Battery placement in mono

[blackcat26]

I have a DF 26 knock off and was wondering about where the best place is for the batteries. Is it better to get them low in the hull or higher up like around the motor? Seems like it would handle better in the corners if they were a little off the floor allowing the lower side in a turn to lay down better. Any help is much appreciated.

[chummer]

This should make for some good conversation.

Here's my input.

I always try to do my layout with the batteries as low in the hull as I can. Just makes sense to me. I think it is just as important to keep all the weight as low as you can in the hull. This keeps the hull more stable but I can honestly say that I have not tried too many different setups to compare different results.

I am interested in reading some of the different feedback on this subject from some of the more experienced members of this forum. Maybe I've been doing it wrong.

[martin]

I know most will probably say put batteries as low as possible & as near to the centre as possible. But depending on type & size of mono & what you want it to do, I have found that having the battery high on the left side of the boat counters torque roll better & allows the boat to turn left much better at high speeds ( i know some only wont to turn right at high speed simply because their boat isnt happy turning left because of torque roll. It also depends on whether you wont a mono that self rights, The higher battery position gives a biast to one side helping the boats balance when self righting working along with a flood chanber or an offset raised part of the hatch cover that holds air pocket to aid self righting. Martin.

[785boats]

I've run with the batteries both low in the centre & out to the sides in 25" hulls.
In my limited experience the hull with them out to the sides cornered better & settled more quickly if it started to chine walk after tripping over a wash or a wave. But they were different hulls so it's not a fair comparison.
Right or wrong, here's my theory.
I also build a lot of scale boats & most boats need a fair amount of ballast to sit them on the waterline. My Bismarck for example has around 10 Kg of lead in it.
It's a well known fact that if the weight is all put in the centerline, the model can look like a cork bobbing on the water when it's in a bit of chop.
If the weight is moved out to the sides & even up the sides, the relationship between the centre of balance ( across the boat), the centre of boyancy, & the moment angle of the centre of gravity all changes. The whole rocking motion of the boat slows down considerably to a much more scale like roll.
These influences must do something to a fast boat. But then again, maybe not.
Who knows.
All you can do is try the batteries in both positions & see how it "feels". Every hull will be different.
Paul.

[driftah]

my df29 runs them on either side of the motor and hadles wickedly

[Flying Scotsman]

An interesting thread on mono hulls all my boats are setup with batteries up against the sides as many are in series setups. Hydros are another story, I asked this question before and the consensus was in the middle, cats are a bit of a toss up, just my 1/2 Canadian cent.

Douggie

[blackcat26]

Just to clarify "middle" in my mind, was laying in the floor basically touching each other in the middle and the bottoms of the batteries following the countoured angle of the "v" sides of the boat. That "middle" versus between the motor and the upper most sides of the deck. Hard to really describe what I mean but I think you guys know what I'm trying to say. I know in cat's lower is better and was wondering if that follows true with the "v" hulls.

[keithbradley]

I usually have mine off to the sides just because thats where they end up, but I say the lower you can get them, the better. No matter how you look at it, the lower the center of gravity is, the more likely the boat will stay upright. If you put enough weight in the bottom/center of the boat it would self-right w/o a flood chamber. Obviously you aren't adding that much weight, but the same principles still apply.

[Jimboat]

CG location

Best location for deadweight (static CG) is at the same location as the "Dynamic Center of Gravity". The dynamic CG is the resultant of all the acting forces, including hydrodynamic lift & drag, aerodynamic lift & drag, lower unit/drive lift/drag and all static weights. The location of the static weight at approximately the same location as the dynamic CG will provide best dynamic balance and best handling. The difficulty is that the dynamic CG moves fore/aft throughout the operating velocity range, so setting the static CG is, as most setups, a "compromise" for overall best performance.

/Jim

[blackcat26]

Thanks everyone for the replies. I will test her soon hopefully.

[LarrysDrifter]

Is this mono you "taking a break from the twin MG"?

[blackcat26]

No I am building 3 boats at the same time or trying to! It always seems like there is a few snags in every build like waiting on parts or paint to dry or something. It's easier to do a few atta time that way you can bounce back and forth when you need to or just feel like it.