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Hacker Model Productions Trinity off-shore racer review
Jun 12, 2009, 06:46 AM
Introduction
The Trinity (and sister ship, Morpheus) are quick to assemble offshore racers that provide a huge amount of fun for the price. Unlike some of the “toy” boats you might see in the local hobby stores, these models use traditional radio control equipment and – more importantly – a standard “05” class, or speed 600 motor that delivers excellent power for a model of this size. Needing only to install the drive shaft, rudder and radio equipment, they take just a couple of hours to assemble.
Kit contents:
The kit includes a two-piece, pre-joined plastic hull, with a removable hatch that slides into place up front. With only a couple of pieces of tape, the hull is virtually waterproof. The hull is a shallow V style with three steps - in the style of the full-scale offshore racers. The holes for all of the additional components are precut. The hull is painted in a very bold red and yellow scheme, which certainly stands out on the water! There is a small parts bag, which includes the propeller, stern tube and shaft and rudder. There is a coupler to join the drive shaft to the provided SPRINT 600 electric motor, as well as a foam stand, and a set of Illustrated building instructions. It should be noted that both models are available in two forms, with or without the motor.
Only a few items were necessary to complete the model, a suitable ESC with BEC, a 2-channel radio and servo, and a battery. The suggested SPRINT 600 30A ESC would certainly work, but I prefer to use a reversing ESC in my boats, so I selected an AstroFlight 208D. I used an old 75MHz AM radio set (transmitter and receiver) from a RTR buggy I purchased. I only use LiPo batteries for power, so instead of the suggested 7-cell 1700SCR NiCd battery, I used 2s LiPo as I have many of these on hand for cars and buggies. I grabbed one of my older Thunder Power 8000mAh packs, but any 2s pack capable of 30A sustained current draw would work fine. Note that the AstroFlight ESC I used is not designed for LiPo batteries so there is some risk of damage to the cells if they are drained too far. To be safe, use a LiPo-friendly ESC!
Assembly
The model is shipped with only a few parts requiring installation or assembly, with the hull having the motor mount, battery and servo trays preinstalled. Assembly is quoted as taking an evening, but took only a little over an hour thanks to the clear and well illustrated instructions. I did leave the model overnight to permit the silicone adhesive used to fully cure. The basic assembly steps are as follows: - Install the ESC on the motor, and secure the motor into the mount. The ESC is simply velcro'd to the inside of the hull.
- Assemble and install the drive shaft and secure to the motor shaft with the provided coupler
- Install the rudder assembly to the transom using the provided hardware. I did use silicone to help seal these holes.
- Install the rudder servo and receiver onto the tray. - Locate the battery and check CG
It should be noted that the model is provided with a foam stand, which secures the hull in the box during shipping, but also makes assembly and setup “in the field” convenient.
Assembly notes:
The rudder is controlled by a Hitec HS-303 standard servo. The only issue I encountered with assembly was that I needed to enlarge the opening in the servo tray to allow the servo to slide into place. The opening was the exact size of the servo, but due to the position of the wires on the side of the servo, it had to be inserted at an angle, which required enlarging of the hole by about 1/32nd of an inch.
The hull balanced perfectly with the battery installed against the servo tray, so no additional weight was necessary. It should be noted that the balance point is important to ensure the hull can "get on-step" as designed, and to ensure stability while turning.
On the water
I first ran the Trinity on rough water, with significant waves caused by both wind and passing boat traffic. Although it was not able to achieve full speed as it skipped between the waves, no amount of provoking could tip the model over. This was a very pleasant surprise after some of my prior experiences with V-hull models.
The following morning brought much calmer water, which allowed the Trinity to show us what it could do. The model would quickly rise up onto the stepped portion of the hull, and run along at a very respectable speed. On water with light ripples, the boat remains stable at full speed throughout just about any maneuver, which is important if you would like to spend time running the model, and not having to retrieve it!
Is This For a Beginner?
Absolutely! I literally threw this boat together in an hour the night before a last-minute trip to the lake. I did leave the silicone to cure overnight, but a faster-curing adhesive would have you out on the water within a couple of hours. At the lake, our families' 10-year-old daughters had a blast running the boat around the dock and along the shore, and the dogs went nuts trying to catch it. After a few minutes of running, I had no concerns about the model tipping over no matter what they did with it. It also had a few bumps against the dock, which left no cracks in the hull. The boat is stable, sturdy and - with the provided motor - runs at a nice speed for a beginner. Of course, a motor upgrade might change the characteristics of the model altogether, but that remains to be seen. Although I have quite a bit of experience in most aspects of electric radio control, I don't think this model would require prior experience to assemble and run successfully. The provided instructions are very detailed, and I cannot find anything missing that would lead a newcomer into trouble. Of course, as with any form of electric-powered model, some basic soldering and tinkering skills are required for equipment installation and model assembly.
Video/Photo Gallery
I took quite a few pictures of the boat in action, as well as a few video clips which have been assembled here to give you an idea of the performance of the model.
Conclusion
The model is positioned as being 98% complete and capable of being assembled in an evening. I totally agree with that claim. The boat come painted with no decals to apply, so the assembly time is shorter and the finish looks great! The direct-drive power system is quick to install and is designed to utilize low-cost 7-cell batteries, commonly available for other surface RC applications. In short, everything has been done to get you off to fast start in your first offshore race! If you start assembly in the morning, make sure you put a battery or two on charge as well, as you'll be ready to take it for a spin soon after they've finished charging!
Pluses:
Minuses:
Last edited by Angela H; Jun 12, 2009 at 06:45 AM.. |
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Jun 13, 2009, 03:41 AM
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#2 |
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Boaters are nice people.
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Sneek, Netherlands.
Posts: 2,576
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Hi Andrew,
Nice review! The only 'mistake' you made was running it on 2S Lipo instead of 7 cells NiMH, which makes it look rather lame in the pictures and video, like it doesn't level off once on step. The boat deserves better running pics! Regards, Jan. |
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Jun 13, 2009, 08:35 PM
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#3 |
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H. Diddy
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Tucker, GA
Posts: 1,727
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Nice job Andy! I'd be curious what it would do on 7 cell NIMH's as well. More voltage and stability and she should plane very nicely. Anyone carry these locally? I've got a boatload of 7 cells for my trucks.
John |
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Jun 16, 2009, 12:54 AM
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#4 |
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Registered User
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Shenzhen,China
Posts: 81
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Nice Intro...
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Jun 16, 2009, 05:55 AM
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#5 |
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Who is John Galt?
Join Date: Jun 1999
Location: Marietta, GA
Posts: 41,328
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I have several can motors as well as plenty of brushless options I can switch in and see if higher speed makes a difference. I'll let you know what happens.
As HL is the US distributor, Atlanta Hobby should also be able to source them. Not listed at HL yet, however, so it may be worth a call.. ..a |
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Jun 16, 2009, 06:47 AM
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#6 |
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Capt. Crash
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: Millbrook, Alabama
Posts: 3,352
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Cool....nice review.
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Jun 16, 2009, 11:58 AM
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#7 |
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Never Stop Learning
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Flowery Branch
Posts: 656
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Very good review Andy.
This little boat is what it is, a simple cheap fun boat. The reasonable upgrades would be run 8 cells NIMH split into two four cell packs in series. This will allow the CG to be shifted back to balance the increase on speed that will result in the hull getting closer to running on the ride pad triangle. The drive line is non-adjustable and pretty much only Graupner makes replacement 4mm threaded props and changing pitch or diameter would offer little benefit. Run NIMH on 7 or 8 cells and enjoy until the motor burns out. Then run a brushed 770 or 775 motor on 3S lipo if the need to spend money is burning a whole in your pocket.  Nice little boat Andy. Now lets see the big one.
Last edited by Jaguar22; Jun 16, 2009 at 12:31 PM. |
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Jun 16, 2009, 12:37 PM
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#8 |
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Who is John Galt?
Join Date: Jun 1999
Location: Marietta, GA
Posts: 41,328
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I only use LiPo's, hence better for me to upgrade the motor. That said, I also have a small number of the graupner props - I need to see what's on there and if I have something that might perk it up, otherwise I will drop in a hotter motor.
I've emailed my contact at Hacker Model to ask their opinion. They were happy with the review before it was released here, however.. ..a |
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Jun 16, 2009, 10:35 PM
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#9 | |
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Never Stop Learning
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Flowery Branch
Posts: 656
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Andy,
If you want to stay with Lipo / Brushless then drop in the SV-27 motor setup. Just the right amount of power with a balanced and sharped X642 that will unload nicely. http://www.aquacraftmodels.com/boats/aqub17-main.html Quote:
Last edited by Jaguar22; Jun 16, 2009 at 10:41 PM. |
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Jun 17, 2009, 06:22 AM
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#10 |
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Who is John Galt?
Join Date: Jun 1999
Location: Marietta, GA
Posts: 41,328
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Hacker Model did say that 7-8 cells NiMH is really recommended. Let me see if I can track down a usable pack and try it out first..
..a |
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Jun 17, 2009, 09:04 AM
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#11 |
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Registered User
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: PERTH WESTERN AUSTRALIA
Posts: 456
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iz there any places in australia were they sell these boat preferably western australia thx andy good review.............
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Jun 18, 2009, 06:10 AM
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#12 |
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Who is John Galt?
Join Date: Jun 1999
Location: Marietta, GA
Posts: 41,328
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Suggest you contact them - they don't list an Australian dealer, but there may be something in the works..
..a |
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