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Air Boat Build.

10K views 19 replies 7 participants last post by  Davo2 
#1 ·
Hey guys.
Just thinking about making a Air Boat out of balsa wood and putting a brushless motor on board.

I have found some on e-bay and wanted to know what everyone thought.

I will be using a std 2 ch system but I have never owned electric before only nitro. Need to go electric as lake for me to drive boat in is owned buy a friend and wants no petrol around which is fair.

Here is the link to something i was looking at.

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/RC-Model-281...photoQQcmdZViewItemQQ_trksidZp1742.m153.l1262

Any thought would be great.

Cheers
Steve
 
#4 ·
Hey

I made a boat out of Bulsawood. Has twin motors, as i have taken it out of a old 2 channel plane. You turn left and the right propeller works and so on and to go straight all propellers work.

Make sure you keep on applying coats of non water based polish, this will make the bulsa much harder and will also stop water from seeking through the bulsa.

I also double hulled the rear end of the boat where the motor and prop shafts sit, just to make it all firm and for the hardware to be seated firmly and secure witohut moving.
 
#5 ·
thanks guys for replies..

I to have an cheap plane with the same setup, i think it called vector push design.

Well looks like i need to do more shopping around and homework.

Aggressive do you have any pic's on your set up???

Steve
 
#6 ·
Hey guys

Beening thinking of a coupleof issue's

1= if Electric what happens if it flips over?? I am guessing I will stuff the motor???

2= I have a old nitro car that I not use much, thought about using that but do I need a different way to start it as with prop on will the rip cord be able to do the job of starting it???

Cheers

Steveo
 
#8 ·
I have fliped my nitro airboat a coulpe of times and I have striped apart the servo's, etc and dry them out.
No ill effects.
Don't know about a full electic airboat, esc might get stuffed.
This is what you use to start a nitro airboat engine.

What size engine have you got, nornally airboat engines are large size like a 46.
Here is one of my airboats, running a Russian MDS46 very fast.


Secound hand airboats are not to dear, about $150+ this one will be up for sale soon, putting a new OS46 engine on my other airboat.
 
#7 ·
My one doesnt go fast enough to flip over, all though i did make the front dave under in a lap pool as the waves had no where to go but back into the center.

I will get some pictures of it soon.
 
#9 · (Edited)
Airboats

Anyone want this setup for their air boat?

8.4V 900Mah batts X 2 with car charger, TX/RX ESC combo, 2 micro servos etc. (The prop is a pusher)

Could be a good power plant for a new project!

It's for free! :D

Brett.
 

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#16 ·
Did you know?

Electric motors can run under water!

Try it with an old motor you don't care about.

Electric motors don't like getting wet. Athough if you give them a quick clean after a topside, they will be fine to use again right away.

Remember to give the motor bearings a light lube after each use.

The battery doesn't like getting wet, either does the RX, ESC or servo.

Don't get them wet!

Cheers, Brett.
 
#20 · (Edited)
Electric motors run quite happily underwater

Electric motors can run under water!

Try it with an old motor you don't care about.

Electric motors don't like getting wet. Athough if you give them a quick clean after a topside, they will be fine to use again right away.

Remember to give the motor bearings a light lube after each use.

The battery doesn't like getting wet, either does the RX, ESC or servo.

Don't get them wet!

Cheers, Brett.
Check out www.ausbg.org for the hobby I'm into - Radio Controlled Warship Combat.
Our ships must be able to be sunk! :madgrin:
We fire ball bearings from ship mounted CO2 powered cannons and the object is to sink the enemy. We run our ships right up to the point where we must get them home quick or they will sink and if we leave it too late they do sink, so they are regularly full of water.
The motors run as per normal under water and the servos (we mount them as high as we can, but they still get wet) just have holes drilled in the cases to drain the water out, the only thing we do keep water out of is the R/C receiver - we just seal it in a balloon.
We do treat the servo innards with stuff like Skotchkote (I think it's called) but if the servos get twitchy or fail to work after a sink we just give them a squirt or two of metho and they are OK again after a minute or two in the sun - I've got servos in one of my ships that are over 9 years old and they are still good.
The batteries we use are sealed gel cells so they don't mind getting wet either and we also use waterproof ESC's.
The only maintenance I do is give my motors and prop shafts a shot of silicon oil on the bearings now and then, never had any problems.

Note that we only sail on fresh water, not salt.

A word of warning for anyone using brushed motors: :nono: DO NOT SPRAY WD40 INTO YOUR MOTORS! :nono: That stuff will eventually affect the brushes and they turn to mush, this causes a lovely fireworks display and your boat could catch fire.:eek:
 
#17 ·
Guess I better give the gear to someone here!

I offered the radio and ESC, batts, motor, charger etc. Here first!
Then in the For sale adds later. When i checked my PM's there where about four replies, the top was the latest. The earlier replay should have got the gift! So Sorry Guys. :eek:

So it should be samuel who gets it.

I hope you all agree.

He was first reply after i posted here. I think!

I will talk to the guy i have said i would give it to and explain
to him why i have changed my mind.

Cheers, Brett. :thumb:
 
#18 ·
PC wiz has decided to send me the electric gear..

So I am to give the THANKS to Aggressive for poking PC WIZ..:)

I went to Frontline Hobbies today and started to get together the balsa wood and stuff..

Just need to know/work out a size to build it..

Steve
 
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