New to R/C Boats

[gotitmadecij]

Wanting to get started in the fun of R/C, I live in Northeast North Carolina, lots of wide open rivers and sounds and I was thinking of purchasing a Enforcer Magnum 57, not to familiar with it, other than what i have gleaned off of the web site for Warehouse Hobbies. Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

[Ron Olson]

Welcome to the fun/insanity of our sport/hobby! It's a good choice for a starting boater. Do you have any R/C experience not talking about Nikko or Radio Shack crap. Any experience helps immensely. If you have a Hobby Shop nearby, see if anyone knows any other boaters in your area that might be of help. Usually we're a very friendly and helpful bunch. You can learn a lot from web sites but nothing beats having someone right at your side when you launch it for the first time.
One piece of advice, don't run it on a river unless you have a fast boat to chase it down with if it stalls. One of mine jumped out of a pond into the river and the water moves a lot faster than it looks, believe me! The pond that I dial in my boats at has a very small inlet between it and the river. My antenna wire broke and lost contact with it. It hit the shore, went airborne and landed on the other side.

[gotitmadecij]

No experience at all , I have a chase boat, my concern was that in this area the river is hardly ever flat. thats why I was thinking of the Magnum 57 (bigger being better for slight chop).
The closest hobby shop is probably 45 minutes away. So I was looking for some reviews or info on the Magnum 57. Maybe this one is not the way to go????

[Hydro Junkie]

Actually, IT IS THE WAY TO GO!!!! You have already assessed the water you have to run on and picked a boat that can handle the conditions. To me, that shows forsite and common sense. As for no experience, there are lots of people that can help you out. At this website alone, I know of several who can give advice on what to do and not do. I would recommend a gas engine for your boat. They have more torque than a nitro motor and are usually more user friendly. As for hardware, I would talk to Warehouse Hobbies, as they make the Enforcer line, for recommendations on the hardware to use. As for radio gear, any two or more channel radio will work. You need to be sure that it is on either the 27mhz or 75mhz bands. Stay away from any radio that is on 72mhz or 50mhz. The 72mhz is for aircraft only, while the 50mhz requires an FCC license. You will also need to get a HIGH TORQUE SERVO FOR THE RUDDER. I also would advise NOT mixing brands of radio components. Some brands will not work with other brands. Do you have any shelterred bays close by? They might be better to run on till you get more familiar with the boat. Salt water will require more maintenance than fresh, due to the corrosion factor, but in your case it might be worth it. More than anything else, listen to what others say. If you get conflicting info or have questions, DON'T BE AFRAID TO ASK THE QUESTIONS ON HOW OR WHY. There is no one way that is always right, but there is always ways to do it wrong. You might avoid a lot of wrongs by just asking why to something that sounds strange. Good Luck :)

[gotitmadecij]

all fresh water here, I was hoping to get some info on the Magum 57 , or is there a better boat , If I go with Warehouse Hobbies, I plan on having them install the radio and all.....

[Hydro Junkie]

The Magnum 57 is a fiberglass deep vee about 57 inches long. There's not really a lot to say about the boat, beyond what they list. I would recommend getting the trim tabs installed also, along with everything else they show. With the water conditions you described, it would be a good first boat. When you said you had rivers and sounds, I was thinking you were refering to salt water inlets like Puget Sound here in Washington State. If you want to double the replies about the boat, you might want to start a thread in the nitro and gas forum. You might also want to search for threads for Enforcer's. It could tell you more about other boats WHH produces.

[Hydro Junkie]

I might have an answer in your quest for more info on the Magnum 57. If you go to the R/C Boat Modeller section of this website, they have an area where they do product testing. Check out the test for the Enforcer Patriot. The only real difference between the Magnum and Patriot is the Magnum is two inches longer. They gave if a good review, so you might want to check it out :D

[gotitmadecij]

well, what the heck, I went and ordered it, should be here in a couple of weeks......

[Chris LaPanse]

by the way, its not the Patriot, its the Manta Ray

[gotitmadecij]

I ordered the Magnum 57 , with radio,fail safe,stand & starter handle, trim tabs......anything I miss?

[Chris LaPanse]

servos?

By the way, which radio? You dont want to get a 1200 dollar boat and lose it because your 50 dollar radio had a glitch. You want a good 75 MHz FM system.

[gotitmadecij]

Ordered it from Warehouse Hobbies , Futaba Magnum Jr, dont know anything about it, is it a good one?

[Chris LaPanse]

Yes, that is a decent radio. It is FM and 75MHz, so you shouldn't have problems with glitching. However it doesn't have many features. It is just a "budget" FM system. Still, it should be fine, unless you are planning to race competitively. Also, If it comes with the boat, I would assume it has servos included. You will have a lot of fun with your new boat. By the way, when you get it, post some pics :D :D :D

[gotitmadecij]

still waiting for my magnum ..............................................

[scorpien boats]

i wish i could have a magnum lol

[gotitmadecij]

Well my new Magnum 57 arrived, looks great......I finally assembled it..... been trying the radio on the bench, and it works fine, except the servos are "twitching" , is this normal?

[Hydro Junkie]

Three questions:
1. Are your batteries fully charged or are you using dry cells?
2. Is your transmitter antenna up or down?
3. How close is your transmitter to the receiver antenna?
4. Is your radio a Futaba?

If you are using nicads that aren't fully charged OR if you have the antenna up at close range or you are too close to the receiver period it can cause that. If the batteries are weak, I've seen this happen, due to lack of power to the receiver and servos. If you are really close to the receiver with the transmitter antenna up or have the transmitter antenna too close to the receiver antenna, you could be overloading the receiver. If any of these are happening, recharge/replace the batteries, lower the transmitter antenna, or move the transmitter further from the receiver. If none of these help and you have a Futaba system, go to the Futaba website, www.futaba.com and check the troubleshooting section for further help.

[gotitmadecij]

BINGO......HYDRO JUNKIE
1- Nicad ......fully charged 16 Hrs...
2- Antenna down
3- Transmitter was beside the boat....
4- Futaba...........

In other words I am guilty of 3 out of the four....no wonder the servos were "twitching"

Thanks

[Doubledog]

Photos?

Ppppppllease?

[gotitmadecij]

Here are some dry land pics, haven't been able to take it out yet

[gotitmadecij]

another one

[Chris LaPanse]

Sweet!
I am drooling on my keyboard (lol)
BTW, did you get those glitching problems fixed (aka test it and make sure it works)? If so, we'd all love to see some pics of it running ;)

[scottericsonon]

That is one SWEET looking boat!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

congrats

scott

[Doubledog]

As others have said before me..................... THAT IS ONE SWEET BOAT !

Man, I've got to sell my other Super G' so I can buy one of those !

OMGosh!

[gotitmadecij]

had it on the river , it runs like a "scalded dog,striped ape, etc......"however it doesnt run very long maybe 5 mins, and then when it idles down it cuts off, when i try to restart , i have to choke it to start, then it idles fine , i let it sit next to the chase boat and it idles for a good while.......also how would i tell how the cooling system is working.....it seems to be putting out a mist from the exhaust not a stream....any help would be appreciated...

[gotitmadecij]

Pictures from the river

[gotitmadecij]

speed pass

[gotitmadecij]

another one

[gotitmadecij]

next pic

[Chris LaPanse]

Awesome :eek: :eek: :eek: :D :D
Did you solve the problem of the runtime yet? If not, i'm stumped. Still, you were right when you said it runs like a striped ape ;)

[flingbulletman]

undefined :D :D
What a AWSOME Boat!!!!
I just bought my son and I both Aquacraft Hammer EP's, these are our first boats, we have had planes. I am some what dissapointed in the way they seem to "cut out" even after replacing the flex tube antenna shaft with a straight tube antenna shaft. Has anyone else suffered with similar troubles?

[gotitmadecij]

run time varies, most of the time its only gonna run for about 5 or 10 mins then the engine just quits ,I just retrieve it and choke it one time and then it starts right away and its good for another 5 or 10 mins

[Chris LaPanse]

I would say call/email Tony Castronovo (owner of WHH) and see if he knows what might be happening, as he is the one who manufactures the boats.

FlingBulletMan, what radio is it that you are using? Also, how far away are they when they "cut out" Some beginner radios are only good for a few hundred feet.

[Micho523]

The radios that come with the Hammers are Futaba AM radios in the 27Mhz range. I have the Nitro hammer and I have never had a problem with my radio cutting out. Try closing the antenna all the way down on the transmitter, turn both the transmitter and reciever on, and then start walking away from it, periodiaclly moving the rudder as you walk away. If you can't get very far before you get no response from the boat, try replacing the batteries. It may also be that your ESC is getting too hot and is automattically shutting itself off. I dont know if the ESC is water cooled or not, but if not, you may want to look into some cooling options for it.

[gotitmadecij]

my problem is the engine

[Chris LaPanse]

Yes, I know. The radio problem responses were to FlingBulletMan. The suggestion of dropping Tony Castronovo a line was for you. Hope you solve that problem soon.

[gotitmadecij]

sorry, It will be a good day, when I wake up, lol

[Bash_N_Thrash]

undefined :D :D
What a AWSOME Boat!!!!
I just bought my son and I both Aquacraft Hammer EP's, these are our first boats, we have had planes. I am some what dissapointed in the way they seem to "cut out" even after replacing the flex tube antenna shaft with a straight tube antenna shaft. Has anyone else suffered with similar troubles?

Yes I have. The Hammer EP (Electric Power) has a steel prop shaft and brass stuff tube. Inside the tube at the beggining (inside hull) and at the end (outside hull) there are smaller sleeves inside the tube. These act as bushings of sorts for the prop shaft to ride on. The initial lubrication fades away quickly (5 battery packs or so) and then you are left with metal on metal. This causes radio glitching and the boat cuts out and is unresponsive. So the answer is to keep the shaft well lubed. I tried white lithium grease on mine and it worked fine.

Heres how if you dont already know:
1. Remove one of the rudder screws (I did the right one looking at the back of the boat) and loosen the other.
2. Loosen the grub screw that holds the prop shaft to the coupler.
3. Swing the rudder out of the way and pull the shaft out of the tube.
4. Put grease in the tube at both ends and on the shaft.
5. Put everthing back together.

A couple of tips you could do (while you have it apart) that might help are:
1. Polish the prop shaft where it contacts the brass tube.
2. Sharpen the prop and remove imperfections.
3. Loctite the grub screws in the coupler (blue).
4. If the scews that hold the rudder to the back strip out, fill the hole with CA glue and put the screw in about 3/4 the way. Let the glue dry and then remove the scews. The CA will not stick to the metal but will to the plastic.

Good luck!!

P.S.
The Hobbico Aquacraft Hammer EP ships with a 75 mhz AM radio system. Just in case anybody cares.

[Doubledog]

undefined :D :D
What a AWSOME Boat!!!

Fully agree. :)

[Chris LaPanse]

I agree it is awesome. I'm joining the club of (hopefully) happy Enforcer boat owners soon-I am placing an order for a Manta Ray this friday. I'll also post some pics when I get it. I hope I don't have the engine problems. :D

[Doubledog]

Alright !

I'm debating about putting my yellow Super G up for sale. If I do, it'll just be the hull, tank & radio box. However, I'll keep the white one. Never should've bought two of the same boat to begin with, but I guess thats how hard the bug bit me with Enforcer.

Very Good Quality & they stand behind what they sell.

[Chris LaPanse]

I ordered the Ray today, along with everything except gas and a radio (I already have a CRX) If everything goes well, I should have it in a couple weeks.
:D:D:D

[Chris LaPanse]

ITS HERE!!! :D:D:D

The Ray arrived today- i will try to post some pics of it soon :D

[Chris LaPanse]

Here are some pics-
cruising away from shore:

[Chris LaPanse]

these next 4 shots were taken about .4 seconds apart:
Sitting there:

[Chris LaPanse]

nailed the gas:

[Chris LaPanse]

next:

[Chris LaPanse]

Then:

[Chris LaPanse]

full throttle:

[Chris LaPanse]

Final picture-speed pass

[gotitmadecij]

Chris, will your boat run more than 5 mins without the engine stopping.....

[Chris LaPanse]

It didn't at first, but then I adjusted the idle up a little bit, and it's been fine since. Have you tried speeding up your idle (either with radio trim or idle screw)

[gotitmadecij]

tried that, reset the high and low speed needles to what the book said , didnt help
I was cleaning yesterday after a run and found a slight residue of fuel on the fuel hose at the fuel filter , i put some wire ties on both sides of the filter, I will try that.....thinking that it might be picking up air........

[Chris LaPanse]

then i'm stumped. That fixed it for me, now I have run it for 20-30 mins no problem. It was bogging down a bit once it got up to temperature, but I traced that down to the fact that it was running too rich (at least too rich for running at an altitude of 5300 feet. Less air means you need less fuel)

[Chris LaPanse]

BTW-will yours only quit at idle, or will it quit at WOT too?

[gotitmadecij]

Usually when i slow , so I was hoping that the increase in idle would help....didn’t...
Recently it has started to have a noticeable "miss" while at 3/4 to WOT throttle

[Chris LaPanse]

is that only at low speed, like when you nail it from a dead stop, or does that happen at high speed too?

[Chris LaPanse]

I leaned mine out a little today, and suddenly, it started to stall about every five minutes! After a while of experimenting, I found you can prevent it from "missing" by leaning out the HSN about 1/8 turn, and it won't stall if you richen the LSN about the same amount (1/8 turn). Try this and see if it helps. (although it'll also miss if it's too lean, so if the missing gets worse, then bring it in and richen it immediately)

[Watercadet]

I know that Enforcer had a problem with the vent caps on the fuel tank a while back. It would not vent and the motor would starve for fuel and shut down after about 5 min. Have you talked to Tony?
Adam

[gotitmadecij]

i checked the plug and found it was a little wet and black, so i dont think it is too lean,although when i restart it, I have to choke it, so I dont know. I also replaced the fuel cap with the extension that warehouse sells.

[Chris LaPanse]

well, mine would only stall if the LSN was too lean. Even though it was getting plenty of fuel at WOT (so consequently, the plug was looking wet and dark), it would still stall at idle. I have mine set just fractionally richer than it came from the factory (LSN) and 1/8 turn leaner than factory on the HSN, and I haven't had any problems since. Good luck figuring out your problem, it has me stumped.

[gotitmadecij]

ok, I will try that.thanks

[Chris LaPanse]

so, did it work?

[gotitmadecij]

sorry i been busy and when i wasnt the weather was bad, I hope i can go out soon

[Chris LaPanse]

BTW- I just posted some video of the boat on r c p i c s.net
here http://www.******.net/media.php?searchstr=user:6256&trick=Any&type=Any&time=1094949579&search=search&limit=10 How does that compare to how your boat runs?

[gotitmadecij]

Anybody, ever had to replace the clutch spring on a Zenoah , I broke one yesterday and have a new one on the way.....any trick to installing?

[crazy-rc]

how much was that? i mean all

[gotitmadecij]

how much was that? i mean all
was no charge from warehouse hobbies they replaced it under warranty.....

[Chris LaPanse]

Well, at least they are replacing it under warranty. Any recent running reports or anything? Pics? How is the boat working?

[gotitmadecij]

Well, at least they are replacing it under warranty. Any recent running reports or anything? Pics? How is the boat working?
I have not had it out since last summer when I broke the clutch....I did find just before then that the fuel filter was clogged , that might be the reason that I was not getting long runs.... Broke the clutch before i could get many runs to check that.........Been too busy at work to go much this year.

[Doubledog]

Mine did the same thing when I took it out this year for the first time. Stalled after a few min. Looked at the feed line & it was dry. Found it to be the fuel filter.