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Thread: Help converting drive system on a solid shaft shallow-V mono to flex cable

  1. #1

    Default Help converting drive system on a solid shaft shallow-V mono to flex cable

    As you can see in the photos attached, the Playtron Candy has a 'straight shaft inboard engine' style setup. It's over 30 years old, but still looks and runs like it did when it was new in 1987. It's lots of fun, but after finally upgrading the electronics this year (2019), it became apparent that it can really use some further work. It runs on a 20-turn 540 brushed motor and 60A ESC now. The boat is 20.5" long by 7.6" wide and weighs a little over 2 lbs with a 6-cell NiMh battery.

    Here is a video that shows the way it ran originally as well as how it ran with the various changes I made to it recently. I also have stick-on trim tabs that I've tried and they don't help with the porpoising, or it slows the boat down way too much!

    My question is, without removing the stuffing tube and the section of the hull holding the stuffing tube, can I put a strut and flex cable on this boat? There would be a sizeable gap between the stuffing tube and where the strut would start. I can't get a larger diameter stuffing tube in, so I won't be able to use a Teflon liner. Also, would the bend angle from the stuffing tube to a strut be too great?

    This is my anticipated shopping list, minus couplers, water cooling and misc. parts if I can make the conversion:
    ose-cable-098L : OSE assembled .098 flex cable with 1/8" prop shaft, drive dog, bullet nut and Teflon liner. According to OSE, this will work in a 5/32" stuffing tube without the Teflon liner.
    ose-80046 : Micro Strut. Strut bushing is made for 1/8" prop shafts.
    ose-80052 : Rudder with water pickup

    Thank you all for your help!
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  2. #2
    Join Date
    Oct 2015
    Location
    Ca
    Posts
    174

    Default

    I also got into electric boats in 1987 but through my oldest son. I was 39 at that time. I remember seeing the candy advertised and almost bought one,as within the first 3 or 4 years I had at least 8 boats. All plastic hulls and brushed motors. No offense but yours is the worst I have ever seen. I think you are chasing a loser,but let me try to help you anyway. You say the trim tabs slow it way down, when you install them they must not be flush to the bottom. They must be up about 1/16" or they cause drag. They must be bendable so at the trailing edge you can get them close to the water. Your boat needs them REAL bad. Hear is another reason I feel it is bouncing so bad,prop angel which you address in your idea of running a flex shaft but the molded channel on the bottom where the prop shaft is contained I think the boat is climbing up it.Hence it more than just proposing it is trying to leave the water. If I were going to go to the trouble and expense of converting it I would cut that part of the bottom off and fiberglass over slot in the bottom and run the new stuffing tube and shaft along the bottom out through the transom. You will also move the rudder to the side but but a new aluminum one . Also 30 year old plastic can get very brittle so if you do all that I would glue a 1/16 or 3/32 piece of plywood in side the transom the size of the transom BEFORE you start drilling multiple holes in it. I have been down the road your on and about 6 years ago my grandsons along with their dad got me a rtr fiberglass brushless boat as a Christmas gift. I now own 9 fiberglass brushless boats and I don't regret giving away the old plastic brushed ones. Best of luck with your project and if I can help in the future with any questions just add to this post or thread or whatever it is called.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Apr 2007
    Location
    AZ
    Posts
    8,009

    Cool

    In addition to the above:

    - this is a shallow vee hull with strakes, and lots of lift because it was designed to go 15 mph with very limited power (the power setup you have is much stronger than the original stock setup). Going a lot faster than stock will cause it to hop, no matter how many trim tabs or drive line modifications you make. Only adding lots of weight will keep it on the water as it is now.

    - straightening the drive system will still result in a submerged drive. The prop will still lift the hull up and it will still hop at speed. A true surface drive stinger setup will help the most, but also require the most work. Crackerboxes (similar drive and hull shape) with true surface drives can attain higher speeds with less hop than the usual solid shaft versions.

    - where is the CG? You moved it back when you changed the pack location, hence the worse performance. Moving it farther forward will help a bit.

    If it were my Candy, I?d reduce the power and run it at the speed it was designed for instead of chopping it up and hoping I?d be able to reduce the hopping. I?d get a more modern hull and put the time and $$$ into it. But it?s the OP?s boat, I wish him well.


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  4. #4
    Join Date
    Jun 2018
    Location
    ny
    Posts
    218

    Default

    i agree with the aforementioned posts... i spent 6 months chasing down porpoise on my first boat, a Groupner monster Vee... was designed for spec racing, had an uber high lift hull to counteract the low speeds it was designed for....if i went over half throttle with a 3s and 2100kv brushless, it would jump out of the water like yours... i gave up and bought a PNP Volantex Vector 70, and put my reciever in it, and havent looked back... best $70 i had spent in chasing speed on an abs hull...

    this is the fastest i could go with the monster vee before porpoising...


    then the vector stock with an aluminum 1.9p 40mm prop...

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=50_0xeoCexA

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