P-spec tunnel

[TinoAlmanza]

Mr. Britton also please understand that I am not a hardcore racer. I just do it cause it's a blast so price does weigh into my purchases. Also if you do get a little more into FE take a look at a new charger. The one you have is fine but charging at a higher amps is soo much nicer.

 

[Mike Culhane]

Tino,

Bill and I both fully understand where you are coming from and really appreciate your input, so keep it coming!

Thanks,

Mike

 

[Mike Culhane]

Tino,

What charger are you using?

 

[Bill Britton]

Tino,

Bill and I both fully understand where you are coming from and really appreciate your input, so keep it coming!

Thanks,

Mike

I agree completely. I know squat about this FE stuff but want in badly, just want to get the right stuff when I pull the trigger.

 

[SeanKewley]

What is on your shopping list so far?

 

[Bill Britton]

What is on your shopping list so far?

So far I think I'm gonna go with;

1, UL1 2030KV motor

2, UL1 Speed Controller (maybe Swordfish 120 if Namba and Impba legal. Someone let me know.)

3, XPS Platinum Plus 5000mAh 4S1P (two of them)

The controller and the batteries are really what I am looking for advice on.

 

[SeanKewley]

What is on your shopping list so far?

So far I think I'm gonna go with;

1, UL1 2030KV motor

2, UL1 Speed Controller (maybe Swordfish 120 if Namba and Impba legal. Someone let me know.)

3, XPS Platinum Plus 5000mAh 4S1P (two of them)

The controller and the batteries are really what I am looking for advice on.

The list looks good. For the most part the ESC is open in the P-limited classes but you should check with your local club to make sure.

Seeing that you are in FL you should contact Ken Haines or Jason Simms. They are big in the FE racing in FL and would be a good resource for you.

 

[HOTWATER]

What is on your shopping list so far?

So far I think I'm gonna go with;

1, UL1 2030KV motor

2, UL1 Speed Controller (maybe Swordfish 120 if Namba and Impba legal. Someone let me know.)

3, XPS Platinum Plus 5000mAh 4S1P (two of them)

The controller and the batteries are really what I am looking for advice on.

The list looks good. For the most part the ESC is open in the P-limited classes but you should check with your local club to make sure.

Seeing that you are in FL you should contact Ken Haines or Jason Simms. They are big in the FE racing in FL and would be a good resource for you.

I agree...the UL-1 motor and ESC is great (and cheap)...you will be set there. I also agree about checking with those guys on what you can use ESC wise, but you will be fine with the UL-1 stuff. I am running them in two riggers, the JAE and Rigged Insanity as well as the Vision FE tunnel I am building for P-spec in D. 12. I am using Hyperion 5000 35C lipos in everything I am running (including my P-mono Rico)...good quality lipos to use!

I am also using a Hyperion Duo II charger...very nice charger! I have a small PC power supply and also larger Pyramid Power supply (600W 35 amp) to run it at home or on the road if i'm staying at a hotel to charge at night before the races. At the race site I have been sharing a marine battery that my bro, Chilli Mike brings with him...we both hook our Duo's to it and have had no problems with the Marine batt. dying on us. A generator is a good backup which Chilli also brings with him for us to use....

Hope that helps some...

-Kent

 

[Mark Leyde]

I found these batteries Here Tim just bought three of them a couple of weeks ago. hopefully they will be back in stock soon.

Mark

 

[Chilli]

I found these batteries Here Tim just bought three of them a couple of weeks ago. hopefully they will be back in stock soon.

Mark

I see those have 4mm bannana plugs. Are they the type that have the battery cables that plug into the the pack???

 

[Mark Leyde]

I found these batteries Here Tim just bought three of them a couple of weeks ago. hopefully they will be back in stock soon.

Mark

I see those have 4mm bannana plugs. Are they the type that have the battery cables that plug into the the pack???

Nope

 

[TinoAlmanza]

Tino,

What charger are you using?

My link

Geez do I look like a hobbyking salesman yet?

It does everything I need. It is LOUD though. Shipping was also pretty high when I bought mine.

 

[SeanKewley]

Bill,

Here is a link to a FE Florida club: http://forums.offshoreelectrics.com/showthread.php?t=2025 Not sure if it is near you or not, but worth checking into.

Tino, are you sponsored by HK?

 

[Bill Britton]

Sean thanks for the heads up on the club. I know some of those guys but not real well as I did not do electric.

I think I have made my choice on the batteries. I will get the XPS Platinum Plus 5000mAh 4S1P's

I have been comparing the controllers and it has come down to two.

1, Hifei Swordfish 120

2, Castle Hydra 120

The Hydra has lower resistance numbers and has a dimensionally smaller footprint.

So the final two questions I have are;

1, Your opinions of the Hifei Swordfish 120 vs. Castle Hydra 120

2, are these controllers legal in the p-spec class in Namba and Impba. (I tried to look at the rulebooks, but they are convoluted at best.)

The answers to these questions will determine the controller I get.

And finally start building!

 

[SeanKewley]

Sean thanks for the heads up on the club. I know some of those guys but not real well as I did not do electric.

I think I have made my choice on the batteries. I will get the XPS Platinum Plus 5000mAh 4S1P's

I have been comparing the controllers and it has come down to two.

1, Hifei Swordfish 120

2, Castle Hydra 120

The Hydra has lower resistance numbers and has a dimensionally smaller footprint.

So the final two questions I have are;

1, Your opinions of the Hifei Swordfish 120 vs. Castle Hydra 120

2, are these controllers legal in the p-spec class in Namba and Impba. (I tried to look at the rulebooks, but they are convoluted at best.)

The answers to these questions will determine the controller I get.

And finally start building!

I use Castle Creation ESCs for my P-Limited “spec” boats and like them very much. They are also built in the USA and have really good customer service/support, which is important to me.

I have not used a Swordfish yet so I can’t personally comment on them, but others have said good things about them on Offshore Electrics.

There are no official rules on the P-limited classes for NAMBA or IMPBA. We have been running these classes on our own without "official" rules for the last 3-4 years with really good success and attendance. NAMBA will have a proposal in the March Propwash regarding the P-limited classes, and to my knowledge the ESC is not being limited, only the motor, voltage, and hull dimensions.

The ESC is not spec’d in 95% of the clubs that run P-limited classes, and they are not spec’d at any of the National FE race events. To my knowledge there are only a few clubs that spec the ESCs, hence why I said that you should reach out to that FL club to see what they are running. They may have some other recommendations too. I believe some of them are running Turnigy ESCs there in the P-limited boats.

 

[Doug Smock]

Just a note in case you want to race in IMPBA D12 or D13 Bill.

The ESCs are limited in both districts and there is a proposal in the works to limit them at a national level in the IMPBA.

The UL1 ESCs are great little controls. We haven't had a motor or ESC failure in any class in the three years we've been running them.

Hope to see you at the races!

Doug

 

[SeanKewley]

Doug,

You have a PM.

 

[Mike Luszcz]

Well, Decided to post a little, and back up Doug Smock. The UL-1 controller, really, is all you need, and it is all that is legal in D12, other districts of IMPBA. I have burnt 120 controllers in the past, and as much as I hate to support a monopoly, the UL-1 esc has never failed me. I think if you start allowing dis-similar esc's, you might as well throw the whole class away. You gotta keep the motor and esc similar, that way you keep hull sizes similar. If you wanna be fast in a P-spec (sorry Doug, P-limited) environment you need to learn your setup, your hull, and your props. That is the cheat sheet in this class. Learning how to maximize the efficiency of your hull will win you races, and good driving of course! Hope this helped.

I was not going to self promote here, but I saw Hotwater mention my tunnel, and others were looking for difference choices, so here it is. This is the PS295 from MLBoatworks. It is based on a creation myself and Dick Loeb created, our Gas Tunnel hull the "L&L Special". I took my last 2 years of running all different brands of hulls there were on the market, finding what was wrong for an FE setup, and used the knowledge to create what I think is going to be a really good P-spec hull. I have built 5 so far, with another 10 on the waiting list. It is a WOF design, with a built in FE radiobox that has tons of room for any possible layout you might need. I plan on getting this into a nitro form as well in the very near future as the boat is responding very well to what I am throwing at it. It turns at any angle you need to go. It's fast, light, strong, doesn't hook (unless you get grass on the skeg like the video below-typical of a tunnel), and I have run it in 5" plus short chop with white caps and it powers through really well. It is also extremely predictable. When the boat scenes a bow lift, the design helps pull it back on the water. This also makes any possible blow overs VERY predictable as it gives you so much time to respond and back out of the throttle. Well, enough talk. Here is a video and some pics. It was calm in the video, but I really like the boat better with some race chop as its even faster!

Videos:

Good oval run, the spin out was due to grass on the skeg. 3 days of rain draining the college filled the pond all with that crap!

 

[Chilli]

Just a note in case you want to race in IMPBA D12 or D13 Bill.

The ESCs are limited in both districts and there is a proposal in the works to limit them at a national level in the IMPBA.

The UL1 ESCs are great little controls. We haven't had a motor or ESC failure in any class in the three years we've been running them.

Hope to see you at the races!

Doug

In addition, ESC's are also limited in P-Spec/Limited at the World Tunnel Championships. Thats the main reason we adopted them in D12.

I have fried Castles, Etti's and Turnigy but have yet to smoke a Aquacraft controller.

Congrats on kicking butt this past weekend Doug!!!! B)

 

[SeanKewley]

Is this thread an appropriate place to be discussing a rule proposal? :huh: