1967brutus

Since I like to deviate from the trodden path once in a while, here Just a little project that has taken 7 years to mature:


I took an ASP FS30, converted it to run on gasoline, added a HUGE flywheel, a TINY carb and a Futaba GV1 governor, fitted it into a boat with a variable pitch propeller, and ended up with this:



It does not always have to be the same as everybody else does, and who cares about manufacturers building and/or operating instructions when you can write your own?

1967brutus

And how it sounds with the video slowed down...


Just like the real thing...

Hydro Junkie

Actually, this thread should have been placed in the gas boat forum. I do like the boat, just not the location

1967brutus

I was hesitating a bit before I posted, but the gas boat section explicitly says it is about speedboats, and this boat is basically a semi scale representation of a type of boats that actually existed... So... What else could I do?

Hydro Junkie

Sounds to me like you didn't really have any real options in this case.
Since I build scale nitro hydroplanes, I tend to be a bit more literal on the definition of "scale" than many. Hope I didn't come across as being too literal on the subject.

1967brutus

Don't worry Hydro, it's not you, I am the one with the language barrier here

You're right, there also is plenty "scale" in speed, but I think the main focus in that subforum is speed, not scale. And this thing, well, no denying she IS "fast" for her scale, but that was an unintended and unexpected side-effect. There is not even 20 Watt of power installed in there I don't think the exact fuel type or power source should be the deciding factor, in this specific case that power source is more like a gimmick, a "look what I did here".

Yet, feel free to move it if you want, I'm not the judge of that I think...

Hydro Junkie

I'm not one with that power either so, with that said, I don't think either of us needs to worry about it. In fact, at this point, I have more important things to worry about. I spent Monday night, Tuesday and most of Wednesday in the hospital with lung and heart issues with follow up appointments tomorrow and Thursday. Kind of puts hobbies back into perspective as far as importance goes

1967brutus

Aw, dang... My bad, I thought you were one of the mods in this section.

Ah, well, then let's not worry about it.

Very sad to hear about your health issues. Here's wishing all the best for you.

Hydro Junkie

Nope, not a moderator nor would I want to be one. Just been around for 19 years so I have a pretty good idea what they will and won't allow. As for the last part, I'll get an up date in a few hours as to WHEN I'll be back in the hospital. Wife is hoping it's before the end of the year just to get me back on my feet as it's really screwing up what I can and can't do at the moment

1967brutus

No idea why I had that silly idea in my head that you were one then...

Seriously wishing you all the best with that.

1967brutus

Meanwhile, this thing has consistently shown to consume the shocking amount of approximately 0,5 oz of gasoline per hour...

Now THAT is cheap fun... Heck, I think the electricity to charge the RX battery is more expensive than the fuel it burns...

An impression of this afternoon:

Kmot

My Feedback: (24)

IMHO, regardless of the power source, it is a scale boat and hence belongs in the Scale Boats forum.

1967brutus

Thanks, Tom!

I really liked building this one...

1967brutus

The building of course was long done, but I have the habit to do the running first, and the finishing later.

Finally got around to

Naming the boat:

Crewing it:

And creating acceptable living conditions for the crew. The windows are in, and at least there is COFFEE!

then the engineer complained about withdrawal symptoms, so I removed the no smoking sign.


As a technical aside: due to the fact that the engine is electronically governed, the carb adjustment literally is "in the blind" because ANY RPM gain due to a leaner or richer mixture is immediately compensated by the governor, so there is no possibility to adjust based on exhaust note.
Now it just so happened that I recently bought a CO meter for work on my old Ducatis, and I wondered if that would work here as well...
Well, whaddayaknow, it does! the engine as it was according to my best "blind" attempts, showed approx 10% CO in the exhaust gas.
With carefully and gradually leaning out (the exhaust gas volume produced is very small so the measurement responds very slow) I managed to get it down to about 2~3%. The weird thing was that it took the engine several minutes to actually start running better, which I cannot fully explain, but it DOES make it understandable why it was so darn difficult to tune "by feel": Apparently, the running behaviour immediately after changing the mixture is NOT representative for that setting, it will change a bit over time.

Now, since I had the exhaust gas measurement, I was convinced that a mixture resulting in about 2~3% CO HAS to be correct, so I ran the engine like that for a while and dang... about 5 minutes into it, the engine started to really behave. Significantly less smoke, significantly less smell and pretty decent throttle response resulting is a fairly stable and consistent governor output.

I have a vid of that, unfortunately narrated in dutch, but every time I comment, I either go from neutral to full ahead, or full astern or similar (a load change anyway)


If you select full screen, you can see the throttle lever, and thus the governor output. I don't do that, the governor is autonomous.

1967brutus

1967brutus

Since nothing is happening here anyway, I'd thought to lighten the mood with another video...

First outing on a larger lake with some "sea and swell"...


Boat handled it fairly well, took in a bit of water. Not much and nothing shocking, but unfortunately my impeccable foresight and building skills forgot to take into account how to empty the bilges...