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View Full Version : Mini V review and questions!!



JRockZ
08-18-2011, 12:35 PM
Wow doesnt look like much action here in the mirco forums anymore,,Anyhow i just got myself a mini v, Im going to ask a few questions towards the end but also give a little review as i go,,,,
Firstly let me say about a year ago i purchased an Aquacraft Mini Thunder and i was WAY more impressed with it over the Mini V but i wanted a V hull this time and i got an ok deal on it at the LHS.

First thing i noticed with the mini v was when i opened the package and finally found the battery and charger hiding under some super glued cardboard i was rather dissappointed with the quality of the charger, My guess is it was inexpensivly added to this RTR kit after Aquacraft came out with thier mini boats so that they had a more even compettion. secondly since this was a spur of the moment purchase and i did not research this boat before buying it, i also was not happy that this boat has NO water cooling added to it.

Upon my first inspection of the hull i noticed the glue/sealant between the deck and hull was an aged yellowish color and a slight squeeze on the hull made it crackle and seprate. When i first opened the hatch the front seemed to be stuck so i gave it a tug and heard a crack as the cover came off and i saw the little PVC plastic tounge that holds the hatch on at the front bounce loose inside of the hull, great broken twice now before even running it. all this was in the car at the hobby shop as i wanted to make sure everything was there since the box looked like it had been opened sevral times. I also noticed at this time that the hull did not have a drain plug that i know i had seen on the Mini C, not a big deal BUT this boat needs one bad!!

When i got it home i plugged in the charger and started charging the battery, i figured well its going to be 2 hrs to charge the battery so i will just tear into it and paint it really quick. I masked off the areas i didnt want to paint and got out my 400 grit sand paper and scuffed it down real good, grabbed a tack cloth and wiped it free of dust and shot a neon yellow onto it, it came out pretty nice i think.
I let the boat dry for a good 30-40 mins or more before brought it in and applied the decals. The Decals are pretty nice and applied easily but were not sticky enough, ive had to heat a few areas up and re-stick them back down sevral times now.

So im about 2.5 hrs into messing with this boat and i figured the battery should have enough of a charge i can take er out for a wizz in the pool. This thing runs great for a mini but the Aquacraft mini thunder would smoke this thing speed wise,,, im not to concerned with the speed but of course the faster it is the cooler it is to other people and i would like to tease a few friends that i might be able to talk into also getting an R/C boat.
OK so i ran the boat for about 3-4 mins and then brought it in to check temps, not to bad the battery was pretty hot but the motor seemed ok and the ESC was cool to the touch,,, however i still want to water cool this boat which i will ask for some info on after i finish my ramblings. So when i tilted the bow up and looked to see how much water i had taken on the inside, this thing was flooded majorly!! i poured out what water i could and finished my run. I have since run the boat 5 or 6 more times and so far not a lick of problem other than water inside,, im off to pick up some sealant today that i can seal up around the deck and hull with, should be an easy fix.

QUESTIONS
#1. what i would like to ask you more experienced guys is when you turn at WOT or at higher speeds with this little boat it whips around and cuts a 180, sometimes with only the bow in the water still,,, i hate this!! so do i add trim tabs or do i ad turn fins to help reduce this? or both??

#2. I PM-ed Damfurst since i saw on his Mini V jet conversion that he has added water cooling, where can i get the cooling tubes that wrap around the motor for a 380? Should i just bend some copper tubing and make my own or can i buy these somewhere?? i did a few searches and turned up nothing!!

#3 What i plan to do to "mildly" hop up my mini v is adding the Electrifly T-400 380 brushed motor (already ordered), of course what i already asked about i want to add water cooling and i would also like to replace the driveshaft and or prop shaft so that i can add a replaceable prop, maybe go up a step on the prop for a little more speed? i think i read the octura X431 or 432 is a good choice? however that was listed in/for a brushless conversion i would like to stay brushed and retain the stock electronics .
Any help would be appreciated TIA
JRockZ

679alex
08-18-2011, 04:52 PM
Look there:
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/m_5521619/mpage_1/key_/tm.htm
And there for the Jet Drive you talked:
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/m_6275803/anchors_6277675/mpage_1/key_/anchor/tm.htm#6277675

Alot Info about everything.

1.
For the 180˚ Turn problem you can remove some "sensibility" whit the big trim beside the antena it can help alot ^^

2.
I seen in Rc universe some guy using this as water cooling:
http://www.horizonhobby.com/Products/Default.aspx?ProdID=TRA1575
Me im using a home made water pickup and outlet and im using small or medium water tubing and i "twisted" it 2 turn around the motor .. Between the mount and foam flotaison.
It work good enought so i can use my Old 9.6 Ni-Cd pack i had whitout being slowed by the temp of the Motor.

3.
For this stuff you beter going brushless.
Up to your choice =3
But if ur bored of these crappy U-Joint you can get this :
http://www.offshoreelectrics.com/proddetail.php?prod=oct-oc098L-24c
I dont know if you need the "Right" or "Left" spinning i got stock shaft.
Prop: Octura x430 ?


Im running mine Stock exept my home made water cooling and sometime using my 9.6V.
I dont really know much in Rc boat but i can help a little bit :)
Sorry for my bad english.

JRockZ
08-19-2011, 12:39 AM
Thanks for your reply Alex, I will wait till a few others chime in.
JRockZ

679alex
08-19-2011, 09:09 PM
For the Brushed motor i think a Graupner speed 480 motor fit right in the boat and maybe a novak esc might help.