Pro Boat UL 19 battery + upgrades

[bigred86]

Hey guys! I'm brand new here. I just ordered my first electric boat today, a Pro Boat UL 19. I'm looking for top performance out of this boat right away. Is there a better prop I can install? What batteries should I purchase? Not looking to burn my equipment out, just looking for top performance out of my kit. Thanks very much in advance guys!

[CraigP]

I recommend running it stock on 4s. I think you’ll find that the boat is very fast! Why don’t you get your feet wet first before changing parts. Save you some money and you get out on the water quicker.

[Jesse J]

Hey guys! I'm brand new here. I just ordered my first electric boat today, a Pro Boat UL 19. I'm looking for top performance out of this boat right away. Is there a better prop I can install? What batteries should I purchase? Not looking to burn my equipment out, just looking for top performance out of my kit. Thanks very much in advance guys!

First of all, welcome!

So what do you mean by top performance? Do you have an mph goal or handling or reliability?
What is your budget?

There are three variables and you can only choose two: speed, reliability and cost.

This info will help us help you.

[Tetefroid]

As an owner of the UL-1, I concur with what CraigP said. They are plenty fast and loads of fun, right out of the box.

[bearstoy]

hey guys i am new here too.i am looking at the aquacraft UL1 or the proboat UL19. i know some guys with the UL19 that are having some major overheating issues with melting the connectors off their batteries.is this a common problem with these boats?

[Tetefroid]

I have an UL1, I have not had this issue. But loose connection can cause this and also wire that is not rated for the amperage the motor will pull, can also get hot and melt the insulation.

[bearstoy]

I have an UL1, I have not had this issue. But loose connection can cause this and also wire that is not rated for the amperage the motor will pull, can also get hot and melt the insulation.

Thanks 4 info. I believe the boat in question was running totally stock but on 3s x 2 batteries in series. with a 50c rating. Temps 4 motor and batteries were in the mid 130's. does this boat require extra or at least larger cooling lines? The bullet connectors were upgraded but not the wires. As far as i know the boat has yet to make a full run on the water before connector meltdowns.I am watching this closely as i am on the verge of getting one of these boats. Being new in this game i want to make wise choices.

[bob horowitz]

From what I've read on this forum, if you run on 6S with the stock prop, you are asking for trouble. To run safely on 6S you need to prop down. Take a look at the UL 19 tuning thread under RTR boats.

[RacerX27]

I have a new UL-19 on order and it will be my 1st electric boat. I have many cars, a couple of planes, a drone, and I use to have a Deep Hull Nitro boat.

I'm going back and forth between 4S and 5S but will probably stick to 4S for now. My biggest question is about batteries. It looks like I would have to buy a new charger for most of the Spektrum batteries? Is this true? I'm not a fan of Spektrum radio gear but know nothing about there batteries.

Thanks,

[fweasel]

You can charge spektrum batteries on any lipo charger with the correct charge leads, but you need a spektrum charger to take advantage of the smart features.

[RMac]

I’m looking to get the Pro Boat UL19 and i have read a lot of owners saying to avoid the 6s do to overheating ESC and motor, breaking drive shafts and other issues. They advise using a 3s and a 2s battery as stated in the manual to get 5s or go with two 2s batteries for 4s. Question: if the transmitter has a 75% power selection could i safely run two 3s batteries for 6s but set it to 75% which would essentially be running 4.5s??? Is this the way the system works? I would like to avoid having two different batteries (2s and 3s) for one boat. Has anyone tested this.

[tbonemcniel]

I?m looking to get the Pro Boat UL19 and i have read a lot of owners saying to avoid the 6s do to overheating ESC and motor, breaking drive shafts and other issues. They advise using a 3s and a 2s battery as stated in the manual to get 5s or go with two 2s batteries for 4s. Question: if the transmitter has a 75% power selection could i safely run two 3s batteries for 6s but set it to 75% which would essentially be running 4.5s??? Is this the way the system works? I would like to avoid having two different batteries (2s and 3s) for one boat. Has anyone tested this.

You can, but it will increase heat in the ESC. I probably wouldn?t do it. Just run two 2S or start upgrading.

[jkflow]

On 6S you will hit critical temps in about 2 minutes, motor wires will melt, but that is too late for the motor itself.
Stay on 4S for now, learn how to play with it. Upgrade the motor if you want 6S. 3674 has a longer can, get a longer cooling can to go with it.
It's plenty fast on 4S already.
If you are using SMART batteries, you have a learning curve ahead of you and go play before you upgrade. Once you upgrade you will ditch all that smart stuff anyway, it's rather underperforming imho.

[fweasel]

I’m looking to get the Pro Boat UL19 and i have read a lot of owners saying to avoid the 6s do to overheating ESC and motor, breaking drive shafts and other issues. They advise using a 3s and a 2s battery as stated in the manual to get 5s or go with two 2s batteries for 4s. Question: if the transmitter has a 75% power selection could i safely run two 3s batteries for 6s but set it to 75% which would essentially be running 4.5s??? Is this the way the system works? I would like to avoid having two different batteries (2s and 3s) for one boat. Has anyone tested this.

If you're set on 6S, run a smaller prop.

[RMac]

Thanks for the responses, I already have some 4s and 3s Smart packs and a couple 3s Zeee packs. I like the performance on the Zeee much better then the smart packs. So I think Ill go with the 2s and 3s combo and pick up some 2s packs. a lot of People seem to be recommending this when starting out with this boat. I also got a dual pickup rudder that I'll install on it right out of the box and dedicate it to the ESC and then a separate pickup for the motor to help with cooling. Can anyone recommend what size and style propeller to get if I want to eventually go to 6s? I see a lot options on OSE for props but I'm not familiar with the differences? Any help on other upgrades is much appreciated.

[jkflow]

Don't do the dual rudder, won't help you with overheating. Install a transom water pickup instead, plenty of water.
Seen many people do the dual rudder pickup, and they don't achieve anything but having a cooler ESC while the motor still overheats.
Stock prop is good, just a matter of cooling things down.

[RMac]

Thanks for the advice on the cooling. If I go 6s what would be a safe prop size? the original is 43mm with 1.6 pitch. Im looking at the Octura props and there's seems to be and endless number of options in styles and sizes. Trying to do my homework ahead so I don't burn anything up and learn the hard (expensive) way.

[jkflow]

There is no right answer, what is your motor kV rating? That determines the rpm and the best prop size.
kV= rpm per volt (4S=15V, 6S=23V rounded)
Try the stock prop, see how hot it gets after 2 min (max) and go from there.

Motor should be in the 1600-2000kV range.