.78 wire drive

[andym]

Just out of curiosity how much power can a .078 wire drive take. Am thinking of running one in my Delta Force 33 with a 1521 series Nue x446/3 prop. The angle is very gentle as the motor is very low in the hull and it is only approx 4" from coupler to prop shaft.

[Simon.O.]

Andy, I have just had a good read about wires (again) and it seems that .078 wire will be fine.

Jeff should be along soon to give you a more informed opinion.

I love my wires.

[RayR]

Andy,

I'm runnig my DF33 with a 1515/1Y and a X640 on a .062 wire. Works great, Now, would it hold up to that big monster prop? 0.78 should work just fine!

Ray

[Ub Hauled]

I think Joerg used a .98 wire on his T rigger... I think it can handle a lot of power.


Corrected as per J.T.

[andym]

Thank you all very much, will be giving it a go as soon as Steve gets the couplers in.

[Fluid]

The problem with using wire is the length is too short. For a 4" length you are better off running .150 cable.

Joerg used 0.098" wire on his big hydros - or the closest metric equivalent anyway. He also did not use "hobby wire" but a stronger industrial alloy. Engineering model boats is not as simple as copying what you think someone else did....


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[Ub Hauled]

Jay, you're right...

[RayR]

OOps, missed that 4" length. My motor is mounted forward.

Ray

[andym]

May I ask why the short length is a problem?

[Fluid]

Wire, particularly thicker wire, needs a gentle bend to avoid excessive side loads that cause excessive friction. Also a tighter bend stresses the wire and it is more likely to break from fatigue where it enters the stub shaft. Just last Saturday one of our club members broke a 1/16" wire in his LSH, which BTW had a pretty gentle bend. It was run too long and simply fatigued.

You may be able to work it - try if you want - but IMO 4" is too short for wire if the bend exceeds ~5 degrees.


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[Xzessperated]

Andy, from what Jay is saying I think I would be replacing that wire regularly if I went ahead with that idea. I can see he is saying the shorter the wire the harder it is to get a gentle bend in it (please correct me if I am wrong Jay). The problem with metal is that it often does not show any signs of fatigue until it breaks.

[Ocean Racer]

Unless you are using it in a bridge or something HUGE!!! But ya you prabably wont see the sygns until your prop is flying down the water without a boat.

[j.m.]

that's why you put a wheel collar on the shaft infront of the stuffing tube, but behind the coupler. Just extra insurance.

If the coupler comes loose, you still have a wheel collar to hold the wire and prop in the stuffing tube.

[Flying Scotsman]

A great thread. I am more of a sport boater and will on a good day push the envelope. I use mostly .150 and up cable on my setups and have had good results. I have never used a wire setup but I understand the perceived advantages. I just like tried and true drive setups which, I am comfortable with.

Douggie

[j.m.]

Wire drives are tried and true. More true than flex cables, though not tried as much.