Fun on the water...

Took one of my R/C boats out for a run today, Miss Britain III.

Some fiddling to get the speed control to give a decent speed but still not getting flat out.

After a while it slowed and stopped, luckily at the lakeside. Someone pointed out there was smoke coming pout of the front hatch...

The 540 motor had overheated, the plastic around the back bearing had melted and partly gummed it up.

Back home, the real issue seems to be that the prop tube grease was off and really thick and sticky.

Old grease out using a TIG rod followed by clutch leaner. New teflon grease in, much freer. A new buggy motor should be here before next weekend.

Will adjust the speed control range (old electronize unit) once it's all set up again.

By the way, my charger has done a sterling job of ressurecting various NiMH batteries/packs.

Here's an old pic before it got a crew.

Neil

3 turns of 3mm alloy pipe wrapped round the motor would help that. One end out the transom the other slash cut and sticking out the bottom into the prop wash, same as IC cooling.

Fantastic! I used a windscreen washer pump for my cooling running at a lower voltage than in a car. I could have relied on a scoop but then I wouldn't have had the small jet of water coming out of the transom, would I?

That's a great choice of boat to model, lovely stuff.

Ah yes boats ! that got my interest...

For my first attempt at a model R/C boat I built a twin prop motor cruiser, Ravenna, designed by Jim Pottinger.

The boat building started out when I replaced a venetian blind, I thought it a shame to throw the slats away, they are straight grained and thin enough to be bent into shape with some persuation from a little steam, and the idea came to me that they would be great for making a boat hull.

Hull nearly finished....You can see the slats on the far side.

I have not finished the painting as yet and not put the name to it, however I have tried it out on the water albeit a local stream which showed up a problem with the steering...it needed proportional control and rather than go the route of having another box of electronics I fitted two mico switches so that when the rudder is full over it disconects one of the motors and the other gives the turning torque.

The R/C control is a 2.4GHz Spectrum DX7, I think that this R/C system does not interfere with other boating radio signals but am not absolutley certain, I have been hoping to join the Etherow model boat club but at the last attempt to get there we were turned back by police who told us an unexploded bomb had been fished out of the canal....so I went home.

If there are any members of the Etherow club lookin in I would be much obliged for information to join, the last time I looked on the website the notice was that the club was in lockdown.

Bob.

I had the great pleasure of being contacted by the designer of my model boat. He had seen a video of it in action and said mine was far too overpowered and fast to use in public and would almost certainly cause an injury to an innocent bystander. To be fair if they are wading in the boating lake they are already having a bad day.

Of course, it wasn't as fast as Windy's!

If you over power one it wont turn left properly

Very nice Bob!

I've got a Spektrum DX5e, they are evry popular for boats and won't interfere with 40 or 27 (or 33)Mhz kit.

Much better actually as no crystal switching or flags!

Neil

I may do that, although opening up a dummy vent and hacking away the enveloping motor bracket will help.

I strongly suspect that now I've changed the grease it will run a lot cooler anyway.

Would have been cool to have water coming out of the little brass pipes at the back

Neil

Started in 1967 to build a 48" RAF crash tender, decided to fit a Murco 61 engine, moved 3 times, lost some of the parts and the shed roof leaked spoiling some of the hull. burnt it afew years ago. The engine I still have, not even run in ! Seemingly this would have been grossly over engined, but footage on the tube of an identical combination would indicate that it would have been a fine pairing. Noel.

I made Vic Smeed's 'whaleback inspired' model from a Model Boats special when I was in school. It was underpowered with a 'monoperm'. About 2000 I finally finished it with a freelance superstructure and got it going with a 540 motor. It went like waste matter off a shovel, with a three-foot rooster tail behind it!

I've just got it back into sailing condition, it's well over 40 years old. Will be interesting to see how it performs. back in the day I (Literally) ran rings around an off-the -shelf electric speedboat with it..

With less weight, same motor, more battery and a better designed hull Miss Britain ought to go even faster if I can get it sorted.

I have a much closer scale Whaleback in 1:16 to my own design that I want to get into sailing fettle as well. I'#ve also agreed with Dad that I can get his Cossack back on the water.

Neil

Great looking boats Neil and Bob! Nice to see them.

Oh happy day!

Today I got a genuine Tamiya (Actually Mabuchi with a genuine Tamiya sticker on it) 540 motor which will make Miss Britain zippy again and a 3000 mAh pack for the old ASRL model.

Downside... the motor must be a few thou larger than the old one, so I'm going to have to butcher its mount a bit.

Neil

Have you considered going brushless? Quite aside from the extra power the increased run-time is very noticeable.

Neil's next article "A workshop visit from D.R. Emel"

Thanks Neil/Jeff....

The motors in my boat are brushed and although it is powerful enough it would be interesting to know how much more efficient the brushless motors are, including the electronics to provide the voltages....or how much extra run time do they provide?

Also....I am a complete beginner with boats and I opted for plastic propellors, is there any advantage in having brass props?

..Bob

I've had a go. The motor I got was too small to compete with a 540.

Plastic props are flexible, there is an advantage in having a properly designed prop . Brass no, but bronze, ali or stainless oh yes.

Plastic ones are good and less susceptible to severe damage

For that boat, brass ones would look nice.

Most bronze propellers are manganese bronze which is actually a brass.