TFL Pursuit Anti-Capsize - self-righting

[jkflow]

Since pictures on the site do not really reflect reality on the transom area, posting my recent delivery.
Took ~6 weeks via ocean shipping to Florida.

The good
Unlike shown on Bangggood it does have trim tabs on both sides. 1 turning fin included, not shown in my picture
Solid build, no leaks other than expected.
Stickers etc seem solid

The ugly
Manual is for the standard version but honestly it doesn't add anything I didn't know.
Servo must be a low profile version, the hull prevents mounting any standard servo. Still had to add doublesided taps to it or it would pop out.
Accessing that drive system is a PITA. First thing to do is drill a hole into the hull to access the shaft. Small 4mm hole to get access with a straight 1.5mm driver to those little grub screws is essential. I tried patiently for a week and just had it. I did add a screw with rubber seals to keep out the water. I'll remove it to get access.

Had issues getting the throttle adjust working right, use the Futaba directions and it worked.

The normal
It will need tuning as it bounces like a bobblehead on stock settings and cavitates a lot at start up. This is all at 0 degree (tabs and stinger).



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[Panther6834]

I don't have the self-righting version...but, I do have a carbon fiber w/ SSS 3656 2030kv & SeaKing 180. Out of the box, it's been as smooth as can be on 4S.


~ More peace, love, and kindness would make the world a much better place

[jkflow]

What is your strut angle and what Lipo are you running? By all means, all I had was a 30s run in a small pond, but there was no hull left in the water at full throttle at 0 deg strut.

4S 6500mAh SMC, which arguably is a little heavy, but it's what I had already.

[Panther6834]

Don't know the actual angle (I'll be ordering a digital gauge, for that purpose on several boats), but it's whatever was sweet at the factory. Appears to be 0, but won't know for version until the gauge arrives. As for batteries, most are Revo, some are Dinogy...all are 70C, or above.

Also, I don't use ANY 'hardcase' batteries (such as SMC) in my race boats...ALWAYS use 'softpacks'. At the extreme rate batteries discharge in boats, the excessive heat can (and usually does) cause the LiPos to temporarily swell. This can lead to the plastic shells of the 'hardcase' to eventually separate. As for capacity, I have packs ranging from 3300mAh to 6600mAh (for different boats). As I'm learning, while using a larger pack can affect handling of a boat, proper placement can 'negate' problems caused when switching to a larger capacity pack. Just as with my land race vehicles, it's all about proper balance.


~ More peace, love, and kindness would make the world a much better place

[jkflow]

Yes, thanks for the heads-up on the hard case. I dislike them myself for many reasons. They are capable enough and won't swell, used them extensively in worse environments (8S speed runs on-road).
Just concerned that I would never see any water intrusion and resulting problems.
I have a little marker on the stinger and it was '0' but I'll adjust and see what happens. Not that much of a range to play with but even tiny changes have a big impact.

[jkflow]

Just documenting some progress.
I tried my best tuning this in stock form. I've tried adding weight, playing with trim tabs and strut angle, but no luck.
I literally had the lipo all the way in the front with added weight, and it would still 'bounce' when it actually got up on plane. Didn't try this for long, it was just silly.
Keep in mind, this one has the integrated drive, if that has anything to do with it.
Last try was changing to a 4416 prop, and it now starts to run very smooth with almost everything back to neutral.
Not 100% dialed in yet, but compared to the bunny hops, it's now actually stable. Still have to fine tune Lipo location.
I hope the drive can handle the prop. Upgraded to a 4516 but haven't tried it yet.

[jkflow]

It's finally dialed in after I gave up on the stock electronics. Probably could have gotten it to work on stock if I had the epiphany a little earlier. The stock screws on the trim tabs are too short to dial it in.
Instead, I changed electronics and was about to give it away when I finally figured it out. Always takes a 'f....it moment to do something different.

Runs great and love how it handles both on 4S and 6S. Leopard 1800kV, M445 Octura and TFL stinger plus dual cooling rudder.
Self-righting saved my behind a couple of times and glad I took this route, but stock version is disappointing out of the box. It was just hopping and bouncing all over the place and the tiny prop makes it uncontrollable on top of it.

Added a brace for a 2nd turning fin just for fun. Runs like a charm.


https://youtu.be/RtpgUTb-w4Y

[jkflow]

Some durability testing, starts at ~ 20s but the BlackJack29 is fun as well just prior.


https://youtu.be/lVj0f02sBWU

[LarrySD]

JK, if I am watching the vid correctly you self righted 3 times, in a couple of seconds. Mine can take between 1 and 2 minutes. My Pursuit is the all yellow version which one one told me is an old version. Any other there have this issue and how did you fix it?

[jkflow]

You might be mistaken, in the video it just landed right side up a couple of times. The true self-righting takes ~ 15s or so. Water has to fill the cavity, but then it flips over. Never seen a 1-2 minute duration.
You do have to mount the battery and ESC on the self-righting side in order to get the tipping point right.

[LarrySD]

So I found a fix to the slooo self-righting. I bored one more 5mm air vent hole on the in the hull for a total of 3. The boat self-rights in about 15 seconds

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[jkflow]

Got a picture?