Hello guys/girls/other, I'm yet another new guy that's sure to annoy the locals with a ton of irritating questions and other typical noob things. First a little about me so everyone fully appreciates the depths of my insanity. First, I've been involved in RC models for... wow, I'm old... 25 years. It started with planes, then cars, then more planes, helis, and so on. I've attempted boats a couple of times, but never got one on the water. That was back in the days before the internet where information, both good and bad, could be had with a click of a mouse.
Work, wife, and kids got in the way for a few years, but in '09 I blew up my spine, which ended my law enforcement career. While attempting to recover and cope with extreme boredom, I decided to go back to RC. My meds mess with my reflexes and depth perception, so no flying, surface only. After few cars and trucks, lots and LOTS of mods since I really prefer building and tinkering to driving, I'm running out of things to do and need a project.
I've been a fan of Traxxas since getting a Slash 4x4 and modding everything under the sun, then a Slayer Pro and blinging it out with a bunch of aluminum, an OS .21, and remote start, then a 4Tec that's getting remote start, with the starter module on a slick little aluminum mount I machined yesterday. Naturally, I fully intended to buy a Spartan. I love the looks, but I'm not so sure a plastic hull is a good plan and I really didn't want to pay for a radio, batteries, and charger that I'll never use (I'm a Futaba guy. 3PKS, 4PKS, and 8UAFS.) So I sold the Slash to fund the project and bribed a friend with lunch for a ride to the hobby shop. I really did plan on getting the Spartan and selling off the stuff I didn't need, but if I'd gone that way I wouldn't be posting in this section...
Sitting just above the Spartan was a Mystic 29 PNP. Done deal. Gave my usual crack dealer... err, hobby shop clerk a wad of cash and headed home with a big box of boat, some water line, and a gizmo that claims to balance a pair of 2s packs like they're a single 4s. A couple of packs are on the charger now, and it seems to be working, so it's $5 well spent (lipos still scare the hell out of me, so they're in a nomex bag right now).
Before I went to the police academy I spend quite a few years as a prototype machinist, and I have a decent size lathe on the workbench, so I made a little aluminum thing last night:
water_pickup.jpg
Still need to drill it for the aluminum tubing I picked up today and find some 10-24 screws and setscrews (yeah, I know, faulty thread design, but much easier to find in stainless), then onto the transom it goes. I also need to make a pair of water outlets. The stock outlet is perfectly fine, but I'm a perfectionist and want them to match. Fortunately the water jacket on the motor is aluminum, so I don't have to make one of those. That's more boring than I'm excited to do. The plan is rudder pickup to ESC to left outlet and new pickup to motor to right outlet. That way I can tell if either cooling system is plugged up.
That brings me to a question: where should a transom mounted pickup be mounted on a cat? Would it be better to put it near the bottom of one of the hulls, or near the center, ahead of the prop?
I think I've written enough of a book now, so I'm off to read as much as I can find about the Mystic, then I'll install a tiny little Futaba R603FF, assuming I can find a balloon to stuff it in (hey, it's a $90 receiver, I'm a bit paranoid about it and water in the same place and the same time), program the transmitter, and see how she sits in the pool.
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