Is this how its supposed to look when its running VIDEO

[pavmentsurfer]

Finally got a chance to run my boat today. I used a couple 5400mah 2S SPC hard case lipos (50C) and at first the boat wanted to drive straight under water. I raised the strut to about 2mm above the sponsons when the boat was flat on a table and I raised the turn fin all the way up. I have done nothing else.

I like the boat. It goes good. Handles the chop exactly how I had hoped it would. But I want to know if it should be lifting its nose more than it is now.

After a 5 minute run the motor and ESC were cool to the touch. Water is COLD right now so thats helping but I've got a 42X55 Grim prop on its way. Maybe that will give me a bit more speed? I think the electronics can take it.

What do you think based on this video? Is the setup right? If not, what should I look at adjusting next?

[pavmentsurfer]

Man, not alot of action in here is there? I installed my grim 42X55 prop which gained me more speed but didnt lift the nose any more so i tried a different setup the other day and met with marginal success. I lowered the strut so its flush with the bottom of the sponsons and perfectly level... this actually helped bring the nose of the boat up. But it still rides really wet compared to the other videos im seeing.

Anyone have any suggestions for how I can get the nose up. I may try raising the strut 1/8 just to see what happens. My batteries are already as far back as they can go... it must be a strut angle thing. I feel like I want to "trim" it up as I would in a full size boat. As in, adjust the strut angle so the rear of the strut is higher than the front. But I cant seem to accomplish this due to the brass tube being so tight to the strut. Anyway, any advice would be great.

[pavmentsurfer]

So I tried dropping the strut another 1/16 or so and ran the boat again today. Made a huge difference. After about 50 feet on a straight away at WOT it would start to lift its nose and run just on the rear of the sponsons. Noticeably faster also. Lake was nearly glass and everything was perfect until a rogue gust of wind sent the boat for 2 completely flips in the air leaving it upside down. Luckily we have an old paddle boat on shore and I was able to rescue it.

Overall... best day of running yet. Im wondering if maybe I should try dropping the strut another 1/16. Ill probably try that tomorrow. Im getting about 7-8 minute runs out of my 5400mah 2S 50C hard case packs until they hit my LVA level of 3.6vpc. I have it purposely set higher than I normally would to protect the packs as these are also my main packs for running all my trucks and cars. I use the LVA because the LVC built into the Aquacraft ESC is only set at 3VPC or 6 volts per pack... which is just way too low IMO.

I have a Turnigy 120amp Marine ESC on its way which has an adjustable LVC. Once I get that installed I won't need to run the LVA anymore. Which will be nice.

[ksaucerman]

You can also put a little positive in the strut and move the batteries back a little. Usually the bottom of the strut is even with the back of the sponsons.

[pavmentsurfer]

Positive being the nose of the strut is higher than the rear? That was what I was thinking, I called it "trim" because thats what we call it on our full size boats.

I dropped the strut another 1/16 and it made an ever bigger difference the other day. Still not totally happy with how far out of the water the boat is getting. It also appears to run more wet on one side that the other. I wonder if thats maybe due to the rudder being on one side. Still, faster and riding farther out of the water than ever so I'm going to keep fiddling with it.

Im also going to scuff the bottom of the boat as I've heard suggested before. Seems like it can't hurt. Im sure its not going to make a huge difference but it'll give me something to do while i wait for the weather to improve.

[ksaucerman]

Yes positive is trimmed up. It is probably neutral now meaning it is level. A little positive will make a big difference just like it does on your full size boat when you trim up for speed.

[siberianhusky]

Where is the cg set? I've never had to run any angle in the strut of mine at all.
My strut bottom is 1/16" above the sponson bottoms, and dead level.
This boat is fairly sensitive about the CG. Doesn't take much of a change to really effect the running attitude.
Get the CG right for starters then work on strut adjustment.
Depending on the water conditions mine varies between 28 and 30%.
An m445 is a good prop on this boat but it about the max size for it, temps will be about as high as I feel comfortable with.

[pavmentsurfer]

Siberianhusky, your sig makes me laugh every time I read it.

I don't know where my CG is at... but the packs are as far back as they can go. I can't imagine moving them forward could help with what I need... ill see how the CG is set when I get a chance.

Here are a few pics of my boat stand. I know most of you have boat stands like this but I've never build one before. $20 and about 30 minutes and its done. I have velcro straps on it so when I transport the boat its held down to the stand...

[siberianhusky]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l4-PE...6&feature=plcp

mine running in rough weather, some wind and waves that day. It even flies and lands nice off the waves.
It all goes hand in hand, you have to get the cg right for any of the other changes to work right. I do know I've never had the batteries in mine all the way back, I couldn't make a half lap that way without it blowing over backwards.
Was turning a smaller prop that day, because of the wind and waves I slowed the boat down a bit so I could get some good runs.
It's better to prop down and still run the esc wide open, less heat buildup than running part throttle.

[pavmentsurfer]

So is that a stock motor and ESC cause that is WAY faster than mine. Im only running 2X 2S 5400mah hard case packs. They aren't very heavy... which is why they are all the way back. But I'm so confused as to why it seems to easy for everyone else to get the nose WAY up and mine just won't.

I have even noticed one SIDE of the boat runs more wet than the other. When the boat is crossing left in front of me (so that would be the drivers left side of the boat) the sponson runs nearly half in the water. When the boat is traveling right (drivers right side of the boat) the sponson is almost fully out of the water. Im not a boat guy, I know RC trucks. This is confusing to me. But I'm determined to sort it out, hopefully with your help... hehe.

[siberianhusky]

Probably prop torque, yep thats all stock, either 2 2s 5300 mah gens ace or 2 2s 5000mah enerland batteries.
One thing that helps is keeping notes on your changes, makes it much easier to see what a change actually did. Also only make one change at a time, first off would be setting the cg @ 30%, keep the strut level and play with the height. Mine is usually just above the sponson bottom.
The only real change to mine is a drop in SV27 rudder with a water pickup, it mounts right up to the MC bracket, same size and shape.
I tried a 2030kv UL-1 motor and went back to the 1800kv, seems to run better with a bigger prop @ lower rpm.
Raising the strut will bring the nose up, lowering will drop the nose, think of it pivoting around the cg. Prop higher will let the stern settle and raise the bow.

[D for Dummy]

Your boat is running good.

I have two Aquacraft Motley Crew Catamarans. GrimRacer 42x55 prop seems to be the best. I'm running two GrimRacer 2s 5000mAh 40c Li-Po, very happy with these over other non-name brand batteries.

My strut is about 4mm below the sponsons while flat with prop and water pick-up hannging off the edge of the table. Seems the best location. I move the batteries forward or back based on water conditions.

I have about 5 videos here: http://www.youtube.com/user/dfordummy

I spoke with GrimRacer yesterday at the Toledo show. He said that is one of the most optimum setups. He said the only thing different that his setup is that he is running a single 4s 500mAh 40c on the right side.

[pavmentsurfer]

siberian, thats exactly what I expected from raising and lowering the strut. But I found the opposite at first. I think it was because I ended TOO high on the strut and the prop was caveatting and therefore loosing the lift I needed to get the nose up. So I lowered it to level with the sponson and the nose came up... then I dropped it 1/8 more and the nose went up again. I then attempted to raise the rear of the strut a tiny bit and I got a tiny improvement with that again. I was moving my packs back at the same time until they were as far back as they can go.

Im going to attempt raising the strut back to level again... now that I've ended with my packs all the way back, maybe raising the strut will have a better effect.

Hmmm... D for Dummy, you videos just made me think I need to do more work. Your boat really looks like it gets out of the water. Im going to do more fiddling.

I also just picked up a deal on a couple EZrun 4065 4 pole motors. They are 2700kv and I realize thats really high. But these are 40mm's and 65mm long. I bought a 40mm leopard water jacket from e-bay and I'm going to try this setup just for fun with my Turnigy 120amp ESC. Ill post a video when I get it all tested. Im not saying ill run this setup full time. I just got such a great deal on the 2 motors and I can always use them in one of my trucks... but I figured id see how they ran in the boat first.

Thanks for all the advice guys. Im going to see about testing my COG with the packs in and re-setting the strut again. Im also going to look into the SV27 turn fin with the built in water pickup. Thats a cool idea.

[D for Dummy]

I find my Motley Crew has slight porpoising when at full speed in a slight chop (wind ripples in the open bay as seen in the videos on my profile page). This is with the batteries all the way back, running into the wind brings the risk of blowing over. But the boat really runs great!
However, in a glass calm pond the boat runs very flat, but fast, almost too flat. In fact, it sounds like it is a few less RPM than in the chop, naturally. It might run a little better in a glass calm pond with the prop de-tongued and or cupped. I'm not a fan of running in glass calm water (unless running my Stiletto 29 Proboat). I'm choosing not to dial in my Motley Crew for those conditions, after all it is an offshore style boat and performs amazingly well in the chop, small waves and varible water conditions. Did I mention yet that I now have a second Motley Crew? (Great boat!)

[G-UNIT]

Positive strut angle would be that thr prop would be pointing to the surface, which pushes the aft down and the nose up, this is if you want to run alittle dryer,
prop pointing downward would cause the the aft to be pushed up and the nose down to run wetter.

[dana]

heres a video of some of my friend an i running our boats. there is a motley crue in here running 3 different prop and cell counts. pay attention to catch them. he has his strut set all the way up, but i suppose all boats are not the same. this is what worked for him. he is running stock motor and t180, although a 120 would be fine. anyways here ya go you have to watch the whole 5 minutes because the motley appears in the middle and at the end ch33rs! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0F7t1NIXm0o

[pavmentsurfer]

Well, I'm in myrtle beach right now on holidays and the MC came with me. Theres a small pond in the centre of the park where were staying and I've been running the boat every day at least twice. Its amazing the difference calm VS mild chop makes in how this boat runs. I ran it on glass and it ran nearly flat in the water. The sponsors were wet all the way down. Nothing I did could bring the nose up. Ive mostly run it in mild chop (wind ripples to a max of 2 inch small waves) and it just floats on top of the water with only about 1 inch of the sponsons wet. Its amazing. Its SO much faster this way and I'm not changing a thing. Packs are in exactly the same location, I havent touched the strut. I found the boat goes faster into the wind but, of course, the risk of blow over is greater (did a great double gainer this morning... landed on its hull and kept going). Overall this boat is attracting ALOT of attention here at the park. I probably had 15 people out watching me this morning, asking questions. Just gotta watch for fishing lines. I snagged one at the end of my run. Luckily it just caught the rudder and not the prop but apparently people leave them out in the pond even while they aren't fishing.

Anyway, I'm going to try and get my wife to take a quick video later on today when the babies sleeping.

[D for Dummy]

I agree, I love running in 1-2in chop. Today we ran in 6in+ waves, lots of subs, lots of blowovers.

More videos on my YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/user/dfordummy/videos

[Old Sloppy]

where in Myrtle Beach is that pond?
I will be there soon and wonder if the pond is suitable for larger/faster hulls?
I have a 18" mono or a 60" Cat, I guess the Cat would be too much.....

Harry
from Atlanta

[pavmentsurfer]

Its at a trailer park on the beach called Pirateland. The people there seem to LOVE electric boats but anything with a gas motor would be too much for them. Im uploading a video to youtube right now and will post here once its done. You can get a feel for the size of the pond. Perfect for a 30 inch cat for sure. Id have 10-15 people "spectating" every run. I ran twice a day minimum, most days I got through 4 sets of packs. Only one flip that ended with the boat upside down. Sat on the shore for about 10 minutes while the boat floated to me, flipped it back over and kept going. This boat is sweet.

heres some pics. They are screen caps from the video I'm uploading so the quality is pretty bad. But they have a nice action feel to them. As you can see, the boat is running VERY dry now. I have an SV27 rudder to go on so I can run both water pickups. I also have the Turnigy 120amp ESC to go in it. Unfortunately, the boat had to stay in myrtle beach at my parents trailer till they bring it home in about 3 weeks. So, till then, ill just be remembering the good times.

[pavmentsurfer]

Heres the video I took on holidays.

[bdp1174]

Looks like it's running pretty good I am tring to get my MC dialed and and wonder if you can help me.I put my boat on a table after raising the pickup and put the strut flat and level touching the table like grim suggested(had to bend the stuffing tube slightly to try and get the srut level, had about 1-2 degree angle down out of box) and running 2 2s lipos centered on the velcro.It seems like it is running a little faster but the nose is not coming up very much and takes a little longer to get on plane than the stock strut level out of box.Sometimes it seems it want to push the nose down towards the water on inital throttle then it gets on plane and runs ok but I am not sure what else to try.

How is your strut adjusted? Also where are you running your lipos in the boat?

Thanks,
Brandon

[pavmentsurfer]

I have my strut about 1/8 LOWER than the bottom of the sponsons. I could probably try and go up a bit. But I found when I went further up it stopped lifting the nose. I also have it angled UP just a bit (so the nose of the strut is higher than the tail). This worked for me but the biggest thing I changed that helped from my initial setup was moving the batteries all the way back. This is going to be determined by what size and weight batteries you have, mine are relatively light 2S hard case packs and I have them all the way back. This made a HUGE difference for me. I was having the same problem you were with the nose "sticking" to the water... I couldn't get it to lift and "fly" the way I wanted to. Now, as you can see, it flys great. My next adjustment will be to level the strut again the way Grim suggested and try that with my packs all the way back. Not sure what effect that will have but its worth a try.

[bdp1174]

Did you run into any issue with the boat getting on plane at all like I am having?
Btw I am also using a grim 42x55 prop.
When u say all the way back is that with the front of the batteries barely on the velcro?

[pavmentsurfer]

All the way back means the packs are touching the raised area for the servo and ESC... pushing them as far as they will go to the rear of the boat. Mine still has quite a bit of velcro overlapping but its the back of the packs are not on the velcro. Id get a pic if the boat wasn't still on holidays with my parents.

When I was first trying to get the boat to lift its nose I was raising the strut by 1/16 increments and eventually I got to a point where the boat would barely take off. Now, when you first hit the throttle it cavitates a bit (spins but doesnt go very fast) then once the boat starts moving it just jumps and takes off. This is normal as I understand it.

[bdp1174]

Ok that is what mine is doing.I just got in 2 new gens ace 5300 2s 30c lupos today and will be trying these out as soon as I solder on some ec5s to them.
I will post my results and try to get a video of how it runs so you can see it and let me know if it looks like its running good or not.
Thanks again for your help.

Brandon

[Brushless55]

Ok that is what mine is doing.I just got in 2 new gens ace 5300 2s 30c lupos today and will be trying these out as soon as I solder on some ec5s to them.
I will post my results and try to get a video of how it runs so you can see it and let me know if it looks like its running good or not.
Thanks again for your help.

Brandon

I have those same packs, lets me know how you like them..

[Old Sloppy]

Are 5300 Lipo's a little large/heavy for that size hull?

I understand the need for lots of run time and I understand the larger cells have a higher amp capibility.

Just seems a 3700 lipo would jump on plane faster due to less weight.

Harry

[xlandguy]

Wow, I was just looking at batteries and weights online and wondering how much a few ounces can affect these boats. Quite a bit I imagine. So getting some 8,200mah batteries that weigh .9 lbs would be a foolish thing for me then. I own an AC Motley Crew. I run SPC 5,000's and Sky Lipo 4,400. THese are hardcase but from now on I do believe I will buy nothing but NON hardcase batteries. I like the idea of being able to interchange batteries between my boat and my Traxxas Summit, also a 4s machine. The SPC batts I have are only 25c but very good quality I believe, the Sky's are 40c. I got my SPC's soaking wet due to my hatch compartment filling with water. But after opening the case and drying them there seems to be no affect.

[pavmentsurfer]

Im not sure the extra weight of a hard case VS soft case will make that much of a difference. Not as much as say, buying a 50C SPC VS the 25C SPC pack will. My packs get HOT in this boat and I can only imagine how hot the 25C packs would get. It was recommended to me not to run anything less than true 40C packs... which is why I sold all my old packs (I had a few of the 5000 25C packs as a few 6000 30C packs) and bought new 50C packs... and they still get hot. I run them in my EREB, Summit and the MC. I have 8200's but only run them in my summit as they are only 30C.