Scale Team Norway F2 Vision 20 build

[ThompsonSmith]

I’m a scale guru to the core, but wanted to get back into racing. Yes, both can be achieved, but mostly with 1/10 vintage and newer hydroplanes. I do have several hulls in this category (1954 Breathless U-22, 1979 Pay’n Pak -thank you Don Wollard!), but I’m going to be delving into F1, F2 and vintage racing outboard hulls, helping to bring a level of scale enthusiasm and resurgence to racing these outboards. Think 152vo, but focused more for the US racing scene.

It’s been a while since I’ve last raced an RC boat — jump into the hot tub time machine — last NAMBA race was at Seaside, CA course in 1987 with my RC friend since the 70s, and a Prather deep vee and K&B 7.5 (side note: I have actually raced at a RC car event, Tamiya Championships at Aliso Viejo track in SoCal 2018. Happened to win concours best of show in GT class with my HP Porsche 911 GT3). So yeah, it’s going to be rusty for me piloting an RC boat.

So back to me making scale racing outboards. I bought an original used Vision 20 that needed some love. I thought it could be transformed into looking somewhat scale with a proper paint job and sticker set. These newer style race hulls are designed to run fast. Unfortunately, for scale geeks like me, hard to make look scale. They look stretched, flattened, long and excessively narrow — compared to a scale hull like say a WSB F1 hull from Europe.

So, how to make one of these newer race hulls look somewhat scale? Jump both feet in and do it! Looking over all UIM F1 livery designs and other European F2 designs, I choose a Team Norway Stihl sponsored F2 hull to adapt over.

Plan is to eventually run a cut down Lawless drive so I can have the motor lower (and less angle), but mostly to help create a proper lexan scale looking race ready F1/F2 Mercury 200 race motor cover because, scale geek. Side racing benefit, the motor will sit lower, less wind resistance and in a more scale position.

Here’s the build progress so far. Using a TFL outboard now (this will be for my 1959 Sid-Craft F-Hydro design and build later...), but will be ordering a Lawless soon for this Vision 20.

Cheers, Thompson

 

[ThompsonSmith]

Few more photos.

 

[normlee]

Nice work, thats looks awesome!

 

[Carl Van Houten]

There are some fast FE boats out there.