NQD PX-16 rebuild... am I nuts?
09-16-2011, 04:12 AM
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NQD PX-16 rebuild... am I nuts?
I received a crappy NQD PX-16 catamaran RTR boat and I'm basically stuck with it. It was a gift, the receipt was lost and the company that sold it won't take it back. Needless to say, it's underpowered, slow and is meant for children instead of adults.
Since I'm stuck with this thing, and Winter is not too far off here in Northern Michigan, I figured this might be a good project to get me through the Winter. For those who don't know, the PX-16 has dual "390 Racing" motors with counter rotating propellers. There is no functional rudder. Instead, the designers cheaped out by avoiding the costs involved in installing a $2 servo and associated rudder. For turning, they call it "Vector push" which is a trumped up term for one motor stopping and the other motor turning the boat.
Here's my plan (let me know if I'm nuts, or in over my head)
1. Blow, or burn up the existing 390 motors and toss them in the trash.
2. Remove the factory supplied radio gear and speed controller and also toss in the trash. They're rated for low power input, and won't handle brushless motors anyway.
3. Place empty hull in oven at 200 degrees and melt the glue holding the hull and top cap together.
4. Apply fiberglass cloth to the hull interior and use resin to strengthen the cheap-ass plastic hull for some brushless power.
5. Use Marine Tex to patch the exterior holes left from the dual motors, and the holes in the bottom of the hull. (The idiot designers secured the motor mounts by threading screws through the hull and into the mounts) These will all need to be patched.
6. After the hull is glassed and patched, I plan on giving it a proper paint job. Probably a white bottom, with silver sides and a red or black top cap.
7. Source a 1600-1800 kv Brushless motor and 60+ amp ESC along with the associated mounting hardware, stuffing tube, flex shaft, prop and so on. I'm almost wondering if there are any places that sell a complete kit with everything needed to complete a bare hull. I wish I had a good hobby store nearby to get parts as I need them, but such a thing just does not exist. I live in a rural area, and it would be far easier and faster to order a kit that is designed for each part to work in unison with the other parts in the kit.
8. Add some 4s or 6s LiPo batteries and have some fun.
I've found some videos online with modified PX-16 hulls, and all of them are much faster than stock. The videos however are very vague as to exactly what modifications were done, and which parts were used.
Just for reference, here's just an idea of what a PX-16 hull is capable of if properly built...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1TaEL...eature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9w1xU...eature=related
Sorry for the long post, I just wanted to be as thorough as possible so any answers given would be made with all the information available.
Since I'm stuck with this thing, and Winter is not too far off here in Northern Michigan, I figured this might be a good project to get me through the Winter. For those who don't know, the PX-16 has dual "390 Racing" motors with counter rotating propellers. There is no functional rudder. Instead, the designers cheaped out by avoiding the costs involved in installing a $2 servo and associated rudder. For turning, they call it "Vector push" which is a trumped up term for one motor stopping and the other motor turning the boat.
Here's my plan (let me know if I'm nuts, or in over my head)
1. Blow, or burn up the existing 390 motors and toss them in the trash.
2. Remove the factory supplied radio gear and speed controller and also toss in the trash. They're rated for low power input, and won't handle brushless motors anyway.
3. Place empty hull in oven at 200 degrees and melt the glue holding the hull and top cap together.
4. Apply fiberglass cloth to the hull interior and use resin to strengthen the cheap-ass plastic hull for some brushless power.
5. Use Marine Tex to patch the exterior holes left from the dual motors, and the holes in the bottom of the hull. (The idiot designers secured the motor mounts by threading screws through the hull and into the mounts) These will all need to be patched.
6. After the hull is glassed and patched, I plan on giving it a proper paint job. Probably a white bottom, with silver sides and a red or black top cap.
7. Source a 1600-1800 kv Brushless motor and 60+ amp ESC along with the associated mounting hardware, stuffing tube, flex shaft, prop and so on. I'm almost wondering if there are any places that sell a complete kit with everything needed to complete a bare hull. I wish I had a good hobby store nearby to get parts as I need them, but such a thing just does not exist. I live in a rural area, and it would be far easier and faster to order a kit that is designed for each part to work in unison with the other parts in the kit.
8. Add some 4s or 6s LiPo batteries and have some fun.
I've found some videos online with modified PX-16 hulls, and all of them are much faster than stock. The videos however are very vague as to exactly what modifications were done, and which parts were used.
Just for reference, here's just an idea of what a PX-16 hull is capable of if properly built...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1TaEL...eature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9w1xU...eature=related
Sorry for the long post, I just wanted to be as thorough as possible so any answers given would be made with all the information available.
09-16-2011, 10:16 AM
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RE: NQD PX-16 rebuild... am I nuts?
These are just my personal opinions........
If you can live without the boat, you can possibly give it also as a gift or entice somebody to join the hobby of rc boating.
Since you're willing to spend on modifying it and buying the hardware, why dont you focus those resources into a boat kit that you prefer and something that will tide you over winter as well.
But if you're more curious of possibly achieving what you saw on those videos, then you can follow what you enumerated above.
09-16-2011, 10:25 AM
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RE: NQD PX-16 rebuild... am I nuts?
If you decide to strip it down and modify it. Why not just pull the parts out and sell them as a group on ebay? Or the classified section here?
09-16-2011, 01:13 PM
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RE: NQD PX-16 rebuild... am I nuts?
ORIGINAL: Apismelifera
If you decide to strip it down and modify it. Why not just pull the parts out and sell them as a group on ebay? Or the classified section here?
If you decide to strip it down and modify it. Why not just pull the parts out and sell them as a group on ebay? Or the classified section here?
09-18-2011, 07:56 PM
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RE: NQD PX-16 rebuild... am I nuts?
I agree, just remove the stock components and sell them as a group to someone with a malfunctioning boat. I am a fan of taking cheap toy boats and installing hobby components. Fun to build, fun to run, and you'll likely have the fastest NQD on the pond. I wouldn't bother with hull reinforcement - keep it light. ABS plastic is quite tough stuff. But do remember flotation (pool noodles work well).
09-20-2011, 05:27 AM
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RE: NQD PX-16 rebuild... am I nuts?
I's go with a [link=http://www.offshoreelectrics.com/proddetail.php?prod=fei-540XL&cat=116]540 10XL[/link] and [link=http://www.offshoreelectrics.com/proddetail.php?prod=ose-80200]this mount [/link] to spread the weight/torque over more of the bottom. Then reinforce the transom and use an inline [link=http://www.ebay.com/itm/sliver-110mm-rudder-w-strut-3-16-cable-set-rc-boat-/140522402873?pt=Radio_Control_Parts_Accessories&hash=item20b7c9b439]rudder/strut combo[/link]. For an esc, I'd go with a cheap [link=http://www.ebay.com/itm/water-cool-brushless-motor-200A-ESC-RC-Boot-/120768800010?pt=Radio_Control_Parts_Accessories&hash=item1c1e61a50a]200A Sky Wing [/link]. This is a bit overkill, but where's the fun in replacing puny with puny? This is an inexpensive boat, and I'd go with inexpensive hobby grade parts. But that's just me, and sometimes I wind up spending a lot more than I intended to. But I have a problem with spending (for instance) $260 on a Castle esc when I can get a lot more (stuff) for the same money. Truth is 'spend it now or spend it later' is very true. If you can afford the good stuff (Neu, Castle. etc) you won't regret it. It will stay with you longer and you might even be able to sell it after the fun is over.
11-22-2015, 09:19 AM
#10
Two word of caution here:
1) The boat you received was never built for the speeds you're looking to get out of it. I fully agree with installing a doubler at the transom and adding some kind of bracing at the motor mount but I also would add some sort of bracing anywhere else the the hull is pierced. With the higher torque available from the new motor, the plastic may crack from the stress in these areas. Beefing these areas up would help prevent that from happening.
2) This boat will need to be balanced very carefully. I'd recommend installing a strip of velcro to the battery pack(s) and another in the boat hull. Take the boat out and move the pack(s) as needed to keep the bow down when planing it out. We, who race the various types and sizes of hydroplanes, have to balance our boats to get them to run as stable as possible at the 50+mph we race them at. A poorly balanced hydroplane won't finish a heat due to "blowing it over" and, unless you balance yours very carefully, you might end up testing the flotation within a run or two
1) The boat you received was never built for the speeds you're looking to get out of it. I fully agree with installing a doubler at the transom and adding some kind of bracing at the motor mount but I also would add some sort of bracing anywhere else the the hull is pierced. With the higher torque available from the new motor, the plastic may crack from the stress in these areas. Beefing these areas up would help prevent that from happening.
2) This boat will need to be balanced very carefully. I'd recommend installing a strip of velcro to the battery pack(s) and another in the boat hull. Take the boat out and move the pack(s) as needed to keep the bow down when planing it out. We, who race the various types and sizes of hydroplanes, have to balance our boats to get them to run as stable as possible at the 50+mph we race them at. A poorly balanced hydroplane won't finish a heat due to "blowing it over" and, unless you balance yours very carefully, you might end up testing the flotation within a run or two
