Hi folks
I've joined the forum having seen this dedicated section to the Seaport which is fantastic
. I have recently purchased a modified Seaport on ebay so that, with Spring (hopefully!) just around the corner I can once again go sailing with my dad locally, as I have had "issues" with my Aquacraft Bristol Bay that have kept me off the water and are going to be tough to resolve as she is a glued together design
When dad wanted to get into boating he bought a Hobbyengine tug - the "Southampton" - and with the help of another modeller via email I modified that by binning the standard electrics and sticking two mtroniks ESCs in (she's a twin motor, twin prop design) and 3ch 2.4 Ghz radio gear in for total control. She can turn on a sixpence now, crab, do the lot, albeit she's not that quick
But the best thing about working on that was the access - simply remove a dozen screws or so and you can have the deck off and get at everything. So I knew I wanted that this time around, and in a compact size as space is at a premium - so I arrived at the Seaport!
My boat has been modified by the previous owner with an old Mtroniks Sonik 3 Eco ESC (w/ reverse), a Graupner Speed 400 7.2v motor and coupling, and a Zebra 3ch 40mhz Radio system. There's a Hitec servo for the rudder now too which I presume is another addition. The transmitter has a rudder control that has been rigged so that the 3rd channel activates the lights if pushed forward, and the pump for the cannon if pulled back.
Yes! - the previous owner retained the cannon and ballast tank. I know from having a read on the forum that most have removed the tank, and I must admit in tests in the bath, which are all I've done so far, she is taking on a bit of water inside, not from the prop or rudder I think, but from near the tank. Does this sound normal?
Also included were three 2500mah 9.6v packs which concerned me a bit - I know the original electrics ran on 9.6v but I suspect this is a bit much for the uprated components. I do have some 2S lipos I could fit in the boat, but I have noticed that with the pump running the lights dim a bit, so wonder if the higher voltage is needed when all features are being used. Opinions welcomed.
Any other thoughts and advice on the Seaport welcomed - I can't wait to get her on to the water which will probably spawn lots more questions!!
Here's a couple of picture from the listing, but I hope to have some better ones to share soon