NEW Pro Boat "ZELOS 36" Twin Cat

[paulfromtulsa]

Mine shipped today also!

[Yellow]

I just got home a few minutes ago, read this thread, and then check my e-mail too... AND...

My sweet twin is also on her way!!! Man I can't wait!
I hope it arrives in good condition. Fingers crossed.

[arrover]

Got mine today. What an amazing boat. It's very heavy and well built. I swapped the EC5 connector on the harness for 5.5 bullets so I can run my packs. The flexes appeared to be only lightly oiled to prevent rust so make sure and grease them before you run it. The boat is bigger than it looks in pictures! It barely fits in the boat bag I built. Here are a few pics.

IMG_0886 (Medium).JPG IMG_0887 (Medium).JPG IMG_0906 (Medium).JPG IMG_0920 (Medium).JPG

[arrover]

Unfortunately the wind was terrible today. Gusts to 30mph so I couldn't really open the boat up. Here's some video though. It's tough to tell how rough it was but the boat's action kind of gives you an idea. The flip at the end did zero damage and the boat is sealed well. For these runs I was running two 5000mah 3S packs (total of 6S to each motor when you use the included double Y harness). The batteries were as far forward as I could get them while still getting one Velcro strap around each pack. Temps were very low but I didn't measure them. The ESCs were even cool/cold to the touch. Granted I wasn't running super hard....

[kfxguy]

Two tips for you. Set the boat on a table, props and rudder hanging off. Look at it from the side, make sure the struts are parallel or level with the table. No positive or negative in the props. That's how mine is. Also, sharpen the props. You do those things it should do very well. My timing is at 15* and I have no heat issues. I wouldn't put the timing at 15 with stock unsharpened props tho. I didn't try it that was and I know a blunt prop will not cut through the water as easily so I'm not sure if it'll live that way or not. This setup in stock trim really doesn't seems to break a sweat no matter what I've done so far. I even had my shafts in a bind and the escs and motors didn't get hot.



*****im not condoning changing the timing as your warranty may be void. I did it myself because I have spare esc's anyway so if I burn them in the sake of testing I'm ok with that.

[Rafael_Lopez]

Arrower, cool video. Nice to start seeing video, other than the ones Travis or I post.


A couple of routine maintenance tips I'd like to share.

When greasing the shafts, don't squirt grease inside the struts. The diameter of the hole on the strut and the liner is nearly the same diameter as the flex shaft. Doing so will force the grease out of the liner when you insert the flex shaft and you'll end up with a huge mess inside the boat. You also don't want grease inside your coupler.

I squeeze some grease on a napkin and run the flex shaft through it, making sure I don't get grease on the first 15-20mm of the shaft, which will go in to the coupler. When I install the flex shaft in to the strut, I rotate the flex shaft in the direction the cable is wound. This will help carry as much grease as possible in to the liner. You will notice a lot of the grease will not make it in to the liner, and it will appear to nearly all end up at the strut's opening, this is normal. Use grease sparingly. This is why the manual recommends greasing about every 20 minutes of use, or less when possible. When you are done running for the day, I recommend removing the shafts and wiping them down, grease and reinstall. This does 2 things. It keeps the used grease from accumulating inside of the liner and on the shaft, and it ensures that your boat will always be ready at short notice to go run it.

Another tip, when greasing always put a drop or two of oil in the front bearing. As the shafts load, they contract putting a load on the front bearing. The rear motor bearing doesn't see this burden. This us useful for any boat, not just this one.

Lastly, carry a 2.5 L wrench with you. I have a long L wrench with a ball tip on the end that I got from my local hardware store in set. Use the short part of the L wrench and periodically check to make sure the motor mount screws are tight. I check mine every time I grease the flex shafts and oil the bearings. The ball end of the wrench comes in handy if you ever need to remove the motors. Break the bolt loose with the short end and then use the ball driver to easily remove the screws.

[shua]

My local hobby shop got one in stock the other day. I got the opportunity to open up the box and put hands on this beautiful boat... All I can say is WOW!

The FG layup really is a lot thicker than anything I've seen from Proboat. Just removing the canopy and holding it I can feel the thickness and quality is top-notch. I love the angles and the lines of this cat. Color is not my first choice but that can be easily changed. The hardware/electronics are incredible too.
After my Voracity I swore to avoid Another RTR boat and focus on building my next ones. But after reading about the Zelos Twin and now seeing it in person I must say that I cannot wait to bring this big boy home!

[Andy micke]

We recommend our Reaction 50c packs. If you can find good quality 35c packs, that's the minimum I'd run. Run for 1-1:30 minutes and check the pack temps. If they get over 130*, you will more than likely puff them. 100-120* is normal battery temp in this boat.

Here are pictures of the flotation.

I had to re-epoxy the foam put of the box. As it was not even attached when I first opened the hatch. Very very minor.

[Andy micke]

As soon as the weather clears up, I'll be taking my new zelos out. #cantwait

[TheShaughnessy]

If the worst complaint is a 5 sec glue job repair I'd say that's pretty damn good.

[arrover]

I had some time and flat water this morning to finally open the twin up fully. It ran 58.6mph on two 3S packs (6S to each motor) and 36.7mph on two 2S packs (4S to each motor). This is the out of the box stock configuration. I've only changed the battery plugs on the Y harness. No other adjustments. My packs were as far forward as possible while still being strapped down by the most forward velcro strap. The boat bounced quite a bit at full speed and the nose was very light on 6S. I think my next move will be to set the boat up for four 3S packs (still 6S to each motor). I did notice that one of my struts is trimmed up slightly and that may be where some speed is hiding. I'm having a blast with this boat! It is a ton of fun to drive. The twins sound very cool and I really like the way it handles.
IMG_0929 (Medium).JPG IMG_0930 (Medium).JPG

[kfxguy]

I had some time and flat water this morning to finally open the twin up fully. It ran 58.6mph on two 3S packs (6S to each motor) and 36.7mph on two 2S packs (4S to each motor). This is the out of the box stock configuration. I've only changed the battery plugs on the Y harness. No other adjustments. My packs were as far forward as possible while still being strapped down by the most forward velcro strap. The boat bounced quite a bit at full speed and the nose was very light on 6S. I think my next move will be to set the boat up for four 3S packs (still 6S to each motor). I did notice that one of my struts is trimmed up slightly and that may be where some speed is hiding. I'm having a blast with this boat! It is a ton of fun to drive. The twins sound very cool and I really like the way it handles.
[ATTACH=CONFIG]141605[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=CONFIG]141606[/ATTACH]

Sharpen the props. Put the struts level. The strut having positive will make it bounce. You shouldn't need extra weight. I'm only running a pair of 3s in mine. Mine did bounce with the batts towards the rear but Raphael told me to move them up and no bounce at all at any speed. Should we start a modding thread like the voracity? I've got some plans for mine......

[arrover]

Thanks Travis. I realize those things will help it run better but I'm just getting a totally stock baseline since this was only the second time I've run it. Good to know you're still running a pair of 3S. I've been thinking the same thing as you! We need a mod thread! I've got some plans too.

[Rafael_Lopez]

Sharpen the props. Put the struts level. The strut having positive will make it bounce. You shouldn't need extra weight. I'm only running a pair of 3s in mine. Mine did bounce with the batts towards the rear but Raphael told me to move them up and no bounce at all at any speed. Should we start a modding thread like the voracity? I've got some plans for mine......

Agreed. Most every video, other than the one where I'm running laps, has been done with just 2 packs and you will notice the boat doesn't bounce.

The manual explains how to check and adjust your struts. It says use a ruler to measure to make sure they are level. Here is a picture to help. The distance between the hash marks should be 4mm to 3.75mm. The ruler is represented by the black line. It must lay across the middle and rear pad and extend past the strut.

[kfxguy]

Perfect Raphael, thanks for the illustration. I've had to answer this question a few times over the past couple days from people who bought them. Don't mind but the picture says 1000 words.

Arrover I'll start a thread. I've got a few things I've tried that I didn't mention