total novice....

[matho]

Hi Guys (i.e. anyone who can help me with some initial general info),

I recently got a rush of blood and thought it would be a cool idea to purchase an rc boat...mainly to take out with me when I am boating/fishing...so can muck around with it when the fish aren't biting.

Anyway to cut a long story short I have purchased one off ebay....the seller has been more then helpful with some of my inane questions and he also told me about this site and forum. I don't want to bother him further for the time being so thought I'd give this a bash for starters...

Perhaps the best way to go about this is to provide the information re the boat that he has given me thus far:
It is a Cen Racing Nitro Aquajet Boat (74cm long...a bit less then 30 inches)
It features a .18 (3.0cc) nitro pullstart engine (which has only had 1 litre of fuel through it). He has upgraded the stock muffler with a header and tune pipe, the stock prop has also been upgraded as has the fuel tank. He also has fitted a spin fin which apparently helps stop the boat from "swapping ends" with the extra grunt. The boat comes with all the radio gear installed and stock parts, 2 spare rudders etc etc....

Ok now for the 'dumb' questions...

1) Is this boat considered a reasonable craft for quite simply mucking around with?
2) The hull is ABS composite plastic...I read in another forum message that nitro fuel eats ABs and to "never buy a nitro ABS boat"...well unfortunately it's too late because I am awaiting delivery...so what options are there to protect the plastic should this be necessary?
3) I intend to use it in salt water....which is apparently ok...I have a 'normal' boat and obviously hose it down etc and flush the outboard...I assume a similar rountine is required for an rc boat??? He suggested removing and greasing the prop shaft. What do you use (grease/oil) for this?
4) He stated that there is a knob on the transmitter that allows you to adjust the throw of the rudder...he has it set at max...what effect does that have?
5) The rudder angle can also be altered for differnt water conditions (smooth or choppy) but he said he "could never seem to get any good advice on when to change that" so he has just left it in a neutral position. Any suggestions/ideas of what to do with the rudder angle?
6) How easy is it to flip the boat and if so will it sink easily? There is a cover over the motor bay....how important is to keep water out when it is running and/or being cleaned??

Ok well apologies for the seemingly simple questions but this is my first foray into radio controlled boats (and have had only minimal experience with electirc cars) so with luck someone will be kind enough to take the time and let me know about the above. I would appreciate it heaps.

Cheers, Matho.

[direwolf]

I'm only new to RC Boating myself but here's what I understand on some of your questions


1) Is this boat considered a reasonable craft for quite simply mucking around with?
I guess so. It's not a racing boat but its good fun. I have a CEN Grey Thunder


2) The hull is ABS composite plastic...I read in another forum message that nitro fuel eats ABs and to "never buy a nitro ABS boat"...well unfortunately it's too late because I am awaiting delivery...so what options are there to protect the plastic should this be necessary?
I dunno about Nitro eating the ABS hull, sound like an urban ledgend. The ABS won't last like a fibreglass hull though


3) I intend to use it in salt water....which is apparently ok...I have a 'normal' boat and obviously hose it down etc and flush the outboard...I assume a similar rountine is required for an rc boat??? He suggested removing and greasing the prop shaft. What do you use (grease/oil) for this?
Just be carefull of non stainless steel parts that will rust real quickly from salt exposure.


4) He stated that there is a knob on the transmitter that allows you to adjust the throw of the rudder...he has it set at max...what effect does that have? Umm the adjustment for the rudder on mine allows you to trim (center). Not sure on the throw bit.


5) The rudder angle can also be altered for differnt water conditions (smooth or choppy) but he said he "could never seem to get any good advice on when to change that" so he has just left it in a neutral position. Any suggestions/ideas of what to do with the rudder angle?
Same as a normal boat, trim the motor in to lower the bow or trim it out to raise the bow


6) How easy is it to flip the boat and if so will it sink easily? There is a cover over the motor bay....how important is to keep water out when it is running and/or being cleaned??
In calm water it would be hard to flip, but in rough water I guess it could happen. The big thing to keep dry is the electrics. The receiver and battery pack should be sealed in water proof baloons in the CEN

[Ron Olson]

I have experience with this boat as I have friends with them and at one time owned its sister boat, the Grey Thunder.
Yes, it's a god boat for "mucking" around. I'm guessing that you don't live around here. :)
The hull is fuel-resistant, not fuelproof. Any spills need to be cleaned up as soon as possible otherwise it will soften the plastic.
Running it in salt water is OK as long as you take care of it afterwards. Rinse the boat off with fresh water and spray the motor down inside and out using a product like WD-40. Shoot some up in through the cooling head also.
The third knob on the transmitter is called the dual-rate which controls the amount of servo throw/rudder movement. It doesn't need to be all the way to the right so back it down about 1/3 or more to suit your taste. If the previous owner had problems from spinning out it may have been from having too much throw and using all of the steering. The added weight of the larger fuel tank may have contributed to the problem. By the way, if it has a Sullivan 4 ounce tank in it, you can thank me for that idea as I was the one who discovered that this tank would fit in there.
Leave the rudder angle alone. Make sure that it is parallel to the transom.
Try to keep as much water out of the inside of the boat as possible, more so if you're running in salt water. The radio components are exposed which doesn't help matters and are more easily affected.
One other thing to do if it hasn't been done, turn the cooling head 90 degrees. I don't like water lines running in over the top of the carb.

[matho]

Thanks for the replies above...Will let you know about the fuel tank when I finally get to see the boat next week. Nope not from around your area (US I'm assuming)...I'm from Australia thus the "mucking" (playing) around description. Seems that the ABS plastic is ok if fuel is spilt on it so long as it is cleaned off asap.
I wasn't exactly sure how to go about cleaning/rinsing the engine once it has been run in salt water...I gather you run fresh water through the engine and then as suggested use WD-40 on engine parts not water??? Just trying to get that clarified. Handy suggestion re the cooling head...cheers for that.

Oops last question for now....I'm a bit confused as to the ideal percentage of nitro mix to use....a friend of mine has a nitro car and he has been going on about 5%, 15% etc etc....what's the best mixture percenatge to use....anything to be wary of??

Thanks again and cheers from sunny Oz (Australia).

[direwolf]

The guy at my local shop reckons to use 20% nitro and make sure it has 20% lube

Im from Oz too --> Canberra

[Wolfmann]

The one thing not mentioned above is that when you are done make sure you pump water thru the cooling head of the motor. You dont want salt water to stay in there.

[matho]

The one thing not mentioned above is that when you are done make sure you pump water thru the cooling head of the motor. You dont want salt water to stay in there.

Ok well 20% Nitro seems the go but that's the first I have heard of lube being required (it's sounding like a two stroke!!)....but perhaps I can figure that out.. As for pumping water through the cooling head I assume that simply means running the boat in some fresh water for awhile when I get home?? Like when you flush an outboard after a day on the water??

Not far from you direwolf....Sydney (as my business is based here) but have my proper home in good ol Brisbane.

[matho]

The guy at my local shop reckons to use 20% nitro and make sure it has 20% lube

Im from Oz too --> Canberra

Just realised how to reply directly to your message...anyway thanks for the info....Sydney here....

[matho]

Ok seems I have partly got all this worked out.....hell didn't expect to be as many potential variables as there are.....but appreciate the replies etc...was reading today about marine engines for nitro boats as opposed to what???.....I assume my boat had a "marine" engine because it could be run in salt water but this guy was saying that "marine"engines are specially designed for salt water conditions.....fact or fiction or I'm just confused??? Cheers.

[direwolf]

Marine engines on full size boats are normally designed for use in salt water. They have sacrifical anodes attached to the motor which corode first instead of the engine. This is for boats that spend a lot of time in the water. If you don't get rid of the salt build up on these bats they will also start coroding.

Marine engines for r/c boats are the same as the car/plane engines except they normally have water cooling instead of air cooling.

The big thing to remember if you run your boat in salt is to get rid of the salt at the end of the day. When I owned my full sized boat with a 115HP Johnson, I always flushed the cooling with fresh water, washed down the whole boat with car wash detergent and kept everything that needed grease - greased.

Oh and Matho, here are a couple of other good rc boat forums:
http://www.intlwaters.com/index.php?act=idx
http://ampba.asn.au/forum/index.php

[Burkey1000]

As regards to the hull being fuel proof, unless you clean it totaly it will soften then it goes brittle and will start to crack at all the stress points, i know ive been there. When i first got into boats a nitro was my first boat, it was a little Kyosho bluestreak. Went to a local club and asked that question and they said it would be fine, how wrong they were, 4 months down the road it started cracking all over, asked a local hobby store and they said it needs to be painted with fuel paint. A lesson learned. A long time ago now but yes paint the inside with the right paint if you want it to last a long time. :)

[Wolfmann]

You by the nitro with the lube in the fuel already. Look at the bottle when you buy it. it will say what % of nitro and lube is in there. You can just take you're boat and use a hose to push water thru you're intake to flush it out.



Ok well 20% Nitro seems the go but that's the first I have heard of lube being required (it's sounding like a two stroke!!)....but perhaps I can figure that out.. As for pumping water through the cooling head I assume that simply means running the boat in some fresh water for awhile when I get home?? Like when you flush an outboard after a day on the water??

Not far from you direwolf....Sydney (as my business is based here) but have my proper home in good ol Brisbane.

[matho]

Marine engines on full size boats are normally designed for use in salt water. They have sacrifical anodes attached to the motor which corode first instead of the engine. This is for boats that spend a lot of time in the water. If you don't get rid of the salt build up on these bats they will also start coroding.

Marine engines for r/c boats are the same as the car/plane engines except they normally have water cooling instead of air cooling.

The big thing to remember if you run your boat in salt is to get rid of the salt at the end of the day. When I owned my full sized boat with a 115HP Johnson, I always flushed the cooling with fresh water, washed down the whole boat with car wash detergent and kept everything that needed grease - greased.

Oh and Matho, here are a couple of other good rc boat forums:
http://www.intlwaters.com/index.php?act=idx
http://ampba.asn.au/forum/index.php


Thanks mate for all the info...I have a had a couple of boats as well but first time with a nitro....oh and today i finally got some nito fuel...Glo Max CB...from Toyworld....20% Nitro but doesnt mention anywhere how what percentage of oil so i assume the apppriate amount is premixed as it is for cars and buggys and the guy said it should be ok for marine engines.

[matho]

You by the nitro with the lube in the fuel already. Look at the bottle when you buy it. it will say what % of nitro and lube is in there. You can just take you're boat and use a hose to push water thru you're intake to flush it out.
Thanks for the info...I got totally lost today because the bottle of nitro I bought said 20% but no where does it say how much oil....also the tank the guy put on doesnt have a primer because he said the stock tank that had a primer he removed because "tanks with primers are annoying because they allow pockets of air in the fuel line which makes the engine run leaner, to prime the engine just pull the fuel line off the tune pipe and blow into it"....sounds easy enough i guess...or the shop guy said to disconnect the fuel line and pull the starter cord a few times....rather then getting fuel in your mouth possibly....suppose practice will tell.....Matho.

[matho]

As regards to the hull being fuel proof, unless you clean it totaly it will soften then it goes brittle and will start to crack at all the stress points, i know ive been there. When i first got into boats a nitro was my first boat, it was a little Kyosho bluestreak. Went to a local club and asked that question and they said it would be fine, how wrong they were, 4 months down the road it started cracking all over, asked a local hobby store and they said it needs to be painted with fuel paint. A lesson learned. A long time ago now but yes paint the inside with the right paint if you want it to last a long time. :)

Yes mate very good idea...in fact i am going to look into it this week.....hey do you know approximately how far the boat will respond from the transmitter?? Cheers, Matho.

[Hydro Junkie]

Matho, car and buggy fuel isn't "OK for marine engines". The average car/buggy fuel has a much lower oil percentage than your boat engine needs. Using it will seriously shorten the life of your engine, so it's your choise.

[direwolf]

Yeah, if you can't confirm the % of lube in the fuel I wouldn't use it. The fuel I got from my local Toyworld has all the percentages on the bottle.

[BoatDoc]

if it doesn't have enought oil, just see if you can get some byron lube additive.

[Ron Olson]

Matho, a good radio system is supposed to transmit up yo 1/4 mile. Myself, I don't like to take them out any further than I care to row to retrieve it or if using the ball and fishing reel method, any further than I can throw.

[Wolfmann]

The other thing you can do is take a buddy charge your batteries and turn your electronics on. Set it in your front yard and walk away. Keep moving the rudder and keep walking. You will find out that your radio will work further then you want your boat to travel away from you. After so much distance you can’t see the boat correctly anymore and that will be your distance you will never go beyond.
As for you’re fuel make sure it is for you’re marine engine. I would be careful off adding lubricant as too much of a good thing is not a good thing. Just make sure you get the right fuel for the application.
To prime your fuel line you can get a small plastic bottle with a nozzle like used in chemical labs and force air in to the tank that way. Nitro does not taste good.