LeeCraft/Geraghty FE Tunnel Conversion

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Darin Jordan

Well-Known Member
Joined
Mar 11, 2005
Messages
1,821
I'm trying to work off some projects I've had around for awhile so I can get my new VS1 converted, and be ready to go for next season, and this one is the next on the list. I figured with the knowledge and history around here, you guys might be interested in watching this one.

This one is a LeeCraft/Geraghty tunnel that was built by Tommy Lee himself, I'm told, just before he lost his eyesight to diabetes. Rod Geraghty has talked to me about this one and said that it's one of very few and "contains a lot of tricks". I'm not sure what all those are, or what that even means, but it's unlike any tunnel I've seen, even a Lynx... It's suppose to be a fast one, so we're making it into an FE and we'll find out. Rod did tell me that I'd be a "fool" (his language was a little more descriptive... ;) ) to put this on the water without first making drawings and template of the whole package to record it's design. I'll be doing that the best I can as well...

I'll set it up initially with an AQ motor setup and run it in our P-Spec OPC class, but I may try this one as an all-out P-OPC boat, perhaps with a Neu 1515 1Y. We'll see how it goes... The nice thing about this particular hull is that there is a TON of room inside, so fitting up to 4S2P in there wouldn't be a problem. We'll see if that's necessary.

At this point, I've trimmed out the inside to make room for the gear, and I'm in the process of relocating the transom to locate the motor properely... I needed to do this to make sure the pivot point stayed right were it was when using this lower unit combo. The lower unit is a Lawless converted to use an OS-Max steering yolk and mount assembly.

I'll post more as I make progress...
 
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Interesting boat, I wonder if that was one of the good designs they came up with. I like how you adapted the OS mount to the lawless leg.

Larry
 
Rod chime in here tell us a story!! This boat looks to be built specfically for electric power??

joe
 
Rod chime in here tell us a story!! This boat looks to be built specfically for electric power??joe
No, No, No... this was a pure Nitro boat, owned prior to me by Charlie Howarth. It came all setup for Nitro, minus the power head.

I have done a lot of work not shown in the pics to remove the "guts" from under the cowl area (tank mounts, originally servo trays, etc.), and have been re-working the transom to allow the use of my modified Lawless FE unit...

So far, most of the FE conversions we've done have been very successful... We'll see if this one is as well... It's hard to know how a hull will react to the additional weight of the FE setup...

Here are some pics of the original setup...
 
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That is a sweet looking boat, can't believe you killed it!! Just kidding. What speeds will an sv 27 setup give you? Comparable to a 21? Lookin' good.

joe
 
Rod chime in here tell us a story!! This boat looks to be built specfically for electric power??joe
This boat was the last R&D boat that Tommy built.......The boat was built for the 3.5 mod. tunnel class........

The boat was a bullet and best of all it handled rougher than normal race water and did absolutely nothing stupid.

I never saw the boat run but Tommy had told me this was the best 3.5 mod. boat he had ever built.This would have been the plug for the next LeeCraft

to come out of his shop in Cullman Alabama.

Tommy called me one night and said his eyes had bled internally from the diabeties and he was selling everything and getting out.

I was talking to Charlie Howarth later that night and mentioned to him I had talked to Tommy and the boat was for sale.Charlie jumped on the boat like flies on manure.

[Charlie had just moved to Seattle at the time he bought the boat and was racing District 8 NAMBA]

I built a custom special Picco P-5 marine outboard for the boat and Charlie was the class of the field with the boat before he wrecked it.The repair on the left

sponson you can see was from that wreck.

Charlie wasn't comfortable doing the repair himself so I put him in contact with Russ Nachtweih in Seattle and Russ effectively put the boat back together.

Russ is one hell of a builder and the repair is bulletproof.

After the repair Charlie had some difficulty getting a set-up back on the boat.

If I recall correctly the boat went back to Tommy for a bottom blueprint adjustment and Tommy returned the boat with set-up instructions and,shazam the boat was back to its original form.........

Charlie had an opportunity to move to Salt Lake City,where there is no RC boat racing so Charlie started liquidating his stable of RC boat racing equipment.

Darin bought the boat from Charlie and as I recall he got a killer deal on the boat.The boat is going to work great as a FE boat.
 
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Hey Gang,

I'm finally back to working on my tunnel. Made some progress! Got the steering system all mounted and rigged. Also got the new transom installed and sealed up the main cowling area with a sub-transom. I added carbon fiber sheet to the bottom inside to give a nice flat areas to mount the batteries down to, and made a recessed rim around the entire radio box to support tops for the radio box. I still have to make those. Was thinking of using some thin G10 material, but also may just use some clear styrene or other type of plastic material.

I'll mix up some thin epoxy and go over anything on the new additions that needs to be sealed still, then it's basically down to some sanding an a little refinishing to have it up and running in style.
 
Hey Gang,
I'm finally back to working on my tunnel. Made some progress! Got the steering system all mounted and rigged. Also got the new transom installed and sealed up the main cowling area with a sub-transom. I added carbon fiber sheet to the bottom inside to give a nice flat areas to mount the batteries down to, and made a recessed rim around the entire radio box to support tops for the radio box. I still have to make those. Was thinking of using some thin G10 material, but also may just use some clear styrene or other type of plastic material.

I'll mix up some thin epoxy and go over anything on the new additions that needs to be sealed still, then it's basically down to some sanding an a little refinishing to have it up and running in style.
looks good darin... hey i sent you a p.m did you get it
 
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Hi all,

I'm new in this forum and, first, sorry for my language because I come from Italy and I speake a fanciful english (I self study, not in the school). I would like to know were come from the gold steering wheel, because I would like put in one like this in the radio box of my boat. Can you help me?

Thank you in advance and Best Regards, giovanni
 
Hi all,I'm new in this forum and, first, sorry for my language because I come from Italy and I speake a fanciful english (I self study, not in the school). I would like to know were come from the gold steering wheel, because I would like put in one like this in the radio box of my boat. Can you help me?

Thank you in advance and Best Regards, giovanni
hanger 9
 
Hi all,I'm new in this forum and, first, sorry for my language because I come from Italy and I speake a fanciful english (I self study, not in the school). I would like to know were come from the gold steering wheel, because I would like put in one like this in the radio box of my boat. Can you help me?

Thank you in advance and Best Regards, giovanni
hanger 9
Sorry, but i do not understand :( . Where I can buy this? it is model fitting (heli, car or other?)

Thank you, giovanni
 
Hi all,I'm new in this forum and, first, sorry for my language because I come from Italy and I speake a fanciful english (I self study, not in the school). I would like to know were come from the gold steering wheel, because I would like put in one like this in the radio box of my boat. Can you help me?

Thank you in advance and Best Regards, giovanni
hanger 9
Sorry, but i do not understand :( . Where I can buy this? it is model fitting (heli, car or other?)

Thank you, giovanni
go too greatplanes.com and look under servo horns
 
Sorry, but i do not understand :( . Where I can buy this? it is model fitting (heli, car or other?) Thank you, giovanni
Here is the part I used: http://www.horizonhobby.com/Products/Defau...?ProdID=HAN3515

I ground off the mounting horn on the back, drilled out the middle hole, and opened up the two holes on the outside so I could screw it down with 4-40 screws to the HiTec Servo horn you see in the picture. Was easier and cheaper than replacing the Hitech servo.
 
Sorry, but i do not understand :( . Where I can buy this? it is model fitting (heli, car or other?) Thank you, giovanni
Here is the part I used: http://www.horizonhobby.com/Products/Defau...?ProdID=HAN3515

I ground off the mounting horn on the back, drilled out the middle hole, and opened up the two holes on the outside so I could screw it down with 4-40 screws to the HiTec Servo horn you see in the picture. Was easier and cheaper than replacing the Hitech servo.
Thank you for the answers

Giovanni
 
Hey Guys... Got some paint on her finally... I hated to cover up the wood too much, but there was some previous damage that needed to be covered up, and I think it still will look great!

I am waiting for some graphics to get here, then I'll clearcoat, but this is the basic color scheme...

Just about ready for final assembly!
 
OK, it's down to just final assembly! Have to bolt on the lower unit, hook up the steering, and add the electronics...

Looking forward to some warmer weather so I can get this out there for some testing!
 
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