1/8 Qatar ML Boatworks 172 Extreme Kit Build

[WhiteH2O]

I decided to make a thread for this build, more so I can document my progress than anything, but perhaps I can get some useful input as well to make things go more easily. I've read many many other threads trying to learn as much as I can, but I'm still nowhere close to where I want to be, knowledge wise, about these boats.

Where I am now: My 172 Extreme kit it is on order from Mike. Quite possibly being cut as I type this. I was planning on building the 171 kit to make the Boeing boat (I fly planes as my day job, so it seemed fitting), but the lines on the 172 kit were just too much nicer to not build this one instead. Decided on making the 2012 U-1 Qatar boat. I've always liked that boat, and it just beat out an Oberto boat for my build (like Wayne and Garth, I don't bow down to any product sponsors).

I don't plan on racing it. I'm more building it for the experience of building it more than running it, although I'm sure I'll love running it. That opens me up for building it however I want without having to worry about any rules and regulations. Current plan is to build it so that I can start it out running as an 8s, and then being able to run it as a 10s as I get more used to driving it. From what I read, that should be possible by getting a motor that has a middle of the road kv rating, and by using the correct props for each setup. It seems that I should be able to expect around 50mph on 8s and 70mph on 10s depending on RTR weight and setup and such. Current tentative plan would be for a TP 5670 running 850kv. That would give me unloaded RPMs of 25,160 on 8s and 31,450 on 10s. Seems like prop selection would be able to keep those numbers within reason for both setups. ESC TBD, but something in the 200amp plus range, from what I read, is the way to go.

I am what I would call "new" to RC boats. I had a Gentry Eagle when I was a kid. Last year, I found a 63" offshore hull in my dad's garage that I built into a 32cc gas boat from scratch. That boat is too loud, I really wanted an electric boat when I built that one, but I didn't want to pull a second mortgage for batteries to run something that big. I do have a good amount of experience building with wood and fiberglass. I've built over a dozen kayaks, canoes, and stand-up paddleboards in my day. Some whitewater racing kayaks out of carbon/kevlar/fiberglass, and some sea kayaks out of wood and fiberglass. So I'm not too worried about being able to get the kit together, more just getting the correct motor/esc/batteries/running gear picked out and installed correctly.

Now for the hard part- wait for the kit to arrive. In the mean time, I'll continue to try to keep learning more about setting up, building, and running these boats.

Just for fun, here is a picture and video of my scratch built 63" gas boat, my last two kayak builds a few weeks from completion, and an SUP I built last year.

https://imgur.com/zi6ubIb
https://imgur.com/dslM2a4
https://imgur.com/zx2cYwk
https://imgur.com/EU04xAg