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Thread: Miss Elam Brushless 1/12 Upgrade Questions

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Apr 2020
    Location
    AB
    Posts
    15

    Default Miss Elam Brushless 1/12 Upgrade Questions

    I have a brand new, old stock ProBoat Miss Elam Brushless 1/12 on the way. I?d like to make some mods to the boat but as a relative newcomer to the sport I am hoping for some guidance. I?ve been through the related OSE posts (i.e. Darin?s extensive threads about his mods and setup), so I have a starting point for what?s below.

    I would like to target ~60-65 mph on 6s. Let me know if you think this exceeds the hull?s capability. I won?t race this boat, so while I want it to be stable and handle reasonably well it doesn?t need to be able to run hard in the corners and chop. Here are my planned mods/questions:

    • Shim prop strut. I?ll have to play around with this, but I recall a recommendation to shim the back of the strut with plastic wedges (credit card slices).
    • Replace flexshaft with Octura .150? cable and 3/16? prop shaft. Does anyone know which is the correct part for this boat in terms of shaft length (2.25? L vs 2.75? XL)?
      https://www.offshoreelectrics.com/pr...ose-cable-150L
      https://www.offshoreelectrics.com/pr...-cable-150L-xL
    • Replace ESC with OSE Raider 150A in front of motor. Has anyone tried a HobbyKing programming card (I have one) with the OSE ESC?
    • Replace motor with Leopard 3674. Is it worth the upgrade in comparison to the stock ProBoat A3630 1500 kV? Is the 3674 the right option? What kV would you suggest for 6s?
    • Trial various prop options. The X442 and X642 seem to be popular. The 1742/3 looks interesting. Should I be looking for a lifting prop? Are the CNC props a good option for testing with a lower entry price?
    • Consider splitting the water intake to run individual cooling lines through each ESC and motor port instead of looping. Is this going to improve cooling? I haven?t found a rudder that will allow dual pickup and fit the stock mount, so not sure if a single pickup can feed three lines inside the boat. I?m in Calgary and the water is fairly cold where I am going to run this boat.
    • Add weight to front of sponsons. I?m thinking about adding some very fine shot and then sealing with epoxy. It seems like 6-8oz is about the right range. Any feedback on that?
    • Fill the remainder of the sponsons with low density foam (2lb) for flotation and stiffness.
    • Add flotation to cowling, seal if necessary, and look at replacing magnets with mechanical cowling nuts. Has anyone tried this? Are the magnets reliable?
    • Reinforce plywood mounts with epoxy and hull with glass/carbon as necessary (probably a winter project).
    • Consider upgrading servo and mount. Is the stock servo respectable? I can?t find any specs on it. I will also look at revising the electronics hatch system if necessary.
    • Upgrade turn fin and mount. This will likely come later, after a bit of tinkering. Appreciate any feedback in addition to what Darin and others have posted previously.



    I?m also uncertain about battery size. The posts from a years ago describe the battery compartment being very tight for 2s 4500mA packs, but I?m guessing those packs were bigger than comparable batteries available now. I?d like to run 3s packs and I?m hoping someone with one of these hulls can provide measurements for the battery compartments (thank you!) so that I can order these before the boat arrives.

    Apologies for the long post! Appreciate your input and assistance on this project. I?m planning to post as I progress through it and provide some feedback regarding performance.

    Thank you!

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Jul 2020
    Location
    WA
    Posts
    1

    Default

    I think the speeds you are hoping to obtain are over the design limits for this boat. It would seem to me that attempting to install a 6S pack would be a challenge.

    Jerry Dunlap

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Apr 2020
    Location
    AB
    Posts
    15

    Default

    Thanks for the response, Jerry. I've been having similar thoughts myself. I have the boat now and have run it briefly on 4s with a Prather 220 prop. With weight in the nose it drives quite nicely, and is very stable. There is definitely capacity for more speed. However the jump to 6s will be significant, especially at higher kV and top speed. I have some 3s packs now as well that fit (3000 and 4000 mAh) so I would like to give it a quick run to see how it feels, but with the stock 45A ESC installed I am hesitant.

    Anyway, we will see how it goes. Thanks again for the response.

    Adam

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Aug 2008
    Location
    CO
    Posts
    7,080

    Default

    If you go with 6S use an external bec. That esc can handle short bursts but with smaller prop and not using its own bec. 442 prop or smaller. I have smoked them on 45mm props.
    "Look good doin' it"
    See the fleet

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Apr 2020
    Location
    AB
    Posts
    15

    Default

    Good info Jesse. Thanks for the input!

    I don't have an external BEC setup, so decided to put the stock ESC at risk for a quick run on 6s with the stock setup last weekend. When I put the boat in it was behaving erratically (this wasn't an issue when I ran it on 4s). I drove it slowly to the far end to line-up for a run back towards my location (easier rescue if necessary, rescue kayaker on-hand), but at that point there was a communication issue that resulted in the boat not responding to the Tx input (or lack thereof, self-driving in fits and starts). This may have been related to the ESC/BEC capability. I couldn't get it to behave and didn't want to risk harm to the boat or anyone on the lake, so I brought it in slowly and parked it after a couple of slow circles. Nothing was even warm at that point.

    This boat is the original version and has the stock AM radio system, which is quite awful. That may have also played a role. I am going to put a different system in it shortly.

    I'm getting ready to order some parts. I am going to try both 4s and 6s setups based around different kV motors (1600-1700 for 6s, 2000-2100 for 4s) and a variety of props. It will be interesting to see where the sweet spot is, but it has potential. Should be able to get some runs on it later in the summer. I will post results for anyone interested.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Sep 2012
    Location
    Tg
    Posts
    1,438

    Default

    Just a suggestion, get yourself an OSE Raider 150 esc. That will handle both 4s and 6s setups happily. The 1500 kv motor that is original in the boat is a good motor, but don't over load it. They will push a 447 prop on 4s, on 6s as suggested a 442. Unless you kill the original motor you don't need to play around with different motors. I always found the original to work the best, dunno why, just did.
    NZMPBA 2013, 2016 Open Electric Champion. NZMPBA 2016 P Offshore Champion.
    2016 SUHA Q Sport Hydro Hi Points Champion.
    BOPMPBC Open Mono, Open Electric Champion.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Apr 2020
    Location
    AB
    Posts
    15

    Default

    Thanks, Peter - I will give the stock motor a shot. Definitely worth seeing how it runs before putting something else in. I will try the props that you've recommended.

    That OSE Raider 150A ESC is definitely on my list. Just waiting for stock. I was away for a couple of weeks and was hoping that they'd be back in stock by now.

    Thanks again!

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Nov 2010
    Location
    OR
    Posts
    2,493

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by akphillips1 View Post
    Thanks, Peter - I will give the stock motor a shot. Definitely worth seeing how it runs before putting something else in. I will try the props that you've recommended.

    That OSE Raider 150A ESC is definitely on my list. Just waiting for stock. I was away for a couple of weeks and was hoping that they'd be back in stock by now.

    Thanks again!
    I can tell you racing this boat for 2 seasons in the 50-55mph range takes a beating and will start to break apart the boat as it flips and lands hard.
    on 4S with the AQ2050 motor with Darins mods and lots of testing I had this boat moving but came with a cost as the boat did not hold up to the demand of pushing it this hard for race after race.
    It was NOT easy to keep on the water I would add almost anywhere from 1/4-1/2lb to the nose to keep it on the water depending on the conditions.
    I was running a modified/cut down 645prop.

    IMO If you want to go faster spend the time and money on a different boat.
    OSE GIFTING ELF
    HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!

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