Dr. Jet
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Nov 18, 2007
- Messages
- 62
Our pond at Santee Lakes is FE friendly; but, as some of you know from "the Red Board", I complain a lot about the size of the pond. With a three-ton rock sticking out of the easterly third and four bridge piers running through the middle, it does not leave a whole lot of room for bigger, faster boats. Now that we have 2,000-watt N-2 boats, this pond seems even smaller than before. My LSH boat is able to negotiate the waters, but I sold my faster 24” H&M Viper P-Sport hydro (round cell) to SoCal Bill because of the size limitations.
So what are a few avid FE boaters and E-power pioneers to do? Dream up something that works in the space available of course! To that end, the Santee Lakes Old Boater's Society (hereinafter referred to as the SLOBS), came up with the answer: Santee Sport Scale Hydro (SSSH). I have taken our motto from the old days of flying Speed 400 pylon racers, and applied it to this new class of micro FE boats: Fast, Cheap, and Out of Control.
There are a number of micro hydro hulls available and a wide choice of motor/battery combinations. We developed a "spec" class, and an "unlimited" class. We are working on coming up with an easy course for offshore, and it will basically follow the hydro rules with a modified course that has a left turn in it somewhere. Both classes will be limited to 6 round cells or 2S LiPos. By the very nature of micros, the batteries will be small (cheap). The spec class will be using an amazingly cheap, 3000 rpm/V Chinese brushless outrunner motor/ESC combo, whereas the unlimited class can use any motor you care to stick in your hull. Plastic props will be required (cheap and easy to balance/rework). The goal is to create FE boating that is fast enough to keep things fun, really, REALLY, cheap so that anyone can afford to race, and out of the nasty rules arguments that seem to be plaguing the controlling sanctioning bodies (NAMBA and IMPBA).
Santee Sport Scale Hydro class will also have hull length restrictions of 400 mm. Unlimited classes will allow hulls of up to 450 mm and any motor. This will allow some of the bigger micro hulls such as the MHZ Miss Madison, and the Korean Delta Force Micro Hydro to have a class in which to race.
The Santee Spec motor and ESC is available on ebay for about $27.50. You can get one of Randy Naylor's Micro Hydros for $30. If you use a straight shaft and home-made rudder and turn fin, plus some bits and pieces everybody seems to have lying around (servo, Rx and such), it is entirely possible to have a boat on the water for under $100.
I am working on another new idea that might take "cheap" to a new low. I have scaled Jay Turner's "Electric Pool Racer" to 400mm and I plan on powering it with the Spec motor. The Pool Racer is an all foam (mostly), single-stepped, straight-shaft hydro that might work well in SSSH. There are some issues getting the prop to fit under the transom as Jay designed it so I will need to build a prototype or two to finalize the design. I have access to a CNC router, and I may make a dozen or so "short kits" for the SLOBS once everything is worked out. Using stuff lying around the shop (servo, Rx, bits of brass and wood, glue, paint, and some little batteries), it is possible to have a racer on the water for around $50 or so.
Another advantage of small boats is the ease of transport and storage. I have two MHZ Geckos in a single gun case. The same case fits the "Big" 17.25-inch MHZ Miss Madison hull, and virtually any 400 mm hull on the market. An MHZ Micro Shovelnose just showed up at my doorstep today, and it now resides in a gun case as well. There is not much work required to get this little gem ready to race, and it should be on the water soon.
In the gallery are some photos of my really, REALLY, cheap racers, and just plain cheap racers in various stages of completion.
As it stands today, the tentative rules for SSSH are as follows:
1. 400 mm maximum hull length.
2. The hull must vaguely resemble a "real" boat (no outriggers).
3. 3000 Kv "Spec" outrunner motor.
4. Plastic props required (can be modified/trimmed).
5. 6 round cells or 2S LiPos.
6. 4-minute heats.
7. Hydro course will be defined by two buoys spaced to fit the pond.
The preliminary rules for Santee Sport Scale Hydro-Unlimited (SSSHU) are as follows:
1. 450 mm maximum hull length.
2. The hull must vaguely resemble a "real" boat (no outriggers).
3. Any motor.
4. Plastic props required (can be modified/trimmed).
5. 6 round cells or 2S LiPos.
6. 4-minute heats.
7. Hydro course will be defined by two buoys spaced to fit the pond.
So what are a few avid FE boaters and E-power pioneers to do? Dream up something that works in the space available of course! To that end, the Santee Lakes Old Boater's Society (hereinafter referred to as the SLOBS), came up with the answer: Santee Sport Scale Hydro (SSSH). I have taken our motto from the old days of flying Speed 400 pylon racers, and applied it to this new class of micro FE boats: Fast, Cheap, and Out of Control.
There are a number of micro hydro hulls available and a wide choice of motor/battery combinations. We developed a "spec" class, and an "unlimited" class. We are working on coming up with an easy course for offshore, and it will basically follow the hydro rules with a modified course that has a left turn in it somewhere. Both classes will be limited to 6 round cells or 2S LiPos. By the very nature of micros, the batteries will be small (cheap). The spec class will be using an amazingly cheap, 3000 rpm/V Chinese brushless outrunner motor/ESC combo, whereas the unlimited class can use any motor you care to stick in your hull. Plastic props will be required (cheap and easy to balance/rework). The goal is to create FE boating that is fast enough to keep things fun, really, REALLY, cheap so that anyone can afford to race, and out of the nasty rules arguments that seem to be plaguing the controlling sanctioning bodies (NAMBA and IMPBA).
Santee Sport Scale Hydro class will also have hull length restrictions of 400 mm. Unlimited classes will allow hulls of up to 450 mm and any motor. This will allow some of the bigger micro hulls such as the MHZ Miss Madison, and the Korean Delta Force Micro Hydro to have a class in which to race.
The Santee Spec motor and ESC is available on ebay for about $27.50. You can get one of Randy Naylor's Micro Hydros for $30. If you use a straight shaft and home-made rudder and turn fin, plus some bits and pieces everybody seems to have lying around (servo, Rx and such), it is entirely possible to have a boat on the water for under $100.
I am working on another new idea that might take "cheap" to a new low. I have scaled Jay Turner's "Electric Pool Racer" to 400mm and I plan on powering it with the Spec motor. The Pool Racer is an all foam (mostly), single-stepped, straight-shaft hydro that might work well in SSSH. There are some issues getting the prop to fit under the transom as Jay designed it so I will need to build a prototype or two to finalize the design. I have access to a CNC router, and I may make a dozen or so "short kits" for the SLOBS once everything is worked out. Using stuff lying around the shop (servo, Rx, bits of brass and wood, glue, paint, and some little batteries), it is possible to have a racer on the water for around $50 or so.
Another advantage of small boats is the ease of transport and storage. I have two MHZ Geckos in a single gun case. The same case fits the "Big" 17.25-inch MHZ Miss Madison hull, and virtually any 400 mm hull on the market. An MHZ Micro Shovelnose just showed up at my doorstep today, and it now resides in a gun case as well. There is not much work required to get this little gem ready to race, and it should be on the water soon.
In the gallery are some photos of my really, REALLY, cheap racers, and just plain cheap racers in various stages of completion.
As it stands today, the tentative rules for SSSH are as follows:
1. 400 mm maximum hull length.
2. The hull must vaguely resemble a "real" boat (no outriggers).
3. 3000 Kv "Spec" outrunner motor.
4. Plastic props required (can be modified/trimmed).
5. 6 round cells or 2S LiPos.
6. 4-minute heats.
7. Hydro course will be defined by two buoys spaced to fit the pond.
The preliminary rules for Santee Sport Scale Hydro-Unlimited (SSSHU) are as follows:
1. 450 mm maximum hull length.
2. The hull must vaguely resemble a "real" boat (no outriggers).
3. Any motor.
4. Plastic props required (can be modified/trimmed).
5. 6 round cells or 2S LiPos.
6. 4-minute heats.
7. Hydro course will be defined by two buoys spaced to fit the pond.
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