new at running high speed electrics

I might consider try raceing a high speed electric , I know next to nothing about electrics , I guess I would be interested in a complete ready to race boat package , I like cats , I don't want to assemble a boat , I am mostly a club racer , usually three rounds ,..... can the hobbico accu cycle elite charger be used to charge the high speed electrics power packs ?....any suggestions would be appreciated....thanks...bob

most racers have enough packs to run the 4 heats so they only change the pack. You can charge them back at home. There are a lot of different chargers out there, some for just 1 pack and the top end chargers will do 4 at once. It all depends on how much you are able to spend.

Brad

Bob, what you want is a RTR 4 cell electric cat that would fit into the 4 cell limited class called P-Ltd cat.

There are several models to choose from and all run decently right out of the box. Look for the Lucas Oil cat from Aquacraft, Miss Gieco from Proboat and there are probably others. A good place to search this topic is over on the Offshore electric forums.

what is your opinion of the aeromarine mean machine cat ?

Bob,

Lots of questions here.

First looking at your Accucycle elite it is only good for 1-3S lipo's so unless your only running 2 2S packs in series (4S) its not going to support a race boat. Yes you could buy 8 2S packs but a pain even charging them the day before for a 4 heat race. I usually have two battery setups per boat and figure to charge between heats.

https://www.offshoreelectrics.com/proddetail.php?prod=ker-10685

What I look for in a charger is AC/DC or DC with a power supply for home use. DC is under your car hood if the race site doesn't have AC or no friends with generators. Dual or quad is better and capable of 10 amps for quicker charging is desirable. Most AC will only have 5-6 amps output max which is ok but takes 30-45 minutes to recharge most of the time. I don't like to push batteries above 10 amps but 8 amps will reduce time that you may need to keep up on race day. Especially if you run more than one class. Also DC input above 16V is something I like. At the end of the day you may have 4S packs fully charged and nice to be able to use them for TX or other batteries that need charging while bringing your full 4S packs down to storage levels.

Now for boats: The RTR's previously suggested are good. You are stuck with their electronics and driveline hardware so buy quality even if it costs a bit more. If you want to select your own motor and ESC plus hardware the Aeromarine MM2 is a quality hull and not hard to rig a motor mount, strut and rudder. I can't say which is the best cat out there but my MM2 set the current IMPBA 1/3rd 2 lap oval P record so I might not be impartial. That was with a 1512 Castle and backing down to a 36X61 motor it handles very well. We see 45 plus mph with a spec motor and powering up it gets into the low 60's

Many opinions on what may work for you so read them all and make your choices.

Mic

Mean Machines are very good running hulls for the 4 cell classes, so long as you are comfortable rigging one.

Will you be racing this hull or just for fun club events? This will make a difference in your selection.

I will be racing and will be racing against b hydros electric and glow , I'm a club racer and we can mix glo and electric , I need a rig that is dependable , very fast , great handleing in rough water , and well built .....we usually race three rounds , some times four.....I do most of my racing at the Elmira ny model boat club.....your suggestions are appreciated ...bob

Ok Bob,

So you want something with a little more gusto to have fun. The mean machine would be excellent choice or an electric mono if you like mono's.

General numbers to go by.

Motor: you want between 1800 and 2200KV with motor length between 50mm and 75mm.

ESC: You want a marine rated ESC with a minimum 150A or higher. Most of us run a 180A or 240A ESC.

Lipos: You want a total of 10,000mAh which usually means 2 batteries connected in parallel. So two 4S 5000mAh packs connected in parallel (4S2P) yield 4S, 10,000mAh.

Cable: .150 is a bare minimum, but I would recommend .187.

Props: Just about any 21 mono prop is a good place to start like a X440/3, X645, X442, X445, M645. You want low lift as a general rule.

As for a power system I would recommend:

Motor: TP 4060-1950kv motor here: http://www.tppowerusa.com/motors/in-stock/TP-40-Series-Instock/tp-4060-1950-kv

Alt motor: OSE Raider 3660-1850kv https://www.offshoreelectrics.com/products.php?cat=Neu+%2F+OSE+Raider+Motors

ESC: Hobby Wing Seaking T-180: https://www.offshoreelectrics.com/products.php?cat=Hobbywing+Seaking+Brushless+ESC%27s

Alt ESC: OSE spec motor: https://www.offshoreelectrics.com/products.php?cat=OSE+Raider+Esc%27s

4S lipo's from TP Power 70C, 5000mah (You need two for a total of 10,000mAh): https://www.roaringtopusa.com/70c-5000-mah-4s-is-70c-5000-4s

Alt lipos from Hobbyking: Turnigy Graphene 65C 5000mah (again you need two packs per run) https://hobbyking.com/en_us/graphene-5000mah-4s-65c-w-xt90.html?___store=en_us

Run .187 cable and try an X440/3 to start with. You'll see 45MPH speeds and decent 3 min run times or enough to run 6 laps plus 1 or 2 mill laps.

If you want a mono, the Delta Force Cyberstorm 33 is a very good choice and also available from OSE. https://www.offshoreelectrics.com/proddetail.php?prod=df-Storm

tyler , great information , lots to think about , I,m also considering what charger to use , like I said before I prefere to charge the power packs at home before racing , would want to charge both packs at the same time , I like the idea of buying six packs one pair for each round , I don,t want to be charging during races ......I prefere a charger that is easy to use and do a good charge....bob

Bob,

I can recommend either the Junsi iChargers or the Hyperion chargers. Both are fairly easy to use after you learn the settings and correct procedures. These are more expensive than the HobbyKing chargers, but I trust them.

Equally important as the charger is the power supply. Many people use retired server power supplies. Several people are selling them on IW and OSE or eBay. You can use either 12V, 24V or 48V, but I recommend a decent 800W-1500W 24V supply.

My personal favorite chargers are the Junsi iCharger Duo's like this one: http://www.progressiverc.com/icharger-406duo.html They are dual channel and show both batteries stats simultaneously.

The other popular charger is the Hyperion Duo, https://www.offshoreelectrics.com/proddetail.php?prod=emp-EOS720DUO. Very similar features.

Both of those are high end chargers. The ISDT chargers are becoming popular, however I know nothing about them. Hobbyking does sell some 4 port chargers like this https://hobbyking.com/en_us/turnigy-4x6s-lithium-polymer-battery-pack-charger.html?___store=en_us . I tend to shy away from 4 ports are two batteries at once is enough to manage safely.

If you do charger you batteries at home and bring them to the lake, be sure to pack them in a lipo bag and better yet place that lipo bag in a small steel toolbox. you will want to have some way of charging the cells at the lake in case you drain them too low. a 12V car battery and any of the mentioned chargers above can handle that.

If those chargers are too much, I can look into others for you.

Tyler

tyler , I like the idea of a charger that can be used at home and a 12 volt field battery , I,m still interested in charging my batteries at home before racing , will the batteries hold a full charge overnight till the next day ??? thanks....bob

LiPo's are fine to charge the night before but if you don't end up using them you should put them back in storage mode. Revolectrix has some great chargers as well.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Bob,

Yes, you can charge the batteries the night before and they may lose a very little, but not much. It's more important to warm them gently before using them in the boat. Setting them out in the sun and warming them above 80F is recommended. Also check their voltage after a race. If they are below 3.5V, allow them to cool down and charge them to something between 3.7-3.85V/cell. Most chargers have a storage setting that will charge them halfway and balance.

Don't buy one of the AC/DC chargers that are an all in one. Buy an AC to DC power supply and a DC charger. The AC chargers have too low of a charge current output.

Tyler

tyler , thanks for the info , like ihave said before my main goal is to put a high speed electric boat package together that can stay with or even beat nitro 20 size hydros ....I prefere a cat ....I like the aero marine war machine ....need suggestions for what motor , electronic throttle ,batteries , to use...any other suggestions are welcomed ....bob

Bob,

A good 20 hydro is going to be hard to beat with anything other than a hydro. If you want to run competitively with hydro's, I would recommend a 4 cell hydro like the Raptor's or Keps hydro's.

The power system for a cat to be competitive in a hydro class is double what a good hydro will need. You can get away with a very minimal power system for a P hydro, ie smaller motor and only one battery not two compared to the cat.

I run a Raptor P-hydro in the limited class with the Aquacraft motor, a Castle aircraft controller converted to water cooling and a single 4S 5000mAh battery. It runs in the 60's i believe and is easy to drive. With an unlimited motor and the same controller and battery, the hydro will go mid 70's although it is handfull to drive.

So, are you sure you want a cat?

Tyler

tyler , thanks for the info , so far most of the people I race against do not run riggers , I would be racing with cats and tunnels and one fast mono , with local club racing some times we mix different hulls , so I think I will go with a cat , if you could recommend a motor , speed controller , and battery package best suited for a cat it would be appreciated ,,,,bob

Bob,

There is a Mean Machine for sale on OSE with hardware.https://forums.offshoreelectrics.com/showthread.php?57887-Aeromarine-Mean-Machine-with-Hardware-(New)

For a Mean Machine go with this combo:

Motor: TP 4050/1950kV. http://www.tppowerusa.com/motors/in-stock/TP-40-Series-Instock/tp-4050-1950-kv $109, make sure to add the cooing jacket.

Speed Control: https://www.offshoreelectrics.com/products.php?cat=OSE+Raider+Esc%27s $69.99

Batteries: https://hobbyking.com/en_us/graphene-5000mah-4s-45c-w-xt90.html?___store=en_us $70/each

These batteries are a little on the expensive side, but represent the best value for performance. I would buy 4, so you can run one pair and charge the other pair.

Alternate batteries: https://hobbyking.com/en_us/turnigy-heavy-duty-5000mah-4s-60c-lipo-pack-w-5-5mm-connectors.html?___store=en_us $47/each

These are a cheaper option, but are out of stock.

Tyler

tyler , thanks for helping , I,m trying to register with offshore ....not easy....bob

It should be no worse than IW or Jim's. Let me know if you hit a snag.

You do not need to be a forum member to order from the store.

TG

Great info Tyler!

I love my iCharger! Easy to use and very powerful.