New to boats

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Hello OffShore
Got an old boat that was never put together. It was fitted for Nitro but am converting to electric.
First question is-
the bottom of the boat is very flat- does it need something installed to help it go through the water in a straight line- like a strut or something else? See pic

[nocebo]

Hi, welcome.

No pic attached to your post, maybe try again?

Depending on the type of boat (hydro, rigger, deep V, displacement hull) it may or may not need a turn fin to allow for turns and straight line tracking. It will also obviously need a rudder (unless you are powering it with a jet pump)

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response

See pics
Thanks for your help

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I am adding an outboard motor that will steer

[hughb]

So that type of boat would be referred to as a "F1 tunnel hull". The idea is as the boat gains speed, air is forced into the "tunnel" (the space between the 2 sponson hulls) which raises the boat out of the water somewhat and almost fly along, with only the back of the boat and prop in the water. This is known as "airing out" Obviously this makes the boat unstable and prone to flipping over. It's a balancing game that involves the weight of the boat, the centre of gravity of the boat, the height and drive angle of the prop, and how fast you want to push the boat.

Yes an outboard motor will take care of both propulsion and steering, so no rudder needed. The outboard will have a small "skeg" under the prop which will help the boat track in a straight line. The skeg is a small triangular or trapezoidal shaped fin under the prop.

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hull

So that type of boat would be referred to as a "F1 tunnel hull". The idea is as the boat gains speed, air is forced into the "tunnel" (the space between the 2 sponson hulls) which raises the boat out of the water somewhat and almost fly along, with only the back of the boat and prop in the water. This is known as "airing out" Obviously this makes the boat unstable and prone to flipping over. It's a balancing game that involves the weight of the boat, the centre of gravity of the boat, the height and drive angle of the prop, and how fast you want to push the boat.

Yes an outboard motor will take care of both propulsion and steering, so no rudder needed. The outboard will have a small "skeg" under the prop which will help the boat track in a straight line. The skeg is a small triangular or trapezoidal shaped fin under the prop.

Thanks Hugh!
I will have to learn how to find the center of gravity and to balance the boat! I fly RC airplanes so this is new to me.

[hughb]

https://www.radiocontrolinfo.com/rtr-boats/tunnel-hull-setup/

This should get you started