HK Princess Review

[floatsonwater]

Just picked up a HK Princess "Yacht" and took it for a run today. The boat is very stable. I could not get it to capsize, even while jumping the wake of my wakeboard boat. It fly's quite well and will even submarine with class. I attached a video in calm water to show stock performance. I was running solo so too hard to film while jumping wake. At slow speeds, it will barely turn left which is weird.

Downside to the boat is the drive train is weak. Accelerates very slow and top speed stock, running 3S, was about 18-20 mph (speed measured running along side of my wakeboard boat). It is also very loud and sounds like it has a lot of vibration. The Impulse 31 v2 I had ran very smooth with great throttle response, this sounds like something is wrong. Maybe the prop? Drive shaft seems a little sloppy too so maybe that is part of it? Not really sure.

After first run, the mounting plate that holds the ESC broke free, needs to be epoxied again. I'm using a Turnigy 180A ESC and i think the weight it enough that it causes the boat to lean to the left a little. Also, seems nose heavy running 1 3s battery in front of motor. I think I'd like to move the ESC to the center of the boat, in front of the motor and then install two batteries, one on each side of the motor. This would help bring the weight back and better balance the boat from side to side.

I want to get this running at 6S with new motor, drive train, prop, etc. Unfortunately, I do not have the expertise to figure all this out so I may just run as is for now. Although I may check around the local hobby shops here in MI and see if anyone does custom work and can build something up for me.

https://youtu.be/6dRzeImiNgA

[zooma]

Good show. I never ran the boat on 3S. Maybe that's the sweet spot for that motor & prop. I did start out with a 4S 4000mah pack and the stock prop. I must say that my Princess just moped around, with lots of prop cavitation and very little steering authority. That is why I gave it such a bum report on the other thread. I wonder if there was something wrong with my setup. Now that I have installed a 2000kv motor, I am going to stay with 4 cells and continue to test different props. Keep us posted on your tuning experience.

[ls1fst98]

for a model yacht, it moves well. if it runs cool, i would leave it alone. not really a hull designed to go fast. id loaunch it in some wake,

[tlandauer]

It runs well with SCALE SPEED! It is loud because the hull is big and acts like a boom box, as for the vibration: did you use a balanced prop? Check for wear on the bushings after a few runs( wiggle the prop and see if the prop shaft is wobbling in the stinger's bushing ), if there is abnormal wear then the drive line is vibrating excessively.
As said, leave it alone, enjoy some leisurely runs.

[floatsonwater]

It runs well with SCALE SPEED! It is loud because the hull is big and acts like a boom box, as for the vibration: did you use a balanced prop? Check for wear on the bushings after a few runs( wiggle the prop and see if the prop shaft is wobbling in the stinger's bushing ), if there is abnormal wear then the drive line is vibrating excessively.
As said, leave it alone, enjoy some leisurely runs.

Before the first run I checked for slop in the bushing and it was sloppy. No balanced prop either. Seems like it needs some upgraded hardware to bring out it's full potential.

[tlandauer]

Well, there you have it, I wonder what stinger would fit, i forgot : is it stinger or strut? Either way, US SpeedMaster is top notch
stuff, all it remains to be seen is how difficult to make them fit without too much work.
Just saying....

[rabosi]

Good show. I never ran the boat on 3S. Maybe that's the sweet spot for that motor & prop. I did start out with a 4S 4000mah pack and the stock prop. I must say that my Princess just moped around, with lots of prop cavitation and very little steering authority. That is why I gave it such a bum report on the other thread. I wonder if there was something wrong with my setup. Now that I have installed a 2000kv motor, I am going to stay with 4 cells and continue to test different props. Keep us posted on your tuning experience.

Seems something is wrong with the boat you got or electronics not setup properly. My stock Princess runs mid 30's on 4S with Seaking 120. Everything else stock including prop. It's not advertised as self-righting but mine always comes back right side up the few times it did flip. I believe that is a by product of the hollow hatch cover and the location of the battery low in the hull. It can handle some pretty rough water.

[floatsonwater]

I just ran mine again today for the second time (only ran a couple minutes) and it's just painful. The slop in the stinger is crazy excessive and to the point it sounds like the boat is about to explode. I'm done running it. I'm going to discuss with HK tomorrow to see what my options are about returning/replacing. Also for whatever reason the boat refused to turn left today. Not all that impressed with this boat anymore. With only 1.25 runs, the only good thing I found good is that it looks cool and self rights.

[Xcessive Carts]

I was also disappointed with my Princess. Barely any left turn ability, slow to plane, and loud. The boat is also top heavy, torque roll was bad on 4s, I sold it after about 8 runs. What a shame, I really wanted to like that boat.

[z400]

Ready to buy my Toysport yet?

[floatsonwater]

Ready to buy my Toysport yet?

[zooma]

Seems something is wrong with the boat you got or electronics not setup properly. My stock Princess runs mid 30's on 4S with Seaking 120. Everything else stock including prop. It's not advertised as self-righting but mine always comes back right side up the few times it did flip. I believe that is a by product of the hollow hatch cover and the location of the battery low in the hull. It can handle some pretty rough water.

I just can't believe your mid 30's report. The hull is too big for that motor, 1620kv is too low for a 4S pack, the goofy shaped prop is mismatched for that hull, the hull runs wet with the battery in the stock location, and the running gear is generally crappy. I have upgraded everything, and have not yet gotten it up to my goal of 30MPH.

[rabosi]

I just can't believe your mid 30's report. The hull is too big for that motor, 1620kv is too low for a 4S pack, the goofy shaped prop is mismatched for that hull, the hull runs wet with the battery in the stock location, and the running gear is generally crappy. I have upgraded everything, and have not yet gotten it up to my goal of 30MPH.

As I said, your boat appears to be the anomaly. Lot's of vids on youtube with the boat running fine as well. Note, I'm not discounting what you or tlandauer have said about vibration and/or driveline slop or general build quality. But for $200 the boat performs well imo. Also if you plug in the numbers in the speed calc the speed comes out to mid 30's on 4S.

Short clip of my boat https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2C8_s2p07HE

[iridebikes247]

^That princess rides really nice, turns pretty good too.

[rabosi]

Thanks Mike. It's all stock except for the esc and servo, which it doesn't come with. It's a fun boat especially in rougher water if you're not looking for all out speed.