Bait boats

[Steve ClappertonParticipant @steveclapperton32734]

hi ime new to all this and need some help with a project ive taken on ime refurbishing a bait boat

ive done most of it ,it doesnt sink ,nicely balanced in water etc its a catamaran design abs ive completely redone most of it trouble is it runs on twin bilge motors that 360 gph they work ok but but i need more power ? ime usin futaba 6ex 2,4 gig to control it all using 3 channels 2 for seperate motors 1 reversed to drop bait,in upgrading boat ive used different pipe to original (to provide thrust ).as it wasnt suitable got brittle and split.in my ignorance i think ive fitted a smaller diameter pipe than what was originally used .question is does this reduce thrust and if so what can i do to rectify my stupidity !! ive resealed all motors nice and neat if i had done it all properly so dont really want to dig them out,would it be possible to upgrade speed controller to get more power the ones ime using were the original ones work ok soory this is a bit long winded but but this is the first time ive built anything (ime 58 yrs old) but found the building really interesting so need to get somewhere with this any help would save my sanity ime seriously considering doing another thanks guys/girls take pity on me

[ashley needhamParticipant @ashleyneedham69188]

Hi Steve. Did you fit the new pipes straight on to the motors/pumps ? If they were fitted to the motor spigots direct I would have thought that the new pipes should be approximately the same size. Could you get a measurement of the old pipes when you cut them out ?? Changing the speed controller would not make much difference if the power supply (battery ) voltage remained the same.. assuming the current controller is handling the existing power draw ok, and the existing batteries are supplying the reccomended voltage of the mototrs.I dont have any experience of this propulsion set up, but i wouldnt have thought it would make for a very fast craft.. best bet would be to try and get to the outlet of the pump to see what diameter this is and match it up  to the correct size tubing. Or even change to conventional props or jet system if weeds are a problem. Ashley

[Steve ClappertonParticipant @steveclapperton32734]

thanks ashley trouble is ive sealed motors in foam so cant really get to them unless i rip them out which is an option ime getting to soon i think .the pipe i replaced is a a smaller internal diameter then the pipe that was fitted (badly) to the pump there was no obvious way to fit tube so i had to seal inside housing so i would think outlet was originally nearly twice the size as ive got, steep learning curve here, anyway ime asking lots of people ways of getting a more powerful thrust and got a few good ideas without breaking the bank or digging said motors out.i think the problem is too fine a jet of water out the back which gives poor propulsion goes ok near bank as it hits the bank and pushes it forward got ideas on fanning outflow to help this .I appreciate your respomse gives me the heart to carry on many thanks steve

[ashley needhamParticipant @ashleyneedham69188]

Steve… I think fanning the output will only slow it down, you want a good fast water stream out the , er, outlet.   It pushes away from the bank ok because the outlet is pushing against something solid and so a cushion of water builds up.. this dissapates further away from the bank and so the poor performance. Take it on the chin like a man…. dig them motors out (it wont take long) and fit the correct outlets.This will probly be a better and quicker solution than faffing around with something else that in all probability wont restore the performance anyway   Ashley

[Steve ClappertonParticipant @steveclapperton32734]

i know ime going to take your advice and re do the motor at least ive learned a few valuable lessons here and it will please my dear wife to know the spare bedroom is still a workshop!!!!

[Steve ClappertonParticipant @steveclapperton32734]

hi again ive taken ashleys advice and completely sripped motor area removed pipe and as pipes did not come out straight drilled two exit holes for fitting of pipes (copper i think so they come out straight ive tested boat today thurs and all ok but needed little more thrust hence rebuild ive chosen copper as its thin and solid and will give me 40% more outlet which should do it. i need to fill in an area 8mml square (roughly) not sure what to use araldite  or a silicone type of filler should i cover with abs glue it in and fill behind ideas wellcome !!!

[Paul TParticipant @pault84577]

Hi Steve

I would use a twin pack epoxy such as araldite which will give you a good strong and above all rigid fitting.

Paul

[Steve ClappertonParticipant @steveclapperton32734]

thanks paul i will use araldite as i have some .going to sort all this out now leave a week to dry and report if all gone well or not for that matter cheers all .i will be back as somebody once sald

[Steve ClappertonParticipant @steveclapperton32734]

hi again boat all sealed so took it out for a test this morning wind blowing a bit so into the wind it went and joy oh joy chugged on nicely .taking out old pipes have meant motor s are working in a level manner as before 1 was more powerful than the other must have blocked one up a bit anyway its working nicely now  .one minor problem turning is a bit slow and needs a wide area about 6=8ft not really a problem but might be wise to alliviate this with a rudder assembly i have 3 spare channels on receiver point is where to put it dont really want to put it centrally at back of boat as it may catch on lines coming from back of boat when towing rigs out it is a catamaran style hull i was thinking putting it just inside one of the outflow pipes either side so as not to interfere with flow in neutral position but might help when turning one way  what do you guys think many thanks again steve

[ashley needhamParticipant @ashleyneedham69188]

Steve, Am I right in assuming  that the left and right motors are incependantly controlled? I would have thought a very small rudder behind each outlet would do the trick, wouldn`t have to be too big as they are sitting in a fast jet stream (possibly!) and you are only after a bit more manoeverability, not regatta standard . Obviously the rudders would need to be kept small. and you could i suppose experiment by putting temporary fixed rudders at the back to see thier effect on the steering…? Typically, a moveable nozzle would be the way to go, something similar to a kort, but this may take more fiddling about with than a simple twin rudder set-up. Ashley.   ps, any pictures??

[Steve ClappertonParticipant @steveclapperton32734]

hi ashley yes i think two rudders would be the way i will try and post pics with this so that position can be advised ive done pics where do you think they should go would it be possible to use just one on left or right hand side so i can tighten turn circle a bit

[ashley needhamParticipant @ashleyneedham69188]

Steve…hhhmmmm Nice to see a good honest working boat,  If ever there was a model boat designed for one thing only (function), bait boats have to be it !  Twin rudders would be the only way to go to achieve any meaningful increase in manoeverability, but I can see that there would be a bit of difficulty in doing this. The rudder pivot would have to be external (giving a possible snagging problem), and the linkages to them fed back into the boat through the hull (as I assume the entire top lifts off?).. by the looks of it all the bits and bobs are already in the back of the hull so any internal linkages would have to go across all this, or you would have to be creative and use aircraft-style sleeved wires to control the rudders from a servo, for instance, at the front of the craft. Bearing in mind that robustness in the field has to be a no1 goal (after all you are there for the fishing, and not spend time faffing around with boats) I could see that it may be best to leave well alone ? Ashley

[Steve ClappertonParticipant @steveclapperton32734]

hi ashley now you know why i go fishing and not making model boats or anything for that matter  !!! anyway ime sort of having fun with this project with all your help its ok ime trying to upload some internal pics of boat  i cant upload files too big i can send via e mail if you like

                                 cheers steve

[Steve ClappertonParticipant @steveclapperton32734]

hi ashley just managed it hope they help there is a bit of room i could put 1 servo by battery and use just 1 rudder that side or use link for two or two servos 1 each side not sure about channels could i use the link/dual feature as in aeroplane rudder.aerolons or am i talking b===== my head hurts

[ashley needhamParticipant @ashleyneedham69188]

Steve. One servo linked to two rudders would be easiest, it looks like you have the room. Also, unless the rudder posts are inside the hull, you will need to get rudder pivots on the outside (easy enough) but them an arm to operate the rudder and also a rod likage from inside to the outside (a bit more tricky), and waterproof this to boot..using rubber bellows as per submarine practice.This will leave a lot of snaggy things on the stern of the boat….? One rudder only might enhance the turning performance enough, especially if it were oversize, but you would need to experiment there, and if it was no good, convert to two. How about a rudder/rudders at the front instead???  Should have more room at the bows. I assume you have a free channel on your transmitter? Oddly I have no exprience of anything other than 2 channel gear, and dont know what sort of control on a servo you have with the secondary channels… anyone? Ashley

[Steve ClappertonParticipant @steveclapperton32734]

once again thanks ashley i think the rudder at the front would be best for me as i have loads of space up there i have 4 spare channels so ime certain i can use one to give me right left movement (i experimented with channel 6 for bait drop lever operation  and it was fine but lever is on left so used channel five switch to get right hand operation) so thats not a problem

                                            were getting there steve

[Steve ClappertonParticipant @steveclapperton32734]

hi update guys all rudder stuff completed fine 1st test bit iffy as i had messed up settings on  futaba 2.4 gig transmitter so took all settings back to 0% . in ETA settings on channels 2 and 3 (my motor channels) i was playing about and wallah i found that anything over 100%. gave me more power so settled on 130% for more power and smooth operation without any signs of trouble the motors sound really sweet now so 1 more test then onto lake to use for real many thanks for all help it was really useful and i now feel i could do another from start

                                                cheers steve

[Steve ClappertonParticipant @steveclapperton32734]

Desperate!

[Author]

Posts