AquaCraft Wildcat Off-Shore Catamaran Brushless 2.4GHz

[BLACKJACK_101]

The only mods I am doing is the Leopard 28 series inrunner and Turnigy ESC, I won't have the modded boat on the water for a couple of months yet, have never run the boat in stock form so can't help with stock performance.

[Brushless55]

so no gps on the stock setup yet..
maybe 30mph a good guess?
has anyone tried 4s on the stock motor with a different esc?

[Brushless55]

...has anyone tried 4s on the stock motor with a different esc?...
Brushless,
If people are having issues with the motor overheating on 3S, what do you think will happen on 4S??

I scanned page 3 of the manual and attached it, has all specs for both the stock motor & ESC. As you can see, the motor voltage is not listed, it just states 3-S LiPo which of course is 11.1 volts.

As I stated earlier, I'm going to run mine on 8.4v NiMH hump packs and see what happens. I'll update when I know more.

Regards,

use a better motor mount with proper cooling....
going up in volts and proping down could pull less amps with greater speeds

[Brushless55]

use a better motor mount with proper cooling....
going up in volts and proping down could pull less amps with greater speeds

This reply is a bit long because it’s a combination of answering questions and my review after her maiden run, it’s also going to be my final post to this thread. The weather suddenly turned picture perfect so I want to work on my Rio and go boating after a looonnnngggg winter.

Motor Mount…
I will agree that the factory motor mount is somewhat Micky Mouse, HOWEVER, with the cooling system mods I outlined above overheating will not be an issue. I took my boat for her maiden run yesterday, my motor stayed cool to the touch all day long. So at this point I can only say that I was able to accomplish the desired results, as such, I see no reason to change anything. Your results may vary, I’m happy with mine.

Good that the mod is working!

Regarding Propping Down...
I already tried that with my Rio. Stock = 42mm x 1.4pitch (x442) FRP, same as the WC. I tried a x440 CNC'ed aluminum, speeds went down, I went back to the x442 for now. When I get her back in the water I'll do some experimenting and see what happens.


Keep something in mind, both the Rio & WC use a surface drive system so only 1/2 the prop is in the water at any one given time. Thus smaller props will degrade performance more often than improving it. Submerged systems are the ones that can benefit from smaller props.


Going down in prop size is not what this little boat needs.. going up to the next size could wake it up
when I said proping down that was with more volts to keep amps (heat) lower

Happy Boating everyone

...

[Diesel6401]

Keep something in mind, both the Rio & WC use a surface drive system so only 1/2 the prop is in the water at any one given time. Thus smaller props will degrade performance more often than improving it. Submerged systems are the ones that can benefit from smaller props.

I'm going to STRONGLY have to disagree with that whole statement and feel that reducing the prop size and increasing the voltage is a excellent point and may indeed drop the amp draw.

Given the specs of this hull, if I owned it I would without a doubt run a ammo 3650 2300kv and a y537/3 and a seaking 60, 90 or 120...jmho. Going up in prop size doesn't alway yield the best results and can introduce handing issues and prop walk issues.

[Diesel6401]

Just reducing the prop diameter and running the same voltage you would see a lose in speed, but let's say you run 3s and lower the diameter but increase the pitch like a x640 or prather s215, it should actually run faster then a x442! For your particular motor increasing the voltage and lowering the prop size isn't gonna help much because your unloaded rpms would be rather high on 4s. Just relying on increase prop size can get you in a lot of trouble for gaining speed though, you have experience with 1 hull and you didn't change anything else other then the diameter.

I would personally line/re-inforce the bottom and motor mount area regardless... that's just me, I don't trust brushless + plastic...

3650 size motor, absolutely! On 3s I could easily get higher 30s (mph) with a 42mm prop and on 4s easily upper 40s maybe even into the 50 with with a y537/3 or a prather 215 all while being around 50 or so amps!

I never said you or anyone was a moron.. Everyone just can learn something knew regardless of how long you've been doing this hobby. I'm not saying I know everything, and no I don't have this cat, but I've owned more cats then I can count even in this size. Just because 1 specific tip doesn't work for your 1 practicuar application doesn't yield the tip useless. Not sure if your getting pissed at me or everything I don't know, but I can easily pull outta this thread and leave ya be.. Like I said I don't know everything, but this ain't my first rodeo!

Did you tape the hull yet or still against it? If you haven't taped it AQ could give you 50 new hulls, it's still gonna leak...
Good tip with plastic hulls, their is typically a attachment seem between the top and bottom portion of the hulls, run rtv around that seem.

PS
Don't underestimate the 28 size motors, it would be wise to reinforce that hull if you plan on pushing it faster then stock! 23" mono with a Tacon 2860 2550kv and a y537/3.

[tlandauer]

I knew it was a mistake when I let go of the chance to buy the DF MINI SNIPER. Great video! The stock motor was an out-runner , same as the one in DF Vortex 16, right? Did you have to change motor mount when you changed to the Tacon?
Sorry guys, don't mean to change the topic here.

[Doby]

...and feel that reducing the prop size and increasing the voltage is a excellent point and may indeed drop the amp draw...
Your welcome to disagree all you want, however, the fact remains that I did reduce the prop size on my Rio from the stock x442 FRP to x440 CNC'ed aluminum prop (see attached pix) and the boat went slower not faster. I went back to the stock prop at dockside because I had both it and the tools needed. Motor was a Tacon 36-50-2700Kv – as such I am speaking from personal experience not theory, sorry.

Regarding prop changes to the WC... Well before I can worry about props and motors, I think AQ needs to send me a hull that doesn't fill the sponsons with 2-gallons of water every 30~60-seconds.

As far as motors go… Apparently your selective reading skills have kicked in again; read my review did I or did I not say the boat is fast?? Why yes I did!! AND, that was on 8.4v NiMH, just imagine how she would do on the 11.1v LiPo’s the boat was intended for. Other than the leaky hull issue, I am very happy with the WC just the way it is.

If you have a boat that is fast, than why do you feel the need to re-design it?? Something to keep in mind, the hull is made of plastic and the motor compartment area flexes quite a bit, whenever I turn the steering knob on the TX, the entire radio box moves back-in-forth, that’s how I discovered that the servo was moving around. BTW: this boat has a full size servo, not the micro size found in the Rio’s.

Bottom line is: if you want to put a 36-50-xxxx or 36-56-xxxx size motor in this hull you are going to HAVE TO line the motor compartment with fiberglass or carbon fiber – the latter is available from Kintec Racing. That probably has a lot to do with the reason blackjack chose to go with a 28mm size motor.

You wanna make this boat fast the easy way?? Then put one of these in it… http://www.hobbypartz.com/07e-c-sl-10t-2848-blue.html with a Seaking 60~90amp ESC. Both can use the factory mounts without any modifications.

I have the boat, you do not, until you do, please do not tell what to do with my boat!! I figured out how to solve the motor overheating issue, something nobody else on this forum was able to accomplish and I’m in the process of rebuilding my Rio BL to hopefully make her faster than she was with the Tacon motor, so obviously I am not a moron.

Yes, I have come a long way in the last 4~5 months for those of you who are still judging me by my December Proboat thread.

FYI: I retired a QC engineer (as did my father) with over 4 decades of soldering experience including certified SMT, and I was born a perfectionist. Not that any of you really care

Ok, time to work the Rio - and NO I WILL NOT be re-using the 35A Seaking ESC seen in the attached pic, not enough amperage for the HW motor I'm installing.

Arrogance beyond belief..

[Diesel6401]

I knew it was a mistake when I let go of the chance to buy the DF MINI SNIPER. Great video! The stock motor was an out-runner , same as the one in DF Vortex 16, right? Did you have to change motor mount when you changed to the Tacon?
Sorry guys, don't mean to change the topic here.

Thanks.
I traded for the hull so it was used when I got it, no clue on what's stock and what's not. I do know for sure the servo was stock and was weak. Upgraded that to a exi mg servo from hobbypartz. I was running 4s. The video was taken after about 3 min of running. I'm sure it was over 50mph before I stuck the gps in it. I've since traded that hull to my buddy for a dx6i. Awesome running little mono though. I like that hull better then the h&m no step 1 I had which is similar size, running with a ul1 motor and a x440. Pretty sure ose sells a bare hull of this little guy. Sorry to continue off track also lol...

Sent from my T-Mobile G2 using Tapatalk 2

[Doby]

People have treating me like I a moron since I joined this forum (which is why I deleted all the threads I started), telling me things like... "I should take up under water basket weaving". I'm tired of being denigrated and decided to try and set the facts straight by making people aware of my background. Your response tells me you are suffering from an inferiority complex.

And since it bothers you so much, you can also add Microsoft Cerified Systems Engineer (MCSE), Microsoft Certified Professional (MCP) and CompTia A+ certified computer service tech to the above credentials.

You crack me up...

Let's see, the person who accuses someone of having an inferiority complex, yet has to list all his "credentials" to the world to make himself feel important...hmmm...who is the one with the actual inferiority complex?

I'm sure Miscosoft teaches all the fundamentals of FE so let us all bow to your superiority.

If you would step away from your worn out keyboard and for a minute, the reason some members treat you as a moron (your words, not mine)
is that many of your posts actually make you appear as such.

You come off sounding like a self proclaimed expert and then degrade those who have "been there and done that" already numerous times. Your comments to Diesel are a classic example (he has helped many on the forums based on his own experiences). You seem to take offence that someone disagrees with you. Good luck in life with that attitude. Diesel respectfully disagreed with you on a topic and off you go on a rant where you basically degraded him.

I will give you credit though, your last response to me was less than 1000 words. That couldn't have been easy.

[Doby]

Billy...TAPE THE HATCH

Perhaps the larger lettering will help you understand as you think it will help others....water will get in even if you are only checking temps every few minutes.

Don't blame the design for you not following one of FE's fundamental requirements. Tape the hatch.

[mappo]

…Did you tape the hull yet or still against it? If you haven't taped it AQ could give you 50 new hulls, it's still gonna leak...

SINCE YOU REFUSE TO REMOVE YOUR BLINDERS AND READ WHAT I’VE SAID!! I HAVE MADE THE FONT SIZE REALLY LARGE SO YOU CANNOT MISS IT!!

1. VERY LITTLE WATER GOT INTO THE MOTOR COMPARTMENT!!


!



2. AND THE REASON I DID NOT TAPE IT UP IS BECAUSE I WAS CHECKING MOTOR TEMPS IN RESPONSE TO THE COMPLAINTS OF OTHER OSE FORUM MEMBERS WHO STATED THEIR MOTORS WERE OVERHEATING.

THAT MEANS I WAS TAKING THE BOAT OUT OF THE WATER EVERY FEW MINUTES TO CHECK THE MOTOR.

3. THE ISSUE IS NOT ABOUT THE WATER GETTING INTO THE MOTOR COMPARTMENT, IT IS ABOUT THE WATER GETTING INTO THE SPONSONS – IF THAT’S WHAT THERE CALLED.

THE ONLY WAY FOR WATER TO GET INTO THE SPONSON AREA FROM THE MOTOR COMPART IS FROM THE COOLING LINES GOING FROM THE WATER PICK-UP THROUGH THE HULL TO THE MOTOR AND FROM THE MOTOR TO THE STARBOARD EXIT.

AS I HAVE STATED BEFORE, AQ TECH SUPPORT HAD ME PRESSURE CHECK BOTH THOSE HOSES TO ENSURE THAT IS NOT THE PROBLEM.

MONDAY I DID IT WITH AIR, TODAY I REPEATED THE PROCESS WITH WATER AND THERE ARE NO LEAKS!!

SO, MR. EXPERT, LOOK AT MY PICTURES AND PLEASE EXPLAIN TO ME HOW TAPING UP MY CANOPY WILL PREVENT WATER FROM GETTING INTO THE SPONSONS!!

4. AQ TECH SUPPORT PERSONAL AND GRIM RACER BOTH AGREE WITH ME ABOUT ITEMS 1 AND 2. SO PERHAPS YOU SHOULD SEND GRIM A PM AND TELL HIM HE DOESN’T KNOW WHAT F*** HE’S TALKING ABOUT. AFTER ALL HE’S THE ONE WHO DESIGNED THE BOAT.

5. SPEAKING OF GRIM RACER, HE HAS SEEN MY PICTURES AND HE IS WORKING WITH JACK (HIMSELF AN R/C BOAT RACER) IN HOBBIECO / AQ TECH SUPPORT ABOUT THE LEAKY HULL ISSUE I AM EXPERIENCING. AND THEY BOTH AGREE THAT TAPING UP THE CANOPY WILL NOT SOLVE THE PROBLEM!! SO PUT THAT IN YOUR PIPE AND SMOKE IT MR. EXPERT!!

Regarding props… In addition to the leaky hull issue, Jack and I discussed a number of things related to R/C boating including props, his advice is quite a bit different than yours, sorry.

As I have mentioned a couple times now, I am quite happy with the speed of the WC, as is (my BL Rio was not as fast after phase-1), the WC flipped several times even when I slowed her way down before attempting a turn. Ok, so if she is so fast that she has handling probs with the stock motor & prop, then what the heck is going to happen if I go putting a high torque / high KV rated motor in??

Other people may consider the WC slow, but they do not own one, I do, so maybe some of you “experts” out there should go buy one of your own, then make suggestions regarding motor / prop changes based personal experience.

Jacks advice was to replace the stock FRP prop with a metal one of the same size because plastic props flex, metal ones don’t (I already knew that), sounds like great advice to me. And determining the correct size is much easier said than done due to the fact that Prather, Octura & Grim Racer all use different means for “sizing” they’re props.

...I would personally line/re-inforce the bottom and motor mount area regardless... that's just me, I don't trust brushless + plastic...
Apparently Mike (AKA Grim Racer) agrees with you because the motor mount area comes from the factory reinforced.

Why don’t you go buy one of these boats, THEN, you can tell me what I should or should not be doing with it!!

In the meantime the wonderful people at Hobbieco have asked me to return it to them at they’re expense so they can examine it. THAT’S WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU BUY A GOOD QUALITIY PRODUCT FROM A GREAT VENDOR {TOWER HOBBIES}, YOU GET FIRST RATE CUSTOMER SERVICE FROM VERY KNOWLEDGEABLE PEOPLE WHO ARE THEMSELVES R/C BOAT ENTHUSIASTS AND CARE ABOUT THEY’RE CUSTOMERS!!

Ok, so I won’t have my boat for a couple / three weeks, BIG DEAL, I DO NOT CARE!! There are still PLENTY of warm months ahead for me to enjoy the replacement, one that I know will be checked over before shipment to ensure that it will perform as Grim designed it to.

One last thing, why is it that NOBODY OTHER BLACKJACK contributed to this thread until I posted my {mostly} favorable review?? One that apparently contains certain facts you bozo’s don’t agree with, so now all of sudden all you wanna be experts come crawling out of the woodwork.

BJ and I were doing just fine exchanging ideas about THE AQUACRAFT WILDCAT EP and upgraded motors, ESC’s and so on. Then all of a sudden you clowns chime in with your bashing and talking about boats (DF Mini Sniper) and posting vids that DO NOT HAVE A DAM THING TO DO WITH THE SUBJECT AT HAND which WAS the AQ WC!! - NOT the DF Mini Sniper!!

Thanks for ruining the thread. Don’t you people have anything better to do with your time??

Hey Danny, think it’s time for you to close this one too - Since the bozo brigade cannot / will not stay on topic

Holy crap! it's the Billy B show. I'm exhausted..shuuuuuuuuuuuuut.. wooooweeeee. wow!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[tlandauer]

Now besides knowing that it was a BIG MISTAKE to MISS the DF Mini Sniper, it is a BIGGER mistake to get involved in this thread, I even apologized for changing the topic momentarily, knowing perhaps what will come to me as a result. I also apologize to Diesel for getting him into trouble for answering my question.
Modrerator: please do not shut down this thread, after a day's hard work, nothing is more refreshing than free entertainment like this! I wasn't even as excited when my MG GPS'ed at 53mph.

[Diesel6401]

Now besides knowing that it was a BIG MISTAKE to MISS the DF Mini Sniper, it is a BIGGER mistake to get involved in this thread, I even apologized for changing the topic momentarily, knowing perhaps what will come to me as a result. I also apologize to Diesel for getting him into trouble for answering my question.
Modrerator: please do not shut down this thread, after a day's hard work, nothing is more refreshing than free entertainment like this! I wasn't even as excited when my MG GPS'ed at 53mph.

All good bro, I'm backing out also.... I started the thread and I'm saying shut it down also...

[BLACKJACK_101]

It is possible that water is getting in to a sponson from the motor compartment (unlikley but possible), IMHO the only way to elimimate that possible cause would be to run the boat with the hatch taped up and see what happens, this will at least close this debate on taping or not taping being the culprit in this particular case, I hope you still have the boat so you can try this out.

Out of the box the seam between the two plastic hull halves on my WC did looked suspect to me, (hit and miss with the sealant) as Diesel suggested I re-sealed this seam and I also sealed every hole/thread that the factory had put in the hull.

I'm trying to moderate here and give what I think may be some useful information on this particular hull, seems to me that not many people have this boat yet and information may be a bit scarce on this model hands on.

I accept that clearly there are many experts on this forum who know far more than me and others on FE boats, but it seems to me that the interchange between experts and non-experts falls down quite often mainly due I think because experts don't read the non-experts posts in detail and respond with general FE doctrine that is not always relevant for a particular issue, some non-experts respond in a frustrating aggressive manner which escalates the thread in to a personal slanging match.

Please, please can experts and non-experts try to work together for the good of the forum, non-experts accept that the experts know more than us (that's the way it is) and over time with more experience we will become experts, and can experts perhaps have the kids gloves on when dealing with non-experts.