Blackjack 26 question

[OtisHelmke]

Afternoon all,

I just picked up a Blackjack 26 in a trade. My intent was to have an electric to just bash around with but naturally I started wondering about racing it. Is there a class in IMPBA that I can race this boat in stock form? I don't feel like re building the whole thing and if there is a class where I can charge it up and run it then I'll enter it somewhere. If not or if it is so utterly slow as to be just in the way then I can leave it at home. I haven't run it yet but plan to do so over the weekend. Anyway, it is what it is, any constructive comment is appreciated. Thanks.

Rick H.

 

[TimothyJones]

RTR or Novice Class. You can check the IMPBA website. I believe you can do some mods on it.

Tim

 

[Ben G.]

You may also be able to run the BJ26 in the P-Catamaran class (4s). They seem to handle rough water OK. Depending on the club, you may also be able to participate in combined classes. Just be sure to ask the local club what speeds the guys are running in that particular class. Typical stable speeds for this hull, without modifications, is 40-45mph.

If you were going to do any upgrades, the best place to start is to replace the strut and the steerable outdrive. I do not know if these changes would take you out of the RTR/novice class. If you do a Google search for BJ26 with the search term "inline hardware", you will find a lot of information. It is important to note that the stock hardware also suffers from a shimmy at higher speeds. On the stock motor, a Prather 215 is good. If the motor doesn't get too hot, a Prather 220 is a good choice as well, but on the 220, you will be asking a lot of the driveline with that universal pivot point in front of the strut. With a stationary strut employed and a separate rudder, speeds can be in the 50s and still remain stable. Much more than that, it will take a lot of driving skill to keep the boat from rolling over in the turns.

As a final thought, I remember users removing the battery trays to allow the lipos to sit lower in the boat. This can help a lot with the inherent torque roll from a model with such a high center of gravity. Hopefully this is helpful. If you don't find what you are looking for, be sure to post back here and I'm sure many of us can point you in the direction of good information.