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[clockworks]

New to boats, but have already bought 3 secondhand models - 2 tugs and a Riva.


Considering building my first kit, although I have built a couple of plank on frame static models a while ago.


So, a wooden kit between 2 and 3 feet long. Trouble free and relatively rapid build, so a well designed and cut kit.
It needs to be something that can handle fairly choppy water, the sort of conditions that make the wind power guys think twice before launching.
Scale speeds and looks.
Not too heavy, as it's a fair walk from the car to the lake. I'll be using a pair of 3s 2200mAH Lipos and brushless, don't want to have to add loads of ballast.


Any kit suggestions?

[roadrunner440]

artesania Latina hellen r/c..3ft..stable in blue water&chop..elec's can be high mouned in hull

[clockworks]

Seems to be out of stock/discontinued

[malcolmfrary]

http://www.slecuk.com/balsa-wood/Sea-Rover-PR803.html  ??

[unbuiltnautilus]

Keeping it light rules out a number of heavy weather boats. Brushless and 3S LiPo rules out most slower scale boats, how about Caldercrafts Sea Commander, I hear it goes together very well, based on a classic Aerokits design..Hatch arrangements lend themselves well to keeping water out, and it is available!

[clockworks]

Looking at some youtube videos, the Sea Commander looks like a good option, as does the Fairey Huntsman 31. I'm a bit concerned about the small size of the Huntsman kit though - just under 2 feet. Would the Sea Commander be a better option, being about half as big again?


It doesn't have to be 3s and brushless. I've got some 2s 5000mAH buggy packs and a couple of 8 cell NiMH, and I'm happy to used brushed if that would be more suitable.


Same with the weight - doesn't need to be super-light, just something that I can lift out of the car on a cradle with one hand. Less than 10 kg?. I made the mistake of buying a ready-built tug (Hibernia) because it was well-priced and had lots of gimmicks. I struggled to get it out of the car when I got home!

[unbuiltnautilus]

I think it ticks your boxes. Stick with brushless, wave of the future! Power pack of your choice really, NiMh or LiPo will do for fast scale stuff. You only really need LiPo for the crazy fast stuff!

[clockworks]

Having had my tug disabled this morning when a bit of weed got wrapped around the propshaft, I'm wondering whether to go for something with twin props? At least it will still move if one prop gets jammed. Any suitable kits that use twin props?

[malcolmfrary]

Having had my tug disabled this morning when a bit of weed got wrapped around the propshaft, I'm wondering whether to go for something with twin props? At least it will still move if one prop gets jammed. Any suitable kits that use twin props?

http://www.amera.co.uk/product.php?range=w
W104 on that page.  Designed as a single motor type for simplicity, but very capable of being built as a two motor type.  Depending on the definition of "chop", should be very capable.
Two props in weedy water needs separate power to each prop.  Two motors, two ESCs, possibly distribution fuses feeding the ESCs.
Depending on the type of weed, on a slower boat, a weed guard ( bit of wire before the prop ) can help redirect weed away from the prop.  A prop with sharp blades helps as well, but there is no total cure.

[clockworks]

Huntsman 31 is pretty much the only model I could come up with that is easy to build with 2 motors, although most of the complete kits seem to come with just one set of running gear. Thanks for the link, it gives me another source for a kit.


Yes, 2 separate ESCs and batteries would be needed, as one stalled motor would "kill" the other if only one ESC was used.


Our lake is concrete, but hasn't been properly cleaned out for quite a few years. It was built originally as a boating lake, but has become very popular with swans, ducks and geese. Not sure whether the lack of cleaning is to encourage the birds, or because the town council can't afford to do it.
The "weed" that disabled my tug was very fine, like green hair. It wrapped around the the end of the propshaft, getting between the washers and the end of the tube - just like what happened when a Scalextric track was set up on carpet, and hairs got wrapped around the axles. Shaft was jammed solid, but the motor was still whirring away because it's fitted with an O-ring reduction drive. The drive belt was just slipping. I guess that saved a blown fuse (or worse).


Not sure that any kind of guard would deflect this kind of weed?


Fortunately another club member managed to nudge my boat back to shore - tug being recovered by a cabin cruiser.

[clockworks]

I thought I'd keep it really simple for my first kit - a springer. I bought the Aeronaut kit, as I don't have the space, time or equipment to cut and build one from a plan. Straightforward build so far - the hull is nearly complete in less than a day's work. I'm waiting for the motor and ESC to arrive from Hobbyking so that I can make a motor mount before glueing the deck into place. I'll probably change the rudder post so that it locates into a brass extension on the skeg, rather than just running in a tube above. Should help strengthen the flimsy-looking skeg too.


I ordered the slowest running 2836 brushless motor that I could find on Hobbyking, so I should get around 6500rpm on a parallel pair of 2s LiPos. With a 40mm 3 blade brass prop, that should be plenty.


I saw a couple of threads on here about the Boothbay lobster boat, so I ordered one. If all goes well with glassing/finishing the springer, that will be my third build, after an Aeronaut Mowe 2 that popped up on eBay.

[john44]

The sea queen is also a very stable boat in choppy water and also easy to build.
IT is a 46" model kit obtainable from Howes models I think.
Maybe a bit too big but not a heavy boat if you use lead acid for power and ballast.

John

[ChrisF]

I bought a 46" Huntsman and with the lead acid battery find it too big and heavy so it's currently being used as a display model.

Once I've made some more headway with my existing Fairey builds I'm going to build  a Huntsman 31 at 1:12, like my other builds which will make it 31" which for me is just right.

Chris