AquaCraft Wildcat Off-Shore Catamaran Brushless 2.4GHz

[Diesel6401]

Found this on tower today, looks like the AQ mini wildcat is getting a brushless 2.4gha upgrade.

http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LNBNVP&P=G

[Stinger9D9]

It looks bigger than the mini. I think it may be along the lines of the Rio EP. Around that size at least.

Great Planes Marine (Hobbico's boat division before Aquacraft) made a couple other versions of a boat called the "Wildcat" back in the 90's too, so this (and the mini) are a continuation of the name:

http://www.greatplanes.com/discontinued/gpmb1001.html

Should be a good entry level boat...as long as some joker doesn't try to run it on 6S the second time out to the pond because they got bored.

[Diesel6401]

Along the size of the Rio would be nice. Nothing blazingly fast, just stable reliable and fun... yea there always someone that wants to slap 6s in everything... smh

Sent from my T-Mobile G2 using Tapatalk

[tunnelvision]

Looks like a fun little boat. Looks ABS though...hmm. Where's Grim? I want some more info!!

[Grimracer]

Stinger9d9..

NAILED IT.. its all about getting new people excited about RC boats.. IF you are a POWER HUNGRY MARINE MONSTER!.... this boat aint for you!

I must say however.. its not all that slow!

Grim

[Stinger9D9]

I'm really liking these cats coming out of Aquacraft. I almost can't believe they can put out a boat with a brushless motor, a lipo capable ESC and a 2.4ghz radio for this price (about $200 with the Tower discount available from time to time). Also, remember, this boat will be backed up by great service from Hobby Services if something does go wrong - try to get service like that when buying a cheap boat from HK!

As far as an ABS hull goes, it shouldn't be a problem. ABS hulls can put up with a fair amount of speed as my brushless AQ Hammer has proven over the last couple years. Nice and light too!

[Diesel6401]

It's on aquacraft's website http://aquacraftmodels.com/boats/aqub1810-wildcat/index.html.

[Brushless55]

looks kinda cool and a decent price to!

[LordNegaDuck]

other then the twin rudder it looks like the motley crew hull
http://i433.photobucket.com/albums/qq58/articphantom/motley.jpg

i may get it if i can get the motley crew decals for it

[Stinger9D9]

It's 3 inches shorter and almost 1 1/2 inches narrower than the MC. Chances are at least some of the the decals (if you could get them - not likely) wouldn't fit properly.

[SweetZ28]

Is this faster than the mini mono?

THANKS
Z.......


Stinger9d9..

NAILED IT.. its all about getting new people excited about RC boats.. IF you are a POWER HUNGRY MARINE MONSTER!.... this boat aint for you!

I must say however.. its not all that slow!

Grim

[shannon87]

i wonder if any one has brought one of these

[roadrashracing]

2.4 radio system 1800 kv motor 50 amp speed control, all for $225 wow.

[shannon87]

yer its a good deal i wonder if you could race with this maybe with a bit of glass reinforcement

[POWERS]

Just picked one of these up for the wifey (and ill drive it too of course) I don't have a Rio to compare it too. But it is along the size of the ProBoat Impulse 26 I got for my dad. Will maiden her tonight. See how she stacks up against the Impulse which I converted to Brushless.

So when will this get its own section here?

[POWERS]

Got to test out the wildcat ep out last night, and this morning I was back at my LHS returning it and picking up an Impulse 26.

To say the quality was bad is an understatement. Hobbyking would have been embarrassed to sale the electronics inside of it. After 2-3 minutes of running the motor was extremely hot, the hull was full of water thanks to a leaky hose. Half the outdated looking stickers on the outside where pealing off. The dual rudder set-up was touchy at best, any attempt to turn at speed was met with complete 180. The only points it gets is for going in a straight line, it would straight up scoot, until it got too full of water.

In general the look and feel was just not up to par with what I've gotten from ProBoat models. It's almost as if as an after thought they glued plastic sheeting on the ride pads, which in theory is a good idea, however their execution was half assed and hideous. I should have gone with my gut when comparing it to the impulse 26 at the LHS, but figured a cat would make a decently stable learning platform for the wifey to play with, like a smaller version of my miss geico.

This was my first Aquacraft purchase, and probably my last, is this type of quality typical? Or was I just lucky?

[Brushless55]

Got to test out the wildcat ep out last night, and this morning I was back at my LHS returning it and picking up an Impulse 26.

To say the quality was bad is an understatement. Hobbyking would have been embarrassed to sale the electronics inside of it. After 2-3 minutes of running the motor was extremely hot, the hull was full of water thanks to a leaky hose. Half the outdated looking stickers on the outside where pealing off. The dual rudder set-up was touchy at best, any attempt to turn at speed was met with complete 180. The only points it gets is for going in a straight line, it would straight up scoot, until it got too full of water.

In general the look and feel was just not up to par with what I've gotten from ProBoat models. It's almost as if as an after thought they glued plastic sheeting on the ride pads, which in theory is a good idea, however their execution was half assed and hideous. I should have gone with my gut when comparing it to the impulse 26 at the LHS, but figured a cat would make a decently stable learning platform for the wifey to play with, like a smaller version of my miss geico.

This was my first Aquacraft purchase, and probably my last, is this type of quality typical? Or was I just lucky?

sounds like you should check over the boat and for a fact check any boat out before running it in the water.. and that goes for all users of FE boats
having a leak can be common as these are mass produced and can have a leak.. something you as the user should always check first..
and use EPA on the rudder... you won't have the 180 spin outs when you set up the rudder correctly in the radio
and the comment of a extremely hot motor?? temps bro, not just "I think its hot?" outrunners can take more heat than inrunners...

AQ made a low price point Cat to get new people into the hobby for a few hundred bucks
I would never buy from HK before AQ.. AQ has amazing service and back up there products 100%

and again this is not a $350+ boat
only about $190 through Tower with a coupon

[POWERS]

sounds like you should check over the boat and for a fact check any boat out before running it in the water.. and that goes for all users of FE boats
having a leak can be common as these are mass produced and can have a leak.. something you as the user should always check first..
and use EPA on the rudder... you won't have the 180 spin outs when you set up the rudder correctly in the radio
and the comment of a extremely hot motor?? temps bro, not just "I think its hot?" outrunners can take more heat than inrunners...

AQ made a low price point Cat to get new people into the hobby for a few hundred bucks
I would never buy from HK before AQ.. AQ has amazing service and back up there products 100%

and again this is not a $350+ boat
only about $190 through Tower with a coupon

Lets do a little thinking here brushless55. In one sentence you say I should have checked out the boat before I ran it, then you say this boat is a low price point Cat to get new people into the sport.... you really think newbies are gonna pressure test the cooling lines? And of course your going to invoke the old "these are mass produced and mistakes happen argument" way to dig deep and come up with something original. The truth is the hoses AQ used where laughable in quality.

As far as the boats control issues, let me clarify, this is not my first rodeo. I experimented, as much has one can with the stock radio, to get control in line. It either gave me little to no steering or it would become a "drift machine".

I apologize if my lack of use of my temp gun on my entry level cheap boat offended you (I'm sure all the newbies out there will share that info with you when they buy this as their first boat), but it doesn't take a genius to know that if the motor burns my finger tip...its too hot. I run 4s in the impulse brushless all day long and it comes back barely warm to the touch.

Next up lets analyze the "this is not a $350 boat" . Wow thanks for clearing that up for me, I just thought I got a great discount when I bought it for $210 at my LHS. In truth this isn't even a $210 boat id say $99 at toys 'r us clearance rack is the realm this thing lives in.

In the end you really need to relax bro. I wasn't bashing AQ in general. Just my first experience with their product, which they should be ashamed of. I did ask for input into other products they produce, which if you look at Billy Barnacles response you will see a great response in defense of AQ not just the whining bitchiness which you so graciously provided me with.

I'm sorry if my piss poor experience with an AQ product causes you loss of sleep, or heartache. It is what it is.

[Brushless55]

Man the Trolls are thick! :blink:
some just have to bash on a good company.. AQ makes great items!
and some have not a clue as to a real review...
what a :censored: joke! :frusty:

[BLACKJACK_101]

I have a AQ Wildcat EP, a AQ Rio EP and a PB Impulse 26, my obsevations: Aqucraft really need to improve the water cooling system on the motor mount of the Wildcat EP, more aluminium to aluminium contact rather than the two small round tubes.

PB have the benefit of the inner sealed "tupperware" lid which the WC and RIO does not, this inner lid is a great idea and keeps 99% of water out, even so I think taping up the outer hatch is a must; inner lid or not, you have to assume the boat is going to flip and the inner lid could become displaced during a flip.

I have found every mass produced FE boat I own needs checking over before I hit the water, you can not trust the assembly line people in the factory to get every hull right.

These entry level plastic boats are what they are and for a serious FE boater I think modications are necessary, the sloppy rudder pivots on the Rio EP and the WC really need addressing by AQ as does the motor cooling on the WC.

I find the WC and Rio EP run great with no water leaks as long as the hatch's are taped up, I have had to modify the WC motor mount to improve cooling.

Generally I find all three boats out of the box are great fun, but with a bit of modification they are better still, the Impulse 26 does seem to have the edge on hull quality and hardware over the AQ models but even so the motor was misaligned on the Impulse and the stub shaft was too tight a fit in the drive line.

I think AQ need to play catchup with PB on these entry level plastic boats and improve there quality, even so I will continue to purchase AQ products and do the necessary minor modications to give the result that I personally want.

[BLACKJACK_101]

Can we please not have another thread ruined by confrontational posts, I was hoping this thread would come online with Wildcat owners sharing there experiences with the model in a helpful way. Please calm down gents, there is nowhere to go with these kind of agressive posts, it does not help our hobby or the forum at all. Can posters please agree to disagree and call it a day.

Now down to business: I can't keep this outrunner motor in the Wildcat cool enough even with the water cooling modications I have done to the oringinal mount, I am now going to install a Leopard 2845 or Leopard 2860 inrunner 2100KV ish on 3s with a water jacket and HOR water cooled mount, I think it's a good idea but I could be wrong, what to you think.

[BLACKJACK_101]

I found the handling good but I had to turn down the travel on the rudder, my decals stayed on fine and with the hatch taped down and there was no water ingress at all. I did what you suggested, 8mm square aluminim bar with a 4mm drilled through the centre for the cooling tubes then bonded to the vertical and horizontal parts of the mount, but it still runs very hot, (too hot to touch).


...AquaCraft really need to improve the water cooling system on the motor mount of the Wildcat EP, more aluminum to aluminum contact rather than the two small round tubes...
That was my impression when I first saw pics of it. Couple things I thought of were to replace the round tubes with square ones (K&S Engineering) so there will be more surface contact between the cooling tube and the motor mount. Or enlarge a cooling coil like those found on 550 brushed motors and carefully sliding it onto the silver area of the motor.

...the sloppy rudder pivots on the Rio EP ...
Guess I got lucky, only issue I've had with my rudders is the break-away bolts came loose, couldn't get them tight because there made of plastic(tried loctite), so I replaced them with standard stainless hardware, problem solved.

...Generally I find all three boats out of the box are great fun, but with a bit of modification they are better still,...
AGREED!! – My biggest complaint about the Rio is the El Cheapo motor mount that prevents the motor from dissipating heat. I started with R/C trucks, so I tried doing things that work with them to make the Rio faster, including using the Trax Titan 12-turn motor with XL-5 ESC. I’ve fried several motors because of that lame ass mount.

Most Proboats use a CNC'ed aluminum mount that attaches to the front of the motor, so heat can dissipate properly - also makes upgrading to brushless FAR easier. It was those mounts that inspired me to replace the stock Rio EP mount with one that would attach to the front of the motor (see attached). It’s very strong & provides room for cooling coils. I modified the stock Rio coil to work with my BL motor.

My plans for the WC were to replace both the ESC (I don’t do LiPo’s) and the motor. I got this ESC… http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXZGW7&P=SM on the way. Motor would be a standard 540 size, so I could use the standard cooling coils / sleeves – thus neither of those items would have been an issue with me.

Regarding the WC… Do me a huge favor and share your experiences with it – skip the motor & ESC, as I said, those are non-issues for me. I’m interested to know if your experiences were similar to powers’ regarding handling, the decal issue, taking on water and so on.

I’m not trying to start a debate or pit you against him. It’s just that different people see things differently, and of course there’s the manufacturing variables you pointed out.

Thanks,
Regards

[POWERS]

Powers,
IGNORE brushless55 - this forum is full of "experts" like him. When I posted negative comments about a bad experience I had with a PB product - nit picking bashers like him came out of the woodwork and jumped my a$$ the same way he did you. Be grateful that only one person jumped you.

They told me I had no business being involved in R/C boats, I should take up underwater basket weaving (with a link to a website explaining it), the list goes on and on. BUT, when I finished my AQ Rio EP BL upgrade and posted a thread about it, NOBODY said ANYTHING!! Nothing, nodda, what’s that tell you??

God forbid if we should say something positive about a project somebody put a lot of time & effort into. Who cares if it’s a plastic entry level boat, that’s not the point. And if Rio’s are such a “worthless entry level plastic boat”, than how come so many people on this forum have upgraded them to brushless?? Check the “AquaCraft Rio EP Offshore Superboat Q & A” section. Again, what’s that tell you?? Hypocrisy is a good word.

BTW: like the WC you tried, a lot of water does get inside the hull, at least with mine it does. If I tape it, then I'll have to peel off a foot of tape everytime I change batteries; gee, that sounds like fun.

Currently in the process of rebuilding the Rio – replaced the Tacon 2700Kv motor with a HW 3000Kv + Seaking 60-amp ESC. Had to fabricate a platform for the ESC to sit on, in the process of putting the finishing touches on it, then will epoxy it to the hull, ESC will attach to it with Velcro.

Also had to make a wiring harness to connect the motor to the ESC. ESC has 4mm female bullets, motor has 3.5mm males, finally received the multicolor heatshrink I needed in the mail today so I can finish that part.

I started in R/C trucks - had a DuraTrax Evader EXT2 - sold it and got a Trax Stampede which I have hopped up & blinged to the hilt (including a 3900Kv HW BL motor + 70-amp ESC) - now at $555. Added a Bandit last fall, didn't care for it, so I turned it into a hybrid Rustler using mostly RPM parts + Proline Dirt Hawgs on Desperado wheels. Added the Tacon BL motor I initially used in my Rio with a HobbyWing BL car ESC, so obviously I know what I'm doing.

Ignore the nit picking bashers, their bored idiots, your review was spot on and I for one, thank you for it.

Regards,

It's all good Billy, I'm not that worried about Brushless55's contrived attempt at intelligence. From his reply about trolls one can conjure up a pretty good image of the guy behind the avatar of car he will never own, and in truth you kinda have to laugh at people like that. There will always be an over abundance of online know it alls, just something you have to learn to live with and from time to time address them as such and clarify issues for those seeking true experiences and reviews and not just useless dribble from the bottom dwelling (insert company name here) ball swingers.

I am glad my short review of the WC helped you out. Contrary to brushless55s short sited ramblings it was not a review of AQ as a whole, simply an experience with one of their products. In the end I'm happy I returned it and picked up the PB Impulse 26, the wifey got a couple good runs in with it last night in stock form (with no issues) now it's time to paint it pink and throw a brushes system in it.

[Diesel6401]

Any and all 1st run/batch boats (and other rcs for that matter) have issues. I personally like to order the first batchs and try to figure out what is the issue and if their is one how to quickly fix. The Ul1, MG, MC all had numerous issues in the first versions I think we are at like the version 4 on the UL1 already. The MC and MG also had issues that keep the boats grounded, it's nothing against PB or AQ theses things just happen in the production versions. The prototype MC and the production MC had a few major differences.

When it comes to taping a boat, their is NO sub for that. It sucks but needs to done. Take the time and do these small things and it will save you a headache in the end, its the nature of the beast and pretty much all experiened boaters will tell you that!

Any mass produced rc product (land, air or sea) should be looked over with a fine tooth comb prior to operation. That something that you will figure out with experience. A new person to rc wouldn't know that, but like I said with experience they will.

As far as the poster about his brushless Rio, I personally don't believe it was anything against you or I think its because boat has brushlessed converted many times and the Rio section has kinda died off with all the new products on the market. I don't think anyone was personally trying to ignore you though, just maybe nothing to really add to. Just my 2 pennies. happy boating and happy easter everyone!

[rc2266]

Wow

[BLACKJACK_101]

...I am now going to install a Leopard 2845 or Leopard 2860 inrunner 2100KV ish on 3s with a water jacket and HOR water cooled mount, I think it's a good idea but I could be wrong, what to you think...
Hey Blackjack how about one of these… http://www.leopardhobby.com/product/product_veiws.asp?id=1368&functionID=01020807 - the 2600Kv model with a HW Seaking 60a ESC?? – On 3S you should get about 28860 RPM’s.

For a motor mount, go here… http://kintecracing.com/Motor_Mounts.html and scroll down a ways, he's got a couple of really nice water cooled aluminum “cat” mounts with fiberglass bases.

And here he has an awesome coupler… http://kintecracing.com/RIO_EP.html - I put one in my Rio when I went brushless, major improvement over the stock coupler, soooo much smoother.

Just some food for thought...



Hi Billy, thanks for info, I run these boats in the middle east (high ambient and high ocean temps) so water cooling is a must rather than just air cooling, the water cooled motor mount is the orange anodised 540 mount on the OSE webpage, I fabricate aluminium side plates for the mount to dissipate more heat, I have tried the coupler but I find the Octura single screw seems to work better for me, I try to keep these small plastic hull boats below 25,000RPM if I can for a more sedate uneventful drive; hence the 2100KV on 3S, as you say I run a Turnigy 60amp marine ESC, we race these plastic boats round a marked circuit in the sea (Arabian Gulf), I am looking forward to see how the Wildcat performs on an inrunner.

[BLACKJACK_101]

My Turnigy Marine 60A fits in to the mount perfectly, I believe the Turnigy 60A and Seaking 60A are the same dimensions, the width of slot in the mount is 17mm wide which can be easily opened up anyway (made of plastic), there is loads of room in the hull to mount the ESC wherever you want with whatever mount you want or just velcro the ESC to the flat bottomed hull or to the flat vertical sides of the hull.

The hole spacing on the aluminium motor mount is 19mm but this can be easily opened up to 25mm with a small round file or Dremmel.

[BLACKJACK_101]

My 60A marine ESC is the http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/__7360__Turnigy_Marine_60A_Brushless_Boat_ESC.html your HW ESC should fit in there no problem, My ESC mounting is plastic not wood, looks like they changed to plastic on the production boats.

I have the Turnigy 60A and 120A marine ESC's from Hobbyking as the web links, they are both identical in physical dimensions to each other.

[BLACKJACK_101]

Hi Billy, here's some pics of the ESC's and the mount, I think the Turnigy ESC,s are much the same design and size of your HW unit, both of these Turnigy marine ESC's fit in the mount like a glove, it's as though they were made for each other.

I am now swaying towards the new Turnigy DLUX series of ESC's with data logging onboard, I like the idea of the large heatsink and data logging without having to have the added hardware and associated wiring, these new Dlux ESC's have a large flat bottomed heatsink which is ideal for attaching a water cooled plate or attaching to a large aluminium heatsink, I think I am going to go for the 100A dlux unit for my WC which seems to be the same size as the 55A and 70A anyway, I know 100A is a bit over the top for the WC but they are the size anyway and the price seems very reasonable from Hobbyking, my reckoning is that at 100A the ESC should run pretty cool supplying my 50A Leopard inrunner motor even without water cooling, as I have said before I run these boats in very warm climes so motor and ESC temps are my top priority.

I have gone for a very large aluminium motor mount with flat sides so I can mount the DLUX ESC straight on to the motor mount probably with a water cooled plate between the ESC and the mount, not sure how this new DLUX ESC is going to perform in a marine environment though, and I am a bit concerned if the data logging will be reliable and accurate in such a small package.

I hope the images are of some help to you.7474174742747437474474745

[Brushless55]

I have a AQ Wildcat EP, a AQ Rio EP and a PB Impulse 26, my obsevations: Aqucraft really need to improve the water cooling system on the motor mount of the Wildcat EP, more aluminium to aluminium contact rather than the two small round tubes.

PB have the benefit of the inner sealed "tupperware" lid which the WC and RIO does not, this inner lid is a great idea and keeps 99% of water out, even so I think taping up the outer hatch is a must; inner lid or not, you have to assume the boat is going to flip and the inner lid could become displaced during a flip.

I have found every mass produced FE boat I own needs checking over before I hit the water, you can not trust the assembly line people in the factory to get every hull right.

These entry level plastic boats are what they are and for a serious FE boater I think modications are necessary, the sloppy rudder pivots on the Rio EP and the WC really need addressing by AQ as does the motor cooling on the WC.

I find the WC and Rio EP run great with no water leaks as long as the hatch's are taped up, I have had to modify the WC motor mount to improve cooling.

Generally I find all three boats out of the box are great fun, but with a bit of modification they are better still, the Impulse 26 does seem to have the edge on hull quality and hardware over the AQ models but even so the motor was misaligned on the Impulse and the stub shaft was too tight a fit in the drive line.

I think AQ need to play catchup with PB on these entry level plastic boats and improve there quality, even so I will continue to purchase AQ products and do the necessary minor modications to give the result that I personally want.

:iagree:
and great quick review

have you modded a Wildcat yet :smile:

and does anyone have any gps numbers on the stock setup
curious as to how fast this is out of the box :thumbup1:

[BLACKJACK_101]

The only mods I am doing is the Leopard 28 series inrunner and Turnigy ESC, I won't have the modded boat on the water for a couple of months yet, have never run the boat in stock form so can't help with stock performance.

[Brushless55]

so no gps on the stock setup yet..
maybe 30mph a good guess?
has anyone tried 4s on the stock motor with a different esc?

[Brushless55]

...has anyone tried 4s on the stock motor with a different esc?...
Brushless,
If people are having issues with the motor overheating on 3S, what do you think will happen on 4S?? :confused2:

I scanned page 3 of the manual and attached it, has all specs for both the stock motor & ESC. As you can see, the motor voltage is not listed, it just states 3-S LiPo which of course is 11.1 volts.

As I stated earlier, I'm going to run mine on 8.4v NiMH hump packs and see what happens. I'll update when I know more.

Regards,

use a better motor mount with proper cooling....
going up in volts and proping down could pull less amps with greater speeds

[Brushless55]

use a better motor mount with proper cooling....
going up in volts and proping down could pull less amps with greater speeds


This reply is a bit long because it’s a combination of answering questions and my review after her maiden run, it’s also going to be my final post to this thread. The weather suddenly turned picture perfect so I want to work on my Rio and go boating after a looonnnngggg winter.

Motor Mount…
I will agree that the factory motor mount is somewhat Micky Mouse, HOWEVER, with the cooling system mods I outlined above overheating will not be an issue. I took my boat for her maiden run yesterday, my motor stayed cool to the touch all day long. So at this point I can only say that I was able to accomplish the desired results, as such, I see no reason to change anything. Your results may vary, I’m happy with mine.

Good that the mod is working! :thumbup1:

Regarding Propping Down...
I already tried that with my Rio. Stock = 42mm x 1.4pitch (x442) FRP, same as the WC. I tried a x440 CNC'ed aluminum, speeds went down, I went back to the x442 for now. When I get her back in the water I'll do some experimenting and see what happens.


Keep something in mind, both the Rio & WC use a surface drive system so only 1/2 the prop is in the water at any one given time. Thus smaller props will degrade performance more often than improving it. Submerged systems are the ones that can benefit from smaller props.


Going down in prop size is not what this little boat needs.. going up to the next size could wake it up :rockon2:
when I said proping down that was with more volts to keep amps (heat) lower

Happy Boating everyone:smile:

...

[Diesel6401]

Keep something in mind, both the Rio & WC use a surface drive system so only 1/2 the prop is in the water at any one given time. Thus smaller props will degrade performance more often than improving it. Submerged systems are the ones that can benefit from smaller props.


I'm going to STRONGLY have to disagree with that whole statement and feel that reducing the prop size and increasing the voltage is a excellent point and may indeed drop the amp draw.

Given the specs of this hull, if I owned it I would without a doubt run a ammo 3650 2300kv and a y537/3 and a seaking 60, 90 or 120...jmho. Going up in prop size doesn't alway yield the best results and can introduce handing issues and prop walk issues.

[Diesel6401]

Just reducing the prop diameter and running the same voltage you would see a lose in speed, but let's say you run 3s and lower the diameter but increase the pitch like a x640 or prather s215, it should actually run faster then a x442! For your particular motor increasing the voltage and lowering the prop size isn't gonna help much because your unloaded rpms would be rather high on 4s. Just relying on increase prop size can get you in a lot of trouble for gaining speed though, you have experience with 1 hull and you didn't change anything else other then the diameter.

I would personally line/re-inforce the bottom and motor mount area regardless... that's just me, I don't trust brushless + plastic...

3650 size motor, absolutely! On 3s I could easily get higher 30s (mph) with a 42mm prop and on 4s easily upper 40s maybe even into the 50 with with a y537/3 or a prather 215 all while being around 50 or so amps!

I never said you or anyone was a moron.. Everyone just can learn something knew regardless of how long you've been doing this hobby. I'm not saying I know everything, and no I don't have this cat, but I've owned more cats then I can count even in this size. Just because 1 specific tip doesn't work for your 1 practicuar application doesn't yield the tip useless. Not sure if your getting pissed at me or everything I don't know, but I can easily pull outta this thread and leave ya be.. Like I said I don't know everything, but this ain't my first rodeo!

Did you tape the hull yet or still against it? If you haven't taped it AQ could give you 50 new hulls, it's still gonna leak...
Good tip with plastic hulls, their is typically a attachment seem between the top and bottom portion of the hulls, run rtv around that seem.

PS
Don't underestimate the 28 size motors, it would be wise to reinforce that hull if you plan on pushing it faster then stock! 23" mono with a Tacon 2860 2550kv and a y537/3.

IHq9h78pFEE

[tlandauer]

:cursing: I knew it was a mistake when I let go of the chance to buy the DF MINI SNIPER. Great video! The stock motor was an out-runner , same as the one in DF Vortex 16, right? Did you have to change motor mount when you changed to the Tacon?
Sorry guys, don't mean to change the topic here.

[Doby]

...and feel that reducing the prop size and increasing the voltage is a excellent point and may indeed drop the amp draw...
Your welcome to disagree all you want, however, the fact remains that I did reduce the prop size on my Rio from the stock x442 FRP to x440 CNC'ed aluminum prop (see attached pix) and the boat went slower not faster. I went back to the stock prop at dockside because I had both it and the tools needed. Motor was a Tacon 36-50-2700Kv – as such I am speaking from personal experience not theory, sorry.

Regarding prop changes to the WC... Well before I can worry about props and motors, I think AQ needs to send me a hull that doesn't fill the sponsons with 2-gallons of water every 30~60-seconds.

As far as motors go… Apparently your selective reading skills have kicked in again; read my review did I or did I not say the boat is fast?? Why yes I did!! AND, that was on 8.4v NiMH, just imagine how she would do on the 11.1v LiPo’s the boat was intended for. Other than the leaky hull issue, I am very happy with the WC just the way it is.

If you have a boat that is fast, than why do you feel the need to re-design it?? Something to keep in mind, the hull is made of plastic and the motor compartment area flexes quite a bit, whenever I turn the steering knob on the TX, the entire radio box moves back-in-forth, that’s how I discovered that the servo was moving around. BTW: this boat has a full size servo, not the micro size found in the Rio’s.

Bottom line is: if you want to put a 36-50-xxxx or 36-56-xxxx size motor in this hull you are going to HAVE TO line the motor compartment with fiberglass or carbon fiber – the latter is available from Kintec Racing. That probably has a lot to do with the reason blackjack chose to go with a 28mm size motor.

You wanna make this boat fast the easy way?? Then put one of these in it… http://www.hobbypartz.com/07e-c-sl-10t-2848-blue.html with a Seaking 60~90amp ESC. Both can use the factory mounts without any modifications.

I have the boat, you do not, until you do, please do not tell what to do with my boat!! I figured out how to solve the motor overheating issue, something nobody else on this forum was able to accomplish and I’m in the process of rebuilding my Rio BL to hopefully make her faster than she was with the Tacon motor, so obviously I am not a moron.

Yes, I have come a long way in the last 4~5 months for those of you who are still judging me by my December Proboat thread.

FYI: I retired a QC engineer (as did my father) with over 4 decades of soldering experience including certified SMT, and I was born a perfectionist. Not that any of you really care

Ok, time to work the Rio - and NO I WILL NOT be re-using the 35A Seaking ESC seen in the attached pic, not enough amperage for the HW motor I'm installing.

Arrogance beyond belief..

[Diesel6401]

:cursing: I knew it was a mistake when I let go of the chance to buy the DF MINI SNIPER. Great video! The stock motor was an out-runner , same as the one in DF Vortex 16, right? Did you have to change motor mount when you changed to the Tacon?
Sorry guys, don't mean to change the topic here.

Thanks.
I traded for the hull so it was used when I got it, no clue on what's stock and what's not. I do know for sure the servo was stock and was weak. Upgraded that to a exi mg servo from hobbypartz. I was running 4s. The video was taken after about 3 min of running. I'm sure it was over 50mph before I stuck the gps in it. I've since traded that hull to my buddy for a dx6i. Awesome running little mono though. I like that hull better then the h&m no step 1 I had which is similar size, running with a ul1 motor and a x440. Pretty sure ose sells a bare hull of this little guy. Sorry to continue off track also lol...

Sent from my T-Mobile G2 using Tapatalk 2

[Doby]

People have treating me like I a moron since I joined this forum (which is why I deleted all the threads I started), telling me things like... "I should take up under water basket weaving". I'm tired of being denigrated and decided to try and set the facts straight by making people aware of my background. Your response tells me you are suffering from an inferiority complex.

And since it bothers you so much, you can also add Microsoft Cerified Systems Engineer (MCSE), Microsoft Certified Professional (MCP) and CompTia A+ certified computer service tech to the above credentials.


You crack me up...

Let's see, the person who accuses someone of having an inferiority complex, yet has to list all his "credentials" to the world to make himself feel important...hmmm...who is the one with the actual inferiority complex?

I'm sure Miscosoft teaches all the fundamentals of FE so let us all bow to your superiority.

If you would step away from your worn out keyboard and for a minute, the reason some members treat you as a moron (your words, not mine)
is that many of your posts actually make you appear as such.

You come off sounding like a self proclaimed expert and then degrade those who have "been there and done that" already numerous times. Your comments to Diesel are a classic example (he has helped many on the forums based on his own experiences). You seem to take offence that someone disagrees with you. Good luck in life with that attitude. Diesel respectfully disagreed with you on a topic and off you go on a rant where you basically degraded him.

I will give you credit though, your last response to me was less than 1000 words. That couldn't have been easy.

[Doby]

Billy...TAPE THE HATCH

Perhaps the larger lettering will help you understand as you think it will help others....water will get in even if you are only checking temps every few minutes.

Don't blame the design for you not following one of FE's fundamental requirements. Tape the hatch.

[mappo]

…Did you tape the hull yet or still against it? If you haven't taped it AQ could give you 50 new hulls, it's still gonna leak...

SINCE YOU REFUSE TO REMOVE YOUR BLINDERS AND READ WHAT I’VE SAID!! I HAVE MADE THE FONT SIZE REALLY LARGE SO YOU CANNOT MISS IT!!

1. VERY LITTLE WATER GOT INTO THE MOTOR COMPARTMENT!!


!



2. AND THE REASON I DID NOT TAPE IT UP IS BECAUSE I WAS CHECKING MOTOR TEMPS IN RESPONSE TO THE COMPLAINTS OF OTHER OSE FORUM MEMBERS WHO STATED THEIR MOTORS WERE OVERHEATING.

THAT MEANS I WAS TAKING THE BOAT OUT OF THE WATER EVERY FEW MINUTES TO CHECK THE MOTOR.

3. THE ISSUE IS NOT ABOUT THE WATER GETTING INTO THE MOTOR COMPARTMENT, IT IS ABOUT THE WATER GETTING INTO THE SPONSONS – IF THAT’S WHAT THERE CALLED.

THE ONLY WAY FOR WATER TO GET INTO THE SPONSON AREA FROM THE MOTOR COMPART IS FROM THE COOLING LINES GOING FROM THE WATER PICK-UP THROUGH THE HULL TO THE MOTOR AND FROM THE MOTOR TO THE STARBOARD EXIT.

AS I HAVE STATED BEFORE, AQ TECH SUPPORT HAD ME PRESSURE CHECK BOTH THOSE HOSES TO ENSURE THAT IS NOT THE PROBLEM.

MONDAY I DID IT WITH AIR, TODAY I REPEATED THE PROCESS WITH WATER AND THERE ARE NO LEAKS!!

SO, MR. EXPERT, LOOK AT MY PICTURES AND PLEASE EXPLAIN TO ME HOW TAPING UP MY CANOPY WILL PREVENT WATER FROM GETTING INTO THE SPONSONS!!

4. AQ TECH SUPPORT PERSONAL AND GRIM RACER BOTH AGREE WITH ME ABOUT ITEMS 1 AND 2. SO PERHAPS YOU SHOULD SEND GRIM A PM AND TELL HIM HE DOESN’T KNOW WHAT F*** HE’S TALKING ABOUT. AFTER ALL HE’S THE ONE WHO DESIGNED THE BOAT.

5. SPEAKING OF GRIM RACER, HE HAS SEEN MY PICTURES AND HE IS WORKING WITH JACK (HIMSELF AN R/C BOAT RACER) IN HOBBIECO / AQ TECH SUPPORT ABOUT THE LEAKY HULL ISSUE I AM EXPERIENCING. AND THEY BOTH AGREE THAT TAPING UP THE CANOPY WILL NOT SOLVE THE PROBLEM!! SO PUT THAT IN YOUR PIPE AND SMOKE IT MR. EXPERT!!

Regarding props… In addition to the leaky hull issue, Jack and I discussed a number of things related to R/C boating including props, his advice is quite a bit different than yours, sorry.

As I have mentioned a couple times now, I am quite happy with the speed of the WC, as is (my BL Rio was not as fast after phase-1), the WC flipped several times even when I slowed her way down before attempting a turn. Ok, so if she is so fast that she has handling probs with the stock motor & prop, then what the heck is going to happen if I go putting a high torque / high KV rated motor in??

Other people may consider the WC slow, but they do not own one, I do, so maybe some of you “experts” out there should go buy one of your own, then make suggestions regarding motor / prop changes based personal experience.

Jacks advice was to replace the stock FRP prop with a metal one of the same size because plastic props flex, metal ones don’t (I already knew that), sounds like great advice to me. And determining the correct size is much easier said than done due to the fact that Prather, Octura & Grim Racer all use different means for “sizing” they’re props.

...I would personally line/re-inforce the bottom and motor mount area regardless... that's just me, I don't trust brushless + plastic...
Apparently Mike (AKA Grim Racer) agrees with you because the motor mount area comes from the factory reinforced.

Why don’t you go buy one of these boats, THEN, you can tell me what I should or should not be doing with it!!

In the meantime the wonderful people at Hobbieco have asked me to return it to them at they’re expense so they can examine it. THAT’S WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU BUY A GOOD QUALITIY PRODUCT FROM A GREAT VENDOR {TOWER HOBBIES}, YOU GET FIRST RATE CUSTOMER SERVICE FROM VERY KNOWLEDGEABLE PEOPLE WHO ARE THEMSELVES R/C BOAT ENTHUSIASTS AND CARE ABOUT THEY’RE CUSTOMERS!!

Ok, so I won’t have my boat for a couple / three weeks, BIG DEAL, I DO NOT CARE!! There are still PLENTY of warm months ahead for me to enjoy the replacement, one that I know will be checked over before shipment to ensure that it will perform as Grim designed it to.

One last thing, why is it that NOBODY OTHER BLACKJACK contributed to this thread until I posted my {mostly} favorable review?? One that apparently contains certain facts you bozo’s don’t agree with, so now all of sudden all you wanna be experts come crawling out of the woodwork.

BJ and I were doing just fine exchanging ideas about THE AQUACRAFT WILDCAT EP and upgraded motors, ESC’s and so on. Then all of a sudden you clowns chime in with your bashing and talking about boats (DF Mini Sniper) and posting vids that DO NOT HAVE A DAM THING TO DO WITH THE SUBJECT AT HAND which WAS the AQ WC!! - NOT the DF Mini Sniper!!

Thanks for ruining the thread. Don’t you people have anything better to do with your time??

Hey Danny, think it’s time for you to close this one too - Since the bozo brigade cannot / will not stay on topic


Holy crap! it's the Billy B show. I'm exhausted..shuuuuuuuuuuuuut.. wooooweeeee. wow!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[tlandauer]

Now besides knowing that it was a BIG MISTAKE to MISS the DF Mini Sniper, it is a BIGGER mistake to get involved in this thread, I even apologized for changing the topic momentarily, knowing perhaps what will come to me as a result. I also apologize to Diesel for getting him into trouble for answering my question.
Modrerator: please do not shut down this thread, after a day's hard work, nothing is more refreshing than free entertainment like this! I wasn't even as excited when my MG GPS'ed at 53mph.:rofl:

[Diesel6401]

Now besides knowing that it was a BIG MISTAKE to MISS the DF Mini Sniper, it is a BIGGER mistake to get involved in this thread, I even apologized for changing the topic momentarily, knowing perhaps what will come to me as a result. I also apologize to Diesel for getting him into trouble for answering my question.
Modrerator: please do not shut down this thread, after a day's hard work, nothing is more refreshing than free entertainment like this! I wasn't even as excited when my MG GPS'ed at 53mph.:rofl:

All good bro, I'm backing out also.... I started the thread and I'm saying shut it down also...

[BLACKJACK_101]

It is possible that water is getting in to a sponson from the motor compartment (unlikley but possible), IMHO the only way to elimimate that possible cause would be to run the boat with the hatch taped up and see what happens, this will at least close this debate on taping or not taping being the culprit in this particular case, I hope you still have the boat so you can try this out.

Out of the box the seam between the two plastic hull halves on my WC did looked suspect to me, (hit and miss with the sealant) as Diesel suggested I re-sealed this seam and I also sealed every hole/thread that the factory had put in the hull.

I'm trying to moderate here and give what I think may be some useful information on this particular hull, seems to me that not many people have this boat yet and information may be a bit scarce on this model hands on.

I accept that clearly there are many experts on this forum who know far more than me and others on FE boats, but it seems to me that the interchange between experts and non-experts falls down quite often mainly due I think because experts don't read the non-experts posts in detail and respond with general FE doctrine that is not always relevant for a particular issue, some non-experts respond in a frustrating aggressive manner which escalates the thread in to a personal slanging match.

Please, please can experts and non-experts try to work together for the good of the forum, non-experts accept that the experts know more than us (that's the way it is) and over time with more experience we will become experts, and can experts perhaps have the kids gloves on when dealing with non-experts.

[tlandauer]

I wanted to point out regarding the seams a while back but as I mentioned earlier I didn't want to get in the way. I got excited about the DF Mini Sniper, couldn't help myself. Apologies again, and with sincerity. On the bright side I am in the Bozo Brigade...well, one step higher than "Senior Member" I guess.:roflol: I am also very much a non-expert, here to learn...
I wanted to say that on my Proboat Mini-V and Mini-cat (similat plastic hull) the two halves did have some seperation, I put CA around it and problem gone. I am sure this was not over looked. Love to hear from you when you are done with your boat regarding performance, etc.

[roadrashracing]

Thinking about maybe getting one of these, need to know if a 8000 mah pack will fit?

[roadrashracing]

I stopped by and looked and answered my own question, a small pack is need, not sure if any 1/10 3s pack will fit, needs almost a mini pack, so there goes my idea.

[roadrashracing]

just did not look like a lot of room in there.

[tlandauer]

Bruce, Looks good! I really hope everything is sorted out on this one, let us know how she runs! On a different note, I am sure you saw the new AQ Revolt 30, the motor mount reminds me of your Rio EP modified motor mount! I actually read your whole post with great interest before you deleted it, anyway, I ordered the same mount but it looks easier on your picture, lol, I don't know when I will have time to mod it and to remove the plastic hump in the hull.
p.s. I know I am talking something other than your original topic, it is a bad habit of mine, apologize before hand!

[tlandauer]

Very glad that the WC is water tight, hopefully with the cooling up grade/mod the temp on the motor would go down.
Regarding the Rio EP: I really like your idea with the Cen Racing mount ( hope I am correct on this one) : ordered mine but after it arrived I realized unless you use the stock battery mount position , it is too wide for me to place two batteries on both sides of the motor. I am using a Proboat FasTech motor, which is only 1500KV and 4s. These are things I don't have to buy for the mod. I am using the stock motor mount ring to "collar" the front of the motor and moved the cooling jacket as far back as possible---really Micky Mouse kind of mod., but will work for me now, infact I want to test the setup later today. Because the motor is pushed back, I had to use another flex cable which is longer. I found an old/damaged one for a Venom P1 which I shortened to fit the Rio.

[gfm1135]

I had a accident (user error) with my wildcat. The hull is badly damaged but motor and electronics are fine. I don't believe a replacement bare hull can be purchased. Any suggestions on a different hull that I could utilize the existing hardware or do I have a pile of useless parts?

[St3alth_Frenzy]

Does anybody know the largest 3cell pack that you could put in this boat without mods? as im looking at this one: http://www.greathobbies.com/productinfo/?prod_id=TGHC33003C30

[Feisti]

Hey Guys,

Picked up one of these boats because it was 150 bucks shipped off ebay, which seemed like a great deal for the components. Currently running these batteries: http://hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/uh_viewItem.asp?idProduct=16693. Which fit perfectly in the boat. Any longer and you'd be smashing the wires against the hull.

To be honest my first impressions of the boat were not that great. Construction seems cheap, not sure why theres plastic pieces glued to the steps in the hull. Motor mount is what it is....

After running it, i will stay its very stable, turns on a dime, and is pretty quick for first time boaters. When you use good tape very little water gets in, and my running temperatures arent crazy, motor was very hot to touch, forget exact temps. Esc was around 150 degrees F. Battery was around 115 degrees F.

A little background about me, ive always been into cars and trucks, and messed around with the micro 3D helis, this is my first brushless boat. I worked in a hobbyshop for 8 years part time, throughout highschool/college.

Anyways im already bored with it and would like to get some more top end out of the boat. Also is there anyway to fix how much the boat pulls to the side on power?

I would like to keep running the batteries that I have, AKA dont want a 4s setup. What would be the best solution to more speed? More KV, smaller prop? New esc as well? Definitely could benefit from a new motor mount. I know my runtimes will suffer, thats not a big deal.

If this boat is going 25-30mph stock.....how can I bump that to 35-40?

[msmail715]

I have a wildcat ep was not fast enough. I run it on my pond. I put it on 4s the temps went to 186 then I put an rc car cooling fan right behind the motor fabricated mount and shroud out of balsa weighs very little ultra high speed for $11 in tower catalog. The temps went from 186 to 122 the speed went from 22 to 37mph. I could not notice any loss in run time

[msmail715]

I forgot to mention I have a swordfish 120 esc made a new batt tray the battery was to tall new esc mount and 1.5 oz lead behind radio box

[Feisti]

Wow thats a huge improvement! Damn, guess these 3s lipos will have to go. How much was that esc?

[msmail715]

I bought that from offshore electrics 3yrs ago cant recall idont think you need 120amp I would get a 90 amp and save money and wieght

[msmail715]

like you said there is a problem the boat pulls hard right. I am going to try it today, last night I detounged the prop and lowered the prop 3/32in I hope it helps not sure? I like to experiment stock props are cheep.
To lower prop I had to slot the strut bracket did not like that. I used to run gas boats, this is new to me. I have 3yrs ago but a short period.