Rooster tail???

[JoeP123]

My r/c boat does't throw up a rooster tail or any size. In fact there is very little water disturbance behind it when it is running. Does anyone know of a way to make a simple modification that will allow it to throw up a tail?

[DaveDude]

Rooster tails are usually a result of surface piercing props or very fast speeds. I would expect that you have a submerged prop. If you do have a surface prop, maybe your batteries are weak.

[JoeP123]

Well I'm getting high speeds, 50-60 mph, with a catamaran hull. I'm not sure if the prop is piercing the water or not, if it isn't it is close to where the water line would be at high speeds.

[Doubledog]

Take some pics & post them.:)

[Chris LaPanse]

What boat are you getting 60mph out of without a rooster tail? Pics?

[Ron Olson]

It sounds like the prop is too deep if it's not tossing a 'tail. The cable should be about level with the bottom of the sponsons or slightly higher. If the prop is fuly submerged then you won't see much of one if any. Get the prop up there and you should see not only a 'tail but a huge increase in speed!

[JoeP123]

I'm running the old Kyosho Hurricane with two Jaguar 17's, Novak Super Duty XR esc, two 3300 MSC nimh batteries with an Octura x450 prop. I haven't tried the X452 yet.
I will have to wait a while before I can post pics. I don't have a digital camera, only 35mm and those pics off the disc when developed always seem to be to big to upload.

[Ron Olson]

I'm not that savvy with electric boats but that speed sounds just a little high for what you've got.
I use the Kodak program that you can download online for my pix from my digital or not too long ago my 35mm SLR. You can do all sorts of things with your pix including resizing them for this site and others that can't take large shots.

[69dart]

yeah that speed guestimate is a bit out of ball park
i dont think it would go that fast if you had twin fiago brushless on 20 cells that were gear driven
you might wanna check yourself again

[JoeP123]

The top speed is a guesstimate. I ran it the first time while in a "chase boat", just for the hell of it and also get a gps reading as to what kind of speeds we were doing. The boat that I was in was running 42 mph at full throttle and I kept the r/c boat off the port bow and held it there the whole trip to the cottage I was going to. 10 minute ride. Anyways, I only had the remote at just over half throttle, that's with the stick all the way forward and the trim dial partly forward. I did give it a short shot at full throttle once we got into calmer water and it quickly gained distance.

But my original question is still the same, is there an easy way of making a modification to help throw up a tail? I was thinking about gluing a couple of half cone shaped pieces from a plastic model kit onto the drive unit that could draw in water and direct it upwards...........

[Chris LaPanse]

Rosster tails are not caused by the hull - they are caused by the prop. What level is your prop at? It should be even with the bottom (rear) of the hull, or slightly higher. Also, I still say there's no way you're getting that speed. Brian (a local boater) has a cat that'll run 60- it is a 44" (i think) stryker with a 6hp modified Zenoah gas engine. A boat like that, maybe 30 (if you're lucky). If you were getting that kind of speed, then you couldn't possibly get 10min runtimes (even with 3300's). Using a fast electric boat calculator, you can't be getting more than about 25-30mph, and 5-10min runtimes out of that thing.

[Raydee]

Prop has a lot to do with the roostertail. Props with sharp tips throw the water off the tips more and will shoot more of a roostertail.....these are for the most part lifting props. You will notice that Riggers and hydros shoot alot of roost because they will use a lifting prop. Most guys want a prop that will shoot the water straight back instead of up which will result in faster speeds. My bud had a mono that ran fast but shot a rooster 30 feet in the air, after having the prop worked on he gained 5mph but the huge roostertail is gone.

[Fluid]

The boat that I was in was running 42 mph at full throttle and I kept the r/c boat off the port bow and held it there the whole trip to the cottage I was going to. 10 minute ride.Sorry, that speed and run time is simpy not possible with the setup you have. I used to run a highly-modified Hurricane with a similar amount of power, and 40+ mph for 10 minutes is fantasy. So is 50-60 mph top speeds - not even the geared 05-motor-master Ed Hughey can get that much speed with his small, light, custom-built 12-cell cat with a 60-second SAW setup running two 10-turn motors....you get the point. I hold that NAMBA SAW record for a 12-cell cat at 74.3 mph, but it required a custom hull and BL power - and a lot of tuning and testing - to get there. :cool:

I'm not saying that the poster is intentionally inflating his speeds, he just is not very good at estimating speeds. IME this is very common among most FE boaters and without radar, a GPS or a speed trap, any talk about top speeds is, well....just talk. :rolleyes:

Why no roost? One, the boat is not running anywhere near 50+ mph. Second, prop rpm determines the amount and height of the roost too, and a large prop spinning relatively slowly won't throw much of a roost. How to get more? Substitute a smaller prop, like an x640, and change the gearing to a lower numerical value to get the prop speed up. You don't need a 50mm prop to move the Hurricane. You can try raising the current prop in 1/8" increments and see if that helps the roost - it may cause an increase in speed as well. The x-series props will throw a nice roost if boat speed and prop rpm are high enough. :o

[water dog]

Whats the big deal about a roostertail anyway ?.I like speed .Isnt that what we are all after anyway!!!?.

[Doubledog]

Rooster adds to the visual effect. I've got friends that run .80 inboards with props & rudder completly submerged & only trim tabs on the back. LIGHTNING fast, but boring as heck! I like roost:)

[Ron Olson]

Roostertails do look cool but there is only so much that you want. I've seen boats that have them going almost straight up but you know that the prop is too high then. A flatter 'tail is what you want with surface drives at speed.

[JoeP123]

Well I found a way to get a pretty good tail....hook about 3 pounds of weeds onto the prop and stabilizer fins. Won't get much speed but it throws up about 5 foot tail. lol

The fins are getting cut off........

[69dart]

you want a rooster tail
hook up a gasser water pump to your electric motor ......
and then hook a pressur fitting and sqeeze it so it sprays instead of streams and then
mount it on the bakc of the boat
he he he
lol
im dieing
first off the reason y your boat dont have a rooster is cause it isnt goin fast enough
you boat is doin about 25
what were you trackin it in
a pontoon boat

[69dart]

your boat is doin about sixty with a eighty mph tail wind while being pulled behind a hydro ... im done with this thread