Newbie in need of advice

[fuzzchucker]

I'm a newbie to RC boating so you'll have to excuse me if I don't get the lingo right.

I'm from South Africa and I fly RC gliders for a hobby but have just laid my hands on a brand new, never run, K&B 11cc outboard. Even though I've never been into RC boats, or nitro engines for that matter, I just couldn't let it go for the price the guy was asking (+- $80 if you convert from our local currency).

What size / type boat can I stick on the front of this beast. I have a fibreglass hull (shallow vee I think is the right term) that's been lying in mothballs for a couple of years, 1metre in length and 350mm wide. It seems structurally sound but needs a little TLC. Will this do for starters? It looks kinda dwarfed by the motor.

Alternatively I can build a new hull from scratch. I like the looks of the tunnel hulls and hydros. Having built a couple of gliders already I sorta know my way around the materials like ply, balsa, foam and fibreglass. So complexity of construction shouldn't be a problem. Are there any worthwhile downloadable plans on the internet somewhere?

Are there any South Africans on this forum that can direct me to a local club for hands on advise?

Cheers,

Izak

 

[[email protected]]

Well, your probably right about the boat being dwarfed by that engine. Best performance would come from a tunnel for obvious reasons. A cat or a mono would also be sufficient. I'd suggest not going less than 33 inches in length, even that is short but at that length you can balance things out with weights. ebay has a variety of cheap priced hulls to go with your motor.

 

[fuzzchucker]

Thanks Big Daddy. Probably showing my ignorance here but are you saying that at 33 inches a tunnel hull is more stable than the mono at 1metre (39 inches)?

Buying something on EBay is a bit problematic for me. Shipping charges to South Africa is a killer :angry: It would have to be homebuilt or local 2nd hand for me. The only new boats available locally at hobby shops are small electrics and one or two sailboats I've seen.

I found some plans for a tunnel hull on the main pages which I suppose one can scale up slightly. I won't give up on my quest to find a local club though. Flying RC gliders has taught me that the fastest way to learn is hands on advise and assistance from like minded fellows.

Cheers,

Izak

 

[_laxmasta2039]

if you're not too picky about top speed and perfect handling, you could try buying plans to one of jay turner's cats [xs and xl, i think like 15 bucks at rcboatmodeler.com] and doubling the size. i built the xs cat and it was simple but still pretty competetive-looking, unfortunately i didnt use foam inside the sponsons and mine warped

Joe

 

[bsmtboy2]

Fuzz i think there is a organization in S. Africa called SAMBA the South African Model boater association. Go to google and they have a website on the net but i don't remember what is is. Hope this helps

 

[fuzzchucker]

Thanks bsmtboy2. Found their website (www.sampba.co.za) which seems way outdated but got some contact details and directions to a club not far from home I'll try and visit them this weekend.

Joe, thanks for the link to the rcboatmodeler plans. Will check it out.

 

[HendricX]

I think a "better" site for SA is ;

Gary Baldwin's site