Basic cooling setup information

[nicklanigan]

Hi all,

A newbie here.

Just after some basic information on the best way to route water lines for optimal cooling.

At this stage, my water line runs "in series" from the pickup, through the ESC, through a motor jacket, and then exits the boat.

In addition though, my motor mount has cooling built in, but only around the front of the motor. At this stage, I don't route water through the motor mount cooling area.

The boat has a single water pickup, and whilst I can see the advantages of twin pickups, I'm not keen to go that way at this stage.

So, a few specifics:

- Should I run water through the motor mount cooling area as well, and if I do, what order should it occur in (before motor jacket or after?)
- Should I somehow "split" the water feed using a Y/T junction and feed the ESC and motor "in parallel"?

Out of interest, I've discovered my water jacket was leaking badly - I've read other posts indicating pressure testing with syringes, so I've got it out of the boat for some tweaking a the moment. Should the water jacket be able to hold against much pressure? The water jacket would appear to be a weak link no matter what as it relies on rubber rings for sealing, whereas the motor mount cooling and ESC are permanently sealed bodies for the water to flow through.

Is it a common problem for motor cooling jackets to leak?

Some context, but I think my question is pretty generic - the boat is a GP400, swordfish 220a, leopard 4082.

Much appreciated,

Nick.

[Fella1340]

The oring was likely torn on installation or partially damaged leading to premature failure. You can likely order oring here for the 4082 jacket as he sells the water jacket and motor. Replacements should be available here. Leaking due to to much pressure should not be an issue. A rc boat cooling system runs at very low pressure compared to normal oring environment which can be 2000 psi for a standard oring. Providing there is no damage to motor case and water jacket you should be good to go after replacement as I don't know of any leaking issues with the very popular motor and cooling jacket.Routing the water into the esc first then to the water jacket entering at the low hose nipple and exiting out the high nipple which will likely be the rear of the motor. It would be a good idea to route into the front motor cooling plate as this will help cool the front bearing. I figure if it's there you might as well use it. Then route out the boat. If it's your first time running the boat it's important to check motor, esc and battery temperatures every 2 Minutes until the set up is proven reliable and cooling properly. This can save a lot of money in burnt parts. I have no idea your background but you have a really nice boat there with good stuff inside. If you now very little or nothing about the boats background doing temperature checks every two minutes for the first few packs through it is well worth the time. Perhaps the previous owner took his favorite prop off and threw on what he had. This could lead to the boat being over propped and the amp draw could be excessive and take out esc and motor and possibly damage batteries as well. Temps under 100 degrees are acceptable. Possibly a little higher but I won't comment not knowing enough about the setup. A simple temperature stick or gun is a good investment. Watch how the boat runs to. If it's dragging in the water and running wet temperatures will rise quickly and damage could occur. Hopefully the guy had it properly setup with a suitable prop and it will run great for you. If temperatures remain acceptable then your cooling system is good to go. If your having temperature issues confirm flow ( you should check before you take for first run. Check water is exiting boat at different speeds). If flow is Ok you may be running wet and strut adjustment and/or center of gravity adjustment. If your looking for setup info there a lot of people that can help you including the owner of the company that makes your boat. He doesn't mind helping anybody be successful with one of his boats. Just start a new thread with your boat type and seeking setup help and somebody will be by soon. It may take a day or so but you will get the best advice here hands down. What kv the motor and how many cells it runs on are good to put in first post. Hopefully the hull runs nicely aired out with cool temps, you have a very nice and potentially very fast boat. Getting the programming card for the esc and finding out correct settings is a good way to learn the boat and not leave you hanging waiting for one if something needs checking out. Your esc may even have data logging which is a good tool. Good luck with your boat, there's a ton more things that you can learn about your boat here. I have found knowing as much as possible about your boat is directly related to your bank balance and enjoying the boat. By the way a "T" or "Y" connection in a cooling system is never a good idea, one leg of the circuit could end up being starved for water. I can't think of an instance it's a good idea. Good luck with the boat!

[nicklanigan]

Thanks for the info - extremely helpful.

I pulled the motor, cleaned and greased the orings and all is perfect. Must have had some dirt preventing the oring from sealing properly.

I built the boat myself, so have been in touch with Mike re pointers as I went through the build process - he has been extremely helpful.

The boat runs extremely well - it was just a bit flooded! It is the 1600kv motor, running on 6s. I've started at the H5 prop from ABC.

Thanks again for your advice.

[olwarbirds]

Nice boat you got there, Ive got one too. Mike is great guy to deal with and talk too !....a couple other props that seem to be commonly used with this boat are the x455 & 457, you are running just a bit higher KV motor than most are. I would love to see a Vid of your boat running that setup. I have not purchased motor for mine yet, but was thinking neu 1527 1500kv so close to kv your running...DJ

[Fella1340]

When you said you were new I thought you had picked that beast up as your first boat. I wouldn't. Have rambled on so much knowing you built it to. Nice job, big first project.

[nicklanigan]

Not at all - the last boat I built was a wooden dumas (I think) tunnel hull, with the OS .21 outboard engine on the back. That was (gulp) 25 years ago.

So, I've recently rekindled my boating interests - I got the Revolt 30, and I got 3 of the mini rio offshore boats for the 3 boys in my house.. as a winter project I built a dumas chris craft and added the rc gear.

So, the GP400 is my first FE build. I've learned a great deal already (some of it in spectacular fashion) - once I've got the boat running perfectly and all the bits and pieces sorted, I might be brave enough to make up a post of my embarrassing learnings.

[lenny]

Yes please do some good blooper video's of the boating fun,
I always and am looking for the learning curve on video's.
And I have had my share of that fun and still do learning every day I hope.
What size dumas chris craft did you built ?