Trial #2

Trial #2

I decided to conduct the second trial on a larger lake since this boat is showing a lot of speed.  I replaced the failed controller with a RC-Hydros 90 amp penguin unit.   This ESC is water cooled so I ran the water cooling hose to it first, then to the motor.  Well, all is ready, here goes...

I found the ESC was very controllable.  I was able to slowly leave the shore and head out for open water.  Once clear of any obstacles, I nailed the throttle...

I ask someone to snap a few pictures of the boat as I piloted around.  It was not easy to keep the boat in the frame as you can see here.  At least you can see the rooster tail the boat leaves.  It really throws some water!

The speed was great but the boat had a few handling problems.  First of all, I experienced a lot of prop walking and I had to dial in a lot of rudder to keep the boat going straight.  The boat was also difficult to turn.  At first, it just spun out when you tried to turn it at speed.  I adjusted the transmitter to reduce the rudder throw which prevented it from spinning out but now it turned too slowly.  Finally, after running out a set of 3300 ma batteries, the motor was pretty warm, warmer then I would like.

Trial #2 Conclusion

Wow, the boat is fast.  Maybe too fast for the lakes I usually run in.  Since the motor is running just a little bit hot, I will reduce the prop size a bit.  Really the x645 prop is ok and if I was racing, I would keep it but since I am running for sport, I want the motor to have an easier life.

The handling of the boat needs some work.  First, it prop walks pretty badly.  The ideal fix for this is to offset the drive line but I don't want to redo it.  Turning is also a problem but is easier to fix with some turn fins.

I am not going to worry about the turning problem until I experiment with the prop walk problem.  Who know, maybe I will solve both problems at once.