Aquacraft UL-1 Questions

[Jonny15678]

I have a few questions concerning the Aquacraft UL-1 Superior

1. What is the max S Lipo I can run with everything stock?

2. Will a different water jacket help improve cooling with the stock motor?

3. Whats the best prop to use for my Superior?

4. If I upgrade the stock ESC will I have to upgrade the motor as well and if so what ESC and Motor should/will work with the UL-1 superior?

5. Lastly what else should I be aware about this boat and about driving for the first time as being a beginner to RC Boats.

[Peter A]

There is a whole section on the ul-1 under the rtr category. You should find all the answers to your questions there.

[Jonny15678]

There is a whole section on the ul-1 under the rtr category. You should find all the answers to your questions there.

Thanks

[Jonny15678]

Have a issue Im trying to figure out a way to keep the ESC wires and Lipo wires from touching the collet. I was thinking maybe useing some zip ties and or velcro to hold down the ESC wires as well with the lipo wires. Any suggestions/tips/ideas would be appreciated.

100_1681.jpg100_1680.jpg

[Jonny15678]

Also I noticed theres a gap on one side of the motor mount should I screw it in farther so its plush? 100_1674.jpg

[tlandauer]

BE very careful, you don't want to strip the wood that is inside or you are doomed, wiggle the motor mount and see if it is moving or not, if not, leave it alone!
I modded my mount so i never have to worry about this situation:DSCN5831_6166.jpgDSCN5849_6182.jpg DSCN5836_6170.jpg

[Jonny15678]

I tightend the top screws just a tad and tried to wiggle the mount and it feels sturdy. Its just when I took off the motor from the mount it felt a little movement but tightend the top screws a tad and bottom.Can the mount being loose cause issues or no. And I did what you suggested about the ESC wires and Lipo wires. Hows it look to you now? 100_1685.jpg100_1684.jpg100_1683.jpg100_1682.jpg

[Jonny15678]

I also plan on putting the 2.4ghz receiver in a balloon to keep it dry and moister out of it. When I put it back is there any certain area I should place it or just where it was originally?

[tlandauer]

Looks good, as long as it doesn't get tangled up, you are good to go. Also make sure none of the water lines are kinked or flattened.
The alignment of the motor to the cable is important, so the motor mount should be fixed at the correct angle. If it keeps moving and you do strip the inside, you might have to put a drop of CA in the hole and re tap the hole with the screws that came with the boat.
The aluminum mount on mine was so thin that every time I flip my boat, it became deformed and I had to bend it back by hand to reshape it. I don't know if Aqua Craft had improved the material or not, my UL-1 was like the very first batch, hopefully some improvements have founf their way to later ones.

[tlandauer]

I also plan on putting the 2.4ghz receiver in a balloon to keep it dry and moister out of it. When I put it back is there any certain area I should place it or just where it was originally?

Not a crucial issue, original place is fine.

[Jonny15678]

Yeah I know they improved some things with the Aquacraft UL-1. Cant wait to get it in the water. This will be my first time driving a RC boat. Any tips with how to properly drive it?

[tlandauer]

Yeah I know they improved some things with the Aquacraft UL-1. Cant wait to get it in the water. This will be my first time driving a RC boat. Any tips with how to properly drive it?

The hydro is VERY Different from a mono, when you toss the boat in the water, if you pull the throttle, the bow may submarine, that is normal, let go the throttle, it will come back up, AT THIS MOMENT, NAIL the throttle, don't pussy foot around, otherwise you will be driving a submarine. Once it gets on plane, turn right only, do not zig zag. This is a race boat, it is designed only to turn right. Also keep in mind that there is no reverse, look ahead and plan where you are going.
First time out bring her in under two minutes, better yet, more like a minute. Open the hatch, check your temp if you have a temp gun, or at least place your hand on the motor END BELL, not the cooler, to feel the temp, use your judgement. Also place your hand on the long capacitor on the ESC. Check for water inside, look at the collet end of the stuffing tube, see if there is excessive water spray MIXED with grease. You might have to place a short silicone tube over there eventually, do some searching and you will see what I mean.
Also, do not go part throttle all the time, the ESC and batteries prefer full throttle. But you can get use to the boat in the first minute, so later I don't recommend this style of driving, one sees this all the time from new drivers' YOUTUBE clips.
Now, enjoy!
Also, you should try the stock plastic prop first, it is a damn good prop.

[RCBoaterGuy]

Suggestion for the servo wire... coil it up & run a zip tie through it - attached a pic (it's old-now use bullets) of one of my boats for an example - then run just what's needed to get to the Rx - attach it to the hull with these... http://www.radioshack.com/wire-tie-m...Price-low-high - to keep it under the rudder pushrod.

They have self adhesive backing, can run a zip tie through either side. Be sure to clean the surface real good first. Denatured alcohol for grease, windex for anything else.

Good luck

I tightend the top screws just a tad and tried to wiggle the mount and it feels sturdy. Its just when I took off the motor from the mount it felt a little movement but tightend the top screws a tad and bottom.Can the mount being loose cause issues or no. And I did what you suggested about the ESC wires and Lipo wires. Hows it look to you now? 100_1685.jpg100_1684.jpg100_1683.jpg100_1682.jpg

[Jonny15678]

Now the studder bump system basically tells you when to bring the boat in right? And how noticeable is it?

[tlandauer]

Another technique is to blip the throttle and induce a rocking movement and time it so the moment the bow comes up,peg the throttle ALL the way. If the bow is diving, and the throttle is being pulled, it will not plane, you are wasting your battery. let go of throttle and start the sequence again!

[Jonny15678]

Suggestion for the servo wire... coil it up & run a zip tie through it - attached a pic (it's old-now use bullets) of one of my boats for an example - then run just what's needed to get to the Rx - attach it to the hull with these... http://www.radioshack.com/wire-tie-m...Price-low-high - to keep it under the rudder pushrod.

They have self adhesive backing, can run a zip tie through either side. Be sure to clean the surface real good first. Denatured alcohol for grease, windex for anything else.

Good luck

Thanks for the tip

[tlandauer]

Now the studder bump system basically tells you when to bring the boat in right? And how noticeable is it?

Always time your run, the stutter is to let you know your lipo is running low, but you are pushing your lipos to the limit and seriously shortening their life.
Your run time on a pair of freshly charged 5000mah batteries should not exceed 4 min. As I said, you will get some experience rather quickly, but your first run should not be longer than 2 minutes, some will even say that is too long.
It is important to leave 20-30% of capacity in the batteries at the end of your run. get yourself a lipo batt. checker like this one:http://www.offshoreelectrics.com/pro...emp-eossentry2
i.e., for a 5000mah battery, 3500 mah should be used, if you recharge it, that is how much should go back in, any more than this means you are pushing it.
the Stutter feature is very obvious, I rarely encounter it, if i do, you will hear my and

[Jonny15678]

Always time your run, the stutter is to let you know your lipo is running low, but you are pushing your lipos to the limit and seriously shortening their life.
Your run time on a pair of freshly charged 5000mah batteries should not exceed 4 min. As I said, you will get some experience rather quickly, but your first run should not be longer than 2 minutes, some will even say that is too long.
It is impotant to leave 2--30% of capacity in the batteries at the end of your run. get your seld a lipo batt. checker like this one:http://www.offshoreelectrics.com/pro...emp-eossentry2
i.e., for a 5000mah battery, 3500 mah should be used, if you recharge it, that is how much sgould go back in, any more than this means you are pushing it.

Alright I'm understanding now. Thanks so much everyone for the help.

[RCBoaterGuy]

Trouble with condoms (aka - balloon's) is they induce condensation.

I take the Rx apart & spray the circuit board with a couple coats of this stuff... http://www.plastidip.com/home_solutions/Liquid_Tape - obviously, you don't want to coat the pins. Attached before & after pix for your review - submerge them & they'll keep on tickin.

Yes, I use TR-624's for my boats - the short external antenna prevents the reception issues I had with the TR-324's.

I also plan on putting the 2.4ghz receiver in a balloon to keep it dry and moister out of it. When I put it back is there any certain area I should place it or just where it was originally?

[Jonny15678]

Trouble with condoms (aka - balloon's) is they induce condensation.

I take the Rx apart & spray the circuit board with a couple coats of this stuff... http://www.plastidip.com/home_solutions/Liquid_Tape - obviously, you don't want to coat the pins. Attached before & after pix for your review - submerge them & they'll keep on tickin.

Yes, I use TR-624's for my boats - the short external antenna prevents the reception issues I had with the TR-324's.

Thanks for the advice

[Jonny15678]

So I just received my prop balancer today in the mail. Whats the best way to properly Balance this prop for maximum performance?


100_1687.jpg100_1686.jpg

[Jonny15678]

Alright so I didnt realize this untill I put the cover on the Lipo wires and ESC wires are stopping me from putting the cover on. I've re routed the wires so many times because of clearance issues and getting tired of this. 100_1696.jpg100_1695.jpg100_1694.jpg100_1693.jpg100_1692.jpg

[Jonny15678]

http://www.valuehobby.com/t-connecto...ion-cable.html Would something like this work?

[JimClark]

read here
http://www.offshoreelectrics.com/inf...r_Tips_&_Info_

So I just received my prop balancer today in the mail. Whats the best way to properly Balance this prop for maximum performance?


100_1687.jpg100_1686.jpg

[JimClark]

get rid of the deans connectors

[Jonny15678]

read here
http://www.offshoreelectrics.com/inf...r_Tips_&_Info_

Thanks!

[Jonny15678]

100_1700.jpg100_1699.jpg100_1698.jpg100_1697.jpg Heres some close ups Tlandauer its both sides but mainly the left.

[tlandauer]

Inbound PM

[Jonny15678]

Inbound PM

So Tlandauer This works much better the ESC and Motor wires may be a little tense but not extremly. And the Lipos fit just fine this way. And the hatch closes. Now how bad is it that the motor wires are this bent?


100_1702.jpg100_1701.jpg

[tlandauer]

Not too bad, got to watch and pay attention to the black shrink wrap, its there to prevent the wires from rubbing the sharp aluminum and protect the insulation. If it starts to move around, push it back and use silicone sealers ( caulking variety found at hardware store), I didn't say to replace a new shrink wrap although that would seem to be the most logical step reason being that this bend need as little disturbance as possible. Try not to wiggle it as much as possible when you use the boat. These motor wires are part of the windings from the stator and can only be bent x number of times before it is bad.