Death by Shockwaves !!!

[Piranha2]

ugh........I have 2 Proboat Shockwave 26RS EP's and on 6-cells they are ok.......on 7 cells.....almost uncontrollable.......they spin out everywhere.......cavitate.....and are just a blast to trade paint with :D ......so what's the problem? .......cooked 2 motors, 3 receivers and 3 ESC's so far......oh yeah and four 6cell packs .....what goes? The ESC is supposed to be able to handle 12vdc and we're only 9.6vdc fully charged. Is this what FE is all about ? And yes, EVERYTHING is hot every time The Caribbean Cruiser 2 is dead also.....smoke billowing out of one of the motors.....ferrite dust all over the hatch. Should I just buy a gas job with a weedeater? They're bigger, faster and more reliable........

[Mich. Maniac]

sounds like you had a prop shaft binding or too low of wind motors.. If everything getting hot. even though you werent at max power you were feeding more than could use through motor. thats usually what causes that big of a prob. something as simple as having pinion gear to tight on tranny gear on a car can do that.

[part time]

does the prop shaft spin freely with out the motor including while its turned to the left or right?

[Piranha2]

These are ALL stock except we like to use 7cell packs.....we use the stock radio gear, motors and ESC's. One of the boats is brand new. Does everyone in FE go through alot of parts?

[Piranha2]

Yes, they spin freely and don't seem to be binding. I guess they are just cheap boats. I am waiting for a cat from Skunk Works.....hopefully it will be more reliable.

[Mich. Maniac]

I had a MRP gentry that ran 3 modified motors off 2 7cell pack off 1 TEKIN esc and ran it hundreds of times with no trouble. only thing i replaced were props every 50 runs. I think it was around 35 mph. FE has come along way since then and for the better I would say.

[Piranha2]

Do you think it might be the cells? I'm using "3epower" 6cell packs and "Tenergy" 7cell packs.

[Fluid]

You have probably been doing something wrong with your boats. While you can destroy motors and ESCs by abuse, receivers do not give up so easily. The usual culprit for receivers is water. How much water to you pour out of your boat after a run? Seriously. I am constantly shocked at how many new boaters do not realize that water and electronics do not mix. You will not have reliability in your FE boats until your boats are virtually water-free inside. Unfortunately, too many RTR boats do a terrible job of keeping out water.

If water is not the problem - the radio in the Shockwave is really a toy, so it is 'possible' that the receivers are just quitting on you. The ESC may say it handles 12 volts, but remember that you bought a boat that commonly sells for under $150 with radio. You don't get quality for free, the maker has to cut corners somewhere. It is usually the amperage that kills a cheap ESC, so your boat may be drawing too many amps. This can happen when the motor is worn out, when you run too many volts through the motor (the boat is designed for 6 low-power cells), or when you run the boat with a major drag like a sticky driveline or dragging weeds around the pond.

You need to realize that most RTR boats are fine for entry level, but they are not designed or built for long use. Most buyers run them for a few weeks and then they sit in the attic until the next garage sale. If you insist on improving the performance, then you will have to do several things:

1) Make the boat watertight. If it leaks much water, it will never be reliable.

2) Get a quality ESC.

3) Get a better radio (used is not so expensive).

4) Learn not to keep running your boat until everything overheats. Heat is the enemy.

5) Learn maintenance. Dry everything out each day. Lube what needs it. Pull the driveline each day. Etc.

It can be very frustrating when your boat is not reliable, I fully understand. But with patience you can improve your boat's reliablity a lot. We want to help you. Start with one boat and tell us as much as you can about how you ran it and how the parts failed.


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[Piranha2]

Yeah, we have maybe a shotglass of water in the hull after every run. So Fluid, these boats shouldn't be run on 7cells? Yeah, the radios cut out alot (glitches)...sometimes the boats just turn or run away. I have a new Aggressor FM but am waiting for my Skunkworks cat for that one. And a quality ESC will cost more than the boat. The last SW 26RS EP only cost us $100 ! You say to lube the driveline after EVERY time out?

[Mich. Maniac]

yeah, Reliable is key. I bought a ready to run heli and everyone called a roto-tiller rather than a heli!!!LOL

[Piranha2]

Maybe if I follow Steven to the local pond......have my girlfriend distract him......and snatch up one of HIS boats......HMM......I wish he wasn't such a big guy......then it would be a great plan !!!

[SJFE]

Piranah considering your style of running and predilection for RTRs I suggest the following boats. A Villan EX, Kyosho Twinstorm, or Cen Aquajet. Other older boats you may want to try and grab on ebay are the Kyosho Jetstream 800 or Hurricane. From ABC Hobby the Super Hawaii, CESA & Baltek. MRP Fountain or Wildcat and a few more I cant remember. These boats will hold up better than most of the econo rtrs being sold today.

[Fluid]

Yeah, we have maybe a shotglass of water in the hull after every run.

Find out how that water is entering the hull and seal it.

So Fluid, these boats shouldn't be run on 7cells?

You tell me. If you are buring up your motor and ESC on 7 cells, that tells me probably not. Or you may have to make other changes to the boat besides just adding a cell - like a different prop, different CG, etc.

Yeah, the radios cut out alot (glitches)...sometimes the boats just turn or run away. I have a new Aggressor FM but am waiting for my Skunkworks cat for that one.

Buy another receiver and put that in the "dry" Shockwave.

And a quality ESC will cost more than the boat. The last SW 26RS EP only cost us $100 !

You can do better than that, but $100 is pretty low priced. The Jeti 600 works well and can be found occasionally for under $50 used.

You say to lube the driveline after EVERY time out?

Yes, after every day of running you should remove the driveline from ANY boat and dry it off, lube it and reinstall. If you do not do that, it will rust and cause high drag - which can burn up motors and ESCs.


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[SJFE]

Also remember when you change, replace or ungrade anything on the boat don't wait for the smoke. Run it 30 seconds and check temps. If they are ok go another minute and check again. I get "go feaver" myself and every time I do it costs me.

[Piranha2]

I can't begin to imagine the time and money you guys have spent to get to this point. It seems like such an easy and simple sport. But then again, the simplest and easiest things are the most difficult to perfect. I do get the WOT fever all the time. Is it true that if you heat up your gear just once it could be junk. I'm talking over 160F.