Gas boat plans

[Micho523]

Hello! I am new to rc boating, and I am looking for free or cheap plans for a vee hull gas boat. I would prefer these plans to be free, because as you all know, the parts are expensive. I really do not want to buy a premade or a kit, because I have almost everything I need lying around the house. Also, would it be better to go for a shallow vee or a deep vee? I am looking for speed and stability, and I have that there isnt much difference between the two. Any help is appreciated. Thanks! :)

[Ron Olson]

I don't want ot sound like I am berating you but first of all R/C boating is not a cheap hobby/sport in the first place. This is not a place to get something for nothing. People put a LOT of work into developing boat plans, doing a hull with a lot of testing, doing the CAD work and plenty of other work. To make the plans and give them out? What they charge is very reasonable considering what they have done. They do it right or no one else would buy another set of their plans if the others turned out crappy.
When you say gas, are you saying Gasoline or Nitro power?
Deep-Vee is the better of the two.
I know that I come off sounding like a jerk (or worse) to you but I try to keep it honest.

[Micho523]

Thanks for the honesty. I guess i didnt appreciate the work put into developing such things. Anyways, I still want to get ahold of some good boat plans. If you could point me in the right direction, that would be great.
Gasoline is the route I want to go.

[Ron Olson]

www.rcstore.com is a good place to start looking for plans. There really aren't a whole lot of plans that I know of for Gas boats.

[Hydro Junkie]

I hate to agree with Ron on this one, but I've never seen plans for a deep vee :( The only plans I HAVE SEEN are for 1/8th scale hydros. For a beginner, unless you have some woodworking experience or someone local that has built scale boats in the past, I would not recommend them as the way to go. Having said that, Ron is right about rcstore.com. The only catch is you may have to enlarge whatever you buy to make a gas engine work. Hope you find something that works :)

[Doubledog]

Think of the cost involved to build the hull alone..........

*there now, we've done that.

An educated guess is saying you'll spend pretty close to $100 just in supplies, gas for the trips to the hardware store etc... Oh & time trying to figure out what you need. Don't know about you but my time is worth something.

*Now, think about that you can buy a used hull and almost a new one for that much. A lot of the times you can buy a good hull for $150 WITH hardware. That means all youll have to do is supply the engine & radio.

We've seen it too many times.

If you're set on building a boat, then by all means get out there and do it. I like to see the new stuff folks come up with and learn with them through the building and testing phases. However, it doesn't seem like there had been much planning into the cost.

As an option: Ebay.com (look under Toys, Radio Control, Boats)

Peace

[mjmsprt40]

I've been in the process of building a boat from plans. It's a Crackerbox, set up for a .40 engine. It's my first effort, and looks it (pictures later.. try not to laugh yourselves silly over it). If I had bought a fibreglass hull, it stands to reason I could have had it in the water in just a couple of weekends, but-- sometimes it's worth it to do things the "hard way" just to see if you've got it in you. Go for it. :D

[Micho523]

Thanks for all the input. I do have a friend who has built I think 5 boats from scratch (that I know of), and i was going to try to get some help from him. Plans wise, i am looking at getting the 1/4 scale Crackerbox. I have a few weedeater engines lying around, the biggest being I think 28cc, that I plan on modifying fo make them more powerful to use in this boat. For radios, what brand gets you the most bang for your buck? All I am looking for is a good 2 channel, with an OK range, and changable crystals. Servos as well. I want something that wont break, and wont make me go broke. Thanks again!

[Micho523]

If I do decide to go ahead and just by one, tell me which of these you think is best.
Boat 1 (http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=19166&item=5901511416&rd=1)
Boat 2 (http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=19166&item=5901511416&rd=1)
Boat 3 (http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=19166&item=5901412708&rd=1)
Boat 4 (http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=19166&item=5901500084&rd=1)
I chose these because i felt they were good deals. Tell me what you think.

[Doubledog]

Boat 1 seller is an awesome guy to deal with.... From what I've heard. He post a lot over at Jims R/c boat dock. I'd buy from him without question. #1 is a FAST rig!


#2 is the same as 1.

#3 is nitro... A lot of guys have talked about them here on this board. Do a quick search for Nitro Hammer.

#4, Humm, I can name other choices but thats me.

To be totally honest, I could see myself building a Cracker Box. Have a ball. Peace out.

[Doubledog]

Here's the first boat. Its posted over at Jims.

http://p086.ezboard.com/fjimsrcboatdockfrm3.showMessage?topicID=4664.topic

[Ron Olson]

1 and 2 is too much boat for someone starting off in boating. #3 is a good boat and easiest to get parts for. #4 is an old boat but some parts are still available from CEN Racing, they use a lot of the same parts including the motor in their line of boats.
If you go with plans, most of the plans in RC Store can be blown up or shrunk to the size that you need. John Finch's Wild Thing mono has been enlarged to a .45 and Gas size or shrunk to a .12 size which I have one of from www.grimracer.com .

[Hydro Junkie]

#3 would be my first choise for a beginner. You might consider buying the hydro, but I would put it on the shelf till you get familiar with running a boat. Another option would be to buy the hydro AND build the crackerbox. Using the hydro as a ROUGH pattern for engine and hardware layout and installation might not be a bad idea as a reference tool, till you can handle a boat that fast :D

[Micho523]

Well i bit the bullet and I am bidding on the Hammer. I still want to build the crackerbox though, I think it would be a fun project. Thanks alot for all your input. It has helped me alot!

[Ron Olson]

A Crackerbox will teach you a lot about really driving a boat instead of some of the point-and-shoot racers made.

[Hydro Junkie]

So, how about an update? Did you get the Hammer? Enquiring mind's want to know :D

[Micho523]

Lol. I am still bidding on the hammer. I will be able to say Sunday if not late Saturday.
I found another Hammer that is a lower price that I am bidding on, they both end at roughly the same time.

[Micho523]

Well I got the hammer! Here (http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=5902523509) are the final results, if you would like to look. I do plan on doing some mods right from the start. First one will be prop. I have heard it said that this prop is not the best match for this boat. I really dont know alot about props, so if you guys could educate me, i would be grateful! A few questions.
What prop will give me more speed, without putting too much load on the motor?
What is lift, and is more good?
I have seen people modifying the toung and pitch of the prop. What benefit does this show?
Thats all i can think of for now, Thanks again!

[Ron Olson]

One thing at a time. Do you know how to sharpen and balance a prop?
Try an Octura X432 or X435 for it. Removing some of the tongue rids the prop of unneeded blade area that some say actually slows the boat down.
Lift is not good on this type of boat. Lift raises the rear of the boat, hence the name. It's good for outrigger hydros and other hydroplanes but not a mono. With the straight driveshaft on the NH, your boat would want to nose-dive.

[Micho523]

I am pretty much clueless about props, except in my knowing that it acts like a screw in the water. If you could point me to a "How To" guide, that would help alot. If you could tell me yourself, that would help alot as well. I do know that doing things is more of a self learned skill, than something that can be taught, but any tips or such i would appreciate. Thanks Ron, I will try both of those props.

[Doubledog]

I bidded on the Prather 31" and lost by $1.00 !

See what you've done to me? Bidding on nitro boats no doubt. lol

Take your time on the mods. Run the boat first and get used to its character before doing anything. Then when you perform one, you'll be able to see the difference and know if you've gotten your monies worth instead of hear'say.

[Ron Olson]

2dog, no real loss! :D
The biggest thing that you will find out about props is that you have to find the right one for your boat. We can get you in the Ballpark but your boat might favor one prop over antoher. I found this out when I built my sons Speedmaster 21 with a Rossi Niagara. We we first broke it in, it seems to like certain props. After is was broken in, the boat liked a larger prop that what others normally run on a .21 powered boat. I probably went through 6 or more to get the right one.
www.funrcboats.com has an area that shows you how to sharpen and balance a prop.

[Hypaboy Racing]

hey all, Im from New Zealand and Im looking for a set of plans for a Tunnelboat of about 1/10th scale, if anyone could help me out with something it would very much appreciated in this venture.

any replys please feel free to email me at boyrcr555@yahoo.co.nz

[Hydro Junkie]

Try the Online Store on this website. I know they have several tunnel hulls available as plans. I can also tell you that the boats designed by Jerry Dunlap are excellent designs that he actually races himself. As for scale, I would just go for the boat that is closest to the length you want to run and order that. Just out of my own curiosity, are you new at R/C boating, or just looking for something different to run?

[Ron Olson]

www.rcstore.com

[Hydro Junkie]

Thanks Ron, I didn't know the address