F1h2o

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20231022_095516.jpg20231022_160805.jpg
F1h2o Italian job

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The gremlins struck again, this time the gear moved enough to disengage, then when stripping down i broke the casing. Well on the way now in making a new gearbox casing, with 1mm alteration to the lip that holds the vertical shaft, to make sure the gears are meshing. Then I machined the support tube to take a newly made cap, designed to stop any movement of the oilseal which in turn would let the bearings move and so disengage the gears, which is what I think happened. My other engines don't have this problem because of a removable top bearing holder, to allow oil filling and emptying. Because I used strong loctite last time I can't get the gear off, so that means I can't get the top bearing out for oil filling so thinking of packing it with grease before sealing the two halves together, will it work?

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That’s a shame. Loctite always comes loose with heat. Perhaps a solder iron would localize the heat enough to release it. How strong of Loctite? Red, green?

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F1h2o engine

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Thanks Shawn i will try that next time, (I used red loctite) I left it and used horizons hobby marine grease, put plenty in around the gears. Then clamped the two halves together with Rtv sealant, so far seems OK. The gearboxes get quite warm to the touch when out on the lake even when the water is cold so I guess the grease will thin down when it's warm. Final coat of paint last night so will assemble it today ready to try tomorrow. The new coupling faired better than the last one due to being lined up better I guess.

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F1h2o Italian job

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It worked! Had a great morning running her up and down the lake. With some full throttle runs she looks the part , nose in the air, tons of spray flying off the back. I thought it might be noisy with grease instead of oil, but not at all sounds just the same. Time will tell if the top bearing in the vertical tube gets lubrication. Shame Paul didn't have his camera, maybe next time.
I found the cap head screws holding the battery bay a bit awkward, so I have used the thumb screws I bought originally, much better don't need a driver now either, see photo.
Even reduced water getting into the boat to an acceptable level, using sealant on the rear section.
The extra cooling provided by the air scoop on top of the cowl is working a treat, the wires and motor staying nice and cool.
I don't get long on a 5000mah battery, so been looking at something bigger , I guess 6000 wouldn't make much difference, but 10,000 might. Any ideas welcome.20231025_132103.jpg

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Glad it went well. Always good feeling when it comes together. As far as batteries go, I always find ones in the 4000mah range have a good fit and are cost effective. HobbyKing graphene are good when in stock

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https://youtu.be/2DGXUpoGJ2A?si=RnEpUkY7x-PH9Mu9

[srislash]

That is looking great, nice spot to run too

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https://youtu.be/_1iupYqD9O4?si=Tm17O6gVNKfWhFd_

We walked round the lake to film with the sun behind us, then the swans thought we were there to feed them.

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Record breaking F1h2o

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With my best 2 3s batteries on board I had the lake to myself as it was very cold. I could tell she was motoring so thought I might have a record. Yes 40mph dead on , that was my target.
So now to fit my new 6s battery with its as150 plugs, 75c so would it be able to provide enough current, YES , couldn't believe it when I removed the battery bay cover the gps read 42.2 mph. So twice in one day I broke the record, just shows getting everything tight did the trick.
I now have my new Bluetooth watt meter to fit so I can get some readings, with those I may be able to go up a size on the prop, but if not I will be happy with running at 42mph.20231220_110126.jpg

[srislash]

Record breaking F1h2o

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With my best 2 3s batteries on board I had the lake to myself as it was very cold. I could tell she was motoring so thought I might have a record. Yes 40mph dead on , that was my target.
So now to fit my new 6s battery with its as150 plugs, 75c so would it be able to provide enough current, YES , couldn't believe it when I removed the battery bay cover the gps read 42.2 mph. So twice in one day I broke the record, just shows getting everything tight did the trick.
I now have my new Bluetooth watt meter to fit so I can get some readings, with those I may be able to go up a size on the prop, but if not I will be happy with running at 42mph.[ATTACH=CONFIG]178442[/ATTACH]

You are getting a right respectable clip going there. Congrats on the tuning success

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I tried another engine on the F1 having noticed some cracks in the midsection, however read on. 20240222_142541.jpg20240222_155122.jpgThe F1 being so fast soon shows up any weakness, this happened with the replacement engine. All the force is on the bearing behind the gear, it pushed the bearing out of its ally housing. I was able to get back at very low speed. So I split the gearbox, no oil, it had all leaked out. I turned a new housing for the bearing from solid bar , so bearing can't move. The gears still look new so I reassembled, heating the housing and using it to melt the plastic, quench in cold water, created the perfect fit. Plenty of grease added this time as a change from oil.
It's not going back on the F1, I've gone back to the original engine but made a new stronger mid section. I used a new coupling called Kande, looks much stronger and it's bigger , so I was able to add 7mm to the mid section. I will run the F1 like this for a while, then it will also get a modified gearbox.

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https://youtu.be/ivUwpRj5nTk?si=g_OPd2Yr42D2oP_O

She still flies and has great presence on the water.

[srislash]

Such a nice spot to run there. She is looking good. Still a bit of spray off the drive?