New to theUL-1 and boating.

[stelerzman]

Hi everyone, I just aquired a used UL-1 and I'm needing some solid advise. I have been reading a lot of threads and posts over the last few days and I'm wondering what is a realistic speed that I can expect with this type of hull? I understand it has it's limitations and I'm looking for some guidance as to where to start when I first launch the boat.
I do have the instruction book and it looks to be completely stock. The only thing I'm sure of is that the prop is plastic and it's 3 blades. I have verified the basic settings per the book and now I would like to know where do I go from there. I'll be taking it out this weekend for the first time.

Thanks in advance for any info you could send my way. I will be taking pictures and video to help answer any question.you may have.

[stelerzman]

I felt it necessary to post some pic's of my setup so you can see where I'm at. so on with the pic's. Please feel free to point out the things I need to adjust.
full.jpg
full.jpg
full.jpg
full.jpg
full.jpg

[stelerzman]

full.jpg
full.jpg
full.jpg
full.jpg
full.jpg

From the pic's of the level app. it seems that the right side is lower then the left.
How is this issue resolved, and yes the table top is NUT's level.
I would like to know what my options are before this weekend so that I can correct this problem. Thanks guys.

[Doby]

Remember, it will only turn well to the right.
The stock prop sometimes has a hard time planning the boat..it may have to be tossed in with the throttle on full.
With some decent props, figure reliable speed in the upper 40's

[Heaving Earth]

Is it a problem? What problem is it causing? How level and perfect is your table?

[stelerzman]

Cool, Thanks Doby. I'll post the video and some pic's from this weekend to show where I'm at and see where I can go from there.

[stelerzman]

Dead nuts level. PERFECTLY LEVEL.
I'll be able to post up more info after this weekend. I was curious about my current setup before I took it out. Please see the pic's I posted and comment on how it looks. Thanks.

[jfrancisco892]

Are you planning on just running the boat for recreational use? If so, as long as you have fairly smooth water this boat is not a bad choice for a beginner. It was my first boat and I got into racing with it. If you plan on racing it I would recommend a custom purpose built hull such as an fe30, whiplash, phil thomas stealth etc. I would also recommend going through the boat and checking the alignment of the stuffing tube with the motor collet as it is pretty common for that to be out of alignment due to poor build quality. A hughey or upgraded flex cable is something I would also recommend as the aquacraft ones commonly have cold solders on the shaft flex cable joint and you will end up losing the prop with the shaft if the shaft is poorly made. If you have any questions with the hull or tuning options feel free to let me know as my dad and I have done many modifications to make it somewhat competitive in p-limited sport hydro racing and I have a good amount of experience with it. To answer your question regarding speed I would say mid 40s is realistic depending on the water conditions, setup, and propeller.

[stelerzman]

As of right now I'm just learning and hope to get more info and become a much better driver, thank you for the suggestions.

I do have a question that I haven't seen asked or posted
Does waxing the bottom of the hull help in anyway????? It's almost a no brainer if you really think about it, yet nothing recommended or suggested. Kind a weird to me, lmk what you guys think.

[SirBudman32]

No don't wax the bottom. On mine the bottom is scuffed. I have my strut set at 1 1/8" of table and then set level. I also put a air dam on it and made a big difference in the way it handles. I also did battery mod. Running a 42x55 3 bladed prop doing hi 40s maybe low 50.

[stelerzman]

So what's the logic behind not using wax ???

[SirBudman32]

Makes it to slick and water sticks, scuff it up and makes air bubbles for the boat to ride on.

[stelerzman]

Wow, thank you Budman. I just dug out the wax last night, looks like I'll put it back.

Another question I have is how much rudder swing is good and how much is too much, also which hole on the horn? Thanks again

[SirBudman32]

No problem. You can wax the top and sides if you want just not the bottom. As for the servo hone mine is on the 3rd one from the screw, and about 1/4'" of throw maybe a little more but it does not take much.

[stelerzman]

[QUOTE=Heaving Earth;518031]Is it a problem? What problem is it causing? How level and perfect is your table?[/QUOTE


I thought it should be level, even from side to side???? Is this normal??

[stelerzman]

No problem. You can wax the top and sides if you want just not the bottom. As for the servo hone mine is on the 3rd one from the screw, and about 1/4'" of throw maybe a little more but it does not take much.

Nice, thanks. I'll check it out.

[SirBudman32]

You can get a nice and straight piece of wood with some 500 grit sand paper and true them up if you want. Try to get a block that will cover both at the same time.

[stelerzman]

Cool, I'll do that. Any idea how thick the hull is in that area? I don't want to take too much off and make it a weak point.

[SirBudman32]

not sure.

[stelerzman]

I guess I'll just drill a hole in the bottom of both the sponsons and measure it, then repair it.

[wayne middlemiss]

warning they are very thin would be best to use light ply and filler.

[Heaving Earth]

Considering its a 3 point hydro, and the transom doesn't really ride in the water, what is the concern?

[stelerzman]

Considering its a 3 point hydro, and the transom doesn't really ride in the water, what is the concern?

As you stated" a 3 piont hydro". Then why is it that most of the info I'm getting kinda goes away from this factor. Thank you HE, your the first to post this very important info. I've talked to several local 1:1 boat builders with a " BOAT " load of knowledge and they are the only ones to hit on this piont.
Major " PROPS " to you Bro.

[stelerzman]

Another question, how accurate is this hull compared to a current 1:1 boat.
Also, any way to know the age of the boat I currently have??????


Thank you to everyone that has posted info for me to absorb and work with. You are all top notch people for helping the new guy. Major PROPS.

[stelerzman]

Well, the weekend is almost here, I can't wait.

When I measure the strut depth, which is 7/8" to the bottom of the drive cable sleeve. Is this the correct place ?
Thanks.

[Doby]

Probably not a bad place to start...but you will only find the true sweet spot once you run it and tinker with all the adjustments...remember, when you start tuning things, only do one thing at a time, that way if something works better (or worse) you will know what you did.

[Doby]

Another question, how accurate is this hull compared to a current 1:1 boat.
Also, any way to know the age of the boat I currently have??????


Thank you to everyone that has posted info for me to absorb and work with. You are all top notch people for helping the new guy. Major PROPS.

As to the age of your boat, the first release had some issue with the turn fin mounting area not being strong enough and cracking, also the controller had smaller capacitors installed and sometimes failed.

Post a pic of the controller, that will help determine if you have the older version or the newer version of the UL-1 (assuming that the controller is the stock one that came with the boat originally, and wasn't swapped out)

[stelerzman]

I
Ok, I'll leave it as is and see what happens. I've been in the RC world for about 5 years and quickly found out the importance of changing one thing at a time to see the difference. I've also learned that taking notes is very important. Come on weekend.

[stelerzman]

As to the age of your boat, the first release had some issue with the turn fin mounting area not being strong enough and cracking, also the controller had smaller capacitors installed and sometimes failed.

Post a pic of the controller, that will help determine if you have the older version or the newer version of the UL-1 (assuming that the controller is the stock one that came with the boat originally, and wasn't swapped out)

I'll post pic's of the controller later tonight, if I remember correctly it has a small cap and a long cap. I don't know what what this means but hopefully pic's will conf
erm the age and wether or not it a moded old or newer version.

Thanks.

[stelerzman]

Doby, you mentioned the turn fin mounting area, what about the fin itself? Should it be flat or curve under the boat? Mine s curved.