"Building" a SonicWake V1

[Panther6834]

I'm sure, some read the thread title, and said to themselves, "You don't 'build' a SonicWake. The SonicWake is an RTR boat.". To that, I'd say, "You're correct...but, I'm still building one." And, by that, I don't mean I'm 'upgrading' an RTR SonicWake...I do mean, literally, I'm 'building' one.

Let me explain: Approx 2-3 years ago, I bought a spare SonicWake hull, and had someone do a custom skin on it (technically, I ordered the hull, and had it delivered directly to him...and, once the skin was complete, be shipped the hull to me). The original idea was to transfer everything from my purchased SonicWake into the skinned hull, and keep the original hull as a backup. Well, I never made the components swap...and, in these past 2-3 years, I've come to realize that the original hull appears to be easily surviving (I don't do anything "extreme" with this boat). With the original, I've run both 4S & 6S, even though the motor was truly better suited for 4S. So, I've decided to make that boat a 4S-dedicated SonicWake, and I'll now be taking the skinned hull, and building it into a 6S-dedicated SonicWake.

I've built at least a couple dozen land vehicles...but, admittedly, am a newb where building a boat is concerned. Although I do have a Drifter Micro hull from H&M, I still haven't started building it...so, technically, this SonicWake will be my first boat 'build'. I know, it isn't much, and a good portion of the work has already been done for me...but, I think it will be a great way to learn the building process (my second build will be a jet boat, built using the TFL 1151 Jet Boat hull, thus another step closer to doing a true/full build).

I'm not going to include any photos (at least, more yet) of the hull, but only because I've shown photos of the hull in other threads...so, those who've seen those photos will have a slight advantage over those who've never seen it. As for the parts, themselves, I did have to pick up some ProBoat parts...primarily, the motor mount, since it's not a 'typical' motor mount. Also included in the ProBoat parts is the stuffing tube, Miscellaneous Hardware package, and a waterproof receiver box (how 'waterproof' it truly is remains to be seen).



Next on the list is parts from OSE, namely the flex shaft w/ drive dog & bullet nut, Speedmaster coupler, cooling line connectors, 8mm connectors (for ESC-motor connections on multiple boats), some Teflon washers, SSS 3682 1650kv motor, motor cooling jacket, HW Seaking 180A ESC, fiberglass ESC mount, TFL Stinger, and servo horn (I would have preferred red, but blue will still do). Additional parts include a TFL Stinger V1 adapter plate from Mad Lizard, and a Power HD waterproof servo from *** (ie. don't remember where I got it from).



Finally, I got several parts from RC Boat Bitz is Australia - rudder, turn fins, trim tabs, water outlets, and large tubing, all in red.



Why so much in red? For those who know the hull, you should have figured it out...and, for those not knowing the hull, you'll soon understand. To the best of my non-existent boat building knowledge, I believe I have everything (except ESC-battery connectors, which are coming) I need. If anyone knows of any parts I'm missing, please, feel free to point them out. When I built my first computer almost 30 years ago, I had no clue what I was doing, and I've built dozens of computers since (mostly for other people), so I'm mostly confident I'll complete this one correctly...but, again, I don't really know what I'm doing, so any 'input' would be appreciated.


~ More peace, love, laughter, & kindness would make the world a MUCH better place

[Panther6834]

As I realized this afternoon, I did forget something - the turn fin brackets. For now, I will just swap over the brackets from my other SonicWake...but, does anyone know of better quality brackets that will fit the SonicWake's 12mm spacing?


~ More peace, love, laughter, & kindness would make the world a MUCH better place

[Panther6834]

Got the clearcoat done. Not "the best" job ever...but, considering it was my first time with a boat, and I didn't have any serious 'runs', that's good enough for me. After all, it's a "learning experience".

Also got the ESC mount epoxied into place. I'll admit it's also not the best...but, for my first time epoxying an ESC mount, I'd say it's a pretty good job. I'm sure it's "strong enough", but I'm thinking I should probably do a second (small) amount towards the front of the mount.



For those who will say that the heat from the epoxy cutting will melt/warp the hull, I did check, and it's still as it was before the epoxy. As for the hull design, still not showing it...but, I did provide a little "sneak peek".

~ More peace, love, laughter, & kindness would make the world a MUCH better place

[Panther6834]

Still not finished...but, getting closer. All needed parts, except for the QS8 connectors, have been delivered, and final assembly is under way...well, almost...



...unfortunately, in wanting to get the rudder a little closer to center, something I forgot about was the prop diameter...and, wouldn't you know it, I seem to have temporarily misplaced the props from RC Boat Bitz. Flipping the rudder mount would move the rudder to far. So, I figured, I was going to need an M4 spacer - probably a minimum of 1mm thick, possibly as much as 3mm.

Good news is, I found the (temporarily) misplaced props, and I discovered that the spacing error isn't as bad as I thought I'd might be. In truth, it's no more than 1mm. Even better, I remembered that, in seeing up the adjustable stinger, I actually extended it...so, all I should need to do is return it to its shortest length and check the rudder-to-prop spacing again. If my assumption is correct, there should be approx 2mm between the rudder (at "full left") & prop. Plus, since I'm suspecting "full left" will be too much 'left', if I lower the end points, the actual rudder-to-prop spacing should be at least 3mm, and possibly closer to 4mm. That should be more than enough, yes?


~ More peace, love, laughter, & kindness would make the world a MUCH better place

[mappo]

Still not finished...but, getting closer. All needed parts, except for the QS8 connectors, have been delivered, and final assembly is under way...well, almost...



...unfortunately, in wanting to get the rudder a little closer to center, something I forgot about was the prop diameter...and, wouldn't you know it, I seem to have temporarily misplaced the props from RC Boat Bitz. Flipping the rudder mount would move the rudder to far. So, I figured, I was going to need an M4 spacer - probably a minimum of 1mm thick, possibly as much as 3mm.

Good news is, I found the (temporarily) misplaced props, and I discovered that the spacing error isn't as bad as I thought I'd might be. In truth, it's no more than 1mm. Even better, I remembered that, in seeing up the adjustable stinger, I actually extended it...so, all I should need to do is return it to its shortest length and check the rudder-to-prop spacing again. If my assumption is correct, there should be approx 2mm between the rudder (at "full left") & prop. Plus, since I'm suspecting "full left" will be too much 'left', if I lower the end points, the actual rudder-to-prop spacing should be at least 3mm, and possibly closer to 4mm. That should be more than enough, yes?


~ More peace, love, laughter, & kindness would make the world a MUCH better place

https://youtu.be/TulZbSKQ3jE?si=TQfvz0i57dmdaYST

[mappo]

Still not finished...but, getting closer. All needed parts, except for the QS8 connectors, have been delivered, and final assembly is under way...well, almost...



...unfortunately, in wanting to get the rudder a little closer to center, something I forgot about was the prop diameter...and, wouldn't you know it, I seem to have temporarily misplaced the props from RC Boat Bitz. Flipping the rudder mount would move the rudder to far. So, I figured, I was going to need an M4 spacer - probably a minimum of 1mm thick, possibly as much as 3mm.

Good news is, I found the (temporarily) misplaced props, and I discovered that the spacing error isn't as bad as I thought I'd might be. In truth, it's no more than 1mm. Even better, I remembered that, in seeing up the adjustable stinger, I actually extended it...so, all I should need to do is return it to its shortest length and check the rudder-to-prop spacing again. If my assumption is correct, there should be approx 2mm between the rudder (at "full left") & prop. Plus, since I'm suspecting "full left" will be too much 'left', if I lower the end points, the actual rudder-to-prop spacing should be at least 3mm, and possibly closer to 4mm. That should be more than enough, yes?


~ More peace, love, laughter, & kindness would make the world a MUCH better place

https://youtu.be/TulZbSKQ3jE?si=TQfvz0i57dmdaYST

[Panther6834]

For all sense & purposes, the SonicWake is finally complete...although, there are a few minor things still needing to be done - need to change connectors on certain batteries to QS8, need to center rudder, and need to set servo endpoints. Other than that, she's done (Rx is bound, and ESC is programmed), and ready for initial testing. Whether or not anyone comments, I'm sure some will be wondering about the specifics.

First, the hull is not painted...it's a custom skin. Starting with the inside, the ESC is a HW 180A with dual QS8 connectors (to run a single 6S, or two 3S), powering an SSS Gen 2 3682 1650kv 3.5D-wind motor. Steering is handled by a waterproof PowerHobby servo, while all signals are sent through one of FlySky's new 12Ch waterproof receivers (to be controlled by a Noble NB4). The Rx has dual antenna, with the first in the stock location, and the second running towards the front (on top of the flood chamber). As for its location, I decided to secure it to the side of the flood chamber. Look to the rear deck, just in front of the transom, on the starboard side, and you'll see the water outlets. Instead of pushing the cooling water out the starboard side (where one might, or might not, be able to see it), I thought I'd relocate it to the top of the rear deck, hopefully making both streams easier to see, thus easier to know whether (or not) water is flowing properly through the cooling lines. The steering push rod is a quick-release, and I did custom bends in the rod, so as to achieve proper positioning, and to allow proper steering.

Moving to the exterior, I started with a custom adapter plate made by Mad Lizard. This allows a TFL strut to be used, instead of the 'garbage' stock unit. To that, I mounted an adjustable TFL Stinger strut. The rudder, and trim tabs, are all from RC Boat Bitz, as is all of the cooling tube. All tubing is red, to match the red anodized aluminum, except for the interior line going from the water inlet to the ESC. I could say that I designed it to be that way...but, the truth is that I didn't have enough of the red tubing. I don't yet know if I will stick with the carbon fiber turn fins, or switch to the red anodized turn pins from RC Boat Bitz...honestly, I'm hoping to be able to stick with the CF turn ends.

Hopefully, she will have her maiden voyage soon. Now that the weather here in Las Vegas is cooling down, it's getting to be perfect for running boats at Sunset Lake.


~ More peace, love, laughter, & kindness would make the world a MUCH better place

[Panther6834]

More photos.....


~ More peace, love, laughter, & kindness would make the world a MUCH better place

[Xrayted]

She looks great panther! That's the best looking Sonic Wake I have seen