New To Boating--Have some questions
 

I just bought an brand-new Atlantio 059 R/C Boat with a pistol grip transmitter of of eBay. I have some questions.
I want to increase the running time of the boat. I considered putting a gas engine in place of the electric but a gas motor needs air therefore the general appearance of the boat would look substantially different. It currently runs on a 7.2V Battery Pack. What I wanted to do is put a 9.6v battery pack in it's place but I am worried it would blow it up...does anyone know if it would blow the motor...I want to make sure because this boat was pretty expensive. If the 9.6V would work I would buy a whole bunch of packs from the store and increase my running time. I know 7.2V battery packs last less time the the 9.6's but how long do they last? And the 9.6? I just needed some help and advice...it seems everyone on hear is real experienced. :D

Here is the exact picture of it:
http://www.collectiblewheel.com/eBay...RCAtlantio.JPG

RE: New To Boating--Have some questions
 

75lover,
7.2 and 9.6 are VOLTAGE ratings. Look at the Mah ratings (milli amp hours) to determine longer run times. They run from 1400-3000+ Mah app. They are in LARGE letters on the pack. Hope this helps. Best to ya,
Gordy

RE: New To Boating--Have some questions
 

My dear Lover,

As Playtime56 stated above, the voltage ratings determen how fast the motor will run, if you want to increase the runtime you'll need more Amps, a 3000 mAh battery pack will give you twice the runtime of a 1500 mAh battery pack.

If you buy "loads of packs", and run them one after another, be aware that the motor can get very hot, even burn out.

In both cases, more packs in a row or increased mAh capacity, you'll have to watercool the motor.

The simpelest way is a aluminum cooling coil around the motorcan, a tight fit with some heatcompound and finished with shrinking tube, should do the trick. waterinlet/outlet is available as an easy to install plastic gadget.

If the way the motor is mounted leaves no room for a cooling coil, you can watercool the brushes, look at www.offshoreelectrics.com in the tips and tricks section how it's done.
In addition to that, you can replace the aluminum bracket, that keeps the motor in place, with one made out of brass or copper and solder cooling pipes on the bracket, and incorporate them in the cooling loop.

The next issue will no doubt be how to make the boat faster:

Running it on one cell more (8,4V instead of 7,2V), most 550 motors can deal with the extra voltage, if watercooled.
I'm not sure if the boat comes with an ESC or only a switch, an ESC is preferable to a switch, which damages the motor in the longrun by weakening the strength of the magnets.

Changing the prop is also an option, but I would wait with that untill you've run the boat for a while, in order to be able to judge how much more the motor can take.

Give us some pics of the boat, when it arrives; sideview, rear and interior, that makes it easier to give tips.

Regards, Jan.

RE: New To Boating--Have some questions
 

Yes, I know that. But what amount of Mah's equals what amount of running time. What does 1500 mah's equal in minutes...and 3000?

RE: New To Boating--Have some questions
 

I found a 7.2V 300MAH Ni-Cd sub-c stick Battery pack with 6 cells total, at onlybattery for $39.00 it says it could be used in Kyosho, Traxxas, Tamiya, and many others...can this be used in my boat and if it can how long would it last? The battery in mine is 1700 amp 7.2V battery pack...how lond would that last Here is the link to the battery pack http://www.onlybatteries.com/showite...temID=10870.55

RE: New To Boating--Have some questions
 

That's a tough one....

Running time is related very much to how you set a boat up.

I can only speak for my own boats; my mono 1 with a 600/20 motor, 37,5 K-prop, runs on 7 cells GP 3300 NiMH for about 8 minutes full speed. My mono 2, with a 700 neodym, 45K-prop, on 12 cells GP 3300 NiMH, runs for 7 minutes full speed.

All these motors, including your 550 are 65 -70 % efficient at best, so even a more efficient motor will give you more runtime.

My estimate is about 6-8 minutes runtime for your Atlantio, full speed, on the 1500mA pack, it's a wild guess, maybe it's much more (fingers crossed...).

Regards, Jan.

RE: New To Boating--Have some questions
 

Do you mean 3000 MAH? 300 is really low.
I can't get the link to work, but if the battery is 3000MAH it is likely a NiMH, NOT a NiCAD style. You probably need a new charger also, unless the one that came with your boat can do NiMHs too (doubtful).

The highest MAH NiCADS right now are 2400 as far as I know.

RE: New To Boating--Have some questions
 

Yes I mean 3000MAH.You're right..it is NiMH battery....I would have to buy another charger...what I want to know is how long that battery pack lasts...30 minutes?
Thanks for everyone's help. I am a begginer so I need LOT of help...for everything. =)
And I want to double check to make sure I don't do nothin' wrong.
I will take into consideration what everyone said. I finally decided what I'll do. I'm going to look at how many mAh's the 7.2 volt pack (the one that comes with the boat) is. Doubling the amount mAh's in the pack would give me (using pompebled's estimations) 16 minutes out of one battery pack at full throttle. Which means I will need anywhere from 3-4 battery packs costing me about $45-50.00. The reason why 3-4 packs is because with 3 packs it gives me 48 minutes and 5 it gives me 64 minutes. And of course I will be sure to use the water cooling idea. Is this all right...I mean my estimations/ideas? And would it cost me very much to water cool my boat? Thanks in advance.

RE: New To Boating--Have some questions
 

Just keep in mind, more batteries = more heat. Definitely water cool the motor, but also be sure the wires and connectors can take it. If your going to do all these mods invest another 10-15 bucks on Deans Plugs and wires. I run NiCADS, I think they have more "oomph" than NiMH's. I do have one 7-cell 3000 NiMH, and I think the longest I've gotten out of it is around 8 minutes. That's just the way it is with most electrics. You just don't get long run times.
A water-cooling kit costs around $12.00. You need to remove the motor and install an aluminum coil around it. Then you need to drill two small holes in the hull of boat for the water pick-up and discharge port. Once that's completed just connect the tubing and your done. The coil, pick-up, and tubing all come in the kit.
You can get one at www.offshoreelectrics.com

RE: New To Boating--Have some questions
 

Hey, thanks alot..;).that's great info...glad the water cooling kit is so reasonable!
You are right...the answer is just to buy a whole bunch of battery packs and charge them...Dean Plugs and wires? Okay I'll get them...thanks so much....everyone.

RE: New To Boating--Have some questions
 

HEY...the even tell you how to put the water inlet/outlet in on the site..WOW that's neat...and did you know that that kit comes with a water inlet/outlet too? Of course you can buy a better one from Aeromarine that they showed..that is cool. neat.

RE: New To Boating--Have some questions
 

I would wait with oredering the cooling kit, untill the boat arrives, than you'll know if it's gonna fit.

Regards, Jan.

RE: New To Boating--Have some questions
 

OK.....it says for a 540 motor...and I believe that is the size of my motor. ...there is a 7.2V 3000mah battery pack for $29.00...on this one website called www.funrcboats.com The cooling coil there is more expensive then at Offshore Electrics but the Dean Plugs/Transistors are only $11.00 total. Wires $7.00 and the transistors/plugs $3.99.

RE: New To Boating--Have some questions
 

A cooling coil can be easily made by yourself buy a 4mm alu-pipe at the LHS costs less than e dollar, wind it around something a bit smaller than the motor, so it will be a tight fit on the motor.

But that's not what I meant, I think you should wait till the boat arrives, so you can see, if a cooling coil will fit at all, depending on how the motor is mounted.

Regards, Jan.

RE: New To Boating--Have some questions
 

Yeah but the cooling system at Offshore Electrics comes with everything you need...coil, water inlet/outlet, silicone water tubing...all for $12.00. Yes, I am going to wait before I order the battery packs and the Cooling Kit...the kit should fit...