Winter project

[dan4004]

ok i have my dads boat he made when he was 15 (long time ago :rolleyes: ) but i thought it would be a good idea to get it going again. OK im not using his old engine well it probly dosnt work anyway.

Im going to put a electic motor in but no idea what one at all
I need all the help you can give if you dont mind as this is my 1st boat.

http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i228/dan4004/AAAA0415.jpg
http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i228/dan4004/AAAA0416.jpg
http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i228/dan4004/AAAA0417.jpg

[boat_builder]

Cool project! Cool boat! How long is it? Did he build it from a kit or from scratch? You may be able to use the same prop shaft and stuffing tube. Is the prop shaft a solid shaft or is it a flexible cable? First thing I would do is get the sand paper out and go to work. :D That way you will get a better idea of what your working with wood condition wise.

[dan4004]

i will start sanding it down tomorow.
My dad has everything somwere in the loft but i will be up there all week looking for it. so i might need to make some lids out of marine ply.
any ideas on what motor to use?

it is 36''s long and it was made in 1967 i think

[mike_victoriaBC]

A 1966 Model Maker & Model Boats mag shows that it might be an Aerokits model - Vosper Crash Tender. Shows as 34.5 in long, 10 in beam. Was suitable then for a 1.5 to 3.5 cc gas engine or electric. Those days - 3 pounds 14 shillings!
did your Dad have the gas engine in it? I could scan the ad if you were interested.
Good luck with it.

[dan4004]

yes please put the add on if you dont mind. he got the 1.5 gas engine as that was all he could afford
It was a single chanel control. 1 click for left 2 clicks for right.

[patrolboat]

thre is model fire boat site in the uk they have plans for sale plus plenty pictures
of the finished article they are very helpful there is also a web site in uk with yahoo
groups hope this is of help

[arrow5]

Looks like a water-cooled diesel there in picture, convert it to electric IMO. Modern 2 channel radio costs about £ 35-£40 with two servos. Interesting challenge you have there. Good luck and keep us posted.

[herrmill]

There are several topics on this boat over at that other site Aerokits fire boat (http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/m_2413026/tm.htm)

Sounds like you & your dad will have a lot of fun restoring this!

Chuck

[dan4004]

what motor shall i get 600-700?

[dan4004]

i have about £80 budget on the electrics.
so can some one give me a list on what they think i should get and aprox price list.

[boat_builder]

what motor shall i get 600-700?

I would think a regular 550 or 600 with a 2:1 or 3:1 reduction and a 1 1/2" (40mm) 3 or 4 blade prop on 7.2-12volts should make her scoot pretty decent and give a decent run time as well.

It really all depends on if you want a fairly fast speed or a more scale like speed.

Reduction Unit: http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXZ898&P=SM

http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&W=000573525&I=LXZ899&P=K


Motor: http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXMTY8&P=ML

http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXZ902&P=7

P.S. Got anymore pictures of your boat?

[der kapitan]

There are several topics on this boat over at that other site Aerokits fire boat (http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/m_2413026/tm.htm)
Sounds like you & your dad will have a lot of fun restoring this!
Chuck
Chuck, it's kind of nice seeing a father/son project getting underway. :)

My son is seemingly too old (41) for that sort of thing---. ;)

[dan4004]

I can get more pictures for you tonight but i got so much college work at the min il put them on later.

Im not looking for loads of speed just for a bit of fun and getting the boat back on the water again. How long does the batteries last before needing to charge them up again?

Chuck, it's kind of nice seeing a father/son project getting underway. :)

My son is seemingly too old (41) for that sort of thing---. ;)

I spend alot of time on the weekends doing projects with my dad like building cars/rally cars and when i went into the loft and seen his old boat i thought it would be a good idea to get it going again

[boat_builder]

Im not looking for loads of speed just for a bit of fun and getting the boat back on the water again. How long does the batteries last before needing to charge them up again?


It all depends on the size & weight of the boat, motor, prop size, gear reduction or direct drive and the batteries themselves. A 3300mAh Ni-Mh battery in my Atlantic Harbor Tug will run for at least and hour and a half running non stop, while I've had other electric boats that would only run about 15min per charge on the same battery. With a boat the size of yours, you could run two stick packs in parallell for double the run time. :)

[dan4004]

It all depends on the size & weight of the boat, motor, prop size, gear reduction or direct drive and the batteries themselves. A 3300mAh Ni-Mh battery in my Atlantic Harbor Tug will run for at least and hour and a half running non stop, while I've had other electric boats that would only run about 15min per charge on the same battery. With a boat the size of yours, you could run two stick packs in parallell for double the run time. :)

Might do that then. thanks



Can some one give me a list of thing i will need becuse im not quite sure if i know what to get.
thanks

I havnt done anything on the boat yet other than give it a quick clean. Been way to busy to do anything.

[boat_builder]

Might do that then. thanks



Can some one give me a list of thing i will need becuse im not quite sure if i know what to get.
thanks

I havnt done anything on the boat yet other than give it a quick clean. Been way to busy to do anything.


Assuming that you can use the same running hardware you already have, (prop shaft, stuffing tube, prop, rudder,ect...) then you will need a motor, gear reduction if wanted/needed, motor mount, shaft coupling, ESC, batteries, charger and a 2 channel radio system if you don't already have one. That should pretty much get you where you need to be with the excception of some standard building supplies and tools (adhesives, paint, spare misc. wood, soldering iron, solder, spare wiring, hobby knife, hand tools, ect...) :)

[dan4004]

I have a near complete nitro car which isnt worth very much so could i use the radio gear from that? Also could i use the servo for the rudder?

[der kapitan]

I have a near complete nitro car which isnt worth very much so could i use the radio gear from that? Also could i use the servo for the rudder?
Yes you could Dan, provided the radio receiver and servos aren't hard-wired together. If they are, just buy a new radio.

[dan4004]

well they not wired together so il use the radio gear.

Xmas hols start tomorow night so i gt lots of time to get to work on it
and no half 7 starts for work!

[tim slocum]

Dan, could I suggest the Traxxas Titan 14.4v motor. Its really worked well for me. It has a built in cooling fan which is also nice. You could run it direct drive with the Dumas dogbone to your propshaft. You could use your existing prop or use an Octura,they are very nice. The Titan motor and a new Octura prop can be had for less than $35.00USD. You can run the Titan on anywhere from 7.2v-14.4v.Check out www.offshoreelectrics.com , they have everything you need at affordable prices. You'll have to see if they ship to the UK,but Im guessing yes. I am not affiliated with offshore electrics in any way other than being a satisfied customer.

[dan4004]

Little update.

Starting to take paint off and sanding it down ready for painting maybe sunday.

[dan4004]

http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i228/dan4004/AAAA0419.jpg
http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i228/dan4004/AAAA0420.jpg

[mistel]

Dan

If the old paint is still sticking well and not flaking off and the wood underneath is solid, I don't think you need to sand it down to bare wood. That may take quite a while and be very messy. If the boat is in good shape, just sand it smooth and seal it, then paint. What exactly to seal and paint with maybe someone else will suggest. I am not sure how to seal an old hull.

Peter

[green-boat]

I say take it off, take it all off.

That way there won't be any paint compatability problems later on.

[boat_builder]

Nothing is more heart breaking than seeing your most prized paint job go from looking nice and glassy one minute and then the next it's all cracked and wrinkled up like paint on a 100 year old outdoor toilet! I agree, it's probably best to take it all off. Really good preperation of the surface to be painted is the key to a good looking paint job! :)

I've used paint stripper before on painted wood and it worked very well. It didn't harm the wood or adhesive holding it all together either. You may want to give that a try, it will make the paint removing job very easy. :)

By the way.......your not using that angle grinder in the background of the pitures to remove that paint are ya?...... :D

[green-boat]

Just a little hint here........

A Black and Decker "Mouse" with some 60 grit paper is worth it's weight in gold. :D

[dan4004]

after i post the pics i went out about an hour later and used paint striper works wonders.
Il get the all the paint off to day hopfuly. then may have time to go get some paint. Need to work out where the best model shop is near me.

Il give another pic update later today :)

[boat_builder]

Just a little hint here........

A Black and Decker "Mouse" with some 60 grit paper is worth it's weight in gold. :D


Oh man your not kidding! Palm sanders are fantabulous!


Hey Dan, just make sure that you wash all the stripper of the boat and it's good and dry before you paint it so the paint will stick good. Then you'll be good to go. :)