I Guess I Blew It - Looking For Some Guidance Please

[rc2266]

The drive actually moves when you steer it, not a saperate drive from rudder

[JIM MARCUM]

Skipper Chuck, your boat comes with three brushed 550 motors & NiCad batteries. Not enough info on your boat specs at Banana Hobby about the ESC for us to help you.

The cheap plastic boat I converted to Brushless only had a single motor so I just put a cheap ($20 from HK) motor, a cheap 120 amp ESC, 4 cell LIPO, and a metal prop on it. It, like your boat, had a fixed straight shaft drive on it. Against all odds it bas a blast to drive! Such a light hull & 4S LIPO turned a piece of junk it a 40 MPH blast. Handled like crap, but it did wheelies & back flips & fantastic cartwheels in an entertaining way that had kids lining up to watch it. It died when my Mickey Mouse battery hold down failed & the drive shaft ate thur the loose LIPO, fried the batt & warped the hull before I could get it out. Seeing a LIPO go up in smoke like that (even after I tossed it in the water!) is a scary & dangerous thing. Once they start to fry, nothin will stop the reaction. Besides the burn risk, the fumes & smoke from a burning LIPO are toxic.

The point I'm trying to make is - the only reason I didn't kill the ESC, servo & receiver after all those flips & crashes was because the hull /canopy was well sealed with waterproof tape. That may be why your boat had so many failures. When/if Banana Hobby forks over new boats to you, before you run them stock, be sure you tape up the hull with a good quality tape before you put them in the water. They may suprise you (and us too) and be the fun toys you had hoped for.

While virtually everyone uses Brushless systems now, the existing world speed record for an RC electric boat - 140.36MPH - was set with a brushed motor and with 32 NiCad batteries! http://www.namba.com/content/records.asp?EventType=11

Keep in mind with any RC electric boat, getting the electronics wet is very bad thing. Keep them dry & have a little fun with your stock boats & see if you & your grandson like it. If you do, and want to step up to a brushless system, I recommend buying an RTR boat like the Miss Geico. It's really not worth the effort to convert one of your multi-proped plastic boats to brushless. JIM

[searay skipper]

Hey Jim

"Not enough info on your boat specs at Banana Hobby about the ESC "

Yeah I know. Not much info there at all....and I don't have any other here either. Other than they're "550" motors....and the battery is a big heavy 12V lead acid battery. Speed control and radio rx built into a really cheap printed circuit board....and a real flimsy servo that pooped out on me on day one.

The first and only time it's ever been run was in a small bay at my yacht club....dead calm water. It didn't operate properly right from the git go....wouldn't steer properly. I didn't have any mishaps with it....no water got inside it. Bottom line as far as I'm concerned is it's really nothing but a very cheaply made big piece of junk.

"That may be why your boat had so many failures."

It didn't have "so many failures".

It had ONE failure....first time out of the box. Hasn't been run since.

But I am going to put a few dollars into it....as few as possible. And either let my Grandson have it...or convert it to a "rescue boat" as has been suggested here. We'll see.

I have another thread going in the builders forum and have been getting some suggestions from guys there. I have a deal made with someone there who's going to send me an esc he has that he says will run these 3 motors.

I'm going to gut this thing...except for the 3 motors....use his esc....get a suitable servo....new battery(ies)...not sure what yet....and a new decent radio that I'll be able to keep and use later down the road with whatever I may get in the future. And oh yeah....a decent charger that could also be used later with something else.

All in all....I don't think I'll be putting too many more $$$ into this thing to get it going.

Banana Hobby has said they would take care of me so that's good. When the new stuff gets here I'll have lots to play with.

[JIM MARCUM]

I hope it all works out & you get some "fun" out of your boat. JIM

[ozzie-crawl]

I hope it all works out & you get some "fun" out of your boat. JIM

Unless he ends up the same as the rest of us.

Week 1. Buy cheap boat that breaks in first 5 min.
Week 2. Rebuild cheap boat to run faster.
Week 3. Buy rtr
Week 6. Rebuild rtr to do 60mph
Week 9. Build first boat
week 10. build 2nd,3rd,and 4th boat
Week 11. turn first built boat in to a s.a.w speed demon. buy large 60 inch cat,fill it with goodies try and get 100mph out of it.

So looking at my chart skipper has about 10 weeks before he is totally screwed lol

[JIM MARCUM]

Scott, I resemble that!!!

There is a #.13 Accept your insanity, and have fun. JIM

[Visual Perfection]

"ya, did you end up getting one of those boats that was suggested from banana hobby earlier in this thread?"

Yup.....2 of 'em. The wife wants to play as well.

And a spare battery as well.

The total package they agreed to send me...2 boats plus spare battery... ended up totalling $3.00 less than I originally paid for this thing I have here. And they don't want it back.

Glad to hear everything has worked out for you! Those new boats you are getting will be fairly easy to convert over to brushless. You could keep one stock and make some modifications to the other..you might end up with a quick boat afterall..will it be hobbygrade, top of the line, etc.. no, but it will be a hell of a lot of fun!

[srislash]

Scott, I resemble that!!!

There is a #.13 Accept your insanity, and have fun. JIM

And those of us that willingly came back into the insanity that is Building FE's.I couldn't think of anything else to add as I read today's goings on here.

You know people should be directed here before buying that first crappy boat.

[searay skipper]

"So looking at my chart skipper has about 10 weeks before he is totally screwed lol "

HA HA Ozzie.....I think your list looks pretty accurate.

Believe me....I've kinda been this route in other things before. You'd think I'd know better by now.

"You know people should be directed here before buying that first crappy boat."

Agreed. I didn't even know these forums existed or I would have been here asking questions before buying anything.

As I mentioned at the start.....this whole thing just started out as a goofy idea between a buddy and me to buy something to play with and have little races for beer and a few laughs when we're boating this summer in the 1000 Islands on the St Lawrence River. We set a $200.00 limit on whatever we bought....and like a dope I went to the max with that thing on the BH website. I admit......I got sucked in by the claims this thing would do near 40 mph. Shoot......it never came anywhere near that on its one and only run. Oh well.

He spent $70.00 I think. And his crapped out on his first time out too. One of his motors is seized up....he hasn't had a chance to try to figure out why yet. Think he may be contacting them again soon too.

You know....I must say my whole perspective on this stuff has changed over the past couple weeks or so....certainly since discovering these forums anyway. I confess I used to kinda view these rc boats as little more than "toys" really.....and I suppose they kinda sorta still are....but after reading about and seeing all that you guys do around here.......man...you guys take this thing to a whole 'nother level. The things you guys are doing...the boats you all build....the attention to detail...is REALLY impressive.

Now that I've found these forums and you guys and seen some of the things you've all done......I fear this may grow into something more.

[srislash]

What are you running for a radio.This old ESC doesn't seem to like my Spektrum 2.4 radio.But the AM HPI 2ch is fine.Works beautiful actually.The HPI is an old spare.One of many.

[searay skipper]

PM sent.

[searay skipper]

I see the transfer has been completed....good stuff.


I got an e-mail from BH yesterday telling me my order has been shipped......so 2 more toys are on their way here now.

Shawn.....or anyone else.......

Before I go out shopping for other parts....batteries in particular......can someone tell me if I can use the battery I got with this boat at all......even if it's just for an initial test run once I get other things converted over?

Here's everything written on this battery:

Sealed Lead-Acid Rechargeable Battery
12V....4500 mah/5 hr

Voltage Regulation:

Cycle Use: 14.70V - 15.00V
Standby Use: 13.50V - 13.70V

Max charging current: .70A

That's all it says.

This thing is about the size and weight of a brick....and is likely a pos like pretty much everything else with this boat...BUT......can I at least use it for bench testing purposes after I install other components......or even for an actual test run on the water?

[srislash]

I see the transfer has been completed....good stuff.


I got an e-mail from BH yesterday telling me my order has been shipped......so 2 more toys are on their way here now.

Shawn.....or anyone else.......

Before I go out shopping for other parts....batteries in particular......can someone tell me if I can use the battery I got with this boat at all......even if it's just for an initial test run once I get other things converted over?

Here's everything written on this battery:

Sealed Lead-Acid Rechargeable Battery
12V....4500 mah/5 hr

Voltage Regulation:

Cycle Use: 14.70V - 15.00V
Standby Use: 13.50V - 13.70V

Max charging current: .70A

That's all it says.

This thing is about the size and weight of a brick....and is likely a pos like pretty much everything else with this boat...BUT......can I at least use it for bench testing purposes after I install other components......or even for an actual test run on the water?

Geez,got a small motorcycle. That is something used in scale tugs and such.

[searay skipper]

LOL

Yeah but is it of any value to me here....temporary as it might be.....while I'm experimenting??

[srislash]

I wouldn't use it.Big,heavy.But I guess you could try it.It should still give power.