Help with motors & batts

[scull]

hi all

Im new to RC boats & have just bought myself an Artesania Latina "Amsterdam" tug (1:50 scale) so far ive built the deck & fitted the rudder/prop shaft & progressing well however there's a few things as a newbie i would like some help with:

I would like long run times with my tug when its finished, after asking a few people at local hobbie shops im getting mixed comments, some say 40+ mins some say 10 mins! So i went off & did some research on the net but so far no luck but then i found this website

so..
What motor & battery combo would be best?

I have a JP Catalogue & theres some 6v & 12v batts in there (big grey sqaure blocks looking things!?)

Also after fitting the rudder/prop shaft whats the best way to seal them?

sorry to sound so newbie! but ive never built or even used an RC boat before but after owning 2 IC trucks I wanted something to relax & unwind with at the water side (fishing not my thing!)

Any more useful tips or websites you might know of would be most appreciated, thanks in advance :)

[skipgall]

HI I might be able to help. 1/50 is small but I outfited a platic modle air craf carrier 1/450 with rc controls.
I use a place that sells batterys and other electric things. wires, servo conectors etc. Its www.allelectronics.com
All so www.servohut.com
back to batterys, A 6v 1.2AH will give you an hour runing time at 1amp. the battery is 3.8x0.93x2"h This is what you called a big black thing. Most tugboat drivers I have seen use these. Or the next size up. All so they have nickel-cad batt. to make your own batt pack. At allelec. they have mtrs too. A 6v mabuchi mtr thats used in most boats.
give it a try
good luck
skip

[J0e]

i like the sites you put up but i know of the "radioactive" brand props and shafts, etc. but i have searched and searched but i can't find an internet site for it. any help?
joe

[CG Bob]

The Aresina Latina AMSTERDAM kit is 42" long and almost 10" wide, the model will weigh about 20-25 pounds to get the desired waterline. With that much ballast needed, you want the ballast to be doing something. Get the biggest 12V gel cell lead acid battery that will fit throught the cabin opening. Tale a look at the MACK Products (http://www.mackproductsrc.com/Power%20p2.htm) Model 2500-2530 Motor/gearbox unit, it has a 3:1 ratio. With a 12V 7 Ahr gel cell, you should get run times of close to 5 hours. I built the USCGC TAMAROA (WMEC 166) on a 1:48 scale fiberglass hull that I purchased form the Scale Shipyard. The TAMAROA is 51" long, 9 & 3/4" wide and eweighs in at 30 pounds. I have the MACK 2500-2530 unit and a 12 V 7AHr battery, and have run the boat for over 5 hours at one time.

Sealing the stuffing tubes to the hull should be done with a mix of epoxy and micro ballons; DO NOT use 5 or 6 minute epoxy for this - it isn't waterproof. Sealing the shafts inside the stuffing tubes is best done with grease, I prefer white lithium grease because it's available almost everywhere.

Pictures of my TAMAROA model are posted at CMBC (http://www.clevelandmodelboat.com/) under the "Scale" section, and in the galleries here (http://www.rcgroups.com/) as well.

[Ellenbrook-Boat]

Quite a nice boat when finished. I am doing mine as the French Naval Tug Centaur (decommissioned to Turkish Navy). :)

The fittings need a lot of consideration. :rolleyes:

In Australia we use a lot of Motor Vehicle Car Heater & Windscreen Wiper Motors for larger Tugs. They draw such low amps and have great Torque. Setup right you could pull close to 1000 pounds. Prop will need to be brass and about 70-80mm. Run times up to 10 hours on twin 7amp hr 12v Gell Cells. Ballast with batteries and not lead weights.

Raboesch Props & Couplers are by far the best available. Available props will depend on the Shaft you use but staying Metric opens you up to many different options and worldwide suppliers. A good M5 Shaft would do the trick or use the included shaft but don't try to over prop as it could cause problems down the track. :teacher:

My club has 6 of these Tugs and they all have little differences, one with a bow thruster.

This Tug provides for a lot of options and freelancing. :wave: