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please tell me their are updates 
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I've built new 1/32" wire drives for this boat (lost one due to a loose setscrew) and have obtained WAY HUGE L&R props. It's in the paint shop now and will be a few weeks before I'll post photos. The fixed stingers that I built into the hull had the props rather high compared to the waterline which is why I opted to go with aforementioned WAY HUGE (32mm) props. It originally ran out of gas with the Octura X430 L&R props I initially had on it, but modern suppliers have bigger L&R props that may work well with it.
Stay tuned for photos.
BTW, I ordered longer motors (more torque) of a similar Kv to install if the current motors don't like the bigger props. They are on backorder, so we shall see........A nation of sheep breeds a government of wolvesComment
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While the micros have their advantages, one big disadvantage is working room.
It's not real easy to reach the motor mounting screws and I need a 90° screwdriver to mount the servo, but that's the price you pay with micros.
Here's a few photos of the MSC. The hatch cover is still in the paint shop so I'll post more photos in a couple of days.A nation of sheep breeds a government of wolvesComment
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I complain about the room in my 36" twin cat. Banana hands means no micro building for me!
Vac-U-Tug Jr (13mph)Comment
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More photos. I just need to mount the receiver and install the antenna. That's maybe 10 minutes on the bench at most.
A nation of sheep breeds a government of wolvesComment
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Well, I finally got to run this boat today. The last time I ran it, it had our "spec" 3000Kv motor, and 6 NiMh cells. In its current form, it has 3850Kv Fan-cooled helicopter motors, 2S LiPos, counter-rotating and de-tongued X430s, and re-designed 1/32" wire drives.
This thing hauls a$$!!
And, it corners like it's on rails!! On the first run, it was a bit too loose due to the lower weight of the batteries (they're forward of the CG). On the subsequent runs, I added some weight to the bow. It was still plenty loose, but my fear of a blow-over was significantly reduced. The 1/32 wire drives worked flawlessly and not a drop of water entered the hull.
Another keeper from Randy!
A nation of sheep breeds a government of wolvesComment
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I Made Some Graphics
I made some graphics for the MSC. I ordered some extra-thin water-slide decal paper and will add the graphics as soon as I print them on the paper. Only the folks my age will get the double-entendre of the graphics.
Stay tuned for videos.....Last edited by Dr. Jet; 01-27-2018, 08:58 PM.A nation of sheep breeds a government of wolvesComment
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I bet 3s on the spec 3000kv motors would have been a hoot too, I run that kv on a lot of minis with 27-32mm props.
I have never thought of painting a cockpit blue, I've always gone for black or silver, but it really works and looks great with the gold.Paul Upton-Taylor, Greased Weasel Racing.Comment
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I can barely keep this thing on the water with 2S. I've upgraded the 3000 Kv motors to something around 3850 Kv (give or take - I don't recall). 3S would be insane with this setup. Stay tuned for videos. As for the graphics, all I have to say is....
A nation of sheep breeds a government of wolvesComment
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Well, after a number of delays and sidetracks, I finally put some graphics on the MSC. As an added bonus, I now have a way to video record it while I'm driving it. Stay tuned for videos the next time I take it out!A nation of sheep breeds a government of wolvesComment
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Time to resurrect this old thread. I can't believe it's been two years since I last posted on it. I can't believe I started this project 12 years ago!
So here's the latest update: Suitable props for the minis are few and far between when compared to the bigger ones. Add the need for counter-rotating sets and the available options almost vanish. For years, the only option was the Octura X430 L and R. Now, with the influx of cheap Chinese RC boats, there is a bit more to select. TFL now makes a CNC 430 prop in counter-rotating pairs. Steve sells them here at his shop.
These props have the same "tongues" as the Octura X-Series props, so I promptly cut them off, balanced and sharpened them and stuck them on the MSC. It was noticeably faster than with the Octura props, but now I suffered a different, but easily remedied problem: My current setup has both motors running off of one rather large (2.25 mah) battery. I'm getting inconsistent motor start-ups. When testing the motors before putting it in the water, one motor will start, and the other would shudder. Once in the water with some load on the props, they would both eventually run, but one would often start before the other.
Once both motors were running, this thing hauled a$$. It had a perfect flight attitude with none of the porpoising some cats have. There was a lot of "Nothin' but prop" on the straight, high speed runs. I did have the single battery as far forward as I could to move the CG forward. It cornered like it was on rails.
What was happening with the startup issues was no doubt a voltage drop when one ESC started a millisecond before the other, and the other ESC seeing that voltage drop and subsequently freaking out over it. The solution is simple: Just use a separate battery for each ESC.
I need a bit more weight forward anyway, so this is a win-win. I'll solder new connectors to everything, hog out a bit more flotation foam and I can call this project "DONE". And it only took 12 years.......
I have a new place to run and there are often people there to take videos. I'll see if I can post some the next time I take it out.
A nation of sheep breeds a government of wolvesComment
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