Building my first 1/8 scale . 2008 U1 Miss Elam Plus

[Hydro Junkie]

On the full sized boats, they are a structural brace(the framing is inside the airfoils) that hold the sponsons parallel as well as housing the canard linkages. The right one(in most cases) is also where the rudder cables are routed from the steering wheel shaft to a pair of pulleys inside the right sponson. You can see the access hatche on the top of the sponson at the sponson end of the brace and two more by the canard in the picture below.

 

[Greg Wannamaker]

Hey there Paul, welcome to scale hydro building, the deeper you get into it you will find that nothing is a perfect fit and you yourself will expand your building skill and knowledge over time. Looks like your on your way though, no set of wings or canards will be a perfect fit and you will need to trim, sand, adjust, repair and blend your way to the scale look you are aiming for. Try not to be distracted by the extraneous detail some provide as it is interesting at times and irrelevant most of the time. Stay focused on your desired result and it looks like your getting there, well done. Steve’s hulls are nice to work with and give a great head start but will always require tweaking to achieve your desired appearance.

 

[Paul Cooper]

Thanks guys for the replies. All good information. I agree Steve does do a nice job. I was expecting I would need to do a some fitting. The brace cowlings were quite a bit different from one side to the other. Wasn't quite expecting that . Nothing I can't remedy though.

 

[Paul Cooper]

Hi all back again with a few more questions . What hardware/ screws should I use to attach the canard brackets to the sponsons? Also would it be a good Idea to put a couple of small screws through the brackets into the canard ? I'm not ready yet to mount the HRC motor mount yet but I would like to pick up the epoxy that I will need to mount it. Any recommendations on what epoxy to use? Thanks again.

 

[Mikemalloy]

Paul, Scott Meyers has some YouTube videos on boat building, M5 Performance Hydroplanes. His boats are wood mainly but how the hardware mounts and setup is close to being the same. They may help with your building.

You were asking about what to use to mount the motor mount. I would recommend using West Systems G Flex, make sure you sand the area real well in the hull where mount is going to go.
Using 4-40 nylon is what I’ve used in the past as well to attach verticals. 6-32 nylon can also be used but they take more force to shear off and possibly damage mounting area. It well help if you use Vaseline/petroleum jelly on the threads. This helps on removing the the sheared off section of nylon screw If using blind nuts.

I’ve built various FE scale hulls and motor Esc and battery placement were different in all of them. Keep in mind the batteries will need to have easy access as they will be in and out of the hull. Velcro works great to hold them in place.

There are members in this forum with helpful info on boat building so keep asking questions and have fun

 

[Paul Cooper]

Thanks for replying Mike. Yup I'm sub'ed to Scott's channel. I'm still undecided as to where I'm going to put the batteries. Where I've got it marked is just one Idea. Any Idea which would be better to use ,the G-FLEX 650 or the G-FLEX 655(Thickened) ?

 

[Samuel Hagan JR]

I think your battery locations will be good.

 

[kyleboyer]

Hi all back again with a few more questions . What hardware/ screws should I use to attach the canard brackets to the sponsons? Also would it be a good Idea to put a couple of small screws through the brackets into the canard ? I'm not ready yet to mount the HRC motor mount yet but I would like to pick up the epoxy that I will need to mount it. Any recommendations on what epoxy to use? Thanks again.View attachment 282169View attachment 282170

Where you have your batteries marked out to go, was my first instinct as well. However I inserted mine from inside the engine well, and it proved to be difficult to install and remove, because the motor is in the way. I have found that if I want them to go in that location, I need to cut a hatch from the top where you have your tape marked 'battery'. And you will also need to push them as far forward as they can go. And then just use hatch tape to seal the battery hatch. And I would go for using foam rubber or something similiar to wedge the battery in tight or a strap as opposed to velcro, because the limited space may not alllow you to get your hands where they need, to pry the battery free from the velcro/ and or adjust CG very easily.

 

[Mikemalloy]

Where you have the batteries marked to go is good. I would not recommend cutting hatches in your deck to remove and install batteries. “Hatch tape will not keep a battery in the hull if boat flipped and landed upside down “ Here’s a pic of my buddies Madison (RcBoat Co hull) the batteries location is beside the motor and they install and remove towards the rear and over stuffing box. Recommend motor to be located more towards the cockpit area it should sit just under the deck, and the Esc goes in the front under the driver.

G-Flex 650 available on Amazon, EBay, CST, most marine suppliers.

 

[Don Ferrette]

I'm still going to say the lipo packs belong all the way up front. Far easier access and will be a HUGE help in balancing the hull.

 

[Paul Cooper]

I haven't decided where I'm putting the batteries yet . With where I marked the boat with tape it seems balanced . But it will mean cutting openings and then figuring out how to make battery boxes for both sides. If I put the batteries in front of the motor I will need to cut the bulkhead out. to get the batteries in and out of the cockpit area.

I have 2, 4s batteries I know will fit up front. I also have 2, 5s batteries for when I want to run 10s and I'm not sure they will fit in there . They are just a little bit bigger not bad though.

 

[kyleboyer]

Where you have the batteries marked to go is good. I would not recommend cutting hatches in your deck to remove and install batteries. “Hatch tape will not keep a battery in the hull if boat flipped and landed upside down “ Here’s a pic of my buddies Madison (RcBoat Co hull) the batteries location is beside the motor and they install and remove towards the rear and over stuffing box. Recommend motor to be located more towards the cockpit area it should sit just under the deck, and the Esc goes in the front under the driver.

G-Flex 650 available on Amazon, EBay, CST, most marine suppliers.

“Hatch tape will not keep a battery in the hull if boat flipped and landed upside down “ >>>This is assuming that A) the battery sits directley under the hatch, which it would not be and 2) that the battery is in there, left to just flop around unsecured which it would not be. I have one loaded out like that Madison, in a ML boat, I was/am always concerned I couldn't get a battery going critical, out fast enough that way. And I have had the boat come back to find the battery came loose and was riding on top of my motor on one occasion.

 

[Don Ferrette]

I haven't decided where I'm putting the batteries yet . With where I marked the boat with tape it seems balanced . But it will mean cutting openings and then figuring out how to make battery boxes for both sides. If I put the batteries in front of the motor I will need to cut the bulkhead out. to get the batteries in and out of the cockpit area.

I have 2, 4s batteries I know will fit up front. I also have 2, 5s batteries for when I want to run 10s and I'm not sure they will fit in there . They are just a little bit bigger not bad though.

Well you say it "seems balanced" how did you arrive at that? You need to weigh your rear wings, strut, rudder, flex shaft, etc that will be hung at back of boat and add that much weight at the transom to simulate. You will probably realize very quickly it takes a good bit of weight to offest weight that far behind your CG, which should be about 2" behind front sponson heal.

 

[Paul Cooper]

Well you say it "seems balanced" how did you arrive at that? You need to weigh your rear wings, strut, rudder, flex shaft, etc that will be hung at back of boat and add that much weight at the transom to simulate. You will probably realize very quickly it takes a good bit of weight to offest weight that far behind your CG, which should be about 2" behind front sponson heal.

Believe me I'm not even close to figuring out where the batteries go yet . People saw the tape on my hull where I was thinking about putting the batteries and assumed that was what I was doing. I still have to build the rear wings yet.

These were the questions I asked and people went off on a tangent and for the life of me I don't know why LOL. What hardware/ screws should I use to attach the canard brackets to the sponsons? Also would it be a good Idea to put a couple of small screws through the brackets into the canard ? Thanks again.

 

[Don Ferrette]

Believe me I'm not even close to figuring out where the batteries go yet . People saw the tape on my hull where I was thinking about putting the batteries and assumed that was what I was doing. I still have to build the rear wings yet.

These were the questions I asked and people went off on a tangent and for the life of me I don't know why LOL. What hardware/ screws should I use to attach the canard brackets to the sponsons? Also would it be a good Idea to put a couple of small screws through the brackets into the canard ? Thanks again.

It's all good. The nice thing about FE is your CG doesn't change as your "fuel" runs low. The lipos are the heaviest component, use them to your advantage. The less weight you have to add to balance the faster you will run and battery life will be a bit longer too. Do you know if there are any backing strips on the inside of sponsons where brackets go? You'll need some thickness there or the screws won't anchor well.

 

[RaceMechaniX]

Don did you finish that carbon Velasco Buass 1/8 scale?

 

[Don Ferrette]

Don did you finish that carbon Velasco Buass 1/8 scale?

 

[SayMikey]

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Nice boat me LIKE

 

[Paul Cooper]

Don
"Do you know if there are any backing strips on the inside of sponsons where brackets go? "

Are you talking about where the turn fin mount? If you are, Steve re-enforces that area. There is also a aluminum block glassed in. I have the Turn fin mounted already along with rudder and strut.

I haven't cut the hull yet for the stuffing tube due to not knowing where I'm going to mount the motor yet .

I'm slowly working on the canard and then the rear wings. I want to get them done so that I can get the CG right.

Edit.
Don I just realised you were talking about where the canard mounts go. Yes Steve re-enforced those areas with Carbon Fiber . Or I'm assuming that's what your taking about .

 

[jevmax]

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It turned out swell!