I'm bored so here's the multiple build thread

[kfxguy]

I haven't been posting many build threads lately. Guess I haven't had much time and I didn't want to bore you guys. Here's several different boats including a rebuild of my recovery which was just plain silly how I built it. But it's awesome and it works better than the original so that's what I care about.

Here's the list that will be included in this thread. I may add more and it's going to take me over the next few days to get everything in it so bare with me. All comments and questions are welcome.

Saw Rivercat.....a departure from the normal layout and power systems
Mini Rivercat. Sold my original one although I still can't believe i did.
Couple of cheetahs
Two etti demon riggers
Recovery boat
Kbb34

[kfxguy]

Here's the first one. The recovery. My original fell apart. Lol. I made it out of a tackle box container. The plastic finally started cracking after 2 years of great service. It needed a power upgrade too.


Here it is box stripped off. Setting up motor mount

At this point I thought I was going back with the same proboat 1800kv 36mm motor



But then I dug through my motor drawer. I knew I needed something with some tq. Found just the thing. Muhahaha



At this point I'm winging it. Not sure what I'm doing for enclosure but I have an idea.....




At this point I'm headed down a path of no return. But I'm liking it.



So I know I skipped a few steps but the lip all the way around is heavily reinforced with west epoxy and chopped carbon. I decided on the matching dynamite 120 esc, .187 flex with Teflon (less maintenance I hope) and a aquacrap servo I had laying around, dual cooling Genesis rudder (this is the only thing I'd use one of those things on lol)



And completed!

[kfxguy]

And one more pic. I tried it out the other day. So much power that it would stand the booms straight up in the air. On 3s. So I had to give it some negative prop angle to settle it. I'm gonna extend the booms a bit and add so weight to it and change the foam out on the frame. Also needs some turn fins for more stability under full speed. It goes about 10mph now vs 3mph before. So I can get out the quicker. One thing is it would not overcome the small current in a river I ran in once. It should have no issues now. I almost lost it....had to jump on a party barge and go grab it!

I already had someone offer me an insane amount of money for this bugger. I had to turn it down. To me it's worth it's weight in gold.

[kfxguy]

Next up. Budget cheetah. This guy lives around the corner from me. Knows my uncle. I met him through Jason at fightercat. He was wanting a cheetah and asked who could build him one. My name come up and he gave him my email. Glad he did, it's such a small world. This is a very simple setup. At first we were going to go with a leopard 4092 1400kv. Then plans changed as I came across a killer deal on a neu motor he's been wanting. He didn't have a lot of money to spend on the boat as he's retired and on limited budget. So I fixed him up with the motor cheap. Savox waterproof servo. Seaking 180 with a cap bank. 1521 neu 1577kv on 6s. This boat ran way better than expected. I predicted 58-60mph on 6s. That got smashed. The beauty of it is it's been beat on for the past few months and been stone reliable besides one bearing popping out the strut (more in that shortly). Killer budget build that's worth mentioning. I didn't plan on doing a build thread on it so I didn't document the whole thing but here's what I have.

My most unfavorite part. Sanding for an inlay. Ugh



And inlay done

[kfxguy]

Here's my hardware mounted up. I've come up with this combo of strut and rudder after much testing with other things. This boat is very wide and it does not work well with a short rudder. Blows over past 60 and it will spin around if you turn a little too sharp. This setup handles like its on rails and I've had this hull run almost 90mph






Here's the basic layout. Very basic. Nothing special. Simple and functional.





Hatch seal installed. This guy loves tape. That's what he's used to with his other boats. Not anymore....he's sold on this setup





And the bolts installed.

[kfxguy]

She's done.




This guy who owns it isn't a zoom once and bring it back in kind of guy. Older fellow. Likes to run to cutoff. Circles. Laps. He's used to that because I could see where making an run and bringing it in to check gps and taping it back up would get old real quick.

I recommend a prop to him. He bought it. And some others he wanted to try. Worked them all himself and the prop I told him was the fastest and easiest on the electronics. The results on 6s with 1500kv were pretty impressive for a sport setup.




Getting back to the bearing that popped out the strut. I've been loctiting them in. Been holding fine but when his popped out I decided it was time to make sure that don't happen again. I made a cutting tool for my lathe that would cut a tiny groove for it.

[kfxguy]

This isn't a full build. I did a thread on it already but I crashed it the seam split I and forgot about it. Neu sent me a 2900kv 1530 (just had this happen again with a 1527) and I ran it on 6s and it flipped. I think the gps said like 92mph and it only flipped because it surged when I let off. The hatch Broke too. So after sitting for a few months I decided to repair it and give it to a friend of mine for his b day. I couldn't sell it like this and I don't have the time to sand it and fill the crack and repaint. So instead of it sitting or tossing in the trash, I repaired it and gave to him.


Little crack. Broke my heart



I sanded the inside down real good and it got some west system epoxy with long stand chopped carbon. There was no flexing or creaking sounds afterwards when I grabbed the boat by the rails.



Cracked hatch



Here's where I joined it back. I milled a square divot and put three layers of carbon.





Then I did an inlay.

[kfxguy]

My buddy sent me his esc and a motor to try in this green boat not knowing he was getting the boat. So first thing I did was cut the shrink off the esc and check for epoxy breaches in the circuit. Yep. Spots missing just like all the others so I lightly recoated it.





Put it back together with a tp 4070 1770kv motor for some 6s action

[kfxguy]

And seeing the cracks bothered me so I had to come up with something. Not to mention it was just to plain being all green (although the paint job and color is stunning!) and he couldn't have my beast mode decals (beastmode v2 coming soon). So I cut these decals by hand. Here it is upon delivery.

[kfxguy]

I won't bore you guys with another almost identical kbb34 build but, this one I just sent off for paint a couple weeks ago (I don't have time to paint much myself). I'll post more about it when it comes back but it's going to have a neu 1530 1500kv motor with a sf300 lite. Servo....not sure yet but I think radio post. Here's a pic I was sent today of it with the first coat of clear on it. That's tangelo pearl, house of kolor base coat

[ray schrauwen]

Oh, I like that color! Orange is my favorite, pearl is even nicer!

[kfxguy]

Ok. Now it's on to boats that are currently being built. Maybe I can log them better. This is a pair of siblings. My favorite little boats. 32" Rivercat and a 27" Rivercat. (Mini zonda whatever you wanna call it). I sank the 32" I had and sold my 27" to fund building a pair of these again. They will be build dang near identical except for electronics. I actually have two motors and escs for the 32" Rivercat. I plan on making some changes after my objective with it is done. So...



27" mini
Tp 4050 2050kv (I really wanted a 4040 in the same kv
Kintec motor mount
Fly Color 150a esc
Spektrum servo s6230
Mbp collet
Billet linkage rod ends
Billet servo arm
.187 flex
Modified speedmaster hardware to mount rudder on left (maybe) think this will be a sport boat so I may not do that
Honey comb inlay

Here there are as I just started.

[kfxguy]

Oh, I like that color! Orange is my favorite, pearl is even nicer!

Thanks. I do really like that color. I had a quart of it so I talked my customer into it. Glad I did. It's gonna be a killer looking boat. We have some carbon decals planned. The carbon shoukd look really good on the orange.

[kfxguy]

The 32" is as planned...

Neu motor. Something like a 1521, I have a couple custom winds for it.
Mgm 25035 esc and a castle xl2 that's been water proofed and converted to water cooling much better than the ice series controllers
Kintec motor mount
Radio post green servo (why not? Love green haha)
Billet rod ends
Billet servo horn
Mbp collet
Custom servo mount to mount far left (I have a reason behind this and will be shown later)
Left handed hardware, speedmaster but modified. Any little effort to make the boat go straighter, the better. I know it may not make much difference but every little thing I do will count. Got some other ideas.

Motor mounts mocked up




Mocking for castle esc



Getting it all lined out





Here's an idea of how the strut wil look.

[kfxguy]

The wires looked raggedy on this mgm I have. Plus the shrink was messed up looking too. Never took one of these escs apart so in an effort to not screw up a $400 controller I had a burnt one that I kept as a paper weight and took it apart first. I learned that's there's nothing to it really to replace the shrink. I also want flexibility later on with the wiring in case I want to use it on something else. So I cut the wires off and left little nubs. Soldered on a male and female castle 8mm bullet. There are rated to 300 amps so I should be good. While its apart I added my little pig tail for a bec unit and I'm adding two smaller bullets so I can add a cap bank. I just like things clean and no wiring mess.