Mr Cajun Gator

Just a little something for all you guys that are not using a roll cage/prop guard. Brand new prop, with about 5 minutes of run time decided to break at the hub. The location of the boat when it broke and the direction it broke in, if it would not have been for the cage, there would have been a very good chance of the blade hitting one of us. The prop was a 14" 3-blade, with the tip speed roughly at 640 feet/second. When the blade struck the stainless steel cage, it broke one of the 1/8" tubings and bent the 5/16" tubing. We had to use a hammer to get the 5/16" tubing back in line.

dadkins

CAGE = GOOD

ISIRC10

Hmm... I am guilty of that, but that should soon be fixed...

on another note, If any of you guys are experimenting with Brushless and Lipos, be SURE to make a sturdy motor stand, and attach it so it has NO chance of flying off. I made a pretty sturdy one, and it suited me perfectly as I was using brushless and Nimhs. Today I got a lipo for the boat and tried it out, and the thing flew off... if not for the rudder linkage and wires, I would have had a lot of collateral dammage.

Lessons learned:
Brushless + Lipo > Brushless + Nimh
Drive away from furniture
Have a Cage
Attach motor stand with Aluminum and screws
Have aluminum servo horns/linkages
Epoxy isn't strong enough to withstand impacts/contimuous stress
have a bumper (thankfully I did)

I probably have more, but you get the idea... SECURE YOUR STANDS (I know that the experienced airboats will agree, this is mostly for the noobs like me!)
[link=http://s215.photobucket.com/albums/cc21/ISIRC10/?action=view&current=LOLfail.flv]Vid of test run, proving that Murphy is always lurking![/link]

Mr Cajun Gator

Engine stands is something that I stress the most, it is the part of the airboat that takes the most abuse.

dadkins

I agree - my engine stand has gone thru about 6 hulls - so far....

mr. ilikehelp

same one of my sstands pulledout of the hull after going off a snowbank