Where to begin as a newbie

[wdodge0912]

Hello!

I'm new here to the forums and boats in general. I have had tons of cars and trucks in the past, but have turned my interests to the water. I currently am working on an RC warship, but as they are kind of fragile, I want to get something that I can play around with in the water.

However, I don't want one of those RTR boats. I don't really like how they look, and I'd much rather build something and can make my own rather than a small toy, even if it is hobby grade.

I really like the looks of the rigger hydroplane boats, and was thinking a gas powered one would be cool. However looking at the cost, I don't really want to spend that much, at least right now.

So I'm looking at electric ones, and was wondering if I could use some of my current electronics in one. I have a spare Mamba Max Pro ESC and a Maclan 3500KV 3660 4 pole short course motor that's currently in a project truck I'll probably never finish, so I was thinking I can pull those and use them with a 3s Lipo battery. I know it's not ideal for a boat, but was wondering it would work, in something like the zippkit jae 33FE outrigger. I wouldn't be opposed to buying a new motor though, but I only have 2s and 3s packs and I don't really want to run 2 batteries. I only have a small charger that can only charge up to 3s packs, so to keep the initial costs down, I'd rather stick to using what I have. If I had all the money to go buy 4s batteries and compatible charger and all brand new electronics, I think I'd be able to afford the big gas boat, and would rather have that since I'm not racing.

I do have somewhere I think the 2400kv castle motor that came with the ESC. I suppose I could run dual 2s packs for that if I had to, until I could get a good 4s pack and charger.

Since I probably won't race it, would that be good enough to use for an outrigger? I I'm not sure of any clubs around me, so I am not too concern with building it for racing. If there was a club, I may look at going for something that could be raced though.

Also, if anyone knows of any clubs in Michigan, near Owosso, I'd like to get to know more information about them.

[Speed3]

The rigger with the 2400kv and 3s with a 45mm ABC or octura prop suitable to a hydro should give decent speeds.

[buckman]

Tons of Info on the net of course, overwhelming to say the least, Study Pro Boat and other rtr setups and decide what will work for you is what I recommend. Cost goes up with size and speed and Bling/Bling and Battery's and Radios and well you get the idea Friend.
Cheers
Buckman

[Speed3]

Presently, I have a leopard 4092 2080kv in a revolt 30, On 3s my revolt is faster than most of the rtr run boats using 6s. You would need need to upgrade prop on them 6s boats to match or beat what I am getting on 3s with a 2080kv leopard 4092.

I am saying this not to brag but to inform the op that a 3s boat once setup right can be fast.

A 2400kv motor on 3s with a 45mm prop will pull high amps though. So a solid esc, a good battery, good connectors( example 6mm bullet will be required).

Everything will have to be well solder and the runtime will have to be short because of the high ampdraw. 2s should give speeds in the high 20's to 30mph range with the same 2400kv and 45mm ABC or octura prop.

[wdodge0912]

Tons of Info on the net of course, overwhelming to say the least, Study Pro Boat and other rtr setups and decide what will work for you is what I recommend. Cost goes up with size and speed and Bling/Bling and Battery's and Radios and well you get the idea Friend.
Cheers
Buckman

There is a ton of info, but most of it is showing outriggers set up for 4s or 6s. I could have missed something, since there is a ton on info, but a lot of places are 4s or 6s setups in a boat like that. I haven't really seen anyone using an air cooled ESC either, but if I can get away with using it, I would much rather do that.

Presently, I have a leopard 4092 2080kv in a revolt 30, On 3s my revolt is faster than most of the rtr run boats using 6s. You would need need to upgrade prop on them 6s boats to match or beat what I am getting on 3s with a 2080kv leopard 4092.

I am saying this not to brag but to inform the op that a 3s boat once setup right can be fast.

A 2400kv motor on 3s with a 45mm prop will pull high amps though. So a solid esc, a good battery, good connectors( example 6mm bullet will be required).

Everything will have to be well solder and the runtime will have to be short because of the high ampdraw. 2s should give speeds in the high 20's to 30mph range with the same 2400kv and 45mm ABC or octura prop.

I'm glad to hear that the motor I have can be used. It's a 3670 can though. I'm not going for speed so much as I just want a boat to run. I do have my warship I could use, but being that it is a bit fragile, I'd rather not.

What size boat should I go for? I really like the outriggers, and may just make my own from wood or fiberglass. But I was also thinking a Catamaran might be a bit better suited for casual driving, with a V boat being better .If I had to go with a V boat, I'd rather go gas though.

[Speed3]

If speed is not the biggest deal you can get props in 40mm and 42mm (m440 and x442, x642).

The smaller props will greatly increase runtime. (Ampdraw is less the smaller the prop but speed also will decrease significantly).

As for the size of the boat 25 inches length with a beam around 9 inches can work for a cat. The boat should be light as possible. A light boat in the 25 inches range will do well as a sport boat with any of the props mentioned.

And you can you use the 2s and 3s packs that you have. I would suggest a flex shaft of .150 inches in diameter with a 3/16 prop shalt.

[longballlumber]

Welcome to the world of boating!

Yes, there is an extremely active club that runs in the Utica, MI area. Great group of guys and the club is large enough, they race once a month throughout the summer. They have their own thread right here on OSE. https://forums.offshoreelectrics.com...ric-Unlimiteds. As a matter of fact they are hosting a club meeting at Mr. B’s in Shelby Township on Saturday February 23rd and 12:00pm (http://www.mrbsshelbytwp.com/home). This would be a great opportunity to ask questions, get answers, and see some boats in different stages of the building process.

Now to some of your other questions/comments. This may not what you want to hear, but your Car equipment doesn’t translate to boats very well. I am not saying you can’t, just saying the KV ratings for boats tend to be different when matched up with battery voltages.
Your car esc’s will not have a long life in boat applications. These days most boat ESC are a minimum of 120amp rating AND are water cooled. Keep in mind the lower the voltage and high KV motors are going to require 200+amp water cooled controllers in boat applications. I should also state that our motors are water cooled also. Your Maclan 3500KV 3660 4 pole short course motor could be run on 3s, but you will need 6000mah-10,000mah batteries, and a 200+amp water cooled controller, plus you would need to integrate water cooling on your motor. The boat would probably need to be in the 26”-30” range. While the motor is the right “size” for the JAE33, the KV and voltage isn’t right for your Maclan motor (KV is too high and voltage is too low).

Which 2400kv Castle motor do you have? KV wise that motor could be run on 4S voltage, but again you will need a 180+amp (minimum) water cooled controller, and 6000mah min battery capacity. That will only get you 2-3min of runtime. The little bit I know about the CC motors, I think you would find this motor is also going to be a little small for the JAE33. However, I think Joe at ZippKitts just released a new 26”(?) kit similar to the JAE33, just smaller. Motor diameter will determine if it will fit in the little 26" hull though.

Just a coupe of notes… Outrigger and sport hydroplanes are designed to turn one direction (typically right). Outriggers can be finicky to get set up, but when done correctly they are fast and they drive like they are on rails. Outriggers have limited space to get motors, controllers, and ESC’s can be a challenge.
Cats and Monos can turn both directions. They have much more room to work with inside of the hulls. Generally speaking, cats are going to be a little quicker than monos. However, cats can be a challenge to get set up for turning at speed. Lots of people talk about how fast their boats go, but they tend to only go in straight lines at speed.

As far as club racing the MMEU club primary races classes on 4S voltage. We’ve raced 6S in the past, but the boats are getting to the point of being too fast for our small pond.

If you would have to chat on the phone, I can probably answer most of your questions in a single call. Send me a PM and I will get you my contact information.

Later,
Mike

[NativePaul]

Unfortunately that ESC motor combo is not ideal for boats, boats have much longer duration current peaks that are harder on ESCs than cars as a result you would ideally want a much bigger Esc for that motor or a much smaller motor for the Esc, while it can be used and is on the high end of a good KV for 3s it is much bigger and heavier than your Esc needs, do you have any of the smaller 540 1:10 motors with 3000-3500KV knocking around? For 3s and an Esc that size I would usually suggest a 2860 motor but a typical car motor would only be 50% heavier than you need instead of over double the weight, you can use coiled alloy tube to cool their open cans.

As you want to build your own I would suggest you look at ne-stuff for plants build from or base yours on the JAE.12is a good boat and around the size you want for the power your Esc can handle, you may have to move the rear boom tube, and bulkheads around or even increase the tub height a litte to fit in your unorthodox powertrain though.

I get the impression that speed3 has a much more capable ESC than you that is watercooled, I wouldn't run the props he mentioned on 3500KV unless it is only for a few seconds. A 35 or 36mm prop would be much safer for your ESC, and in a JAE.12 should give speeds in the mid 40s.

[wdodge0912]

Well seems I have a lot to consider then. Maybe I'll hold off on a speedy boat and focus on my warship for now. I'm kind of leaning more towards a gas boat now.

I might see about selling or trading a couple cars and possibly getting a boat that way though. I doubt anyone into boats of the caliber would want to trade them however. I'll have to keep my eyes open.

Quick question, what size batteries are used for racing boats? 4s or 6s, but what capacity?

My warship will either be using 10ah or 12ah LifePO4 batteries. I'll be needing 8 single cells for 4 pairs for a days worth of battles. Maybe I could run 2 of those in series in a speed boat? It wouldn't be full 4s power, but would it be enough? I can still use my current charger as well, until I could jump it all up to Lipo