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Author Topic: Ripmax carlson  (Read 3269 times)

Pirate

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Ripmax carlson
« on: April 16, 2007, 12:12:43 pm »

Good day all,
for some the ripmax carlson may be an insult on the water but to one of our new young members it is a wonder. I would like to know if you can up grade the prop, ( don't know what size it is!) and if there are any other improvements that could be made!!!??? We have added some lead and that has greatly improved its running.
Thanks to all
Pirate
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Martin (Admin)

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Re: Ripmax carlson
« Reply #1 on: April 16, 2007, 04:33:30 pm »

Nothing wrong with the Carlson, had one myself, very good value for money I thought!

The propeller is the right size for the motor so I wouldn't change it for one that is much bigger. You may be able to find one the same size but with bigger blades but from memory, the propeller fitting isn't the standard type ( screw on )  so you may find it a little tricky finding a bigger one .

If you are thinking of going down that route, you could consider fitting a replacement shaft bigger motor, a 540, 550 or a 600 size. ( Don't fit a "buggy" / RC car type motor else you'll end up with a ski boat! ) If you are going to fit a bigger motor, you will also find you need to replace the prop shaft & coupling too to coup with the extra power.

As regards appearance, just look at real tugs and see what you can copy and fit or you cam buy various scale fittings from the shops and advertisers on this forum.

Martin.
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portside II

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Re: Ripmax carlson
« Reply #2 on: April 16, 2007, 05:10:51 pm »

Yo Pirate
My little carlson is one of the best ,if not the best boats i have bought .Its fun on the water and will tow my tow about the pond quite easy

and as for value for money ,i paid £70. and thats ready to run ,yep  6v battery motor esc reciever transmitter the lot and i even got the tranny batterys thrown in .
All i might say is you may have to reinforce the towing bollard .
Dont change it love it.
daz
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anmo

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Re: Ripmax carlson
« Reply #3 on: April 16, 2007, 05:27:19 pm »

Agree with Martin, nothing wrong with the Carlson, but it's easy to make it a lot better. I think I wrote about mine before, but here it is again. I took the cheap option from Howes Models, a basic boat with motor & prop but nothing else for £25.00. I wanted a fun boat to let friends have a go, so when it arrived, I was a little alarmed about the flimsy hull mouldings. You probably won't want to go this far, but I cut around the deck about 8mm from the edge to gain access to the hull, and then added a couple of layers of thin glass and epoxy, and after this hardened you could probably safely stand on the thing. Then I added a few simple mountings for 6v gelcell, ESC, rudder servo etc. Then came the hardest part, cutting a new deck from 1.5mm ply, which had to be a perfect fit within the bulwarks, added a coaming to fit the existing superstructure, and a few other small touches like a proper M4 shaft so I could use standard props, then off to the lake. It went OK, but way over scale speed, so I replaced the motor with a spare 385, and with the 35mm Graupner prop I was now using, this made it too slow. After another search in the parts box, I found an old Robbe motor of some kind, similar to a 385 but slightly larger diameter, and still too slow, so I changed the prop for a 35mm Robbe one, and now it's just right. That's all there was to it, most of the fittings are the ones that came with it, but I added one or two more bits like the bow fender, and everything else was done with a bit of paint, some masking and a steady hand. Now I have a great little boat which didn't cost much, performs well, and has converted at least two people to the delights of the hobby. The name ? The boat proudly bears the pedigree name of Crufts Champion Ludvic, the father of one of my Cairn terriers, and to me, it seems like a perfect name for a tug.

Pictures to follow.









Posted by Martin... for a small fee..... ;)
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anmo

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Re: Ripmax carlson
« Reply #4 on: April 16, 2007, 07:45:23 pm »

My lawn is looking good.....
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anmo

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Re: Ripmax carlson
« Reply #5 on: April 16, 2007, 08:02:00 pm »

Picking up a point on what Martin said earlier, the coupling on mine is the standard cheapo rubber one, 385 motor to M4 size propshaft, and it works fine. The standard shaft is 4mm at one end and a slightly odd small thread for the prop. I added a standard shaft, 4mm both ends for the set-up you see in the pics, so I can use standard M4 Robbe or Grapner prop. When you get the motor right, they are a big improvement of that silly little high-pitch prop that comes with the boat.
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Pirate

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Re: Ripmax carlson
« Reply #6 on: April 17, 2007, 08:22:55 am »

Thanks all, I think I will take your overall advice and change the shaft etc .  Then help the lad brighten up the superstructure so it looks a little more realistic.
Pirate
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Tugger

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Re: Ripmax carlson
« Reply #7 on: April 17, 2007, 10:11:01 am »

I whole heartedly agree the Carlson is a much maligned boat but with a few mods it can even compete in towing competitions. My was last seen at Balne moor last week in the pusher class. Here is a list of the mods I carried out to my vessel:
Motor changed to a 650 on 6volts geared at 2.5:1 driving a 50mm prop inside a steerable Robbe Kort nozzle. The prop shaft replaced with an M4 brass shaft.2 channel radio and 15amp Mtroniks controller.  One mod I think is very useful is the addition of freeing ports on the rear deck. The easiest way to do this is to drill through the bulwarks and push a 6mm plastic tube through an glue in place. Extra ballast added to the rear of the vessel to bring the stern down a prevent the prop aerating.
As a first step in tugs and towing it is a great starter boat not the prettiest boat in the world but it works.
If anyone wants anymore info let me know.
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norry

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Re: Ripmax carlson
« Reply #8 on: April 17, 2007, 12:48:54 pm »

  ... Hi Guys...

I witnessed tuggers Carlson in action on Sunday & it performed as good as most other tugs on the day...

If it helps to get younger people involved in our hobby then thats fine by me...

    ...Best Regards...Norry...
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Pirate

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Re: Ripmax carlson
« Reply #9 on: April 19, 2007, 08:24:18 am »

Once again thanks to all esp you Norry for your last comment. This is surely the reason for boating.......FUN.......... and to encourage the younger generation into a gentle hobby........My two sons now are very active members of Grantham & district mbc to which I am the secretary. We always encourage the young families in and are growing in number.
Regards Pirate
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