New Fine Design RC 54" Custom Geico

[Chilli]

How about a 440 on a 54" 12S boat? Think the boat would even get on step?

[tman1753]

The setup seemed to run fine to me , packs to me are sufficient. very fast. I haven't experimented with props. Had a problem with the ESC. Disappointing, but not fine designs fault..they don't build the ESC's (or at least in my case). They are replacing it no questions asked under the one year warranty. It really sucks for everyone..they did a really nice job putting it together, and the damaged caused by the failed ESC was far from minimal.

What prop would you recommend?

[lenny]

Did you get any video of the run ?
X440 is a very small prop for that boat,
I use a x440/3 on my 26"Rio ep modded mono on 2s and 3s.

[Chilli]

Sorry about the esc. It's no fun when they let go. Especially in a beautiful new boat. I can't begin to recommend a prop for you boat as I have never run hull that large nor have I run a TP motor but as lenny pointed out a 40mm prop is more suited to boats in the upper 20 to mid 30 inch range. Did Fine Design recommend the prop? Hopefully someone with experience with a similar set up will chime in and help you out. If you said the boat was fast, it might be better to get the ESC issue ironed out and see where you are performance wise before experimenting with props.

[tman1753]

Prop is 60mm copper sharpened and balanced

[tman1753]

Once I get the boat back from repair on warranty I will post a pics of the damaged caused by the bad ESC. I don't want to post them now without showing pics of Fine Designs repair job. It looks great, just waiting on new ESC

I know a lot of people posted issues with fine design but my experience with them has been good. I noticed they took pride in the build. When I brought the boat in after the ESC malfunctioned I could tell they were very upset. Not because they had to fix it but because of all the time and labor that was put into it. I got ZERO attitude from them and they doing everything to make it right.

The batteries I bought new used on here. They seemed to provide plenty of power. they are 65c - 130c discharge. I was not able to get total run time on them yet. I am hoping for 8-10 minutes. I would love to buy higher mah batteries but they are so darn expensive. The batteries I can afford that do have higher capacity - the discharge rate is much lower and insufficient. I dont want to lay down $300 on a set . Afraid Id get a bad pack or something. If i get into racing next year I may make the investment.

[iridebikes247]

That boat I would say an x457 prop would be a good start. the tp motors are very powerful and with that they can pull a lot of current.

do you know the motor kv?

[tman1753]

800KV i think

[iridebikes247]

800kv with 12s will pull a lot of amps if the prop is at the least an x457. i'd give 10s a try and work up.

[RandyatBBY]

The prop size is under the nut on the end of the prop hub, You are very understanding person. ESC are the weak link in FE Boats. Running at 1/2 throttle with a high amp draw will destroy the ESC every time. If that is what happened.

Beautiful boat, looks like a Central Marine.

[lenny]

Hi.
Try to get all the info you can from Fine Design on the build and setup in this boat,
That will save you and us a lot of time when looking for any help and info.

800KV i think

[tman1753]

the prop is 60mm. One of the reservoirs for the water cooling on the ESC was not sealed properly from factory and it leaked. Fine Design replaced it with a newer redesigned ESC. Much better design. They did a great job. repainted it, inside and out..Pics attached of the damage and their repair work. ALL PARTS REPLACED free of charge looks new!!

As u can see from the original pics the first ESC... the electronics are sandwiched between 2 reservoirs one on top and bottom. the top one leaked. THe newer ESC has straight aluminum pipe thru the center for the cooling.

[lenny]

What make is that esc and how much do they cost ?
When you run it this time check your temps on everything after a 1 minute run than do 2 minutes check again,
Those water lines look very small for that setup and build.

[tman1753]

The ESC is listed here for $299. It came with the boat.

http://www.finedesignrc.com/speedcontrolsfdm.asp

I ran it and it was cool.. but the water is cold already so next year ill be doing temp checks in warmer water. I will take a photo of my itemized receipt and upload it. It has all parts/ manufacture info etc. listed

I can tell you that the original ESC 100% fried because of leak in esc caused by bad gasket. I only did 2 laps. Exactly enough time for the water to work it's way thru the lines and into the ESC.

[lenny]

Is the new one water proofed yet ?