Traxxas Spartan 67.2 mph run

[Zackthrills]

hey everyone I just wanted to give you guys a heads up to how it went today out on the water. As you know I have been modifying a Traxxas Spartan to reach speeds of excess of 70 miles per hour. Today was the first time getting it wet after doing a ton of modifications to the Traxxas Spartan it has a brand new leopard 4082 2000KV motor running on 6 S battery pack with a T 180 ESC . I did the Speedmaster drive strut. I had to make a paino wire drive thanks to the local hobby shop. I installed a custom prop that I cut down and balanced and sharpened myself. After testing everything out over and over before every hitting the water. I thought I had it dialed in. So I ran out last night at two am and find a minor issue that I corrected by cutting the brass tube that the drive shaft hours through. It ran out of water smooth as ever before. So today I got the water and wow it was amazing on 15º if timing the boat lunches it off the water a few adjustments it ran great still some minor tweaks and this thing will be rocking. After five min or so I pulled it the water and checked the temps and it was cool all over amazing I thought so I looked at the gps and to my surprise it said 67.2mph omg for the first wet after mods I was amazed. I will be posting my full build and pictures of the whole thing with videos of it running. I think you all will be amazed. Thanks to many of folks on here for all your help and I'm so happy my build can't out so great. .

[Speedracer128]

Nice work Zack. That is some good speed for that hull. I haven't been around here too much but I was wondering how the rest of your projects are going?

[Zackthrills]

Long time no talk Speedracer. Well everything has been on his receipt for parts lol. Ordering like crazy. Well my little mg 17 I got a whole me drive system for it flex cadle, aliuminum rudder , and a cf motor mount.traxxas has been my main focus for the last few weeks about to post build on her I'm next day or two just have to get video to show mph as I have no one to film it . Planning to do it tomorrow. I also have a miss vegas nitro boat I'm going to convert to electric it will be really fast . Then I ordered and got a 37" Daytona I'm working on more. How about you? You been having fun lately.? Wait till you see my spartan running it hails as$$ and had plenty off power left and needs just to be fine times and make the right prop and I'm good I'm going for already 75-80 mph I think it will get the is not close. Heck at 67mph it was stable and ran amazing. I put a speed master afjustable strut on it and test helped allot. I am working on the hull now reinforcing it and it's coming out perfect . So what you been doing anything fun? Pm me your email I send you some pics k. Ttyl Zachary

[Speedracer128]

I'm good. I was out of commission a couple of weeks. My ESC blew and I was out of town, but I'm back, got new ESC in and I'm running again. I was planning on repairing and painting my MG, but I'm looking to just get a new hull and switching my equipment over. I got my son his barbwire over a month ago so we've been having fun with that too and now we're running with a couple other guys from this forum that live local. So basically I'm looking for a cat hull from 28 to 34 inches long. I have my eye on a fightercat, sprint cat, or a mean machine. If I don't find a good deal on one of those I might get another proboat hull and switch my hardware over. But I rather have 1 of the above hulls better. When you email me the spartan pics please send me pics of the 17 MG. good luck on your speed records. Haha

Peace

[Speedracer128]

Good idea to reinforce the spartan since your running that fast and want to go faster. One of the guys I'm running with now, him and his son have a couple Spartans each. Last week his son's spartan broke All apart after a wave rolled him at high speed.

[Zackthrills]

Ok I guess I'll do my spartan mods list here...
I installed a leopard 4082 2000KV motor with water jacket. I then installed a Seaking 180 esc with extra 4 caps. To install the esc I cut a piece of lexan and glued the lexan to the black mount leaning room to access the screws for the drive shaft tube yet up high enough to not get water I'm it. All my mouter 6mm bullets I used silver solder. The hardest part of my build well not hard actual very easy just time consuming. I removed everything from the inside of the body and off the rear transom. I then found the center of the hull taped the hull up and marked it off. Unlike jpriami I decided to use the stock drive shaft hole and mount the strut as far up yet center as I could only drilling three holes. I then shaved out the inside of the transom enough to install the lock nuts into the hull and I then epoxyed the nuts in place so I could remove the strut anytime I needed to do repairs and what not.after mounting I made a template to get a carbon fiber bracket that fits perfectly in the rear transon which i will then run the strut bolts through it and puting nylon lock nuts on the bolts to lock everything down. I had to cut about 3mm off the drive shaft tube to give room for the new motor collet to the piano wire drive shaft. I hqd to get one made by the local hobby shop as a temp till I get my .087 3/16 shaft from Jeff Wohlt which uses a 10-32 prop nut I perfer nylon lock nuts on the prop as they hold better under extreme load. When mounting the strut I left the stock o ring in the rear pulledbit tight to the inside and cut it flush and put a thin layer of clear rtv sealent on the back side of strut to make a water tight area . Don't forget to grease the inside of the strut. I then used a octura X645 prop that I cut down and balanced and sharpened. I also added rtv sealent to the inside of the transom around the cf piece and around the factory seems for better sealent. I adjusted the prop angle and my turn fins to correct torque roll. After a few days I hit the water with two 3s battery packs and to my surprise she ran great. After a min I came in and checked everything out and all looked and felt great. I installed my gps and ran it not even getting to open her up I came in and my gps showed 67.2 mph for the first run I was amazed as I knew it has a lot more in it with some minor tweaking I know I should he able to get in to the low to mid 70's if I don't break something. I plan on adding stiffening to the hull and I hope that will help. I hope u all enjoy my video which will be up tomorrow. If you have any questions please ask. Yes there is more to come such a a neu 1527 1y and bigger better batteries. Stay tuned. Thanks all for alll the great advice.

[Zackthrills]

Wow you got any photos ? That's crazy

[Zackthrills]

Having a hard time adding photosm does not want to take and load photos from my phone sorry guys will do tonight from home

[Zackthrills]

Ok this must be the best and fastest Traxxas Spartan out. .. I justgot done running my boat after doing some modifications to the hull to make it stronger and also some tweaking. I installed my GPS and decide to run it and see how fast I could get it. After about 2 minutes of running up and down the lake that I live by I pulled in and check the GPS to my surprise the boat GPS showed a mile per hour of 73. 6 miles per hour. I am totally amazed. On to of that it ran perfect. Yes I have added allot of time and money to a boat that is probably top out, but I could not believe that it ran so good and smooth with no water cooling I'm the boat. I'm going to run it Saturday and video the whole thing and put on YouTube for all to see. I truly feel there is more in it But it did seem a little lose on the water but lose is fast. The motor and esc all batteries we're warm but not hot I'm going to add a bigger prop and see if I ban pull some more out of her. After I post my videos for proof I think I might sell it as is and start doing custom builds fit others on these fun little boats and I think I might just get the same hull but I'm fine glass and carbon fiber the boat and try to make that one go faster being it should be more stable. I would also like to find out if anyone knows what the fastest spartans mph is and any videos on it. Mine will come this weekend I hope you all will look forward to seeing how awsome this boat has turned out. Thanks so much everyone.

[martin]

What batteries were you using (make, capacity, c rating etc. Thanks.

[lenny]

Hey,
Get some video's of it running with the gps.

[Zackthrills]

For sure I still have it Sunday. I'm going to do a video from start to finish with video of me putting the gpd in and when I pull it to shore and when I open the hatch. I think this is going to shock allot of people at how fast this thing is going and to be upfront the boat feels smooth as can be and just cruises and feels like it might have more. But I need to get a better prop for it. I'm running a octura prop that I cut sharpened and balanced myself.

[Zackthrills]

I'm really thinking of putting a sordfish hv esc in it and try running 8s in it and putting s lower kv motor I'm it and prop it up

[Zackthrills]

The batteries I have men using are Maxamp LiPo 6000XL 3-cell 11.1v with a 100c rating using 2 packs for a total of 6s

[Zackthrills]

I am trying to post pictures of my whole build and I'm having to do it from my phone but for some reason out will not work I have no clue why any reason? I'll have to do it from my laptop when I get home tonight so I can show everyone all the mods I have done and how clean of a job I did . It all came out really well and the boat has surpassed my expectations by far and I can not wait for everyone to see how well it turned out and you all will be amazed by its speed I know I still am.

[Heaving Earth]

Wow, so modest

[Zackthrills]

I'm not trying to brag I'm just very happy as to how well it came out and how good its doing I cannot wait for you all to see. That's all. I'm really shocked at how well it had turned out. I think once everyone sees it and if people would like me to start doing it to the boat I might build a kit like a stage 1 / stage 2 and a stage 3 kit which will include more mods the higher the stage or something like that. So that way the avg person who might want the same mods done to there boat but don't know how to do it. Will be able to buy a kit and either do it them selves or pay me a few bucks and I'll build it for them. Just a thought.

[martin]

I can understand your excitement, its great when things come together.

[Zackthrills]

Right, I swear that I have put so much time and effort into making sure everything in this boat was perfect and looked good and that if needed was easy to work on. Yes I did use someone else's idea on the speedmaster strut but I also made i own by doing it defferently and I think it came out so past my expectations that I'm just really excitied to show everyone and anyone . I just wish I could put these photos on here dang it.

[lenny]

Ok for now hears a very fun video of one flying.

[SoFlaSpartan]

Cant wait to see this video.......

And the full mods done to reach these claimed speeds!

On a side note, some of you here have followed my own Spartan build so, in order NOT to hijack this dude's thread, I got a question on my own build thread for ya!

[lenny]

What is that how much lighter fluid to use for the viking funeral of it,

[SoFlaSpartan]

What is that how much lighter fluid to use for the viking funeral of it,

pretty much what I'm wondering Lenny..... thanks

hahahaaa

[Zackthrills]

Well guys sorry to say I did not get a chance tiki run it had to work and weather was very bad. I am sitting for either a Monday or Tuesday run. I will be posting the video link to you tube for all to see. Thank you for checking it out I'm so excited to show everyone what progress I have made with this rtr boat that I highly modified. I am working with cfcustomparts to make a motor and esc tray out of carbon fiber to replace the stock tray. If all works out well I will start to seek them along with the a strut kit for the spartan. Stay tuned and any ideas would be great to hear? Thanks everyone

[Speedracer128]

Zack,

I want to see this thing running in the 70's. I guess you hit your original goal

[Zackthrills]

Ya buddy. I was in my way home when my brand New car broke down. . I was going to do the video today and I still am I have to show everyone this it's nuts I still can not believe it. As soon as I get done getting this rental car I'm going to go home and make a video for everyone.

[Rumdog]

G freak?

[driftah]

im with rumdog on this one lol

[Zackthrills]

What's that mean? I'm my way home to shoot the video now

[SloHD]

You guys are rough. Lol... let him have his fun. We all express our enthusiasm in different ways.