G'day from Australia.

[Doonie]

I'm building a 1280 mm Crackerbox and need advice as to what to power it with. Electric or ic?
Plus any advice as to why you suggest whatever you suggest. I have a $700 us budget.
Thanks. I will add more info and pics as required.

[Fluid]

Welcome to OSE, that will be a really nice Cracker! What speed and run time are you wanting for your CBox? Will you be racing it? How often will you run it? Depending on your answers, a 50” mono with electric power may blow your budget. Gas has advantages, including lighter weight, longer run times, less sensitivity to water and lower cost. Electric is quieter and potentially faster, but more costly and sensitive to water in the hull. We await your answers.

[Doonie]

Thanks Fluid, that's exactly the information I am looking for.
In answer to your questions I am a retired 74 year old with nothing left to prove. Been there done that. Now I just want to build stuff and I like speed but not so much that it consumes me. Add to that the fact that I live a long way from any kind of competitive arenas so 90% of this is about the build and if I ever get it in the water then it would be nice if it was fast and handled well. I have an 800 mm Zippkits hydroplane hanging up in the roof completely finished and it has never been wet. I must get around to that one day.IMG_8419 (Small).JPGIMG_8420 (Small).JPGIMG_8421 (Small).JPGIMG_8422 (Small).JPG

[Durindel]

Hi Doonie, That Crackerbox looks like a good build - well done. The Zippkits hydro as well. I too am in Australia (NSW Central Coast - where are you?), retired (approaching 80 - unbelievable!), and building model boats nowadays mainly for the fun and challenges of building - have several all done but never run. I've had tremendous enjoyment, and satisfaction, over many years building and running boats. I've run both electric and IC and both have their pros and cons. I see the Zippkits is electric and, especially if you've not run IC before, I'd suggest you stay with electric - it's easier, quieter and less messy but (only) potentially more expensive. The shorter run times shouldn't be an issue for you if, like me, you just want to run to see how it goes. Waterproofing the boat by taping hatches etc to protect the electrics can be annoying at times but when I'm running in calm waters I don't worry too much and just use hatch latches and drive carefully. Your US$700 might be a challenge either way. If you're not familiar with where to go in Australia for electric and IC motors and parts etc let me know (although I have to say OSE is fantastic in their product range and excellent service - I've just ordered a few more bits from them and recently bought motors, ESCs and more because I couldn't find what I needed locally). What's the motor and ESC you have in the hydro? In any case, enjoy your model boat building - we are blessed with a fantastic hobby and the availability of so many superb parts. All the very best!

[Peter A]

HI Doonie
You have a couple of good suppliers in Oz too.

https://rcboatbitz.com/

Also Entropy Australia. Wayne Schutte (DrWayne here at OSE). His website is down but you can find him here or Facebook.