Stut to brass stuffing tube question.

[regatta]

I am using a Octura Offset Mini Strut System (oct-oc4str-cda) for an upgrade.

The brass stuffing tube that comes in the kit is roughly the same diameter as the brass cone on the strut housing (the other side from the propeller end). Out of the box they just butt up to each other.

What is the best way to mate the two for robustness, angle adjustability and leak proofing?

Thanks..

[Chuck E Cheese]

the best way is to end the brass at the trandsom and use the teflon liner to go into the strut, that way the strut angle can be adjusted without bending the brass. if you allready have the angle you want, or want to use brass, go to a smaller size stuffing tube and dont use a liner. the smaller size should slide into the bushing on the strut (this is the method i use, no liner). one other option is to downsize the last section of the brass stuffing tube where it slides into the strut, this will allow you to use a teflon liner for all but the last 1/2 inch, but the liner has to be installed and removed from the motor side of the stuffing tube. also be careful as to the spacing of the drive dog on the prop shaft. if the prop shaft is too long it will bind in the liner.
hope this helps

[sundog]

Yup. Like Chuck said, end the brass at the strut, with the teflon going into the strut. And cover the strut to stuffing tube gap with heat shrink tubing.

[regatta]

Thank-you for your advice, it was extremely helpful and insightful.

Regarding your first option, since the rear of the strut is about half an inch away from the trandsom,
the Teflon liner would then be, in effect, the only enclosure/protection for the drive cable in this exposed space
between the rear of the strut and the trandsom. Am I understanding this concept correctly? If so, what
about durability and water tightness pertaining to this setup since drive the cable only has Teflon for protection in that area?

[LOL while I was writing my post, sundog seems to have addressed the question above]

Being able to adjust the angle of the strut would be nice since that is how i ended up breaking the original
stuffing tube loose from its securement in the rear of the hull. The boat would self right with the batteries
more towards the back but skipped in the water so I was trying some angles with the prop pointing down a
little more to bring the bow down. So I took the opportunity to upgrade the drive line and get some
experience doing stuff like this.

With the brass tube in the strut method, what is the general rule of thumb regarding depth
of insertion of the brass tube into the strut? In my case the strut length is about 1 3/8" in total
and the length of the lead bushing at the prop end is just under 1/4".

Also with the brass tube in the strut method, how would you find which prop angle is best before you can
make actual test runs in the water? My understanding is that you start with a neutral angle
(parallel with bottom of boat) and then make final adjustments up or down depending on test runs. How do
you go about finding the best angle with your setups?


the best way is to end the brass at the trandsom and use the teflon liner to go into the strut, that way the strut angle can be adjusted without bending the brass. if you allready have the angle you want, or want to use brass, go to a smaller size stuffing tube and dont use a liner. the smaller size should slide into the bushing on the strut (this is the method i use, no liner). one other option is to downsize the last section of the brass stuffing tube where it slides into the strut, this will allow you to use a teflon liner for all but the last 1/2 inch, but the liner has to be installed and removed from the motor side of the stuffing tube. also be careful as to the spacing of the drive dog on the prop shaft. if the prop shaft is too long it will bind in the liner.
hope this helps

[Chuck E Cheese]

a) the teflon liner is plenty to protect the flex shaft and water tight as well as long as it fits snug in the stuffing tube. also the teflon is easily replacable.
b)you only need a 3-5mm sticking into the strut, just enough to seal it. just make sure that it is long enough that if you change the angle it wont come out.
c) start with it flat, use a straight edge along the bottom of the hull and just eyeball it. from there drive it, taking note of the ride angle of the hull. if the nose is high, angle the strut down and wise versa. it should only be a small adjustment and can almost be made without bending the stuffing tube, just changing the angle it enters the strut at.

what hull is this? i have alot of experience with minis and micros. they are super picky about any adjustments. also over powering them will never allow you to come up with a smooth ride..
here is a vid of my mhz gecko micro, its tiny and runs loose. also if you are running mini's or micro's that strut/rudder might be too large. if the rudder is too long there is too much drag on the rear and it will upset the hull.. i hope this helps. another little tip is when you ask questions, try to include as much info as possible (hull, motor, batt, hardware, cog). alot of us here have probablly played with something similar to what you have and this helps us to help you.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dd_gN5XZTvc&feature=g-upl&context=G29202e0AUAAAAAAABAA

[regatta]

Thanks for the reply, been away from my computer for a bit.

Last summer, I decided to get into RC boating (fly Helis), so I picked up two boats used, a 33" DF (6S) and a joysway offshore warrior. Had a blast.

The DF was pretty much nicely setup and running when I got it. Cracked the hull on the DF from the beating it took on the lake, boat is in the upper 50s. Got a crash coarse on fixing hulls with epoxy, fiberglass and gel coating... LOL

The warrior is pretty quick with agile handling but I found if I put the battery back towards the stern it would self right but it would skip in the water. I did not like the hex screw type coupling (hex rounds with constant use for greasing shaft) and the "non-standard" prop shaft (I wanted to experiment with quality metal props). As I mentioned, while playing around with different strut angles, the stuffing tube loosened up. So I figured I would upgrade the drive line and get some setup and building experience.

As much as one reads up on stuff, there are always questions to be answered when you get to the hands on stage. The info you gave me explains very well what I needed to know.

The rudder of the strut/rudder (oct-oc4str-cda) I grabbed is smaller than the original one on the warrior which is quite big (and it handles well in both directions with the original bigger rudder). The oct-oc4str-cda strut/rudder assembly bracket is too high for the transom of the warrior (unless it is cut down and addpated in some way IMHO) and the the rudder has no water pickup for cooling plus the control arm is on the opposite side of the rudder as compared to the warrior's rudder. So I am going to use the Micro Strut (ose-80046) instead which uses the same cable drive as the oct-oc4str-cda and allows me to upgrade the drive line without having to change up the cooling intake and rudder to servo configuration.

What hull would work with oct-oc4str-cda strut/rudder setup? It seems to me, it would be a better fit for a catamaran. Also the stiffer original warrior drive cable seems to be stronger than the Octura cable. Where can I get a wire drive with the same prop shaft as the .098 Octura cable? I am going to use a Octura Coupler Flex Hex (1/8" to .098 Cable).

Cheers...


a) the teflon liner is plenty to protect the flex shaft and water tight as well as long as it fits snug in the stuffing tube. also the teflon is easily replacable.
b)you only need a 3-5mm sticking into the strut, just enough to seal it. just make sure that it is long enough that if you change the angle it wont come out.
c) start with it flat, use a straight edge along the bottom of the hull and just eyeball it. from there drive it, taking note of the ride angle of the hull. if the nose is high, angle the strut down and wise versa. it should only be a small adjustment and can almost be made without bending the stuffing tube, just changing the angle it enters the strut at.

what hull is this? i have alot of experience with minis and micros. they are super picky about any adjustments. also over powering them will never allow you to come up with a smooth ride..
here is a vid of my mhz gecko micro, its tiny and runs loose. also if you are running mini's or micro's that strut/rudder might be too large. if the rudder is too long there is too much drag on the rear and it will upset the hull.. i hope this helps. another little tip is when you ask questions, try to include as much info as possible (hull, motor, batt, hardware, cog). alot of us here have probablly played with something similar to what you have and this helps us to help you.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dd_gN5XZTvc&feature=g-upl&context=G29202e0AUAAAAAAABAA

[FRED]

Bigggest thing boaters do is overpower like the joyways. Get power that is good and use props and weight and balance to get it run fast . i like lipos in saddle pack formation and have had great success.

[regatta]

I agree, overall balance between power and handling on the water is important. The first time I ran the joyway, it looked like a kangaroo on the water. Quick and agile is the strong suit for the joysway.

I have played with strut angles and weight balance last summer, this summer I will add props to the mix.

How does your saddle pack formation formation work?



Bigggest thing boaters do is overpower like the joyways. Get power that is good and use props and weight and balance to get it run fast . i like lipos in saddle pack formation and have had great success.