First Time Brushless FE??

[_laxmasta2039]

hi all you elec guys,

i need some advise concerning a first-time fast electric boat. one of my cousins is interested in getting a boat, and due to noise regulations FE would be better than nitro. what we're looking for is something low-maintenance [brushless right?], relatively cheap, around 450$, good for sport running [so no hydros, im sure he'll want good turning both ways] and pretty resilient.

im thinkin' maybe a Bandit El Lobo with brushless motor and Fuller hardware? would that be in the right price range? [remember, this is including a radio setup!] how do BBY scat cats handle with brushless power/speed? my only experience with FE has been 6-cell, stock motor type stuff. i can probably help him install everything the first time, but after that he's gonna be on his own....

any advice or comments would be appreciated.

Joe

 

[LOU]

Hey Joe, 450 and brushless don't really go together. Not above 8 cells for sure. If you stay with the smaller cell count boats your limited to calm water, low wind conditions. If you want to handle the chop and wind you want to look at a 12 cell boat, probley Deep Vee. a bigger cat may be a good substitute but I havn't run a cat yet. If your cousin is a first time boater he may want to look at a RTR set up. Traxxas will be delivering the new Villain EX soon, might be worth a look. 450 would get him everything he needs even some kick gass ;D cells.

Not to try and slam this forum, its great and I like to follow some of the nitro threads, but 90% of the FE nuts reside over on RRR http://www.rumrunnerracing.com/feforums/index.php?s=

If you want to get some good solid advice on FE, its a good place to start.

Good luck

LOU

 

[_laxmasta2039]

LOU,

thanks for the advice!

after doing a little snooping around and after talkin to my cuz for a bit, we've pretty much decided on a Bandit El Lobo 2 or BBY scat cat [used if possible], 2 6 cell packs [6 running at a time], a Mega 6-cell brushless motor, and fuller's hardware [used if possible]. and for starters, probably a futaba attack radio to save $$. im not sure about ESCs though.....is there any place that sells brushless "setups" [motor/esc combo] for less than the price of the motor, connections, and ESC? tower is the cheapest place to buy batteries, right? ive never been a fan of RTR's, they always seem cheaply made to me....could just be a stupid bias, but id like to stick with a hull and components that i know are high-quality.

rumrunner's good, but i registered a long time ago and cant get back on, ive tried emailing don [or donnie?], several times and havent got a reply.

Joe

 

[Andrewg]

Rather than brushless you may want to try a 700 setup

5+ minute runtime, no maintenance and extremely reliable

I push the less expensive brushless heavily but IMO the 700 is the best entry class - it is easy to setup and make run well

None of the standard megas are great on 6 cells - you may be better trying an Aveox 36/15/1.5

Andrew Gilchrist

www.fastelectrics.com

 

[rcrdps]

Good thing I had to take a second to log in. I was about to post your link, Andrew.

laxmasta...... Three things. Two of them not boating relevant....

#1 You need to remove that chick. I'm falling in love. 8)

#2 I just started having problems with rumrunner today. I posted like twice, then got locked out somehow. I don't think my posts were offensive, and I emailed them yesterday about an issue with my profile and haven't gotten a response. I also sent them an email today about getting locked out. We'll see. :'(

#3 The scat cat is a fun hull. I had one. I never ran it on six cells though. That's what it's meant for, but a lot of people like it with 12 and the 700 like Andrew suggested. I ran it with a Mega S series(serious overkill). Ran it with 12, 18, and 24 cells. The 24 were cp1700s, and I ended up sending half of them to the bottom of the lake in a hard flip. It was fun though. I loved the boat before I broke it. Also, try doing a search for Dan Chase and the Scat cat on rumrunner. I think it was him that set a record with it.

 

[_laxmasta2039]

thanks guys!

andrew....5+ on 12 cells? howabout 6?

rcrdps.....ya, thats a picture of my aunt! jk, denise richards [have ya ever seen Wild Things??]

we've pretty much narrowed it down ta Terry Davis's UFO, or the Scat Cat.....isn't the smallest Scat Cat meant for 6 cells? thats what i ran it with..... :

if we scrap the brushless idea, could a 12 cell 700, cheap Futaba radio, and fuller's HW setup be done for 500? with enough spare batts for a good day at the pond, that is? what kinda MPH does that setup produce? not ta start the whole elec vs. nitro thing up, but a 35-40 mph mono and a 40-50 mph cat could be done for that price with dirty smelly nitro.

Joe

 

[rcrdps]

Yes, it is meant to run on 6 cells,....but ask who's doing it that way

I don't think you'll see those speeds on a speed 700. Usually they're around 30mph depending on how you set it up. They're popular because they're cheap and give long run times. If you want nitro speeds, the run times are going to be low.

Scat Cat Race basic kit: $140

Radio: ~$60

12 cells: ~$80

Mega Motor: ~$150

speed control: $90

Total $520

That of course doesn't include a charger, but the cost for nitro doesn't usually include starter, glow starter, etc. I built my .21 nitro for about 5-600 dollars. Then I put on a $300 outboard. One thing to remember when comparing prices is you don't have to buy the batteries for every run. So subtract 30bucks every outing or two. That setup should get you nitro speeds. It's the same setup I had at first. On average, 6 cells will get you say .12 speeds, 12 cells = .21 speeds. That of course depends on setup.

Oh, yeah, I did figure that was Denise. Wasn't sure, but was sure she was catching my attention.

Gene

 

[_laxmasta2039]

thanks gene....

we've pretty much decided on a Key West from Terry Davis with his newer version cowl, complete 6-cell setup [converted to 12-cell later!! ]. any advice or feedback on that setup?

thanks,

Joe

 

[rcrdps]

Scat Cat, KeyWest...... just about the same thing as far as I'm concerned. People do the same thing with them. In ways, I think the KeyWest looks cooler. In other ways, I'd prefer the Scat Cat.

Does the KeyWest still come with the lip on the bottom(trailing edge)? If so, you'll want to remove that.

I'm actually kinda going in the other extreme now. I used to put so many cells in my boats they'd barely float......sometimes didn't. In my latest boat I'm only running 4 cells. They can still be fast that way. I bet with only those six cells and a really hot motor you could push the .21 nitro speeds. Not for long though. That's why everyone does the 12 cell/700 thing.....good runtime, decent speed.

Also, with lower cell counts you can actually afford to get the best cells.

Gene

 

[Propjockey]

Well, since I can't add anything to the electric part of this thread...I'll add this.

Propjockey Racing..................(speechless)...........