dropit

i am new to the boats and this site but i bought a boat hull and i think from the searching on the web ita old prather40 and im making it into a gas boat im tight on money but think it would be fun hobby so my question is do i find a used zenoah 260 or i have a homelite 25cc weedeater motor that i been thinking about turninginto a water cooled rcmotor witch would be the best and faster out of the two

jacob711

homies are old school, slow, and bulky, a zenoah 260 would be much faster, or even better yet an rcmk s254

sikR31

u could use the weedy as an anchor... zenoah all the way

pyro1

You can go with a 23 or 26 cc stock Zenoah. This would keep your cost down. Whobbies.com sell stock Zenoah 26 engines at reasonable cost around $200.00. He also sells a 23cc aircooled that comes with the Gator. Both engines are real close to the same stock HP. You also can check ebay for some deals. Now you will have to decide on clutch or no clutch. Pipe or canister, what prop,radio,etc. Take your time and enjoy this great hobby.

pyro1

misshydro

If you want a real motor at cost alittle bit more then the zen260..Get a RCMK S-254!!!! It puts out 5.2HP!!! Thats stock!! not moded!Been hearing alot of good reports on them...They cost for 233.00-264.00.....These RCMK will put the Zens back on the drawing boards....Been hearing rumors that Zen will be made in China..RCMK are made in Korea.. I bet there will be a war between China VS Korea on the motor war...Oh I forgot there Race legal too... Most races are outlawing the Quickdraws....

eengler

I have not seen a modded RCMK that takes on a nicely modded ZEN.... Go with a stock Zenoah 260 with a 257 carb from Bonzi = $209.00.

Paul M

No offense but if you can;t swing a Stock Zen, you're probably in the wrong hobby. R/C boats are Not cheap. Good luck!!

jtdesign

Ill second that! you have to pay to play

jacob711

rcmk ftw, modded rcmk's are better than mod zens

PEERPSI

Register and keep an eye on the for sale items on www.jrcbd.com. There are modded and stock motors coming up for sale used quite often. A modded Zenoah PUM26 just went for $165. Can't beat that.

Definition of a boat, full size or scale: A whole in the water into which you pour money!

rangerfredbob

My Feedback: (13)

for someone just screwing around there's nothing wrong with working on the cheap... saying a mod motor is the only way to do it is wrong, sure a mod motor is faster and would beat a weedie boat hands down, but for someone that's not competitive or trying to race, that's not the biggest thing in the world...

that being said I'm going with a Homie 30cc weedie in my recently acquired hull... I have two of them and several 25's so parts are plentiful...

lewisdf4

+1. I started with a weedy I modified, getting the same rpms as a stock zen, but definetly not the HP. I started with this because I wasn't sure I'd enjoy the hobby and why spend a bucket of cash on something you might not enjoy? Having said that I'm now addidcted, and my next hull will be scratch built, but I am going to spend on all the running gear / engine rather than trying to fab everything myself and ending up with something I am not happy with. My woody mono / weedy combo is heaps of fun to play with and was a good entry into the world of RC boating IMHO.
Cheers, Chris

jacob711

i was talking about stock zenoahs and rcmks not mod motors, i was just saying he would be much happier with a zenoah/rcmk, it doesn't take long to get bored of a weedy engine, plus i don't see it going real good with a homie in it, its only a 40" hull, the handling will be pretty bad with a homie

rangerfredbob

My Feedback: (13)

ok, good point.

I guess I think more about myself, for the most part I'm happy putting around, but when I get bored I'll start modding the engine... after porting and a pipe I'm sure the homie would wake up.

dropit

ya im not to concerned with speed just wanting to try it out i got thehull for $5 so thought i would try building one don't want to put a lotof money in it cause there is not really any were close to me to run itso its just a cheap build cause i have had the hull laying in thecorner of the garage for about 2 yrs now and had the home lite sittingaround so fingered i would do something with it but jacob you said thehandling would be pretty bad with the home lite is that do to wight orwhat

here is a pic of the hull the cardboard is the templates for the top

martno1fan

All the reports ive seen and read and been told by those who have modded the new rcmk motor is they will eat any top modded zenoah .
Mart

bullboy8

I just think it's so funny how some of these guys on here "think" you have to run a Zen or rcmk to have funny at this hobby. If your starting to think that narrow minded about this hobby I think it's time to hang your hat up. No offense. –Ed

Not directed to you Mart LOL (since you posted last)

martno1fan

No worries mate i agree,i started with a weedy motor myself .Ive since built two for customers running arround 25-30 mph if not a bit more.Nothing wrong with starting with them at all,ill be building one in the coming weeks for my lad,theyre cheap reliable and if modded just a little can perform pretty well.It all comes down to what you want to achieve and also what you want to pay,i can pick up brand new weedys for £20 compaired to £180 for a zen now if a stock zen does arround 40-45 ina vee i dont think a 20 quid weedy is a bad investment if you can get 30 mph and have some fun.Its never going to be a race boat but it gets you on the water cheaply and effectiveley.Also leave em air cooled. open top boat they run great for anyone starting out its the best way to start in my opinion.Good way to learn before you move onto the faster zenoah or rcmk .
Mart
built this one a few weeks back ,first test run before i realised the carb was restricted.Runs even better now according to its new owner.

[link]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xz0VD7b9FBk&feature=channel_page[/link]

jacob711

yes weight and mostly the height of the engine making it top heavy, im not totally sure how it will go but from others i have seen it will most likely be a bit unpredictable (rolling, etc)

martno1fan

How big is the hull if its 40" as the name suggests it might be a tad small,the one i pictured is only 46" which is about right but a homieor similar is a tight fit.Weight hasnt been an issue though its not that much heavier than my zenoahs even with the shroud and big flywheel.I do cut part of the shroud for the exhaust and remove the clutch to gain performance though.
Mart

sikR31

hey dropit wouldnt you need to have a open boat if you are using an air cooled weedy??

dropit

i was going to put a water jacket on it like this guy does http://testfly.0catch.com/homelite/waterjacketinstall.html

dropit

here are some more pics with motor just sitting in boat

sikR31

should be sweet then. cant wait to get a hull off of my mould. not long to go till i finish it

martno1fan

Why dont you just save your self some work and leave it open top?,these motors are meant to be ran hot so cooling it might only lose some performance anyway on a stocker.