36' explorer, will it work????

[newbie4life]

I currently have a traxxas villian ex that i swapped in two traxxas vxl 3s systems with stock gearing and tried running it with two 3s lipos. worked great! a little too well as the boat literally jumps out of the water when i pin the throttle. so now i am looking at getting the delta force 36" cat from the site here. here's the tricky part though. i want to use the twin drive system from the villian and transplant that into the cat. do you guys think it'll work? and anyone here have that hull that could give me some measurements? and input and/or advice would be great

[Nosbig]

Well you won't have overpowering issues, Keithbradley has had the hull up to 101 mph.
Do you have links to the VXL systems or any specs on it?

[Make-a-Wake]

VXL systems or any specs on it?

The motor is a 540L 3500kv and the ESC is a land unit rated at 3s max.

[Nosbig]

It should work fine, although think about upgrading to marine ESC's so you can watercool them.

[Make-a-Wake]

3500kv is a crappy zone for boats though.....................too low for 2s and too high for 3s, i woudlnt waste the time when you can find great prices on brushless motors and ESC nowadays. Amp draw would be thru the roof as well...........need like a 200a ESC minimum.

[Nosbig]

That's true, but on small props it might work, and don't twin cats like higher-ish RPM anyways?

[newbie4life]

here is the link to the traxxas site for the specs on the system http://traxxas.com/products/parts/escs/vxl3s

I have already modified the cooling fins so that it is water cooled and have water jackets for the motors. the esc is good up to 200a continuous and 320a burst. my question is moer about mounting the outdrives to the hull it self. is there room on the transom and what about the height of the props in relation to the bottom of the hull?

http://traxxas.com/products/parts/escs/vxl3s

[Fluid]

....the esc is good up to 200a continuous and 320a burst. my question is moer about mounting the outdrives to the hull it self....

No, the ESC is not good to 200 amps, car controllers are notorious for over-rating. Heck, it comes with 60 amp plugs. But the real issue is how do you intend to mount the drives, in the tunnel or in the sponsons? I really don't think there is room on the transom for either mounting with the overhang on that hull.


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[Steven Vaccaro]

I don't think there is enough height. You would want to look for a flat transom style.

[Nosbig]

You won't have much luck finding a cat you can mount outdrives on.

[newbie4life]

Sorry, I meant I wanted to mount them on the sponsons. What is the preferred height of the prop in relation to the sponsons? I think it's doable!

[Fluid]

Typically the bottom of the struts need to be at or slightly above the sponson bottoms. I still don't think there is enough room for the steering assemblies, the transom is pretty short beneath the overhang....how much vertical room is required?


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[newbie4life]

Ok. So took a measurement and the upper mount which is also the trim adjustment is only 3/4" by 3/4" square and the drive comes thru the transom 1 3/4" below. Now I need someone to measure the back of the sponsons and report the dimensions please.

[newbie4life]

Here is a link to a clear picture of the villains transom with the drives.

http://www.google.ca/search?tbm=isch&source=mog&hl=en&gl=ca&client=safari&tab=wi&q=villian%20ex&sa=N&biw=480&bih=268#i=36

[Fluid]

The link doesn't work. You will need the transoms to be at laest 2" high to the bottom of the vee, remember the bottom of the strut needs to be at or above the bottom of the sponsons. I don't have an Explorer to measure, but the pic below indicates there may not be that much room from the bottom of the sponsons to the bottom of the overhang.

If it sounds like I'm trying to talk you out of the idea, I am. Steerable outdrives seldom work well with cats, particularly narrow ones. Stingers will not only be easier to mount, they are much more robust and don't screw with the handling. But if your drives fit and you are determined to use them, go for it.


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