***INTRODUCING*** The AquaCraft UL-1 Superior Fe Hydro RTR 2.4

[Raydee]

When running through the SAW timing lights, the straightest path leads to the best times. As anyone who races has experienced, it's hard to follow the course when focused directly on your boat. A good pit-coach on your shoulder always calls out your best path [as well as the dead boats on the course]. Darin pit-coached me into a first-place finish in P-mono [in one heat] at the Nat's. - goes to show since my driving needs some [much] improvement! The "to the right" you hear in the vid is Mark Grim telling Brian to head to a straighter path. Also, FYI, the SAW times are an average time between the lights; a peak GPS readout is normally always 1-2 MPH faster. What you don't see is how this boat flat hauls through the turns, flat & stable !! Yowzah !! I want one NOW !!!

BS, without video I don't think it turns good at all

[properchopper]

re :

I took it frame by frame. It was without a doubt a collision. To take it a step further, there was a ripple that wasn't there before. Jumping fish?

The official report from CSI Peublo....wow I'm a nerd

Yup, there were lots of ducks hanging out near the spot the "hit" occured, and several times during the race you could hear someone say : What was that ?" as the Leggfish jumped out of the water.

[Meniscus]

[properchopper]

BS, without video I don't think it turns good at all

Ray, I did about 5 laps with this little gem; first Hydro ever, & I was slidin her through the turns like a dirt-tracker . About 3/4 throttle, hold her steady right & watch her carve. Gives me goosebumps just thinkin' about it

[Raydee]

Yeah myself and the other guys in our club can't wait. We are really hoping to get more guys involved next year and get some good spec race classes.

[Doozie870]

"funny! Seems this thread has gone to the focus on the hit more than the focus on the 59MPH and it kept going."

Hate to bring this back up BUT!

There is to much focus on speed in FE. I would rather have seen videos of how quick it turned, take off, chop/glass conditions ect. ect. It seems to be one tough s.o.b. While I am generally not a fan of rtr boats or there owners for that matter, this boat is pulling me back in!

[MarkF]

Actually Ray is right. The boat doesn't turn as good as it should. I believe Brian thought that maybe the turn fin had something to do with it but it does need to turn better. The boat was also a little flighty untill Brian put an airdam on the boat. I think some lead up front would help as well. The boat is not without issues but is still a great boat with just a little tweaking to get it right.

Mark

[Raydee]

Hey its good to see that the Hydro isn't perfect...what hull really is anyway. I am sure we will work all the kinks out once they hit the shelves.

[Darin Jordan]

The boat is not without issues but is still a great boat with just a little tweaking to get it right.

Mark

This is why I'd like to see this boat, in our club anyhow, treated more like just another option for LSSH (Limited Spec Sport Hydro)... Let people tune and tweak as needed to suit their driving style, just like any other LSH boat...

[MarkF]

Exactly. I started to see this thread go in a direction that this boat is the holy grail and I didn't want people to get the wrong idea and then come on here and bash it. Darin said it right.

Mark

[Doozie870]

I have always loved this hobby, but as mainly a lso/lsh runner, I would love to see a motor can size class rather than a specific Aquacraft hull class. if its 35x56 so be it! lets have some fun man!

[raptor347]

Hey guy,
I finally got to a computer.

The UL-1 really suprised me. I put an M445 on it for it's first pass, I flew it off and tumbled through the traps at 45mph. So I had a rough baseline. Next pass was with an M645 and 3/16" deeper on the strut, 52mph with a good ride attitude but still too light on the sponsons. 3rd pass was with a modified 2047 and a 1/2" deep tape air dam in the tunnel, 59mph pedaling it through the lights. Final pass was the same prop and air dam but 3/32" deeper on the strut, 65.7mph with a high 64mph return run. Temps on the final 2 passes were: motor 114F, ESC 126F, battery 109F (it had cooled down). I'm absolutely possitive I can get the boat over 70 on the stock drive system.

Stock motor/esc/hull. I didn't even touch the sponson bottoms (still shiny). Total mods from out of the box: remove turn fin and vertical fins, tape air dam, strut adjustment and a fairly trick octura 2047. I did run my Futaba FASST 2.4G radio.

Then I put the turnfin back on with a 38x55 grimracer prop and ran 41mph for 8 minutes in rough water. I LIKE IT!!!

The hit in the video was one of Legg's many small fish, kicked the rudder up a bit.

Is it the holy grail? No, but it's pretty darn good. I remember how much work it took to get these speeds out of a P boat 4 years ago.

The hull is tough, I crashed it a couple times at 60+. The motor and esc are fantastic, smoother startup and throttle response than the SV. Well engineered, easy to work on. Consistant, predictable, very stable running hull (I was running in conditions the SV wouldn't).

I agree that the turning could have been better on the test boat. It was certainly adequate but I'd like more response. I also admit that I spent no time tuning the handling other than strait away speed. I'm guessing that some very minor tweaks to the turn fin will take care of it. This boat will respond to the same tuning that you'd normally go through on any hydro.

I was lead to believe that the boat they sent me was out of the start up production run, so what you see is what should be ariving on shelves.

Some have expressed disbelief over the 20+mph jump in speed over the factory tests. Realize that Mike limited himself to the Aquacraft line of props while under development, I don't have that limitation. Mike also isn't a SAWs racer, I don't think anyone was as suprised as Mike was when I told him the speeds it ran. He also designed it to be a boat anyone could drive out of the box, reliably with good run time, I think he got it right.

[JimClark]

Great info Brian thanks very much

Jim

[Apples1]

i'll take any colour please....

[Steven Vaccaro]

Thanks for sharing the info Brian! How did the tail fins fair in all the crashes?