Bristol Bay Mini-Review

[Sakura Maru]

Much has been said about this boat on R/C Groups, I thought I'd throw my 2 yen in from the view of a first RTR noob. I usually scratch build, but boats just take so freakin' long to make. Here's mine at Apollo Park yesterday.

http://i163.photobucket.com/albums/t316/soccerdad_photos/IMG_8487.jpg

Building up the boat:

The instructions were easy enough to follow, but my gripe here is with the front mast electricals. You are directed to stuff the cord down the hole, but in my case, the wires didn't migrate to the rear to be connected as hoped. After several tries I gave up. That foam got in the way. I suppose I could fish it out with a hooked piece of piano wire, but I 'll try that a later date. Everything else went fine.

Running it:

Having read Pat Mat's review, I was mindful of the abundant amount of power at my disposal. Easing forward on the throttle, the B-Bay slipped "quietly" unto the placid pond. My boat had the new rubber U-joint, so other than the whine of the speed control, it was fairly quiet. I found it highly maneuverable and very responsive to speed inputs, and yes, behaves like cigarette runner when you punch it. I had a 1700 mah Ni cad stick, which I conserved using scale speed and got a decent session of running from it with power left over.

Before heading home, I even used it for my first ever recovery of a stricken Hydro. I tucked it in on the hydro's starboard side between the hull and sponson, bringing it in with that extra power.

Impression:
Overall, it's a good starter for the beginner, and for the seasoned boater, a stable platform to hack and bash with like Pat and others have done. I'd l like to see the foam go away, or some easy way to get the mast light connections to the rear, a lot more access to the innards to put a gel cell battery in. I wonder how the Thunder Tiger trawlers are running? If anyone has one, I'd like to hear from you.

Revell

[blckgnx]

Hey Sakura,
We stopped by Apollo yesterday on our motorcycles, but missed any boaters. What a great place for R/C. We'll have to keep informed, so I can come down and sail with you guys! I'm in Tehachapi and so far your pond is the best we've seen! Great report on the Aqua Craft, I've got the little Tug and have modified it for retrieval and kid squirting duties, complete w/a crew of pirates. They are a lot of fun. I'm looking to find a "High Speed" brushless speed boat. Ron

[Sakura Maru]

Hey Ron! Ya gotta get here early. The hydros start at 8 am, electrics anytime, most everyone gets here early to avoid the heat or the winds. Do you have the Harbor Work Boat? Or is it the Aquacraft tug?

[avidjeepr]

I've got the Thunder Tiger Catherine.It's a good boat,quiet and powerful just need to seal the deck crown a little better.No lights but money well spent.

[blckgnx]

Sekura,
Judging by the shadows in your pics, (Early) is the word! See ya in a couple of weeks. Thanks, Ron

[HorribleHarry]

And mine is in the mail... on the way. oh goody goody goody! :D

CH

[Prins Willem]

Hey Sakura,
We stopped by Apollo yesterday on our motorcycles, but missed any boaters. What a great place for R/C. We'll have to keep informed, so I can come down and sail with you guys! I'm in Tehachapi and so far your pond is the best we've seen! Great report on the Aqua Craft, I've got the little Tug and have modified it for retrieval and kid squirting duties, complete w/a crew of pirates. They are a lot of fun. I'm looking to find a "High Speed" brushless speed boat. Ron

The Aquacraft Super Vee 27 looks to be a good boat. The summer it first came out we had a designer for Aqaucraft bring one of the demo boats to a event. Everybody was impressed. FWIW If I was in the market for a FE it would be on my list. The Aquacraft guy also brought a Bristol Bay and a Kings Ransom. They weren't as fast :D

[blckgnx]

Thanks for the reply Prins,
I've been very impressed with Aqua Crafts boats, Mine is the Tug, and yep your right, it ain't fast, but lots of fun. I'll take a look at the 27, sounds like that just might be the ticket. Thanks again, Ron

[HorribleHarry]

Something covered in the half sister "Aquacraft Atlantic" posts here is that the factory setup is decent on the Bristol Bay, but there is a limited amount of reverse available on this boat. It's a big deal in a tug if it's being used as a rescue boat for your club or when you need to do emergency maneuvers, but I'm sure it's not a glaring deficiency in this fishing vessel. Just in case anybody here is thinking about correcting the problem, the speed control is limited & there is a peculiarity with the transmitter (again, covered in the Atlantic tug posts). In my Atlantic I changed out the speed control and I use a different transmitter (Besides... I like sticks). the receiver should be fine just swap the crystal in the replacement transmitter if you should decide to change it out.
I STRONGLY recommend swapping out the speed control though if your BB is going to be in a situation where precise control will be required.
From what I've seen this is the jewel in the crown of Aquacraft's RTR boats and has tremendous bang for the buck.
Cap'n Horrible

[Prins Willem]

You have to keep in mind that wheel radios were developed for race cars. On most if not all tracks reverse is a no no. Backing your car off the wall into a pack of cars traveling at speed makes a real mess. So, radio mfgs had little impetus to make reverse function very good on these radios. This setup works good for boats you don't want to back up like outboards (i.e. bass boats and tunnel hulls) and hydros.

[blckgnx]

I keep reading posts about the reverse thing, and on four differant Atlantic Tugs,(mine was the first up here) the radio seems to be the problem. I have changed all my boats to 2.4 and on the tug all I did was put my 3channel "Car" radio rcvr in it and it ran the same until I advanced the throttle parameters, now it's alot faster and reverse is as fast as the forward was when I first got the boat. I've since experimented on 3 others, with the same results. I now have even put in a 12 motorcycle battery with excellant results. I have over 15 hrs of running in this configuration, and everything is still operational. Just my 2 bits worth. Ron

[gatorgarfish]

I replaced the 'standard equip.' ESC in my Bristol Bay for a Proboat waterproof ESC ($40, Horizon Hobbies) and now the BB runs like a boat possessed in reverse. I did the same thing to my AQ tug and now it too moves very well (even fast) in reverse.

~edit to add: The Thunder Tiger RTR mentioned in the OP is expensive. (Why ?) It can be found in the U.S. for possibly no less than $ 250.00. And it looks especially cheap for that much money. Don't be surprised to see an asking price of $ 280.00 from online dealers in the US. It is sold much more often in the UK--hasn't caught on 'here' for some resaon. At best it is another Bristol Bay; it hasn't the reasonable price to match.

[hpiguy]

You have to keep in mind that wheel radios were developed for race cars. On most if not all tracks reverse is a no no. Backing your car off the wall into a pack of cars traveling at speed makes a real mess. So, radio mfgs had little impetus to make reverse function very good on these radios. This setup works good for boats you don't want to back up like outboards (i.e. bass boats and tunnel hulls) and hydros.



It has NOTHING to do with the radio transmitter or receiver, it's the ESC that has bad reverse MOSFETS or settings by Aquacraft.

All pistol radios have full reverse capability. Ask us rock crawlers and monster truckers.

[VAScrats]

I called Towers Hobbies today to exchange my Bristol Bay I received a couple days ago:( . I have two main issue out of mine (if you don't count some hairline cracks in the hull at the bow above the water line). I own the Atlantic tug and have read a ton of posts about lack of reverse but my BB has NO reverse at all. Well, if you count the motor lobing over once every two seconds reverse.... The second issue was that at above approx 1/4 throttle it would emit an ear piercing squeal from what I think is the prop shaft (or stuffing box if I am using this term correctly / I am a noob to RC boats). I tried the throttle trim at either extreeme but reverse was non existant. I loosened the grub screws to the rubber coupler and disconnected the prop shaft from the motor in case friction was the issue since it was making a nasty noise. Even with the prop shaft off, the motor by itself would still barely flick over from time to time.

At any rate I figured I might be able to fix the squeal but a bad esc I could not (without replacing with an upgrade). I tried to call Tower Hobbies over the weekend but they said I needed to speak to 'Hobby Services' Monday (today). I called them a little while ago. As it turns out, I was actually talking to Hobico who proceeded to pi$$ me off royally in about 10 seconds flat:mad: :censored: . They told me I had to print a return form from their web site, fill it out and pay to send the boat back myself (which is a huge box)and they would fix or replace the boat at their discretion. When I told them someone at Towers Hobbies told me they would be glad to simply replace the boat and would provide a return label if they could not resolve the issue over the phone, they told me I could only return the boat myself and write a request for the shipping to be credited to my tower account (it was at this point I found out he was with Hobbico (a sub of Tower Hobbies from my understanding), not Tower Hobbies directly. I told him I did not think it was fair for me to pay return shipping on a defective product and he said 'that's what everyone does'. I told him that Horizon has always taken great care of my issues quickly and without expense to me to which he replied 'they are a great company' and nothing more.

To shorten the story I called Tower Hobbies back and told them how upset I was and they apologized and said they would send a return label for the boat and would get me a replacement as soon as they received the defective one. To ME, that is fair. An advance exchange would be nice:p , but I am happy with a pre-paid return label.

I should receive my Pro Boat PT109 tomorrow from Horizon, hopefully I won't have to test their warranty/return policy. That should at least keep me 'at bay' until the Bristol is swapped out.

Phil

[gatorgarfish]

My BB also squeals. Only at the slow end, trigger barely pulled, is the noise level acceptable. I enjoy running it slowly, but still it would be nice if on occassion I could use it's power. It is alot faster than their AT. I put just the right size a rounded "blob" of poster putty positioned ahead of the throttle trigger (wedged there against the radio body), so that the motor is kept barely engaged. To stop or go into reverse I push the trigger into the putty (it's soft). Past a certain fine fine point the workings start into a very annoying continuous squealing. It's embarrassing when I take it to the local pond on weekends when a number of people are there. It's so loud that I feel sure it is looked at as a cheap toy. Now the Atlantic Tug, on the other hand, is quiet. No problem there. But originally it too (like the BB) had no reverse. None.

[rlboats2003]

I lke the Catherine - mine came with a broken muffler pipe and I made a new one. Got the extra parts and people set that Tiger Thunder sells for the fishing boats. Out of the box it runs well - have appart just put hawse lip on port side so the anchor chain has a place to go through. Was in the process of putting port hole in the forward cabin. Had to but the boat back together for a photo shoot - you can see mine in the scale views column in the latest Radio Control Boat Modeler.

Happy modeling,
Rich

[VAScrats]

Has anyone else had a BB with a squealing problem that they fixed fairly easily? I am starting to be affraid that I may get another boat with no reverse and another squealer! Like I said, I could possibly been willing to work the squeal out on my own but I feel reverse should at least TRY to work. On the Atlantic it at least spins at a somewhat steady speed and gives the impression it might work in the water. My Atlantic does actually reverse in the water but you have to be patient and it would in no way pull anything in reverse. My BB BARELY manages to move the motor shaft slightly every other second for reverse.

I know you can't expect the world for the price you pay for the BB. I am not complaining about detailing, painting, scale issues or even the few hairline cracks in the hull, but when it comes to the boat moving (without driving all of the dogs in a 3 mile radius away), I want that to work.

[pompebled]

My BB also squeals.

Is the squealing coming from the ESC (audiable in the motor armature wiring)?
In that case it's the switching frequency of the ESC you hear, cheap ESC's are often in the 3kHz region, where the human ear is the most sensitive.

Can only be solved by using another ESC with a higher switching frequency.

If the squeal comes from the stuffing tube, lubrication might be in order, after you located and remedied the cause (allignment issues perhaps?).

Regards, Jan.

[gatorgarfish]

Is the squealing coming from the ESC (audiable in the motor armature wiring)?
In that case it's the switching frequency of the ESC you hear, cheap ESC's are often in the 3kHz region, where the human ear is the most sensitive.

Can only be solved by using another ESC with a higher switching frequency.

If the squeal comes from the stuffing tube, lubrication might be in order, after you located and remedied the cause (allignment issues perhaps?).

Regards, Jan.No, it's back there away from the motor, ESC, receiver and all that jazz. It's the driveshaft on out. My replacement ESC is great--made me very happy from day one. It's the basic Proboat waterproof, and it costs but $10 more than the ESC that comes in the BB and AT. Kmot gave me that recommendation; I pass it along wholeheartedly to anyone "suffering with" the standard equipment Hobbico one, as I did, in two brand new AQ boats. Not a slow reverse, but NO reverse. :(

I use Remington's "Rem" oil, faithfully. I lubricate anything that looks to be where rotation takes place along that shaft, up until the point of entry there at the stuffing tube. I hate to rag too much on AQ, but on the BB it came to me out of the box with a slight though noticable bend of the driveshaft RIGHT WHERE IT exits the tube--there widening to 'become' the receiving part which seats the propeller. I painstakingly straightened that, but the squealing didn't cease. I am frustrated. It is a great boat in many respects, but, man, even the stuffing tube had around it, at the very exit point at the stern, a little crack there and space between the tube & surrounding fiberglass (body). I used JB Weld to fix that. I think that somehow--'don't ask me how'--the propeller was badly jarred at the factory, causing the slight bend off in one direction, and maybe the crack resulted from that likely kind of hard bump (?)

I'm at a total loss as to what to do. Rats. It's loud. Makes you want to hide behind a tree loud when the potential adult or teenager critics are looking on, Sat.'s and Sundays.

On the plus side, today, I was able to get 16 ozs of weight (ballast) down past the styrofoam block under the forward pop off hatch right alongside and on top off the metal rib that runs from bow to halfway back--the first bulkhead. I hope this will give the thing stability--discourage another flip onto it's side. When my one flip over happened I did have the ballast on top of the styrofoam block; that was a physics mistake on my part. I use 2 oz. lead sinkers (look like little footballs) that I got at Walmart. Getting a big enough & neat hole cut straight down through that block was a pain. I use Loctite clear silicon rubber for a glue (it works) and I coated the exposed styrofoam with a layer too. Now I have to extricate all the fine particals of foam that are down there. (How to get then out the best way ? Float with water off to the side towads the back ? Suction from a vacuum cleaner nozzle, brush attachment off ?) For sure I must see to it that no partical, no matter how small, gets into the motor or some other vulnerable drive part. I know there is alot of tiny foam 'dots' and 'balls' that've settled below and under, out of sight.

How's that for an answer to a question, and response to a suggestion ?! Thanks, pompebled, for the feedback and help.

Vance

[gatorgarfish]

Has anyone else had a BB with a squealing problem that they fixed fairly easily? I am starting to be affraid that I may get another boat with no reverse and another squealer! Like I said, I could possibly been willing to work the squeal out on my own but I feel reverse should at least TRY to work. On the Atlantic it at least spins at a somewhat steady speed and gives the impression it might work in the water. My Atlantic does actually reverse in the water but you have to be patient and it would in no way pull anything in reverse. My BB BARELY manages to move the motor shaft slightly every other second for reverse.

I know you can't expect the world for the price you pay for the BB. I am not complaining about detailing, painting, scale issues or even the few hairline cracks in the hull, but when it comes to the boat moving (without driving all of the dogs in a 3 mile radius away), I want that to work.Horizon Hobbies sells a Proboat waterproof ESC that I replaced my two defective ones with. It required no soldering, only the fashioning of a new waterproof bag for the receiver (the red rubber one will have to be removed if you opt to replace the ESC yourself), forgeting about Hobbico's servicing.

On "my" thread, titled something like, My New Aquacrafts Won't Go In Reverse !, in there Kmot gives a person a complete rundown on how to change out the BB's and AT's ESC. It's all snap-together plugs. That's it.

We both await the solution to the harsh metallic squealing problem our BBs both have. Does your's quiet down to what's at least tolerable, around the slowest running speed..setting ? (Why is that boat such a speed demon, I wonder ? It's bow pops right up when you give it the gas. It seems to have the same set-up as it's cousin, The Atlantic Tug. That boat hums nicely.)

[Rex R]

well if you're not quite ready to replace the shaft/stuffing tube...one might try 'polishing' the noise out. flush the lube out of the stuffing tube, and 're-lube' with some 'brasso' (metal polish) and run the motor for say 30 sec.s then re-oil the shaft. this might make the noise go away :).
rex

[HorribleHarry]

Do you have the solid driveshaft coupler or the rubber one?

[HorribleHarry]

It has NOTHING to do with the radio transmitter or receiver, it's the ESC that has bad reverse MOSFETS or settings by Aquacraft.

All pistol radios have full reverse capability. Ask us rock crawlers and monster truckers.

I have to disagree in THIS case (or at least in the case for the Atlantic tug.)
the radio is set up a bit differently at the factory, please look at page 7 or thereabouts in the "Aquacraft owners" thread. I changed out my ESC with 3 aftermarket ESC's and found that no matter the speed controller, reverse was still limited, not as bas as with the factory parts, but still noticeable. A quick transmitter change (along with the ESC) made all the difference.

Harry

[VAScrats]

Is the squealing coming from the ESC (audiable in the motor armature wiring)?
In that case it's the switching frequency of the ESC you hear, cheap ESC's are often in the 3kHz region, where the human ear is the most sensitive.

Can only be solved by using another ESC with a higher switching frequency.

If the squeal comes from the stuffing tube, lubrication might be in order, after you located and remedied the cause (allignment issues perhaps?).

Regards, Jan.

I know the ESC noise you are talking about and as much as I don't like it either, this is definitely somewhere in the shaft rearward. The noise dwarfs the ESC noise by far. Like I said on the reverse issue, if it even somewhat works I would not complain, but the prop for all purposes does not even move. It is on its way back to towers for an exchange. My luck I will get a boat with the same problems and even more shipping damage:( .

Side note - Sent the pro-boat PT109 back as well (refund). The boat I got was damaged to the hilt complete with pre-broken props (which are on backorder through the end of this month).

[gatorgarfish]

Oh man ! Finding that PT-109 busted in it's box must have been a huge drag. I'm sorry to hear about that, VAScrats.

Maybe the next BB will not squeal and will have reverse ! Despite my own bad luck, I did get an AQ King's Ransom that, right off, ran in reverse. It is slow, but that just seems to be 'the nature of the beast' --that same, in all three models, Hobbico ESC.

The K.'s R. is (somehow) intentionally set up to be low rpm (it has a different motor for one...); that makes it hard for *me to know what their ESC should do, normally, in the Bristol Bay and the A. Tug.

[gatorgarfish]

well if you're not quite ready to replace the shaft/stuffing tube...one might try 'polishing' the noise out. flush the lube out of the stuffing tube, and 're-lube' with some 'brasso' (metal polish) and run the motor for say 30 sec.s then re-oil the shaft. this might make the noise go away :).
rexReally ?! That sounds like an idea just crazy enough to work here ! But how can I flush out that tube, and with what ? Brasso is a little thick too. Can it be injected into the stuffing tube ? Wait; maybe just watering it down enough is the way. There's a rubber "boot" that has 'to go,' first. I must pull back on it, towards the motor and away from the bulkhead that the stuffing tube is flush with. I've messed with it earlier, and it seems to be permanently set in place there That doesn't make sense though. It needs to move. I'm afraid to pull harder, to slide it.

(The coupler that Horrible Harry is talking about is the fatter brass section that meets/interrupts the (overall) shaft, not far at all as it comes out from behind the motor; right ?)

[Rex R]

unless they've changed things greatly in the past 20 yrs...chrome polish is/was thinner :). ideally if one could pull the shaft...one could use alchohol to clean out the stuffing tube(that in its self might be sufficent to stop the noise). if one can't pull the shaft a drop of metal polish mix w/ oil might do the trick. it reads like your shaft is only just rubbing on something in the tube(be it dirt, metal shaving,tight bushing, or just plain needs oil) the metal polish will accelerate 'wear' in the trouble spot for a short time and eliminate the rub(can't take credit for this, read about folks using brasso to wear in bushings on elec motors). hth
rex

[Rex R]

right. after doing some searching...I conclude that the manual (as usual) is clueless about routine maintenence. your prop shaft is connected to the motor via a coupler(see pic), and a couple of small set/grub screws. loosen the one furthest aft(farthest away from motor) and you should be able to slide the shaft aft(think that you'll need to remove the prop and or rudder) untill you can remove the shaft. if your fingers stayed clean while pulling the shaft, it needs oil(try 40-50 weight oil, or chainsaw bar lube) prolly wouldn't need more than 1cc at most, squirt some in the tube from the aft end, put a piece of paper towel inside the boat under the stuff tube, and insert the shaft. wipe the oil off the shaft as it emerges from the tube and into the coupler. line up the flat (if it has one) w/ the setscrew then tighten the set screw, you should now be ready to test for squeal, if there is no squeal, run the setscrew back out a turn or two apply some threadlocker and retighten it, put back all the other parts that you had to remove to get the shaft out and, you should be ready to go. this should be done once a season. hth
rex

[gatorgarfish]

Hi Rex R,

My coupler hasn't any screws ! Uugh ! There are just little holes, w/o any threading, that go down there where there should be something removable/adjustable. It won't let go of the driveshaft. I can't tell at all how that coupler is affixed.

I pulled (slid towards the motor) that small black rubber boot, away from the foreward end of the stuffing tube. It just seals off the place of entry of the shaft into the stuffing tube. There is no space that I can see to get even the lightest oil to go inside and make it's way even a few millimeters towards the prop. There was a trace underneath the 'boot' of some dark-colored grease, I suppose. That boot thing had preserved that smidgen of lubricant and apparently kept out all contaminates too, so far.

[Rex R]

I think, right about this time, I'd order a replacement coupler and get out the dremal w/ cut-off wheel, and slice the old one off. it seems obvious(to me) that your problem is a serious lack of lube. I might even go sofar as to strip out motor,shaft,and tube and replace the whole lot. hmm a 55t motor, 1/8" shaft(w/ appropriate tube) new prop...(blessings on the idiots who thunk up the disposible boat idea).

[HorribleHarry]

could you take a picture of this coupler?
Harry



Hi Rex R,

My coupler hasn't any screws ! Uugh ! There are just little holes, w/o any threading, that go down there where there should be something removable/adjustable. It won't let go of the driveshaft. I can't tell at all how that coupler is affixed.

I pulled (slid towards the motor) that small black rubber boot, away from the foreward end of the stuffing tube. It just seals off the place of entry of the shaft into the stuffing tube. There is no space that I can see to get even the lightest oil to go inside and make it's way even a few millimeters towards the prop. There was a trace underneath the 'boot' of some dark-colored grease, I suppose. That boot thing had preserved that smidgen of lubricant and apparently kept out all contaminates too, so far.

[VAScrats]

Hi Rex R,

My coupler hasn't any screws ! Uugh ! There are just little holes, w/o any threading, that go down there where there should be something removable/adjustable. It won't let go of the driveshaft. I can't tell at all how that coupler is affixed.

I pulled (slid towards the motor) that small black rubber boot, away from the foreward end of the stuffing tube. It just seals off the place of entry of the shaft into the stuffing tube. There is no space that I can see to get even the lightest oil to go inside and make it's way even a few millimeters towards the prop. There was a trace underneath the 'boot' of some dark-colored grease, I suppose. That boot thing had preserved that smidgen of lubricant and apparently kept out all contaminates too, so far.

A coupler without any grub screws sounds, well, screwy:o ! I know mind does have them as I had to loosen one to slide the coupler back off of the motor to make sure it truly would not spin in reverse even without the prop shaft (in case of friction being the issue). I am currently waiting on my replacement BB as I see Tower Hobbies received the old one and the new one is 'being packed for shipping'. Hopefully the second one will come undamaged with reverse and no squeal (somehow I feel like I am wishing for the world). If mine is still noisy, at least I know this is a more chronic issue with the BB and I will need to address it myself if I want to hold onto the model. Hopefully at least reverse will work even if it is somewhat anemic.

As far as the PT109 goes, I am more impressed with my Atlantic tug to be honest. The whole PT109 had a very cheap feel to it and that is outside of the chipped paint, hull scratches (that flat paint scratches like crazy), and broken off deck items. I did not want to keep it even with Horizon wanting to knock $100 off to have me keep it.

What I would REALLY LOVE is something along the lines of the RCScalemodel.com's Flower Corvette (or their other big warboats) in a PNP or easy to build kit for an upper end novice to lower end intermediate builder. http://www.rcscalemodel.com/Flower%20Class%20Corvette.php. I would love to be able to afford their RTR boat but just can't spare that much coin for a boat at this time. Anyone know of a affordable destroyer,cruiser,corvette type ship that is easy to build and has a reasonable size to it (somehow I feel like I am wishing for the world again:p )

Best Regards,
Phil

[VAScrats]

O.k, just received my second BB and it has the exact same issues but I believe it squeals at even lower RPMs. Reverse is still non existant. I have a radio and ESC that was supposed to go in a Dumas Whitehall that I may have to try in the BB. As far as the squeal goes, I will try pulling the shaft out, give it a good cleaning and a fresh lube (maybe with metal polish first) and see what happens. My replacement boat even has very similar minor hull cracks at the bow like the one I sent back.

Lesson learned: If you Bristol Bay has no reverse and squeals like a pig, either agree to deal with the issues or get a refund. An exchange boat will likely have the same issues (and may have even more 'shipping damage'). I think for the money I can work with mine.

[VAScrats]

This will be my last post until someone else posts so it does not look like I am turning this into my personal BLOG!

I just want to give everyone an update on the squealing Bristol Bay. I took the prop shaft /with prop out making sure to take the coupler out as well, followed by the rubber end cap on the stuffing tube end near the motor. I then cleaned the inside of the stuffing tube lightly first with alcohol dampened Q-tips. I even pushed one all the way through from the rear to the front using the prop shaft as the 'ram rod'. I had to remove almost all of the soft end of the Q-tip to get them to fit but it does work. Something else may work better but that was all I had available to me. It was amazing the nasty stuff I got out of it being a new boat. Next I put a light coating of Brasso on the prop shaft and slid it back into position and hooked it back up to the motor. I ran the shaft with just the Brasso for a couple minutes at low end speed. There was no squealing even at this point:D . Next I removed the shaft/prop and used dry q-tips to remove the Brasso that was left behind. Once that was done I re-assembled everything using a light coating of oil on the shaft. When the shaft was in its normal position I put a few more drops of oil on it right at the ends of the stuffing tube and worked the shaft forward and aft about a cm several times to work it in at those critical points. Once re-assembled I ran it at all speeds with not even a hint of squeal!

Beware when pushing things in the ends of the stuffing tube (especially at the rear) as I managed to dislodge the inner tube at the aft end (which extends in the end about 3/4" or slightly less). It looked like it was tinned with a tiny amount of solder and heated to bond with the outer tube. I used a soldering iron to re-tin the inner tube VERY LIGHTLY and slide it back in the outer tube flush with the end. Be careful not to get solder in the ID of the tube! I am a boat novice so if anything here sounds risky/wrong, please point it out as I don't want to mislead anyone.

At any rate, now I have a Bristol Bay that won't drive everyone away from the pond when it is run. Reverse still does not exist but we all know the deal with that.

Best Regards,
Phil

[Alastair_I]

I've been eying the Bristol Bay for a while.. reisisting the urge to add to the fleet (actually, it's more a matter of indecision between the Bristol Bay and the Atlantic Tug). I've been following this thread for a while, interested to hear the reports.. and now the solutions to some of the problems.

Let the blog recommence Phil, I'm finding it very useful :D

Do you plan any structural mods or changes to the appearance of this boat?

[BK 1125]

I have had the boat bone stock since March of this year. The noise at low RPM is the ESC with mine anyway. Most ESC's all make this noise(actually the sound comes from the motor). I would suggest but do not insist this may be what your hearing as it is unlikely you would get two boats that made the same sound if it were not. I could be wrong. Odds are a funny thing.

The reverse works fine. It's slow but it works just fine. All the other BB's I have encountered are the same. Tower must have got a bad batch or something because right out of the box, it never leaked and runs perfect. One of my favorites and worth every dime I paid for it.

BK

[VAScrats]

BK1125

I am aware of the ESC noise you are referring to and I have accepted that noise as normal in both the BB and Atlantic. Trust me, both BB boats had a very annoying high pitch squeal coming from the stuffing tube. I have just finished cleaning it out and re lubing it and the noise I was referring to is gone now. Still running stock ESC and
radio.

Unfortunately I have another BB with hardly any prop movement in reverse. I can live with that as the pond I run at has easy access all the way around and no real way to get 'stuck' and need to use reverse. If it bothers me bad enough I have another radio and ESC to troubleshoot with.

Alastair I, I know I have not had the BB on the water yet but my overall impression witht the two boats is that the tug has a slight advantage in quality. I believe the price is a bit higher too but I think I would still go with the tug if I had to have only one (IMO).

[Rex R]

Tis nice to hear that you have taken care of the noise issue :). the 'grease' you cleaned out was prolly just fine when the boat was assembled...however long ago that was.

[BK 1125]

Seems they are getting more sloppy and careless in China. Not surprising really but disappointing. Glad you worked it out. You will love running this boat.

I have everything from battle ships to subs. A lot of them scratch built. But I often take this one to the pond and enjoy the most. Wish your reverse worked though. Mine works pretty well. Wonder what they did?

BK

[VAScrats]

Tis nice to hear that you have taken care of the noise issue :). the 'grease' you cleaned out was prolly just fine when the boat was assembled...however long ago that was.


I agree with you on that. Working with some old HP LaserJet printers I see grease that all but turns into glue with age sometimes.

Well, I got the Bristol Bay wet this weekend. I feel guilty now about telling 'Alastair I' that I would lean towards the tug. After seeing the BB on the water and running it, I thik I actually have a new favorite:o . She does have quite a classy look to her even before any mods. I guess the tug has a more solid feel due to its mostly plastic superstructure. I guess for a fishing boat, its mostly wood construction suits it. At this point I would have to say your boat choice is just a matter of personal preference as the running gear for both boats are pretty much identical. They may have minor issues here and there but for the price they are both worth it. I am glad to own them both.

[Alastair_I]

Still not too late :D

The lines of the BB appeal more than the tug. Everyone seems to leave the BB structure fairly stock (beyond reefing the sails).. I can definitely see some opportunity for modding.

The tug has a more practical appeal at the moment after having the Hunstman die on the water with a suspect blown fuse on Sunday (cue the variable off-shore breeze to stiffen). There's usually a tug or slow electric available on the water but everyone was either on sail or fast electric on Sunday.. it was time to get paddling. I'm sure a drop-on pushfit buffer cradle could fit on the bows of the BB for recovery duty.

I'll prevaricate a while longer.. at least until Friday when I get a chance to drop in on a LHS ;)

[VAScrats]

Alastair,

When you go to the LHS, you may want to see if they have a couple to choose from. I know that both of my BBs had some very slight bow damage from shipping. They were very minor cracks at the very tip of the bow extending downwards to the thick white line on the hull and then backwards towards the first drain hole or whatever the correct nautical term is :p (all well above the water line). I just used a little med. CA and she's fine. You can hardly tell there was any crack at all. If they have a couple, I think it would be worth pulling the one you would get out of the box and checking it anyway. Hopefully you could see any significant damage throught the plastic as she is taped in the plastic fairly tight.

Phil

[Alastair_I]

Thanks for the tip.. I figure on a respray at some point anyway :D

[gatorgarfish]

could you take a picture of this coupler?
HarryI've been away for awhile. Thank you for asking.

My coupler looks just like the *one that Rex R pictured, except that there aren't any screws--nothing--in the two holes. I can't see anything in there. It must be "holding on" somehow...some other (?) way.


*post # 28, p. 2

[VAScrats]

I've been away for awhile. Thank you for asking.

My coupler looks just like the *one that Rex R pictured, except that there aren't any screws--nothing--in the two holes. I can't see anything in there. It must be "holding on" somehow...some other (?) way.


*post # 28, p. 2

Gatorgarfish,

I know my boat knowledge is nowhere near what Harry's would be so hopefully he could chime in as well but here is my thought in the mean time. I would have to think that if (with the rudder removed) you can't pull the prop shaft out of the coupler with reasonable force then you would almost certainly have to have the grub screws in there. The prop shaft does have a flat spot in it for the grub screw to set into so if the screw is tight there will be no way to pull the prop shaft out (without breaking something) if the grub screw is in place and set I believe. I would not imagine that your shaft would be glued or somehow otherwise be secured if you truly do have the same coupler. Is there any way you can get a flash light to shine directly in the rear screw hole on the coupler (though it would be the same for the front one)? If so, do you see black (would be the grub screw) or do you see shiny metal (would be the prop shaft). I don't have my boat with me to see how resonable a request this is.

[gatorgarfish]

Gatorgarfish,

I know my boat knowledge is nowhere near what Harry's would be so hopefully he could chime in as well but here is my thought in the mean time. I would have to think that if (with the rudder removed) you can't pull the prop shaft out of the coupler with reasonable force then you would almost certainly have to have the grub screws in there. The prop shaft does have a flat spot in it for the grub screw to set into so if the screw is tight there will be no way to pull the prop shaft out (without breaking something) if the grub screw is in place and set I believe. I would not imagine that your shaft would be glued or somehow otherwise be secured if you truly do have the same coupler. Is there any way you can get a flash light to shine directly in the rear screw hole on the coupler (though it would be the same for the front one)? If so, do you see black (would be the grub screw) or do you see shiny metal (would be the prop shaft). I don't have my boat with me to see how resonable a request this is.Hi VAScrats,

I have removed the propeller from my BB in the past; once. The drive shaft was slightly bent where it exited the stuffing tube. I didn't try to remove (pull) the thing though. I carefully straightened the very end and then reattached the prop. It came to me with this damage. Also there was a small crack back there and the stuffing tube had too big a channel cut for it. I repaired it all with JB Weld.

That coupler truly doesn't have any screws, and that's the case with all three of my Aquacraft boats. I looked this afternoon. I am shocked and embarrassed that I didn't know--even know that. :o
They are indeed threaded for them but they are not there--not included as 'standard equipment.' Nuts. So, I guess (hope) that the coupler doesn't need them [much] or that a choice was made to glue them at the factory at the [same] time all mine were on the production line. Who knows with Hobbico !? Shoot; they use an ESC that is so inferior (and they must know it too) that I cannot believe they haven't corrected it. Two of my three new boats had no reversing ability whatsoever. Outrageous. The Bristol Bay is toy grade loud.

I can see the silver shaft ends on all three couplers. The Atlantic Tug's coupler at the motor end is showing some of the flat edge you were speaking of. isn't that wild ?! However, it is my quiet boat. I like it. It had a wobbly rudder, new out of the box, but I epoxied it into place. It can be trimmed now and not keep me struggling with the "stick' simply to maintain a straight course.

I have a King's Ransom, which I haven't "sailed" yet. It has the exact same coupler too, that Rex R pictured, *except that it's holes are opposite each other* (just one is always showing, the other will not be). No screws. It is threaded for some.

The Bristol Bay is the only one of the three that has that rubber boot that slides up against the foreward end of the stuffing tube. It keeps water away from the little black grease blob you will find there. These boats are worth about half of what the are asking. I've invested alot of time making aesthetic improvements to the two. So, they no longer look borderline toy, but 'under the hood' Hobbico comes too close to kind of throwing them together. Isn't $ 200.00 enough to get a decent quality electric 2 channel boat ? What company makes something that will go in reverse at a proper speed and not sound like a tiny chainsaw as it hauls ass and noses up out of the water ? Where are the good RTRs of this type ? Scale, I mean. Who makes them ?? Answer: nobody; you have to build your own.

[Rex R]

must be threadlocker holding the shafts, in which case a spare coupler might be a good idea... using a good size soldering iron(oh 80w or higher) to apply heat to the coupler, should release the shaft. hth
rex

[gatorgarfish]

Thank you ! That's good information. They shouldn't have done that, should they ? Well, OK; if need be I can melt it away with the heat from a larger soldering iron.

[Alastair_I]

Picked up the Boston Bay yesterday, checked the hull over before purchase.. no evidence of cracking or crazing. The LHS reported that they had seen several damaged in transit and shipped back.

I won't comment on the performance of the supplied transmitter-receiver-ESC combination as I've already replaced the receiver with a 40MHz Futaba 3-channel, and the ESC with a Ripmaz Xtra Quantum. I'll start out with a 6-cell 3900mAh pack and review the existing threads for possible changes to the stock motor set-up if it's a daftly fast as everyone else has reported.

General comments and observations are pretty much what everyone else has already said, it's a really great looking boat. I do wonder about the fore and aft hatches thopugh, they seem to be designed to ship any water that gets onto the deck. I've not seen any comments on these from anyone else, but I plan on PVAing a aquare of greaseproof paper over each of these for the time being.

Minor niggles.. the turnbuckles aren't swivelling so twist up the lines.. the boom vangs are too short, a trick has been missed with the main sheet - all it would take is a cleat on the mast to make furling easier (think this has been mentioned already).. there's no access to the cabin for installing a figure.. all are minor, easily modified and will go towards making a modified boat unique.

How practical do people thing this hull would be for adapting to a sailing rig? (perhaps a gaff rig off the main, replace the cabin with a lower superstrcture and lengthen the boom). The ballast/keel would seem to be the key to makng this work. Ideas?

[BK 1125]

This boat runs perfect bone stock. I have never had to replace a thing.

Range on the radio is clear to the other side of the lake I patrol. Must be well over 700 ft or more. Never had a problem with range. It's a Futaba radio and RX. I have a good reverse too. Not fast but it keeps me from running into things. Brakes.

For 160 bucks I wouldn't dare complain about a thing. You can't even get a hull kit at this size for that. Not a very good one anyway.

Also those hatches have never taken on water. Not unless you plan to go out in a hurricane they are good to go.

BK

[Alastair_I]

Not quite a hurricane, but 6" peak-to-trough and white caps out on the centre of the lake.. even close inshore it was quite rough. The BB sits far too high in the water, it's a shame the hatches are too small to allow installation of a 6A SLA which would really help with the seaholding. It was far to keen to flip onto it's side, then it shipped a bit of water through the hatches and became reluctant to right itself without a lot of power and hard rudder.

Any model, even RTR, is fair game for criticism and Aquacraft could make this boat much better with some very simple changes to the design. In the UK this retails at £160+ (or double the dollar figure you give).. and what ever the price, we can always expect better :D

Even with the cork-like performance it was fun in the waves, but a more sedate performance would be an improvement with improved ballasting for seaworthiness.

The only problems I had with the stock TX/RX were that it was 27mHz and I have a a vacant peg to myself on 40mHz (it came out of the box with an Orange crystal, and there's already a couple of boats at the club fighting over that peg), and I didn't have enough alkaline AAs for the TX (I prefer the rechargeable pack in my twin-stick). The pistol grip will no doubt find a use with another model.

[charlie eaton]

Gatorgarfish, As mentioned before, if you look into the hole in your universal (coupler) and see black you need a hex key (Allen wrench) to loosen it. Most common universals have a hex head grub screw in them, A few have a sloted head. In a plastic boat it is very unlikely that a metal item is sweated on (heated up) The heat would transfer to the shaft and possibly soften the area around the shaft exit. This would cause the area to leak around the shaft/stuffing box exit. Also with a hot iron in the hull it is to easy to bump something that melts quickly.

[gatorgarfish]

I have a St. Tropez (Hobby Engine); it also hasn't screws attaching the coupler to anything going in or out. It's true, I guess; I would have to try the soldering iron approach to free any of my four boats' driveshaft for cleaning, polishing, (re)lubricating if they are "threadlocked on."

[gatorgarfish]

I found that putting ballast, straight down, below the forward hatch, past all that styrofoam, and there onto and closely around the hull's metal center rib has made the BB a much more stable boat. I cut a neat square-shaped hole in the styrofoam--the big side-to-side block rests atop that heavy center rib, and put down eight 2 oz. fighing weight bullets (from Wal-Mart). It doesn't lean like it use to and it's nose doesn't hike way out of the water like it's infamous for doing under full power. I used 4 oz. at the rear too; that helped.

After a sudden stiff breeze from the side neatly turned it over one day, I decided to get to the bottom of the problem. It handles like a pro--alot of fun (damn the noise sometimes !) and it still can suddenly take off quickly and get up to a speed that would satisfy most anyone. It looks substantial as it goes--not wimpy. Now, it turns with purpose !