Proboat Widowmaker first impressions

[Chuck E Cheese]

well yesterday ira got his widowmaker and i had a chance to play with it... here are a few first thoughts about the boat before we got it in the water:
1) this is not a fiberglass hull.. it is a ABS hull that is lined with fiberglass. the hatch and top deck are ABS not lined.
2) it uses the same Proboat style shaft as the fastech, this is a pain in the butt to service. (1/8 stub so you can not just replace the cable. you have to replace the strut to get a 3/16 to 1/8 stub shaft or use a .098 cable)
3) 6 cell NIMI fits in the recomended location. we tried 3 2s LIPO's from max amp 3000mah to zippy 4900mah and none of them fit sidways in the hull as recomended. this was no big deal we just moved the reciever and matched the cog with one pack on the side.
4) man this thing is UGLY!!

after hitting the water on 2s lipo this is what happened:
less than 1 minute it was upside down. i thought on 2s it would be slow with a 2900kv motor but speed wasn't the issue. it goes about 25mph which is way faster than needed given it handles like a brick... tall and top heavy it doesnt turn good at all, slow to react and have to back out to avoid flipping... then there is the hop... we got some of that worked out with adjustments but needs more help. after 2 runs the stock prop broke, replaced it with a x435 and it is now slow to plane.

we ran about 3 packs (6 x 2 minute runs) and my overall impression was not good. i recomended putting it back in the box and on e-bay. if i was a new commer to boating and got this RTR i would have had a hard time with it.. im sure with some tweeking it will be ok but am worried that hopping it up will only magnify the ill handleing hull... after running this i let ira drive my no-step 1 2s 8s and see what a 2s boat should be like.... day and night in speed and handleing

please keep this review alive and try to help with mods or fixes for this boat. the size is good and i always like to see newcommers to N2 but this isnt going to be competitive against real hulls (not RTR's). i dont mean to be harsh but it is like compairing a super-vee to a delta force 29".

[iratner]

On the 2nd day of running (this time without Chuck), I tried a number of props and found the answer: an Octura 435 3-blade. Plenty of speed, extremely long run times and a smooth ride. Eight minutes on 4,900 mah and both the motor and esc was cold.

The 2nd mod will be to exchange the stock strut with a stringer type strut for easier maintenance.

[iratner]

The 3rd day (with Chuck) didn't go so well. The Widow ran fast and cool for a long time, but wouldn't stop hopping. Since the Proboat stut forces you to remove it to grease the shaft, I lost the setting I found yesterday that made it run smooth. (I marked it and put it back exactly as marked, but it didn't work.) Tommorow, I will try to find that sweet spot again

[Tom M]

Sounds like it's Chuck that's bringing you the bad luck.:just-kidding::just-kidding:

[Jeff Wohlt]

A buddy of mine loves his. Props are breaking but we are changing that. He says it does not like smooth water but rocks in hard water.

He is trying a Y535 when it comes in.

[knahinu]

I agree IT must be Chuck... We HAD that boat running good. Ira we had the strut pretty much stright with the bottom of the hull. Is the strut moving again?
Good luck Ira.

[iratner]

It probably is Chuck. (That's exactly what I was thinking.)

When it ran smooth, the strut was perfectly straight with the final step. I scratched a line right where it met the bracket. After greasing the shaft, I lined it back up perfectly and it just hopped again.

As for the stock screw, it moved everytime. I ended up using a longer screw, some washers and small prop nut and it stayed put.

I'm glad to hear you guys got the boat running right. What battery are you using and where are you placing it?

Ira

[Chuck E Cheese]

well my 2 cell ran perfect that day.. so you guys are probablly right, i see the vodoo dance i did to get everyone elses boats to do the hipity hop worked. that way i can run out front...

[knahinu]

Chuck,
you don't have to worry about that boat he has nothing on you. Your not going to belive this but we HAD that boat running good. I should've seen the look on his face he was a happy camper.

[Chuck E Cheese]

not so today.. the servo went out... i don't understand b/c it didnt get wet or anything just failed....

[knahinu]

Da vodoo dance backfired on you.:doh:

[iratner]

After a couple of more days running with some strut adjustments made by a "friend", we have proven that the Widow can run smoothly. Now, the goal is to see if I can get it to turn without a "wiggle".

[Roach]

This is my first boat and I was pretty impressed by the way it handled. My friend has a super
v27 and talked me into getting a boat. I like it so far, only problem is the prop broke after about 3 battery packs.

[AxlesOfEvil]

Hey guys. I made my first run of the widowmaker 22 last night. Ive got tons of rc experience but its my first boat ever. Honestly this thing is downright scary. Its fairly fast and is totally out of control constantly hopping all over, and gets a gnarly death wiggle in turns. I thought the whole time i was going to roll it over.

15 minutes later i was getting the feel for it and ripping it pretty hard. and then of course, the propeller broke in half and it was time to go home.

Im looking for a new prop now but im having a hard time justifying the 45 dollar octura prop. is there another good option out there ?

[Steven Vaccaro]

Im looking for a new prop now but im having a hard time justifying the 45 dollar octura prop. is there another good option out there ?

Why not buy a $13 prop and balance it yourself. It will only take a couple of hours on the first one, but it will be easier after that and you will be able to save money and enjoy the outcome of your own work.

[iratner]

The trick to stop the hopping is to adjust the strut to just the right angle. And, if you tilt the rudder back a bit, that will help with the wiggle during the turns. See photo.

This turned out to be a great boat! I don't like the "military look", but it will run very fast for 8 minutes on one 4,900 mah 2 cell and not even get warm. What more could you ask for?

[iratner]

Sorry, here is the photo...

[AxlesOfEvil]

The trick to stop the hopping is to adjust the strut to just the right angle. And, if you tilt the rudder back a bit, that will help with the wiggle during the turns. See photo.

This turned out to be a great boat! I don't like the "military look", but it will run very fast for 8 minutes on one 4,900 mah 2 cell and not even get warm. What more could you ask for?

It felt like i was out there quite a while longer than 8 minutes, i think i was running for about 15 or so on a 5000mah 2s lipo. I should have timed it more carefully thought because i cant be sure. i also wasnt at max speed the whole time.


Why not buy a $13 prop and balance it yourself. It will only take a couple of hours on the first one, but it will be easier after that and you will be able to save money and enjoy the outcome of your own work.

for the extra 30 bucks id rather just buy one already balanced.

how often will an octura prop need to be replaced? do they get damaged or broken easily ?

[AxlesOfEvil]

doing a little more shopping and am now wondering what the difference is between a 2 and 3 blade prop?

seems the general idea is a 3 blade will accelerate faster than a 2 blade?

[iratner]

I am using a 3 blade from an Aquacraft Miss Vegas and I am getting great acceleration and smooth ride at the top end.

[iratner]

Finally, I took a photo of the photo using my phone. Notice the strut angle and the 3 blade prop.

[AxlesOfEvil]

cool. i made a small order today at tower so i put a grim racer metal prop and a couple of the miss vegas 2 blade props on it to test some things out and see what works. once it is back in the water i'll start making adjustments.

thanks guys.

[knahinu]

Ira is using a octura Y535/3 prop.

[AxlesOfEvil]

i picked up a couple of y535/2 props in plastic/fiber to see how they work.

can anyone tell me the difference between a 2 and 3 plade prop ? it seems like the 3 is more for acceleration and less top speed?

[AxlesOfEvil]

well yesterday i took the boat out again and the prop works GREAT...

however, it is even bouncier now, one time it slapped the water so hard the lid popped off. luckily some "real" rc boaters with their big gas powered monsters were there with a retrieval boat to get it.

i had the strut angled all the way down to see what would happen. BAD idea for any kind of even mildy choppy water. the big gassers were skimming across the water like it was glass but mine was poppin and diving all over the joint.

they told me i should move the strut to be about level with the bottom of the hull.

if i cant get it trimmed out with the strut, im going to add some trim tabs for a supervee to it.

[knahinu]

Use a ruler or a straight edge and get the strut level as possible. If that don't work, try tilting the rear of the strut up, alittle makes a big difference.

[AxlesOfEvil]

i tested it out a little bit today in my gf's pool lol. not enough room to get it going, but i think i am getting somewhere.

thats a great idea with the ruler to get strut level, i'll have to try that.

at first i was skeptical about boating but man im hooked now. i cant wait to get another one. im thinking a catamaran would be sick.

[Brushless55]

any videos?

[Roach]

I put mine in the pond yesterday, run it for about 2 minutes and it stopped dead in the water, I went and retrieved it to find the battery exploded and fried the esc. The battery was a brand new venom 3200 7.4 lipo, I have cycled at least 3 times, never ran the battery for more than about 5-6 minutes, always leave switch on lipo for the esc, the battery has been charged and cells balanced with venom pro charger. I don't know if the battery failed causing the esc to burn up or if the esc caused the problem. I haven't contacted proboat yet, but this sucks.

[Brushless55]

3200mah may have ran down under a safe volt ?

[Bob Bighinatti]

I to bought this boat. On the frist time out it bounced hard and the top fell off.
It sank before iI got to it . Had to buy a new one from H,H. Then the ESC died
and I sent the boat back to H,H due to the local hobbieshope where I bought it from would not do anything with it .Still waitting for it come back, been about 2 weeks. Looking for a new prop to.
Bob Big:beerchug:

[iratner]

Sorry to hear that! The #1 rule of fast electric boats is to tape them up using hockey tape (as sold by OSE). My Widow has spent plenty of time flipped over and I have never had a drop of water inside the boat.

As for the purposing, adjust the strut to bring the prop "way" up. See photo on previous page. It looks extreme, but I run dead smooth that way.

As for the prop, I have had great luck with the Octura Y535/3 blade and it fits right on the standard prop shaft. My Widow is off plane in seconds and runs "cool" at full speed for 4 minutes.

Hope this helps, Ira

[Bob Bighinatti]

Thanks I have tape and used it on the 2nd cover. Still waiting for H,H to look at it
Bob Big:beerchug:

[navyjon]

Hello Folks, I'm new here, but I,ve been running fast electric for about 10 years. I have to say I liked the WM so much that after trying all my tricks, I stripped all the hardware and electronics for use in a good hull and threw away that obnoxious waste of plastic and fiberglass! That being said, glad to hear that at least some of you are having fun with it. I think I,ll just go back to delta force hulls. LOL.

[v-spec]

Shoulda posted it for sale here instead of throwing it away I woulda picked it up. There are 2 guys at our lake with them now and both are running really smooth.

[Bob Bighinatti]

Sorry to hear that! The #1 rule of fast electric boats is to tape them up using hockey tape (as sold by OSE). My Widow has spent plenty of time flipped over and I have never had a drop of water inside the boat.

As for the purposing, adjust the strut to bring the prop "way" up. See photo on previous page. It looks extreme, but I run dead smooth that way.

As for the prop, I have had great luck with the Octura Y535/3 blade and it fits right on the standard prop shaft. My Widow is off plane in seconds and runs "cool" at full speed for 4 minutes.

Hope this helps, Ira

Were did you get the prop from . I the got boat back from Horrizion hobby after they
had it a month for a bad esc .
Bob Big:beerchug:

[iratner]

Sorry, its actually called a M435 3 blade and you get one from Fun RC Boats
http://www.funrcboats.com/ProductInfo.aspx?productid=OCM435

Ira

[Darin Jordan]

They did a writeup of this boat in the latest RC Car Modeler magazine... (or whatever the mag is that we get now instead of RC Boat Modeler...)... Haven't read it yet...

[Brushless55]

Why do we not get RC Boat mag any more?

[Bob Bighinatti]

Well I ran the WW on satturday ran ok but it cavates like crazy then hooks up runs like mad. when I was running it I noiticed that there was no water coming out of the water outlet. Found that the water cooling jacket was pluged with rust.
It took a little bit of compress air of a coumputer dusting can to clear it out but it works now. I think you should blow it out after run.
Bob Big:beerchug:

[RCprince]

Any dimension on the motor yet?

[shillingcl]

Well I ran the WW on satturday ran ok but it cavates like crazy then hooks up runs like mad. when I was running it I noiticed that there was no water coming out of the water outlet. Found that the water cooling jacket was pluged with rust.
It took a little bit of compress air of a coumputer dusting can to clear it out but it works now. I think you should blow it out after run.
Bob Big:beerchug:
Bob,

I was having similar problems with cavitation... Raise the prop / strut up a little further which may help, the final solution for me was moving the the GrimRacer 40x53 prop which has been working well both bottom end and top. (Requires an adapter from 1/8 to 3/16 shaft)

[mickvk]

Why do we not get RC Boat mag any more?

Vague, but for what it's worth this month's RC Car Action said that the publication is available online only. However their website says "coming soon". So I expect sometime in October and going forward there will be unique content at rcboatmodeler.com instead of just a shadow copy of RC Car Action dot com.

[OshkoshMono]

Haha, yep that's just like my widowmaker. It bounces across the water like it's got a bad case of ADHD :w00t: and then it flips over. :ThumbsDown01: The octura 3 blade is by far the best prop I've tried. Helps this boat out a lot, in a few ways... I thought about cutting the wood out of the battery location and building a 7 cel pack that fits the shape of the hull to get a lower CG. Once I had a nice full tilt run going through some 3 or 4" chop and it totally submarined and was gone for about 4 or 5 seconds. I was a little freaked until it popped back up. Now I might mod it into my rescue barge for the titan 33/40....?????