Refitting older R/C boat from the mid 1990's
02-05-2013, 11:42 AM
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Refitting older R/C boat from the mid 1990's
My brother has an older cat hull from the mid 1990's that he's thinking about updating. Here's the specs that I know.
Hull: ABS plastic, about 24" to 26" long, approx 10" wide and weighs about 4-5 pounds ready to run.
Drivetrain: This boat has twin 550 size motors mounted in-line and powering a single shaft. The supplied motor mount is a rubber strap which slips as the motors warm up and allows the motors to turn and stress the wires. The motors are not water cooled, and Im not even sure if theyre fan cooled.
Power supply: Power is fed to the motor through a mechanical speed controller. At last running, (10+ years ago) he was using two 8.4 volt ni cad packs wired in series. This was before gps was common place, and I'd estimate it was good for 20-25 mph.
My brother simply wants to replace the mechanical speed controller with an ESC, get new batteries and hit the water. Im trying to convince him to at least upgrade to a single brushed motor with water cooling and an appropriate ESC. Im thinking perhaps a Pro Boat 40A brushed esc, and maybe a Graupner 700bb motor (or similar) with water cooling and a proper motor mount.
Ultimately, I would like to see my brother get a brushless motor/ esc and power the boat with around 4s worth of LiPo's.
Given his current setup, what would be realistic if going either brushed, or brushless? Im looking for esc/ motor combos that will get the job done, and yet wont break the bank too badly.
Thanks for any insight you can provide!
Hull: ABS plastic, about 24" to 26" long, approx 10" wide and weighs about 4-5 pounds ready to run.
Drivetrain: This boat has twin 550 size motors mounted in-line and powering a single shaft. The supplied motor mount is a rubber strap which slips as the motors warm up and allows the motors to turn and stress the wires. The motors are not water cooled, and Im not even sure if theyre fan cooled.
Power supply: Power is fed to the motor through a mechanical speed controller. At last running, (10+ years ago) he was using two 8.4 volt ni cad packs wired in series. This was before gps was common place, and I'd estimate it was good for 20-25 mph.
My brother simply wants to replace the mechanical speed controller with an ESC, get new batteries and hit the water. Im trying to convince him to at least upgrade to a single brushed motor with water cooling and an appropriate ESC. Im thinking perhaps a Pro Boat 40A brushed esc, and maybe a Graupner 700bb motor (or similar) with water cooling and a proper motor mount.
Ultimately, I would like to see my brother get a brushless motor/ esc and power the boat with around 4s worth of LiPo's.
Given his current setup, what would be realistic if going either brushed, or brushless? Im looking for esc/ motor combos that will get the job done, and yet wont break the bank too badly.
Thanks for any insight you can provide!
