1/12 miss budwiser

[eki15]

does any one have a 1/12 miss budwiser from horizon hobbies. it is a rtr boat and i was wondering how well it preforms. as u can tell i want to buy a nitro boat and i was asking around about diffrent boats.

[Ron Olson]

It's a pretty new boat so I don't think that you'll get many responses. the new issue of RCBM is going to have an article on it if you haven't seen it on the front page yet. I've seen several for sale on eBay. Looks interesting but I don't think that it will handle like an 1/8th scale boat, it looks like the back end is in the water as opposed to riding on the prop and I find the "up to" 30 MPH speeds a bit too high.

[eki15]

so u think that the prop will run wet insted of a surface drive like it is intended to do.

[Ron Olson]

Noy the way it appears in the photos that I've seen so far. Maybe playing with the strut or using a lifting prop might make a difference.

[tmd]

I am not a beginer but I do not race either. I bought this boat last week. It is as almost reedy to run as any boat can be. Gas, batteries and glow ignighter is all you need.

As for the prop running wet. It does not. It is on the surface.

[eki15]

does the boat just skim across the water with the prop in the water and the sponsens just barley touching?

[FlyGuy2002]

I now have this fine boat in my dock.........It is GREAT.......It performs better than you could amagine.....Stable....yep feels like it's hooked to the water on a rail but not touching anything but prop Rudder and turn fin.......This has to be the most forgiving boat i have ever owned...Nitro that is. 30 MPH......it should say on the box 30+ MPH ........I feel safe to say this could be the BEST starter boat or expert boat for fun on the market Today SECOND TO NONE.........

[jakepkoe]

It does seem to be a pretty cool boat. I got one last week, my first r/c boat (into cars for a while). Maybe someone can help me out a little with this thing.

The prop seems to cavitate a lot at low speeds, sometimes it's hard to get on plane because it won't get enough thrust. You gotta bring it back down to idle and wait for the wake to catch it, then it'll grab good, but you gotta ease into it or it will just spin again. When launching, if you push it into the water 'til it grabs, then give it a good shove forward it'll pop up on plane real quick with a li'l help from the throttle. Also, it seems like it could pull a bigger prop, it revs out real good - where can I find a different prop for this thing?

The other thing is that the steering is inconsitent for me. Sometimes it'll turn on a dime, while others it seems like it won't turn around using the whole pond. Anything to look for here?

EDIT** Just remembered one other problem I have with this boat. The fuel tank lid doesn't seal well at all. Maybe I just got a dud on the tank, who knows.

[Ron Olson]

This has got to be the hottest new boat out ever! the 2 LHS's have sold out their first orders of 6 boats and now have to wait a month to get more in! These things are going for outrageous amounts on eBay. I'll finally get to see one run this weekend, a guy who bought one called me last night and wants me to go with him, it's his first nitro boat. I've got a few props to try on it, some hotter fuel and I'm going to see if we can get a starter belt squeezed in. I'll get back to you with my report on it.

[eki15]

are the wings adjutable? and does the air scoop actually work or not?

[FlyGuy2002]

There would be no reason to adjust the Wing and the air scoop has 3 large holes at the top for air flow......

[FlyGuy2002]

On the cavation problem you need to lower your idle a little just a small toss in to water let the boat settle and your off , mine has no problem with cavation after that. The first few times I had my idle too high and the boat screamed but would not hardly move.....good luck....i noticed the fuel tank sits at a angle and would be easy to cross thread the cap.....

[jakepkoe]

I did lower my idle, prolly a li'l too low as it dies from time to time at idle. I can get it to "grab" better that way, but if I nail it from idle it'll still cavitate. I have to take off slow and smooth, is that just the nature of this beast? Is there an easy way to put a clutch on the driveline? I'm just so used to cars I guess, used to being able to idle without the vehicle moving, hehe.

The fuel cap threads on nice and easy, so I'm pretty sure it's not cross threaded. I'll make double sure next time I run though.

Thanks for the tips!!

I also noticed the other day that I have to give it left rudder at speed. I didn't really know what was causing it, but I bought a couple of r/c boat mags at the lhs and read the article about prop walk and such. I guess it could use a little fine tuning. Should be fun :D

[FlyGuy2002]

First you must realize the type of boat is a hydro designed for speed when these boats race they start at full speed not like a drag boat if you want a drag boat set up you would have to alter the boat and not have a top speed boat but a quick boat. I have found that a good idle where the boat is moving....It is not gonna stop....clutch on something this small not practical.....and not needed that would just cause uneeded heat and one more thing to fail......after time you should fing a spot that works great. I have foung you have to get up on plane or close before you pour on the power......

[FrankW]

A good tool to have would be a selection of props. I would say for this boat you would probebly want Octura props in the range of an X435 to an X642. It's unlikely you would need a lifting prop with this boat, but the 14** and 16** are lifting props (which will help lift the transom out of the water). You will need a reducer bushing for the 3/16th inch props to fit on the 1.8th inch shaft. (Y536 and above).

To help counteract prop walk you can do a lot of things. You could dial in left trim on your rudder. You can twist the strut so that it puts some thrust to the left (twist it counter clockwise looking from the top). Or you could twist the turn fin a little to the right, so it tries to move the boat to the left a little. Also make sure the turn fin is sharpened from the right side only (again, looking from the top).

Another thing you could do if you feel brave would be to add a little more angle of attack on the bottom of the right sponson, which will push the right sponson out of the water, move more of the weight onto the left sponson (causing a little more drag on that sponson), and make the boat want to move left (which can counteract the prop's wanting to move the boat to the right)

A sharp, thin metal prop will tend to cause less prop-walk as well. Aditionally, it won't flex, so you'll get on plane easier and reach a higher top speed (if you use the right prop).

Oh, and a tip for launching the boat. Since hydros are ment to go pretty much full speed all the time, try tossing it into the water like a bowling ball while holding on the throttle. I've done that with a few of my hydros and the boat is on plane immediatly. If you look at full scale hydros as they mill up to speed you will notice that at low speeds they are absolute cows, models of hydros are the same way. Just launch it fast to put it on plane, and don't stop.

Go fast and turn right my friends.

-Frank

[jakepkoe]

Thanks for the info guys, good stuff!!

Seems there are a bazillion different props available. I have no idea where to start, and my lhs has very few. I would like to try and find a metal prop for this thing, I guess I can try some of the props mentioned above. I can take a pic of the prop that comes on it if that might help someone recommend a good alternative.

In other news....
It's not nearly as bad now, but at first I was taking on a lot of water. It was mostly when I couldn't get up on plane quickly. The water was coming up by the cockpit and rolling up under the canopy. I was looking for a remedy, but getting it on plane seems to solve 95% of it. I also installed an exhaust deflector on the carb because I was ingesting water in the engine. The fly wheel was sitting in water because I was taking on so much and flinging it around in there. The "snorkel" is a good/cheap mod for this boat.

[FrankW]

3 point hydros tend to be like submarines when going from a dead stop and accelerating to plane. They like to submerge themselves, which causes water to get into the boat through an opening or improperly sealed hatch.

The boat comes with a plastic Octura Y534 stock, so a metal one of the same numbers would be good. Also a X435 or X632 would be a good start as well Remember that props need to be balanced, sharpened and polished. There is an excelent guide to that by a man named Andy Kunz (well known in the electric world). The guide can be read here: http://www.geocities.com/jwohlt5362/Propguide1.html

You can buy balanced and sharpened props but they're expensive ($25+). A great place to get balanced and sharpened props would be www.rumrunnerhobbies.com Unfortunately their 1/8th inch shaft props are a bit small. But with an actura reducer bushing you should be able to make a 3/16 prop fit. A good one to start out with would be the E-3514 or E-3714

You can also buy unsharpened and unbalanced octura props here: http://www.finedesignrc.com

-Frank

[rcboatjunky]

Frank, what is the difference between the stock plastic Y534 and the Octura aluminum X435? I have a new Miss Bud sitting on the floor but havent ran it yet. I have a X435 in my box. Plastic props usually end up hitting something in our pond and breaking. Here where I live we can only run on the fourth Sunday of the month at our club function. I can't wait to see how this thing runs.

[FrankW]

The pitch on the X435 is lower, meaning that in a perfect world, it will throw back less water. The diameter is a milimeter bigger, which allows it to throw back more water than say a X434 (no, they don't make them). So, you should get a better acceleration.

Now here is the important part: Metal props don't flex. Plastic props do. At speed that Y534 prop will flex, causing it to lose pitch. This means that it might even be slower than a metal X435. Also, metal props can be sharpened and polished, giving them the ability to be faster, not so on the plastic ones.

As for the difference between X and Y, I'm not sure myself. I don't use Y-props on my hydros.

-Frank

[Ron Olson]

We got it on the water tonight! Respectable speed for it running rich (still being broken in). The decibel level was at about 78 using IMPBA settings. Easy starting motor and the guy was using 15% nitro until we got into my can of 50% then it really woke up! It does need a good toss to get it up on plane then you have to keep the speed up to keep it there because it doesn't like to go slow.
If it was my boat I would do the following: sharpen the turn fin and rudder. Drill a small hole (1/8-1/4") in the back for water to drain out then cover with a small piece of radio box tape.
Downfall: the allen screw holding the shaft on is hard to get at for removal and lubrication, you need a long ball driver to get at it. A faster way to attach the cowling would be nice, maybe a body clip type of set-up like R/C cars.
Overall, a really good buy for the price.