Ive been a bit hasty coming to a close on the build thread, yeah aesthetically speaking its complete but was the boat ready to go? no way! There was still lots to do!
positioning the battery:
It was decided at the very beginning what battery i would be using and i was well aware that it didn't fit between the bulkheads, so i dont have a clue why i left it so late to mess around with. In order to get the battery to fit a had to cut a section of the bulkhead out, it is held in position with some off cuts from the 6mm square i used to make the cross member for the servo mounting. All very simple, secure and easily removable.
The ESC and gubbins:
I suppose many people have their ideas about where to place their esc's and stuff, i like a lot of service access. On This boat and actually a few of my others Ive temporarily mounted the esc on a bulk head right under the deck and completely off the bottom to avoid splashing and submersion due to flooding. The receiver is also mounted high up on the underside of the deck near the steering servo to avoid the same problems. I just use sticky back velcro from Wilko, works great for holding batteries still and keeping stuff fixed like deck lids etc. Off course the balance needed checking so in the test tank it went:
This isnt actually the first time ive got the boat wet. The first time was after i had resin doped it to check for leaks, its was still exciting though, especially because this time the boat was working
Firstly i checked the water line:
Due to the position of the ESC the ride was slightly slanted but not much, at slow speed i dont think it would have made any difference but on a plane it might have had an affect, i was hoping the slight offset of the motor from the middle would have counterbalanced the ESC, it did to some degree but needed help. A method i used for ballasting in my trawler was using fish tank gravel, If i remember rightly it was about a £1 for a kilo from wilko, not the plastic stuff either proper stone. Using a sandwhich bag sat on the port side i added pinches of gravel till the ride of the boat was level. I then emptied the sandwhich bag into a balloon tied it up and stuck it way under the deck on the port side:
The method may seem barbaric and crude but it works fine, I suppose lead wheel balancers would be better but this works and cost me nothing, well nothing as far as the budget is concerned for this build. Anyway checked the waterline again:
Im sorry the pictures are a bit fuzzy i was trying my best not to drop SWMBO's camera in the bath
While the boat was in the bath the temptation to have a sail was overwhelming, so i had a tootle backwards and forwards albeit very slowly. While i was at it i tried a current test. Holding the boat still and giving it some welly I tried a 10amp fuse, it popped. I then tried a 15 amp fuse, it was fine. I was actually rather surprised and was expecting the amperage to be in 25 - 30's region, goes to show what i know. So i reckon the current draw is about 12-14 amps. I put a 20 amp fuse in to give it some head room but i can go a lot higher if necessary. The esc is rated to 225 amp continuous with a 675A spike limit, although i take these numbers with a pinch of salt. Esc's only temporary till a find another one.
Anyway its ready for a maiden run now