first day boating first boat FIRE

[craigsasylum]

to start I ordered a genesis artr and a 100a boat esc"which is what they say it takes"from HobbyKing. when i got it i put the esc in check the cable for grease checked the driveline for binding everything looked OK so i took it to the lake ran for about 1.5-2min brought it in checked the temps nothing was hot. my wife setup the camera to shoot my first day of boating. i tosted the boat back in the water ran for 3min was bring it in to check temps and so my daughter could run it. the esc burst into flames.

http://youtu.be/7WG1vyngkG8

i sent hobbyking an email about warranty on the esc.
first reply i received
Ian
Product Specialist
Dear craig ,
Thanks for contacting the HobbyKing Support Team.

Can you please tell me what the reading was from your wattmeter
Wattmeter

http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/s...dProduct=10080

ITS BACKORDERED

so i asked EVEN if i could buy this wattmeter when/where do you think is a safe place. my thing is bench testing is not going to give a true reading and putting a 40" 1400w+ boat in the bathtube is crazy.

Ian
Product Specialist
reply is
The watt meter records peak power so its possible to motor around in a pond to get the results. The alternative is to use the ESC blindly and burn it out.

this thing will never fit under the hatch and its BACKORDERED


SO after 6 days of getting nowhere
Ian
Product Specialist
closed my warranty request with a link to a 2nd wattmeter
http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/s...Analyzer_.html
and no return code

is this how hobbyking does support

[driftah]

hobbyking unfortunately has the worst reputation in hobby history.the theory is buy,,,, then when it breaks you are on your own,they have what seems to be low pricing but they have no clue what a real hobbyist needs hence the bs support and clueless answers they give you.in reality the hull/motor is the only thing that you should be reusing and maybe the hardware.It does seem like the 100amp esc is not quite enough for that application as well....in conclusion you are now in the proper spot to get good answers on here from real boaters just look around and ask questions bud,its a steep learning curve kinda lol.you should look into the turnigy 180 amp esc from hobbyking as it is decent for the money and handles larger loads.just dont expect to get service on it from them.good luck with the rebuild tho

[iamandrew]

1 - what speed controller was in your boat
2 - 100 amps and a 40in hull?

[jamespl]

It's 37" but I see your point. It may be your setup was just too hot. I take it you were running stock motor? But as said what esc, prop and batteries were you using? I'm guessing so
Something like a birdie of HK own brand.

[Basstronics]

Product support is non existent.

Also taking their recommendations is a gimmick. They are a good source (and a major one) for cheap hull/hardware combos and parts/pieces. They are not for RTR or aRTR boats. Any of their true Fast Electrics need replacement motors off the bat. ESC's sized up correctly also.

It sucks you found this out late in the game. However now you can do some research on other peoples builds and pick out equipment properly.

PD. They want to know the watts as they already know you went well over 100A.

[paultbg]

Hello
@craigsasylum- you did not said anything about batteries : how many cells, what type of wiring (serial, parallel), what brand and capacity?
The stock ESC (the yellow one) it is crap no matter how many amps they claim, the internet is full of user reports about that kind of accident or simply not working after 2 minutes.
Next time when you buy a boat using that ESC just remove it and sell it on Ebay.
About HK and the support/warranty they are supposed to provide you have 2 solutions:
1. buy from HK locally (ie DE, AU) where they need to obey a different set of rules and provide real warranty;
2. ALWAYS pay with paypal your purchases, at least you have 45 days in order to raise a claim.
Regards,

[jamespl]

My genesis setup is turnigy XK-4074 2000kv motor, turnigy 180a esc and an octura x642 prop. This seems to work well for me. Maybe you should try a setup like this for 4s or a lower kv motor for more cells. As said I would just start over as HK prob won't help. Even if they do you will have to ship it back and it will take them months to make up their minds. Maybe a true RTR would have been a better choice?

[Diesel6401]

2 major problems arise with the "discount" esc's from HK.
1) overated amp rating
2) poor cooling (cooling plates don't make contact w/ all the fits)

A eagletree would be a better alternative to just a watt meter. Some watt meter only show what's happening while its happening, no way to review the data when the boat gets back to shore. Also keep in mind that running a boat on the bench at full throttle with no load is a good and easy way to destroy the motor and/or esc. This isn't a plane or a heli! The small prop on a boat doesn't load the motor enough. Call the tech an idiot if he says different.

Instead of ordering the Turnigy 180 from HK, just order here from OSE instead. Its the seaking 180, same exact esc just hobbyking re-brands everything. You can find good deals from HK, you just have to know which products to get and which to stay away from. Some need modded/fixed before you can successfully run time some do not. Take this to work on the rest of your setup and reading. Onething to keep in mind as well is make sure your staying on the thottle as much as you can. I seen some stop and go and struggling to get on plane in a that video. This can create high amp spikes and cause the esc to rapidly heat up due to constant cyclicing. So wide open throttle as much as you can. Driving a boat like you would an rc car or plane will normally result in black smoke. This may not be the best boat for your daughter, reason I say that is because the need to drive wide open as possible is tough and the speed may be a bit much and the boat can roll easy if turned to sharply. The best and easiest boat I own to drive and the let my wife drive is the minicat velocity mono and that's because wide open isn't as big of a deal and its self-righting.

Sent from my T-Mobile G2 using Tapatalk 2

[Old Sloppy]

the video states a 125 amps minimum ESC, in my mind I am thinking a 180+ amps rating...........

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&NR=1&v=WIX-rDyCCDg

Why would you try a smaller rated ESC ?

Harry

[paultbg]

the video states a 125 amps minimum ESC, in my mind I am thinking a 180+ amps rating...........

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&NR=1&v=WIX-rDyCCDg

Why would you try a smaller rated ESC ?

Harry

Why would a company sell a product with such a crap ESC?
There are tens of reports about those bad suppo esc (http://www.suppomodel.com) dieing after few minutes.
They are crazy to continue sell the boats with those ESC.
Also the users / buyers could do their homework before buying...

[Diesel6401]

the video states a 125 amps minimum ESC, in my mind I am thinking a 180+ amps rating...........

Why would you try a smaller rated ESC ?

Harry

The video states 125amp the website suggest/recommends 100A: http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/s...l_1045mm_.html so as a rookie maybe he just read what he needed on the website and didn't watch the video. Just a guess, I really don't know for sure.

Why would a company sell a product with such a crap ESC?
There are tens of reports about those bad suppo esc (http://www.suppomodel.com) dieing after few minutes.
They are crazy to continue sell the boats with those ESC.
Also the users / buyers could do their homework before buying...

It doesn't/didn't come with an esc. If he went by the ratings of 5 stars on the boat, hard to look other places and if he did look elsewhere say here everyone says they love the Genesis, but don't always state they're not running stock. Once again just a guess.


* This is what he has, so instead of giving him the 3rd degree on what he should have/or needed to do, let's help him out with his current situation. Just my 2 pennies.

[paultbg]

My best guess is that the boat did come with that ESC, see here:

http://www.horracing.com/product_info.php?cPath=41_97&products_id=410&osCsid=lvtepmu14m79nv5ea5pse0dtu5

That's why I am so sad... it is not normal to continue to sell the boats with that creepy parts inside.It is a real danger.
Lets hope that the producer will soon ship the boats with the Seaking 120A like they ship the Osprey now:

http://www.horracing.com/product_info.php?cPath=41_96&products_id=393

On the other hand, I would advice @craigsasylum to open a case with PP if he paid with Paypal or with the card issuer/the bank if he has paid with card.
Those people from PayPal do not care about Ian the specialist opinion.They will reverse the transaction if the product was not as described.
It is for the first time in my life when I hear that you need a watt meter reading for a warranty case.
They could also request an spectrometer reading or some radio frequency scan...
It is a sad situation and not a single company should be allowed to act like this.
On the other hand, I am wondering how they behave for the products sold from USA, AU or DE warehouse?
At least in Europe you are requested to provide real warranty and not bad jokes.
Regards

[Diesel6401]

My best guess is that the boat did come with that ESC, see here:

http://www.horracing.com/product_info.php?cPath=41_97&products_id=410&osCsid=lvtepmu14m79nv5ea5pse0dtu5

That's why I am so sad... it is not normal to continue to sell the boats with that creepy parts inside.It is a real danger.
Lets hope that the producer will soon ship the boats with the Seaking 120A like they ship the Osprey now:

http://www.horracing.com/product_info.php?cPath=41_96&products_id=393

On the other hand, I would advice @craigsasylum to open a case with PP if he paid with Paypal or with the card issuer/the bank if he has paid with card.
Those people from PayPal do not care about Ian the specialist opinion.They will reverse the transaction if the product was not as described.
It is for the first time in my life when I hear that you need a watt meter reading for a warranty case.
They could also request an spectrometer reading or some radio frequency scan...
It is a sad situation and not a single company should be allowed to act like this.
On the other hand, I am wondering how they behave for the products sold from USA, AU or DE warehouse?
At least in Europe you are requested to provide real warranty and not bad jokes.
Regards

Are you or anyone else even reading his post. Read the very first line of post one: "to start I ordered a genesis artr and a 100a boat esc"which is what they say it takes"from HobbyKing" he didn't order it from HOR he ordered it from HK and it DID NOT COME WITH THE ESC. He bought the one they recommended. If your not going to help him fix his issue, then don't post. If you don't like the esc's they're sending contact HOR and HK. I agree the recommendations and the esc's that these boats come with are less then adequate, but this isn't the thread to deal with those issues. Help him run his boat! Not trying to be a A$$ but goodness gracious, trying to get into a pissing contest, because either it does or doesn't come with it, and the answer is in the very first line of the whole damn thread.

[Prop-a-Gator]

* This is what he has, so instead of giving him the 3rd degree on what he should have/or needed to do, let's help him out with his current situation. Just my 2 pennies.

@craigsasylum,

I think your experience and the feedback provided here is a good indication of the customer support one can expect from HK. Unfortunately, I can't offer much help there. I certainly don't blame you for wanting some warranty help if that setup was suggested by their own website.

I have fried a Birdie ESC (200A version) in my Daytona hull (same as Genesis) while getting started in this hobby as well. In my case, I knew the setup I built would push the limits (overstated limits) of the ESC.

If you're not too put off by the whole experience and would like some help getting back on the water, I'd be happy to help. I'm sure there are many more experienced forum members eager to help as well.

[paultbg]

@Diesel
It does not matter if the ESC was suppo or not as long as HK sell it (and recommended it).
If was bought from HK the guy has the right to warranty.
All my statements stand correct.
I really do not see the problem. I was trying to help him with some advices about how to deal with the warranty problem.
I really do value your experience and if I did something to offend you or the others, please forgive me.
I've had the feeling that we all can contribute to this forum, newer or older, according to our experience.