Nikko Sea Ray (OLD VERSION) Electrical, Motor and Jet Drive Questions

[ryanjblajda]

So i got this old nikko with my dad when we went yardsailing one time, and im about to get a proper battery and charger to finally get it up and running again (i moved to Florida and i finally had it shipped down.)

IM AN ABSOLUTE NOOB when it comes to a lot of this stuff but i know some basic terms so i can get some questions answered. (i think)

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I saw this video on the internet, and im very interested in doing it to mine, since its obviously possible.

the boat in the video has a jet drive with a 2900kv motor and 11.1v lipo (3S). the unit right now uses a 2S (7.4v).

when i do the upgrade i would like to do it almost exactly like the video, because i like how fast it is.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KT9OoHMAWtY

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Question 1: Does it matter if I get a NimH or Lipo as a replacement battery to start with just to get the boat running?

Question 2: How big of a motor and battery (voltage and Kv- wise) can i put in this boat before i have to upgrade the controller unit and ESC?

Question 3: Will a jet drive improve performance without any additional upgrades to the motor?

i think this jet drive (http://www.funrcboats.com/ProductInf...ductid=PRB3656) should be fine.

Question 4: What brands are reliable that wont break the bank?

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I got some of my ideas from these links

http://forums.offshoreelectrics.com/...ive-conversion

IMG_2113.jpgIMG_2114.jpgIMG_2115.jpgIMG_2116.jpgIMG_2117.jpg

and lastly pictures of the boat.

[ryanjblajda]

some more pictures of the boat, and i took it apart to get a better idea of how much space i would have. not a lot. i think if i do anything ill leave it prop driven and upgrade the motor, propellor and rudder.

IMG_2121.jpgIMG_2122.jpgIMG_2123.jpgIMG_2124.jpgIMG_2125.jpg

[srislash]

Nice beginning project. The ProBoat jet you linked should do nicely. Another option would be a NQD jet unit, there are many on eBay. Parts for the PB probably have to come thru dealers or LHS and the NQD parts from eBay. These little jets can go through impellers if you hit any weeds/ground.
So may I ask? Do you have any other r/c's ?
Shawn

[srislash]

some more pictures of the boat, and i took it apart to get a better idea of how much space i would have. not a lot. i think if i do anything ill leave it prop driven and upgrade the motor, propellor and rudder.

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Looks like the hull bottom should accept the jet easily. You will just need to cut out the partitions on the inside of hull so you can mount everything. Do you feel you can use the servo that is currently in it ?

[ryanjblajda]

im not sure, doesnt the bottom of the hull need to be flat? its currently a small v sort of design.

the only other RC i have in FL is a small helicopter. my dad and i have a 1/8 scale 911 turbo porsche (new bright, not hobby grade) at home in NH.

[ryanjblajda]

see how the hull isnt flat. same with the transom (is that the back of the boat?) i dont think there is a big enough piece that is 90 degrees to the bottom of the hull.

i think the servo that is there now could work but it would be a pain to mount it. its ridiculously big. which brings along another problem as i dont know what type of servo would be able to replace it, cause nikko is not hobby grade, theres no schematics.

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[srislash]

Any experience with bondo or filler Ryan and for that matter have any?
I ask because though I think the jet can go in there you may to smooth that bee just ahead of the water pump intake,and a little extra beef there may be nice.

[srislash]

Oh, and do you have a Dremal(rotary tool) or are you going to use exacto knife to trim the plastic?

[ryanjblajda]

i have a dremel, but not much experience with bondo. i was wondering what would be the best to try and bond the plastic together, epoxy to hold it in place, then bondo sand and paint to waterproof it?

[ryanjblajda]

this post should help me keep the replacement transom at a 90 degree.

IMG_2129.jpgIMG_2130.jpg

[srislash]

You don't need a lot of room for the battery and power plant for this Ryan. So be careful how much stuff you remove. I have a NQD jet sprint boat that runs the same as you will.
Wait till you have the jet unit to cut out that servo area, yup it has to go.
What do you have for a radio for this?

[ryanjblajda]

i havent removed or cut anything out yet, i just completely disassembled it. i just ordered the 9.6v NiCd battery and charger so ill order the jet drive in a week or 2.

[srislash]

I think the way to go about installing the jet will be to first drill the transom for the unit then cut the square/rectangular hole in the bottom. That will be about it for unit/motor mounting.
I asked about radio because I may have some old gear around as I sense you are budget minded here. Right?

You may be able to manipulate the plastic around the intake with a little heat.

[ryanjblajda]

definitely budget minded. the radio gear is just stock stuff from the boat. using heat isnt a bad idea either, to flatten out the bottom of the hull.

[ryanjblajda]

i apologize for the quality as its *!***!***!***!**, but woooohoooo first run. now to make it faster. the battery is a 2000mah 9.6v Nimh. the boat wants a nimh per instructions, but i figured i would upgrade mah so it would run longer.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TN_i2dIvl_I&feature=youtu.be