The Spartan project

[TheShaddix]

Hi all,

I "briefly" built this spartan a while ago, but sold it to a friend as I grew quite tired of it and wanted to work on other (better) boats, but since it was collecting dust in his garage I felt a bit nostalgic and decided to buy it back. I also felt I could have done a much better job on it but due to lack of skill I just spray-painted the hull black, installed some random hardware, and called it a day... So I just started tearing out everything that was in there, all the plastic junk and mounts. My plan is to get it to an empty, clean hull, and do a full CF inlay (12k carbon cloth) and power it up with a leopard 56mm motor, a SF 300A, and 8S revo 70c batteries (2x4s in series). Not looking for any crazy speeds, this will be a beach boat. I will post new pictures as they come. And btw, I'm still building my genesis, I have not given up. This is just one of those unplanned projects that came along.


http://imageshack.com/a/img673/6080/I4JRvS.jpg



And also was given this beauty to resurrect! Not sure why I agreed to work on this one, but seemed doable. This is the result of a seaking 180a v3 blowing up due to using the wrong motor with it on 6s.
I will post my progress on this one as well as the spartan in the same thread as they both seem a bit hopeless at the moment.

http://imageshack.com/a/img537/5585/KwPjeS.jpg

[Roy Van De Sande]

I love to give used boats a new life :) The spartan looks really good already! The seaking 180A V3 isn't a very good esc. The V2 was but the V3 just isn't.
Keep up the good work! I will follow your thread :cool:

[TheShaddix]

Some updates finally. So I stripped everything out of the boat including the secondary plastic layer. Then I did an inlay. Also decided to paint the hatch, the two blue metallic stripes plus clear coat over the whole thing, reinforced with cf.

http://imageshack.com/a/img538/9590/CG70Co.jpg
http://imageshack.com/a/img905/5457/Ep7WDH.jpg
http://imageshack.com/a/img912/4808/5KJdIk.jpg
http://imageshack.com/a/img905/649/iLXsui.jpg
http://imageshack.com/a/img540/5950/CdY1im.jpg

[kfxguy]

looks good! what epoxy did you use to bond to the plastic?

[iop65]

i was told that epoxy doesn't stick very well on abs ,never tried it myself ,so want to know that too

[TheShaddix]

Regular epoxy, it sticks to plastic, not as good as to carbon or fiberglass because the plastic is so flexibile, but it still works as long as it's sanded well. I used 12k cloth which is about 4 layers of normal 3k, so it's very rigid once cured and doesn't allow plastic to flex as much causing it to separate. But for sure, epoxying to plastic sucks! This is the worst boat i have worked on in every possible way, but it's something I wanted to do ever since I sold my first spartan (the first boat that got me into this hobby) which was nothing but a headache. I had to see if it could be turned into a decent boat. So far I'm not completely convinced.

[kfxguy]

Sounds like the same thing I'm doing with my shockwave. First boat I owned. I desperately wanted 40-45mph out of it. I'm at 53.8mph with this one. Lol. 26" plastic boat.

What are you looking to get out of it? That esc seems little complete and utter overkill lmao! Esc worth more than the boat. Why not a smaller, light seaking 180? Just wondering.... I'm sure you already had that esc is the main reason... But still... :)

[TheShaddix]

Looking to get 60-70 mph out of this one. But I won't be too upset if I hit 55 or something like that. I'm building it for the beach to jump waves, hence all the reinforcement. Since last weekend when I took my HPR there I realized that flat water saw runs are getting a bit old for me. There is just something awesome about seeing a 45 inch heavy boat jump 3+ feet in the air and land it.

I'm running 8s so I can't use the seaking. And a lot of people have been blowing up their 180a v3's lately in their monos running 6s, more likely than not it's a user mistake and abuse, but i just wanted to try this swordfish esc, been eyeing it for a while. This one is from Keith, he used it once so I got a good deal on it, hence no stickers which I like. And if you think about it, people running those MGM esc's in their MHZ and HPR hulls... Those two esc's cost around 1k total while the hull you can get for 500-600 bucks, carbon kevlar... So it's not really about esc's costing more, it's about the overall build result and if it's worth the money. In this case with the spartan, I don't think it's worth it at all, but I really didn't want to throw the hull away. I have a sniper 45" mono sitting here which I was intending to use these components for, but then, unexpectedly, bought my spartan back. So I feel like this is definitely a project. Crappiest hull in the world being turned into a less crappy hull. We'll see what happens!

[Make-a-Wake]

That Spartan is gonna be a beast with that motor:buttrock:

Is the other a Pursuit?

[TheShaddix]

yup, a pursuit! That one is such a mess, I don't even know how to get started on clearing it all out.

[FORT-26]

56mm.....:popcorn2:

[Make-a-Wake]

I assume you realize that in order to get that power to the water you will need a large prop...................problem is the Spartan will only take so much diameter before it protests due to the narrow hull. You need to find a middle zone between diameter and pitch..............maybe somehwere in the x648.........s235 range.

[TheShaddix]

My plan is to run a modified x457 prop cut down to 47mm. I'll just go from there. Right now I have no idea how this setup is going to behave in this hull. Another thing to consider is the weight of it. I think it should handle much better. I've already run it with a 4092 leopard on 6s and, although it wasn't all that fast, it was planted for sure. Now it has twice that weight. We'll see what happens.

[Make-a-Wake]

If you havent already cut down the prop try it at 50mm first, you can always reduce size............not increase obviously

[kfxguy]

Here's my opinion (but what do I know?) your going to be turning close to 41k rpm (all estimated and free rpm based on 3.8v per cell) on 8s with that motor. My cat with an 1800kv motor (less to tho so may not turn as many loaded rpm as yours) on 6s and an m645 prop was running mid to high 70's on 6s. Now.....I use that as a bench mark when trying to guess on a setup because it's tried and true. Given yours is a mono being a little less efficient and slightly larger, we can assume it won't be that fast. But, if I had to guess, on 8s with an m645 prop you'd be in the 60 to 65mph range assuming you keep the chine walk under control. What's my point? In my humble opinion, your choosing too much prop for your rpm and hull. An m645 prop has become my favorite because it has all the potential you'd need, plus I know its not going to prop walk on you. I run one on my 26" shockwave all the way up to my 37" Daytona and it doesn't prop walk on the 26" plastic boat. The shockwave setup is turning 36k rpm and running low 50's and it's not trimmed right yet. Just trying to give you some ideas to help you choose a prop. We tried 52mm to 48mm props on my buddies Spartan and it didn't like it. My rule of thumb is: high rpm (close to 40k and over), small prop, decent pitch. Low rpm, high tq.... Big prop, as long as the hull isn't narrow. It's a balance act. If you have a narrow hull, you've got to figure a way to make it not prop walk and my solution has been higher rpm with a smaller prop. Just trying to help.

[TheShaddix]

I appreciate your advice, guys! I will look into something with more pitch. Thing is, this prop that i have has some decent pitch too since it was cut down from 57mm. I just want to get this thing in the water to see how it acts first, then go from there. This is really not a project to prove any point, it's literally just resurrecting an old hull that I was so close to tossing in the trash. Now I'm actually starting to like the look of it, I will post some update pics in a bit. Still a lot of things to figure out here, one of which is how in the world do I mount that giant esc when it has wires coming out at the bottom... Do I need to build some kind of an elevated platform to mount it on? I could mount it upside down but it won't look as nice. Any suggestions? And another problem I have is mounting the servo. With that huge motor mount in there I'm left with very little space for the servo to sit.

[tlandauer]

Mount it upside down ( the raised platform would have to be pretty high since the wires are thick and can't be bend with a flat/sharp right angle) no? then get come CF plate to cover up the wires on top. IMO.
Looks good so far!

[TheShaddix]

I definitely like the CF plate idea to cover up the wires! I didn't even think of that! I'll try it out.

[TheShaddix]

The motor mount is in! Now just need to get the servo figured out. I guess I need some kind of a CF mount for that too.


http://imageshack.com/a/img901/8439/abW1eV.jpg

[TheShaddix]

Water pickups and stuffing tube installed.

http://imageshack.com/a/img538/2950/UQqeQ3.jpg

[Tamelesstgr]

What do you have planned for the rest of the paintwork?

[tlandauer]

It's funny, I have never found this boat attractive until I see these pictures. tagging along....:drool:
The tear drop shaped pick ups are very clean looking, should have asked you to drill the ones on my H&M. :lol:

[TheShaddix]

The hatch is all that I wanted to paint. I wanted to practice with some stripes, that's the reason I added those. With the clear coat the final result looks great to me so I will just apply what I learned to the next build.

I really disliked this boat as well before but doing this project I can definitely say that the overall shape of the boat is quite appealing! And that's really the only thing it has going for it. But I've learned a few important things while working on this boat. First, I will never build another spartan!!! Second, to mix epoxy with a thickener for seams and fillets as it is insanely frustrating when you think something has cured into a perfect fillet, then come back next morning to a disaster. Third, build something that has good quality to begin with and is worth the extra work. I'll be honest, I'd rather be building something different as it's not easy to stay motivated on builds like this.


Here are a few more pics (the last image has the parts just sitting there, that's not the final look)

http://imageshack.com/a/img901/8340/HImwuP.jpg
http://imageshack.com/a/img661/7804/hxwnfp.jpg
http://imageshack.com/a/img537/1892/cSAQjl.jpg

[Tamelesstgr]

Excuse my ignorance, but on the stock hull, can you peel off the red or blue decals and get to bare white?

[TheShaddix]

The stock hatch is painted too, it's not just decals. I bought this as a bare unpainted hull.

[FORT-26]

Very Nice...Can't wait to see it run.

Where did you get the swim deck, and what are those yellow fin guards made from?

[TheShaddix]

I got one from ebay. You can find them anywhere. There is actually a better one available that's black with silver edges and holes. The yellow fin guards are made from silicone, they are awesome! And they are cheap. Available at Kintec (http://kintecracing.com/Turn_Fins.html)

[tlandauer]

You know what's funny? When this boat just came out, I wanted one, but then I read all the issues here, so I looked the other way. But this is too tempting. The bare hulls they sell is cheap and if one does what you have done, I bet it can be a fun boat.

Sent from my D6708 using Tapatalk

[TheShaddix]

It can definitely be a fun boat. This is the boat that got me started with the hobby as well as one that almost caused me to quit the hobby - it had so many issues! I finally sold it and went with proboats, then an HPR, and didn't look back. But something tempted me to get another spartan when I saw them running at a local pond... The hull just looks sleek and it's the perfect size and they look great on water. However, I would never work on another spartan due to how difficult it is to completely strip this hull out for reinforcement: the tabs on the back plate are a pita, the doubled up plastic isn't easy to break loose, and the whole thing is so flexible that it's impossible to make it watertight. Don't be fooled by the cheap price for the bare hull and hatch, there is a reason for that - it's junk in original form! But all of those problems have been resolved on this hull. I'm anxious to see what this power system is going to do to the boat. Just a few more details and it'll be ready.

[TheShaddix]

Made an ESC mount

http://imageshack.com/a/img909/5466/fHWiKc.jpg
http://imageshack.com/a/img537/3791/LQTVBd.jpg

[TheShaddix]

Finally completed the spartan build. Replaced the previous esc that wasn't working right with a new 240 swordfish. The boat has a lot of power, but needs a bit of tuning. Broke my steering linkage last time I went out, but the torque is insane with this motor on 8S. It just hops out of the water like a crazy bastard. I feel like the hull might just be a bit too short and too tall for this power system so I decided to build another (bigger) mono.


http://imageshack.com/a/img909/63/cZ0X35.jpg
http://imageshack.com/a/img540/2066/fQsBzn.jpg
http://imageshack.com/a/img909/379/UMefaZ.jpg
http://imageshack.com/a/img673/1787/pVlbYL.jpg

[jetnfast]

Dang! That's quite the makeover for a Spartan, nice work!

[Turbo Dan-O]

Yeah, that's the baddest Spartan I have ever seen!

[lt130th]

Awe, man!! you beat me to it. I've had an empty Spartan hull in a box for almost 2 years to do this very same thing. Thought I would be the first, lol.

[Spartanator]

I don't see a Spartan... HAHA

Excellent job working with what you already have!

[ECSURFER84]

Finally completed the spartan build. Replaced the previous esc that wasn't working right with a new 240 swordfish. The boat has a lot of power, but needs a bit of tuning. Broke my steering linkage last time I went out, but the torque is insane with this motor on 8S. It just hops out of the water like a crazy bastard. I feel like the hull might just be a bit too short and too tall for this power system so I decided to build another (bigger) mono.


http://imageshack.com/a/img909/63/cZ0X35.jpg
http://imageshack.com/a/img540/2066/fQsBzn.jpg
http://imageshack.com/a/img909/379/UMefaZ.jpg
http://imageshack.com/a/img673/1787/pVlbYL.jpg

wow, that rudder is super long. what made you go with such a long rudder?

[TheShaddix]

I cut the previous one way too much so the boat didn't turn too well. And I was meaning to cut the new one a bit shorter but got lazy. I also decided to go up in prop size to an x452 (vs. x447), the difference is huge! But it is overpowered now for being a single drive and the size of the hull, I cannot seem to keep it on the water.

[ECSURFER84]

I cut the previous one way too much so the boat didn't turn too well. And I was meaning to cut the new one a bit shorter but got lazy. I also decided to go up in prop size to an x452 (vs. x447), the difference is huge! But it is overpowered now for being a single drive and the size of the hull, I cannot seem to keep it on the water.

weigh it down?

[TheShaddix]

It's already heavy enough with the 56mm motor, 2 4s batteries, and a big esc, plus foam in the nose. I'll do some more tuning over the weekend and see what happens.