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Hi! Just wanted to introduce myself and talk a little bit about my plans for this boat. Unlike many people that purchased this boat expecting it to be perfect, I knew it was flawed / imperfect and bought it knowing it would be a challenge, but thats part of the fun, right? Oh yeah, that and I got a great deal on a new one from the hobby shop.
So far its stock, and has never been wet. I was initially intending to take her for a spin today with the nimh batteries that are included (I don't have 2 identical 7.4 packs and have no 3s packs, will be getting some zippy's most likely) but have decided that I don't want to even bother, and I think I should have a rescue vehicle present before any boating happens :)
I intend to use as much of the original running hardware as I possibly can, meaning the ESC, and possibly the motor. We'll see how that works out for me.
I have already put in an order here at OSE, I ordered the brass tube, .150 cable, teflon liner, bullet nut, 2 water outlets, some largere hose, and the aluminum water jacket designed for the stock motor. I wanted a dual inlet rudder but they didnt have the one that would be the closest fit compared to stock, and I wanted the trim tabs with water pickups, but I didnt see those either. In fact all the water inlets were out of stock, so I have decided to fabricate my own transom inlet.
My hopes are to blueprint the driveline as best I can, add a second water source and run the cooling to motor and esc seperately, at that point we'll see if the motor survives, and if not Ill look for a replacement that can still use the traxxas ESC, presuming they havent issued an upgraded motor by that time.
I also want to seal the hatch better than it is in box stock form, seems to me that is a great area for an aftermarket company to make some improvements, a little sturdier piece with the contours changed to allow taping would be great.. but the 1/4" foam stripping will likely be my immediate solution.
Why the spartan? well, I like a challenge and part of the hobby for me is the bench time, planning and executing upgrades, that sort of thing.. it also is designed for exactly what I want, a fun boat to play around with that handles a little chop, and has a pretty impressive top speed for what it is.. I also know that Traxxas (approached corrctly) will bend over backwards to keep their customers happy.. I know that isn't an opinion that some people here share, but in my experience that seems to be the case.. and if I can use the stock motor and speedo, that 20.00 lifetime warranty seems pretty atttractive.. assuming Im not smoking them left and right..
I looked at the UL1 superior, the Miss Elam, the Motley Crew, and this boat quite a bit, read forums about the UL1 and Spartan, watched all the videos, before coming to a decision, and my decision was this- The spartan design is a bit of a standout in the RTR boats, and doesnt compare well to the hydros and cats.. and that I would need to have one of each.. with the short run times on boats having a few to run will make for a better day playing in puddles, and I think I will eventually want to race something.. probably FE Hydro... looks like Ohio has some racing going on so I should be all good there..
So anyway, I expect to see my parts around thursday / friday next week, and after my boat has some unique features Ill start posting up some pictures, making observations, and asking questions.. not looking to set the world on fire with this one, no desire to prove false advertising (thats been done numerous times already) I just think that set up right it should be a fun boat, even if it means propping down and running 45 mph instead of 50.
So far its stock, and has never been wet. I was initially intending to take her for a spin today with the nimh batteries that are included (I don't have 2 identical 7.4 packs and have no 3s packs, will be getting some zippy's most likely) but have decided that I don't want to even bother, and I think I should have a rescue vehicle present before any boating happens :)
I intend to use as much of the original running hardware as I possibly can, meaning the ESC, and possibly the motor. We'll see how that works out for me.
I have already put in an order here at OSE, I ordered the brass tube, .150 cable, teflon liner, bullet nut, 2 water outlets, some largere hose, and the aluminum water jacket designed for the stock motor. I wanted a dual inlet rudder but they didnt have the one that would be the closest fit compared to stock, and I wanted the trim tabs with water pickups, but I didnt see those either. In fact all the water inlets were out of stock, so I have decided to fabricate my own transom inlet.
My hopes are to blueprint the driveline as best I can, add a second water source and run the cooling to motor and esc seperately, at that point we'll see if the motor survives, and if not Ill look for a replacement that can still use the traxxas ESC, presuming they havent issued an upgraded motor by that time.
I also want to seal the hatch better than it is in box stock form, seems to me that is a great area for an aftermarket company to make some improvements, a little sturdier piece with the contours changed to allow taping would be great.. but the 1/4" foam stripping will likely be my immediate solution.
Why the spartan? well, I like a challenge and part of the hobby for me is the bench time, planning and executing upgrades, that sort of thing.. it also is designed for exactly what I want, a fun boat to play around with that handles a little chop, and has a pretty impressive top speed for what it is.. I also know that Traxxas (approached corrctly) will bend over backwards to keep their customers happy.. I know that isn't an opinion that some people here share, but in my experience that seems to be the case.. and if I can use the stock motor and speedo, that 20.00 lifetime warranty seems pretty atttractive.. assuming Im not smoking them left and right..
I looked at the UL1 superior, the Miss Elam, the Motley Crew, and this boat quite a bit, read forums about the UL1 and Spartan, watched all the videos, before coming to a decision, and my decision was this- The spartan design is a bit of a standout in the RTR boats, and doesnt compare well to the hydros and cats.. and that I would need to have one of each.. with the short run times on boats having a few to run will make for a better day playing in puddles, and I think I will eventually want to race something.. probably FE Hydro... looks like Ohio has some racing going on so I should be all good there..
So anyway, I expect to see my parts around thursday / friday next week, and after my boat has some unique features Ill start posting up some pictures, making observations, and asking questions.. not looking to set the world on fire with this one, no desire to prove false advertising (thats been done numerous times already) I just think that set up right it should be a fun boat, even if it means propping down and running 45 mph instead of 50.
I also have a Spartan but have sunk a few bills into it...still waiting on connectors and cable, prop nut, etc...then it'll be time to get it wet....enjoy your stay here...great bunch of guys with tons of knowledge.
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