Originally Posted by
nichismo
Hey Catboi, I actually have the exact same hull from Steve and have been on a very long project with it for a very long time now. Im sure I can at the very least provide you with some decent insight on anything you need to know regarding an electric powerplant in this hull.
For starters, I must say that im actually building the boat to replicate the U-88/U-37 drop sponson hull that Billy Schumacher owns, so this hull as pulled from Steves molds is far from correct in this perspective, and in addition to a few other specific characteristics of the hull that I wasnt keen on (regardless of the full size boat I chose) led me to do a very extensive list of modifcations to make it right.
Also, in my opinion, Steve implemented a somewhat outdated design philosophy for this style of hull when it comes to the bottom of the hull, and even worse, the hull is EXTREMELY HEAVY. When it was shipped to me, the package was over 15lbs.... I also own a Phil Thomas T5 and I dont remember what that package weighed when I received it, but the bare hull was about 6lbs.... So this led to even more substantial modifications on my part, but in the end, im still satisfied at this point. On a positive note, Steve uses excellent materials and does a good job cleaning up the hull overall before he sends it. The wing mounts are fantastic, quality flotation is already installed in virtually every spot possible, and aside from the underside of the hull as mentioned, the overall aesthetics and scale accuracy of the boat is superb, specifically the front curves and shapes of the boat (im a fickler for sponson shape and cockpit shape, and he really nailed these parts).
I have a ton of pictures if you need any, starting from the moment I began opening the packaging until now. Heres a picture of the most recent mock-up I did with all the components, except the ESC which ill be placing in a compartment I made on the starboard side of the boat. I should note that in this picture, I had already opened up the radio box area by removing the enclosing wall to make the tub open all the way through the length of the hull...... and then i proceedingly removed virtually all of the tub and floor between the cockpit and rear strut area.....The floor section that runs from the nitro engine mounted blocks he has epoxied into the hull towards the back was 1.25 pounds alone.... Since then ive closed the tub back up with plywood.
Let me know if you have any other questions, im happy to help if I can. BTW, that motor mount configuration pictured is excellent, you need a narrow setup similar to that for these boats. and as stated already, its absolutely critical that you get the batteries as far foward as possible. Thankfully with this particular hull, the radio box is already big enough to fit a 10s, 5500mah setup as molded.
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