toyboy63

new at this gas boats stuff.I have an american hobbies 50 in.with xp drive and homi 30.Play boat.I would like to put together another so I can rur a hatch.My engine is too high to fit the hatch.I have a water cooled head,and need a boat deep enough to fit.I also need a tuned pipe(wet)to go inside.I am thinking on the cip57apachy.What is a good drive?I run on a big river and sometimes weeds.they con raise heck with a cheep rudder.

magyarbacsi

Now you're hooked. You will not be happy with what you have,and will buy bigger and faster hulls thinking the perfect boat or motor is just around the bend. Run while you can. Been there, still doing it, and still enjoying it. Just kidding, but you will, if you stick with it long enough, spend a few dimes. Homies will fit very few boats concealed, so if you have a hatch, might considder a lower profile motor like an Zenoah, or... check out the goped motors like the He23Hp. 2.5 hp, small, and fast. I have several versions (yes, I'm hooked) and I convert them to water cooled. Also have a few Zenoahs, but they cost a bit more. I have the machines to do it so the only cost is the scrap aluminum I buy. Look on hookupz.net, he has the best prices I've found. And you can leave off some of the parts, i.e. muffler, carb, and get on for $128. shipped. (not the Zenoahs)They are compatible with Zenoah's parts like carbs and exhaust.

Re exhaust, I currently installed a Ware House Hobbies (WHH) water cooled exhaust in my 48" hull. Very happy with it. Cool sound, ease of instalation and can run with a hatch. Concealed, stays cool enough and I actually go better speeds over my dry pipes. Same everything, but I'm sure there were other factors I'm not aware of. Did play with minor carb setting and went from 36 to 44.8 mph. As far as out drives, theres a plathera of them out there. I use a Marine Speciallties dual rudder set up for a fun boat. Every vendor will tell you their's is the best. Ultumately, you'll have to make that decision as how you will use the boat and how much to spend. For fun or race. But you wont get away spending a minimum of $100 for a set up.

Weeds in the water is hard to avoid. After every run I have to clear my prop and rudder. If there are any in the water, you'll find it. Like flying and rc plane,did that for over 10 years, the only tree in Gobi desert and I would find it. I did improve through the years. In the water, its unavoidable. I use surface drives and I dont know if they snag more then the sub- surface drives but its the rudders that snag them and then tangle it in the prop. I even tried to sharpen the leading edge of the rudders to razor blade sharp, thinking it will just slice them up. Did not help and some suggest not sharpenning rudders.

Dont just take one person's or vendor's opinion. Do some reading, save money and enjoy the hobby.

toyboy63

Thanks for the info.I did the plane thing too.I have a temax I like to play with also,along with my nitro and eletc.boat.I found myself with three 25cc and three 30cc homies.That is how I got into gas boats.Would like to find a boat I can put one of these in and have hatch on.This is just a fun boat for rough water,and too show off to the bowerboaters we hang with all summer.We all raft together and hang out.Maybe I can get something going with these.There are a few radioshack boats there.Not much fun.

I run the xp drive now,and the weeds don`t seem to trip the rudder up.I wondered how strong the dual rudders were.I have heard that people have had them trip,and loose steering.Been looking at ballantine drives and single rudder.I don`t know if I will need a standoff bracket or not,if so I should stay with the xp.Thay are all sbout the same brice.

I was thinking about the wwh pipes.There is a lot of talk about them,and none bad.Do you build the boat and rig it around the pipe,or do you build the pipe around the boat.Being up here,there are no rourses for supplys for boats.I have to picture what I read.

magyarbacsi

My rudders will trip if i dont use the small sheer pins, actually wires. I have lost steering due to the tripped rudders, but I slow down and get just enough steerage to get it back. I now use small paper clip wires and they work ok. I set up the boat first using the right formula, 27-30% of hull length for the cg.Place EVERYTHING in where it will be, balance at the 30% mark and move things around to get my balance. I put the pipe in the hull too. Then mount the motor, hardware and such and then mount the pipe. Unless you have an exceedingly large hull, most pipes available will fit and extend beyond the transom. For my 48 hull, My cg is 14.4". that is the point, measured from transom, where I will pick up the boat at the gunnels and obtain a balance. The wet pipe from WHH just fit, with the pipe extending 1/4" through the transom. That was close.