project5k

Ok so here it is, at last i have pictures of some of the parts that im starting out with... 2 hulls and 5 weedy motors.. so the question is this, where do i go from here.... im looking for some decent speed, super reliability and lots of fun... oh and the pic of the lathe is just to show that i have one and that im not afraid to use it.. im still considering a jet drive but could probably be very easly talked out of it if someone were to really give me the ups and downs of it as far as reliability, performance and so on... im very seriously considering using a clutch as i will normally be by my self when im driving it and launchability will be an issue

QuickMick

Convert the homelite to watercooled first. They are easy to do. Good luck

Mick

TERBObob

My Feedback: (21)

Take the smallest one , rip off the coil , flywheel and convert the smallest one to nitro ..
Otherwise , go as stated above , with the Homie ....
About the hulls , hopefully they are the 47 inch version and not the 41 incher ... the smaller will NOT handle a weedie engine . the larger will . Also , the CG is a little off . mostly more to the rear , those hulls tend to be front( bow ) heavy .
They aill also chine on you if you get them over 45'ish . ( which can be done easily )
Either way .... you have a GOOD start for some fun times .
Start that Homie off with a PRATHER 275 in that hull and put a little backcut on the prop ... ( use the BC - berrilium copper verses the S.S ones ... a LOT easier to modify )
the 275 is MUCH better with that setup , than say a 470 or 280 ( too little and too much )
Keep us posted on progress .... [8D]

OLD_SLOW and in the WAY

stuff the homie in the boat with the big air scoop as is (aircooled )

project5k

ok, this is all awesome info, but it raises some questions.. first converting the homie to watercooled, now i can imagine how to do this, but some explination would be helpfull, i can imagine taking the jug/head off, chucking it up in the lathe and turning the fins off, then fabbing a water jacket to fit. does anyone have some pictures of this in process? im currious about mounting the water jacket to the head, i have read some other posts about using jb weld and something about orings, but i require more info on this... also, converting a gas motor to nitro, HOW?!?!?! this sounds like something that i just might try with enough information...
the orange hull had a weedy in it when i got it, but it was hodge podged together and was definately trash, i wish i still had it so i could send in some pics of the connecting rod sticking through the side of the crankcase and the huge hole that was in the top of the piston.. i dont know what that guy did, gut it was bad, very bad. as for driveline in the white hull, im thinking some kind of surface peircing drive, and have looked around, but was wondering what you guys liked and what the ups and downs were of different brands/styles. also, do i need to reinforce the transom with some kind of dence plywood and fiberglass? also, what would you think to be the best way to attach the deck to the hull... rough it up and fiberglass it? or what... like ive said in other posts, i used to run wood/fiberglass fast electrics, and while fun and very fast, im sick and tired of charging batteries... as for the clutch, im thinking that thats just something that im going to have, due to being by myself all the time when im playing with my boats...my wife sais shes a rc widow cause i spend all of my time out in the shop, and she has absolutely no interest in being out in the sun at the lake while im playing with my boats.. i pulled the clutch apart last night and took a look at its innards, its an all metal 2 shoe style, (non pivoting) but the carrier bushings are worn out, so im looking into some good quality bearings to replace the bushings with.. as for getting the actual clutch off the engine shaft, i havent tried yet, but it looks like its just pressed on, so im thinking that with a pulley puller and maby just a tiny bit of heat, i can get it to turn loose. one last thing, im having a really hard time finding any kind of collet or adapter to fit that homie to go to a flex shaft, (um the old one perrished and is now gone) i would think that a collet would be the preferable way to go, but a square hole slide in might work as well....
please let me know what you think and thanks for all the info!!!
oh and attached is a couple pics of my 47mph elect.
a little explination on the image... the top left corner, you can see the burned spot(this is what happens when 14 cells decides to get really hot) the top right is the transom(and yes that is plumbers strap, i know forgive me, but the sucker worked) the bottom right is the motors, twin magnetic mahems that have been opened and bearings installed, the drive gears shelled out the last time i ran it when i hit the turtle, and middle bottom is of the steering survo, receiver, and water cooled esc.

skoda450

Use the Homelite for your engine. Lots of info available on the web for hopping up the Homelite. Water cooling starts just as you described. The cooling jacket can be made from several sources: buy one, the business end of an old/new aluminum bat, 2" copper tubing cap, or one I have wanted to try is a PVC 2" cap. Attachment is by threaded screws through the top into a retained portion of the top original cooling fin. Seal with O rings or high temp silicone and tap jacket with inlet (low) and outlet (high) nipples.

For the drive placement, run the stuffing tube out the transom at the bottom of the "V" so that the bottom of the tube is touching the bottom of the hull. Attach a shaft strut bearing to the transom to support the prop shaft and that will put only the blade, not the hub of the prop, in the water.

project5k

ok i think i get it, ok, so turn all of the fins off except like the inner 1/2 inch or so or the very top one, then drill and tap a couple holes in the fin, then run screws through the top of the jacket (parallel to the spark plug) into the holes... ok, that makes sence... one thing that i was thinking of was maby keeping just a little of each of the fins to help dissapate the heat from the cylinder to the water

project5k

ok, so ive been doing some research and i think that i have decided on the dual rudder, and spdIII system from warehouse, for 160 it seems like a pretty good deal. i was looking at the trim tabs, and it just looks so easy to make a set, ive decided to just build them myself, so i was wondering, how large should i make them, where to mount them, and about where should i adjust them to for my first run?

project5k

Ordered the dual rudder, spdIII drive and all as a kit so i get a new flex cable and all sorts of little goodies... also ordered 3 props to play with, i got a p275, a p280 and a p472...i just thought that a couple to play with would be a good idea, and then after i figure out just which one does the best for me, ill probably sell the others(after sharpening and polishing of course..)
i thank you all for your info and will continue to post updates and questions as they happen...
oh and im still looking for a collet for my homie engine(pictured above) so if anyone can point me in a direction that would be great...

heliguy02

Hello, I have water cooled alot of weedeater engines. I built a jig that holds the cylinder jug in the lathe while cutting off the fins. It is a round solid piece of aluminum that is turned down about .010" smaller than the id of the cyclinder bore. It has a hole drilled in the center and is taped with 1/4-18 pipe threads. Then I cut 4 slots in the end right through the hole I drilled in it. I then put a 1/4 pipe plug in the threads. With the pipe plug loose I can install the jig into the cylinder jug and then with a allen wrench I can go through the spark plug hole and tighten the pipe plug. Since pipe plug threads are tapered when I tighten the plug it speads the end of the jig out and wedges into the cylinder tight enough to hold it while turning the fins off. It works great and does not damage the inside of the cylinder.
I also made a jig to drill the small holes in the jug to hold the water sleeve on. The water sleeve is a 2" brass plumbing cap. It uses 2 orings to seal. one around the spark plug and one around the bottom.
Check out this link to my web page for some pictures.
http://www.extremerc.4mg.com/weed_eater_hop_up.htm

Also on this page you can see my homemade expansion chamber that I made out of 2 aluminum baseball bats. It sounds great.
Good luck on your boat.
-Tony

project5k

oh wow, now thats a right spiffy idea, and just in time too, i was going to run out tomarrow and buy a 4 jaw chuck for the lathe to grip the bottom of the cylindar... i think that your idea would be much easier to get centered... now all i gotta do is figure out where, in this tiny town, that i can get some round stock that size...
as for your rubber orings, how do you secure the bottom one, the top will just be pinched between the inside surface of the water jacket, and the head. but at the bottom, i could see being an issue.. please give me more description and if you can pictures... i can get a lot from a couple good high quality pics..

heliguy02

The bottom oring is actual more of a thin flat rubber disk with a hole it. I had some thin rubber that I have had for a long time that I cut the bottom disk from. If you look in the plumbing section of Lowe's or Menard's you will probably find something that will work. Sink drain gasket or toilet seal. something. The bottom ring/seal is just pinched between the cooling ring and the original cylinder cooling fin. (Don't machine all the fins off just down enough to get the ring on). You might also have to machine off just alittle of the bottom of the brass cap so that when you tighten it down it pinches the bottom and top oring at the same time. This will take some good measuring. I will see if I can get some pictures to help out.

heliguy02

Here is some pictures of my water cylinder. I have also added some pictures of my McCullough engine. I hope this helps out.

TERBObob

My Feedback: (21)

Nice job ....
but what happened to that spark plug ? Did you dunk it in the brink first ?
Suggestion ? I use VERY small O-rings around the threads of the hold-down bolts used to hold the cooling ring . Works very good and no leaks .

project5k

WHOPIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!! my new parts just came in, so here are a couple pics... but i have a couple installation questions.... should i glass in some 1/4 inch plywood into the transom to strengthen the white hull? and im figuring that the bottom of the drive should be even with the bottom of the hull, centered of course... and then the rudder mounts above the drive, with about a 1/2 inch of rudder sticking down below the bottom of the hull....

or has someone experiementes with some other setup and seen improved results...

QuickMick

Heliguy, great idea on the cylinder expanding arbor you made thats quick i bet. I have a 4 jaw chuck on my small lathe (atlas 6 swing) and usually just dial in the spark plug. I see your home made tuned pipe, now if you weld a 90 degree elbow on the front of that thing it would rock, also close in the rear of it for more back pressure. If you ever need a aluminum elbow do what I do. Look around for old automotive a/c parts. They usually have a aluminum tube that is on the dryer. enough for many elbow's.
get one, cut it and clean it up. even if you have to use silicone couplers they work. Since thin aluminum can be a Bear to weld I have used a few steel ones. Tubing from a catalytic converter. I know lots of people use copper tubing and fittings but I gotta be different. I have made tuned pipes from even two cut fire extinguishers. But nothing beats a nice looking pro made pipe when it comes to looks. WHAT SIZE pipe nipples you using in that water jacket?? 1/4 NPT.. man thats way too big. Even 18 npt looks too not so nice looking.

Project5k.. Yes go to the store and get some good wood and glass in a wood transom. When attaching our hardware, I like to use blind nuts instead of useing regular nuts and washers inside. It saves you so much time. down side is if you dont get em in stainless they will discolor and rust some if you dont clean your boat good. I usually end up glassing over mine when I have the hardware all mounted on and know im not going to move the nuts.
Your planning on only letting the rudders hang in the water 1/2 inch? man Ide go deeper than that. I dont have that strut/twin rudder setup you have and never needed twin rudders, but they look cool.
O yea after you run your boat for the day dont forget to squirt some wd40 or something of the like in the waterjacket to keep corosion down. Good Luck
(Language edit)
Mick

project5k

as for putting any kind or oil into the water jacket, i would think that it would hurt the heat transfer,... just like in a car with a blown head gasket, if oil gets into the water, then you have to maticulously clean the entire cooling system.. the oil will stick to the metals, and then not allow the water to pick up the heat.....i was thinking more along the lines of drying out the jacket with compressed air, then using a syringe, pushing etheline gylcol(antifreez) into the water jacket from the bottom port till it comes out the top one... it has anti corosion properties, and i can easly drain it here at the house before i go run(i have other old jugs of it that i have collected working on cars) then just take it to the recycling center for free when i go...

project5k

ok, so now that my hardware is starting to pile up, im thinking that its time to start drilling some holes in this nice white hull i've got... as for mounting the rudders and drive, i think ive got thoes figured out... now for the engine... how do i decide where to put it? i think the one obvious thing is as low in the hull as possible... but as far as front to back, being a 48 inch hull im guessing that something like 16 inches or 1/3..from the transom, but should i center the head at that distance, or maby the end of the flex cable... details please... im hoping to spend the better part of today and tomarrow working on this... i would love to get it running by next weekend... and only having to work wed and thursday this week makes that almost possible... oh, and also, what material should i use for the guide tube for my fles cable... i have the cable, and the teflon liner.. but should i use stainles, or brass, or what... and i'm pretty sure that i should fiberglass it into the hull...but if this isnt the case.. please tell me im doing it wrong before i screw something up....

project5k

ok, so i cut my ply to fit in the back and bottom of the hull, took a little time with a coping saw ans a dremel, but think that i have it fitting well enough to help transfer forces to the bottom and sides of the hull.. now when i go to glass this wood in, do i want to make a sandwich of the new wood, a peice of the glass, and the inside of the transom? wouldnt that help fill in any gaps, help keep water out, and strengthen it? or should i just glass over all of the exposed wood and tie that into the hull? im thinking that while the sandwich method may add a little weight, it should substansionally strengthen the bond of the wood and the hull....
ill post pictures of my cut wood later today... and if i can find someone that is open today, ill go and pickup some glass and resin, and hopefully get that started... as for the blind nuts.. i totally agree, it will make life so much easier.. my drive and rudder system came with all stainless hardware,blint nuts, screws, the works, so no worries there....

project5k

progress is being made, with the ply glasseed in and the running hardware mounted on the transom, its actually starting to look like a boat...
still hoping that someone can give me some pointers where to mount the engine and what kind of metal tube to use for the guide for the flex cable....

heliguy02

Mount the engine as low as possible. A 70-30% is a good rule of thumb. 70% from the front and 30% from the rear. So on a 48" boat the engine would be about 14.5 inches from the rear. That is measured from the center of the spark plug. Now this is just a rule of thumb. Some boats may perform better set up different.

project5k

excelent information... thats a great starting place... if no one reply'd i was going to go 1/3 from the rear.. so i would have at least been close... what about the guide tube? im thinking that either brass or stainless.. the stainless will look better, but i dont have any here, the brass might be a little soft, but im not sure... but i do have that handy....

heliguy02

As long as you use a teflon liner the brass should be fine. A word of caution, When you bend your brass tube bend it by hand and make small bends. Also put the flex cable in the tube before you bend it. This will give you a better bend and most of all keep you from kinking the tube. I kinked a few tubes before I figured this out.

project5k

good thinking, also, i was wondering, im fabing up my mount brackets for the motor, should i configure it so that the motor sits level in the hull and the flex makes a "s" curve, or should i aim the back end of the motor down so that the tube only makes one bend... my thinking is that if i set it up for a s curve then that might allow me a bit of front to back adjustment on the motor position (of course requiring a longer or shorter flex... but at least then i would have that adjustment as an option.... but i wonder about just having a single bend having less drag and wearing my teflon less.....
just some random thoughts..

heliguy02

I personally would lower the back of the engine to give the flex shaft the straightest shot out. More bends = more drag and alot more wear. This is the way I set all my boats up. Also the "S" bend may end up being to tight for the square drive end of the flex cable to go through.