The Spartan project

[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.

[TheShaddix]

Water pickups and stuffing tube installed.

[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....
The tear drop shaped pick ups are very clean looking, should have asked you to drill the ones on my H&M.

[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)

[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