Mr Cajun Gator

I'm seeing a lot of frustration on here. The boat I can't help to much on that, but the engine, there is help. First off, SuperTiger has good engines that work well on the pusher set up airboat. With any nitro engine, you must have some knowledge of setting the needles. The air craft engine is the most forgiven of the nitros to set. There are some things to understand before hand. Like, it is impossible IMO to have setting that will work every time, much less to have a setting to work out of the box. Ex: You can have your engine set perfect at 8:00 in the morning, then come noon, the engine is running like crap. This is normal, don't worry!! Reasons why, temp and humidity, make a big difference on the needle settings. A good cool crisp day and the nitro engine will run at its best. Hot humid day and the engine will be harder to tune in. Another thing to keep in mind is nitro fuel absorbs moister like a sponge. Glow plugs can also make running the nitro engine a pain. Times the glow plug will glow, but as soon as the engine starts, a bad glow plug will make the engine run like crap. Something else to keep in mind, no two carbs will be exactly the same, on where the needle needs to be. It does not take much to change to change how the engine will run. As time goes by You will learn how to listen to the engine, and the engine will tell you just what it is wanting, give it to it, your engine will be happy and so will you. Its just part of the hobby.
Don't expect every thing to come out of the box perfect, tuning is required to get any boat to run like you are wanting it to. Also remember the cost of this boat, these are entry level boats, not race ready with all of the bugs work out.
When You remove the sleeve TAKE NOTE on where the little notch is on the engine. Replacing the sleeve in the wrong direction will give you BIG headaches in why the engine is not running or why it is really running like crap.

deslok113

Although I've only been into Nitro for 3 yrs,I hadn't had this problem with any OS marine or OPS marine engines or any HPI car engines. This is the first aircraft engine that I've had to tune though.

hpiguy

I think a good option for this boat would have been a lexan fake V8 with an electric motor in it that spun the pusher.

Much less frustrating, plug and play for beginners but easily modded to hi-po motors for R/C junkies and the batts could have gone down in the hull to keep CG nice and low to improve handling.

Mr Cajun Gator

Yes there is a difference in tuning these engines, also a big difference in the price.

harrisdouma

My Feedback: (3)

I don't understand why tower doesn't make a RTR alligator and one without radio or moter.
That would give modelers a lot more options equipment wise. electric version with brushless
moter would be a lot more beginner friendly. Since i love Diesel I will be converting the gator
to diesel and than it will run cooler and be less noisey.
Harris

crispyspa

That, my friend, is a very good idea. I wonder if the AquaCraft guy is monitoring this post?


YOU HEAR THAT AQUACRAFT?

Traxxas4fun

My Feedback: (3)

but ive had a revo, duraTRASH nitro..

but theyve never been hard to tune..

my dad said he got it to run but we have to give it gas now n then

Kmot

My Feedback: (24)

Here's how to start a Super Tigre G34:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T7r2GBvpFno

hpiguy

I like the bottle used to muffle it.

Kmot

My Feedback: (24)

The bottle is being used to capture the oil from the exhaust. I tried something similar once myself:

http://media.putfile.com/Magnum-40-XLS-Break-in-Running

500 lb. koolaid man

Had to ask. Capturing it just so it doesn't make a mess? Or saving it for something (what)?

planebasher

If you want a good engine, get you an OS .46 FX or .46Ax, Darn just so happens I have one of each, one in the box and one on a BSB. If you really want it to haul the mail, put the OS .61 FX on it, uh oh, I just happen to have one of those on a BSB and it will Torque Roll the boat over if you nail it before getting it planed out. How about 35 to 40 Mph.

Kmot

My Feedback: (24)

Mr. Kool: I was trying to not make a mess all over my flight box. I normally break-in my engines on a test stand. This one I decided to do in the airplane. The flight box was the perfect place to hold the plane off the ground. But I didn't want all that oil spray on the flight box. So I jury-rigged that setup and it did the job.

planebasher

Here is something you might want to try on your Ready to Run Gator.

I once bought a Ready to Fly Airplane; there was no way to get the engine to run more than a few seconds; but being the idiot, I took off anyway, yep it nosed over into the ground destroyed everything from the wing forward.

While performing an autopsy on the wreck, I started taking it apart; guess what I found, the fuel lines were colored coded where they came out of the fuel tank, red to the muffler for pressure, blue to the carb for fuel; the factory had crossed the lines internal to the tank; there was no way for the engine to run more than a few seconds, this would also explain why your tank cap blew off, no where for the fuel or pressure to go.

Now I always take a RTR apart before, trying it out.

nitrovice

@ harrisdouma
where would you get a diesel engine, which make?

nitrovice

There is an r/c airplane club near my home so I finally went there to ask a few things and here is what I have learned:

When starting their airplane engines they always give about 1/3 to 1/2 throttle,
when the engine runs they DO NOT remove the glow igniter immediately but instead they hold the throttle for a few seconds and then they go to full thottle for 2-3 seconds and back to a bit above idle,
then they finally remove the igniter

Knowing this procedure now this would explain many of the starting issues we have had here, maybe just try it the way the r/c pilots do because in the end the included Super Tigre is an aircraft engine.
And like Mr. Cajun Gator said you cannot compare it to a car engine.

harrisdouma

My Feedback: (3)

supertuner1
For diesel engines, I have gotten diesel heads for existing glow moters at;
davisdieseldevelopment.com they have heads for different size O.S. and Super Tigre engines
Harris

lipdaddy

How do you start the diesel engines with no glow plug?

harrisdouma

My Feedback: (3)

lipdaddy
you start a diesel engine by raising and lowering compression with adjustable compression
screw. You can find more information on diesels, by going to rc universe forum on engines
and than clicking on everything diesel.
Harris

dvonlangen

does anyone know if you can put an o.s. 40 la in this airboat??? If not what othere engines can you put in it?

deslok113

Since The boat is in a pusher configuration you need a nitro airplane engine with dual bearings. I've seen some heli engines that say good for a swamp buggies so I guess they would work also. MECOA has a heli engine they claim is good for airboats. But I don't know what the quality of MECOA engines are. Mr. Cajun Gator says that he puts Supre Tigre in all his custom made airboats and they are good engines. I'm beginning to agree with him. Break in was very rough for my gator but now... If that Gator had wings it would take to the skies!!!

Kmot

My Feedback: (24)

Hey guys,

A buddy of mine bought a new Alligator Air Tours boat and asked me to break-in the engine for him because he is not real experienced with glow engines.

I know a lot of guys have complained about the Supertigre 34 engine not being able to start, or run well, etc. So I thought I would post my experience.

I first went over the engine to check it out. The manual calls for LSN open 5 turns and the HSN open 1.5 turns. I found the factory setting to be LSN was open 7 turns, and the HSN was 1.5 turns. I was using Powermaster 10% with a skosh more castor oil in it.

I closed the LSN to 5 turns open and attempted to start the engine. It would not start, at any throttle setting. I was trying to start it at WOT but then tried idle, mid-range, etc. It would not start.

I then opened the HSN to 3 turns open which is what I would have chosen myself, but I wanted to try the setting as suggested in the manual. Well, at 3 turns open it started instantly and ran consistently.

After the first tank was run out I let it cool off completely and then ran another tank through it. While running this tank I leaned the HSN a slight amount to get the engine closer to peak. I then cycled the engine from WOT to mid-range several times. I then reset it to WOT and let it run out the tank.

I let it cool off again and was going to run a third tank. I started it up, and at WOT started tuning the HSN again. Now here is where I discovered a problem, and I want to alert anyone who has an Airtours Airboat or is thinking about getting one to pay attention:

The shape of the cage forces you to approach the HSN with your hand in an unusal angle. Not like it would be when the engine is mounted in the open on an airplane. The distance between the HSN and the spinning prop is only 11/16", so it is extremely important you pay close attention to where your thumb is.

While running this third tank, the engine started to stumble and so I reacted by quickly putting my hand through that cage to reach the HSN and my thumb went in too far and the prop bit it pretty hard.

I now strongly recommend a remote needle valve kit be installed on the Alligator Air Tours engine so that there is no longer a need to place your hand through that cage in an awkward fashion. I am going to recommend this to Aquacraft as well.

Anyway, with the HSN and LSN needles set to a standard configuration, this engine fired up instantly and ran strong. In my opinion there is nothing wrong with this engine and in fact it is quite a brute in the power department.

Mr Cajun Gator

Looking at the pic, the idle stop screw, remove it completely, other wise its just going to back out and pass through the prop. Use the radio to set the idle and the kill position.

Kmot

My Feedback: (24)

Interesting comment. I have never had an idle stop screw back out of any other engine. Why do you suggest that?

Mr Cajun Gator

I've had them back out before, damages the prop. And you do need a way to kill the engine and the idle stop if not set correct will stop the ability to kill the engine by remote.