TopSpeed 2 FE Conversion - First Race Video and Report

[Darin Jordan]

Well... the Puget Sound Fast Electric Model Boat Club (PSFEMBC) held it's second annual Todd Wilkens Memorial Race this past Saturday, and we debuted the TopSpeed 2 OPC tunnel FE conversions for the first time.

Stock TopSpeed 2 hulls with modified radio boxes for FE.
REK Lower units
Stock SV27 Motors and ESCs
4S1P Lipos

So here's my summary of how these things worked... AWESOME!!

The video link below is for the first heat on the water... We had each ran a couple of practice and tuning laps, but this is the first time we put them in the water to race, so we were all getting used to driving them, getting steering dialed in, etc...

My had a full-bladed ABC 42x55, I think Brian was running a Prather 220, and John had an X642... Amazing that with that range of props, they still ran this close... but they did, and they did for the next two heats as well...

The boats handle GREAT for these speeds... I GPS'd mine after the second head and got 33.6 MPH... so I think about mid-30s once they are dialed in is about right...

We ran 10-laps for the first two heats, but decided to cut it back to 8 because we were pulling about 3400mah out of the packs, which was approaching the 80% capacity mark for the packs we could fit into the hulls... 8-laps was about 1-mile... Battery temps were approaching 140-degrees... With some setup and dialing in, that may come down some, but as you can see from the video, they are already running pretty well...

Brian tested an AMMO 2300KV motor and the boat GPS's at 41mph... However, the handling was not that great... Since these hulls were designed for the stock 3.5cc motors and about mid-30s... That may just be the way they are..... Brian tried a TON of changes, all having negligable effect...

As a result, we've decided at this point that we will push for this class to run with the SV27 power system for the time being... We think that it will be much less frustrating for those new to tunnels to make this system work and the racing did NOT suffer from the slower speed... It was FUN, and I can't wait to get six of these out there at the same time...

Looking forward to getting these out there again!

Here is the video for the first heat: PSFEMBC TopSpeed 2 Tunnels - First Race - Heat 1 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lFMDRlUT7mg)

[Eodman]

Pretty neat Darin ---- maybe after project I'm working on now & I get your friends boat I'll have to look into one of those! But not right away!

[SJFE]

That looked like some fun racing man. Nice pass:buttrock:. What was the total cost of that build packs included?

[Eodman]

A racing question for you!

As my son & I sink deeper into this pit of self enjoyment know as R/C racing when we are first learning is it better to chose an outside lane to learn on!

The reason I ask this question is I know the amount of money we spend on these toys & if I wreck mine so be it! How ever if I wreck one of yours I'm going to feel pretty bad! So my thought process is that if I'm on the outside to start I'm less likely to break your boat going into that first corner!!!

Or am I all wet?????

[Darin Jordan]

What was the total cost of that build packs included?

Hmmmm... Cost....

$90.00 for the hull - Pretty much complete and ready to bolt motor too.
$90.00 for the REK Lower
$110.00 for the SV27 motor and ESC
$167.00 will buy you a 4S1P pack from CheapBatteryPacks.com (Elite 4800s, 25C)

The REK comes with a mount, but you'll want to upgrade to at least the Dubro 3.5cc mount... $17.95. I opted for the "Hi-Jack 3.5" from Captain Vic (over on International Waters), which was $50.00 shipped, but is SUPER trick!!

Then add water jacket, cooling plates (I made my own), BIG steering servo (Hitec 645 or equivalent, minimum of 100oz torque...), and miscelaneous hardare... The hull kit comes with almost everything you need for the steering, servo mounting, etc... You won't BELIEVE what comes in one of these boxes for $90.00! VERY complete!

It's likely the least expensive boat I've ever built that is capable of doing over 30mph...

I'm going to be adding an LVC to mine, due to the battery draw for the 8-laps we ran and the SV27 ESC...

The hardest part of building one of these is building a suitable radio box to house the batteries, etc., and that's not tough at all...

[SJFE]

Thanks Darin. It's nice to know up front what it costs getting onto a boat.

[Rex R]

from what little I've seen, if you chose a middle lane, and(this is the Biggie) don't 'jink' back and forth(stay in your own lane) most of the 'experienced' racers will simply go around your boat. sometimes they will mention to the less experienced racers that they are coming up on your boat. it is in their best interest to do a 'clean' pass.

[Doozie870]

Very cool vid thanks for sharing. Are these hulls legal for any other classes, maybe an inboard setup of some kind? Thats a lot of boat for the money!

[Doozie870]

Ive been wondering since I saw this at mhz, it appears to have started life as an outboard hull.

2230

[SJFE]

Iv'e seen that setup on German boats before. They use a mock motor cover. I wonder how much better it handles it @ all.

[properchopper]

Awesome, Darin. Once again I can sense you & your clubs underlying attempt to make racing accessable to more of us rookie & financially challenged racers. I applaud this. [I'm sooo tapped out trying to build a competetive P-boat & stay abreast with the current builds , as well as being frustrated at learning to drive/control at the speeds the bigger hulls are now capable of ]. Let's keep the Fun [instead of Frustration] in Fast Electric ! Yeah !:smile:

[ice329]

I have saw enough.... I need one. I just got the hull its red (awsome), ordered the lower unit and a few other things I should need. Some of the coversion looks not to bad but some looks a little tough. Darin, you made it look easy. I am looking forward to this boat.

http://i110.photobucket.com/albums/n103/ice0329/IMG_0784.jpg

http://i110.photobucket.com/albums/n103/ice0329/IMG_0780.jpg

[DonVlcek]

Where can I pickup a TopSpeed 2… Tower Hobbies has the TS2 as discontinued…

[z400]

Looks like everyone had alot of fun!

[hemiblas]

Couple of quick questions? I am almost done with my conversion but need some additional info.

I need to buy a motor coupler. Can anyone recommend one for me on this site? I have a 5mm motor shaft. I also cant figure out how to get the shaft on if I do get one as once you put the motor there is no access to the screws.

Another question. I know everyone says to get the dubro mount. Is there anything wrong with using the stock mount? It came with plates to adjust the angle. Would there be any other reason not to use it?

I also need cooling hardware. I was thinking about the OSE cooling jacket but am not sure what additional hardware to get?

Thanks for the help everyone.

[Darin Jordan]

Another question. I know everyone says to get the dubro mount. Is there anything wrong with using the stock mount? It came with plates to adjust the angle. Would there be any other reason not to use it?



The installations I've seen using the stock mount, assuming we are talking about the REK lower, have issues with the steering arms hitting the transom. You need to space the motor back some to get sufficient rotation right and left...

Fullers Fast Electrics sells the couplers... I'm sure there are others...

Get the OSE water jacket, and then you'll just need to install a pickup on the lower... See pictures in some of the other threads on this topic...

[DonVlcek]

Which ESC would be better for the TS2 conversion...The Supervee 27 ESC or the ProBoat Blackjack 26 ESC...

[Ctonez]

they're similar enough it is really up to personal preference in my opinion...though I have not tried the BJ ESC. Specs look similar, and reports I have read say they are comparable.

[ETOWNE]

Darin, that was a good heat.Clean and manageable racing.Nice video.Nice class.