New Motley Crew Stock Build +

[shua]

I recently bought a new Motley Crew (MC) hull and hardware for a great deal and assembled it with new stock electronics for a good friend.
(Stock electronics were pulled from a Revolt)
AQ 36x56 1800kV 6pole
AQ 60amp esc
2x2s in series for 4s
Stock Rudd servo

Along the way I applied some awesome mods that I learned from this forum (A Big Thanks! to Tony the Properchopper).



And so it begins....
I was unsure of the flexyness in the stock canopy and it is a relatively large one at that. I suspect that the new owner may want to upgrade this hull at some point (larger motor, etc.) so I decided to do an inlay to the cano and added some reinforcements.
The stock ribs on it, while a great idea from Aquacraft, were not adhered to the canopy very well. They popped off with minimal effort. If anyone were running this boat in stock fashion, I would, at least, check that your ribs are glue in securely.




In the last pic you will note some blue painters tape from front to rear. The hull has a curve to it where the canopy attaches and originally the canopy didn't sit perfectly flat. As I was applying an inlay anyway, I am using the tape to add more curve to the hatch for a better fit.

[shua]

New Motley Crew Stock Build +

Next I reused one of the Canopy ribs to add some rigidity to the hulls interior. I scuffed the paint with 220 grit sandpaper and 30min epoxied it in



Out of CF plate I cutout and bolted a piece to the motor mount.




I then just used the motor mount as a guide and drilled holes for the motor shaft and mounting screws. I also decided to drill a hole at the base of the plate to allow me to bolt it to a piece of thick gray styrene angle (similar to what I used on the canopy) that I will epoxy to the hull floor too.
The end result is very rigid and the flex in the hull's tub floor is very minimal now.

[shua]

I also made up a quick stuffing tube support out of some thick aluminum scrap I had laying around.



Esc now test fitting.

[shua]

Originally this boat came with a tactic radio system that did not require an external antenna. This boat is being built with the spectrum system that does. Now my dilemma, I have no access to the underside of the hull because of the tub interior.....



I thought about this for a little bit. Looked around at some options. I ended up using a boot with bracket from an old Prather boat I had saved. It allowed me to drill a hole large enough to gain access to mount the antenna support and then cover up the hole. It turned out very nice!



Finishing up the plumbing and little odds and ends.

[shua]

New Motley Crew Stock Build +

The self adhesive Velcro with straps for the pair of 2s packs this boat will be running are very nicely done. I bought them from PureTech on line.






You will note that the motor wires pass through a hole drilled in the Carbon motor plate. I took great care to ensure that the wires will not be cut into by the plate from vibrations or general shifting of things while running. There is a plastic grommet installed in the pass through to protect the wire. Carbon fiber can be sharp and is conductive! This can be a recipe for disaster if you are careless.


In a good old newbie fashion I had accidentally ordered the wrong size capacitors last summer for building cap banks. Lol.
I have been using them here and there when I can. This is one such occasion.

[shua]

New Motley Crew Stock Build +

And all done with a few quick personal touches.




I was pleased with the handling of the boat in a mostly stock form.

Full throttle turns no problem. Very stable.
Started with a Grimm 42x55. Balanced and sharpened.
The system ran a little warm but the 5.5mm motor connectors were hot!
Top speed 36mph

I put a CNC X440 on the MC and BAM things ran much cooler and speed increased to 39.6mph!!
This is without any hardware adjustments. Only battery CG.


Please overlook the lake side fix of clear hatch tape over the exposed motor bullet cons in the last pick. That was redone with new shrink.

Oh and I forgot. One last mod before maiden...

Air Dam. Installed with double sided tape. I used hatch tape to hold it in place for a little while but then removed it before running.

The owner of this boat lives several hours away from me, so it will be some time before I get to experiment with this hull any further.
Thanks for checking out this build!!

[bh_trade]

What does the air dam do?

[shua]

What does the air dam do?

It helps disrupt the lift from the air packing inside the tunnel.
Reducing the chances of a blow over.

[pistol18]

Neat write up, thanks for sharing. I wish I had the time and skill to work on my boats more. From reading your posts you know how to get great speed out of various boats. I'd like to add the air dam to reduce blowovers on windy days.

Just my 2 cents but I currently have a MC and Lucas Oil, and my only concern was the white rib in the tub. I always run my battery packs back against the 2 bumps that hold the receiver and servo for best CG(imho and from reading other's success). Also the GR 42x55 is a decent prop but my best speed runs(all stock electronics) with a M445 prop has been 43mph.

[shua]

New Motley Crew Stock Build +

Thanks and I appreciate the feedback!

I must admit the rearward interior white rib was placed in too quickly and in retrospect I wish I had done that differently. And one day I just might.
The packs are now being run up against it. And the new owner is happy with how it performs.

Thanks again for the tips!!!