nitrosportsandrunner

I got his boat today. clearly used.

i think you call it a crackjack or something like that???

anyway, im not even sure if it was originally electric.

right now, it needs new radio gear. has a traxxas old school boat ESC and a brushed motor.

the boat feels like a hard plastic.

Q's:

what type of boat is it? was it originally nitro?

What should i use to paint it?

Should there be a forward hatch cover? If so, can i buy one?

Would this boat be OK with a mild brushless system on 2 or 3s lipo? Or would it handle very poorly with increased speed?

Even if its not high-quality, i would like to have it for a winter project. Clean it up and paint it nice and get it running.

Any tips, especially on painting? special paints or prep methods?

idocdave09

My Feedback: (1)

All I can tell you it's not a crackerbox hull.
Dave

nitrosportsandrunner

OK. i thought it looked simillar to crackerbox hulls i had seen on ebay.

*delete M i k e u p delete*

Don't know the make but looks solid anyway. I'd clean it up and replace motor and prop with a Octura 427 prop and make sure tie tip of prop is 1/8" from keel. The shape of boat reminds me of my eco boat by Hopf. I'd place twin 2200 liposacross from motor with one on each side. Prop is a giveaway as they flex alot. The bow is above the water when on plane. Now other than what i said, run it to find the balance point and should a be a fun boat.

nitrosportsandrunner

OK.

just powered it up and it seems the ESC is bad. motor runs as soon as i plug the batt in and although the ESC light reasponds to radio input the motor does not. also, ESC got warm in just 45 seconds.

looks like i may need a new ESC/motor combo.

any ideas for "making" my own forward hatch cover? what would be an easy material to work with?

also, still need ideas on paint. will normal lexan paint hold up in water???

*delete M i k e u p delete*

Front cover; i'd look for plane canopy. Paint, i use Krylon paint and let dry for a couple of days each thin coat.

nitrosportsandrunner

Ok, thanx.

any thoughts on the shape of the boat?

most RTR boats i have seen have the prop and rudder out the back, not under the hull.

how should a boat of this style handle? will it plane easy and be fast? will it turn sharp(thinking not as sharp as the boats with steerable props)

also, many boats i see have "trim" tabs. should this style boat have them? would there be any real reason to add some?

also considering adding a water pickup. is there any special place to add the pickup? i would assume dead center and not off to the side.

sundogz

This type of hull design (and sub surface prop) reminds me of the ECO racers. Do a Youtube search of ECO rc boats. They are very fast, and leave no roostertail. Turn on a dime and leave 5 cents change.

nitrosportsandrunner

i did a utube search. came up with many differnt looking boats. does ECO refer to the design?

no roostertail kinda stinks, cause i think that looks cool. but fast is GOOD.

still not sure what kinda system i wanna put in it. i could go with a mild BL system on 2 or 3s.....or a traxxas EVX with a titan 775 brushed motor on a pair of 2s lipos. either would be fast im sure. but i also dont wanna have to worry about heat buildup.

sundogz

Check these out. A cooling outlet nozzle on top of the transom can substitute for a roostertail. It's amazing how fast they can turn.

[link=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ULWs_Y9tcFk]vid 1[/link]
[link=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UOws653rngc]vid 2[/link]
[link=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SOxfmAwIz-c]vid 3[/link]
[link=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FmHt08BVdN0]vid 4[/link]
[link=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wi9OWO6dtns]vid 5[/link]

nitrosportsandrunner

tested the boat out today. not as quick as i had hopped. and the motor only lasted 2 minutes before it went up in smoke.

then i dropped in a titan 12t 550 motor. it was no faster than the stock motor but ran much cooler.

i think to run the titan i need a prop with much more pitch. thats how you gear an electric boat right?

hendocap

I have to ask why you would invest time and $ into that Hull ?

nitrosportsandrunner

wait till i get a pic of it painted. paint goes a long way. plus, its a sturdy hull.

even tho my test run showed it was under powered, it handled well and road on top of the water very nicely(not like a traxxas blast)

also, i got the boat in a trade. it came with a radio/servo and the motor that burnt up on me. The ESC xl-5 i put in cost me only $25 and the motor was $15.
I spent $8 for a can of paint.

Tho, i am considering putting a brushless system into it. I got a team assosiated ESC and VXL motor coming i could drop in it that i got for $65 on ebay.

Biggest hurdle right now is making a forward hatch cover.

nitrosportsandrunner

SEE!!

metallic black paint, sweet. ready for decals and a canopy now.

hendocap

Looks good, Good luck with it !

nitrosportsandrunner

its fun for me to take an old, beatup RC that i know little about....learn about it, fix it up and make it like new again. I "work" on RC's more than i drive them, mostly cause i cant always get out of the house. its easier to work in my room on RC stuff and watch my son than to take him to the track and try to drive and watch him. but in a few years he will be old enough to run RC's with me[8D]

sundogz

Yeah, a large brushless would do wonders in that boat. Looking good, by the way. Eco is a racing class that is popular on the other side of the world. It stands for 'economical' and was meant to be a class that was more affordable to race in, thus bringing more people into the sport.

*delete M i k e u p delete*

Spinkle some gold dust on it and clear coat it,LOL! Loooks great;BTW cut a piece of plexiglass to fit the top and tape down the cover. You can file the edges to make a nice contour.

nitrosportsandrunner

THANK you for that. was really wondering, and the utube vids were mostly in other lang so it makes way more since.

even with the titan motor it wasnt very fast, but it did ride very nicely on the water. no drama, just nicely controled. doesnt turn super sharp, but some adjustments to the linkage could fix that i believe.

the prop on it looks like a screw on type. wonder if props for a traxxas boat would work?

sundogz

I see you're already seelling it on ebay! [link=http://www.ebay.com/itm/Eco-racer-custom-radio-ESC-motor-speed-Boat-/120799325327?pt=Radio_Control_Vehicles&hash=item1c20336c8f] ebay ad[/link]

nitrosportsandrunner

yeh, i could use the cash.
if it dont sell, ill keep working on it.
thinking lexan "windshield" for the front hatch. that should keep any water spray out.
then i gotta find a better prop. with a prop with more pitch, i think it will be pretty quick.
otherwise, i gotta get a motor with more RPMs than the titan 12t motor.

sundogz

Yeah, no doubt those in the video's have a brushless motor, Lipo batteries and the right prop.