Miss Geico 3V, Some good, some not so good,

[Mitch S]

But good reading none the less :)

So, I’m pretty new to rc boats, but decided to jump in head first. Been in and out of the rc hobby for years, I left off last right when Lipos took off. So, trying to learn all I can about lipos and the new electronics as well.

Anyway…
Jan 15th, I bought a new Geico 3v. So far I love the boat! Fun and fast! Per the Horizon website I’ve been running 6s, 5000, 50c.

So, after 2 weeks and about 4-5 runs, I was running the boat and it loses power. Not talking about battery saver, it basically died. Luckily, right in from of me. I pick it up, walk into my house, take the lid off and a plume of tan colored smoke… Poof!!! And smelled kinda bad!! Ugh.. wtf…

Sunday, nearly 6pm I figured I’d try to call Horizon, maybe leave a message. Nope, I get a real live person on the phone!! Within a 10 min conversation, he is sending me a brand new ESC AND MOTOR!!! I have never had such good Customer Service in my life!!! Horizon, you have earned my business!

So, the parts come, I figured it was the ESC, so, I replace that first… fresh batteries, and Nope. Chug chug chug… It was the motor that fried. I did take temps after it burnt up, but it was a few min. later. Motor was around 215-220, so, again, probably much hotter a few min earlier. ESC, 120.

My lake is very clean, I would be surprised if the cooling got clogged, but anything is possible.

I’d like to add better cooling, but I cant seem to find a clean way to do it?

So now I’m kind of hesitant to run 6s. Can you run 5s? a 3s and a 2s? Or would you just continue to run the 6s?

One other thing, on the run that burnt up the motor, I had just bought a new prop, Octura 642, prepped from Dasboata. I cant imagine that could have caused the motor to blow?

Anyway, I’m digging this site, lots of good reading! Thanks.

[Doby]

How long were you running?
What prop?

[Doby]

Interesting...if you read the manual, it says to use Qty 2 , 2S packs...nothing about 3S packs. But the web page does say 2S or 3S packs.

[JimClark]

Moved thread to the Geico forum. My bet you run it too long or too slow. How many MAH goes back into the Batts after your typical run?

[Mitch S]

JimClark,
Definitly not to long, because the ESC shuts it down when the batteries get to 3.8 i believe, and that didnt happen.
Also, High Speed passes, pretty much full throttle, long u turn, then back, etc etc. Definitely not to slow or to long.
and the batteries were about 3.9-4.0 each cell, if I understand you correctly.

and Doby,
Yes, the website says 2x 3s 5000 50c, which is exactly what I bought for the boat
Also, this video, from Horizon, by the developers of the boat they state 6S compatible, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vAwjFpnGnRw

Anyway, love the boat,

[Doby]

What prop?

[bigcam406]

Octura 642 prepped from Dasboata

[iop65]

i would never run that combo with 6s
2000 kv , 36 x 62 mm motor and a 642 prop....

you should really know how to set this up or things will go wrong

love the boat ? use this with 4s or 5s
regards

[Mitch S]

i would never run that combo with 6s
2000 kv , 36 x 62 mm motor and a 642 prop....

you should really know how to set this up or things will go wrong

love the boat ? use this with 4s or 5s
regards

iop65,
Can you telll me:
1. "Why" you would not run this prop? when that video link from the developers state that you can mess with different props? AND, its the correct battery for this boat??

2. Know how to "Set up" this boat? What is there to do? Its Bone Stock?? I'm not interested in "blueprinting" the hull.

3. In my first post, I asked about mixing a 3s with 2s. I guess the answer is Yes, I can? no problem??

[Mxkid261]

Yes you can use a 2s and 3s but you should make sure they are the same c rating

[modvp55]

Most of the guys in the club that have that boat run an x442 on 4s due to warm water, during the winter when water is cooler they sometimes will run the 642 but when running 6s you need to drop down in prop to allow the motor to reach the added rpm or it will over heat. I would get a good temp gun and make one pass at a time checking temp until you are sure it does not overheat. If you want it to last keep it at or under 125 degrees.

[iop65]

yes, you can use 2s + 3s ,as long as they have the same specs ( mah +c-rate + brand)

and why not run that 6s combo you did?
i think you proved why Mitch and i'm pretty sure it will happen again when you'll try it the next time

you're new with these boats , so i would suggest to start with a lower voltage and adjust the strut/props and see what happens ....learn...there's a reason why the strut is adjustable

[Doby]

When experimenting with props, do two laps around the pond and bring it in, open it up and always check temps....As you stated the motor was 200 plus degrees, you didn't do that.

When a manufacturer says you can run 6s, and use different props, they really should elaborate on a basic procedure on how to do that.

Don't run that combo again.

[Mitch S]

Guys!
Thanks a ton. All good info, and taken to heart!!

Ordered a couple 2s packs, same specs as the 3s.
I'll mess around with it on 4 and 5s. and stock prop. Dont want to burn it up again.

( Although I still dont think it was my fault :) )

I have a decent IR Temp gun, but, anyone run something like this?
Anything better out there?

http://g02.a.alicdn.com/kf/HTB1yzq5H...ure-Sensor.jpg

[stangguy73]

I had the same issue. I fried 2 stock motors on 6s with the stock prop. I run my Miss Geico V3 with a seaking 180 esc and a leopard 4074 1800 kv motor with a balanced and sharpened m545 prop on 6s and she screams. I changed the cooling lines over to a larger size and switched all of my connectors to 6mm bullets. I have no heat issues.

[Mitch S]

Regarding my fried motor.
I found out some good info to pass along.
Some 3V's were sent with the ESC set to 15 degrees of timing.
One of the ways you can tell is if your ESC has the Longer lead wires. Mine were folded over and had a zip tie on them to shorten them up.
15 degrees on 6s will fry your motor.

They sent a new one right out. They now set them to 7.5 degrees, and no more issues.

If you have a 3V, I would get a tuner and check the timing before running 6s.

[stangguy73]

I ran mine with 7.5 degress with the stock motor and still had heat issues. I grenaded the second motor on 7.5 degrees timing also. I switched to a leopard motor which is much higher quality. I also run a seaking 180 esc. I just mounted a sponson mounted water pickup and separated the motor and esc cooling and added a second water outlet. I will be testing out the boat in a few weeks. Don't get me wrong the Miss Geico v3 is an awesome boat and it handles really well. All the other parts are top notch, it is just the motor that I think can use some improvement. Maybe I just got 2 bad motors...who knows?

[JimClark]

What was your runtime and how loose was the boat setup. Also were you running at partial throttle?

I ran mine with 7.5 degress with the stock motor and still had heat issues. I grenaded the second motor on 7.5 degrees timing also. I switched to a leopard motor which is much higher quality. I also run a seaking 180 esc. I just mounted a sponson mounted water pickup and separated the motor and esc cooling and added a second water outlet. I will be testing out the boat in a few weeks. Don't get me wrong the Miss Geico v3 is an awesome boat and it handles really well. All the other parts are top notch, it is just the motor that I think can use some improvement. Maybe I just got 2 bad motors...who knows?

[stangguy73]

My runtimes were about 4 minutes. I was at wide open throttle at least 95% of those 4 minutes. I set the boat up following the Chief's set up guide. No wah wahs and she was extremely stable just a little loose in the turns. The boat ran great just had heat issues no matter what I tried. It has been much better since the switch to the leopard motor. Like I stated I might have just gotten 2 bad motors. I do love this boat it is the favorite of my fleet.

[Mitch S]

So,
I've upgraded the cooling hoses to 4mm, installed a larger fitting on top of the rudder and larger outlet, and timing set at 3.75... anything to help it run cooler.

Ran it last weekend on 5s and the temps seem to be pretty good, 115 ish on motor, 110 ish on esc.

I decided to do a speed run on 6s. I downloaded an app on my phone, I have no clue as to its accuracy.

First run, all stock with those cooling mods.
Second run, just put the Octura 642 prepped prop on.

First run, 46mph
second run, 50mph ! The number I was hoping for,

However, it did seem to run very hot on 6s doing 2 full speed passes. about 145+ on the can of the motor

Any further help to cool this thing down would be greatly appreciated. I know its been discussed but, I'd even consider a different motor.

Thanks,

[stangguy73]

I highly suggest adding a second water pickup like I did. I sent you a pm about that. I can send a pic if you need to see where I installed it. It is really simple to do. I run a leopard motor which is more efficient than the stock dynamite motor. I was running a leopard 4074 1800 kv previously and it handled 6s very well with balanced and sharpened m545 prop. My geico runs best with this prop. I have upgraded to a Leopard 2200kv 4074 which I am going to run on 6S. I know I shouldn't run the 6s but I am looking for insane speeds and I will keep the run times down. I haven't run the new combo yet. You will most likely blow that motor up with the x642 on 6s unless you keep your run times really short.

[Mitch S]

I'm with you. Was a short run on 6s, and no more for now.
ya, please send the pic of the water pick up.

Thanks man