Boat Newbie

[Timbo]

Hey Everyone,

My name is Tim. I'm 19 years old and I attend Auburn University in Auburn, AL and am thinking about getting into racing boats. I've always been fond of boat racing since my dad used to take me to some tunnel hull races at lakes in Alabama when I was younger. I got into r/c cars about 2 years ago through my local HobbyTown and own a HPI Nitro RS4 2 and a Traxxas T-Maxx. I've had alot of fun with these racing and just plain bashing them around. Anyways, I've been thinking about doing a boat for a couple of years since we have a place on Lake Martin but I haven't gotten around to actually getting started in picking a boat that would be a good starter for me. I wanted to start out small so I've been looking into building a Dumas Short Stuff Mono Wood kit (is this another name for a deep vee?) since it's very cheap, wouldn't be too hard to build and I could have a little fun with until I build a race worthy boat. What do you think about this boat? It states that I can use a .10 nitro engine but can't find any available for some reason. I really would like to use this instead of a 05 motor being I've always loved the thrill of nitro and think it would be a little bit more of a challenge. I e-mailed Dumas about this but haven't gotten a response back about it yet. I want to race either Nitro Mono or Nitro Tunnel (inboard or outboard) later down the road. What boats would you recommend me get next for these classes (smallest displacement/size boat for each class (I like keeping it as "scale" as possible))? I might need some help in building the Short Stuff if I go with it so you might be seeing more of my posts pretty soon... Thanks for any help.

Tim

 

[Ron Olson]

I've been advising new boaters that an Aquacraft Nitro Hammer is a good starting boat. It's a good buy for the price and fast enough where you won't get bored in 10 minutes. My other choice for a cooler but more expensive boat would be the new Aeromarine Mean Machine 18. Either of these boats could teach you the basics before moving up to hotter boats.

 

[Timbo]

That mean machine looks pretty cool. But I'm looking more into actually building the entire boat (hence me asking about a wood kit). RTR is out of the question to me. I like the thrill of building something and making it right, run, and reliable just as much as running/using it. Thanks for the info though.

 

[Jerry Wyss]

I you have been running cars and such, you shouldn't have much of a problem

steering a boat. Tough part is "how" to build,,knowin' how to "rig"and how to

"paint",,if any of these apply. Then gettin' the right fuel , plug and prop. After that

how adjust everything so your first run will be pleasant. Theres also something that you might not be aware of is the "Lingo", ( the language model Folks speak)

It's different for every facet of RC. Another factor is what is the water like where

your going to run the thing,,big lakes have big wakes,,a weekend community

with lots of fullsized boats out there,,it's a consideration.

How much you want to spend is another,,I've bought some real usable stuff

from people that race for a fraction of what it cost new,,some of them are sold

right here on this site. So, think it over and ask these guy's here any question

they'er always willin' to help.

There's a K&B 3.5 Powered "Villain" tunnel for sale on this , (I think) website

right now,,Good Boat.

 

[Watercadet]

www.FireFighterBoats.com

Oh yeah... you won't be dissapointed with the .12 kit. Plus the designer is the man that gives us this board. That and there are several of us who are running THAT boat and would be more than happy to point you in the right direction. This boat will even run the car motors you are familiar with. 'Riggers are more challenging than a mono but we are all here to help and the set up and build instructions are awesome... they are on the site so you can see for your self.

Adam

 

[Jerry Wyss]

www.FireFighterBoats.com
Oh yeah... you won't be dissapointed with the .12 kit. Plus the designer is the man that gives us this board. That and there are several of us who are running THAT boat and would be more than happy to point you in the right direction. This boat will even run the car motors you are familiar with. 'Riggers are more challenging than a mono but we are all here to help and the set up and build instructions are awesome... they are on the site so you can see for your self.

Adam

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I think he's a scale guy Adam,, so I hope you don't mind if I "crossbody" you

"Rigger Nuts" :lol: :lol: :lol:

 

[TomMoorehouse]

how about something like a seaducer?

 

[Watercadet]

www.FireFighterBoats.com
Oh yeah... you won't be dissapointed with the .12 kit. Plus the designer is the man that gives us this board. That and there are several of us who are running THAT boat and would be more than happy to point you in the right direction. This boat will even run the car motors you are familiar with. 'Riggers are more challenging than a mono but we are all here to help and the set up and build instructions are awesome... they are on the site so you can see for your self.

Adam

77412[/snapback]

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I think he's a scale guy Adam,, so I hope you don't mind if I "crossbody" you

"Rigger Nuts" :lol: :lol: :lol:

77413[/snapback]

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What never heard of a 'scale' rigger???? OK so there is nothing quite like them on big water... but there should be! I am multi lingual... I have a hydro, sport boat, tunnel and a microburst (thanks Don). Crossbody? is that like a c ck block? :lol:

Adam

 

[ernest2]

tim, you can buy a plan of the wild thing mono. you can search this forum and see a lot about this boat. lots of people i guess are building this boat from plan, providing lots of info.

ernest

 

[wswatzell]

Timbo, I would agree with Earnest. The Wild Thing would be a great 1st boat. . It is easy to build, & inexpensive to build. You will be able to run it in water conditions that will keep other boat types beached. Mono just means a single point that the boat rides on at plan. Monos include deep vee’s (hull angle greater than 18deg) shallow vee’s (hull angles between 0 & 18 deg) & flat bottoms

I have a couple of pictures of it at the link below.

https://www.intlwaters.com/gallery/thumbnails.php?album=31

This is a link to the plans you can order.

http://www.rcboatmodeler.com/RB/plans/fspb1000.asp

 

[Timbo]

Thanks for everyone's input. I'm now looking into the Seaducer 20 Mono and the Wild Thing. I had originally wanted to build the wild thing since it came out in R/C Boat Modeler magazine but never got around to it. It seems liike it would be an awesome boat and fairly simple to build as you said. Everyone is telling me to start out with a .21 boat so I guess that would be the best bet for me. I'm going to get a list up today to see if I can narrow my choices down. Thanks again everyone.

 

[waterbug]

Timbo

I have a used Original Seaducer in carbon fiber that had some shipping damage that I have fixed but still needs a very small amount of exterior filling and paint touch up that could be purchased at a resonable price...!!! I can go ahead and fill it and sand for paint touchup.....I had planned to give my daughter, but have another hull in shipment that was for me...

It would make you a excellent starter boat and race boat....!!!! It will be January before I can do anything...... Right now it has a Picco 21 EXR engine and speed master hardware ready to run... The Picco is in like new condition ..!!!!!

Butch

 

[Timbo]

Wow. I was wondering if any boats were made using carbon fiber. I'm sure it's fairly light and very strong. That sounds like a good boat. Any pictures of it? I PMed you about it.

ernest2 and wswatzell,

Can I run the wild thing in any competition race in its designated class (Someone told me I might be able to run it in B Mono). If I build it, I'd like to be able to race it in official races such as Namba or anything else for that matter. I see that I could run the Seaducer with no problem.

I was looking at the Speedmaster boats and really like this Microburst. It looks like a good mono design that could really get across the water. Now I'm debating whether to get a fiberglass boat and piece what's left together and get a feel of driving and tuning my first boat or just go ahead and build a wood boat like I had planned running a risk of not getting the boat to run well due to lack of knowledge/experience of working on them.

 

[Brad Christy]

Tim,

I have always kinda thought of the 21 tunnels as the best "first" boat, although I have never run anything but outriggers, so I would have no actual experience to back up this opinion. Mike Z. builds the Villain, which is a 21 sized outboard tunnel. I'm not sure how much of the "building" has been done when you get it, but I do know that there is aconsiderable amount left to be done by the "end-user". Tunnels make great sport boats as well as race boats. The great thing about this is that if you start out right, i.e. the right boat, you can make the transition from "playing" to racing without having to buy or build a new boat.

The Dumas Hawk outrigger is another good choice if you're after a bit more speed. My first boat was the Hawk45, and I would suggest it to anyone looking for their first boat. They also make a 21 kit. You get a "box of sticks", so your desire to build from scratch is satisfied. It's fairly easy to build, set-up is relatively simple and it can be a competitive boat when you're ready to enter a race. The price is right, too, at about $75 or so for the basic kit.

Keep in mind that regardless of what you decide to build, you are going to be out a couple hundred bucks by the time you get it to the pond. If you've got your mind set on building from scratch, which I can't hold against you at all, then buy a kit boat, and look around the used market for most everything else. This will save you a ton of capital.

Before you do anything else, the first thing I'd suggest is rooting out a local boat club and go to their pond. Talk to them and see what they are running and how they run. This might help you decide WHAT to buy/build. This will also give you access to those that are willing and able to help you through the building andset-up process.

Welcome to the wonderfully aggrivating world of model boating.

Thanks. Brad.

Titan Racing Components

BlackJack Hydros

 

[Lake S.P.O.R.T.]

Hi Tim and welcome aboard!

How long of a drive is it to Huntsville from your location? The Huntsville Model Boating Association is a great club and you could get to see some boats run at one of their club events. Also, how far from Atlanta? The Atlanta spring race is in April and there you would get to see every class of boat run and many different brands, wood and fiberglass. All club and race date info. is at impba.net

Good luck

Mark

 

[Timbo]

Brad,

I want a tunnel hull someday but not for my first built boat. The monos have the simplest overall design IMO so that's what I wanted to try my luck on first. Those nitro outboards are pretty neat too. The HobbyTown here used to have an O.S. .21 outboard that the owner let me look at. None of the guys that work/associate with the HobbyTown people run boats so I'm guessing the most local club is in Huntsville as Lake SPORT said so I haven't been able to talk to anyone in person about it.

Lake SPORT,

I'm about 2 hours away from both. I'm gonna try and find out some more info on the events coming up so I can go to one of them and actaully see some boats run in person. A guy I've been talking to from my district (District 3) of NAMBA on the NAMBA forums has told me about that race in April. I'm gonna try and make it out there if possible and maybe race.

Oh and I'm now gearing towards the Seaducer20 kit or scratch building the Wild Thing using a Rossi longstroke .21

If anyone has a Seaducer 20 kit for sale please let me know.

 

[Brad Christy]

Tim,

My suggestion is to get a glass hull first. After you get a feel for how it's supposed to run, you can tackle a scratch-built hull. I'm with you on the building thing, though. I'd much rather build than buy. It cost's you less and there is a much greater sense of pride when you are running it.

I'll check with a guy in our club. He had two of the 21 Seaducers and a 45 and decided he didn't like them. Not the boat, but the whole "inboard thing". He's an outboard guy. The boats ran great. He may still have one of the 21's. Give me a day or two and I'll get back with you.

Thanks. Brad.

Titan Racing Components

BlackJack Hydros.

 

[Ron Olson]

A .21 mono would be a good choice for a first boat. You might want to find one with a good instruction book. Microbursts are good hulls but only come with a single sheet of paper that looks like it was an unpteenth generation mimeograph. Seaducer would give you a better instruction setup.

Whatever you choose, there is plenty of help here to get you going in the right direction.

 

[Timbo]

Brad,

Please let me know if he has a .21 kit left. Are they already built or what? Youm know the more I look at it the more I'm thinking the same thing about the fiberglass hulls. I can always buy a wood kit when I get the first boat up and running. What fiberglass hull would be good then. I was thinking about the Prather Deep Vee 31". What does everything think would be a good, well priced glass boat?

Ron,

I really liked the Microburst when I first saw it but was worried about the instructions. The Seaducer has a pretty good instruction guide on their website. I'm glad this website is so helpful. Some car forums I'm on (own a 87 Toyota Supra Turbo and love working on it) aren't near as helpful and quick responding as this forum.

I'm trying to decide what to buy this week. Thanks everyone!