hi folks!
my names leigh and i could do with your help. let me start with alittle background info about my project/experiance.
i have very little rc knowledge. a few of my friends have cars/boats/planes. i've seen them close up, experimented with a few but thats about it. (excluding cheeper rc toys found under the xmas tree over the years.
now i've always wanted to build an rc steamboat. until recently the concept has always seemed quite overwhelming.
anyhoo,last week i broke a small mirror and it kick started my model boating experiance. the back of the mirror was coverer with a very thin plywood, and it got me to thinking. this stuff would be fantastic to build a model boat. (to be honest this was the first time i'd seen ply less than 1/4" thick.
with no experiance building boats, no plans, and totally flying by the seat of my pants, i started to design my boat. i sketched it first. after i was happy with a design i started to build the hull out of paper. 4 or 5 hours later i had all the pieces i needed layed out on the ply. its a very small boat measuring only 13" (I USED THE ENTIRE PIECE OF PLY TO THE MAX)
excluding prop/motor everything is from scratch including the design and all the hardware. the horn/flag pole etc i just turned brass rod in my drill and used a small file to do the shaping.
i never really intended to finish this boat. it was just a test to gauge my interest in boat building before i threw down the cake on an rc steamboat. now the boats nearing completion and starting to look like a boat lol, i'd like to see it through and actually use this little boat. (figure it would be perfect for my pool)
enough with the background and on to the problems at hand. keep inmind, this is my only boat. however in the future i'd like to purchase/build an rc steamboat and be able to use one radio for both boats.
so heres my little boat. it measures approx 13"x 5"x2.5" at its deepest point. it floats!
actually it sits very well in the water. (red paint is pretty much the waterline-back of the boat anyway)
the motor was a $1.99 special from a surplus automotive center. its only marked 12volts. i clipped a 9.volt batt to the boat, and it seems more than enough to power this small model (threw it in the swimming pool)
changing out the motor isnt out of the question, but seeing as this will mainly be for boating around in the pool with my nepthew, it doesnt need to be fast
i did vist the hobby shop to pick up a prop,oiless bushings, dog bone etc for the the drivetrain.
now i'm really limited for space. a friend of mine has a small plane (fiberglass nova?) it houses a small lithium ion batt, a tiny reciever, tiny speed control and servo's. i'd like to fine similar products for my boat.
i'm gonna need a one radio (for both boats),speed control,servo and battery, and eventually the same for the steamboat in the future (approx 3')
i'm not a die hard rc kinda guy, so i dont need the best of the best. i would however like to purchase quality components and not brake the bank.lol. i realize ya get what ya pay for and its not a cheap hobby. other than knowing the items i need, i have no product knowledge. i was hoping you guys could help with the selections and turn my model boat into an rc boat.
i realize this is probably not the sort of models that are made here(speed wise) but any help would be greatly appreciated.
what do you suggest for a radio/full sized servo's for the steamboat? can i purchase mini servo's/reciever/speed control for the smaller boat to run on the same system? i know i can match crystals, but are all radio's compatable with the right crystal? or will i need to stay with the same company products for compatability?
love to hear from the pro's. (thats you guys.
)
thanks guys and gals.
leigh
if ya have any questions/need more info, please feel free to ask.