- Joined
- Apr 1, 2002
- Messages
- 4,069
Although I'm retired and do have a considerable amount of "expendable time," this Stay Home-Stay Safe-The Park Where You Test Your Boats Is Closed" added even more "expendable time." So, like probably many other "IWers" I moved a project off the storage shelf and onto work table. About 7 or 8 years ago I build a 30" WOF tunnel for Hobart that I could run B Sport Tunnel, remove the O.S. and bolt a NR 21 to the O.S. lower unit, attach a different cowling that had additional weight in the nose, and race Open Tunnel. I managed to finish a couple of heats in B Sport. However, racing against 45 and 67 powered tunnels was very challenging. I think it was in Round 3 of Open Tunnel that the boat flipped on the backstretch, ended up 90 degrees to the race course, and was run over by Brian Schemick. In Brian's defense, the boat was impossible to see out on the backstretch. Brian is a doctor and I think he could have done surgery with the turn fin on his 45 tunnel. Inspecting the damage reveled a clean slice through the middle of the right side of the boat. Rather than attempt a race day repair, I put the boat on its stand.
A long time model boating friend, Kipp McKay, relocated last year from Eugene to Fremont. He gave me his electric outboard since he had burned up a charger and actually had a small fire in his garage shop. The WOF tunnel has an open center section so a radio/battery box fits easily into that area. Bolt the electric OB(2030 kv/4S) to the transom, hook up the steering linkages and the lead wires from the ESC, and it's RTR. The restrictions to using parks was removed today and I got in a quick test before the wind chopped up the water. The boat is at least as fast, maybe faster, than the nitro version. Voltage X kv = a whole lot more RPMs than the O.S. 21 can turn. Being able to plug in the battery to the ESC, tape the radio box hatch, attach the cowling, put the boat in the water, and give it some throttle is sure easier than the nitro version. And it's quiet.
JD
A long time model boating friend, Kipp McKay, relocated last year from Eugene to Fremont. He gave me his electric outboard since he had burned up a charger and actually had a small fire in his garage shop. The WOF tunnel has an open center section so a radio/battery box fits easily into that area. Bolt the electric OB(2030 kv/4S) to the transom, hook up the steering linkages and the lead wires from the ESC, and it's RTR. The restrictions to using parks was removed today and I got in a quick test before the wind chopped up the water. The boat is at least as fast, maybe faster, than the nitro version. Voltage X kv = a whole lot more RPMs than the O.S. 21 can turn. Being able to plug in the battery to the ESC, tape the radio box hatch, attach the cowling, put the boat in the water, and give it some throttle is sure easier than the nitro version. And it's quiet.
JD
