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Thread: NEW Pro Boat Impluse 31 RTR V2

  1. #1
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    Default NEW Pro Boat Impluse 31 RTR V2

    Pro Boat has updated the Impulse 31.

    Version 2 has updated electronics by Dynamite, including an 80A ESC, which I tested this weekend and was very pleased. Very smooth throttle off the line, larger 12-gauge wire, 4mm contact, and a Lipo/NiMH external switch.

    http://www.proboatmodels.com/Product...rodId=PRB4250B

    Darin E. Jordan - Renton, WA
    "Self-proclaimed skill-less leader in the hobby."

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    PLEASE NOTE: I would not recommend being barefoot in the water around a running boat. Also, the team that does the videos sets things up "loose" to add some dynamics to the video. Don't read anything into the "bouncing"... the IM31 can be pinned down just like any other mono! Just not as exciting to see on video!
    Darin E. Jordan - Renton, WA
    "Self-proclaimed skill-less leader in the hobby."

  3. #3
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    Set up with 6s capability. Should be screamin' fast. I am starting to wonder if we are are not heading towards a 6s model for racing as well rather than the current 4s setups... I like the new graphics too.
    Last edited by electric; 06-07-2012 at 03:06 PM.

  4. #4
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    Were any changes made to the haul or is it just new electronics to keep up with the jones?

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    That is sweet! I love the new paint scheme too!

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    Quote Originally Posted by d.a.v.e View Post
    Were any changes made to the haul or is it just new electronics to keep up with the jones?
    Last time I checked, these boats weren't having much trouble "keeping up"....

    The new electronics are upgrades to improve performance and reliability, and to set the stage for future offerings.

    The IM31 hull remains the same. No improvements were necessary. It's already a sweet hull, at least in my opinion.

    Anything in particular that you think needs updating on it??
    Darin E. Jordan - Renton, WA
    "Self-proclaimed skill-less leader in the hobby."

  7. #7
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    Nope.. Was just wondering if the change was only paint and electronics or if there was a running change too.

    The new version looks really good!

  8. #8
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    Quote Originally Posted by d.a.v.e View Post
    Nope.. Was just wondering if the change was only paint and electronics or if there was a running change too.

    The new version looks really good!
    OK... Nope... the hull design works pretty well for the power level. I'm running one pretty much bone stock, except for the contacts and prop, in our P-Ltd Offshore class and it runs and handles great. I would like to see a bit more power out of the stock 1800KV motor, (more torque), but overall, it's a solid package.
    Darin E. Jordan - Renton, WA
    "Self-proclaimed skill-less leader in the hobby."

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    When will this and the other updated pro boats be available?

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    Quote Originally Posted by madness67203 View Post
    When will this and the other updated pro boats be available?
    That's always the million dollar question, isn't it?

    I was told they were suppose to be here in July... but I'm not really in that loop, so I'll have to try to find out.
    Darin E. Jordan - Renton, WA
    "Self-proclaimed skill-less leader in the hobby."

  11. #11
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    Darin, prop suggestions for this & the new Blackjack ?
    Steve

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    Quote Originally Posted by madness67203 View Post
    When will this and the other updated pro boats be available?
    website says late Sept unfortunately. why is it that when there are new releases it always seems that its dated past the peak of the season?doesnt make sense to me.another question,just wondering what kind of speeds would be estimated with 2 9.6v nihms(5100mah)?just wondering,nice boat,great upgrades,keep up the great work!

  13. #13
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    will the dynamite 1800 run any better then the current 1800kv motor or are they the same?
    MY RETIREMENT PLAN?????.....POWERBALL
    74 vintage kirby clasic hydro, pursuit mono, mg, 47'' mono, popeye hydro...

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    Quote Originally Posted by bigcam406 View Post
    website says late Sept unfortunately. why is it that when there are new releases it always seems that its dated past the peak of the season?doesnt make sense to me.another question,just wondering what kind of speeds would be estimated with 2 9.6v nihms(5100mah)?just wondering,nice boat,great upgrades,keep up the great work!
    Just making a guess here but I would guess based on a release schedules they share a common manufacture with another company(s).

  15. #15
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    whats the max voltage the new ESC can handle? i was thinking of grabbing one and running 2 9.9v LIFE batts.

  16. #16
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    Hi Guys,
    I just hope that on 6s, the electronics of the new IM31 would not behave as electronics of the Spartan.
    There's some resemblance between elect. of these two boats; 80A ESC+1800Kv motor!
    Salute,Niky.

  17. #17
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    Why don't they just put the 5.5 mm bullets on the darn things already?
    Nice looking hull for sure, I dig the new paint.

  18. #18
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    I have the Impulse 2 V2 in he hobby room.

    If you plan to run this out of the box forget it, some assembly required.
    Out of the box the steering servo is not mounted correctly, the laminated wood is broken apart from not drilling deep enough b4 running the screws in.
    They could have moved the servo 1/4 toward the Bow, this would give better access to the servo screws, I am rebuilding this.
    No collet on the 5MM motor shaft for the .187 dia. flex cable this will have to go. I did not look to see if the motor has a flat for the set screw yet.
    The one way to tighten the prop onto the .187 dia, shaft was to insert an Allen wrench into the set screw on the brass colored collar.
    They ground a flat on the flex shaft, the set screw will tear this up after a couple of set screw tightens.
    Running the antenna wire is a pain, I ran a cable into the boat and taped the antenna to the cable with my Hatch tape.
    An 80 amp speed control with EC3 connectors, they will get cut off tomorrow and replaced with 6MM bullets

    I will post some pictures
    IMG_3072.jpgIMG_3071.jpgIMG_3070.jpgIMG_3069.jpgIMG_3068.jpg

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  20. #20
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  21. #21
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    Hi Guys,
    these fotos are not lovley!
    Ater the feilure of the Spartan,seems that the new Impulse also goes in the same direction.
    Now the question is: what deep V boat to buy?
    Salute,Niky.

  22. #22
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    the first run with all the factory settings. the progam card will not work so I had to go with the factory settings.
    after 5 minutes burned out the RX, big cloud of blue smoke, desoldered the bullets to the motor.
    boat was sitting in the lake with a 2 second beep from the speed control.
    1. servo tray was broken upon arrival
    2. esc progam card would not work
    3. burned out the RX and de-soldered the bullets to the motor/escIMG_3074.jpg

    they are telling me no refund on this boat, What the H are you kidding me
    BUY THIS BOAT at you own risk

  23. #23
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    Default Bounce

    The boat is a bouncer as well, just like the video by Jordan,

  24. #24
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    playing the waiting game as I had to send the boat back, the warranty is date of purchase

  25. #25
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    anyone else got this boat???

  26. #26
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    not after reading that and viewing your pics....

  27. #27
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    Quote Originally Posted by hobby_man View Post
    The boat is a bouncer as well, just like the video by Jordan,
    If your boat is "bouncing", then you don't have it tuned correctly... Any "bouncing" in the marketing videos are simply the result of running the boats directly out of the box, and from marketing people believing that a little "action" is more exciting for the viewer.

    The IM31 is just like any other mono... and the hull quality (flatness of the ride-surfaces, sharpness of the edges, etc.) are all above par. It's a good quality hull. I've been racing these hulls since before they were available to the public, and since before there was a "V2" version (heck, before there was ANY version... ) and have never had an issue with "bouncing". Adjust the strut angle to neutral, set the strut height to put the bottom of the strut about 3/16" or so above the bottom of the boat (more will drop the transom down into the water, less will raise the transom), set your CG to about 30% of the length (about 8 3/4 to 9" from the actual transom), and then adjust your trim-tabs down as needed. If the boat is "chine-walking" at speed, push your right tab down a bit more, and more to the inside of the tab. You can also bend in "training wheels" on the tabs if you think it's required (shouldn't be)...

    If you boat is "bouncing", then you are loading/unloading/loading the power system with huge amp-spikes, the result of which will be a power system that gets pretty hot, starting at the point of most resistance, the contacts.

    The issue with the screws for the steering servo not being drilled deep enough has been brought to Pro Boat's attention. If you understood the nature of getting things made in China, you'd have a clearer understanding and appreciation for the challenges in getting something "consistent" from them. Not an excuse, just a statement of consideration. Pro Boat will work to get that issue, if it's a persistent and common issue, resolved. In the meantime, it's fairly minor and relatively easy to band-aide.

    As for the rest of your complaints, I would have to understand your background with R/C Boats, and exactly what you are expecting from a RTR R/C boat.

    1) The Antenna?? It was placed where it was placed on purpose, to keep it out of the way of your run-to-run access to the interior of the boat. Is it a challenge to get installed... It can be. Do you have to do it on a regular basis... I should hope not. Install it once and your done. I'd take the inconvenience of it's location over it being in my way every time I need to access the hatch anytime.

    2) Servo location?? The servo location is right where it should be, which keeps the steering rod as short as possible for less flex, and also to allow the balance of the boat to be more controlled by the battery location. It also keeps the wires located near the RX, which helps reduce the chances for RX interference. Again, you put a steering servo in ONCE and run the boat for a season. The screws are rather easy to get to, so again, this seems like a rather trivial complaint. I've never had an issue replacing servos in mine, and this is the first time I've heard this complaint. We'll keep it under consideration, however, for future implementations. Pro Boat is aware now, thanks to this thread, of the screw depth issue and will address it.

    3) "No collet on the 5mm motor shaft for the .187 dia flex cable"??? I'm not sure what you mean here. The coupler between the motor and the .150-sized flex cable is clearly there. It's a standard set-screw style coupler that works very well, considering it's application. It's a RTR, not a $850.00 race boat, and, frankly, the coupler is a HUGE improvement over RTR couplers of the past. It works just fine. And, YES, the motor has a flat for the set-screw.

    4) "They ground a flat on the flex shaft"... This is FALSE. Nothing was "ground" on the flex-shaft. The flat is PRESSED into the end of the cable, just like they might do to form a square drive for an Outboard or a speedo cable. Additionally, the stub shaft is not only soldered to the flex, but it's also "swagged" on with 4 "crimp-holes" to help ensure it's a solid connection. I've been running the stock flexshafts (again, .150", NOT .187"), in my MG's, Impulse 31s, and Mystics, under both P-Ltd and P-Open power configurations, and have yet to have one fail. In fact, I'm currently running a stock Miss Geico flex cable in my P-Ltd Hydro (~60mph setup turning an H-10) and have yet to have an issue with it. The flex cable setups in these boats are solid, overkill, and well built for the application.

    5) "80A Spped control with EC3 connectors" - Yes, this is true. They are "industry standard", and what Pro Boat decided to go with. The wiring on this controller was upgraded to 12-awg, however. I have always recommended that people replace all the contacts on their boats before pushing them too hard.

    You mention in a later post that "after 5-minutes", the connectors burned off the ESC, etc... 5-Minutes?? If you ran the boat for 5-Minutes, bouncing, in a state of poor tune, then I'm not surprised at this. I haven't read through the manual recently, so I'm not sure how it's instructing users to get up to speed with these boats, but it's common practice, with RC Cars, Helis, Planes, AND Boats, to run them for a minute or minute and a half, then check temps, adjust accordingly, then run them again, and BUILD UP to completely thrashing on them for 5-Minutes... 5-minutes is a LONG time to run any "Performance" oriented sport boat. Our race boats run for 1:30-2:00 minutes, tops... and use around 2300-2500mAh in the process...

    If you were running hard for 5-minutes, then you likely used up 5,000mAh:

    Runtime/3600 * Avg Amp Draw = Total Amps Used

    300 seconds / 3600 * 60Amps = 5Ah or 5,000 mAh)

    Someone feel free to correct me if I'm wrong.

    Doing that long of a run and pulling the batteries down that far will quickly overheat a system, and risks damaging the batteries, etc.


    I'm sorry you are unhappy and having troubles. Hopefully, working with the Pro Boat/Horizon Hobby customer service dept. you'll be able to get them resolved.
    Darin E. Jordan - Renton, WA
    "Self-proclaimed skill-less leader in the hobby."

  28. #28
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    yea blame it on china, I know all about China, im in the MFG. trade
    2. the rear servo screws are under the deck , tough to get an angled screw driver into them.
    3. a compression collet
    could not run it wide open so you math is off boat is factory set a 80% top end, with the bounce and the ESC programming card not working. IF it did run wide open it would have burned up the motor.
    Heat gun was at the dock with me and I was trying to get the boat set up when it died on the lake. Tough to do in 5 minutes

    pro boat, not a word from them yet. Horizon says warranty is time of sale!

    I have a Traxxas Spartan, UL-1, Revolt 30, they all ran out of the box, for a very long time!

  29. #29
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    Quote Originally Posted by hobby_man View Post
    yea blame it on china, I know all about China, im in the MFG. trade
    I figured that responding might get me in a back and forth situation. But, what the heck... Let's do this...


    NOT "blaming it on China", just stating reality. Unless you'd like EVERY one of these to go personally through me before they head out the the consumers, stuff is going to get through. Stuff happens. It's being looked into.

    Every boat you listed that you own or have run was introduced with "issues"... None of these are perfect. All we can do is try to make them so, but if you are in Mfg., then you already know this...

    Quote Originally Posted by hobby_man View Post
    2. the rear servo screws are under the deck , tough to get an angled screw driver into them.


    Again, it seems like a minor problem to me, but I'll suggest that Pro Boat take this into consideration next time around. I've never had an issue getting a servo in and out of any of mine, and I've done it more than most...

    Quote Originally Posted by hobby_man View Post
    3. a compression collet
    On the majority of my boats, I replace the collets to the Octura 5mm to .150" unit (long, 2-set-screw style usually), ESPECIALLY if they come with factory "collets"... On my IM31 and Mystics, however, I've purposely NOT done that, and have run this set-screw coupler, on purpose, to see if it is a point of failure. It's not... Or at least hasn't been, through two race seasons, several 2-Lap attempts, a SAW or two, and one National Championship week. However, if you don't like the coupler that comes out of the box, Octura makes a really nice piece for around $10.00... This isn't a "quality issue"... or a poor design issue... it's a personal preference. The coupler that comes on these boats is a VAST improvement over the steel collet that came on earlier Pro Boat models.

    Quote Originally Posted by hobby_man View Post
    could not run it wide open so you math is off boat is factory set a 80% top end, with the bounce and the ESC programming card not working. IF it did run wide open it would have burned up the motor.
    A simple recharge of your batteries will tell you for sure. How much mAh did you put back into them?? I'd suggest that by NOT running "wide-open", my math probably is off... you probably used MORE mAh, do to the increased loading of the wetted hull and amp spikes. You are NOT going to "burn up" the motor running this boat wide-open with the factory prop.
    Darin E. Jordan - Renton, WA
    "Self-proclaimed skill-less leader in the hobby."

  30. #30
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    The servo setup has been my only grip with the boat, the placement might change depending on the day or the person making them? The back half of my screws require taking them out at an angle. And the wood mounts to fail over time. Over the winter I am going to epoxy a new non wood mount with a little more access. What I used to do for the antenna was drill the ant. mount out so the tube could slide all the way through. I then bent a old tube and ran it into the hull, I slipped the antenna in and pulled the tube out, what you should be left with is the antenna sticking out. Its been a good boat other than that.

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