TsarBomba

I was hoping I might be able to get some advice on an entry level boat. I'm hoping to use this boat while fishing to tow my castable fish finder (Deeper sonar bobber). I've been trying to research an RC boat that'd be suited for the task. I've looked at RC bait boats, but haven't really been impressed with videos on their function. I also don't need to chum so it seems like that the bait bucket would just make it less stable in the water.

My two big needs are

1) Decent battery life - I realize that RC boats are limited in their run time (10 - 15 minutes). Fortunately, I don't expect mapping an area to take too long, but I'd still prefer one with a long battery life if possible. I don't mind buying extra or larger batteries if need be. I don't plan on going fast except possibly run from a gator so speed isn't a priority.

2) Self righting - in my research this seems like it'd be useful. Right now I don't have a kayak or canoe to retrieve it.

My budget for it is 100 or under for the boat itself, and another 100 for extra supplies such as batteries and maintenance stuff. Thanks!

Ron Olson

My Feedback: (1)

Unfortunately that's not much of a budget to work with. You could go with a 12-volt gel-cell battery for longer run-time as it could power everything on the boat. Seeing how you don't need blazing speed you can get a motor really cheap. For instance, one out of a Harbor Freight air compressor you can get the whole thing for less than $10.00; hobby shops will soak you more for the same motor.
Just don't take it out in high-wave conditions as we see a lot of people in here trying almost the same thing expect a small boat to be able to handle big lake or ocean waves. Zippkits makes a cheap tugboat kit if sealed properly might be able to do the job, easy to build plus he offers a hardware setup for it.

mfr02

The products advertised commonly are intended for "excitement" rather than for performing a task. Most are fast toys, in the price range quoted. If it includes a radio, something will have had to give, usually the quality of the radio. Fast in a small package means that run time will be limited. The bait boats tend to be either novelty value at the lower end of cost, or well engineered at the other, but with prices to match.
The mention of towing suggests a tug (or a fishing boat - they tend to drag stuff through water). Most tug models, rather than the few minutes that you get from a racer, will give well over an hour.
If there is the possibility of it inverting, it will need to be a hull with a very well fixed strong watertight superstructure capable of trapping a substantial air bubble so that if it goes upside down, it will be unstable until the weight of the well fixed battery pulls it the right side up. Strong and well fixed because a moving wall of water has a lot of destructive power.
I would be thinking of something like a Springer type workboat (a good google subject), possibly rescaled to suit what is wanted. I would also ditch the 100 (whatever the currency) budget. That will cover the radio and paint, but a Springer hull can be built from little more than a 4 foot by 2 foot sheet of ply. A modified simple kit of the right size could also do the job. As another option, google for "model tugboat hull", or do the same for fishing boats. Once you have a powered hull, the superstructure is your choice. There are plenty of proper hobby grade manufacturers out there who do not appear on ebay.
My costings from a lot of years ago give a rule of thumb of "£100, plus £100 for each foot of length". The component costs have shifted, but the figures are much the same.

mohhasco

Hello Guys ... I need some technical help ....

I bought brushed dc motor 775 from (aliexpress(dot)com) and an ESC (RC Boat 7.2-14.8V 480A ESC 380/540/775 Brushed Motor Speed Controller Dual Mode Regulator).

The seller told me they work together fine ... However, I am using a 12V/12A Lead Acid battery to operate the system and I would like to use the Arduino to control everything on the boat. I am using Xbee for communication. My questions are:

1. Is the battery fine to be used along with ESC and motor? Is the ESC is suitable for the motor ?

2. I am not using an RC receiver. Instead I am using Arduino to send control signals. The ESC has three wires for control: black, red, and white. I connect the black to GND, White to PWM signal from the Arduino. What about the red ? Do I connect it to the Vcc = 5V ?

You help is highly appreciated... Thanks

Hydro Junkie

Could you please explain to us what an Arduino is? This is a new one on me as far as controllers go

mfr02

Its one of those tiny bare-bones computers on a board. You program it to learn what responses you would like it to give for any given set of inputs. On another forum, one bunch of guys are figuring out how to give realistic control of the turrets on a 7 turret battleship (HMS Agincourt) using an Arduino as a sort of translation board between the radio and a lot of servos that need to do all sorts of different things. Sometimes it can be a complicated, expensive, time consuming way of doing a simple job that cheap hardware exists to do if a very small amount of thought is applied.

If the Arduino wants 5 volts, the ESC (if fitted with a BEC) will supply it. If the Arduino is already running on its own 5 volt supply, that "might" be capable of supporting the current that whatever is plugged in will want. Radios are universally wired so that the ground and Vcc pins are commonned across all the outputs. The wiring does have to be man enough to carry the current involved. I have no idea if the Arduino supports this directly, or whether it needs an extra card to achieve simple plugging-in.

Awek99

I built a small boat out of cardboard and fiberglass, it seems to have plenty of pulling power, and it's 100% water tight (even submersible). It cost me around 50 bucks total, using cheap toy grade electronics (2.4G Chinese controller, random "high speed" brushed motor, cheap little servo, and cheapy Chinese ESC). It aeems to work for my needs lol, you could probably make something similar if you were going for functionality and not for perfect looks.