Sayonara

when i spin the shaft in the drive it does not spin very freely. is this common? i guess i was expecting it to spin a little more free. it feels tight. I think i will go the route of cutting the shaft about 1/4" past the flex section and soldering it to the coupler.

now i need to drill the hole for the stuffing tube and install it. any suggestions on where to start? how do i line up the motor at the right angle?
oh boy, here we go...
DT

lzvagias

well, that is the end of cable that you cut and solder or locktite into the brass ferul but usually you'd have a square recepticle on the motor or clutch when using this conguration (from what i know anyway). i would call marine specs or whoever you bought your clutch from and ask if they offer a square insert for the collet, that is if there isn't one in it already. i know that other companies offer a square insert so i'm sure it shouldn't be a problem.

w3bby

Does your cable have a square end?
If you solder that cable into the ferrule and then clamp it into the collet you have on the clutch you are asking for trouble. The cable shortens under power and if you lock it at both ends it WILL fail.
If you insist on using this cable without a square end (on one end or the other) then you should leave a gap between the strut and the drive dog to allow for cable shrinkage, about 1/4".

Sayonara

The shaft is round on both ends and the ferrile on the strut is round. I will check the insert in the clutch collet to be sure if it is round or square but i think it is round too. sounds like this setup wont work if that is the case.

lzvagias

just leave a little space between the drive dog and back of the strut. if you have two round ends it should work fine, just solder or lock tite one end into the ferul and put the other end in the collet. i was assumng that you had a square end on one side of the cable, but with two round ends you won't need a square insert.

Justaddwata

My Feedback: (3)

I agree. Give yourself 1/8" clearence behind the strut for every 12 " of cable and you should be fine.

Regarding the snug fit of the shaft and the resistance to turning - The Ballantine strut bearings are often a little snug. It will wear in quick enough.

Sayonara

Thanks Guys !! Is there any science for drilling the stuffing tube hole? Or is there a optimal angle that the motor is to be mounted? the front 2 motor mount hols are already drilled from a previous build but there are no rear mount holes. i need to drill these.
As usual, THANKS!!!
DT

Sayonara

as some of you know, the mantis is a cat hull. when drilling this stuffing tube hole im thinking i should turn the hull upside down and drill straight into the bottom of the hull then slowly angle the drill towards the transom to create a "slot" for the tube. unless there is a "boot" or something that i can buy for the tube to go through. kind of like a yoke on a boat with inboards. i was hoping something like this would be available to give it a cleaner look. if not, ill drill and learn how to use epoxy.[X(]

also, i have my 3pk/spectrum radio setup but what would you recommend for a steering servo, throttle servo and battery pack?

Thanks!
DT

xxxboatworks

What you are looking for is called a Butch block. Makes the stuffing tube a "bolt in" instead of a epoxy job. Or...you can just dremel (not drill) a nice clean slot. Do not turn the boat upside down. Once the motor is mounted (with collet, clutch or whatever you are using) insert a 1/4" dowel or drill bit into the collet (simulating the drive cable). The will "project" where the shaft will exit the bottom of the boat. Draw the slot with a marker and slowly grind it away. Hope this helps

lzvagias

Raj, you told me not to be tellin everybody the little tricks so i wasn't gonna!

Sayonara

Raj, thanks for sharing that tip!! lzvagias, i take back all to compliments i have made about your boats !! J/K
A hole was cut there once before and has been filled in for some reason. there is also a cross brace there that the tube goes through for support. ill have to clean it up a little first.
Thanks!
DT

lzvagias

i figured somebody would chime in and share a good way, i knew you wouldn't be left hangin'. if i knew some other way i would have happily shared but it is pretty clever though and works very well.

Sayonara

I have cut the hole for the stuffing tube (thanks raj! ) Bent the tube. mounted the motor, radio box and some water fittings and fit the pipe.

BUT....[:@][:@]

I cut the shaft portion off of the flex shaft and attempted 2 times to solder the brass coupler to the flex shaft I used lead-free silver solder, flux and a plumbers torch. I heated the shaft until the outer wires turned red and tried to tin the shaft - didnt work.

can anyone offer some help here. What am i doing wrong?

THanks!

Justaddwata

My Feedback: (3)

- Way way too hot !!!! I would consider scrapping that shaft and start over (it is more than likely soft and will break at the expense of your prop). Excessive heat will soften the wires of the cable. When they are soft they are no longer springy but will bend and break (like a coat hanger wire). Solder will not stick to anything that is red (or near red) hot.

[link=http://www.modelgasboats.com/html/index.php?section=91]Heres some more info from Modelgasboats.com[/link]

vsop

I say before you ditch the cable use it to practice..

Have a vice hold the cable, wrap cloth or put wood around it so it does not transfer heat easly to the metal vise, then add some flux to the tip. Heat a little past the tip and touch the solder to the tip. Once its hot enough the solder will flow towards the heat.

Try it a few times and then when you get the hang of it do it on a new cable for good

Sayonara

Matt / VSOP - Thanks! that is the site i used to get started. I followed the pictures exactly...sort of.
The shaft is 24" and i only need about 16.25 can i cut the end off and start again. Does the type of solder or flux matter. I am using the same solder as MGB shows and standard flux for electrical. Ill try it again tonight for practice. Is doing this better than just using a flex-shaft that has the threaded shaft on the end and running it through my Ballantine strut?
Thanks!!
DT

vsop

If you use a corrosive flux then you need to make sure you clean the shaft real well once your done, otherwise it will degrade the shaft. There are tons of diffrent solders and the most important thing is its melting point. if you get a really high melting point solder it will be easier to overheat the cable before the solder flows.
Long as you are using a silver solder you should be ok.

I know most eletrical flux is corrosive, so I would either change the flux you are using or get some cleaner spray (I would just use a non corrosive flux).

And the about cutting the cable down. You should be OK, I don't think it would have heated up the flex cable far enough down that you could not trim the cable and start over

Sayonara

I tried 5 more times to get the solder to "flow" into the strands by monitoring the heat. I could get it to coat the shaft nicely but never looked to flow into the strands. i tried to chip it off to see how strong it was and i could break the solder off with some pliers. I really wish i could figure this out. Maybe what i have done is all that can be done and im expecting something that is not realistic. id love to see a video of ot done....maybe ill take one and post it.

Davcruz

My Feedback: (1)

Heat up the cable and then put flux on it while it is hot, it will seep into the stands that way. Do this several times, but don't get it really hot, just hot enough to liquify the flux. After it is nice and fluxed, then tin it with your solder the regular way. Silver fluxless solder will never go where there is no flux. Once tinned well, insert into ferrul and have fun.

Sayonara

Sounds good, Thanks! I will try that tonight. It also sounds like i need to get the better, non-corrosive flux on my way home.
Ill report out later.
Thanks!
DT

FROGMAN524

My Feedback: (5)

if you weren't using flux it won't flow well or at all...

Sayonara

Ken, i was certainly using flux. just did not continue to add it as suggested. i think it was just burning off the longer i heated it. It was also suggested that i use a non-corrosive flux to help preserve the integrity of the flex shaft. ill switch to that as well. right now i am practicing with the old cable, a new one should be here Friday.... then hopefully my practice will have paid off.

Friday i should be getting:
digital Futaba throttle servo
digital Futaba high torque steering servo
rechargeable battery pac for recever/servos
battery pac charger
3pk charger
servo holders
servo linkages
flex shaft (#2)

does anyone have any suggestions for epoxy? is any old epoxy ok?
i need to seal off and epoxy my stuffing tube in place.

Thanks!
DT

MrMikeG

That is the wrong header for that pipe!
You need a #9 header and a RPM pipe, the 2" band pipes will only tune with a 90 or 100* headers, all the rest are too long!

Sayonara

WHERE WERE YOU 2 WEEKS AGO ???? Well, um, oopsy. how bad is this going to be if its all mounted and close to being ready. Will this be very detrimental to my motor? Is an RPM pipe the same pipe just without the 2" section in the middle? if so i have one of those, ill just need the header. here are some pictures of where im at right now.....
Also, 1 other question. Can i run this with a single water pickup in the rudder that goes to my pump and then out of the pump and splits (with a y-fitting) 1 line to the water jacket and the other to the manifold/pipe? or do i need 2 pickups? 1 for the manifold/pipe and 1 for the pump for the waterjacket?

THANKS!

MrMikeG

Yes the RPM pipe is your other one. The 2" band pipe on that header is just an expensive muffler. Try the 0" band pipe, it will be easier now that you have everything in, if it doesn't get "on the pipe" then you know you will need to change the header.
I run one line to everything, Motor to manifold to pipe then overboard where you can see the flow.
Good luck and nice boat!