Pacific Planes

I am kind of new to boats and I had a couple speed related questions. I have a 52 inch formula hydroplain racing boat but it is not hitting over 30 mph. It is to the point now where I am setting the throttle trim (on controller) all the way up when I put it in the water just so it will hit 30. It is idle as high as it can without spinning the prop. Does anyone have any suggestions. I will try placing pics tomorrow but I really would like to get it moving faster. What are some of the average speeds of a 52 inch gas boat? Do you feel that nitro boats are faster is most cases? Any suggestions help.

martno1fan

hi what engine are you running in it also what prop hardware etc all these things are what matter and will determine what speed it will go.do you have any pics of the boat and the setup that way people can offer advice easier.

Pacific Planes

I will take a picture of the prop later today and post it. I don't know what type of prop it is. What do you think about the setup overall though?

wayneuk01

Is that a ebay china play boat?? Thats probly why it strugles to reach 30mph.. I once see a guy at my local lake with the same boat he endeed up putting a sikk 27cc engine in the hull it went much better but then had other problems with the hardware and engine mounts coming away from the hull. The first thing i would change would be the lunch box where the servo's are mounted but thats my opinion but thats going to give u no speed . But prop selection would be your best bet if on a budget for a little extra speed or replaceing the engine if this is within you means all the best .wayne

rickburnout666

The boat is ok but if you look through the threads on this site and others, you will see the engine you have is not the best engine to use , but it could be tuned up with a good tuned pipe and a walbro 257 carb, or just get a good Zenoah 260 Pum. Nitros rev higher and weigh less, so that helps with speed. but gassers are a lot easier to tune, and run , also fuel is a lot cheaper

Pacific Planes

Thanks guys. I figured it was the engine but now I need to figure out what the best way to tune it is. At least make sure it is getting maximum power. I have seen the exact same boat run at 45 MPH. That is all I am trying to reachfor now. I love how you put the "lunch box" comment, that is exactly what it is. That will be changed within a matter of days. I think it works for the overall purpose of keeping water out though, and weighs nothing. I have only taken it out for one run so I think I am going to take it out to the lake in a couple hours at sun rise and see what I can do. I don't know much about these types of engines. My knowledge lies with Nitro engines. Still trying to learn about boating.

wayneuk01

45 thats some speed for one of those engines is it stock or tuned or changed the engine also how are u measuring the speed on this hull and the one that does 45 ? u can allways keep the box for your lunch to go in when u go to the lake .if u have only done one run with it maybe u need to run it inn & or lean the needle's a bit if u have them on that engine or ajust the rear stut if u can.. to be honest those speed's seem a bit unrealistic in my opinion from that set up but if its working for him iam glad .
.p.s any video as it allways helps

martno1fan

there are a few guys here in the uk with that boat and more important that engine and i beleive they have a dodgy carb ,first thing to do is change it for a bigger and better one if you can.45 mph is a big ask for that engine but more than 35 is possible with a few mods but i agree the engine as it is isnt gonna get over 30 mph.also those boats are very heavy by all accounts which doesnt help.if you can get a bigger carb for it and if not get a zenoah then that boat will maybe hit 45 mph.

Pacific Planes

you have any links where I can get a better carb. What do you recommend?

martno1fan

sorry mate i cant help you there,im not sure what carbs will fit that engine but i think a guy on here found one for his maybe try searching and look under arrow shark boats.

OLD_SLOW and in the WAY

the coil might be rev limited to 9500 rpm [:'(] if its a ryobi clone the homelite coil will fit. a walbro 257 carb is the one you want but if its rev limited it will do you no good. balance on a hydro is very important. balance the boat at the leading edge of the turn/skid fin, a stock sikk or zenoah will get you close to 60 with a 6717 hydro prop

martno1fan

im not sure the walbro carbs fit that engine id measure the bolt spacing on yours before you buy a walbro carb to check the spacing is the same or within a cpl of mm as if its close you can open the holes a bit to make it fit.i think my 167 walb is 31 mm to the bolt hole centres.

Pacific Planes

Here are a couple pictures

martno1fan

one thing i do notice in that pic is the prop it looks very rough round the edges which will make it very poor.what size is it?also are the blades on it sharpened on both faces of each blade? as thats a big no no it should only be sharpened from the convex side .youres looks to have been done on the concave side which alters the pitch so that will also slow you down more than likely.

Pacific Planes

The blade is only sharpend on the convex side but I wouldn't really call it sharpend, it is dall. Should I phisically sharpen it? Also, I don't have a tape measure with me right now but the prop looks to be 2 - 2 1/4 inches diameter.

team esp

I'd follow what Old Slow has to say. Getting your prop in shape and trying a few others is also an easy and cheap way to expiriment and possibly gain a few mph. I don't know anything exactly on those motors (Fuji?), but switching from a canister to a tuned pipe exhaust has given us 5-6mph on two different boats. I don't know if your exhaust spacing would line up with a homelite, if so you could use their manifolds. I'd personally just watch getting too deep into modding that motor and sinking a ton of money to get you 8mph, when new Zenoah 260's come up on ebay in the $200-$220/shipped range almost every day.

I'd love to see it go with a stock 260, even with the canister![X(]

Good luck,
Dennis

Believe It

you need to balance the prop, not just sharpen it. Running an unbalanced prop can lead to tearing the 'driveline' up.

MrMikeG

That whole boat is made as cheap as possible, you can get them to go a lot faster but you have to do a lot of work and change everything. Best advice is try some different props, get it going a little faster so it is fun and enjoy it, if you want a 60 mph boat then you need to start with something better. That hull won't survive a 60 mph crash, and hydros do crash!

dwr9

The motor appears to me to be mounted too far to the rear of the boat. The boat is probably dragging it's rear end instead of getting up and flying as it should. Doug

Pacific Planes

Yeah, I know what you mean Mike, but for the price of the boat, you can't really beat it. I am happy overall. I would just like to get another 10 MPH out of it without dumping to much money in it. I think I really need to tweak the motor. I will post a video link after I upload it. Also, I have another boat on the way that hits 70 mph Stock. That is what I am really looking for. I will post pictures of it when I recieve it.

DWR9- At first I thought the same thing. At slow speeds it is tail heavy but after you get to about 1/2 trottle it trims/levels out nicely. Let me try to get a video up shortly so you guys can actually see it in the water. That may help.

Justaddwata

My Feedback: (3)

I hope it is a more reputable source than the company who sold you this boat.

Looks of this thread you have an intimidating amount of things to try. Most of it is good advice.

One other consideration is that the prop looks too low in the water. I typically set my prop height so the shaft is almost level with the bottom of the rear skids. It looks like it is an inch below that point.

MrMikeG

For the money it looks great!
Ok little more speed little money = 1st try props, 2nd try a 167 or 257 carb, 3rd measure the spacing on the exhaust bolts to see if a Zenoah tuned pipe will fit. 4th stick a zenoah in it. <big $$ then.
And as JAW said play with your strut height, that is free!

Pacific Planes

Thanks for the advice. It has been raining all weekend so I havn't been able to take it out. I am going to try to take it out tomorrow or Tuesday. I will let you know how it goes. I really appreciate all of your help.

soundguykaraoke50

i bought a hornet boat with the same motor.this stuff is junk,big waste of hard earned bucks.i'm sorry you got suckerd in to that hydro.best thing to do is gut the boat and start over .i used a sikk 27cc with a pipe ,boat still plows water,theres no room to get the balance right on these boats from china.good luck with yours!!!!

Pacific Planes

Thanks sound. Overall I am happy with the purchase. Boat goes about 30 and I think I can get another 10 mph out of it. I only paid 350 for it so I don't think I got ripped at all. Just the servos, radio, and hull is worth that. I guess I got a free motor. LOL. I just have a need for speed like the rest of you. If I had my choice I would have one that goes 200 mph. Oh well, another one is on the way!