Lap Cat Tunnel

[Fast68]

Newbie here, I have a Prather Lap Cat 1 Tunnel Hull that I had for about 10 years now and it's never seen water, been building rc cars, I want to get into boat racing, is this a good starter boat?

[Doubledog]

This was my first boat also and I put some miles on it. Very fond memories........ don't get me started:D

Patience with the engine settings and running in the rough will be your biggest factors. She's a fun boat. Its a small tunnell and will get flighty on you in a milisecond. One moment its running around 35+ and the next, its 6 feet up and doing a back flip!

Don't really know what else you're wanting to know. Its nitro so you'll need the support equipment, but thats part of the fun.

Later,
DD

[Fast68]

Were is a good online source to purchase nitro marine engines, I'ved checked many places, but very little hits, I know the Lap Cat requires a 3.5 outboard, but if I'm right, the K7B is no longer in production, OS makes an outboard but very pricy. If this boat is very finicky, what would be a good starter. Thanks:)

[CJP-51]

Fast68 here's a link to Superboatmarine. They have a K&B 3.5cc OB listed for $172 Superboat Marine (http://www.superboat-marine.com/)

[Fast68]

Thanks for the info guys, I'm getting sticker shock from the boat engines, why are they so much more expensive than aircraft and car engines?, I might have to reconsider boat racing.:(

[Doubledog]

My suggestion is to shop around for new & used.

Ebay has good deals on new engines all the time. Though I'll get shot down for that comment, there are some good deals, but you take a chance everytime. Sometimes you can find new in box engines for ridiculous low prices or even some crazies that pay three times what it'd cost new.

http://listings.ebay.com/pool2/plistings/list/all/category34058/index.html?from=R4

R/C Universe is a (so, so) website for boats and a gazzillion other things, but at least they have stuff for sale.

BOAT SALES etc...
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forumdisplay.php?forumid=44

BOAT CHAT---
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forumdisplay.php?forumid=43

As before, you'll enjoy the boat a lot. Take along a good retrieval device for sure.:D

[Fast68]

I would definatly get an inflatable boat for retreival, thanks for those links, I'll check them out, I was getting a little discouraged about boat racing.
Joe

[CJP-51]

Fast68 don't get discouraged. Any hobby will cost you money (some more than others). Outboards are more expensive b/c the majority of them come with the whole lower outboard unit (extra metal,machining etc). I am not sure what kind of cars you have built. I myself have built 2 nitros. Your talking about a .12 or .15 size engine versus a .21 (3.5cc). It depends on any mods or update parts yada yada. I see many .12 competition car engines that exceed $200. If you are interested in nitro but don't want to commit massive dollar amounts, there are other options like CEN's line of nitro boats or the Miss Budweiser hydroplane. What kind of racing/boating do you want? Solely top speed or wave action?

[CJP-51]

Fast68 I don't want it to sound like I am trying to sway you away from the Lapcat. The Lapcat it designed for relatively calm water and will reach high speeds doing so. If you want to be able to jump waves and not worry about rough water, the Lapcat is not designed for that and you should consider a deep vee. Seeing how money is an issue, I have read many posts about CEN's boats and the majority are very pleased with them. The Aqua Jet in particular, I have found for $249.99 ready to run (you might want to search around to see if there are any lower prices) and comes w/an .16 engine which could be upgraded to an .18 engine. Going this route w/ a less expensive boat might be what you need, it will handle rougher water, cost less, and in the long run if you decide boats aren't for you, you didn't plunk down hundreds of dollars. Hopefully I have helped you in some way :D

[Doubledog]

Good stuff man. I fully agree with what your saying.

Fast68
ran across these and figured I'd post them for you.

http://www.rcuniverse.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=112128&forumid=44

http://www.rcuniverse.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=116668&forumid=44

As always, you take a chance on buying used, but you never know. You'll have fun with the hull, but you will be limited on water conditions.

Have a ball, Double out!

[Fast68]

CJP, were can I get information on the Miss Bud Hydro?, the local club is starting a new class.

[lovinnitro]

Fast68,
What kind of info are you looking for? There is a great review at www.rcboatmodeler.com and in the forums here, i think in the nitro section there are some tips, tricks, and guys who say they will get the miss Bud screaming.

[CJP-51]

Fast68 here's a few links
Miss Bud (http://www.harcohobbies.com/boats/miss_bud.asp)
$300 plus free ground shipping w/in the U.S.
Miss Bud Review (http://www.rcboatmodeler.com/RB/reviews/missbud.asp)

The Miss Budweiser boat is a hydroplane and just like the Lap Cat it is meant for calm water.

Some things you might want to consider when looking for a boat or parts:
What is my budget?

Where am I going to run it? (rough water, large lakes w/ full sized boats, etc.)

What do I want to do with it? Jump waves, go for speed, just have fun

What does everyone else run in you area? (your LHS may have better parts support for a certain boat and you will have people who are familiar w/ your boat if you run into trouble)

In my opinion, the best option is a deep vee hull. The majority of the nitro vee hulls can reach high speeds as well but also offer a wider range of flexibility and allowing you to handle the rougher waters. If you have to, you don't want to drive to a local lake and find out you can't run the boat that day b/c the water conditions won't permit it.
Here's some additional info:
Miss Bud thread (http://www.radiocontrolzone.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=98002)

CEN AquaJet Homepage (http://www.cenracing.com/boats/aqua.html)

[Fast68]

Thanks for the replies, I might get a deep v kit.