Best water pick-up ever!

[forescott]

I bought one of these from ose for my sv-27/stiletto outboard conversion and I have to say this is the highest flowing water pick-up I've ever used! It almost looks comical how much water shoots out the side of the hull even at low speeds. I know its not the most hydro-dynamic piece, but there is no doubt that my esc is getting all the cool water it can handle. I will definitely be using more of these!!

http://www.offshoreelectrics.com/pro...?prod=oct-ocsw

[dasboata]

Where do you have it mounted ?. I do not see it in the pic, if it is draging in the water it will work well but will cost you some speed and possible trim issues

[H&MWill]

I used one of these too on my dads SV. It definately flows alot of water. I was actually going to use a little bit smaller diameter hose because I think it may flow too much and the water doesnt have the time to actually pull the heat away from the motor and ESC. It is a nice piece though.

[keithbradley]

I used one of these too on my dads SV. It definately flows alot of water. I was actually going to use a little bit smaller diameter hose because I think it may flow too much and the water doesnt have the time to actually pull the heat away from the motor and ESC. It is a nice piece though.

Thats a myth. As long as there is a constant suppy of water there it will cool, and the cooler the water is (faster flow), the better it will cool. Alot of people say that about cars with water pumps that flow too much but the truth is its just not true.

[don ferrette]

Thats a myth. As long as there is a constant suppy of water there it will cool, and the cooler the water is (faster flow), the better it will cool. Alot of people say that about cars with water pumps that flow too much but the truth is its just not true.

Actually that's not correct. It is both the amount of water AND the speed in which the water travels. All the water in the world may not properly cool if it does not spend enough time around the object you are trying to cool. This can be done by either restricting the outlet (typically done by the size of the hole on the outlet fitting) to slow the water down or restricting the inlet side to slow the water (the water slows once it passes the restriction) as well as reducing the amount. Controlling the rate of exit is very effective but you need to be careful with too much restriction at speeds over 90 as alot of pressure can build in the lines as a result. On my record trials boats I'll typically restrict both the inlet and outlet using both to achieve the desired temperatures. Using your car analogy going back to when I raced real cars, if you take out the thermostat completely the engine can and usually will actually overheat due to insufficient thermal transfer between the motor and the water. Companies like Moroso make restrictor plates with various size holes that fit in place of the thermostat to help regulate flow rates on race cars. The same goes for the water pumps, we used different sized pulleys to control the speed of water to improve thermal transfer. It is no different with our boats as it is possible to over cool as well as under cool. It doesn't matter if it's nitro, gas of FE powered, all have optimum operating temperature ranges and playing with the rates and speeds of the water will help you get there.

[keithbradley]

Actually that's not correct. It is both the amount of water AND the speed in which the water travels. All the water in the world may not properly cool if it does not spend enough time around the object you are trying to cool. This can be done by either restricting the outlet (typically done by the size of the hole on the outlet fitting) to slow the water down or restricting the inlet side to slow the water (the water slows once it passes the restriction) as well as reducing the amount. Controlling the rate of exit is very effective but you need to be careful with too much restriction at speeds over 90 as alot of pressure can build in the lines as a result. On my record trials boats I'll typically restrict both the inlet and outlet using both to achieve the desired temperatures. Using your car analogy going back to when I raced real cars, if you take out the thermostat completely the engine can and usually will actually overheat due to insufficient thermal transfer between the motor and the water. Companies like Moroso make restrictor plates with various size holes that fit in place of the thermostat to help regulate flow rates on race cars. The same goes for the water pumps, we used different sized pulleys to control the speed of water to improve thermal transfer. It is no different with our boats as it is possible to over cool as well as under cool. It doesn't matter if it's nitro, gas of FE powered, all have optimum operating temperature ranges and playing with the rates and speeds of the water will help you get there.

Restrictors in the thermostat housing on older motors are used to allow the engine to retain SOME heat. I have ran countless cooling systems w/o thermostats and the result is an engine that stays TOO COOL.
If a car does overheat without a thermostat, the water pump is not strong enough to produce sufficient pressure in the coolant system, and you end up with what people commonly refer to as an air pocket. I assure you, if you take the thermostat out, and the car runs hotter, it is due to NOT ENOUGH FLOW.

I do this stuff for a living. I have spent hours upon hours R&D-ing cooling systems for supercharger and turbocharger intercoolers. If you could run a fire hose through an automotive cooling system it would cool incredibly well.
The myth, on the automotive side, is completely ridiculous. The engine temps people refer to are actually coolant temps. So the logic is that the coolant doesnt have enough time to remove heat from the engine, adn the result is the coolant is too hot...
HUH?

There is a point where excessive coolant speed can hinder cooling, but it is due more to poor coolant system design in real world applications. The most important thing is when the speed increases, the volume must increase also.

As someone noted, guys like Don have been doing this for a long time, and I would support taking their advice and I would be likely to take it myself. Im not arguing against ANYTHING they reccomend to do to your boat, just defending my statment about cooling flow. I have battled this with customers and peers in the automotive world for as long as I can remember. There are many reasons that coolant speed would hinder cooling, but in real life applications most of them dont apply.

[Cooper]

On cars you have a closed system, in this application you have an unlimited supply of a stable temperature water supply not glycol ( antifreez) thermodynamics- heat transfer, the speed of water passing through these systems is not interfering in this situation, more water passing through system is very simple, the more heat will be transferred , actually it not transferred, heat is always being absorbed by whatever is of a lower temperature, everything is dissipating it's heat into surrounding, (ultimately to absolute zero, when molecular movement stops) so in these boats more water is better, can't compare to autos

[dogg]

Actually that's not correct. It is both the amount of water AND the speed in which the water travels. All the water in the world may not properly cool if it does not spend enough time around the object you are trying to cool. This can be done by either restricting the outlet (typically done by the size of the hole on the outlet fitting) to slow the water down or restricting the inlet side to slow the water (the water slows once it passes the restriction) as well as reducing the amount. Controlling the rate of exit is very effective but you need to be careful with too much restriction at speeds over 90 as alot of pressure can build in the lines as a result. On my record trials boats I'll typically restrict both the inlet and outlet using both to achieve the desired temperatures. Using your car analogy going back to when I raced real cars, if you take out the thermostat completely the engine can and usually will actually overheat due to insufficient thermal transfer between the motor and the water. Companies like Moroso make restrictor plates with various size holes that fit in place of the thermostat to help regulate flow rates on race cars. The same goes for the water pumps, we used different sized pulleys to control the speed of water to improve thermal transfer. It is no different with our boats as it is possible to over cool as well as under cool. It doesn't matter if it's nitro, gas of FE powered, all have optimum operating temperature ranges and playing with the rates and speeds of the water will help you get there.

I'll probably cop some flak for this as I'm a newbie on this forum; but when it comes to heat transfer in cars, I would like to clarify something...
It is a totally different scenario to the one you are relating it to.
Firstly the overheating of the motors in cars (be them race or road) without use of the thermostat is NOT due to too much flow through the motor but due to the speed of flow through the radiator being TOO HIGH/FAST to effectively cool it before it re-enters the motor to begin the cooling cycle again.

It is however true with an internal combustion motor that too much cooling can cause increased wear and less efficiency with fuel consumption and overall performance.

With boats, be them model or full scale (bearing in mind the less efficient and higher wear of internal combustion engines that may result) the fact is that no matter how fast the flow of the water/coolant passing through the motor (water jacket in the case of an inrunner), the higher flow of water will always cool the motor faster and more efficiently.

Try cooling your motor with 80 degree water when its running at 130 degrees and it will only ever cool to minimum of 80.
Try cooling it with almost freezing point and the minimum possible it can get down to is the same as the almost freezing water.

The higher the flow rate, the faster the cooler water reaches the motor replacing the preheated water from the motors water jacket, resulting in better cooling period.

I hope I don't offend people with this frank description but I believe this to be true and am interested to know if anyone else finds fault with the logic. I've been in the automotive industry for almost 22 years and have had both road and race cars and this has been my experience and is the only logical explanation in my opinion.

[Mike Caruso]

I'll probably cop some flak for this as I'm a newbie on this forum; but when it comes to heat transfer in cars, I would like to clarify something...
It is a totally different scenario to the one you are relating it to.
Firstly the overheating of the motors in cars (be them race or road) without use of the thermostat is NOT due to too much flow through the motor but due to the speed of flow through the radiator being TOO HIGH/FAST to effectively cool it before it re-enters the motor to begin the cooling cycle again.

It is however true with an internal combustion motor that too much cooling can cause increased wear and less efficiency with fuel consumption and overall performance.

With boats, be them model or full scale (bearing in mind the less efficient and higher wear of internal combustion engines that may result) the fact is that no matter how fast the flow of the water/coolant passing through the motor (water jacket in the case of an inrunner), the higher flow of water will always cool the motor faster and more efficiently.

Try cooling your motor with 80 degree water when its running at 130 degrees and it will only ever cool to minimum of 80.
Try cooling it with almost freezing point and the minimum possible it can get down to is the same as the almost freezing water.

The higher the flow rate, the faster the cooler water reaches the motor replacing the preheated water from the motors water jacket, resulting in better cooling period.

I hope I don't offend people with this frank description but I believe this to be true and am interested to know if anyone else finds fault with the logic. I've been in the automotive industry for almost 22 years and have had both road and race cars and this has been my experience and is the only logical explanation in my opinion.

Correct!
anyone can look at http://www.stewartcomponents.com/Stewart_faq.htm
Mike

[forescott]

Its close to the center of the V, and close to the transom where I know it will pick up water @ high speed. I've used many under-hull pick ups that just don't pick-up! And rudder pick ups that lose pressure when turning opposite the direction of the hull. As far as scrubbing speed, I've found no noticeable loss in speed from this pick-up. The drag created is minimal and may only show in tenths of a mph from a gps. For me a couple of tenths of my top speed is worth getting plenty of fresh, cool water through my electronics! And as far as handling issues, I haven't had any so far.

[forescott]

I've pulled boats out of the water with hot motors and blew mouthfulls of cold bottled water through the pick-ups as hard as I could and the water always comes out hot. I doubt even the highest flowing system is flowing fast enough to pass up the heat from the components. JMO!

[sailr]

I'm always worried those things would snag on something and rip a hole in the bottom of the hull.

[forescott]

LOL! I guess anything can happen! Your rudder will rip a hole in your transom first!

[westbeach]

Nope, almost all rudders have a break away screw (brass or nylon) so you don't rip your transom apart!!

LOL! I guess anything can happen! Your rudder will rip a hole in your transom first!

[johnmaclean]

I have those installed on my sv (bought it used and it came with them) and was having trouble with handling this summer. After some fairly lengthy discussion on another site the general consensus was that they protruded too far down and was acting like trim tabs. I filed them down so that their profile was less than 1/4 inch at the lowest point. It seemed to correct the handling issue but I am still considering going back to using the rudder pick up.

[igottalongone]

Octura makes the same thing in a transom mount as well (mounts to the back of the transom, not bottom of the hull) I like that one a little better... It lets you have just the pickup below board, a little less drag with the same output...
Octura calls it (SMWP) Stern Mount Water Pick Up

[Steven Vaccaro]

Octura makes the same thing in a transom mount as well (mounts to the back of the transom, not bottom of the hull) I like that one a little better... It lets you have just the pickup below board, a little less drag with the same output...

I didnt know that, do you happen to have the part number?

[igottalongone]

I didnt know that, do you happen to have the part number?

Hi, Steven...
Call Trudy and tell her you want part "(SMWP) Stern Mount Water Pick Up"
They are Shweet!

[FRED]

nothing

[785boats]

Westbeach has hit the nail on the head.

Heat from components needs time to dissipate into the water (thermal exchange) inorder to properly cool the component. This is done by utilizing a bigger bore tubing, slows water rate down when entering the component then back to a smaller diameter bore tubing to quickly evacuate the thermally heated water.

That's the theory I used when I up graded my home made ESC cooling plates from having only one pathway cross drilled through the plate (in the usual 'U' shape), to having 3 pathways. This effectively increases the volume of water in the plate at all times & it slows down as it is divided evenly over 3 tubes & then speeds up again on exit as it recombines at the outlet tube. The ESC with this plate definitely runs cooler than it did before in the same boat & setup. Might try 4 cross holes next time.
The photo shows the three cross holes in the plate about to be re attached to the ESC
Cheers.
Paul.

[H2OCamel]

Scott, those are the only ones I have added to my boats the most famous being a super Hawaii which I put 2 in, one on each side at the rear and used the Octura outputs on the transom looking like exaust ports for the disel engines. One feed the speed control and the other the motor. It functioned very well keeping the 19v SS1 very cool during the entire run. I don't race so cooling effectiveness was more important to me. The bonus is that at any speed there is no doubt that the water pickup is working!

[forescott]

Scott, those are the only ones I have added to my boats the most famous being a super Hawaii which I put 2 in, one on each side at the rear and used the Octura outputs on the transom looking like exaust ports for the disel engines. One feed the speed control and the other the motor. It functioned very well keeping the 19v SS1 very cool during the entire run. I don't race so cooling effectiveness was more important to me. The bonus is that at any speed there is no doubt that the water pickup is working!

YES! That's what amazed me. The flow is awesome even at low speeds!

[H2OCamel]

Steven I'm not exactly shure but I think the part number is #71?

[forescott]

I agree with keith, Why would you want to slow the water flow and let it heat up? More flow will just bring more cool water to the components. Even if the water passes through the system quickly and doesn't pick up as much heat as it might if it were sitting there, its still going to be followed by more cool water. You cant compare the flow of water from an rc boat that trickles out the side of a water outlet to a car engine with a water pump that is designed to force water through an engine. The rate of flow is far less in an FE boat and I don't that the amount of pressure created from even the highest flowing water pickup is cause for any concern.

[don ferrette]

I agree with keith, Why would you want to slow the water flow and let it heat up? More flow will just bring more cool water to the components. Even if the water passes through the system quickly and doesn't pick up as much heat as it might if it were sitting there, its still going to be followed by more cool water. You cant compare the flow of water from an rc boat that trickles out the side of a water outlet to a car engine with a water pump that is designed to force water through an engine. The rate of flow is far less in an FE boat and I don't that the amount of pressure created from even the highest flowing water pickup is cause for any concern.

I'm not going to debate what you might believe, just sharing what I know from experience. It's called thermal transfer, the water needs to be there long enough for the heat to transfer from whatever you are trying to cool to the water itself. And secondly yes you can develop very high pressure even with the smallest of water pick ups. I have to pay close attention to regulating water pressures on my SAW boats, even my faster heat race stuff is controlled. In the past I have blown even the best quality line from excessive pressure. You would be surprised how much pressure you can build through that tiny pick up at over 100.......

[westbeach]

Don is right. There was a debate a while back, and Jay Turner pretty much summed it up what Don is saying here. Like it or not these guys have the knowledge and experience we all need to learn from.

I'm not going to debate what you might believe, just sharing what I know from experience. It's called thermal transfer, the water needs to be there long enough for the heat to transfer from whatever you are trying to cool to the water itself. And secondly yes you can develop very high pressure even with the smallest of water pick ups. I have to pay close attention to regulating water pressures on my SAW boats, even my faster heat race stuff is controlled. In the past I have blown even the best quality line from excessive pressure. You would be surprised how much pressure you can build through that tiny pick up at over 100.......

[forescott]

I'm not going to debate what you might believe, just sharing what I know from experience. It's called thermal transfer, the water needs to be there long enough for the heat to transfer from whatever you are trying to cool to the water itself. And secondly yes you can develop very high pressure even with the smallest of water pick ups. I have to pay close attention to regulating water pressures on my SAW boats, even my faster heat race stuff is controlled. In the past I have blown even the best quality line from excessive pressure. You would be surprised how much pressure you can build through that tiny pick up at over 100.......

A 100mph saw boat is a not a 40mph sport boat. Still not a good comparison.But I get your point!

[Diegoboy]

A car has to re-cool the water before it cycles through the engine again. That doesn't really apply to us.

But...

Heat Convection happens when matter carries heat from one place to another.

If the water cannot thermally transfer the heat from the electronics to itself and carry it away, it isn't very effective.

[egneg]

I would also agree with the high flow crowd. You want to get a more effective heat transfer so a faster flow will provide a greater differential throughout its path through the system. If it heats up to much before it leaves the cooling system the components at the end will not benefit as much. That is why some folks have a dual system for ESC and motor.

Chuck

[don ferrette]

All I'm trying to explain is that controlling the water is an easy way to control temps, you can run both too hot and too cold and faster flow is is not the answer if things are sized properly. Optimum thermal transfer occurs when the water is there long enough to absorb the heat. For example I can more than adequately cool a twin 90 nitro heat race rigger in the dead of a southern summer running on 60% nitro with a single water pick up rudder blade. Yeah it's a nitro boat but it's just an example and capable of generating a tremendous amount of heat. Again, I'm just sharing what I know from experience and not trying to force anyone to change what they might steadfastly believe. But then again people at one time were absolutely certain the world was flat..............

It's all good fellas, you all have a fun day.