Which Motor?

[Neil]

Hello. New here. This is my 1st post.

I just bought an old R/C Boat Kit on ebay for 40 bucks. Anyway, I want to set this up with a really, really fast motor. Any suggestions?

This is the boat. It has a "3:1 reduction transmission":

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewI...3127130814&rd=1

I'm not too familiar with boats. Just planes and cars with past experience. I was looking at tower and figured a high RPM Trinity or other R/C car motor might do well. Like:

http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti00...p?&I=LE3371&P=1

Do you agree? The only "boat" engines I saw at tower are cheap 540s that don't appear to be very powerful.

Also, what ESC do you suggest?

Thanks for any input!!!

Neil

 

[dixondave]

It sounds like you bought a real pile of junk. Save yourself some time and money and buy a good proven fiberglass hull and some hardware like Fullers then you will have something.

 

[LOU]

Hey Neil, I would have to agree with Dave on this ;D but the good news is it's only forty bucks. If you want a real fast boat and you get hook on fast electric you'll spend at least 400 bucks and thats cheap. I tried to see the boat but theres no pic. This should have tipped you off to the performance you could expect. "designed for responsible realistic running." Responsible,, HA thats funny and not fun

LOU

 

[Neil]

This is the pic:

So what do you suggest then? Something from Tower Hobbies?

 

[Andrewg]

Neil get a pic - these things are often more fun to fix

 

[Propjockey]

Neil -- look something like this?

What are the dimensions?

 

[drobie]

If you want a real fast boat and you get hook on fast electric you'll spend at least 400 bucks and thats cheap.

I might have to disagree with the "400 bucks" thing. Depends on whether you are including batteries and chargers.

We run Graupner Electro Vees as a club boat. They can be set up RTR for between $200 and $300 dollars, depending how handy you are.

"Real fast" is a relative term. Yes, to go brushless and hit 40-50 mph speeds can be costly, but an EV running on a $35 700 BB motor looks pretty fast and they're a blast to race.

Here's the recipe:

EV hull: $25 from Hobby Lobby

Motor: Graupner 700 BB 8.4v, around $35 if you shop and depending on the market.

ESC: $90 from www.rc-hydos.com

Motor mount: Easily made but $10 bought

Hardware: around $100, but you can make a lot of the parts from aluminum stock if you have a band or scroll saw and do it for $50.

Prop: $15, or $25 balanced and sharpened.

Receiver: FM, $40

Steering servo: Hitec 225BB, $25

On 12 cells, this setup will do 30 or more in the straights and average about 25 mph around an oval. On the water RTR with everything bought but sans batteries for $300.

See some EV pics in the galleries at www.madisonrcboats.org and www.emyc.org.

Also for $300 you can get a Graupner Key West offshore Cat with everything you need except batteries from www.finedesignrc.com. A very fast setup and outstanding service and support from Chris Fine.

Chris also has a great EV setup article posted on his site.

 

[LOU]

Doug thats the perfect starter combo. Throw in 2 Fine Design 6Cell sportpacks and your at $400. I personally would Spend an extra 30 bucks and get the SS1 motor from Chris at the same time.

BUT if you want to go racing

now you need a good peak Charger, some spare props, another set of cells, a table to set up on, a charger battery, and a whole bunch of misc bits and peices. I dont like mouching from fellow racers if I don't have too. So add another $400 and you'll have fun.

LOU

 

[Neil]

I just looked at that web site: www.finedesignrc.com

It says they are in Middletown, NY. Middletown is 20 minutes from my office. Is this an actual store I could visit, or run out of a house?

Neil

 

[drobie]

10-4 Lou, but let's not scare 'em away before we get 'em hooked.

A good dealer starts with a beer (EV on a 700), moves on to pot (EV on an SS1 with matched cells) and then graduates his customers to crack or herion (brushless setups). ;D ;D ;D

(Hope my analogy didn't offend anyone. It was intended as humor.)

Me? I've sold my wife, house and dogs, been through a few treatment programs, and am still buying boats like there's no tomorrow.

Anyway, when Neil said he was into planes and cars, I assumed it was a good possibility he already had some equipment.

 

[LOU]

Hey Doug I here ya. It was Daves blunt and to the point "pile of junk" that set the tone for the thread. At first I thought, man thats not a nice way to put it but then I had to laugh cause its true

Neil your a lucky man. Im pretty sure its a store and Chris is the man to set you up just FINE. Let us know what you get.

LOU

 

[rcboatlover]

Wow the way that post started I thought I was on Jim's Dock Side! Neil it's your first post and you happen to meet Simon Cowel. But don't take it too hard, I almost bought that boat my self! I have a 45" scrab that looks just like yours. I thought it would be neat to have a smaller electric one. If I were you I would get the gear you need to finish it and go have some fun! If the boat does fall apart... you can take the electrics out and put them in a better hull the next time around.

 

[dixondave]

Don't do it! Like Simon I am brutally honest especially when it comes to FE. I also got a "deal" on ebay when I first started, in the end that deal cost me more money than I care to admit. Buy a good fiberglass hull designed for 12 to 18 cells a RC Hydro controller and a cheap 700 motor some Fullers hardware and you will never regret it.

Just my take,

David Alvarez

 

[rcboatlover]

Now that it's bought, what would be the harm in putting the electrics in the one he has? I understand your point about buying the right stuff the first time, but if the money's spent why not use it? I'm not a big fan of plastic hulls myself, but it could be a good starting point for somebody. I would recoment that he buys a good charger, radio, etc. so they can be used over and over regardless of the boat type. Just my 2 cents!

 

[eddieh]

Actually RC BoatLover has a good Point, That boat is roughly the same length as an evee, (26 1/2 ") 8 inch beam, it also has some great details,if you wanted to go that route, yes it is an old school boat, came out about the same time as the evee. 1988 or so but it was one of the better ones, the bits that came with it were very decent, for sport running, you could drop in a 700 , and 12 cells, and it would be ok, I believe the hull is abs, the funky thing is the straight shaft, submerged drive, switch to a homemade surface drive or buy one from ken, ray, terry, chris whomever. but as ya got it run it, the guys have valid points it's not a racer, but as your just starting out, even a crackerbox can be a blast, my 2 cents, cheers eddie

 

[Randy Naylor]

Hear Hear, ABS iis Iss not that bad I have won several National Championships with ABS boats. and what am I? chopped liver?

this is ABS

 

[LOU]

I love ABS. 14 years and still floating. 10 years in storage :'(

LOU

The other stuffs good to ;D

 

[K.R.Joye]

Man that transom looks like an advertisement for the movie HOLES! ;D

BTW, I just installed one my MACH 5 Cat outdrives into a friends Bitt originally equipped with a wabbley old post style rudder and strut brkt setup. C/A'd styrene sheet over the old holes. It went from 8 (leaking) holes in the transom to one 1/8 x 3/4" rectangular slot for my thru-mount setup. Looks like new!

Mach 5 Racing Hardware

http://www.mmeu.com/joye/mach.htm

 

[crowebar]

Hear Hear, ABS iis Iss not that bad I have won several National Championships with ABS boats. and what am I? chopped liver?

this is ABS

Chopped liver, no, more like meat loaf!

 

[dixondave]

I am not saying that ABS is not fast it is just that all my ABS boats end up sitting on the shelf all cracked up after hitting something floating in the pond. It really sucks to spend all that time testing and adjusting to get your boat running just the way you want and then hit a floating stick at 30mph, boom :'(

David Alvarez