after this date. You can contact them directly at rocketrywarehouse@prolinecomposites.com or (814) 270-6770.

Reference lists for correct fit of motor retainer to motor mount tube

Examples of fit to motor tube by supplier and type:

24L = Apogee, Estes & Madcow paper

24L2 = AeroTech & LOC/Precision paper

24P = Performance Rocketry Fiberglass

29L = Apogee, LOC/Precision and Madcow paper

29L2 = AeroTech paper

29L3 = Madcow fiberglass, Performance Rocketry and Wildman "Thin-Wall" fiberglass

29P = Blue Tube, PML and GLR phenolic, Hawk Mt and Performance Rocketry fiberglass

38L = Apogee and LOC/Precision paper

38L2 = Wildman "Thin-Wall" fiberglass

38P = Blue Tube, Madcow paper, PML and GLR phenolic, Hawk Mt, Performance Rocketry and Madcow fiberglass

54L = LOC/Precision and Madcow paper

54L2 = Wildman "Thin-Wall" fiberglass

54P = Blue Tube, PML and GLR phenolic, Hawk Mt, Madcow fiberglass and Performance Rocketry fiberglass

75L = LOC/Precision “Heavy-Wall” paper

75P = Blue Tube, PML and GLR phenolic, Hawk Mt and Performance Rocketry fiberglass

Fit for other brands of motor tubes not listed above: (dimensions equal outside diameter of motor tube)

24L = 0.976”

24L2 = 1.000”

24P = 1.045”

29L = 1.215”

29L2 = 1.225”

29L3 = 1.255"

29P = 1.270”

38L = 1.630”

38L2 = 1.602"

38P = 1.650”

54L2 = 2.242"

54L = 2.265”

54P = 2.278”

75L = 3.180”

75P = 3.125”