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[TomHugill]

Hey guys, Ive been playing about with electric boats for a couple of years now but want to branch out. I bought a pair of atlantic challengers after xmas and one of them was built with petrol in mind. I was going to do a brushless conversion but changed my mind!
 
So I need some pointers of where to start, I have the challenger (with single 49mm jet drive unit) which has rails already installed. The previous owner said he used a zenoah unit so I have purchaced a 26cc one off ebay (needs new carb seals). So what other components do I need to get this baby rocking? Do I need a tuned pipe or will any do? what sort of fail safes to folks use (I've seen a few but advice on this if nothing else would really be appreciated!) and finally I want to be able to stop the boat so I guess I need a clutch, has anyone got experience of these and can recommend?
 
I'm not looking for absolute speed at all costs but I'm hoping she will have a good turn of speed!
 

[tmbc]

well this could be a can of worms ! how long a piece of string ??? right where to we start ? is your zen standard ? is your jet unit upto the zenoah power ? 

failsafe i recommend the sparkout by doc and dave

tuned pipe they do help ! and can be fairly cheap around 70 quid including header and manifold ! see prestwich models

one big question is will it all fit in ????

[TomHugill]

Thanks for the reply tmbc, the fella sold it to me built it with ic in mind, he ran a 26cc zenoah too. So I guess it must have fitted, the boats bottom has been reinforced with extra layers of glass, there's a cutout in the transom for a pipe and it's graupners cast heavy duty jet unit so should be upto the job!

[craig dickson]

Hi Tom
It always excites me when I hear of members wanting to experience IC power. So I congratulate your thoughts of changing your mind away from electric!
What I cannot determine from your excellent photos is just how big those hulls are. Are we talking only 36 inches long or say 48 inches?
I ask the question because if you are thinking of a Zenoah power plant, you will have plenty of speed if not too much power for that hull!
If you have no experience at all of installing a petrol/gas engine in a boat, I recommend that you visit some venues that run such boats such as BMPRS events, or indeed attending a club that runs such boats. That way you could get hands on advice and see various set ups.
Also, you could consider searching for the “Gasboat Book” by Rick Eyrich published by Traplet Publications. Although the 2001 edition is old by today’s standards it provides a lot of good information in an easy to read format.
In respect of your questions:
Do you need a tuned pipe? I have never run a genuine Zenoah engine without one. However it might run with a simple manifold and silencer. But it would be a shame to do it that way as you will be losing so much potential power.
Fail safe? I recommend at the very least using a (computerised) radio control system that incorporates a simple fail safe. Such that if the receiver loses its connection with the transmitter, the receiver immediately signals the throttle servo to close the throttle fully to stop the boat.
Clutch? I have never used one. If you want to stop the boat with the engine still running at idle though, you need to ideally have installed a water cooling pump to prevent the engine from overheating.
Ok, hopefully I have given some further food for thought here.
Tmbc made some good honest comments.....
Cheers
Craig

[tmbc]

cheers craig


tom from your pm your local to me if you want to meet up for a brew and a chat about whats whats feel free to get intouch


mark

[TomHugill]

Hey mark, she's 1300mm long, I think that's about 52 inches, she's pretty big! A brew and a chat sounds good, where are you in Manchester?

I want to say I really appreciate the assistance, I asked on RCgroups and was met with stoner silence :(

[craig dickson]

Hey mark, she's 1300mm long, I think that's about 52 inches, she's pretty big! A brew and a chat sounds good, where are you in Manchester?

I want to say I really appreciate the assistance, I asked on RCgroups and was met with stoner silence :(

Hi Tom


You won't go far wrong with a meet up with Mark. I have learnt a lot from him over the last few years.
 
Craig

[tmbc]

im down at stockport 5 mins off junction 2 (cheadle exit ) my contact details are on the bmprs website feel free to give me a call 

mark

[black magic racing]

hi tom
jet drive on a clutch is ok but you will have to run a water pump so water will still flow through the engine and header to keep it cool when stationary
tuned pipe to be honest is the only way to go,the jet drive unit should be ok for the zenoah engine,the problem you may have with having a clutch is the extra room it takes up,as i told you i use to run one of these boats years ago and it ran really well,nothing like our boats today but times have moved on,but it was still good fun
glad to see you have had some reply from mark and craig
all the best and good luck with the build,
kurt and sha

[TomHugill]

For those interested here's what I've got to work with space wise





I was looking at a clutch with pump on prestwich, I can see my wallet weeping already!

[black magic racing]

loads of room there tom,

[tmbc]

theres one listed on ebay that had a ic conversion just so happens i may know who's it is i will be asking a few questions for you



 http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Atlantic-Challenger-Radio-Controlled-Boat-/171288262879?pt=UK_ToysGames_RadioControlled_JN&hash=item27e19378df


mark

[black magic racing]

not running jet drive .but on the same lines

[TomHugill]

I saw that mark! It's a shame he ditched the jet drive but I guess everything else would be the same. Thanks for enquiring