Revolt 30 Questions

[mitchesx]

I posted in the Aquacraft section, but I have a feeling that not a lot of people view it. I ran my Revolt 30 for the first time (first time for any FE boat at all); and it was interesting to say the least. On my first run, I sent the Revolt 30 out, and started a turn downstream (and into a 10 -15 MPH breeze) and it blew right over. It landed right side up, so I brought it in, checked it out (there was a little water in the hull), so I dried it out and sent it back out. I moved the battery as far forward as the tray would allow (single 4S 5000MAH pack, in the center of the stock tray), yet it was still light. After about 6 laps, it died. I sent my retrieval boat out, tried the rudder and throttle with no response, untaped it, and it had a good deal of water in it. I dried it, and plugged the battery back in, and it worked, for about 30 seconds. Took a connector off the battery, plugged it back in, and it worked again. Needless to say, I put it away for the day. A bathtub test shows that it leaks around the stuffing area, and I found a good size slit in the water line right at the nipple on the water jacket, so I fixed that. That could explain the water getting into the hull. Any ideas as to why it would shut off like that? Anyone have a Revolt 30 that wanted to run light, and how did you adjust for it? With the exceptions of changing to 5.5 Bullets on the battery side, upgrading the shaft to an OSE one, and getting an m445 from Dasboata, it is all stock. The radio is the tactic that came with it.
I did have my FE30 with me, and that ran awesome. That saved the day!

[BHChieftain]

Hi,
Here's the procedure I use to set the strut/cog/trim tabs. I have a setup guide for this boat that includes these instructions, if you would like a copy email me at [email protected]

Adjusting handling characteristics (Strut, Center of Gravity, Trim Tabs)
Strut, Center of Gravity (COG), and Trim Tab adjustments have a significant impact on the speed and handling of the boat. Speed and Handling are generally a tradeoff—your goal is to find just the right balance.
The Revolt has Trim Tabs installed, and many folks try to adjust these first—this is a mistake!!! Trim tab adjustments should be done last. If adjusted first they will just mask other setup issues. Here is the correct procedure (do this on a day with calm water):
1) Ensure the trim tabs are set neutral (// to the bottom of the boat). Also ensure the prop shaft is set neutral (angle // to the bottom of the boat). For monos, the prop shaft is normally always in the neutral position (angle // to the bottom of the boat). Catamarans and tunnels can adjust the prop shaft angle in addition to these adjustments below, which is in part why cats and tunnels are harder to set up as there are more variables in play.
2) Adjust the COG via battery placement to adjust the nose height. When running wide open throttle (WOT), the nose should lift and the boat should run on the back third of the hull assuming calm water conditions.
3) Once you have the nose height where you want it, if the boat is running “wet” (too much hull in the water), then lower the strut 1/8” (keeping the prop shaft angle // to the bottom of the boat). Then repeat step 2 to reset the WOT nose height. If your boat is running wet, it will dramatically lower top end speed, and also will stress the ESC as the boat will pull a lot of amps trying to push the hull through the water. Conversely, if the boat is running too “loose” (not enough hull in the water), then raise the strut 1/8” and repeat step 2. If the boat is too loose, it will be difficult to handle, will rock side to side, or blow over.
4) Repeat steps 2 and 3 until you are happy with the speed and handling characteristics.
Now you can use the trim tabs to fine tune the nose height. A perfectly setup mono actually does not need trim tabs (none of my monos have them, as my pond has glassy smooth water 90% of the time), but they are useful if you run in changing water conditions. If the water is choppy, lower the trim tabs just a tad to lower the nose. When the water is calm, reset them to neutral. This is easier than using the strut to respond to changing water conditions as there is a lot of trial and error to find the right strut/COG combination.


Chief

[mitchesx]

Thanks Cheif. The stuffing tube where it exits the transom looks very rigid - have many people elongated the hole or can you make adjustments without doing that?

[BHChieftain]

I would not do that-- the strut changes on this boat should be very minimal. You should have enough play to nudge it up or down 1/8.
Chief