New to Rc Boats

[Winkman1]

Hi every one. I new here and new to Rc Boating . This seems to be a great place to read and learn . Here are two pics of my new Boat. Its used mainly in salt water to shuttle drinks to my buddy's swimming out on the bay . Its a fiberglass hull with wooden superstructure . It is currently running a brushed speed 600 motor , pro boat ESC with reverse , 7.2 volt battery. and a grim racer prop. The only problem im battling is battery life. I would love to run 12 volts but i need some ideas as to what motor ,esc ,and battery to use for 12 volts. This boat has alot of ballast in it, there for its heavy. It needs the weight to be stable in the rough water and wind conditions its used in.

[Aerominded]

Looks like a neat boat! Is that hull a Hartman?

You might look at setting this up like a tugboat- since you need the weight... The Grim racer prop will have to go- replace it with something from Rivabo or prop shop... you might also consider putting a gear box on the 600... twin 6v 5ah SLA batteries wired in series will get you 12v- A vantec 411 ESC should do the trick...

[Winkman1]

Thanks for the help . The hull i got from my father. I think it is a silverton hull. He has many plugs and molds for RC boats also Some really nice sail boat molds.
What would the gear box do for me ? Why would i need one. ?

[toesup]

How much ballast does it take... could you go with a couple of 6v 4.5ah batteries @ 2lb each?
Wired together in parallel would give you something like 2 hour running time.

I agree with Aero on the prop...

[Winkman1]

Well it really needs 6lbs of led to keep the hulls chines in the water. The hull has alot of Vee from stem to stearn which makes it very rollie pollie without the weight. yes i could remove the led and use some heavy battery's which i think im gonna do. I agree too with a prop change . I guess a three blade prop . Ohh just to let yas know with all this weight it will not plain off. If i run 8.4 volts [ ithink ] it will plain but things get very hot under the hood.

[toesup]

...If i run 8.4 volts [ ithink ] it will plain but things get very hot under the hood.

Water cooling and some fans (computer) will see to that..
The prop change may also cool things down as the motor, ESC ect wont be working as hard..

[Aerominded]

Thanks for the help . The hull i got from my father. I think it is a silverton hull. He has many plugs and molds for RC boats also Some really nice sail boat molds.
What would the gear box do for me ? Why would i need one. ?

Gearbox unloads the motor and can make them a little more efficient... you won't need the RPM at the prop since you will be running in "displacement mode" there are several brands of gearbox that will fit a 600 motor... you might look for 2:1 or 3:1 ratios...

We're always on the lookout for nice hulls... does your father market them? :)

[Winkman1]

No he doesnt sell them . I have a mold and a plug that im storing for him. The mold is almost 4 feet long and is a Silverton or a mainship hull. The plug is for a Sail boat a very big one . He has built five of the Racing sail boats and i still cant get him to lay up a sail boat hull for me. lol . The sail boats are a blast to race they are all the same hulls and are very matched which makes some good racing.