cyclops2

I have 3 gas powered R C boats that are 45" long & weigh about 5 pounds with no engine in it. Which CHEAP NEW weed wacker sized 25 cc engines are easiest to start? that is most important as all 3 will be running by new drivers. Choke lever..no push bulb is preffered. Idle & high speed adjustment screws. Power is not important. Easy start & steady running are most important.

I realize many companies all use the same engines. Which are better & cheap & can be mounted vertical or horizontal if needed.

speedracerntrixie

My Feedback: (29)

You may want to go down to Home Depot or Lowes and take a look at some lawn trimmers. The power head is pretty self contained, has cooling provisions, pull start, fuel tank and are already set up for shaft drive. Best of all is that some of the smaller ones can be purchased new for 100.00 or less

lohring

Don't waste your time playing with non marine engines.  The very low cost Rev Unlimited engine has had good reviews.  The same site sells other suitable engines as well as all the hardware you will need for the conversion.  Try to find a boat club near you to see what others have done.

Lohring Miller

earlwb

Usually the problem with converting a trimmer or blower engine over to RC is how to mount it to something so you can use it. Usually the engines have no regular mounting locations on the crankcase that you can easily use to bolt the engine down into a car or boat with. So you may wind up having to machine a crankcase for the engine to use it effectively.

The flywheel or drive adapter is usually a minor issue. the carbs that come with the engines usually works fine, and maybe needs a rebuild kit, but that is usually not a problem either. They do sell some 26cc car/boat gas engine carbs for the regular engines being sold for that purpose.

But one can usually find trimmers or blowers left out on the curb on garbage day in the neighborhood for free. Most of the time the trimmer shaft is damaged or the string hub is broken or the carb need to be rebuilt, sometimes a new pull string. So one doesn't have to go and buy one at the store. Some small engine repair shops may even have used ones they'll sell for cheap too. Just tell them what you are wanting to do with it. They usually have a pile of the things out back.

av8tor1977

My Feedback: (6)

Well, having flown myself, and having sold many, many converted weedwhacker, leaf blower, and chain saw engines, I really have to disagree with the posts here. The much vaunted G-26 Zenoah engine is in reality just a converted industrial engine, and it does quite well. As for mounting, the only ones that are possibly problematic are some of the chainsaw engines whereby the engine is part of the entire chainsaw and must be cut out of a complicated housing, but even that is not true of all the chainsaws....

The Echo, Stihl, and Homelite engines are all super easy to mount. The Ryobi engines are only slightly more difficult, in that they need spaced forward; just as the modern DLE, and all the other rear carb "alphabet" engines must be.

I personally have 8 airplanes flying with weedeater, leaf blower, or chainsaw engines, and I can't see why one would buy a Chinese engine of questionable quality and support when you can get better quality for less bucks out of a proven, professional industrial engine. The only caveat nowadays might be that the purpose built engines can have a weight advantage. But for ease of mounting, reliablilty, power, cost, etc., I'll take one of my Echo, Stihl, or Homelite engines any day....

Instead of being embarrassed at the flight field when I tell them my airplane is powered by a weedeater engine, I enjoy the "Wows!" I hear when I put it through its paces...

AV8TOR

cyclops2

Thank you everybody.

At 75 I can remember lots of us doing chainsaw engines of 55 cc for the 5' to 8' boat models.

My problem was in which modern motors are still pretty easy to start...........I guess ALL are if they are built as designed. .......A bad batch is always posted heavily. or a slightly out of adjustment carburator adjustment becomes a hopless basket case after turning all the screws.

Since 2 of the gas jobs are for me & a favorite friend. I will buy a new engine

Which new + or - 25cc engines has a real choke valve, high & low speed adjustment screw. Also a idle speed adjustment screw ? All in the $ 50 to $ 75 range.
I am excellent at adjusting carburators & rebuilding them if needed. Including float levels from a kit.

The biggest problem I am finding is the terrible gasoline quality at gas stations. Some of it in a clear glass jar looks & smells just like ASPHALT on a hot summer day.....New Jersey. I have to put Seafoam in the car 1 a month to keep the milage high & idle smooth & the correct speed.

earlwb

AV8TOR,  yeah I noticed that years ago the trimmer and blower engines were easy to convert. But lately the engines I found out on garbage day waiting to be discarded weren't so easy looking to convert. Many of my older engines could simply use a flat aluminum plate bolted up to the engine, but the new ones I found don't make it so easy. I have a couple engines that would need different length standoffs on them in order to bolt them up to a firewall. I think the manufacturers were concerned with weight and a reduction in the amount of metal usage or something like that.

They do sell some gasoline marine engines that one can get. Zenoah has a really nice one that is water cooled but there are some other brands made that would work well too. They do sell some large RC cars and boats that use gasoline engines, and they sell the engines separately as well. These are typically air cooled but they kept the fan setup to provide the air flow. They all have pull starters on them too.

lohring

There's a big difference between even the stock purpose built marine engines and the average weedeater motor.  A stock 26 cc Zenoah with a custom tuned pipe puts out close to 4 1/2 hp.  I doubt that a similar size weedeater motor puts out over much over 2 hp, even with a tuned pipe.  Tower Hobbies replaced the first engine in their gas Rio with a Zenoah.  Tower is very careful with costs and didn't make the decision on engine performance.  I bet the returns made the cheap engine more expensive.

Lohring Miller

cyclops2

This is beginning to look like the " Good old engines " are finally being reduced to a bare bones design. The complete wood hulls weigh 5 pounds.

So almost any small gasser should get it up onto a full planning speed of 10 to 15 mph ? That is all that is needed for beginners to run.

The hulls are made of 3/16" frames & skinned with 1/8" Rubber Plywood. It is that bendable & light. I can not flex the hulls at all.

Are there good standaed carbs that will bolt onto the 25 cc engines. NOT RACING carbs.

I may be going to all the mower places that repair to get what I need ?

capnduane

Himodel has the crrcpro 26 cc gas boat engine, at $128. The crrc engines seem to be good. The 26cc I have in my Corsair has been great. http://www.himodel.com/sort.php?sub2=GB&page=2

cyclops2

Suprise


Local mower places are all at $150 to about $220 for a cheap wacker to buy & strip. My age is showing.

captinjohn

Try this place....Dave.s engines http://www.davesmotors.com/104/images/ddm_logo.png

cyclops2

Home Depot got the sale of a Homelite 26cc wacker. $ 69 plus tax & a store pickup. Will see if this homelite is as good as my old one I am using. 15 years ?

2 year warranty sold me. I will run the new one. If it lasts for 1 month & no problems I will use the old Homelite in the speed boat. I have a Octura collet coupler coming in.

Thanks for all the help everyone. I really needed some updating on stock & the water cooled motors. I might go for the water cooled in my boat.

Rich