CHEAP FE HYDRO info!

[Bill Gibson]

Hey all you fast electric guys!!! ive been playin with nitro boats for 25 years, but have always wanted to build an electric hydro... other than an old mrp bud that ive played with, i have NO experiance with this awesome facet of model boating......i did race electric rc cars for a number of years,but i dont know if this helps or not..... id like to know what in your opinions would be the CHEAPEST AND SIMPLEST boat, motor, and electrics combo you might suggest?? i would like to build a SIMPLE wood sport hydro or even a rigger hull, using an 05 car type motor and a CHEAP 6 or 7 cell battery pack..(nicad? etc.) Im all to aware that speed costs money but i really lookin for the biggest bang for the lowest buck! i mean CHEAP man!! any and all suggestions and information would be greatly APPRECIATED!!! Thanks, Bill

 

[Paul Pachmayer]

Hi Bill,

I would go with a .12 size rigger, 19 turn Chameleon type motor and a 1732 prop with 7 cells. Pretty fast and cheap.

Paul.

 

[Jim Caldwell]

rumrunnerracing.com in the used boats section or they have build contest with free plans going on.

 

[Dr. Jet]

You want fast and cheap? Try one of Randy Naylor's Micro Hydros ($29.95 for the hull kit) with this $28 motor/ESC combo: http://cgi.ebay.com/3000-Helicopter-Outrun...1QQcmdZViewItem Use a prop around 30 mm or so with a 1300~2500 mah 2S1P Lipo. I have been using a plastic (cheap) X431. Sometimes I remove the tongue, and I have reduced the diameters to 28 mm with good results. I will soon have a speedy little micro that will run for 10 minutes at wide open throttle (if I can keep it on the water) for under $200 ready to run, including batteries, radio, servo, motor, controller, hardware and prop. Speeds for another similar-sized composite hull with the same motor are in the low 30s, which is not bad for a 15" boat. Furthermore, there are more places to run a really small boat, such as a fountain, waterfeature, or a golf course water trap.

Be careful when you seek the cheapest fast electric, you may find something more unusual than you expected. If you were more specific; min/max hull length, size/number of cells, or some similar parameters, it would be easier to give you the BEST answer.

 

[Bill Gibson]

You want fast and cheap? Try one of Randy Naylor's Micro Hydros ($29.95 for the hull kit) with this $28 motor/ESC combo: <a href="http://cgi.ebay.com/3000-Helicopter-Outrun...1QQcmdZViewItem" target="_blank">http://cgi.ebay.com/3000-Helicopter-Outrun...1QQcmdZViewItem</a> Use a prop around 30 mm or so with a 1300~2500 mah 2S1P Lipo. I have been using a plastic (cheap) X431. Sometimes I remove the tongue, and I have reduced the diameters to 28 mm with good results. I will soon have a speedy little micro that will run for 10 minutes at wide open throttle (if I can keep it on the water) for under $200 ready to run, including batteries, radio, servo, motor, controller, hardware and prop. Speeds for another similar-sized composite hull with the same motor are in the low 30s, which is not bad for a 15" boat. Furthermore, there are more places to run a really small boat, such as a fountain, waterfeature, or a golf course water trap.
Be careful when you seek the cheapest fast electric, you may find something more unusual than you expected. If you were more specific; min/max hull length, size/number of cells, or some similar parameters, it would be easier to give you the BEST answer.

Hi Dr. Jet...that sounds like a cool setup....I think ive seen that type of boat running at the brandon pond... is that the same boat? The thing is that im kind of a wood building dinosaur...20 to 24 inches long 3 point hydro 6 to 8 cells maybe? 05 type motor....nothing hi tech...doesnt have to be lightning fast either....again, i really know next to nothing about electric boats..... Thanks!, Bill

 

[Dr. Jet]

You have just perfectly described any one of several 1/16th scale hydro plans produced by Garry Finlay. They are all about 22"~24" Ideal for 6-cell and 05 car motor or small brushless. There are hull plans from the 50s, 60s, 70's and maybe even the 80s. These plans are available for free as a *.pdf file at RRR. There is a charge for printing/mailing if you need a hard copy.

You probably saw the MiniCat at Brandon Pond. More info is available here: http://www.minicatracingusa.com/front page.htmlhttp://www.minicatracingusa.com/front page.html

 

[Bill Gibson]

You have just perfectly described any one of several 1/16th scale hydro pland produced by Garry Finlay. They are all about 22"~24" Ideal for 6-cell and 05 car motor or small brushless. There are hull plans from the 50s, 60s, 70's and maybe even the 80s. These plans are available for free as a *.pdf file at RRR. There is a charge for printing/mailing if you need a hard copy.
You probably saw the MiniCat at Brandon Pond. More info is available here: http://www.minicatracingusa.com/front%20page.html

Hi Dr. Jet..... yep! thats the boat i saw.....i was impressed with its performance!! Thanks so much for your help!... I will try to contact mr. Finlay about his plans.

 

[Dr. Jet]

Plans for the '56 Ted Jones, '69 Notre Dame, and '77 Atlas are available here: http://216.120.233.47/buildoff.htm

 

[Andy Greene]

Bill, I have a partially completed .12 rigger that would fit the bill nicely-I fact thats what I was gonna do. I will try and remeber to bring it next weekend. I also have a ton of 05 motors you can pick through.

Andy

 

[Bill Gibson]

Bill, I have a partially completed .12 rigger that would fit the bill nicely-I fact thats what I was gonna do. I will try and remeber to bring it next weekend. I also have a ton of 05 motors you can pick through.
Andy

Andy, sent you a p.m., thanks, Bill

 

[Andy Greene]

Bill, I have a partially completed .12 rigger that would fit the bill nicely-I fact thats what I was gonna do. I will try and remeber to bring it next weekend. I also have a ton of 05 motors you can pick through.
Andy

Andy, sent you a p.m., thanks, Bill

Call me tonight- sent you back a PM.

 

[Bill Gibson]

Plans for the '56 Ted Jones, '69 Notre Dame, and '77 Atlas are available here: http://216.120.233.47/buildoff.htm

Dr. Jet, Thanks for directing me to the rum runner site! i found plans to build my all time favorite unlimited hydroplane, the 1973 paynpak!! also, i was going thru some of my junk (and i do mean junk!) and i found a complete dumas thriftway too....24" long,etc....whats your opinion on this boat as a platform ??? also, should i substitute the wood in the kit with lighter wood, like balsa? im aware that weight is a huge issue with limited powered electrics,but am not sure what materials to use... Thanks, Bill

 

[andrewhendler]

that will be a nice hull for electric. I have to say that this site for nitro and rumrunner for electric are my favorite sites on the net.

If you go to the build off page and set the search date back to the begging you will find more than enough info.

 

[Dr. Jet]

.......should i substitute the wood in the kit with lighter wood, like balsa? im aware that weight is a huge issue with limited powered electrics,but am not sure what materials to use...

Bill,

With modern brushless motors and LiPo batteries, weight is no longer the critical issue it used to be. Some FE racers are actually finding they need to add weight in some instances. As for the Dumas kit, I am not that familiar with it, so I can not comment on the weight of the wood in the kit. It would be beneficial to replace any excessively heavy wood in the kit with lighter material from your local balsa/plywood source. You can make lightweight structural wood components by laminating thin plywood over a balsa sheet core.

I built the '56 Ted Jones hull as the '57 Short Circuit (Actually a Staudacher hull as I recall) and powered it with an 1110/1.5D NeuMotor turning a D/T X427 on 6 cells. It was amazingly quick with the small-diameter (Speed 400-sized) motor.