Does anyone know where I might be able to buy a Zigzag racer, without motor, speedcontroller, RX set, and battery?
I just want the hull, ive allready got all the parts needed from my old boat.

These are small nippy little boats, and I want one for on vacation. [&:]

You should be able to get it from the Hobby Shop where you got it at. There should be a parts list with the boat that will give you the numbers that you need to order it.

Yeah, ive noticed, but thats only things like all the stuff without the hull, or just everything (a factory reciever and such).
The 27Mhz (probably AM, aswell) channel is registered as a toy frequency in my country, and I dont want my boat jetting off to sea because some kid is playing with his toyshop dirtcar or something. I want to be able to control it with my own 40Mhz remote. Ive never seen a jetfast little boat like this, but the forced choice of radio kit is kinda killing the fun factor on this thing.


Ive had several small little boats, even a 7" hull with a fat Speed500 motor and a .5" speedprop under it, but it was still chugging along like a barrel of cement.

Now if I had some pics of a zigzags insides, I might think of a way to modify it, because If im not sure about it, im not gonna chuck money for it.

Actually, surprisingly the radio is an FM! Here in the States, 27 Mhz is also shared with Citizen's Band radios and now they are letting the cheap RTF backyard fliers on it now. This was supposed to be a surface operated vehicle only frequency but they snuck the planes into it.
I've heard of these boats being built up with a 5-cell battery pack and hotter motors.

Yeh, that was where im heading to. :P A seriously souped up wave machine.
Those little things go ape on an extra cell, they even jump completly out of the water some times, when you full throttle from standstill.

I'd like to get a cheap (It might get confiscated at the airport 'n such) boat that allows me to goof off on shore waves on the beach, when im on vacation.
I know there are lots of models that do this just fine, like the surferdude and the waveshark jetski, but ive read that the surferdude snaps off to easily, and the waveshark is just sluggish. I could haul my 20" Watertight V-hull with me, but that thing is simply to bulky and expencive, and once tipped over, it stays on its back.

So I still think a Zigzag refurbish is the best idea sofar, If I only could get my hands on a clean hull+motor+prop setup, like most other boats. Even secondhand is fine with me aslong as it doesnt have any nasty burns, holes or other scars. (Maybe one of you has one of these little ships gathering dust in a garage somewhere?)

Well her is a magazine review, but no interior shot.
http://www.megatech.com/images_5.0/p...0WET%20H20.pdf

As I recall there is not much more holding it closed other than a rubber band and that the interior looked like it had the motor, servo and reciever sealed somehow. I don't recall if it as screwed together, or heat sealed. I would imagine screws though.

The range on these are equal to any standard R/C equipment,
and the same Frequency that the "Traxxas E/T maxx" trucks run on.
There are 6 channels available, but the Zig Zag racer only offers two.

[link=http://www.modelflight.com.au/rc_model_videos/source/zz_500k.wmv]A video Link.[/link]

A funnier video here
http://www.offshoreelectrics.com/zig_zag_racer.htm

Some Quicktime mov files
http://www.offshoreelectrics.com/zig...acer_stock.htm


And last but not least an interior shot. Yeaa! (it's screws)
http://www.wildhobbies.com/news/defa...&articleid=762

Actually, the 27 band has been a shared band, CB, surface as well as air for as long as I can remember. I've been in RC for almost 20 years.

my god their faster than $%#%.ive got to get one of those things next time i go to the hobby shop

OMG! no mercy! This puppy is gonna be mine.
The interior Coulnd be easier. Perfect mounting possabilitys. just yoink the whole inner plastic plate out, stick in a plate of your own, and youre done.

The one video where a ZZ is goin at it at night is a boat with 1 extra cell. :P Told ya. Those things go absolutly insane on an extra volt.

You know whats silly? The whole thing in kit form (composed of spareparts) is more expencive then buying the whole thing complete with reciever.

I think ill get one [link=http://www.carttonic.com/catalog/index.php?file=catalog&action=catalog_productinfo& uid=466&pi_id=77599&clist=0,17517,77596]HERE[/link], and go on from there. Its an amazing ride to get for just 65 bucks.

I just found another site that advertises the parts also, However they offer all 6 frequencies, and
my impression is that the sevo and reciever may be integrated.
Nothing an experienced R/C modeler couldn't deal with, but it is good to know that you can pick the any of the other 4 frequencies.

[link=http://h1070425.hobbyshopnow.com/services/advanceresultsDetail.asp?display=pictures&strProd= ZIG%20ZAG&strSearchType=ALL&strInCategory=ALL&strI nManufacturer=ALL&PageNum=2&strSortBy=ProdNumAsc]Zig zag hull and parts(or search zigzag on the site0[/link]

My toy tank came with a 27.145. We tried to use a regular transmitter with the same frequency and crystal, but it would not control the tank. The "tones" or "wavelength" signals that tell the tank what to do were different than the "Traxxas" R/C frequencies. You may find the same applies to the radio system in the Zig Zag Racer.

I was planning on ripping that all out, anyway. I want my Hitec pico 40Mhz reciever in there, along with a microservo and one of my ESC's.
But theres no way of getting a complete loose hull for less then 65 dollar, so id rather buy the whole set and just rip out everything I dont want.
The buoy's might be fun to use anyway. Ill just chuck em in at a local lake, and leave em there for everyone to use.

And whats with those "canopy hooks"? I gues just hooking the canopy on wont make it watertight though?
Perhaps its an aid to fish the boat out of the water when it has stranded in the middle of a pool? [&:]

Actually , the hook is mounted to the inside of the canopy, and that is the only thing that holds the canopy down. The way the canopy sits on the hull is what keeps the water out.
If you could design a slotted "V" jump so that the propeller shaft and rudder would self center as you hit the ramp, you could probably get the Zig Zag to dive under and come back up.

I keep hoping the price will come down.

Hahah, brilliant. [&:]
Youve gave me an idea. How about taking 2 sodabottles and make a floating ramp? [8D]
Just shove it in position with your zigzags waterpolo front thingy.
A zigzag is actually small enough to take on that kind of ramp.

But dont you think diving under will make water creep under the canopy?

And now I know why there was a rubberband on the hull bottom.

Not how we build them! Close to 30mph and they selfright if built right.

Check out the top video of a waveshark in the ocean
http://www.offshoreelectrics.com/videosmain.htm


I also have a used zig zag with burn up motor if your interested.

Steven Vaccaro
www.OffshoreElectrics.com

That waveshark does go nicely, but theire also twice as expencive as a zigzag, so ill stick with that.
The shop I showed, has an offer of 65 dollar for the whole package, and I think its a fair deal for a brand new boat with battery and motor.
If your old zigzag had a burnt out circuitboard instead of a dead motor, I might have bought it. :P

But how did you like your zigzag? Was it worth the money?

Well I own three of them. I have one with a bad radio also.
They are very good. We beat the heck out of them. We use them in our pool.
The clorine in the water damages the motors. The bad reciever in the boat was
my fault. I did a poor job of resealing it after replacing a motor.

Steven Vaccaro
www.OffshoreElectrics.com

Hmm, So theire not watertight and water can indeed get inside the boat? (How elce can the motor get damaged by chlorine)?

Is it easily possible to refurbish it so it ll run on my futuba radio gear (Like ripping out the factory reciever, ESC and rudder things)? All I really need is a undamaged hull, with a motor in good condition and a batterypack, because ive allready got all other stuff.

more expensive but MUCH tougher try the Sloopy.
you can see mine doing its tricks on my site www.philsrcworld.fsnet.co.uk look under boats, sloopy rebuild, and also movies

http://www.prestwich.ndirect.co.uk/fastelec.htm

Why does this scare me off? [&:]
Ive never built with wood before, So Im a little iffy about starting on something like this. It even has to be watertight.

edit
http://www.philsrcmovies5.fsnet.co.uk/sloopysub.htm
What am I looking at here?? Subby?

Is this your boat?
Amazing stuff on the watercooling bit! All this is a a bit beyond my grasp.

it's preformed fiber reinforced plastic, thats just gluing the two halves together ( and thats the boat done!! ).
the water jacket isn't nessasary as it comes with a cooling tube, i just had a crappy 3 coil that didn't do much, i also run 8 cells stock motor not 6 on a standard.
The jacket was easy to make tho i'd like to use 3mm coper strands rather than the stuff i used, i even made up a cooler that my speedo slides onto.
the lid is held by diamond tape ( waterproof ) and makes the boat water tight so waves are no problem. as you can see in that vid mine is quite happy ducking under the water and you even have control of it.
The design is also self righting

it's a Zigzag with balls, tho i have to admit those look like a big bag of fun, quick too

Ill go and check up on the price of one of those sloopy's then.
I thought those things were made out of wood only. :P